Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
But hell if I could pull back, especially right now. We finished our food, cleaned up together, and made our way into the living room. Magnus settled into the corner of the couch, opening his arms in a clear invitation to cuddle. And damn if I didn’t need to be held. I happily let him wind himself around me, getting us all cozy for whatever movie he picked.
His hand was warm on my stomach, and for the first time all evening, a glimmer of arousal thrummed through me.
“I might be up for fooling around later after all.” I arched into his touch.
“Happy either way.” Magnus leaned down to give me a quick kiss.
“Are all no-strings flings this easy?” I gave a self-conscious laugh.
“Nope.” He grabbed the remote. “But I’m not complaining.”
And for once, neither was I. This fling didn’t feel like anything I’d experienced before, and even calling it friends with benefits wasn’t entirely accurate, but perhaps the smartest course of action was to follow Magnus’s advice and stop overthinking.
Chapter Seventeen
Magnus
“Tell me about this tequila.” The twinky little tourist was into me. Not that I cared overly much, but it was a slow night, so I’d suffer his too-obvious attempts to make conversation.
“This is a blanco tequila with notes of citrus, white pepper, and flowers. You said you wanted something without as much burn, and this vintage is known for its delicate flavor.” I managed a slightly bored tone, happy to talk liquor but not wanting to encourage the younger guy overly much. He was probably thirty, so not a kid, but too young and too not-Eric to interest me. And no matter how many shots a week I served, tequila would always make me think of Eric first.
“Cute little town here.” The guy had dimples and an easy smile that matched his punny gamer T-shirt advertising another Space Villager release. “I’m just passing through on my way to the coast with some buddies for a retreat at Rainbow Cove next week. But I think I’ll have to return for ski season.”
“Already thinking of snow?” I teased lightly. The August heatwave had given way, as it always did, to the perfection of late summer in the Northwest. We were a week past Labor Day weekend, the height of fire season, which was blessedly mild this year, and I was absolutely not ready to prepare for winter.
“Mainly thinking about tonight and the king-size bed they upgraded me to at the hotel.”
And right as the guy delivered his latest flirty attempt, Eric walked in with a group of friends. Crap. I hoped he hadn’t heard the tourist. Not because I was feeling guilty but because it’d been a little awkward on the rare occasions Eric had come into The Heist since we’d started fooling around.
“The five of you?” I bustled out from behind the bar, grabbing menus for Eric, Sean, Percy, Tate, and Tennessee. Business usually dipped after Labor Day, which meant fewer servers per shift until the start of the holiday rush and then ski season. The trick was to treat Eric like any other friend who came in to eat—a warm smile, no lingering eye contact, no overly familiar chit-chat around others. I led the group to two four-tops, which were easy to push together. “This okay?”
“This works.” Despite his partner’s absence, Sean was in a jovial mood and answered, whereas Eric stayed stone-faced. “And we’ll be seven once Tony and Caleb join us.”
“Three guesses as to why they are late.” Percy snorted at his own joke. “And it’s been a year. You’d think the monkey sex phase would be long gone.”
I kept an impassive expression as I handed out menus, staying in the background as the group’s banter swirled around me. I knew all of them, but I also knew my role as a server and facilitator for their night out.
“Speak for yourself.” Tate rolled his eyes at Percy as Tennessee turned bright pink. “Some of us know how to keep it going.”
Keep it going. I couldn’t say as I had a ton of experience with that. Failed relationship with Flo notwithstanding, most of my flings had been exactly that—short-term, intense connections that burned themselves out in a season or less.
However, it had been well over a month since the start of my and Eric’s thing, and while our time together was sporadic, the spark showed zero signs of fizzling. In fact, I liked the friendship we’d settled into where, on the rare nights we were both free, we often watched movies together or met up for late-night food. I liked our stolen moments of privacy and how the friendship enriched any sexual connection.
“Drinks?” I suggested once everyone in the group was situated.
“Hey, Magnus.” Percy was a bit of a flirt, which never bugged me, but across the table, Eric stiffened as Percy gave me a very obvious once-over. “Surprise me with whatever the cocktail special is.”