Page 75 of Don't Look Down

She serves us our coladas in tiny coffee cups.

The shot of Cuban espresso combined with cheesecake is divine.

I smile at Cayden. “This cheesecake is delicious. It’s light and fluffy, but creamy at the same time. I’ve had so many dreadfully dry cheesecakes. This ain’t that.”

His cheeks flush from the praise.

Sky meets my eyes, gaze intense. He’s barely blinking. Whatever he says next, I’m rolling with it. “Cay, do you have any shoots set for tomorrow?” That’s all he has to say, and I know where he’s going.

Cayden’s eyes flick to Andrew, then to Sky before he answers. “Nope, no shoots tomorrow.”

Leigh’s eyes are bouncing back and forth between the four of us like a ping pong ball. He’s not as mad as before, but his shoulders are still stiff with tension. He stays quiet.

“Bash is having a bunch of us out on the yacht tomorrow. If you’re free, you should join us.” Taking a sip of my drink, I utter the next words begrudgingly. With a jut of my chin in his direction, I invite, “You too, Andrew.” So he knows my invitation is sincere. Mostly. It only is because Sky wants Cayden there, so I want Cayden there. He’s a nice guy, whose better half is an enormous ass.

Andrew has been giving major territorial vibes all night and there’s no way in Hell he’d “let” Cayden go without him.

“Most of the team is going to be there. Addy’s coming too.”

She props an elbow on the table and smiles devilishly. “Hey, if there’re any single guys, I’m definitely down for one of them to make me come.”

Our laughter is immediate. Cayden’s seems a bit awkward and forced. Andrew merely smiles.

“Addy, you know I’m a single man. Say the word, sweet cheeks, and I got you,” Leigh offers. “All the orgasms you can handle.” He bats his eyes.

She throws her napkin at him. “Ew, shut up! You’re way too deep in the friend zone for that now.”

“I’d like to be deep in your friend zone.” His leer has grown significantly, but he’s added an eyebrow bob for good measure. Addy exaggerates a gag ,which causes another round of laughter.

After our laughter dissipates, Sky turns to Cayden and Andrew. “So, can you make it?”

Cayden’s smile freezes in place, and his eyes turn down to gaze at his empty dessert plate. Andrew leans over and rests his arm over Cayden’s shoulders, pulling him into a side hug. “We’ve got plans tomorrow. Cayden didn’t tell you? We settled on a date, and we’ll finally be paying the deposit at the venue. We hit a few snags and it’s been a bit rocky trying to nail everything down with them. So after a few delays, we’re making it official. We’re so excited, right, sweetie?”

The look on Cayden’s face should be a smile, but it looks more to me like a grimace. Or a cry for help. I’m sure it’s both. His voice is completely devoid of emotion. “Right, Andrew. I can’t wait.”

A brief scan of everyone’s faces tells me nobody at the tables believes him, except for Andrew.

26

Landon

Thoughts about last night are forefront in my mind during my drive to Leigh’s. I’m picking him up on my way to the marina. We’re carpooling even though neither one of us plans on getting wasted.

Dinner at Sky’s last night was moderately successful. Considering I refrained from smashing Andrew’s face in, it's a definite win.

Everything about that guy rubbed me the wrong way.

Cayden seems like a sweet, funny guy. And based on what I’ve seen, he and Andrew don’t seem to suit each other. They clash instead of mesh. Their interactions were jarring and uncomfortable to watch.

Infuriating.

Andrew seems to speak without considering Cayden’s feelings, and his words made Cayden shrink into himself.

At one point, he’d held himself strong and spoken with confidence, then Andrew still managed to poke holes and deflate him.

It makes no sense to me how someone can claim to love another person, yet they do everything to bring that person down instead of lift them up.

Make it make sense.

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