Page 17 of Yours
How did they not see it?
Ryan found his voice first. “Yeah, especially when there’s so much on the menu that looks good.”
Not really what I’d been hinting at, but I had a feeling they both knew that too.
Scott’s tension slowly eased out of him again, and he nodded. “The steak sounds good. I haven’t had one in ages.”
“You guys don’t barbecue?”
They both shook their heads, but Scott seemed to have found a topic he could talk about because he kept going. “The apartment complex we live in doesn’t allow grills on the patios. A few years ago, some guy did major damage to one of the other buildings when he left his alone too long. It was before we moved in, but they’re not taking any more chances.”
“That’s crazy. I hope no one was hurt.”
Scott set the menu back down. “No, just damage to a few of the patios and the outside of the building, but it’s made the management a lot more cautious.”
Ryan snorted. “Yeah, overly so. All hell breaks loose if you even burn toast now.”
“I bet that’s a good story.” I grinned as Scott chuckled.
“No, well, the firefighters were hot, so it wasn’t all embarrassing and frustrating.” Ryan seemed to have a sense of humor about the whole thing, so I didn’t feel bad about teasing him.
“So I should be careful around you in the kitchen?”
Scott laughed and nodded. “Especially around small appliances.”
“I’m not that bad. Even the firefighters said the alarm was too sensitive.” Ryan huffed but didn’t seem upset, so I had a feeling it was a running joke between them.
Scott chuckled. “What about the coffeemaker?”
Shrugging, Ryan played off the disaster. “You buy cheap appliances.”
How were they not already together? They were like an old married couple. If it weren’t for the quick heated glances and the text messages they’d sent me, I might have felt like a third wheel. They weren’t a bicycle, though. They were a tricycle who was just figuring out they needed the third wheel to work.
I couldn’t stop smiling around them. Turning to Ryan, I grinned widely. “So you just sit down in the kitchen looking sexy while Scott does all the cooking?”
Scott nodded earnestly. It was Ryan’s turn to look embarrassed, but I had a feeling it was mostly over Scott agreeing that he looked hot. Scott either missed that part or didn’t mind admitting it because he spoke up again. “I always make the coffee. It’s safer that way.”
“What about the half-dressed eye candy? Or is he one of those frustrating types that sleeps fully clothed?” They both started coughing and trying not to look at the other.
It was too good to let them off the hook. “You both do it? That’s just tragic. I’ve been having fantasies about you two lounging around half-naked in just tight little briefs, and you’re telling me I should have been picturing flannel and T-shirts instead? You shouldn’t ruin a man’s fantasies like that.”
If they thought I was going to let them run around fully clothed in the morning, they were crazy.
One step at a time, though. Dates first, then sexy fantasies.
They were saved from having to respond when the waitress walked up behind me. I wasn’t sure how much she’d overheard, but she was professional and didn’t say anything, so I didn’t worry. By the time she’d taken our food and my drink order, the guys had calmed down. I personally liked the sexual tension that built up when they were thinking aboutfunthings, but I wanted to actually get to know them too, so I told myself not to push it too far.
It would be hard, though.
Watching them squirm and blush made me want to climb all over them. But I had to keep reminding myself that they weren’t ready yet. Not until we didn’t have to play word games and pretend we were all fairly vanilla.
When we were alone again, I turned to Ryan. “How was work?”
He groaned. “Boring. I’ve really got to figure out if this is what I want to do.”
Ryan had described his job as a paper pusher in a bank. He seemed good with numbers and could read the financial charts but hated being stuck in a cubicle all day. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out what he really wanted to do.
“I keep telling you that you should come to work for my company. I think you’d do great at picking stocks and designing portfolios. Half the people I work with have no idea what any of those spreadsheets and financial documents mean.”
“But then I’d have to sell things.” He grimaced. “No thanks.”
I wasn’t sure how a shy guy like Scott managed to be a top salesman, but Ryan said he was like a completely different person at work.
Scott laughed. “It’s not that hard. It’s like being back on the football team.”
I’d never been into sports as a kid, so I wasn’t sure what he meant. Good things and bad ran through my head, and I couldn’t sort through them. Did he enjoy the teamwork and camaraderie or was it like being back in the closet?
His expression was happy, and he was clearly loving being able to tease Ryan, but I wasn’t sure if the road to a relationship with Scott had just gotten a lot more complicated.
