Page 61 of Coming Clean

“No problem. I thought I’dhelp.”

Jeremy grinned. “You wantedto escape.”

“Sabrina wanted meto.”

“Ah. I told you those twowould like each other.”

“Yeah, you guessed right.”The words came out with a bitter edge Connor hadn’t been able tocontain.

Jeremy sighed. “I wasreally hoping you’d warm up to David.”

“He’s been… polite duringdinner.”

“I know you two didn’t getthe best start.”

Connor focused on arrangingthe pastries in a perfectly symmetrical pattern. “He doesn’t trustme.”

Jeremy didn’t try to denyit. “He’s skeptical about things working out for us.”

“Really?” Connor winced atthe sarcasm in his tone. He really needed to try harder forJeremy’s sake, but David irritated the fuck out of him.

Jeremy didn’t seem put offby his remark. “He can be abrasive.”

“And flirtatious.” Connorglanced at Jeremy as he rearranged a miniature strawberry shortcakeand a petit four.

Jeremy smiled. “That too,but Sabrina doesn’t seem to mind.”

Connor shook his head. “No,she doesn’t.”

“But you do.”

“I… Look, I know you wantus to get along.”

“I do, but I also knowDavid can be an acquired taste. Of course, he would say the samething about me.”

“Seriously? I wanted youfrom the moment I saw you.”

Jeremy grinned. “Are youtrying to tempt me to cut the evening short?”

Connor leaned in and kissedJeremy’s neck. “Is it working? I can try a lot harder? I’m not surethey really need dessert.”

Jeremy laughed and pickedup the platter of treats. “Come on. We’ll have plenty of time foryou to use your seductive skills on me after Sabrina and Davidleave.”

Connor grabbed the dessertplates and followed Jeremy into the dining room, Sabrina and Davidhad their heads together and David sounded like he was trying tosuppress his obnoxious laugh. Connor wasn’t going to let himselfwonder if they were talking about him.

Sabrina looked up. “Oooh.Did you bring mini cannoli?”

“Of course.” To David andJeremy, Connor said, “Sabrina introduced me to Mountain Sweetsright after I moved here. She’s a bit of an addict.”

She smirked at him. “Andnow you are too.”

He was. A least he had todrive across town to get their pastries, and eating them was anincentive to keep up his workouts.

David grabbed a bite-sizedcupcake as soon as Connor sat the plate down. “Damn this isincredible,” he said.

Sabrina beamed at him.“Another addict in the making.”

“Yeah, I could easily getaddicted to this.” The way David was looking at Sabrina as hespoke, Connor wasn’t sure he was talking about dessert.