22. Tuvid

22

TUVID

" T uvid," she said, her eyes widening to the point they took up a lot of space on her face.

"I'm sorry." I backed off her, settling again on the sofa. "I told myself I wouldn't overshare, but it slipped out."

She sat and leaned against my arm, looking up at me. "You're incredibly special."

"It sounds like you're about to add a but to that statement."

"I haven't known you long."

The same thing as "but".

"I thought I was in love with my old boyfriend," she said.

"Benjamin Piles."

"Yeah, him, the slimy guy."

"He's a meticulous brewmaster who kept offering you recipes that you repeatedly overlooked in favor of your own creations."

She frowned. "How did you learn that?"

"I read it online. "

"I can't imagine where."

"I hacked into a private brew forum."

"Whose brew forum?"

I shot her a smile, though I was sure it held a touch of sadness. I needed to apologize again after telling her the rest of the details about Benjamin. "Spiteful and craving recognition, he might see stealing the kegs as a way to discredit your talent and prove that without him, your brewery's success will fizzle."

"He ended our relationship. It hurt at first, but it didn't take me long to see I was much better off without him, for the reasons you stated. He was always telling me how I needed to run my business. Telling me my IPA wasn't as good as his, that I needed to use the same ingredients he did and not what my uncle had used or what I'd learned fits my brand best while working at the Beer Co. as the brewmaster. He didn't respect that I was good at this before I met him."

"And he's entering a stout that would be stiff competition for yours."

"Do you think he stole my beer?"

I shrugged. "He's high on my list, but there are still others I need to look into."

"Back to you talking about your feelings."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Gargoyles . . ." I sucked in a breath and released it with my words. "When we meet our fated mates, we fall in love fast. It's like a switch is triggered inside us. We know that person's the one, and we let it happen. We welcome it."

"What if I don't floss?" she asked, completely serious.

"What does flossing have to do with love? "

"If I skipped flossing, that could give me stinky breath, and I know you wouldn't like that," she said.

"If it was a big thing to me, I'd ask you to floss."

Her head tilted back so she could look at me. "Not tell me I have to do it?"

"I won't tell you to do anything."

"And that's why I'm falling in love with you Tuvid."

I froze, blinking down at her. "I think I misheard you," I finally said. "I'm the gargoyle with the mate bond mark. I'm the one who's falling fast, and who's awkward and uncomfortable about it because I know humans don't feel the same way."

"Why not? Just because I don't have a mark on the back of my hand doesn't mean I can't fall in love fast."

"You really are?"

A shy smile rose on her face, and she nodded.

"Fuck."

"Well, that might be taking things a little fast, but I'm not opposed to the idea in general," she said with a laugh.

"Fuck!"

She rose onto her knees and put her hands on my shoulders. "Well, if you insist, Tuvid."

And then she kissed me.