Page 36 of Love, Just In

‘He’s definitely a sweetheart,’ I blurt, spinning back to Holly and resetting my head. ‘But we’ve been really close friends since we were thirteen. If something was going to happen between us, it would have by now.’

She seems content with my answer, and the conversation shifts to her work as an art therapist. The nosy reporter in me grills her about it until the boys return with another round of beers.

Zac plonks one down in front of me. ‘Oh, thank you, but I’d better be careful,’ I say. ‘I’ve got a date tonight with Lindsay.’

His brow pinches. ‘You do?’

‘Yeah, I totally forgot; is that bad?’ I make a face.

‘Well, I’m not sure it’sgood.’ He slides back onto the stool beside me.

A waiter swoops in, dumping a plate in front of Zac that steams with the ammonia-tinged smell of cooked mushrooms. He pokes his fork at the stack of creamy-brownflesh stuffed inside the burger, taking a second to figure out what it is.

‘Oh my fucking god,’ he says under his breath.

I fight laughter as the waiter plonks down my plate. My eye fillet steak bulges like it’s cooked to perfection and sits beside a small Caesar salad and a wire basket of fries caked in salt.

Zac’s staring at his meal like it just screwed his girlfriend.

‘I’m sorry, it’s just a joke,’ I utter, still wanting to crack up, but also totally heartsore. Zac ordered my favourite meal—even swapped out the garden salad for my beloved Caesar.

I push my plate towards him. ‘You have mine. I’m going to order you something else.’

‘No way.’ He slides the steak back to me and grips his burger with both hands. A slimy glob of mushroom drops onto his plate as he takes a bite.

‘You can’t eat that!’ I latch on to his forearm. ‘You’ll be sick later.’

He continues chewing with a look of defiance before he drops the burger and gags into his serviette. ‘You’re right. I can’t eat this; I’m so sorry.’

‘Don’t be. It’s my fault.’ I saw my knife through the steak like solving this issue is the most urgent thing on earth, and point a piece of meat at his mouth. ‘Eat this while I get another menu. I’ll order you whatever you want.’

Zac’s fingers wind around mine, taking hold of the fork. He feeds the steak into his mouth, and a moan of pleasure rumbles out of his throat.

‘Fuck, that’s good,’ he says, releasing my hand, and I realise I’m staring.

‘Then that’s what you’re getting.’ I stand up.

‘No, it’s too expensive,’ he protests. ‘You can’t order a burgeranda steak. I’ll get it.’

He rises beside me, but I cup my hands around the firm ridges of his shoulders, pushing him back down.

I catch Ross and Holly watching us with interest as they nibble on their shared pizza before I escape to the bar and sheepishly order a forty-five-dollar steak.

An hour later, Zac and I reluctantly say goodbye to Ross and Holly so I can get home in time to change for my date with Lindsay. After two beers and a steak, all I want to do is watch mindless TV in bed with my laptop, and I make a silent pledge to be more organised so that I don’t double-book myself next time.

Rather than dropping me off outside my house, Zac insists on parking and walking me to my door. I’m not sure he’d do that if I hadn’t told him about Davide’s ménage à trois, but when I step inside the house, I’m so grateful he’s here.

‘What the fuck?’ Zac hisses behind me.

David’s bare ass freezes mid-thrust, and his face jerks towards us from where he’s hunched over his massage table. A pair of naked, feminine legs are locked tightly around his sweaty hips.

‘Oh, shit. I thought you were out today,’ Davide says as he pulls back from the woman he was just ramming into.

‘I was,’ I breathe, trying not to look …down.

Zac lurches towards Davide. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? You realise you don’t live alone, right? Have you never heard of something calledconsiderationfor other people?’

The poor woman rolls off the table and yanks a towel over herself, muttering an apology.

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