“You two are together?” Arlet pouted. “Why are all the good ones always taken?”
She thought Kazimir Ambrose was good? In what way? Where?
“Are you blind?” it was out of his mouth before he could help it, and Nate froze up the second it was.
Ledger burst out laughing.
Pavel stared.
Kazimir grinned, but there was little humor in the look.
Nate needed to salvage this before it got ugly, so he cleared his throat and did the first thing that came to mind. “I told you not to call me baby.”
The corner of Kaz’s mouth twitched. “That’s right. Sorry, Pretty Boy. Forgive me?”
“You have to order something,” he said. Yeah, get them to order so they could be on their way. “It’s my first day of work. I can’t just stand around.”
“Put you to work?” This time the devilish smirk seemed genuine. “Don’t mind if I do.”
“Wait,” Ledger wagged a finger between them, “You two really dating? No. You?”
“What about me?” Kazimir asked tightly.
“Enough, brother,” Pavel warned and Ledger rolled his eyes.
“Fine, who cares.” He headed toward the door. “We’ll be in the car doing our jobs before Pavel here has a stroke. Hurry it up, Ambrose.”
“Not a problem,” Kaz called back. “Nate never lets me near him for too long.”
“Still in the flirting stage?” Ledger grunted. “That makes more sense.”
Kazimir waited until his friends were gone before he propped his elbows on the edge of the counter and leaned in. “Hear that? We’ve got more convincing to do.”
“I never agreed to that,” Nate replied tightly, keeping his voice down in an attempt to keep their conversation from being overheard by Arlet, who was still watching closely from less than ten feet away. He was a bit miffed that she’d given out his location without asking, but then, against one of the Devils of Vitality, could he really blame her? “Why won’t you just let up already?”
“When I want something, I’ve got to have it.” He lifted a single shoulder. “Speaking of. Make me a bulletproof coffee. It’s looking like it’ll be a long night.”
“Size?” Nate pulled up the item on the computer screen in front of him, grateful to at least be doing the job he was there for. Was it because of Arlet? With an audience around, would Kazimir behave?
“Large.”
“That’ll be—”
“Buy it for me.”
So much for behaving. Nate huffed. “No.”
“Come on,” Kazimir smiled at him. “Buy me a coffee, Narek. We’ll count it as a date.”
“No.”
“I’ll buy it for you, Kaz.” Arlet strolled over and twisted her wrist, aiming her multi-slate against the pay window before either of them could tell her not to.
Not that Nate had half a mind to stop her. He didn’t. If she wanted to get herself involved with a guy like Kazimir? That was her prerogative. Actually…He took a deliberate step back and waved at the computer. “Would you like to take over?”
“Don’t tell me I need to purchase this place as well?” Kazimir didn’t seem pleased that he’d gotten his coffee for free.
“Jones isn’t selling,” Nate replied, selecting one of the paper cups from the bunch, opting to just make the damn thing himself after all and get it over with.
