Page 68 of Awfully Ambrose

Everything shifted and rattled, Mia’s grandmother let out a warbling shriek, then Harry was standing there with the tablecloth in one hand, blinking down at the table, where everything was, incredibly, still upright and in place.

“Holy fuck,” Ambrose said in a disbelieving tone from behind Liam.

The other diners laughed and clapped. Someone cheered.

Harry’s jaw fell, and he stood there for a moment like a kangaroo caught in headlights. Then, possibly because he panicked and didn’t know what else to do, he picked up his glass of water and upended it in Mia’s dad’s lap.

Liam darted forward to drag him away before Mia’s dad punched him.

“I think he’ll do well,” Ambrose said later as he climbed into bed beside Liam. Then he took in Liam’s expression. “Don’t be mad. Nobody got hurt or arrested.”

“Not getting hurt or arrested isn’t a good thing,” Liam said. “It’s the bare minimum standard of expected behaviour!”

Ambrose attempted to soothe him by rubbing his hand along his arm. It had about the same effect of doing it to Tobermory when he went the wrong way up his spine instead of down. Liam glared at him. “Okay, so he’s not very subtle, but he’ll get better at it.”

“You’re banned from Bayside,” Liam said. “You and Harry. I emailed our manager your photographs.”

“That’s actually very fair,” Ambrose said. He stroked Liam’s arm again, and this time Liam relaxed a little, so Ambrose leaned in and stole a kiss off him as well. He was delighted that Liam wasn’t really angry at him. “Oh, huh.”

“Huh, what?”

Ambrose took another kiss. This one was freely given. “If I’m banned from Bayside, where will we have our engagement dinner?”

Liam cocked a brow. “Our what now?”

“Our engagement dinner,” Ambrose said, flashing that cocky smile he knew Liam loved. “You know, for when you finally realise you can’t possibly envision living without me, and you decide to make an honest man out of me.”

“Oh, that,” Liam said. He reached out and brushed his knuckles gently down Ambrose’s cheek, a tender gesture at odds with his suddenly bright smile. “Well, that will be at the vineyard, obviously.”

Ambrose felt warmth burst inside his chest. “Oh,” he said. “Well, obviously. Now hurry up and ravage me. I have an early start in the morning.”

Liam laughed and pulled the doona over their heads.

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