Page 25 of No Reservations

I shook my head. None of that mattered right now. I had to take things one step at a time. The fridge revealed a carafe of chilled water, bottled soda, white wine, and a platter of sandwiches. A note card with ‘Help yourself’ in Cole’s neat script sat on top.

“So damned thoughtful,” I muttered as I pulled out the tray. It took me a few minutes to locate plates and glasses in the collection of cabinets. I poured myself some water, piled three mini-sandwiches on a plate, and settled on one of the stools at the island where I had a clear view of the trees outside the far window.

I was only halfway through the second sandwich when I heard the front door swing open and close again. Footsteps clacked on the polished wooden boards before Cole called, “Matthew? Are you here?” in his gorgeous, deep voice.

It took me less than a minute to swallow, jump up from the stool, round the pillar and palm, and rush into Cole’s arms. He smelled like sunshine and sandalwood and looked like sin in a slim-fit, blue linen suit, white shirt, and tie.

“I missed you.” He said it before I had a chance, and then all we could do was smile at each other like fools until he finally stepped back and shook his head with a smile. “I’m so glad you’re here. Um… let me get changed quick. I’ll be right back.” He strode through the living room and disappeared down a hall at the far side.

I returned to my sandwich with a grin on my face and some wild warmth filling me up from head to toe. As foreign as a luxury condo in LA was to my everyday life, I knew I could be comfortable there as long as Cole wanted me by his side.

Chapter 14

Cole

Iresisted jerking off in the shower only because I knew Matthew waited for me in the next room. The real thing was better than any fantasy, even if we didn’t do anything sexual again. I shook my head as I slipped into a pair of gray chinos and reached for a casual button down. If we didn’t end up in bed together, I didn’t know if I could stand it. I hadn’t wanted anyone this much in a very long time.

Matthew sat at the edge of my couch when I emerged from the bedroom. He scrolled through his phone but looked up with one of his beautiful smiles right away.

“People are still commenting on the pics from the flea market,” he said and waved his phone screen in my direction.“Do you usually answer their questions or comment on them? I didn’t know if I should even click the Like button.”

I settled on the couch next to him and leaned against his side. After several days apart, the draw felt magnetic. I couldn’t ignore it any more than I could resist a glance down at the social media page that showed the selfie with the three teens in front of the t-shirt table. My eyes lingered on Matthew’s smile and how his head tipped so casually against mine. We looked real.

“No. It would be impossible to answer all the questions, and too easy to say the wrong thing that someone would twist out of proportion. Brooke yelled at me the few times I tried, and she’s not someone you want mad at you.”

He bumped my shoulder with his and leaned over to brush his lips over my jaw before tucking his phone out of sight. “So, your place is amazing.” Even as he said the words, his smile dimmed and some of the light left his eyes.

“It’s the type of place I thought I should have when I bought it.” Our eyes met, and I shrugged. “As Eclipse 6 got more popular, I made more money. The location is convenient, but this place is too big. What do I need a gourmet kitchen for? If Brooke or someone else stops by, we get takeout. I don’t even need a second bedroom for guests.”

My last comment stuck in my brain. Maybe I presumed too much. “Unless you’d like to have your own room.” I didn’t want Matthew to sleep in the guest room. I wanted his arms and legs wrapped around me and his broad hands soothing my tension away.

“I don’t want my own room.” The spark returned to his eyes and seemed to shoot across the small space between us to make tingles race up and down my spine. Before I could do anything about them, he shot to his feet. “What are you going to show me first, Cole? I need to see your world if I’m going to be a part of it.”

Twenty minutes later, we walked through the door of my favorite coffee shop. He ordered a cinnamon latte and a lemon scone, I had my usual black with one sugar, and we strolled off down the street. “So, this is the place where we first met, huh? All those months ago.” The sparkle in his eyes disarmed me.

We strolled down the sidewalk, sipping our coffees. “Where do you hang out? What do you like to do around here?”

I huffed out a laugh. “I don’t. I work, go home, order in the essentials and take-out, and go back to work again.”

Matthew raises his eyebrows at me and frowned. “Cole, you need a full-time minder. No wonder you’re so tense all the time. People need a chance to let loose.”

Before I could question the propriety of such a question, I stopped walking, turned toward him, and asked, “Are you applying for the position?”

The sound of the traffic slipping by and the scattered voices of passersby faded into the background. Our eyes met, and something happy and hopeful passed over Matthew’s face before he forced his expression back to something more casual. “Is the position open? I think I’m more than qualified.” The corner of his mouth ticked upward. “I have experience, after all.”

All the worries about the fake relationship and the looming September first breakup fled my mind, and the tense knot of worry I had become so used to loosened in a way that made me gasp. Was Matthew saying what I dreamed of hearing ever since this whole thing began? I opened my mouth to spill out all my desires, but another voice cut in first.

“Well, well, well.” Thad stood a few feet away, rubbing his hands together and leering like an old-time movie villain. “If it isn’t the faker Cole Gilliam and hisboyfriend.” He spit out the last word in a way that clearly showed his disbelief. “You’re going all out, aren’t you? Flying your rent boy to California for more photo ops?”

I had no idea if Matthew would actually attack the man, but the fierce scowl and bold step forward seemed risky. We needed publicity, but not that kind. My hand landed on his arm and tightened enough to stop him. I couldn’t stop the flood of words he dumped on my nemesis, however. I really didn’t want to. Having Matty stand up for me was rather hot.

“What the hell is wrong with you? No one wants your kind of hateful gossip online, so why don’t you just give it up? The hits on the pics of us outpace your claims by the thousands. I checked.” When Thad stepped back with a scowl, Matthew nodded and went on. “Oh yeah, I looked. Why cling to the bullshit when you could do better? Cole never did anything to you.”

A memory of my first meeting with Thad swam through my mind, the chance encounter that seemed so unimportant at the time. His hand on my thigh. His lurid suggestions. “Is this really because I turned you down at that club? It can’t be.”

Matthew’s gaze swung from Thad to me and back again. “Seriously? You can’t let one strike out affect your whole life like that. Move on. Maybe a little positivity could attract someone great to you. Maybe if you focused on good things instead of trying to ruin people’s lives, you could have something as great as what Cole and I have for yourself.”

My mouth dropped open, and I stood gaping at the man standing next to me as the LA shoppers flowed around us. Every thought of Thad had filled with frustration and anger for so long, and in one moment, Matthew turned it into a life lesson.

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