He shrugged. “I flirted with him.”
It took me a few minutes to process what he’d said. My landlord, a mid-forties banker who invested most of his rental property earnings. My landlord, who wore sweater vests and glasses too big for his face. I couldn’t picture Fin flirting with anyone, let alone Mr. Talmadge.
“You flirted with my landlord when you could have just used your powers to make him give you a key?” I wasn’t going to bring up his questionable taste in men; he had to know that about himself already.
He smiled and focused on the bacon to flip a few more pieces. “I don’t always use my powers. But while we’re on the topic of powers, why are you using a knife when you could just use your powers on a potential intruder?”
My potential magical abilities were not something I was ready to discuss this morning. If I ever was. “That is none of your business.”
He lifted some pieces of bacon to set them on a paper towel-lined plate before adding more to the pan. I watched despite my anger, fascinated with his precise movements and the way his firm grip maneuvered the tongs. I bet he was a good knife fighter.
Damn girl, you need to get laid if you’re looking at this man cooking bacon and thinking about how hot it is.
He cleared his throat. “Well, unless you know someone else who can train you in how to use your magical abilities, or whatever you’re describing them as, then I think it is my business.”
I shook my head and backed out of the dining room into my living room. Before I could give more of my attention to Fin, I
booted up my computer and scanned through a couple of emails. A few were from clients who had responded to the emails I sent the day before.
“We aren’t finished discussing this topic,” he called from the kitchen.
I chose to ignore him and his haughty tone. I even opened up a few of the messages in my junk folder just to give me a little more time.
Fin had invaded my life. That was a fact. I doubted I could get rid of him now that he’d burrowed deep. And if I was honest with myself, I didn’t want to lose him. I liked Fin, even knowing from the moment I met him our friendship would end badly. All of this wasn’t something I wanted to think about while he stood in my kitchen wearing those damn gray sweatpants.
No, I couldn’t allow him to do this to me. To take over everything and get in so deep I would never get him out. I stood up from my desk, but the second I turned toward the kitchen, Fin was there, a plate of bacon right under my chin, against my sternum.
“Um...”
He met my gaze with those gorgeous crystal blue eyes and nodded toward the plate. “Eat, while it’s hot. We have to discuss a few things.”
I stepped away from him and his bacon offering. “I thought we discussed everything yesterday. Besides, I’m still angry at you for breaking into my home.”
“I had a key,” he said. He threw himself down on my couch, the plate perfectly balanced until he settled.
“Having a key you practically seduced out of my landlord is not the same thing as having permission to be here.”
“Seduced is a strong word.”
I sighed and sat on the chair across from the couch. “What is it going to take to get you to leave?”
It was right then I remembered all I had on was my long gray henley nightshirt, which didn’t even reach my knees. His eyes tracked up my bare legs to the hem of the shirt and then to my face. I wanted to tug down my shirt, but it felt too much like a retreat, so I gripped my hands together and waited for him to answer.
It took way longer than I was comfortable with.
“I’ll leave once you agree to help me find my sister,” he said.
“What about the Black Mage?”
“My sister is my priority. I know the black mage has her. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get them both at the same time. Although, with our run of luck, I doubt the Gods will favor us in this.”
I snorted. “No, I told you I’m not helping. I’ll give you any information I can provide about Sol and the sendings, but I don’t want to end up in another hospital bed.”
He placed the plate on the coffee table and leaned over his knees to put him more on my eye level. “Then you tell me, what would it take to get you working for me again? Name it. Anything at all you want is yours if you agree.”
“Why me? Obviously on our last go, I ended up being bait more than help.”
His brow furrowed, and he nudged the bacon toward me. “You forget you saved my life. If your powers hadn’t awoken, then we’d both likely be dead now. I don’t like that you think what you did means so little to me.”