On the Run (Whispering Key #2) - May Archer Page 0,61

Jayd Rollins,” and some helpful patron said, “Holy shit! It’s Jayd again! And who the heck is Tommy?” I may have panicked just a little at the idea that Beale would see it, not because I was afraid he wouldn’t keep my secret, but because I was afraid of… something else entirely.

So I very deliberately moved back to Beale’s lap, delighting in his surprised, welcoming smile, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him with every ounce of the foolish yearning I’d accidentally allowed myself to feel. And in that second I truly hoped every person in the bar was watching us… because this was the version of Toby Elford I wanted them to see.

10

Beale

Czarina’s StarCharts for Today:

Patience, Virgo! The best teachers listen as much as they speak.

“I know what I want to do with you today.” I threw a jingling cat toy into the hallway, and the second Marjorie ran after it, I grabbed the swim trunks she’d been “protecting” off the bed and pulled them on.

Toby, who was picking up our assorted clothes from the corner of the guest bedroom, paused to give me a flirtatious grin. “Oh, really? You ready to go again already, Goodman?”

I snorted. God, he made me happy.

“Not that.” Although, you know, these days I was always down for that. I had zero hesitation when Toby was involved. “I meant an activity where you can work on your tan.”

We’d been so busy for the last couple of days, what with trivia, and town meetings, and me taking a couple of shifts running Goodmen Outfitters’ tour boat around the island, and Toby being the unofficial social events coordinator for Whispering Key, Toby had joked the night before that he was the only person in the world who’d leave Florida paler than he’d arrived.

Meanwhile, I’d started thinking maybe I didn’t want him to leave at all.

He straightened, narrowed his eyes, and set his hands on his hips. “What kind of activity?”

“I…” Somewhere around Monday, he’d developed a line of freckles across his nose that were the cutest, most distracting thing ever. I wanted to boop them with my fingertip. I also knew better than to mention this on pain of death.

“You, what?” he demanded. “Finish the thought, Goodman.”

His scowl made me grin. “So suspicious.”

Toby went back to gathering up clothes. “Wonder why. Possibly because we’ve already re-enacted Titanic? Or because we were nearly stranded on a deserted island? Or because you fed me vegan seitan hotdogs yesterday and claimed it was an accident? Or—?”

I laughed out loud. “We absolutely were not stranded, you enjoyed the seitan before you knew what it was, and nothing has tried to murder you in hours and hours. You even have your credit card back now. I’m starting to think you enjoy being almost-murdered, Toby.”

“Nonsense. I do not have a murder fetish, thank you very much, and I am the perfect amount of suspicious.” He dumped the pile of our clothes on the bed and started sorting them for the wash, doing this little domestic task for the both of us like it was a normal, everyday thing, and I liked that way more than was healthy. “But if I were absurd like that, you’d be the deluded fool who liked my overly suspicious ass, and that’s worse.” He looked up like he’d startled himself. “I mean… you like me well enough to sleep with me. That kind of like.”

I threw myself chest-down on the bed, stacked my fists under my chin, and watched him steadily. “I do like you, Toby.” I liked him very much. Maybe too much. Certainly more than I knew what to do with.

Toby Elford was a snarky little rain cloud of a human, and it shouldn’t have been possible for him to light up my days, but he did.

“Pfft. Of course you do.” He slapped his ass lightly. “Who wouldn’t like this? Crazy people, that’s who.”

I shook my head and watched him swallow while his face turned red and he tried so, so hard to pretend it was all a joke.

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. I like you. As a person. A lot.” I liked his humor. I liked the soft heart of him that kept peeking out from his prickly shell.

Toby darted his gaze to mine like he was pretty sure this was the setup to some kind of joke and wasn’t sure what to do when he found I was serious. “Ugh, fine! We can do whatever you want.