Page 66 of Flirt
Cameron choked on the coffee he’d been sipping. Coughing and sputtering, his eyes watering as he fought to breathe, he twisted around in his seat and stared up at Asher.
“What?” he gasped. “You’re really going to end the series?”
~
Moving his hand fromCameron’s thigh to his back, Asher rubbed soothing lines up and down his spine. He hadn’t told anyone yet, not even his agent.
“It’s time. The series was only supposed to be six books in the first place.”
“Go out on a high note,” Mr. Stone said, nodding his approval. “That’s smart.”
“You’re really ending the series?”
Cameron looked so heartbroken over the news Asher had the insane urge to promise to write at least twenty more Marshall Kane books. “I really am.”
Resting her elbows on the table, Natalie leaned forward, her head tilted to one side. “Are you starting something new?”
“I am.” When everyone looked at him expectantly, he laughed and shook his head. “Sorry, but you’ll have to wait like all the rest.”
Everyone around the table grumbled good-naturedly, everyone except Cameron. Head down, bottom lip caught between his teeth, he honestly looked like his whole world had just ended.
“Ah, don’t be that way,” Asher whispered against his ear. “Maybe you’ll like the new series even more.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure I’ll love it, but I just can’t believe you’re ending Marshall Kane.”
Cameron was killing him. Those big, eyes had never looked so sad, and the way his bottom lip stuck out was too adorable for words. What was it about him that made Asher what to give the guy anything he asked for?
Before he could breakdown and tell Cameron he’d changed his mind, the server arrived to save him. She started with Nico and went around the table, nodding and smiling as each person placed their order, though she never wrote anything down. Clearly, she knew the orders by heart, and asking was just a formality.
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Dare. What can I get you this morning?”
Asher vaguely remembered the blonde teenager from the previous morning, and he wracked his brain to recall her name. “Hi, Kimmy.” A sideways look at Cameron told him he’d gotten in right. “I’ll just have pancakes with strawberry syrup and a side of bacon.”
“Crispy bacon?”
“Is there any other way to eat it?”
She giggled and nodded, making her ponytail bounce around her face. “I’ll take your orders back to the kitchen and bring out more coffee in just a minute. Can I get you guys anything else?”
Once everyone agreed they just needed more coffee for the time being, she bounced away, and Asher had to shake his head. He’d met a lot of people in Mission Grove, and they all just seemed so damn cheerful. How anyone—let alone an entire town—could be that consistently happy boggled him. Yet, he loved how even though he was an outsider, they’d all made him feel welcomed. He wondered how long it would take before Kimmy knew his breakfast order by heart.
“So,” Cameron’s mother began, pausing to take a sip of her juice before turning to look at her son. “How was the sex last night?”
“Fuck,” Nico breathed as the coffee he’d been about to drink missed his mouth completely and spilled down the front of his gray T-shirt.
Natalie held both hands over her face and shook her head.
Mr. Stone shot his wife an indulgent grin, though his cheeks had turned an alarming shade of red. One more thing he had in common with Cameron, along with his chocolate-brown hair and love of polo shirts.
“Mom!” Cameron protested. “That is so inappropriate.”
“There is nothing inappropriate about sex.” She turned to Asher with a cheeky grin. “Unless you’re doing it wrong.”
Maybe he’d feel differently if Sarah had beenhismother, but he didn’t feel nearly as uncomfortable discussing their sex life as Cameron obviously did. “I’m confident I’m doing something right.” Curling his arm around Cameron, he peeked around him to his mother. “We were late for breakfast, weren’t we?”
The entire table erupted into laughter, all except for Cameron, who turned to bury his face in the crook of Asher’s neck with a groan. “I thought you were supposed to protect me, not make it worse.”
Damn, he’s cute.
