Page 71 of Cherry on Top

“Good morning,” Enzo said in what sounded like a deliberately cheery voice. “Sleep well?”

“Really good, actually,” Will said. “You?”

“Great,” Enzo said, but Will wasn’t quite sure he believed him.

“I was thinking, I’ve got to get home. Shower. Change for painting work. So I thought I’d do a big walk of shame,” Enzo said.

Will risked a glance at him. His hair was mussed. From sleep. Maybe from Will’s hands. Nobody would ever be able to say for sure.

“Okay,” Will said.

“But I’ll see you later?” Enzo said, and there was a hopeful light in his eyes as he looked at Will that looked completely genuine.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Will said.

He was always a little slow to wake up in the mornings, and waking up with his arms wrapped around Enzo meant he was even slower today.

“Alright,” Enzo said cheerily, and a minute later he was gone.

Leaving Will staring at the door.

Thinking that there was no way Enzo hadn’t just made his walk of shame but his escape.

You can’t blame him for that. Not after what kind of torture you put both of you through.

Still, despite that, despite all the frustration coursing through him, he had things he had to do.

It helped, to go through his regular routine. Stretch. Ab work. Shower. He considered grabbing breakfast from Joy, but instead he skirted past the dining room and headed out, thinking he’d grab coffee and a pastry at Oliver’s. He couldn’t face the innkeeper, not yet, not after last night was still so fresh in his mind.

God, he’d gone to the door in just a sheet, because he and Enzo had been having fake sex way too loudly.

But when he opened the door to Sweetie Pie’s, he was both surprised and not surprised to see Enzo there, in a paint-splattered tank that had once been white, and a pair of navy athletic shorts that hugged his ass and thighs in the best possible way.

“Oh, it’s you,” Enzo said, turning when Rocco gestured behind him.

“Hey,” Will said awkwardly.

And then, making it worse, there was Giana too, beaming at the pair of them like they’d just invented sex.

“Good morning,” he mumbled.

“Must be a very good morning,” Rocco teased.

Will flushed, unable to keep it from rising up his cheeks.

“It was,” Enzo said, wrapping his arm around Will’s waist, beaming up at him. Because of course they couldn’t stop playing now. And really how was this any worse than him going to the door with only a sheet wrapped around his waist?

Will inwardly groaned but leaned into Enzo’s touch anyway.

He wanted to.

“Did you two have a nice date last night?” Giana asked.

“Very,” Will said, as Enzo nodded, adding, “Oliver and Luca set an excellent table.”

“Well,” Giana said brightly, “you can tell them yourself.”

And sure enough there was Oliver coming out of the back, Luca trailing behind him, chatting in low voices about a supplier.

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