Page 42 of Twilight of Embers
There was that enigmatic Cillian again. “It sounds like he has a real artist’s eye.”
Knox’s lips twitched as he reached for the door handle. “He likes to be in control of every detail of everything. It only made sense that he’d want to design his home, too.”
I frowned. “No one can be in control all the time.” Life just didn’t work out that way.
Knox shook his head. “Cill would argue that point.”
I was starting to dread meeting this control freak friend of Knox’s, if I was honest.
The moment we stepped into the grand foyer of the house, I was lifted off my feet. I let out a squeal of surprise as Cáel hugged me to him, nuzzling my neck. “Missed you,” he grumbled.
I hugged him back. There was something about Cáel’s lack of pretense, his honest authenticity, that I just loved. “Missed you, too.”
He lowered me to the floor, gently brushing the hair out of my face. His fingers trailed down to the hood of my jacket, and he grinned.
I pinned him with a stare. “Did you leave the jackets on my bed?”
The grin widened, and he shrugged.
“It’s too much, Cáel.”
That grin morphed into a scowl. “You needed coats.”
“Five of them?” I pressed.
Knox choked on a laugh behind me.
“And how did you get into my room?”
Cáel averted his gaze at that question.
“Jesus, Cáel. Rein it in,” Easton muttered.
My gaze pulled to him. He stood, leaning against the wall. He wore a maroon Henley with the sleeves pushed up, revealing muscular forearms. The dark-wash jeans he donned exposed bare feet. There was something so casual about those bare feet, almost intimate. As if I shouldn’t be seeing the sight.
Easton’s green eyes narrowed on me. “Hayden,” he clipped.
“Grumpy Cat,” I shot back.
His eyebrows flew toward his hairline. “What did you just call me?”
I met his stare dead on. “You look like that meme of the cat who’s in a perpetual bad mood.”
Easton’s jaw worked back and forth. “I don’t look like a cat.”
“What’s wrong with cats?” I challenged.
Knox started choking behind me.
Easton’s gaze snapped to him. “You think this is funny?”
Knox couldn’t hold in his laughter anymore. “Sorry, bro. She kind of has you pegged.”
Easton let out a low growl, muttering something about immature children under his breath.
“That went well,” I mumbled.
Cáel wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. “Ignore him.”
