Page 25 of Strong Coffee

When I headed back out to the dining area, Cam was sitting at our table. He was drinking his beer, a deep frown settling between his brows. As I approached, his head lifted. His eyes seared into mine. They held so many questions. Questions I didn’t know the answers to, no matter how much I tried.

This wasn’t fair to Shane. I knew that. It also wasn’t his fault that he had some lingering feelings that he needed to sort through. But at the same time, it wasn’tmy fault either. We had to remain friends and that was it. I just prayed that this wouldn’t come between us. As much as I enjoyed the time I spent with Cam, I refused to lose Shane. He was family.

“You really need to talk to your boy about this shit between you two,” Cam said as I lowered into my seat.

I grunted, grabbed my beer, and downed half of it in one gulp.

“You know I’m right.” Cam shrugged, staring at me over the rim of his beer stein.

“I have talked to him but whatever’s going on between Shane and me, is none of your business.” It was cold but Cam needed to understand his place.

“Listen.” Cam placed his empty mug on the table between us. “You and I? It’ll end before you deal with your issues with Shane. I don’t share. And I sure as hell don’t deal with little boys who get their panties in a twist because they can’t sort out their own fucking feelings.”

When I went to speak, he lifted his hand, stopping me.

“I like you, Brady. I like you a lot. I haven’t liked someone in a long time either. So tell me now. Do you want to continue this or not? Because I’m too old for games.”

Looking back and forth between his eyes, I took a breath and then another. Before I could stop myself, I stood from my chair and went around to his side of the table.

Cam raised an eyebrow, looking up at me with lust swirling in his deep gaze. “Answer the question, Brady.”

“Stop telling me what to do,” I grumbled, bent at the waist, and lowered my mouth to his. My hand slipped to the back of his head, my fingers curling through the soft strands of his hair and tugging.

He grunted, his lips splitting to give me deeper access to his tongue.

Controlling the kiss for just a moment, I was vaguely aware that we were being watched but I didn’t care. Shane needed to know that it was over between us.

For good.

FOURTEEN

Camden

I knew Brady waskissing me to make a point. That didn’t bother me. What bothered me was this new feeling fluttering around in my stomach. It was intense and something I had never felt before. Not with Beverly. Not with any of the previous people I had been with. Was I falling for him? Wasn’t it too soon? There was no handbook on this sort of thing, and I wished there was.

Much to my dismay, Brady pulled away. He threw some money on the table, taking a step away from me. “We have to go.”

While I enjoyed watching him become unraveled, the sadistic part of me wanted to make Brady wait.I wanted him to beg. I wanted him on his motherfucking knees with a greedy need for me.

Not following him, instead I sat there with my arms crossed and looked up at him.

Brady’s cheeks were a nice shade of red. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths. His mouth was set in a grim line. He was fucking hungry for me, and I had to admit, I rather enjoyed this side of him. This desperate side. A side that I hadn’t seen yet.

While I didn’t know much about the guy, just that he highly respected his friends and didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his friendship with Shane, I knew that he wouldn’t want to make a scene. As much as I enjoyed the mere idea of bending him over the table and taking out all of the frustration I felt for years on his lithe body, I didn’t. This was his place of work. I had to respect that. So I would take him home and use him in a way neither of us were ready for.

I wanted him to beg. To demand for me to fuck him. To plead for me to do to him whatever it was that I wanted. But he didn’t. While his eyes said what his mouth couldn’t, it wasn’t enough for me. By the end of the night, Brady would tell me exactly what it was he wanted me to do. Whether it be to fuck him or to suck his cock or something different entirely. He would tell me.

Finally giving in, I rose to my feet and took a step toward Brady.

His mouth parted, his cheeks turning even darker. Before he said anything, he spun on his heel and quickly made his way out of the café.

I followed but as I neared the door to leave, the hairs on the back of my neck tingled. Glancing behind me over my shoulder, I saw Shane staring my way. I lifted my chin, giving him a nod.

Much to my surprise, he did the same. I almost expected him to jump over the bar and tackle me to the ground. I imagined him kicking the shit out of me, so when none of that happened, I wondered if maybe Brady finally told him that it was over for good.

Clearing my throat, I popped the collar of my jacket and joined Brady outside.

He was pacing, rubbing his hand over his nape.

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