Page 3 of Tangled in Red

Another nervous laugh slipped out. Brett was doing it way too often around the guy. “You know, slept on it wrong.” He gestured vaguely. “It happens.”

Seconds ticked by before Diablo finally gave a small nod. “I stopped by to see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat.”

You…what?” He blinked several times, the invitation catching him off guard.

“Dinner.” Diablo elongated the word with a playful smirk, as if Brett was a little slow on the uptake.

That was because no one had ever asked him out to dinner before. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact someone like Diablo could be interested in him. With his red hair, freckles, and scrawny body, Brett often felt invisible. Diablo was hot enough to have anyone, yet for some crazy reason, he was interested in Brett.

“Um, where were you thinking?” he asked as they strolled back to the shop. “As you can see, I’m not exactly dressed for it.”

“Neither am I.” Diablo’s gaze flicked to Brett’s shoulder before glancing away. “Nothing fancy, cariño. Just wanted to spend some time with you.”

Diablo rolled his shoulders, his jaw tight, like he was feeling discomfort. With his impressive size, he probably strained his muscles lifting small buildings. The guy had to be at least six-five and was built like a brick house.

“You want to spend time with me?”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Brett.”

He absolutely loved it when Diablo said his name. On his lips, it sounded like something rich and exotic, not just a collection of letters. Then again, everything about the guy captivated Brett. Not just his looks, either. From their chats and texts, Diablo seemed like a giant teddy bear. He was funny, engaging, and seemed genuinely happy to talk with Brett.

Still…

“Why wouldn’t I be surprised?” he asked. “I mean look at you then look at me.”

“I’ve been looking since the moment we met.” Diablo’s eyes narrowed slightly, but not in a dangerous way. Brett knew dangerous expressions. He lived with them on a regular basis.

Brett leaned in slightly, brows knitted. Were…? Diablo met his gaze. It had to be the bright sun shining through the windows. Eyes weren’t supposed to glow a ghostly amber hue. Eyes weren’t supposed to glow at all. Diablo turned his head to look past Brett, and just like that, the glow disappeared. Definitely the sun.

A flash of lanky limbs and tousled hair caught Brett’s attention. He spotted Edward, his eternally tardy coworker, sauntering through the hospital entrance. Edward checked his watch with a smug grin, clearly pleased with himself.

“You’re early,” Brett blurted out, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Edward shrugged, his lanyard swinging as he approached. “I actually made it on time. Weird, right?”

“Guy you were talking about?” Diablo asked as Edward headed toward the shop.

“Yeah. Like I said, he usually gets here twenty minutes late with some excuse involving his grandmother or some kind of car trouble.” Brett hurried after Edward, coffee clutched in his hand. “Did you fall and hit your head?”

Edward’s gaze flickered to Diablo then back to Brett with raised eyebrows and a not-so-subtle thumbs-up behind Diablo’s back.

Heat crawled up Brett’s neck. “Um, this is Diablo. Diablo, this is Edward.”

Diablo nodded once, the gesture somehow both polite and intimidating.

“I can take over if you want to head out.” Edward made a shooing motion. “I’ve got this covered.”

Brett hesitated, glancing at the clock. “You sure? I still have fifteen minutes—”

“Go.” Edward nudged him with his elbow, wincing when Brett flinched. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t mean to get your bad shoulder.”

Diablo’s eyes narrowed, gaze lingering on Brett’s arm.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, ducking behind the counter to grab his backpack. The familiar weight against his sore shoulder made him bite back a curse. “I’ll clock out and be right back.”

In the tiny office, Brett pressed his employee code into the ancient time clock, listening to its mechanical wheeze. His reflection in the small mirror on the wall looked pale, red hair disheveled from running his hands through it all day. Dark circles under his eyes stood out like bruises against his fair skin.

Frank would be furious when he got home to an empty house. Brett’s stomach knotted as he typed out a quick text.

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