Page 36 of Sass

I sighed and finished drying my hair. So, I’d let things go a bit after Caitlyn’s death? At least my eyes were clear and not drowning in the aftermath of a bottle of Jim Beam sunk on my own in the dark the night before. Don’t ask how I knew what that looked like. I was here. I was healthy. I was finding my way. Kind of. The few extra kilos could go to hell. Still, maybe it was time to resurrect that lapsed gym subscription. Just the thought made me wince.

Reaching for the beard trimmer, the spiral of tui feathers falling down the slope of my left shoulder caught my eye. Ty had inked them three months after Caitlyn’s death. She’d crazy loved that bird, and the feathers danced down my arm and curled around the bicep next to my heart which still stuttered at the sight of them. I turned sideways to get a better look, swallowing hard at the reminder of her bright and too short presence in my life. I dragged my gaze away and headed to the bedroom to get dressed.

It was a great little flat, quiet and yet still somehow part of the city. Light poured in from the northeast-facing windows, the hum of Saturday traffic leaked through the ancient glass, and the soft bustle of shoppers in the store downstairs floated up through the wide planked floor. Two cups of coffee, a cleaned and vacuumed apartment, and a toasted bagel with vegemite later, and I was stretched out on the couch in a sliver of that precious sunlight, the scent of cleaning product heavy in the air and my phone held in front of my face.

It was a long text from my introverted and usually conflict-avoidant younger brother, Geoff. Another sibling attempt to get me to the Sunday family meeting. I thanked him for his concern and lied, saying I’d think about it. I wouldn’t. The last thing any of them needed was me getting all pissy about their new plans. And if another person mentioned a fucking tree, I was going to explode.

The relentless jangle of the downstairs bell made me smile. Chris had to be pleased with the sale. People had been coming and going from the store in great numbers all week. Which only made witnessing him so unsure about his ability to manage Rhys’s business such a shock, and I’d needed a minute to adjust. Snarky, driven, controlling Chris was a captivating blast all on its own. But tender, vulnerable Chris with those defences partly down? Well, that Chris was downright irresistible.

And that had become a huge fucking problem in my world. I liked the guy enough before that. But after yesterday, I was suddenly flirting and imagining possibilities between us I had no right to. Possibilities Chris had made perfectly clear he wasn’t interested in.

“Wake the fuck up,” I scolded myself. Chris was the very definition ofnotboyfriend material. I was wasting time. And if I said it loud enough, I might even begin to believe it.

The downstairs bell sounded again and I glanced at the clock. One thirty. My stomach growled and the wheels in my brain cranked over. Flare closed at two, and knowing those guys, they’d have worked right through without a break. Maybe I could be nice and feed them, right? That it might also get me some one-on-one time with the store’s enigmatic manager was neither here nor there. I was a bigger man than that.

Thirty minutes later and with a tower of cheese toasties balanced on a platter next to some cut up fruit and paper napkins, I headed downstairs. When I hit the shop floor, Drew spun from where he’d just turned the shop sign to closed, clocked the toasted sandwiches, and almost puddled on the floor.

“Oh. My. Fucking. God.” A huge grin split his pretty face. “If even one of those are for me, I promise to be your sex slave forever.” He raced across and had snagged a toastie before I even made it to the service desk. “And just so you know—” He spoke around a mouthful of melted cheese and crunchy bread. “—I run an improving seven out of ten on deep throating, but I ace rimming, and I’m blessed with the refractory period of a rabbit.”

I snorted and slid the tray onto the service desk. “I’ll bear that in mind.”

He swallowed the mouthful of toastie with a rumbling happy groan. “Oh man, these are the best.” He tipped his head toward the kitchen at the end of the short hall. “There’s a weather warning for low-flying sarcasm brewing back there, just thought you should know. I banished our fearless leader until he can come out with his happy face on. Something has sure got his tits in a tangle.”

“Oh?” I glanced down the hall and wondered if it had anything to do with the manufacturing issue. “Is it safe to take a couple of these back there?”

Drew sucked in a breath. “Now, there’s a question. Then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained. From my point of view, it’ll be worth it for the entertainment value alone. And if you need help to hide the body, I’m your man. He’s been driving me fucking nuts.”

I chuckled and wrapped a few toasties in a wad of napkins. “Wish me luck.”

Drew slumped onto the bottom stair, taking the plate and remaining toasties with him. “May the force be with you. I’ll be here if you need me... eating.”

I snorted and headed down the hall to knock on the closed kitchen door.

“What?” came a snarled reply.

Okey-dokey. I glanced back at Drew, who gave me his I-told-you-so look and encouraged me forward. I pushed open the door and Chris glanced up from his chair at the small table.

“Oh, it’s you.” He looked about to add something before his lips cemented into a thin line and he dropped his gaze to an open magazine, which I was almost positive he wasn’t reading.

He looked weary. No, he looked exhausted and about as un-put-together as I’d ever seen him. One leg of his plain black trousers was caught in his sock, and his white button-down looked like it could do with an iron. Strands of his usually immaculately styled hair hung loose over his face and there wasn’t a lick of eyeliner or lip gloss to be seen. It was so unlike the man, it almost stopped me in my tracks.

“And hello to you too.” I tested the waters and he looked up again like he was surprised I was still there.

“I’ve had a huge morning, Leon. I’m tired.” He lounged back in his chair. “What can I do for you?”

Not the best of starts. “How about whatIcan do foryou?” I slid the small mound of toasties onto the table and he stared at them.

“What’s this?”

“Lunch.”

“Lunch? Shit. Did Drew put you up to this?” His eyes flashed guiltily at the same time his stomach growled. “I know I’ve been a prick to work with and he didn’t get a break—”

“Relax, he didn’t put me up to it. But before we get into the why of the whole you-being-a-prick thing, eat something. Then maybe you won’t rip me a new one as well.” I slid into the chair opposite and watched a faint smile creep over his lips.

“You’re lucky I like you,” he grumbled as he reached for a toastie. “And don’t be too sure about the ripping thing. I can multi-task with the best of them.” He took a bite, slung a surprised look my way, and then groaned with pleasure, the sound going straight to my balls. “Oh, my fucking god,” he mumbled around the mouthful. “These are sooo good.”

I wriggled in my seat and watched him finish the toastie and then two more halves before he finally slowed and took a breath.

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