behind him to wrap my arms around his waist. "What places?" I teased.
"Well, I had to wash the shit off my dick, so I'm still a little wet," he teased.
"Ugh, Sam!" I groaned, releasing him to step back. "Eww!"
"I'm kidding!" he insisted. "Well, kinda." Then he turned to face me, grabbing my waist to pull me back against his body. "We still ok, sweetie?"
"We're good," I promised, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck. "You ok with Nick and Luke?"
"Mm." Sam wobbled his head from side to side. "I'm happy for them, but yeah. No. Never mind."
"What?" I asked. "No, wait on that. What's wrong with the coffee pot?"
That earned me a sigh. "Apparently, our Muse likes strong coffee. Bel hasn't realized there's a maximum level. Now there are coffee grounds in all of it. I'm so tempted to say fuck it and just get a new one, but I'm dying for a little go juice."
"Me too. What do you think about leaving that for someone else - like Bel - to clean up, and walking up to the coffee shop with me like old times?"
"You agree to slip there and let me buy, and I'm in." He leaned in to steal a kiss.
I snuck in a second before he could pull back. "One condition. You finish that thought while we both wake up?"
"It's nothing," he promised.
"Nope. That's my line. For once, you talk and I listen. Tomorrow we can go back to where I talk and you do all the listening, ok?" And I cupped his cheek. "Because I'm pretty sure it has to do with you feeling a little shoved out, and I'm sorry."
"It's not you," he promised. Then he groaned. "Ok. Coffee first, then we talk about our feelings."
I dropped my hands to slide them across his chest, making sure my palm hit his nipple ring, and then stepped back. Sam rolled his eyes at me, but his smile proved he didn't mind the attention at all. He still reached over for his shirt. As he pulled that on, he headed toward the dining room. I followed, watching as he picked up his wallet from the side table. Pushing that in his back pocket, he pulled open one of the drawers, found a pen and a pad of paper, then scrawled out a quick note.
That went on the table to let the guys know we were at the Kharma Kafe. Then he offered his hand. "Since you're keyed into the wards, we don't even have to go outside to leave. I'll drive."
I slipped my palm against his, and Sam immediately stepped back. We were barely in the corridor before he pushed, slipping sideways only to pull us both back to Earth again, right onto the sidewalk at the rear side of the coffee shop. Together, we both started walking, knowing the way, but I didn't let go of his hand. Instead, I twined my fingers through his, earning another of those sleepy Sam-smiles.
"Wanna grab us a seat?" he asked as we reached the door. "I'll get our drinks."
"Sounds like old times," I teased, nodding to show I was ok with this.
My usual corner was empty. It was just out of the way enough to not be popular, but a girl sat at the table beside it. The rest of the place had people scattered throughout. It was almost as if they'd taken every other table, leaving a little distance between them and the next person. Considering that classes didn't start for a few days, I was a little surprised to see so many people up and about at this hour.
Evidently, Sam had thought the same thing, because when he returned with my coffee, he passed it over and said, "According to the guy at the counter, freshman orientation is today and tomorrow." He tipped his head at the girl closest to us. "They all look so young and innocent. Makes me feel old."
"You are kinda old," I reminded him, patting the cushion of the couch beside me. "So, real talk time? What's up with you and Nick?"
A groan fell from his lips as he dropped down beside me. "Nothing. And by that, I mean nothing bad. It's just that you've kinda fixed everything between all of us, and there's only so much that a person can do in a day, you know?"
"I do," I assured him. "But he's kinda been ignoring you, hasn't he?"
"He's been working on Luke," Sam explained. "And I get that. I