Page 23 of Starfish and Coffee
Matt knew he meant it as a threat. But with the taste of their cum in his mouth tingling on his tongue like forbidden fruit and the hum of his orgasm still throbbing through his body, it felt more like a promise.
Chapter Seven
Alex made a mental note to never again drink whiskey on an empty stomach. The awkwardness it created the next morning was a little too much to handle. Neither he nor Matt really knew what to say to each other now that they were sober and forced together in the tight, hot confines of the café’s kitchen.
This shift couldn’t get over fast enough as far as Alex was concerned, because he couldn’t believe he’d jerked off on Matt Tarrington—out in the open—whereanyonecould have seen them.
This had to be a new low in a sexual career that wasn’t all that sterling to begin with. Alex had done some seriously dumb, crazy shit for cock, but this was certainly at the top of the list.
Alex turned around, setting a plate next to Matt. “Grits. English muffin.”
“I got it. I’m literate, Hunter.” Matt’s voice was tense, almost irritated as he grabbed the ticket and looked at it. “This says over easy; you’ve got scrambled.”
“Fuck.” Alex groaned and grabbed the plate back.
“You’re off your game today,” Matt observed drily.
“Yes, thank you for pointing that out. I hadn’t noticed.” Alex scraped the scrambled eggs into the garbage, hoping Frank didn’t see it. “I’m hungover.”
“You were more hungover on Sunday, and you weren’t fucking up like this.”
Alex turned around to glare at him, but it was a mistake. The way Matt’s thin blue shirt clung to his broad shoulders was an issue for Alex. Seeing an outline of the muscles of Matt’s back didn’t do anything to help his concentration problem.
“You’re one who likes to state the obvious, aren’t you?” Alex couldn’t help but point out. “What’s your deal, Tarrington?”
Matt shrugged, undisturbed. “I just call it like I see it.”
That was the most annoying part of the morning after. Alex discovered Matt didn’t just work well under pressure like he’d promised his first day at Frank’s, but he really was a fast learner. Matt was actually doing fairly well at this shit job, which was more than Alex could say for himself at the moment.
No one liked an overachiever.
After that Alex tried not to talk to him. Every time he heard Matt’s low voice and the lull of his Georgia drawl, he thought of the way he sounded panting and turned on. Alex tried even harder not to look at him, because everything about last night was burned into his brain.
Why did he want him so badly? To the point that he was always in some state of arousal when Matt was around. It was little wonder he was fucking up the orders.
“Heavy lifting. Yeah, right,” Melissa said over the clink of loading up her orders. “You two went out partying last night.”
“No, we didn’t,” Matt argued. “Ask Holly. We worked all day on the rentals.”
“Where’d you get that then?”
Alex turned around to see Matt touch his neck, as if he could physically feel what Melissa was pointing out.
“Right there.” Melissa laughed and reached over the counter to run her finger against the curve of his neck, underneath the collar of his T-shirt. “It’s a mean one! I know I didn’t give that to you.”
Alex’s stomach jolted because he could see what she was talking about, an angry red mark that was more than a hickey; it was an actualbitemade in a moment of passion.
The nape of Matt’s neck flushed underneath the curl of black hair peeking out from beneath his blue bandanna. “We might have partied after everything was done.”
“I knew it,” Melissa said, not sounding too upset by the confession. “Boys will be boys. Alex always finds a party. If he can’t find one, he makes one.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Matt snorted, the bite of sarcasm heavy in his voice.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve known Alex since high school. I get it.” Melissa laughed as she walked out of the kitchen. “Just hanging on for a ride.”
“You have no idea,” Matt agreed, a little too loud for comfort.
Alex turned around to glare at him once more. What the hell was wrong with this guy’s social sensor? He just blurted out whatever he was thinking.
