Page 48 of Operation Sunshine
Franco groaned, flopping back dramatically into the pillows. “Aw, Ben. Don’t ruin the afterglow with punctuality.”
But Ben was already scrambling for his trousers, muttering about schedules, prep times, staff meetings. He couldn’t face Raj if they strolled in an hour late. He couldn’t face Willow’s smirk.
Franco propped himself up on one elbow, watching him with lazy amusement. “Relax. They’ll live.” He leaned back, his hands folded behind his head, grinning. “Besides, after yesterday, I’m pretty sure half the staff already assume we’re screwing. Might as well give themsomethingto gossip about.”
Ben groaned again, this time into his shirt as he tugged it over his head. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
Franco’s bright, unrepentant laughter filled the room. “Nah. I’m the reason you finally start living.”
Ben froze at that, heat prickling under his skin for reasons that had nothing to do with sex.
“We’ve got time for coffee, right?” Franco launched himself from the bed and walked naked toward the kitchen.
Ben forced himself to ignore the hypnotic sway of Franco’s hips, the cute jiggle of those bite-able arse cheeks.Shoes, jacket, wallet. Anything to stop himself from answering the one question echoing in his mind.
Was Franco right?
By the time they finally slipped in through the front door of the restaurant, Ben was already in full-on damage control mode. His hair was smooth, his tie yanked straight, his jacket buttoned as though his ironed composure would fool anyone into thinking he hadn’t just rolled out of someone else’s bed. Franco, meanwhile, trailed behind with a bounce in his step, humming to himself, imagining he could still taste Ben on his lips.
The kitchen was alive with its usual morning chaos: pots clattering, knives thudding rhythmically against chopping boards, Raj barking at a supplier over the phone while Lexie whisked something in a bowl with ferocious precision. Willow was peering at the staff rota on the wall.
The second he and Ben stepped into view, two pairs of eyes flicked up and narrowed.
“You’re late,” Raj said flatly, though the glint in his eyes gave him away. “Again.”
Willow tilted her head, one brow quirked, her lips twitching, a surefire sign she was fighting a grin. “Mm. Both of you, at the same time. What are the odds?” she declared in a bright tone.
Franco grinned, unapologetic, and dropped his bag in the corner. “Traffic was brutal.”
Raj snorted. “What, between here and your flat? Or have I got it wrong? Maybe you came from someoneelse’sflat.”
Ben froze in the act of reaching for his prep list. “Excuse me?” Willow aimed a beaming smile at him, and he stiffened, muttered something about inventory, and made a quick escape toward the office, his shoulders drawn tight.
Franco watched him go, biting back a laugh. The man could probably face down suppliers, critics, Michelin inspectors, but a sly jab from his staff and he was retreating like a spooked deer.
Willow filled a cup with coffee, then slid it across the counter toward Franco, still smiling. “Operation Sunshine seems to be working out fine.” She leaned closer, her voice pitched low, conspiratorial. “So. How was the retreat? Fromyourperspective?”
Franco took a long sip of his coffee before replying. “Productive.”
“Uh-huh.” Raj folded his arms, watching him like a hawk. “Productive how, exactly?”
Franco grinned wider, because if they wanted to tease, he could take it. Banter was easy. So was hiding things. This was what he did best.
Except not anymore. While Willow and Raj were busy exchanging knowing smirks, Franco’s mind wasn’t on the teasing.
It was on Ben.
He couldn’t stop replaying it: the way Ben had looked in his bed, the sheets lying against his waist, his hair mussed, his expression softer than Franco had thought possible. The weight of him, solid and trusting, pressed close to Franco in the dark. The sound he’d made when he’d let go, raw, unguarded, and utterly devastating.
It was both terrifying and irresistible how much Franco wanted to experience all of it again.
He tossed back the last of the coffee. “Okay, enough with the whole Operation Sunshine deal. It was a fun idea, but I think it’s run its course.”
Willow laughed. “Are youkidding? That was a totally differentBen yesterday. It’s obviously working. Keep doing what you’re doing. The whole point was to, you know, assimilate him.”
Raj snorted again. “We aren’t the Borg, Willow.”
She laughed, and Franco laughed with her.
