Page 21 of Tastes of Him

We sat down, and our waiter quickly collected our drink and food orders. When Sean hesitated, I urged him to order whatever he wanted. “It’s on me,” I said reassuringly. When he raised an eyebrow, I met his gaze steadily. I knew I didn’t have to offer to pay. He was plenty able to take care of himself and then some, but something about Sean had always made me want to take care of him, and feeding him now was no different.

Once our waiter left, Sean gave me a once-over. “So, this your treat, huh?”

I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “I mean, it’s fine if you want to pay. I just wanted to pay you back for offering to come out here with me at such short notice. I know you usually don’t take this much time away from the café.”

Sean eyed me for a moment before his expression cleared, and his lips twisted into a knowing smile. “Are you trying to make a housewife out of me?”

My snort was involuntary, but I couldn’t help but be amused by the idea. “Absolutely not. You would be bored within the first five minutes of being a housewife…husband. Cooking and cleaning would not be enough to occupy you.” I paused, giving him my own once-over. “Though I have to admit, seeing you in one of those maid outfits would be sexy as hell.”

His laugh was bright like sunshine, and I leaned forward to soak some of him in. “If anyone is wearing a maid outfit, it’ll be you.”

I knew he probably meant it to be shocking, but I wasn’t fazed in the slightest. I shrugged and leaned back. My smirk always came easier with him. “I’m not opposed.”

Sean froze, and his eyes widened, giving me the satisfaction of knowing I’d shocked him. His eyes slowly drifted down my face, and I fought against my shiver. The weight of that gaze was almost physical, and I could almost swear I felt the whorls on the bottom of his fingertips.

“Are you trying to seduce me, Roderick?”

I had never heard my name said like that in his voice, but it was something I knew I would quickly become addicted to, given the chance. “Yes.” There was no point in playing coy. I was ready to lay it all out there. “Is it working?”

“That depends.”

“On?” I leaned forward more, not breaking our gaze. This was important. My skin was practically buzzing with the need to hear his answer. Sean’s expression shifted. Gone was the cocky smirk, though his lips still remained upturned. I wasn’t sure what to make of the change until he finally answered.

“On what you plan on doing if it works.”

What I plan on doing?My lips slipped into a frown as his words marinated in my mind. What did he think I planned on doing? “I don’t underst—”

My words were cut off when our waiter returned to the table with our food, and my heart dropped at the interruption. I was polite in saying thanks, but my attention remained on Sean.

The connection between us had been broken, and I was eager to get it back. He was already digging into his food by the time I realized he wasn’t going to say anything more. Sometimes I didn’t understand how easily he was able to just put something out of his mind. It felt like I spent months, if not years, dwelling on unanswered questions, but he never seemed to be fazed. If he did worry, he never let on. With a sigh, I picked up my own utensils and started eating.

The food smelled delicious but landed like ash on my tongue. I thought I could power through, but when my stomach roiled on my second bite, I knew I needed answers.

“No, no. Listen,” I said, putting my fork down. “I don’t understand the question you asked. What do you mean, your answer depends on what I plan on doing?”

Sean looked up with a raised eyebrow. “It means exactly what it sounds like,” he reiterated. “If I say yes and allow you to seduce me, then what? We have a couple nights of mediocre fucking and then go back to how things were before?”

“First of all, not a damn thing about me is mediocre, especially not when I’m fucking. Secondly, no, Sean, I don’t want things to go back to exactly how they were before.”

“So, we just…what? Start dating like you’re not my best friend’s brother?”

I looked at him in confusion. “Uh, yes. I think the fact that Cameran has been pushing us together for years speaks to her thoughts on the subject.”

Sean frowned. “And what about when it doesn’t work out?” He pointed his fork at me. “What happens when one of us fucks up, and we end things? How am I supposed to run a business with Cameran after we implode?”

“Who said we would?” I asked, wondering where this was all coming from. “Why are you acting like if we got together, breaking up would be inevitable?”

He clenched his jaw but said nothing, looking back down at his plate instead. The silence between us was uncomfortable, and it was made worse by the fact that I didn’t know what to say to remove it. I knew that waving off Sean’s feelings was a good way to get on his bad side, but I couldn’t get with the idea that us getting together would end in some sort of awkward implosion that left casualties in its wake.

“I understand that you have…concerns,” I said carefully. “And while I can’t say that I one hundred percent share them, I want you to know that this is something I have thought about for a long time.”

Sean looked up then. “You have?”

“Yes! God, did you really think I was just joking all that time?” I reached out and touched the back of his hand. “I’ve been chasing after you for years.”

“How was I supposed to know when you were the one who left?” His eyes widened as if he didn’t mean to say that, and it made my heart ache. Leaving had been hard, and I couldn’t deny there were times when I thought about staying out west and making a new life.

“I won’t lie, I thought about staying in Seattle,” I admitted, squeezing his hand. “But all of my most important people are back in Atlanta, and I didn’t want to be away from them.”

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