Nothing to Gain (Learning the Ropes #2) - E.M. Denning Page 0,40
it. Don’t forget to have Ansel stop in next week.” Caleb said to Brett on the way out the door.
Eric turned his head and caught Brett’s gaze. “I like your boyfriend, by the way.”
Brett watched Eric and Caleb leave. Maybe he could talk Linden into inviting them over to their dinner party, too. Brett liked the thought of that, of all the people he cared about under one roof for a special night.
After Brett locked the cafe door at five-to-nine, he spent the next thirty minutes doing the cash out and cleaning the floors. He couldn’t wait to get home and let his hair down and lay in a hot bath.
Brett set the alarm and slipped out the front door. The temperature had dropped a bit, so he pulled his pink beanie out of his pocket and slid it on, tugging it over his ears.
“Mind if I walk you home?” Linden’s voice came out of nowhere and Brett jumped. His heart slammed against his rib cage for a few ferocious beats.
“What are you doing here?” Brett asked as Linden approached. He took Brett into his arms and pulled him close.
“Walking you home.”
“How chivalrous.”
Linden brushed a strand of hair off Brett’s cheek. “I can’t stay away from you.”
Brett leaned in and kissed Linden. He loved the feeling of Linden’s soft mouth, inviting and open. He loved the way it was easy to be with Linden, that he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about being too much, or too soft, or too anything, that Linden liked him exactly the way he was.
“I’m glad you can’t stay away.” Brett hooked his arm through Linden’s and steered them toward the thrift store. “Do you think we can cram eight people upstairs for a dinner party?”
“Who d‘you have in mind?”
“Eric and Caleb. They’ve been like pseudo parents to me since Eric hired me.”
“We can make it work. I’ll make food easy to eat, that way people can sit wherever they want.”
Brett clutched Linden’s arm tighter. “I have the best boyfriend.”
“No, I have the best boyfriend,” Linden teased.
“We are not going to be one of those couples.”
“Oh, sweety, we already are.”
“Are you coming up tonight?” Brett asked. “I mean, if you spent the night, you could sleep longer in the morning.” He wanted Linden in his bed, and he hoped Linden wanted to be there for the same reasons that made Brett’s heart thud and his dick twitch.
“I was hoping you’d ask.” Linden said huskily.
Brett turned his head and saw the flush of pink on Linden’s cheeks. He knew he wasn’t alone in the wanting he felt inside him. How every second they spent together amplified their mutual desire to explore the sparks they felt between them.
The conversation died off as they approached the thrift store. There were no words to articulate the anticipation he felt rising in him. His skin sang with need and by the time Brett finally got Linden into the building, he ached with the desire to touch him.
The door locked with an audible click, then Brett was on him, pressing him into the glass. He gripped the sides of Linden’s puffy coat and kissed his lips. They were cold from the walk, but his mouth, his tongue, were deliciously warm and inviting.
Linden’s hands roamed under Brett’s thick sweater and he pulled Brett into him, grinding them together. He whimpered into Brett’s mouth and his fingers clutched Brett’s waist.
Brett was drunk on Linden already. On the heady feeling of Linden’s erection, pressed firmly against his own. The taste of Linden’s mouth, slightly chocolatey, prompted Brett to clutch the sides of Linden’s face and pull him deeper, kiss him harder.
They hadn’t talked about any of this, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care at that precise moment. Linden’s whimpers were delicious fuel for the fire that burned in Brett’s core, hot and low and desperate to take him upstairs and take him apart.
Linden cupped Brett’s ass and pulled him closer. The friction between them was almost too good. Linden broke the kiss and panted against the corner of Brett’s mouth. His heavy breaths the only sound in the deserted store.
“Please. Please, I need you.”
Linden couldn’t be more perfect if he tried. Brett swept his thumbs over Linden’s cheekbones and kissed him gently. “I’ll give you whatever you need, Linden.” The word, always, floated to the tip of his tongue, but he forced it back with another kiss before backing away and twining his fingers with Linden’s.