Page 66 of Crossing Lines

“Oh? You like seeing me worry?” He rubbed the tip of his nose on mine as the corners of his lips twitched into an almost grin.

“I like you taking care of me.” I pressed a kiss to his lips. “You’re good at taking care of people. I can see why you’re such a good coach. Good coaches care about people.” Okay, now I was talking gibberish. But it was sort of true.

“I see your brain is still jellied.” He shifted his hold on me, freeing one arm. “So, table or sofa?”

“Table. The Tylenol is kicking in and the dizziness is gone.” I’d taken the meds on an empty stomach, after all. I straightened and walked with him to the table, then sat in a chair.

He brought out plated bacon, fried eggs, and muffins to the table, along with coffee and glasses of orange juice. “These muffins are from the queer bakery.” He dropped into a chair next to mine. “How many eggs do you want?” He forked one onto my plate.

“Three.” My stomach grumbled. I was hungry, despite the earlier nausea.

“Oh, youarefeeling better.” He set two more eggs on my plate, then a few slices of bacon and a muffin. “These are Grand Marnier muffins, and they are to die for.”

“Are you serious? I’ve never heard of such a thing.” I plucked the muffin off my plate and twisted it in my hand, taking in the brownish cake with flecks of orange skin in it, then peeled off the paper and bit into it. An explosion of orange and honey mixed with the tang of liquor flooded my tongue. “Oh, damn.” I set the muffin down and wiped my fingers on a napkin. “I can’t get drunk off these, can I?”

With a snicker, he said, “No.” He patted my forearm. “That wouldn’t be good for your concussion.” He ate a slice of bacon, studying me.

I cut into my eggs and stuffed them into my mouth. Yeah, I was definitely feeling better. After eating, I might even feel human again.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, Ryan tapping on his phone next to his plate and looking over emails.

“Anything interesting?” I’d eaten all my proteins, and now it was time to dive back into the muffin. I held it up and took a bite, letting a soft moan leave my mouth.

His gaze snapped to mine and his eyes darkened, then he squirmed. “You know you were killing me last night. Do you remember any of it?” He sipped his coffee.

“Some.” It was a little foggy, but had I wanted sex? “You wouldn’t put out.” I freed a soft snort.

“You’re not supposed to be exerting yourself.” He lifted a brow, holding his cup over his plate.

“I fail to see how you jerking me off is exerting for me.” Touché. I side-eyed him, my lips quirking. “I’ll let you do it after breakfast. How’s that?” My dick tingled and plumped. Hell yeah, I could go for that. Concussion? What concussion?

Shaking his head and wagging a finger at me, he said, “You’re so bad.”

“So bad I’m good?” I offered a bright smile. This was so nice, just sitting here with him in the morning, being silly, forgetting all the bullshit outside this apartment.

“Yeah, something like that.” He shifted in his seat and set hiscoffee down, his grin waning. “Listen, Jonah, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh?” I wiped my mouth with my napkin. This looked serious. “What?”

“I got a call from Laurent the other day. He’s coming out here for work.” He twisted his lips, watching me with narrowed eyes.

“Okay, when?” I sat back in my seat. Why hadn’t he said something earlier? Because of my injury?

“He’ll be here tomorrow afternoon. He’s staying at The Palms down the street.” He pursed his lips.

Heat prickled through my chest. This shouldn’t bother me, but it did. They’d been together for seven years. And how the fuck had the guy scored a room right down the street? “So, did heplanon staying that close to you?”

“I-I don’t know. Maybe?” He chewed his thumbnail. “It didn’t sound like he planned things that way, but you never know.” He shrugged a shoulder, his gaze raking over me. “You can meet him. Maybe we can all go have dinner somewhere? Well, as long as you’re up to it.”

With a choked laugh, I said, “Fuck, I’ll be up to it.” No fucking way was I letting him go out to dinner with his ex by himself. I set my forearms next to my plate and hung my head.

He reached across the table and covered my hand with his. “Jonah, you know there’s nothing between us. We’re just friends now.” He squeezed my hand. “I would like for you to meet him, but your health comes first.”

“Yeah, okay.” I stared at my plate, chewing my bottom lip. “How many days will he be here?” I cut my gaze to his. Way to ruin my good mood.

“He’s here until Wednesday.” He bit into a muffin, then set it on his plate and wiped his fingers on a napkin. “He wants to hang out some before he goes home.”

“So, like what? Every day?” I stared at my fork resting on the plate. Why was this bothering me so much? I trusted Ryan, didn’t I? He’d said he loved me. He didn’t strike me as a guywho cheated. Especially when he’d said he didn’t like his ex bringing third parties into their relationship.

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