“Excuse me, that was a very tasteful innuendo,” I said seriously, and he rolled his eyes.
“No innuendo is tasteful.”
Using his tie as leverage, I yanked him closer so I could shut him up with a kiss. “Stop being a crotchety old man,” I mumbled against his mouth. “It’s called flirting. And I’m getting better at it.”
“Is that so?” He added just enough space between us so he could raise finger guns and shoot at me. “You’re good and nice and great. Pew, pew, pew?”
“Ugh, you’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?” I buried my face in his neck as his laughter vibrated through me.
“Not ever,” he confirmed, and I groaned.
“Jerk.” I kissed his scarred throat, the raised flesh bumpy against my lips. Inhaling peppermint, damp earth, and sunshine, I sighed happily. “What are you doing here, by the way? You can’t be off work already?”
“I’m off early,” he said with a kiss to my temple. “And so are you.”
With a grunt, I pushed away from him and cocked my head. “I am?”
“I may have arranged things with your superior so you’d be free this afternoon.” He grinned like a fiend.
I arched a reprimanding eyebrow. “But you’re my superior.”
Gideon shrugged and tucked his hands into his slack pockets. “Huh, fancy that.”
Excitement curled in my gut as I jumped down from the desk and grabbed my cargo jacket. “So much conflict of interest.”
He took my hand and led me from the classroom. “Don’t care. It’s your birthday.”
“I’m too mature to celebrate birthdays. And I don’t need a reminder that I’m old!”
“Old!” he scoffed. “Says the thirty-five-year-old to the ancient angel who can’t remember how many years he’s been alive.”
I kissed the back of his hand. “That’s a whole new level of old.”
“Thirty-five and still a brat,” he mused. “How unsurprising.”
“And yet, I’m still the love of your existence.” I wagged my tongue at him as he grinned.
“Yes, kapara,” he said. “You most certainly are.”
When we arrived at the infirmary, Jai was just finishing up paperwork. He must have been expecting our arrival because he’d already changed out of his scrubs and showered. His dark hair was damp and tousled, his beard thick but trimmed. His dark jeans sagged on his hips just enough to flash the band of his dark purple boxers.
His leather jacket was folded over one arm as he filled out a form for the nurse standing beside him. Under the fluorescent lights, his gauges gleamed, and our bond thrummed the moment he glanced up and met my gaze.
Flames erupted in his dark eyes, and he smiled, teeth white against his black facial hair and olive skin. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Becca,” he said to the nurse, handing the clipboard back to her. “Keep an eye on Tristen. Make sure he doesn’t pull out his I.V.”
“Sure thing,” she said with a knowing glance my way. “Have fun.”
Jai’s wicked grin was enough to spark a blush in her cheeks and mine as he shrugged his leather jacket on and sauntered toward me with a sexy swagger. “Hey, baby,” he purred as he swept me out from under Gideon’s arm and planted a filthy kiss to my mouth. “Happy birthday.”
Slightly out of breath, I wobbled on my feet as I beamed dopily at him. “Thanks. I told Gideon I was too old for birthdays.”
“Just let us spoil you.”
“You spoil me every day. Eventually, it’ll go to my head.”
With a jubilant laugh, Jai pressed another kiss to my mouth, this one more reserved and appropriate for public places. “The second you get a big head, I’ll stop spoiling you, but not a day sooner.”
And because I was a sucker who secretly enjoyed being spoiled, I nodded enthusiastically. “Okay.”
“Come on. Noel’s waiting for us.” Gideon waved his phone where—I assumed—Noel had texted him.
The walk across town was warm and sunny. My hands were tucked away in Gideon’s and Jai’s hands as I walked between them. The ache in my thigh grew with every step thanks to all the activity I’d done today, and I did my best to eliminate the limp, failing terribly. Gideon and Jai noticed, but they didn’t say anything. Smart men.
Not far from Noel’s work, I spotted a familiar figure strolling down the street toward us. His pearly hair danced in the breeze, long enough to hang to the middle of his back now. Ivory skin seemed to glow in contrast to the floral shirt he wore, the hem teasing his thighs. He wore black leggings and a pair of high-heeled ankle boots.
When he was closer, his full, pink lips split into a wide smile, and his colorless eyes sparkled. The purple starbursts around his pupils glimmered, the color enhanced by the smoky eye shadow on his eyelids and the charcoal lining his eyes.
He’d started wearing makeup a few years ago. Some days when he wanted to feel pretty, he’d dust his eyelids and slick his lips with gloss. He liked wearing heels, and on very special nights, he’d slip into something dainty and lacy and beg me to make love to him nice and slow.
And how could I ever say no to that? My fair angel had embraced his femme side, so I would too. Wearing heels or makeup or the occasional maxi skirt didn’t change who he was. He was still Noel, and I loved him more than I could describe in words.
It was the nature of living to never stop growing, never stop changing. As time passed, we continued to evolve, and Noel had finally settled into his skin. He was beautiful; he always had been. But he’d discovered his worth beyond a pretty face and an easy lay.
As he closed the distance between us, I felt the ribbon stretching between us vibrate with joy and, if I wasn’t mistaken, desire. His gaze slid down my body in a way that should have been illegal, and my blood warmed.
“Hey,” I said, popping onto my toes and pressing a kiss to his pliant mouth. His shirt was silky smooth under my palms, and I snuck my hands around his waist and gave his butt a subtle pat of greeting.
He hummed against my lips. “Hey, ahuvi. Ready for your birthday surprise?”
“You’re all in big trouble, sneaking around behind my back like this,” I said, even as I grinned manically.
“Mhm, sure,” he said before stepping around me to greet Jai with a kiss.
“You look nice, No,” Jai said, and Noel’s cheeks pinked.
He smoothed a hand down his floral shirt. “Thanks.”
“We’re going to be late,” Gideon said, checking his watch.
In response, Jai, Noel, and I blew raspberries into our palms to imitate fart noises. Because, even though we were mature adults now, Gideon was a high-strung grouch when we had an agenda planned. He glared at all three of us.
“I’m serious! We’re going to be late if—”
“Calm down, killer.” Jai slapped his shoulder. “We got time.”
Gideon grumbled under his breath, and with a few extra teases thrown his way, we gave in to his compulsive need to keep on schedule.
After teleporting to the mortal realm and borrowing a large pickup truck from an angelic team stationed there, we drove almost an hour to Eustis, Florida. Jai and Noel sat in the backseat of the F350, chatting about their days at work. I sat in the passenger seat, hand clasped with Gideon’s on the center console as he drove.