He nodded and then looked out the window.
“Are you working tonight?”
“Yeah, why?”
“How about I treat you to a meal that isn’t covered in powdered sugar?”
I chuckled. “Where’s the fun in that?”
He bumped his shoulder against mine. “Come on, let me buy you dinner. I can finish this tomorrow.”
We stood together, but I grabbed the blanket, folded it neatly, and laid it across the back of the couch.
“You don’t want me to finish assembling the rest?” I asked.
“Of course I do, but I shouldn’t take up so much of your time. You have a business to run.”
“And staff I pay well so I can be sure to get away sometimes.”
Jax’s smile touched that place inside me that had been dormant for a long time.
“Come on, let’s grab some food. And if you behave, I’ll buy you a drink. I know a good bar.”
He laughed as he grabbed his keys.
Jax
“Wow, this is like stepping into my childhood fantasy world,” Tanner said as we arrived at the convention. As it turned out, it was more of a fan gathering than a con, but there were still a bunch of stalls and plenty of people around the town square in Chester Falls.
“Did you know it was outdoors?” I asked.
“No, but it’s pretty cool, right? Look, there’s a Kuchipatchi. Let’s go get a photo.”
He practically dragged me across the square to stand in line for a photo with the cute green mascot.
“Do you know he’s my favorite?” I asked.
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“Because he loves food and naps above all things.”
Tanner gave me a pointed stare. “Sure you do.”
I tried to pretend his appreciative gaze didn’t cause my skin to heat under my shirt. Not to mention other places. “It takes a lot of food to maintain this. Also, a lot of rest. It’s not all about working out.” I returned his stare with my own. “You should know.”
Tanner was hot by anyone’s standards, but what made him dangerous to me was that he was still the boy I’d known years ago.
He crossed his arms over his chest, showing me the body he clearly worked hard for. “I am familiar with the concept of eating and napping.”
“I can’t imagine you have much time for napping when you run your own business.”
He shrugged. “It’s not as fun without company, so it’s been a while since I’ve napped. How about you?”
“Don’t have much time for napping these days.”
“I hear you.”
We exchanged a smile. Napping was the last thing on my mind right now, but napping with Tanner? Okay, was it a super-hot day, or what? And why did he have to wear that baseball cap backward? Didn’t he know what that did to every gay man out there?
