Page 42 of One Night With The Nanny

“I think…I’ll get the sea bass and try a few bites of your duck,” Reid said and craned his neck to see if anyone around them had something that looked interesting. He could only make out a few plates of tartar and lamb, and a woman on the other side of the window was enjoying the chocolate Brooklyn Bridge dessert. “Pretty sure Walker had the sea bass and said it was good.” He nodded, then noticed that Max was staring. “What?”

“I like watching you and listening when you think out loud. You’re always gathering information and analyzing,” he said and tapped his temple. “I noticed it right away, the night we met. You didn’t gulp down that cognac because it was fine and expensive. You tasted it and reveled in the different notes and savored the fumes. I saw you assessing and memorizing details and your curiosity sparked mine and it was like tasting it again for the first time. Being here with you tonight feels like that.”

He looked at Reid like he was fine and expensive, something to be savored, and it was impossible not to lean in for a kiss. Reid waited until Max’s lips brushed his to whisper “Keep saying ‘taste,’” he dared Max with a playful flick of his tongue.

Max gripped Reid’s thigh under the table, giving it a possessive knead. “What will you do to me if I don’t?”

They were interrupted/saved by their server and two trays of oysters and the caviar service. Max thanked him as everything was arranged in front of them, including shot glasses and a bottle of chilled vodka.

“This is a special request of mine,” Max explained as he took the cap off the bottle and filled their shot glasses. “I have to have vodka with my caviar.” He smiled up at their server. “I’ll have the duck and he’ll have the sea bass and the lobster.”

“Max, I don’t—”

“You should try both so you’ll know what to order next time,” Max said with a wink for their server. Once he was gone, Max took Reid’s hand again. “May I?” he asked as he picked up one of the small mother-of-pearl spoons. He scooped some of the caviar out of the tin and tapped it onto Reid’s hand, next to his thumb.

“Max!” Reid gasped as his hand was raised and Max licked the caviar off, humming in approval. “People can see us!” Reid looked around, catching a few blushing, smiling faces, but Max simply shrugged and applied more caviar to Reid’s hand.

“I’ve never been in public with anyone like this before and it’s not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.”

“It’s not?” Reid was comfortable hugging and being affectionate with his male friends when they were out, but he’d never flirted with or kissed a man he was romantically or sexually attracted to in front of anyone other than a bartender. “Neither have I,” he confessed.

“Then, we are both being brave tonight. Although, it’s easy to be brave here, in my favorite restaurant, with you.”

“I don’t know if it’s this place,” Reid mused, smiling at Max out of the corner of his eye as he helped himself to some caviar, placing it on his own hand. “I’ve seen you do lots of brave things in all kinds of places,” he said before slowly licking it off. He moaned at the bright brininess as he rubbed the delicate pearls against the roof of his mouth and pressed slightly, causing them to burst. He chased it with the ice-cold vodka, the crisp burn cutting the oily richness of the caviar, “That’s lovely,” he said, making Max grin as he watched Reid.

“Try the vodka with the oyster and a bit of the onion,” Max suggested, preparing an oyster for Reid and passing it to him.

“Careful or you’ll have to carry me out of here,” Reid teased and Max slid him a sheepish grin as he poured more vodka.

“They had to help me back to my limo once.”

“Did they?” Reid laughed, trying to imagine an inebriated Max.

“I brought Leo, the last time he was here, and we ate far too much caviar and drank way too much vodka.”

“It’s great that you two get along so well. Isn’t the cousin who inherits everything usually the bad guy?” he asked and Max shook his head.

“In this case, he’s one of the heroes because I didn’t want to be Margrave any longer. It gives me great peace of mind, knowing the Foundation and our family’s legacy is in good hands. Leo will make a much better Margrave. I hope you’ll come to the gala so you can meet him,” he said and gestured at the oyster.

“Maybe,” Reid said, even though there was no way he was going. He tipped the oyster into his mouth, letting out a delighted moan. “That’s incredible.”

“Tell me,” Max urged as he stared at Reid’s lips, causing them to tingle. Although, it could have been the champagne and vodka too…

Reid licked his lips. “Briny, but sweet and balanced by the clean taste of the sea.”

“Beautiful,” Max whispered and passed Reid a shot. “Now, drink,” he said, beating his knuckle on the table as Reid drained the glass.

Once again, the cold, astringent crispness of the vodka mingled perfectly with the salty sweetness of the oyster. “Amazing, but I can’t have anymore vodka. I get messy if I drink too much clear alcohol.”

“Good to know,” Max said with a thoughtful humph. “Tequila is not my friend.”

Reid laughed and shook his head. “Tequila is not my friend either. Penn and I drank too much tequila one Halloween and took the train to his dad’s place in Hoboken for some unknown reason. We still don’t know how we managed to lose our pants along the way or why my birthday is tattooed on Penn’s forearm.”

Max blinked at Reid, frowning. “I just get sick the next morning,” he said and shook his head. “How do you lose your pants on the way to Hoboken and not remember?”

“I have no clue.”

They laughed and the conversation remained light as they flirted, shared funny stories, and fed each other bites of duck, sea bass, and lobster. Reid couldn’t decide which was his favorite, but the entire evening felt magical and he was tipsy and giggling as they shared a chocolate Brooklyn Bridge. The light, mousse-like dessert was topped with a mini chocolate ganache bridge and it was heavenly, served with passion fruit ice cream and more champagne.

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