Page 80 of Sass

There was no answer to that, and so I left it alone. “I take it you two had a great time in New York?”

His mouth tipped into a smile. “The best.”

“And you were right, by the way.”

“I’m always right.” Rhys grinned. “But what was it about this time?”

I levelled a look his way. “I think I’ll do just fine in this new position of yours. The run of shirts should be ready in time to get them to the stores, fingers crossed. You’ll find a mock of that retail assistant ad you wanted in my top drawer. And if you want something to make you smile, there’s a pile of sketches in there as well, courtesy of our current junior salesman and requested by me. They’re ideas for a line of transition-friendly garments.”

Rhys’s eyes popped. “Wow. Now you’ve really got me curious.”

“He’s got talent, Rhys. And I think we should consider this seriously. But if you decide it’s worth a go, he needs to head this. Not you. Not us. With our help, but with him in front. It’s about pride and ownership, right?”

He nodded. “Message received. Now, go have a great ride.” He winked and I was pretty sure I blushed. “And as someone who looks a lot like you once told me, maybe try letting Leon in a bit more. Tell him how you feel, even if it’s just that you’re confused. You can’t expect him to read your mind. There’s a lot to love about you, Kip.”

I gave a wry smile. “This is not news. But the trouble is, he’salreadyin. It’s the getting him out that I totally suck at.”

Rhys chuckled. “Then maybe leave him alone and see what happens.”

I rolled my eyes. “Easy for you to say.”

He frowned. “No, it’s really not, Kip. And you of all people should know that.”

And I did.“You’re right. And thanks. For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” Rhys looked around the room. “Nice colour, by the way. What did you say it was?”

I glared at the walls and grumbled, “Burnt sienna.” The damn colour was gonna be etched on my headstone.

“Mmm.” Rhys nodded. “It suits you.”

I rolled my eyes as the universe laughed in my face. “So I’m told.”

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

Leon

There wasa lot to be said for having a warm, hard body pressed up against me on the back of my Harley for an hour or so, especially when said body belonged to Chris. It was a world-class distraction from my problems, not to mention the man was an octopus when it came to finding ways to sneak his hot hands up, under, and down my leathers, not that I was complaining.

But manoeuvring the Harley through traffic with an aching semi required dedicated focus, and the cheeky little shit had to know I was struggling. By the time we reached a surprisingly busy Piha Beach, chock full of surfers and families out for a Sunday drive, my dick was doing a fair impersonation of an origami swan, and I had to drag a laughing Chris fifty metres into a patch of native bush for a kiss that was emphatically not PG. I made sure every part of his mouth was licked to within an inch of its life, so that by the time I was done, Chris wobbled a little on his feet. Point to me.

To bolster our glucose levels after the strenuous exercise, we grabbed ice cream cones from the food truck in the car park—hokey pokey for me and passionfruit for him—and ate them under a pohutukawa tree while watching a large group of brain-dead teenagers squeal and frolic in a rolling dark-green winter sea that was only a few icebergs short of the Antarctic. The future of our country was clearly in safe hands.

When we were done, Chris disposed of the rubbish in the bin and we sat side by side on the grass with my arm around his waist, his warm body so very right against mine. We ignored the raised eyebrows of a group of twenty-something men drinking beer in a car parked close by. To hell with the haters.

Chris leaned closer and I tightened my hold. He’d been quiet ever since the arrival of his brother that morning, and whatever had passed between him and Rhys didn’t seem to have improved things. I had to assume the conversation had been about us, and Chris’s reserve didn’t bode well for what we were doing. Did he regret his decision? Should I expect the worst? I wasn’t ready for this thing between us to end before it had barely even started. But I also wasn’t one for prolonging the agony.

Fuck.I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “Should I be worried?”

Chris turned to me, frowning. “Worried? About what?”

“About us?” I rested my head against his. “It’s okay if you want to finish this trial, or whatever it is we’re doing.” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I mean, it’s not okay... or it won’t feel okay, for me... but I understand if you’ve realised it’s not what you want.”

His frown deepened and he turned to face me full on, pulling my hand from his waist. “That’s not what I’m thinking. Jesus, Rhys was right.”

“Rhys?” I didn’t get it.

Chris sighed. “He said I should try letting you in a bit more. That I couldn’t expect you to read my mind.”

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