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him up.
    Shit. They must be a couple. She hadn’t suspected Kael was gay. He eyed her up whenever they met, no matter how subtle he thought he was being, but his hold on the other man was proprietary.
    Damn. There went her daydreams of getting biblical with Tall, Dark and Dreamy.
    She had to admit, they were certainly gorgeous together. There was no doubt of that. The dark-haired man’s golden skin and dark, almond-shaped eyes were the perfect contrast to Kael’s blond, all-American good looks.
    It was weird, because Michaela tended to like guys with lighter hair and eyes, like Kael, but her gaze was constantly drawn to the darker of the two. It had been that way earlier in the parking garage too. She just hoped she hadn’t been too obvious in her attraction, especially if the man was taken. Michaela didn’t poach, not even when the object of her unrequited lust steered toward the fairer sex.
    Out the window behind them Michaela caught a glimpse of one of the convention goers dressed as some kind of walking tree. She tsk’d loudly. “Poor guy. He’s going to wind up with splinters in some interesting places.”
    The brunet, still vibrating with laughter, collapsed into the chair Amanda had recently vacated, placing him right next to Michaela. “In truth, it gives new meaning to the term woody.”
    Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not enough caffeine in the gods’ bedamned world.” He sighed. “Ringo?”
    “Iced caramel macchiato.”
    “Got it.” Kael walked away, shaking his head.
    Michaela bit the bullet. She would remember his name this time if it killed her. “I’m sorry, what did Kael just say your name was?”
    He tilted his head and smiled. Something about that smile sent shivers down her spine. His eyes had odd flecks of blue in them, like chips of blue topaz in rich, dark earth. He tilted his head in an oddly old–fashioned gesture, almost like a bow. “Ringo Midori, at your service.”
    Wait. She knew what those words meant from all the manga she read. “That name’s Japanese. That would make your name Midori no Ringo.” She laughed. “Oh, man. Your parents named you green apple ?”
    One dark brow quirked upwards in surprise. “I was an interesting looking baby.” She thought for a second she detected respect in his gaze before the laughter returned. “You speak Japanese?”
    “Nope. I read a crapload of manga, though.”
    “Manga?” Kael settled into his chair and handed Ringo a cup.
    “Yup. I love yaoi.”
    The cup Ringo had begun to lift to his lips paused. “Aren’t they Japanese man-love comics?”
    “Ever hear of Naono Bohra? She’s one of my favorites.” Michaela waited to see what would happen. Most guys had one of two reactions.
    Sure enough, Kael made a face. “Not my cup of tea.”
    Ringo just smirked and sipped his macchiato.
    Michaela didn’t understand why she felt so comfortable talking to these two, but her instincts hadn’t steered her wrong yet. After all, Kael had proven more than once that he was a nice man, and so far Ringo was proving to be fun-loving. She decided to go with it and tease the hell out of Kael. She propped her chin on her hand and fluttered her lashes at him. “So you’re not looking for a big, strong seme ?”
    Ringo almost choked on his drink. He obviously understood what the word meant. Kael, however, appeared lost. He turned to Ringo. “I don’t want to know, do I?”
    Ringo leaned back in his chair. “No, Kael. It’s best if you remain ignorant.”
    Hmm. Maybe they weren’t a couple after all.
    “Then color me blissful.” Kael sipped his drink and watched the fake fairies dancing outside the window. One gentleman in particular seemed to think that a strategically placed fig leaf meant he didn’t need briefs. Too bad he hadn’t secured the leaf properly. Kael whimpered. “Remind me to bleach my eyes later.”
    She winked at Ringo, blushing when his gorgeous eyes narrowed. For a split second, she could have sworn they