Page 115 of Hard Rain

Whip watched him.

“You’re really going to eat a second one.”

“They’re free.”

Whip turned and looked out the window. Axel set the pastry aside, stepped up behind him, and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. He rested his chin on Whip’s shoulder and nuzzled him.

“Mmm.” Whip leaned back against him.

Axel smiled against his neck.

Then the bedroom door opened.

Knox wandered out in gym shorts and a T-shirt, scratching the back of his head. He took one look at the kitchenette, completely unfazed by finding them wrapped around each other.

Good. He couldn’t give a fuck who knew. He wasn’t about to start pretending.

“You made coffee?”

Axel reluctantly stepped from beside Whip and reached for his forgotten pastry.

“It’s suspect.”

Knox poured himself a cup anyway. “One way to find out.”

He grabbed one of the pastries without hesitation and tore into it.

Whip winced.

“You’re eating that too?”

Knox looked between the pastry in his hand and the one Axel was halfway through.

“Should I not be?”

“They’ve got a shelf life measured in presidential terms,” Whip said.

Knox shrugged.

“Free food tastes better.”

Axel pointed his pastry at him. “See?”

Whip looked betrayed.

“There are two of you.”

“There has always been two of us,” Knox said around another bite.

Axel hid a grin behind his coffee.

Knox wandered over to the window and looked outside.

“Well…” Rain battered the glass.

“Guess we’re not seeing the Space Needle,” Whip sighed.

Axel shrugged.