Chapter Six
Rory
The first time Asher flirted with me at dinner, I didn’t even realize it happened, he was that sly.
I had passed him the mashed potatoes, and he made a little growling noise so soft I wasn’t sure if I heard it right. I cocked an eyebrow his way, and he smiled.
“Just your potatoes,” he said. “They’re hot.” He hefted the bowl in the air, holding my eye with a smile. “Feels good in my hands.”
I swallowed and felt a warm growl, somewhere deep in my chest. “Yes,” I said. “I hope you enjoy.”
My potatoes?
I had no idea what the implication actually was. I just knew it was there.
It wasn’t like I was unaware of Asher’s flirty nature. Frankie had worked himself into an anxious, guilty knot over it.
And it certainly was flattering. He was strikingly handsome, with sharp features and a cocky flare to his attitude. An energy came off of him that was exciting, and there was something pleasing about knowing a guy his age could still be attracted to a couple of men like me and Frankie.
I just hadn’t expected him to start it up the second we sat down for dinner.
Oh Asher,I thought with a secret chuckle.You’re at Rory’s dinner table now.
I wasn’t about to shut down the friendly flirtations, but if he was as rambunctious as his tattoos announced, I wouldn’t have any problem taking control back into my own hands, either.
“Did you enjoy Northstar, Asher?” I asked.
“Beautiful store,” he answered, casting his eyes over to Franklin with a smile. “Everyone who came in and out of that place had the biggest grin. Not to mention a prime piece of realty.” He served himself a chicken breast, baked in a lemon yogurt sauce. “Made me want to start reading comics again.”
I nodded, glad to see him show Frankie a proper compliment, instead of just using it as an opportunity to make him blush. It had taken so much encouragement for Frankie to believe he could open the store in the first place. All these years later, it felt important that he still hear how worthwhile Northstar had become.
“Franklin and I have been together for twenty years, so I’ve been reading comics for quite a while now. Before him, though, I had never even picked one up.” I grabbed some green beans for myself, then passed the small dish to Frankie. “Now, of course, I’m hooked on my favorites.”
“Twenty years,” Asher said, leaning back. He was wearing a collared shirt for a change and even had a black tie hanging loosely around his neck. When he talked, he tended to play with the tie absentmindedly, swinging it from side to side. “How’d you two meet?”
Frankie leaned into me, fluttering his eyelashes. “Rory saved me.”
I chuckled. “The Blockbuster wouldn’t let him rent a movie because he already had one overdue.”
“The Matrixwas finally out,” he clarified. “And I was so excited I forgot the movie I already had at home.”
I grinned, the night flashing back to me clearly. “I rented the movie for him, and we watched it at the tiny apartment I was renting while in graduate school. Franklin ended up staying that night and pretty much every night after, too.”
Asher sat across from us, his elbow on the table and his eyes wide open. I expected those little love hearts to start floating around his head like in a movie, he looked so dazed. “And you’ve just been happy together that whole time?”
I laughed, then grabbed Frankie’s hand under the table. “Everyone has ups and downs.”
“And somersaults and backflips,” he added. “But we always find a way to have a good time.”
“Damn,” Asher said, sticking his fork in his potatoes. “That’s so nice. I can’t blame either of you, though. I’d stick around in that bed, too.” He shoveled some of the potatoes into his mouth, then chewed with a satisfied stupor on his face. “Thanks so much for the dinner, by the way. This is amazing.”
Frankie nodded. “Glad you’re enjoying. What about you, Asher? Are you seeing anyone here in Seattle?”
Asher scoffed. “No one special. I’m a little hard to get, you know?”
I almost laughed out loud. He wasn’t making himselfseemvery hard to get.
“Most guys around here aren’t my type,” he added.
