Dad chuckled.“Yeah. In all the years I’ve known him, he’s never once said good morning to either Alice or me, but every day for the last week, he’s arrived at the office smiling andwishing us a good day. Heevenasked if Holly and Ivy were looking forward to Christmas. I didn’t think he knew their names.”
I held back the enormous grin threatening to take over my face. Ben was slowly letting people see the man hidden underneath his cold exterior. Maybe I did stand to get hurt at the end of this, but it would be worth it if the world got to see Ben McScroodge the way I did.
Ben
“Fuck sake,”I cursed, flipping the pages of the instruction manual and trying to figure out what I was doing wrong.“It shouldn’t be this fucking hard.”
“Problem?”
I spun, finding Tristan standing in the doorway to the kitchen, his brows raised in curiosity. Without meaning to, my gazetraveled over his shirtless torso, down to where his black sweats hung low on his hips.
Christ, he was gorgeous.
An image of the night before popped into my head. Tristan, with his knees up by his ears while I fucked his ass hard and fast, his features twisted in ecstasy, and once again, I wondered what it would be like if our roles were reversed.
I shook my head, clearing the image.“I can’t get this damn thing to work.”I stepped aside to show him what I was doing, internally beaming when his eyes lit up.
“You got a coffee machine?”he said, crossing to the counter where I’d been attempting to set the blasted thing up since my alarm went off at 5 am.“Dude, you drink black coffee. Why the hell have you bought yourself a fancy machine? And an expensive one atthat?”
I shrugged, hoping it hid my giddiness at seeing the joy on his face.“Figured you wouldn’t be driving past your usual coffee haunt on your way over here for the next few days, and I know you can’t function without your morning coffee. I also gotthateggnog syrupthatyou like.”
I slid the syrup bottle along the counter, and seeing the delighted grinthatspread across his mouth, it was as if I’djusthad a shot of dopamine injected straight into my veins.
Picking up the instruction manual, Tristan started flicking through it.“This is epic. When did youevenget it?”
“Yesterday, while you were at your place getting your shit together. I wanted to wake you up with a coffee, but who knew setting up the damn machine would be like undertaking a MENSA exam.”
Tristan chuckled, abandoning the manual to grab my hips and pull me to him. My shirt-covered chest pressed against his bare one, our cocks lightly touching underneath our sweats.“You’re pretty awesome, you knowthat?”
He didn’t give me a chance to refute his claim. I didn’t think I was awesome, far from it, but if Tristan did,thenwho was I to argue? He pressed his mouth softly against mine, and when I parted my lips, our tongues danced gently together.
Breaking the kiss much sooner than I wanted, Tristan stepped back, busying himself in figuring out the machine. Within a few minutes, he had it working, and the aroma of fresh coffee swirled in the air.
“So, listen,”Tristan said over the noise of the milk steamer.“I’ve got one more bit of the hallway to finish off, andthenthat’s all the mess Bella made sorted. Is there anything else you want me to do around here? Otherwise, I’lljustbe sat here staring at the walls ‘cos, you know, no TV.”
I grinned at the amusement lacing his tone.“Actually, I do have something in mind if you’re up for it. But there’s no pressure, Bug, I don’t know how long it will take, and I know you’re booked up from January, so you only have to say if it’s not doable in the next few days.”
“You’ve got me intrigued, baby. What are you thinking?”
My stomach fluttered. Tristan never called me baby outside of sex unless he was being sarcastic, but rightthen, it rolled off his tongue so naturallythatI didn’t think heevenrealized he’d used the endearment.
But it went further thanthat. Him in my kitchen, walking around so casually as if we’d known each other for years instead of weeks. Waking up next to him asleep in my bed. I’d come to crave his presence, and now I was craving his affection.
So where did that take us?
I didn’t know. If I was being honest, I still hadn’t fully accepted my sexuality. In the middle of the night, when Tristan wasn’t in my bed, or when I was alone in my office, the voices of the ghosts of my past still lingered, and the thought of anyone knowingthatI was gay terrified the hell out of me.
And as much as Tristanseemedto enjoy being with me, he’d never once broached the subject of us becoming something more, so maybe he didn’t want what I was starting to want: a future with him.
“Earth to Ben,”Tristan called, waving one hand in front of my face while the other clutched a steaming cup of coffee.“Where did you go?”
I cleared my throat.“Sorry, I wasjustthinking about this project,”I lied.“Come on, I’ll show you.”Pushing away thoughts of what the future might hold for us, I headed to the living room, Tristan following behind me.“I’ve never done anything with this room because I could never decide what would look good. So, you’re the expert, what would you do in here?”
His brows lifted as he gaped around the living room like he’d never seen it before, which was ridiculous, seeing as we’d sat on the couch the night before eating pizza and talking nonsense.
“What wouldIdo?”I nodded, and a smirk settled over his lips.“Well, first off, I’d get rid of the hideous color of the walls.”
“What’s wrong with orange?”I replied, almost offended at the disdain in his tone.
