Page 74 of Don't Look Down

I guess it would sound innocent enough to me, too, if my back were turned.

Addy takes a dainty bite of the dessert, then proclaims she needsuna colada. “Anyone else want some coffee with their cheesecake?”

Leigh raises his hand immediately. Dude is like a bottomless pit.

“I’ll take some, too,” I say.

Cayden declines, and Andrew accepts.

“¿Quieres que lo haga?” Addy asks Sky in Spanish.

“Sí, como no. ¿Sabes dónde están la cafetera y las cosas para hacerlo,” he replies in kind. The words wrap themselves around my cock. I recite multiplication facts in my head, think of homeless people, the growing crisis in our country.Anythingthat will keep me from popping a boner at Sky’s dinner table, surrounded by our friends.

But fucking hell. Sky speaking Spanish will likely be the death of me. Leigh is smirking at me like he can read my mind.Why did I agree it was a good idea to invite him? He always seems to catch me slipping.

Addy is moving around in the kitchen and the rich scent of Cuban coffee scents the air. Sky inhales deeply through his nose like an addict getting his fix.

“I want some so bad, but I’d never go to sleep if I had some right now. I keep telling myself to buy some decaf for those nights when I want a cup, but I refuse to bring that swill into my house.”

Cayden leans forward. “You know the flavor doesn’t change when the caffeine is removed, right?”

He bats at the air with his hand like he can toss the comment away, “Bah. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

Cayden presses, “There’s also still some caffeine in the grounds. It’s not completely decaffeinated, just mostly.”

Sky still refuses to listen. “I know you don’t have a choice, boo, but I will not let my caffeinated coffee go.”

That draws my attention. Leigh’s too. He asks, “Why wouldn’t you have a choice?”

Skylar interrupts before Cayden can even attempt to answer. “Pish posh.”

Cayden scrunches his whole entire face at Sky. “What the fuck? Did you time travel back three hundred years? Who talks like that?”

“Hablo asi, Cayden.” Sky answers.

“How much wine did you give him, Lucas?” Cayden asks Leigh, an accusatory tone in his voice.

Leigh points at himself. “Me? I gave him a glass of wine.One.” He shrugs and points at Sky with a shrug. “He refilled it once or twice.”

Andrew’s heavy sigh causes tension to stiffen my limbs. It’s put upon like we’re all grating on his last nerve. Leigh flicks his eyes to me, then to Andrew, before turning his attention fully on Cayden. Cayden’s lips are pursed. He sets down the two plates of cheesecake he’s holding, and looks at Andrew for a moment. He nods decisively, then finally meets Leigh’s eyes.

“Caffeine is one of my migraine triggers. It also gives me palpitations and jitters. It literally makes me feel like shit.” Cayden’s chest rises and falls with his deep inhale and exhale. “Which really sucks because I love coffee. I’m limited to decaf, which is just fine, in my opinion. I don’t think it tastes any different. I can have my coffee without the misery.”

Andrew’s eyes are rolling before Cayden is done speaking. I want to reach across the table and rip his eyes out from the root. Or nerves. Whatever.

I really don’t see one redeeming quality in this guy.

“You’re exaggerating again, sweetie.” His tone is condescending. “Cayden loves to embellish. It’s really not that bad. And he tries to make me drink that trash along with him.”

Something is seriously wacked with Andrew. Dude seems super upset. Over coffee. It doesn’t compute. And I might not be the smartest guy out there, but I do know everyone is different. What affects one person doesn’t necessarily affect another person in the same way. It’s common sense.

Andrew is an idiot and an ass.

What tipsiness Sky was feeling seems to have dissipated in a rush. Leigh shifts restlessly next to Sky. His chest has puffed up, and I can see the fire in his eyes. A hardness that he usually reserves for the ice. He’s livid. It’s very rare I’ve seen Leigh upset. He’s the most chill guy I know. Seeing that look off the ice is a bit alarming.

“Ya está listo,” Addy announces in a sing-song tone.

The woman has a knack for interrupting tense moments.

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