Page 13 of Cinnamon Strudel
“I’m looking forward to it. Just send me the list and I’ll be sure to have everything there.”
That piqued his brothers’ interest, the rustling of their papers stilling.
“I thought if I did something simple, it would be hard to mess up and you would want to see me again after.”
“You need to learn to listen.” He paused for a brief moment to let his words sink in. “You’re stuck with me.”
“I am, huh?” Though she clearly tried to hide the impact of his words, there was a slight quiver in her voice. “I’ll see you Wednesday.”
Then she was gone.
“’You need to learn to listen?’” Manuel echoed. “What kind of kinky shit is happening here?”
Morgan grinned and fastened Blue’s leash. “Mind your own business, will ya?”
“I don’t think so,” Alexander chimed in. “Either you two already had some sexual tension going on, or you just totally flabbergasted that woman.”
She was probably rather flustered anyway, even without Morgan letting his dominant side slip. “I’m pretty sure she has an idea of what she’s getting herself into.”
“You’re clearly not a man to waste time.”
It was Manuel’s turn to drive him to the gym—they insisted on taking turns—and as they drove, Morgan got a text from Ruby with the shopping list. He quickly placed an order, yet again dreading that he couldn’t just run to the store and get it. He hated shopping, almost always needing someone with him unless he planned to spend all day there.
A few years ago, Manuel had started Morgan’s new gym routine. Unfortunately for Morgan, his brother also assumed the role of his personal trainer—which meant kicking his ass on a regular basis. The staff had been helpful from the start and of course, they loved Blue.
Once his bi-weekly ass-kicking session was over, Morgan chose to enjoy the lovely evening by walking home, already dreaming about the next time he’d see Ruby…
Ruby
Wednesday afternoon, Ruby’s nerves flared yet again as the last few hours of her shift crept by. She hadn’t heard Morgan’s voice since their conversation on Monday. Somehow, the texts just weren’t the same.
Clara approached her with an ear-to-ear grin, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts. “There’s a table waiting for you. Two very handsome men—and they asked for you by name.”
“Me?”
“Yep, said they wanted to be seated in Ruby’s section.”
That was new, but Ruby simply nodded and grabbed her notepad. The moment she laid eyes on the men, she had a strong suspicion as to who they could be. Clara was right: they were both extremely handsome, with dark hair and pressed button-up shirts. It was their green eyes that gave them away—almost an identical match for Morgan’s.
Without taking his gaze off of her, the one on the left leaned over to mock-whisper to his brother. “I think she’s onto us.”
The one on the right offered her his hand. He wore his hair much longer than Morgan, brushing it to the side to keep it out of his eyes. “Alexander. It’s nice to meet you, Ruby.”
She couldn’t help but grin, although nerves ramped up in her stomach. Had Morgan sent them? “Hi.”
The other was more slender and seemed to be the youngest of the three. “Manuel,” he offered, taking her hand next.
She let her eyes travel between the two of them. “Does Morgan know you’re here?”
“Of course not,” Alexander answered nonchalantly.
“Not that it’s hard to keep secrets from him,” the youngest chided.
“That’s rather rude.” Then, she shrugged it off. “But you are his brothers, so I guess teasing is part of your relationship.”
“You have brothers as well,” Alexander stated, as if it were written across her forehead.
“I do.” She gestured to the man’s menu. “But maybe we could at least try not to get me fired for chatting on the job andpretendto be indecisive about the food options.”
