Page 19 of Sass

I smirked. “I’ve found it’s best not to bother him with too many details.”

Drew laughed and headed to the kitchen while I left the office to check on the two customers who’d emerged from the fitting room. The silver-fox hottie had a shirt slung over his arm while his companion carried a couple of Rhys’s new T-shirt designs that were selling like hotcakes. I took their money and smiled at the phone number on the back of the card the older man slipped into my hand. I pocketed it, tidied the racks, and then headed back to my office to do battle with a few more suppliers. Man, I loved my job.

And Drew was right. The store was doing just fine. I needed to chill out. But my nerves weren’t actually about running the store on my own for a bit, as Drew thought. I could do that in my sleep. My worry was about stepping up into this new role Rhys wanted of me, on a permanent basis. A part of me knew I could do it just fine, if only I could shut up the other part that said I was just fucking fooling myself, and who the hell did I think I was?

“Here you go.” Drew slid a cup across the office desk and perched his bum on the edge. “So, how’s it going with our new roomie?” He glanced up to the ceiling. “You’re both still alive, so that’s something, I guess.”

I nudged his bum from my desk and continued to study the order forms spread across my two computer screens. “We’renotroomies. I didn’t even see him yesterday, so things are just dandy.”

“Mmm.” Drew blew on his coffee. “He is hot though, right? And by that, I meansuper-hot. Like crazy, bend-me-over-a-couchhot.”

I lifted my gaze to find him innocently batting his lashes at me. “He’s too old for you.”

Drew grinned and arched a brow. “But you’re only seven years older than me, right? Isn’t that what you said?”

Did I mention the kid was getting way too good at this?

“And he’s got that whole mountain man, biker, tatted daddy thing going on. Who knows? I might be just what he’s looking for. Jesus, imagine all of that all over you.”

I didn’t dare meet his eyes because I’d done just that on far, far too many occasions. I took a sip of my coffee and grimaced at the lack of sugar. Drew had made it his mission to cut me back. “Maybe,” I grunted. “He’s an acquired taste, I guess, but he’s still too old for you.”

Drew smirked. “Oh, I dunno. Nothing to lose, right?”

His words sat cold in my chest as I focused on the red bleeding all over my computer screens. Or maybe that was just me. It was none of my business what Drew did,orLeon. But just the thought of the two of them... And, oh hell to the no... that was not fucking jealousy simmering in my gut. I wouldn’t allow it.

“Do what you want.” I kept a neutral tone that I doubted fooled him for a second. “I just don’t think—”

The store bell interrupted my caution, which was likely a good thing, and a familiar shock of strawberry-blond hair appeared over the shirt racks. I glanced at my screen and frowned. It was barely four thirty. Hoping Leon would head straight upstairs, I swore softly when he strode right on past and stopped at the service desk.

Drew shot to his feet like his tail feathers were on fire. “Whoops, I forgot those sale signs you wanted. I’ll go grab them.” He waved hello to Leon, adding a cute little smile that made me want to smack him, and then bolted out the door.

I smelled a very pungent rat and scowled at his departing back. He’d obviously been fucking with me. But Drew could wait. I had bigger problems to contend with. Leon was smiling at me from the service desk.Smiling.A big, broad, charming, toothy grin, and I wasn’t at all sure what to do with that.

He crooked his finger, and my balls sat up and took notice.

Fuck. My. Life.

I sighed and left my office to see what the confounding man wanted.

“What’s that?” I eyed the steaming cup of Bump and Grind coffee Leon pushed my way.

“I’m gonna go with that not being a real question. Two sugars, no milk, right?” He offered another of those heart-stopping smiles, and I squashed the pocket of warmth that dared to flare in my chest.

“Do I even want to know how you know that?” I drank in the glorious aroma of Danielle’s exquisite brewing and scowled so I wouldn’t drool. “You wouldn’t happen to be stalking me, would you, Leon?”

His cheeks pinked in an unexpected way that absolutely didn’t curl my toes in my socks. Six-foot-six behemoths looking cute as fuck clearly pushed a button I didn’t even know I had. And there it was again, that little curl of heat flicking like a rattlesnake’s tongue on my balls, and about as trustworthy.

“No, Christopher. I’m not stalking you,” he answered flatly. “I happened to hear you make the order once or twice when I was picking up coffee at the same time.”

I stared at him. “Funny, I don’t remember ever seeing you in there.”Lies. All lies.“Still, I was probably checking Grindr on my phone. I do it so often, I lose track. Rack ’em and stack ’em, right?”

The pink on his cheeks deepened but a smile tugged at his lips. “Whatever floats your boat.”

I waited for the sardonic punchline, but it didn’t come.“So, what’s the catch?” I nodded to the coffee.

Leon let out a long-suffering sigh and pushed the coffee closer. “There’s no catch, for fuck’s sake. My last client of the day cancelled. I left JJ and Tyson to close and decided to grab a coffee. I knew your order, so...” He nudged it again. “But, whatever. If you don’t want it, throw it out. Catch you later.” He turned and headed for the stairs.

“It’s Kip,” I grumbled to his back, and he stopped and turned slowly to face me. “Why do you refuse to use it? Is it just to piss me off, because congratulations, it works. It’s three letters, Leon. I’d have thought even you would have a good chance of getting that right.” That came out a lot more pissy than I’d intended and Leon recoiled a little.

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