Adam stood in the kitchen, glaring at the coffeemaker. He only spared me a glance. “I can take you. I just need this to hurry first.”
“She’s on the way home for me,” Darius said, pulling out three mugs. He got the sugar and creamer. “I’ll get her home.” He paused, then eyed me. “Let me go get dressed and we can go.”
“Will we do this again on Saturday?” Adam asked. “That way we don’t have to worry about waking up early again?” He drummed his fingers on the countertop. “We could make an entire weekend of it.” He hummed. “Sex all weekend sounds great.”
“I promised my mom I’d see her on Sunday. So I can only offer Friday night through Sunday morning,” I told him from theliving room as I put my shoes on. Then I paused. Did I want to visit my family after spending the majority of the weekend between the three of them? “Ask me about this after I get off work. That way I’m more awake to make an informed decision.”
“You said dates during the week,” Adam said as he came into the living room. He offered me a mug. “I’m not a cheap bitch. I expect the whole nine yards. Fine dining, maybe a movie. If the food is good, you might get a handy from me in the theater. If not, you can probably get away with just touching a boob.”
I chuckled as I took the offering. I took a careful sip of the black coffee. It was enough of a shock to the system that I knew I wouldn’t be going back to bed when I got home. “If I get a handy, you might get a second date,” I murmured into my mug.
“I’ll have you know that these babies always get me seconds,” Adam said, cupping his pecs together. “This is what? A B-cup?” He looked down at his chest. “Yeah, okay. Maybe not.” He went back to the kitchen to get coffee for himself.
Darius came down the hall. “You ready to go?” he asked, seeming a little off kilter.
I hummed, taking another solid sip of coffee before I got up. I took the mug into the kitchen, put it in the sink, and gave Adam a kiss. “Give Cam some love for me,” I said without thinking.
It didn’t go unnoticed. Adam coughed. “No. But I’ll tell him you owe him a kiss.”
“Love?” Darius asked just outside the kitchen. “Did you mean it to sound like that?”
“I, uh . . . ” I stumbled over my words before I thought better of it. “Probably not with the depth that you’re thinking. It feels like it would be way too fast to say that to him and from your reactions.” I looked between them. “I don’t know that I meant it the way you’re thinking I did.” I huffed, “Come on, I’ve got to get home.”
Darius didn’t argue as he led the way out of Cam and Adam’s apartment. We went to his truck in silence, and after we both got in, he released a sigh. “I kept waiting for your brother to come barging in,” he admitted, shooting me a glance. “Waiting for the other shoe to drop, if you will.”
“I didn’t call him last time,” I pointed out as he started up the truck. “I’m not gonna do it this time. I’d rather keep Kyle out of this.”
“Good,” Darius said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I want to keep Shay out of this.”
“It’s not her business,” I said in agreement, “so she’s not involved with what happens between us.” I cleared my throat and considered his profile as he drove me home. “How do I romance you?”
“What?” That had caught him off guard.
“We agreed on dates. I already figured out that Adam is easy as hell,” I said, forcing a smile. “What about you?” I leaned back against the seat. “Do you want flowers? Candy? Or do you just want a fancy dinner between the two of us?” I glanced out of the window. “A long walk together at the beach?”
“I wouldn’t know what to do with flowers,” he said readily. “Dinner is fine. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I am good with wings and a beer.” He went quiet, driving carefully through the growing morning traffic. “I appreciate company. If you want something romantic, I can enjoy a walk on the beach. Or a hike. Or if you just want to pass me tools while I work, that’s good, too.”
“Are you trying to tell me you’re easy too?”
“Oh no,” he said, giving me a slight smirk. “If you want to get laid, you have to work for it.”
I laughed, then paused. “You didn’t say no to candy.” I tilted my head as I looked back at him, “So what’s the best candy for you? Chocolate? Skittles?”
“Starbursts,” he said without hesitation. “But if you buy me a lot of candy, you can’t get upset when I get fat.”
“Never,” I assured him as he pulled into my apartment complex. I let the silence stretch until he parked. “I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to gain your trust,” I started carefully. I was afraid to look at him, but I had to ask. “This is a step in the right direction, right?”
Darius turned to look at me, then he got out of the truck. He came around to open my door and offered me a hand up. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “I’m sure with all of us working toward the same thing, we can make things work for everybody.”
“Including you?” I asked as I let him lead the way to my door. “Because I want you to be included in that.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. He turned to look down at me. “I’m open to seeing where this goes.” He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. “And maybe to letting you slap my ass like I did yours.” He nodded toward me. “You gonna show me love like you would Cam?”
I didn’t hesitate. I stepped into his space and wrapped my arms around his middle. I gave him a slow, careful kiss. Probably not what I had in mind when I mentioned it to Adam, but it felt right to give Darius the same kind of attention.
Then the apartment door jerked open before I could even dig my keys out. Instead of Shay being on the other side, Kyle took up the doorway. He stood in a wrinkled shirt and shorts, making it hard to believe that he hadn’t gotten dressed in a hurry.
Darius jerked away from me. “What the hell are you doing here?”