Page 142 of The Sidekick

“Yes,” his shoulders drop in relief as I leave that conspiracy theory behind.

Something isn’t adding up.

“I…” he trails off and winces, bracing his hands on the counter again, knuckles going white as he presses his fingers down. “I ran into her at your work. I had no idea that you worked there. I heard your voice and hid in an aisle so you wouldn’t see me.”

I blink in surprise, taking another drink as I watch his neck start turning red with embarrassment. It’s so normal. No conspiracies or setups. Just a straightforward coincidence?

“I didn’t want you to catch me, so I texted Shade. He had Andi distract you so I could leave.”

“Why would it bother me? Everybody has a kink or two. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Angel, stop being nice to me for a second. It’s because you and Andi were talking about things that weren’t my business.” He’s suddenly scowling at me darkly.

“Like what?” I try to think back on her visit. She got the lingerie to seduce Brian out of his overworked brain. Nothing really stands out unless you count her asking for high-heeled boots for Brian to wear. I still need to order those. And I can be nice to whoever I want, no matter what he or Shade says.

“Did you download a dating app?” The question is asked so grimly I feel like he’s asking if I shot the neighbor. It makes me start to sweat a little as I stare with my mouth open.

“No? Do you mean the sub one? I looked up the info on it, but I didn’t feel ready.”

“Good, angel,” his lips tilt in a dark smile. My shoulders loosen, and I smile back.

I suck in a surprised breath when I realize exactly what he overheard. My shoulders hunch as a blush burns my face with shame. If he heard that, then he heard other things, too.

“You know I was looking for a feeder?”

“Is that what it’s called?” He leans back to drink his coffee as if we’re discussing the weather, not my weirdo fantasy to be fed and pampered. “I don’t know much about that one, and I haven’t had a chance to look into it yet.”

I swallow down bile and look down at my innocent smoothie. It doesn’t look that appetizing anymore.

His voice softens as he braces his elbows to lean forward again. “I would belly crawl over broken glass to feed you any time you like.”

“That’s a lot to take in,” my voice comes out nervous and squeaky as my eyes widen in shock. “I don’t think that’s healthy.”

“I did tell you that I’m not perfect.”

He did tell me that, but I had no idea it was this extreme. I just figured he forgot stuff, like saying Namaste that one time.

“You don’t want to hurt yourself, do you?” I ask with real concern.

“No,” he tilts his head to look up at me. “It’s an expression. I’m willing to suffer so that you thrive. That’s all.”

I frown as I think that through. “I don’t want you to suffer.”

He sighs softly and gives me a gentle smile. “Don’t worry about me. I want you to focus on you.”

I take a deep breath to dive into the deep end of my questions.

“You said you know Max from your class. I can’t really remember what else you said. Would you repeat it?”

“Yes,” he seems surprised and pleased that I’m willing to talk about this. He won’t be as happy when I throw up this smoothie. My nausea is causing chaos in my stomach right now.

“Let’s take all of this over to the couch,” he picks up his mug and mine, gesturing for me to pick up the smoothie as he relocates. The twins are still on the sidewalk, watching us. It amps up my nerves for a different reason.

I sit where Asher positioned my glass on the coffee table, in the center of the couch. He sits next to me, leaving no room between us as he wraps an arm over my shoulders. I want to feel mad about it, but I can’t find the emotion when I look. His touch is comforting instead of confining, which seems wrong because of how upset I am with him. His hand rubs gently over my arm as he leans back, pulling me with him.

“I shouldn’t lean back. I want a clear shot to the bathroom if I need it,” I protest weakly.

“All right,” he agrees but makes no move to sit up. “Let’s just take a minute and enjoy being together. You can ask me whatever pops into your head.”

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