Andy shook his red curls. “So that’s your secret. You bastard.”
“And now it’s yours.” I held out my hand, and he gave it a firm shake.
“Take care, man.”
“Yeah, you do the same,” I said, taking the tray to the kitchen. I unloaded the dirty dishes for the new kid taking over washing duties. It was a weird feeling, like even though I’d graduated college, leaving tonight was somehow my rite of passage into adulthood. The internship at the museum was the first step toward my career, and though it didn’t pay much, it would be enough to keep a roof over my head and Pretty Baby running, with some left over for food.
I grabbed a broom and headed back out to the dining room just in time to see Brayden walking through the front door. He scanned the café, and when he saw me, he grinned and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Yo, Clark, your mom’s waitin’ outside.”
Snorting, I shook my head. “What are you doing here?”
Brayden wandered over, his long legs eating up the space, and when he stopped, he casually put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Thought I’d take advantage of one last free muffin.”
“Freeloader.”
“Damn right. Now I’ll have to find an in with the owner if I have a craving for blueberries. You should feel bad about that.”
“I do,” I said, rolling my eyes, but I was grinning. “I feel terrible. Especially since I have to tell you we’re out of blueberry muffins.”
“What? How can you be out?”
“That’s what you get for coming in at closing.” I went behind the bakery counter and grabbed the last two plastic-wrapped pastries. “But you can have the last carrot cake and poppy seed if you want ’em.”
Brayden gave a put-out sigh and then held out his hands. “I guess I’ll take those for the team.”
I handed them over, and as he commandeered an empty booth, I filled a glass with ice and Coke. After setting it down in front of Brayden, I slid in across from him.
“You love me. You really love me,” he said, picking up the glass. Then he paused. “Can I get a—”
I grabbed a straw from my apron and tossed it across the table, and Brayden shook his head as he picked it up.
“You see? Who else is gonna spoil me like this?”
“Uh, Charlemagne.”
“Oh yeah.” Brayden unwrapped the straw, stuck it in his glass, and then took a long pull of his soda. When it was halfway gone, he sat back and spread his arms out across the back of the booth, his gaze traveling around the empty café. “You sure you wanna give all this up?”
“Fucking positive.”
Brayden’s brows shot up. “Ooh, look who’s got a mouth on him now. That have anything to do with a certain Wolfe you’ve been heavily petting?” He batted his lashes at me, and I balled up his straw wrapper and flicked it at his face. “I take it that’s a yes.”
I didn’t meet his eyes as I shrugged.
“So, how’s it going between you two lovebirds? I’ve barely seen you this week. I had to eat Charlemagne’s strawberry crepes all by myself.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did. But I’m assuming your mouth was otherwise occupied with something pretty damn tasty, am I right?”
I covered my face with my hands as my skin heated. “Shut up, please.”
“Oh, come on. At least tell me how big he is.” Brayden held out his hands so they measured about a foot. “Yes? No? Bigger, smaller?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I’m your best friend. It’s my business.”
I thought back to all the times Brayden had given me way more details regarding his sexual encounters than I’d ever wanted to know. But they had helped me live vicariously through him, I supposed, so when Brayden’s hands moved to the length I was becoming more familiar with each passing night, I said, “There.”
Brayden’s eyes went round as he stared down at the size I’d indicated. “Jesus. Okay, maybe I’ll have to forgive him for being a scary motherfucker if that’s what he’s working with. And PS, how are you still walking?”
Rubbing my face, I chuckled again. “Carefully.” Then what he’d said sank in. “Why’d you call him that?”
“What? A scary motherfucker?”
“Yeah.”
Brayden took on a subdued look, his playful side disappearing for the moment as he sat forward and crossed his arms on the table. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“How are things going with this guy?”
How were things going? Mind-blowingly well was the first thing that popped into my brain, quickly followed by the memory of Wednesday night’s encounter—Tor had forced me to my knees, and I’d sucked his cock until he’d come on my lips, my neck, and my chest. And as amazing as that was, what happened after was what I couldn’t get out of my head. Tor had pulled me into the shower with him, and he’d taken such care cleaning my body and then tucking me into his massive bed. It was that contrast between Tor’s dominant side and the other one that seemed to be slowly emerging. Was it love or something like it? My stomach flipped at the thought, and I bit down on my lip before answering. “He’s unbelievable, Bray. You wouldn’t believe it. He’s just so… I don’t know how to describe it. All about me. Like he would do anything for me.”