Page 59 of Wanting More
Looking back and forth between them, she could see the cloud of darkness hanging around each man like an invisible yoke. They didn't deserve to relive those memories just because she was curious. Desperately, she looked for a way to pull the subject out of the black waters and stopped on Joel's chest. Still shirtless, his defined pecs gently rose and fell with each breath, and she noted the large symbol on his right pec.
"And the fleur de lis?" She said as she reached out without thinking to Joel's chest and traced the image. The room felt suddenly so quiet around her that she could even hear Joel's sharp intake of breath at her touch.
"Yeah," he hissed between his teeth, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "Hayden and Vic have one too."
His words sounded as if they were being ground out, and Sapphire looked up from the artwork on his flesh and met his gaze. The pressure was back in the air, and Sapphire turned to see Hayden staring at her like a man starved. His eyes were thunderous with need, and she answered to the pull in the air.
She dropped her gaze meaningfully at his shirt before looking back up at him. "Can I see yours?"
Chapter eighteen
Sapphirestoodintheempty café next to one of the couches. The morning sun was bright, spilling its yellowish-white light through the large windows like a cleansing spell over the earth. The warmth of the light combined with the chill in the room made goosebumps appear across her skin. Glancing at her watch, she looked back up and out the windows to the quiet street. It was early. So early, she was surprised she was able to get up after the long night she had.
Heat crept over her face as her thoughts began to turn.
"No, don't even think it," she hissed to herself.
Marching forward, she flipped the hanging sign on the door to the café and unlocked it despite it being a full ten minutes earlier than opening time. Anything to take her mind off of that memory.
Sapphire bit her lip to the point of pain as she made her way back to the kitchen and began grabbing pitchers of cold brew coffee. She couldn't stop it. Despite her best efforts, the memory of last night began to seep past her barriers and into her thoughts just as it did all during the night, infiltrating her dreams until she woke up in breathless panic and shame.
Setting the pitchers into the mini-fridge up front, Sapphire closed the small fridge door with far more power than needed before leaning heavily against the counter. Dropping her forehead into her hands, she stifled a long groan. How could she have been so…so reckless last night?
"Can I see yours?"
She had asked that.
Asked that to the quiet, rugged Hayden, who always stared at her with that silent unreadable stare that made her want to scream and shake him at once. And…and he did it, dear God. Like it was happening in front of her right now, Sapphire recalled how the stoic man just blinked once in shock before leaning forward on the couch and pulled his shirt over his head. The movement had caused the scent of his deodorant and subtle cologne to fill the air momentarily as she stared wide-eyed at his exposed chest. Just under the light dusting of dark hair, she could see the symbol. Softly, she had traced it, feeling his hot chest expand beneath her fingers.
Sapphire let out a pitiful moan as she straightened up from the counter. Why oh why did she do that? Why did she touch them? She couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol at that point. Sapphire hadn't started feeling a little drunk until much later that night. Leaning her hip against the counter, she was thankful the café was empty as her thoughts ran their course.
It was Joel, of course, that had made it so much worse.
With her hand and eyes still glued to Hayden's massive chest, Sapphire had felt a hand snake around her waist before pulling her abruptly in the opposite direction. Forcefully turned, Sapphire looked up at Joel's glittering storm blue eyes in shock.
"Goddammit, I'm jealous. I want to be felt up too," he rasped playfully, but Sapphire could see the glimmer of severity too. He did not want to be left out.
And that's how she found herself the new owner of this awkward memory that made her blush and groan aloud all at once.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Sapphire bit back a tiny scream as the memory unfolded.
Turned around on the couch so that she was facing them, she had sat there with her hands outstretched on either side of her touching the fleur de lis tattoos on both of their chests. At first, it had been painfully awkward, a feeling they had all felt as she looked from Hayden's grimace to Joel's regretful one. But it had been Joel's contagious laughter that had broken the spell. With her hands still on their chests, she had laughed with them, feeling the deep vibrations of their amusement rumble up their warm chests.
It was the sudden wave of desire that washed over her, dragging her under, that changed the moment. A single feeling suddenly echoed through her heart and mind like an endless chamber:want. She wanted this. More of this firm warmth and power that lay beneath each hand. More laughter that vibrated against her fingers, and more of their kind smiles that shone back at her. Yanking her hands back as if scalded, Sapphire had broken the connection to the illicit feeling.
The clattering of bells of the front door thankfully stole her from her thoughts.
By the time Julie came in, Sapphire was swamped with customers, which suited her fine. Each time she allowed herself a moment of reprieve, her thoughts seemed to stray right back to the two men sleeping just one floor above.
When she had pulled away from them last night, her embarrassment burning right through the little buzz the wine coolers had given her, Sapphire had gone to the kitchen and began to pull out any and all the baking ingredients she could get ahold of. Anything to distract herself, and her wicked hands, from them. They continued their conversation as she mixed, poured, and measured ingredients. They told her about joining the LeBlanc gang when they moved from Houston. Sapphire could hear the somber regret color Joel's words, and she knew they regretted the decision.
Joel's past, much like Hayden's, was something no child should endure. Killed by her boyfriend while she slept, Joel's mother had no other family or friends for her only son to go to. Immediately relinquished to the state, Joel spent years hopping from one group home to another until he finally met Hayden.
Young and impulsive, both boys joined the gang not long after Sapphire's mother left their last group home, and Hayden returned from detention. Hayden had stopped reminiscing there. With a silent look of warning to Joel, the path down their past hit a firm wall.
Sapphire thought of that silent yet undisguised message shared between the two as she scraped off the excess ground coffee beans into a canister. It must have been bad, whatever it was. So bad they didn't want to share even after opening up with her so much already.
Finally, as the cool morning light began to burn away into the brighter, much higher midday sun, the rush of early morning commuters died down to their normal steady flow. Julie, leaving to run an errand for one of her children, left her to man the fort. Sapphire was confident that she was starting to recognize nearly everyone in town now, or at least everyone that visited The Grind. Although the feeling didn’t last long at the sight of the new face coming through the door.
