“I can't believe I'm about to drink with my father- this is wrong on so many levels.”

“My mother was an angel,” I blurted. “A guardian angel.”Kaidan began to chuckle.“What's so funny?” I asked.“You. You're a walking contradiction. Horns and a halo. I don't believe it.”

“My whole life I’d fooled myself into thinking I didn’t need his love, but I’d been wrong. Everyone needed their father’s love.”

“How's your orange juice, Anna? Does it have a touch of lime?”The glass paused at my lips as I processed his innuendo, and I took a second to make sure my embarrassment stayed hidden inside. I let the drink swish over my tongue a moment before swallowing and answering.“Actually it's a little sour,” I said, and he laughed.“That's a shame.” He picked up a green pear from his plate and bit into it, licking juice that dripped down his thumb. My cheeks warmed as I set down my glass.“Okay, now you're just being crude,” I said.He grinned with lazy satisfaction.”

“I marvelled about the nature of humanity, and how something as lovely as friendship could stem from something so hideous.”

“Ready to s-snuggle?” he asked Kaidan, a slight clatter in his voice. Only Blake could joke on a night like this and get away with it.Kaidan shook his head and undressed down to his boxers, too, the tension finally shedding away from his frame. “I swear, mate. If I feel something poke me in the back. . .”Blake's laugh was dry. “I'm pretty sure my junk froze off, man, so don't worry.”

“Because all I could think about was you, Anna, and how good you are, and what you'd think of me. You put thoughts into my head a Neph shouldn't have!”