“You can have something without alcohol,” Reece told him.
The brunette huffed. “Are you fucking kidding?”
Reece folded his arms, the towel dangling from his hand, and waited.
The brunette frowned. “Fine,” he finally said. “Get me a Coke.”
“You don’t need caffeine this late at night,” Reece said.
The brunette threw up his hands. “Ginger ale.”
Reece slowly unfolded his arms. He reached under the bar and then set a clear glass full of ice on the bar top. He put the soda dispenser over the glass and filled it, then pushed it toward the man.
The man’s gaze flicked to the glass, then back to Reece. “Can I at least have a cherry?”
Reece lifted a maraschino cherry by the stem off the garnish tray and dropped it into the drink. “Yes.”
The man’s gaze flicked over Reece again. “What about your number?”
“No,” Grayson said.
The man whirled around, mouth open, and then seemed to clock Grayson’s size. “My hero,” Reece said sarcastically as the brunette snatched up the ginger ale and disappeared.
“He was hitting on you right in front of yourhot, scary boyfriend,” Grayson said dryly. “Andhe was rude to you.”
“And if I’d wanted to, I could make that man pull out his own fingernails and love every second of the pain.” Reece folded his arms on the bar. “Stop forgetting that I’m not that helpless weakling anymore,” he said, voice lower and gravellier. “I’ve changed, Evan. And the new me doesn’t need a knight in shining armor.”
Grayson leaned forward. “Not even a knight to protect you fromme?”
This time he put his hand on the bar only an inch from Reece’s bare arm. Reece jerked back like he’d been stung.
“You talk a big game now,” Grayson said. “But when you were that so-calledhelplesspacifist, you weren’t scared of me.”
Reece’s jaw tightened. “You mean I was too stupid and naive to be smart around you.”
“You know I’ve never believed that about you.” Graysonmet his eyes. “Don’t know why you think talking about yourself like that is gonna fly now.”
“No?” Reece said with bite. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you don’t like being reminded that I’m a different empath now.” His gaze dropped to Grayson’s chest. “Did you come here believing you’d find old Reece and give him his hoodie back?”
“You know where I’m staying.” Grayson touched the sweatshirt, over his heart. “You want this back, you can come on over and get it.”
“I know better than to be anywhere alone with the Dead Man.” Reece’s gaze had gone to Grayson’s shoulder. “And I know I’m right that you wish it was your Care Bear standing here instead of me.”
Grayson’s hand automatically went his shoulder, where the bullet scar was hidden under the fleece. “The Dead Man doesn’t havewishes.”
“Liar,” Reece shot back. “Youwishyou could fuck me.”
Grayson stilled.
“Yeah, I can tell,” Reece said, a dark boast. “Your body doesn’t care about some pesky little morality adjustment; it’s still broadcasting that desire to me loud and clear. Like I said: I’ve changed; you haven’t.”
He wasn’t wrong. This close, Grayson couldn’t ignore the scent of his own shampoo layered on Reece’s hair, the flush to his cheeks or the flash of familiar dark eyes behind the domino mask. Grayson should be thinking of ways to lock him up, but all his useless brain was suggesting was ways to pin him down. “You haven’t changed as much as you think you have.”
Reece folded his arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Grayson leaned in just a little more. “You can’t take your eyes off me either.”
Reece’s eyes narrowed. And then he was shoving away from the bar and storming off, darting past Ben and the other bartender and heading for the kitchen door.
