“Sure will. In just about… ten seconds’ time.”
The door to suite number three swishes open wide the very moment Josh’s fist lands on it, and seeing Heath standing there before us sends my heart into a scattered frenzy, because holy fucking shit, he looks amazing, with his long dark hair and cool blue eyes.
He pulls us inside, and scrap convention, my lips are on his before the door has even snapped shut properly, and he’s kissing me back, pulling Josh in close as he does it.
Three-way kisses, and tight hugs, andmissed youson loop, all three of us a tangle as we stumble for enough of a greeting to make up for lost time.
“Here’s your De Chante,” Josh says finally, and hands the bottle over to ourclient.
“I was taking the piss, Joshua,” Heath says.
“I know that, jackass, but you stated it loud and clear. You can down it straight from the bottle and give me a thanks for the pretty silver bow. I’m not being your puppy dog for two nights running. Forget that shit.”
Heath’s vampiric smirk sets me on fire.
“I might down it from the bottle, just for the joy of pissing it back out into your smartass mouth later.”
“Be my guest.” Josh grins. “Just give me your cock along with it this time.”
I love their banter, and the way their eyes lock with the warmth of humour. I adore the way their bodies speak as loudly as their voices, angled in tight as Heath unwraps the gift paper and pops the cork.
“Would you care for some, sweet curva?” he asks me, but I shake my head.
“No, thanks. I’d rather share some of it when you piss it out later. You can spray some in my direction when Josh is struggling to glug it down.”
“As if I’d ever be struggling to glug it down.” Josh rolls his eyes. “Honestly, Heath, oursweet curvahas got some sassiness about her this evening. I think it has something to do with cargo ships.”
“Cargo ships? What the hell has it got to do with cargo ships?” Heath takes the first gulp of fizz from the bottle.
“The biggest cargo ships can hold up to twenty-four thousand containers on them,” I say. “Did you know that? Josh did. He told me. He came here with his parents and his gran.”
“Shame we can’t go to a quiz night together.” Heath laughs. “We’d be sure to be winners with that kind of general knowledge in our hands.”
And just like that, a pang of sadness thumps me hard in the guts.
Shame we can’t go on a quiz night together.
Can’t be seen together. Can’t be out together. Can’t be public together.
That’s what he means.
Fucking hell, my stomach ties itself in knots so tight it hurts.
I guess Heath isn’t on the same page of anti-normal that I am at all. I was raring to go, all set to oust ourselves into the public spotlight if need be, without giving two shits for the consequences. I’d have been roaring like a lion in the process like Vinnie Hampton. But no.
That one simple sentence says it all.
We can’t.
Hecan’t.
My sassiness dissipates into nothing like a puff of vampiric smoke. I struggle to keep a grip on my emotions as two pairs of gorgeous eyes fix on me.
Josh has laser vision. I see the rise of his eyebrow, trying to weigh me up.
“You alright, Ells?”
“Yeah, of course,” I say, trying to convince myself I am alright, because I should be alright. Even seeing Heath at all is amazing. AMAZING. I give them both a beaming smile.
