I could hear Everett shuffle the phone a little, then he heaved a sigh and asked about the same person we had just both been alluding to. Go figure.
“Have you seen Presley today?”
Yep, Presley had been right. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Everett was interested. How long had this been going on and I’d never noticed? I heard him clear his throat on the other end of the phone and remembered the question. Oh, right. Presley. I thought playing coy might be the best bet in this case, too. If he didn’t know about the wreck, I didn’t want to scare him.
“I saw him this morning and he seemed fine. Why, what’s happened, now?”
“He wrecked his bike again, that’s what! I’m gonna skin that boy one of these days. Why does he keep insisting on doing this shit? He’s lucky he didn’t get killed.”
Ahh, yeah, he was definitely interested. I tuned out my brother for a few minutes while he worked himself into a rant. Why I’d never noticed it before I didn’t know, but now that I did, it was plain as anything. Everett had it bad for Presley and Presley had been in love with Everett for years. What they decided to do about it was the question now.
“And another thing, that coffee shop of his isn’t in a great part of town. He stays too late at night to leave that place alone. He’s gonna get himself mugged or worse. Does he have a death wish?”
“Everett, can’t you just be proud ofhim for opening the place up all on his own? He’s smart, and he’ll make it work. Just give him some time. He just lacks some common sense, but he’ll get some and learn how the world works, even if it’s the hard way.”
“Yeah, but he’s too sweet to get beat down by the world.”
Awww, Everett could be so sweet sometimes. “I agree, but it happens to the best of us, Ev. Now, if that’s all you wanted, I need to go. I’m meeting Presley at his shop this afternoon. You want to join us?”
Everett was quiet on the phone for a few seconds, then declined. “No, I’ve, uh, got some things to take care of here this afternoon. I’ll talk to you before you go.”
He hung up on me.
I wasn’t surprised. The big guy was scared and wasn’t ready to unwind enough to take a chance. His loss if Presley found someone else before he got around to defrosting. I was just glad I wasn’t hung up on anyone right now.
Right after that thought, my mind immediately brought up an image of Sebastian’s brown eyes hazed with lust after I had kissed the hell out of him a few nights ago, and I had to push the memory back down yet again.
Fuck.
Chapter 8
Sebastian
Bruce was grippingthe door and had his feet braced on the floorboard of his car like he was trying to hit the brakes every other second. I wasn’t doing that bad, was I?
“Dude, you’re gonna get me killed! Then George is gonna be a widower, and I’m gonna haunt your ass.”
“I’m not that bad, mate. I’ll get the hang of it.”
“No, you’re really not, MATE. You’re on the wrong side of the freaking road again! Pull over.”
“But…”
“I swear to God, man, pull over in that parking lot right now before I have a heart attack.”
Okay, maybe I had drifted to the left side of the road a time or two when I wasn’t paying attention, but that was no reason to be dramatic.
“Bruce, it’s not that bad. I’ll be okay to drive up to the cabin.”
“The hell you are! I love you, man, and I’m going to tell you the truth. You can’t drive for shit. You honest to God can't drive in this small town with only two-lane roads. There’s no way I’m letting you drive the couple hundred miles to the cabin with the way you were going this morning.”
“But…”
“No. I need coffee. Now. And you’re buying because you took about two years off my life this morning.”
“Fucking drama queen. I’ll buy your coffee, but only because you’re my best mate. And look, we just happen to be in the parking lot of a coffee place. That’s the only reason you wanted me to pull over, admit it.”
Bruce gave me a smirk over his shoulder as he exited the car. “Maybe that was part of the reason,but not all of it. Dude, I love you, but you can’t drive over here. We’re gonna have to find another way for you to get to the cabin.”
