Liam's jaw clenched. A brief, hot flicker behind his ribs, territorial and stupid. Rogue's face, grinning, talking about Elizabeth like she was a trophy on a shelf. The instinct to step forward, to put himself between them.
Then it passed. Because Rogue was currently trying to flex his jaw at Berry, who looked like she was watching a sea lion perform at an aquarium.
Right, he's a sea puppy, harmless.
Liam exhaled through his nose. His thumb moved slowly, deliberately against the inside of Elizabeth's wrist. A single stroke across the thin skin there, where her pulse sat close to the surface.
"Three women," he said, low and dry. "Must've been a long loading screen."
Berry snorted. Actually snorted. Her ears pinched back, and she covered her mouth with one hand.
Rogue clutched his chest. "That's slander to have STAMINA. I have a whole stamina build!"
"Your stamina stat is twelve," Berry said.
"TWELVE IS ABOVE AVERAGE."
