Man Bun slid a card from his wallet. “Awesome, because I definitely want to.”
He didn’t actually wink at Kit, but this vibe hummed through the air as if he had. Kit’s ears heated with the sheer intensity of that not-actually-a-wink. He tried to compose himself as Man Bun ordered a caramel latte for himself and paid for both their orders.
When Loretta asked for a name, he answered, “Holden.”
“What was that for?” Kit asked as they moved to the other end of the counter. “I mean, thank you. I should have said thank you first.”
Wow. Kit really wasn’t used to being this flustered by men who weren’t murderers.
“You’re welcome,” Man Bun said. No, Holden. His name was Holden. He stood slouched, casual, one hand in his pocket. Coins or a keychain or something rattled between his fingers, like he was nervous. “Sorry if I startled you. I was just excited when I recognized you. I felt like an idiot for not asking for your name last time.”
“You still don’t know my name,” Kit pointed out.
Holden laughed. “Okay, you’ll have to help me out with that. Is a double-shot mocha and croissant worth your name?”
“Not sure, but I’ll give you a discount,” Kit said. “My name’s Kit.”
“Kit,” Holden repeated. “That’s cute. It suits you.”
Kit really hoped he wasn’t blushing. And that Loretta wasn’t listening from behind the counter, because Kit was about to make this very awkward. “I can’t tell if you’re flirting with me or not. But just in case, I should probably say I kind of have a boyfriend.”
Holden’s cheerful expression didn’t falter. “I’m definitely, totally flirting with you.” His hand slipped into his pocket again. “Which means I should probably ask, what do you mean by kind of have a boyfriend?”
Kit shrugged. “I’m dating a guy, but I don’t want him to get full of himself.”
Holden’s eyes changed. That warm brown suddenly pierced cold, like a shadow crossed behind them. An instant later, the shadow was gone. Kit must have imagined it.
“I didn’t take you for such a player,” Holden said, grinning.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“It’s a good thing,” Holden said. “You’re interesting.”
Kit shrugged again. “I get that a lot.” When Holden’s eyebrows lifted, Kit groaned. “That sounded so douchey, didn’t it?”
“Super douchey,” Holden agreed, but he said it like that was a good thing too. “Can I get your number?”
It was Kit’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “You don’t mind my sort-of boyfriend?”
“Not if you don’t,” Holden answered immediately. “Just because there’s a goalie doesn’t mean I can’t score.”
Kit laughed, all his awkwardness dispelled. “That was terrible. But sure, give me your phone.”
Their fingers touched as Holden handed over his unlocked phone. The warmth of Holden’s skin was so natural, so ordinary, it threatened to slip into Kit’s soul like a knife. As he entered his name and number into the contacts list, Kit was hyperaware of Holden’s presence heating the air beside him.
Even though Holden mostly seemed preoccupied with watching Loretta’s glacial pace behind the counter.
“Here,” Kit said, handing back the phone.
When their hands touched again, Holden’s gaze dropped to his lips. Just for a moment.
“I’ll text you,” Holden said, then checked the time on the lockscreen and swore. “Listen, I need to bail now. Give my latte to your sort-of boyfriend. My treat.”
This time, he did wink. And Kit was still grinning when Holden left, and Loretta called out their order.
Kit’s phone buzzed as he juggled everything over to an empty table. He set everything down and dropped into the bright red plastic chair before he could check the message.
Sexy:So babe…. how serious were you about a threesome with Darius??
