For a moment, I couldn’t speak. His arm was wrapped firmly around my middle, my back pressed against his broad chest, and I was acutely aware of the fact that my ass was held tight against the bulge in his pants that always caught my eye. The heat of his body seemed to seep through my clothes, and I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.
“I—” My voice came out embarrassingly high-pitched. I cleared my throat. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
But he didn’t let go right away. Instead, his arm tightened slightly, holding me against him for a heartbeat longer than necessary. I could have sworn I felt him inhale, like he was breathing in the scent of my hair.
“We gotta stop meetin’ like this,” he whispered in my ear, finally releasing me but keeping a steadying hand on my shoulder as I found my footing.
I stepped away quickly, my face burning. “I know how to walk,” I snapped, more harshly than I intended.
A saleswoman with a festive Christmas sweater and too much perfume approached us, saving me from having to meet Diego’s eyes. “Can I help you gentlemen find anything today?”
“Thank God,” I said, grateful for the distraction. “We’re looking for men’s dress boots. Size eleven and a half wide.”
“Right this way,” she said with a practiced smile, leading us toward the back of the store.
I felt Diego’s presence close behind me as we followed her, and I tried to ignore the lingering sensation of his arm around my waist. This was going to be a long day if I couldn’t get my hormones under control.
Chapter 12
Diego
Shopping took much longer than I expected. When Lucas said all day, hemeantit. I had to drag Hayden to at least six different stores to pick up packages and then three more to get the last pieces that Lucas needed. Most of that time I spent either carrying bags or trying on clothes so Hayden could get an idea of how they looked. I was a bit thicker than Beau, but we just bought a size down for him. In any other situation, I might’ve been annoyed. But modeling clothing for Hayden, having him circle me as he took in every angle, and that feeling when he reached out to adjust the fit… it made me warm in all the right places. More than once I think he noticed my excitement.
I was still trying to keep my dick under control though. I’ll admit, I was pushing Hayden to give me a chance, to let me in. But I think I did it mostly because I knew he’d say no. If he suddenly said yes… well, I don’t think I’d have known what to do.
When we finally stopped for a very late lunch, I’d worked up an appetite that rivaled my nervousness. Hayden had found a rather fancy-looking sushi place that he said had some great reviews.Sitting across from him in the dim restaurant, watching him study the menu with that intense focus, I had to remind myself to breathe.
“So… is it actually raw?” I asked, ignoring the menu full of Japanese words I didn’t understand. “The fish, I mean.”
“Some of it is,” he replied happily, as if it wasn’t the grossest thing ever. “But some of them are cooked. The tempura ones are really good and there’s no raw fish. Or you could get some vegetarian rolls or ones made with imitation crab…”
“What is…” I glanced at the menu. “Eye-nar-eye?”
“Inari,” he corrected with a grin. “It’s like a little pocket of deep-fried tofu filled with rice.”
“Ugh… tofu…”
Hayden dropped his menu and lifted and eyebrow. “I bet you’ve never even had tofu before.”
“I—” I started, wanting to argue. But then I thought about it and sighed. “I have not.”
“You’ll like Inari, I promise. It’s a little sweet, a little savory, and really delicious.”
“You know what, Freckles?” I huffed, pushing my menu toward him. “Why don’t you just order for me? I can’t pronounce any of this, anyway.”
Hayden’s face lit up with something that looked suspiciously like delight, and I realized I might’ve just made a mistake. “Really? You trust me that much?”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” I muttered, but the truth was, watching him get excited about something as simple as ordering food made my chest feel tight in a way I wasn’t used to.
He waved over the waitress, rattling off a list of items in surprisingly decent pronunciation. I caught maybe half the words, but the confidence in his voice was... attractive. Real attractive.
“And two hot sakes, please,” he finished, then looked at me. “Unless you don’t drink?”
“I drink.” I leaned back in the booth, trying to look more relaxedthan I felt. “Just surprised you do. You seem like the type who’d order a fancy cocktail with an umbrella in it.”
“Shows what you know,” Hayden said, but he was smiling. “Tommy always said—” He stopped abruptly, his expression shuttering.
“What did Tommy always say?” I asked gently.
