“Sure.” Not really, with that look in his eyes.
“Before Ezra left with King Venclaire for New York, my wife took him cellphone shopping.” Oh, God. Please don’t tell me. “I remember Vivian specifically complaining when they came back that the cell they’d really wanted wasn’t in stock, so she’d had to get him another barebones cell. One without a camera.”
“Email,” I stated instantly, breathing shallowly to keep my heart rate down. “The picture must have been an attachment on his email.”
A single eyebrow rose. “He doesn’t have email capabilities on his cell. He checks those on his laptop. Again, his cellphone is only basic, and he never asked for another.”
I swallowed hard. Well, shit. “Maybe, he downloaded it from his laptop?” This is what I get for lying.
He cocked his head, spinning us expertly. “Interesting theory.” Not really an answer. His eyes deliberately dipped, then rose. “Cheetah, huh?”
I blinked. This just wasn’t good. Glancing on either side of us, I spied Ezra, but his back was to us as he was dancing with his mom. No help there. Out of options, I sighed and turned my attention back to Cahal, telling the truth, “The picture I saw was in his room. A whole group of us were in there.” I added helpfully, “It’s a very nice family photo.” Clearing my throat, I smiled. Hoped it was sweet enough.
“Hmm.” He stared. “You lied because?”
“I didn’t think it sounded appropriate,” I replied honestly.
A c**k of his head. “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate?” Again, he glanced down, then up. Implication clear. He hadn’t liked seeing his son’s fingers down the top of my dress.
“We’re just friends,” I stated bluntly.
He hummed softly. “I didn’t say you weren’t.”
Right. Said friend needed to get his ass over here. Again, I glanced Ezra’s way, and luck was on my side this time because he was looking in our general direction over his mom’s head. Swiftly, I merely met his gaze, and then turned my attention back to his dad, saying, “No. You didn’t. I just thought it needed saying.”
“Why do you think it needs saying?”
My God, he should have been a f**king shrink instead of a King with all of my answers he kept twisting around. Hell, maybe he was one now, when he wasn’t doing his Elder duties.
“May I cut in?” Ezra asked his dad, stopping in a twirl next to us. He nodded at his mom in his arms. “I’m sure Mom would love to dance with you.”
His dad smiled, and I wasn’t able to read it because I didn’t know him, but he released me, holding out his hand to his mate. “Beautiful lady.”
Vivian chuckled, then kissed Ezra’s cheek before taking Cahal’s hand, and was swiftly enveloped in his arms as they began dancing.
Ezra instantly grabbed me and whirled us away from them.
Banging my forehead against his chest a couple of times, I mumbled, “Fact: you should have told me who the hell your dad is. Fact: you should have helped me when I lied to him about the photo earlier if you knew he would know it was a lie. Fact: he didn’t like you putting your fingers down my cle**age earlier. Fact: he is seriously scary.”
Ezra raised his head, looking to wherever his parents were, then spun us even closer to a bulky speaker thumping with music. “Fact: I thought you knew. Hell, we had a test about him in history class.” Three years in one year, enough said. “Fact: I didn’t know you were going to lie about the photo, otherwise I would have stopped you.” His eyes dipped down like his dad’s had, but lingered — ‘cause he was Ezra — before coming back to mine. “Fact: he wouldn’t have been paying attention to where my fingers were if you hadn’t lied in the first place. Fact: yes, he can be scary.” He paused, then added, “Fact: he’s also a Vampire, if you’ve forgotten, so when you say something even remotely close to him, remember he can hear you.”
I glanced at the vibrating speaker. “Unless we’re near something like this?”
“Yes. Our voices won’t carry over the sound.”
As we swayed to the music, I rested my cheek against his chest in frustration, and felt his own cheek rest on top of my head. His chest expanded as he inhaled harshly, and he grumbled, “Guess we can add my dad to the list of people who think we’re having sex.”
I nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I got from him.”
“Perfect,” he muttered. Grunted. “When are they going to get over this shit? We hardly ever touch unless it’s on the damn dance floor. I have sex with other women. You’re picking other men to have sex with. What the hell else do we need to do?”
I shrugged inside his strong, familiar embrace. “I have no clue.” I joked, “We might as well have sex, and enjoy the benefits, if we’re going to be hounded for it.”
“You think you’re funny, don’t you?”
“Definite affirmative.”
Ezra led me off the dance floor two songs later, staying clear of King Kincaid, King Venclaire, and now, his dad. Although, I was pretty sure I saw them watching us as we weaved through the dancing couples. I was starving, and so was Ezra, if his rumbling stomach was any indication. We could see Pearl and Gideon at the buffet on top of the hill, and Jack and Nikki were sneaking behind the row of trees where we had hidden before.
Ezra dipped, taking his hand off the small of my back just as we exited the dance floor, asking, “Do you need to eat before the Awakenings?”
I debated that. Blood. He was talking about blood. I really didn’t want another fainting spell to occur, but I wasn’t all that thirsty, since it was only noon and I normally drank before, or directly after, dinner. “I’m not famished, but it might be a good idea.”
He nodded, automatically maneuvering us — without touching me — in a different direction, barely breathing, “I thought about that last night, and made sure I drank double my normal. We can do this before we normally do and I’ll be fine.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling up at him. “That was thoughtful.”
He shrugged. “Better than having King Kincaid attack me again.”
I snorted as we hurried up the hill to the back entrance of King Hall. “Exactly where are we headed?”
He was quiet, then whispered, “Under the bleachers in the gym.”
I choked on a laugh. “That’s your hiding spot? Isn’t that a little cliché? How many women have you taken back there?”