Page 73 of Don't Look Down

He seems to have regained some of his composure. “Sky could warn a guy. Fuck’s sake. When he told me I’d be meeting his infamous new friend Landon, I never would’ve guessed it would be Landon Spencer of the freaking Florida Bull Sharks. Jesus Christ. I thought for a minute I was hallucinating.”

Andrew scoffs. “Stop being so dramatic.”

Cayden’s hand tenses in mine before he draws it away. “Anyway, it’s so nice to meet you both.” And there goes his composure. His voice is soft and lost again.

This. Fucking. Guy.

My eyes flick automatically to Sky’s. He’s practically shooting laser eyes at me to calm down. I don’t want to be calm. Everything Sky has told me about this guy, combined with his behavior two point five seconds after walking in the door, has me ready to detonate.

For Sky, I’ll try my best to chill.

Addy senses the need for an icebreaker and orders, “Alright, boys, scoot. This cheesecake needs to be put in the fridge and all of you fuckers are in my way. Respectfully.”

It’s just what we needed. Laughter fills the room. “Respectfully,”Sky mocks, but he’s the first to jump into action. He grabs the pot of rice and sets it in the center of the table. Once he’s done, he turns to us. “Come on. Get comfortable and have a seat.” Making my way over to the table, I see that each place setting is ready for our meal.

Sky sets the huge pot ofropa viejain the center of the table and directs us to start serving ourselves. Addy brings over the salad. And in an unexpected twist, Leigh fills our water glasses and offers the wine.

I hold my glass up for him to fill. “I’ll have a glass.”

“Me too, please.” From this angle, it looks like Cayden is looking up at Leigh through his lashes. Leigh looks perplexed for a second before he glances back over his shoulder to ask Addy and Sky if they’d like any wine. He pours some wine into each glass, before setting the bottle in the center.

“Would you like a beer, Andrew? I have some bottles of that IPA you like.”

“That would be great. Thanks, Sky.”

“You got it.”

I watch their interaction as Sky hands over the beer. I’m really not liking the vibe he’s sending. Andrew is eyeing Sky like he’s dinner and dessert combined. In an attempt to calm myself down, I look up and make eye contact with Leigh. His whole face is full of the samewhat the fuckI’m feeling.

Addy and Cayden are making small talk about their jobs. Houses she’s sold and currently has listed. Cayden shares some fun events he’s shot and has coming up.

Sky finally sits down across from me, and his eyes bore into mine again. He’s noticed this shit, too. But his eyes still pleadwith me to keep my cool. “What do you think of theropa vieja, Landon?”

Shit. Everyone is eating except me.

Scooping up a bite of rice covered in sauce, meat, and veggies, I shove it in my mouth. The moan I let out at the explosion of flavors is shameful. Pure pleasure. The balance of garlic and onion. Flavorful meat. My eyes roll back into my head.

Leigh’s laughter is the loudest of all. “It’s life changing, right?”

My mouth is already full of another bite, so all I can do is vigorously nod my head.

Sky is beaming at me, his chin is resting on his fist.

“You gonna eat, Sky?”

“Yeah, Luc. I’m just taking a moment to bask in the fact I have a table full of some of my favorite people, eating a meal I prepared. Cooking is one of my love languages. I’m enjoying the feeling. Gah. I’m happy.” He flaps his hand around at all of us.

Addy throws a napkin at him. “Aww, you’re such a sappy goof. I can’t with you.”

“Leave me to my sap, okay? I am wallowing in sappiness.” He’s smiling as he says it. He shifts and folds his legs up underneath him, then digs into his own plate.

As he sips his wine, he meets my eyes. Sending me a wink, he toasts me with his glass. I wink back.

The heaviness from before lifts, and we all settle in and enjoy our food.

After dinner, Cayden moves into the kitchen to dish up the cheesecake he made.

Andrew announces, “Cayden made adulce de lechecheesecake with a Biscoff crust. He made it a few weeks ago, and I knew you’d love to try it.” He’s looking at Sky and Sky only when he speaks. Cayden is either oblivious to Andrew’sflirtatious behavior, or he’s so used to it at this point that he pays him no mind.

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