Page 108 of Why Cheese?
Roq lifts his head as if he’s going to do some gentlemanly thing like sleep in the dumpster. He parts his mouth with a heavy sigh.
“Did you forget how to walk? One foot, then the other?” Cheddy cries out. Despite his limp and strained back, he leaps to his feet. “I’ll show you.”
“Hey,” I cry out.
“Hmm? Oh. Owe. My back.”
I playfully slug Cheddy in the shoulder, and he pretends to buckle from the force. At least I think he’s pretending. He’s very good at it. “Oh, she’s got an arm on her. Watch yourselves, boys. I’m slain!”
“More for me then.” Cam lunges forward and wraps his arms around my waist. I skid back on my heels, my head tumbling against his chest. He takes a drink of wine, red dribbling from the side of his lips. Then he bends around and kisses me. The combination of rich, heady grapes and his electric spark causes me to zing.
“Hey, I get a turn,” Cheddy says. He reaches for the bottle, which Cam holds out. Cheddy bats the wine away and scoops me up in his arms. “I’d risk three black eyes for you.”
“You only have two eyes.”
“I’d grow another eye, then take a punch for you,” Cheddy muses in the strangest and sweetest compliment I’ve ever gotten. He doesn’t just kiss me but dips me until my upper half is nearly horizontal with the floor.
“Oh, so we’re going for panache,” Cam says. He leaps off the counter, then cracks his knuckles. Reaching for me, his fingers dance up my arm.
“Roq.”
The single word from Brie breaks up our silly game. Roq hasn’t moved from his spot. Instead, he’s staring at all of us like we’re a painting hanging on a wall while he’s got his nose pressed to the glass.
Brie rubs his broken knuckles. He swung hard for a man who got a hand on me. When he struck Roq on accident, I feared what would happen. Rather than retaliate, Roq body-slammed the bouncer coming up behind Brie. He hasn’t said a word about it since.
Biting his lip, Brie glances at the wall. “It’ll be dawn soon. You should get inside.”
Roq’s cheeks turn pink. He bows his head and finally closes the door.
“Yeah, 'cause otherwise, you’ll turn into a doorstop. Of cheese. Is that a good pun?”
“No, Cheddy. It’s not,” Cam says.
“Right, cause all of the door mice will eat it. Got you.”
No one’s saying it, but the air is quieter, softer—like a storm has passed. Even still, Roq lingers away from Brie and Cheddy as if he isn’t quite ready to walk into the light. I catch his eye and smile, which he returns.
“Now, where were we?” Cam says. “Oh, yes.” He spins me around and I tumble out of my shoes. “There’s one less obstacle.” He growls and leans closer, but I dip my head and stare back.
“What about Brie? Shouldn’t he get a chance?”
“So we’re a turn-based relationship now?” Cam asks even as he helps me upright. “You should know I have first initiative.”
I dip my fingers just below the hand Brie bashed up. He extends his palm and I carefully take it. “Your poor painting hand,” I say.
“It…stings,” Brie whispers. As I lift it, he fights off a wince just before I tap the tip of his pointer finger on my lip.
“What if I kiss it?” I ask.
He gulps, his eyes going wide as I lap my tongue around the wounded digit. Brie’s hiss of pain shifts to a moan. I move down his hand, licking every finger. Just as I’m reaching for the pinkie, he wrenches his hand away, grabs my hair, and kisses me so hard I see white. Rather than ravish me with his tongue, Brie slips away. He drops his forehead to mine, his breath struggling as a smile twists his lips.
“Now me!” Cheddy shouts.
“Hold on, junior.” Roq clamps onto his shoulder and pushes him back like the huge knight is made out of paper. Brie lets me go just as I turn to face Roq.
Unlike the others, he isn’t smiling. If anything, his face is gnarled in an anger that hits like a clap of thunder. “You.” Roq grabs my hips and hefts me onto the counter. I yelp in shock and slam my palms to his shoulders.
Growling, he peers into my face. “Are a goddamn miracle.” Spreading his palm over the back of my head, Roq guides me to him. I hang on for dear life as his kiss melts my spine.
