Page 78 of Double Puck

The fucking thing has straps crossing his chest and a collar around his neck. His wild hair is tousled, his tan skin gleaming like he's been oiled up all over, and he's holding what I'm fairly sure is a flogger in one hand. Now, I don't know much about sex toys, but I'm reasonably confident nobody uses that thing to dust the pastry case.

We all fucking stop.

The silence lasts exactly one second before Kai's face splits into the most unbothered grin I've ever seen.

"Oh. Hey, brother. Didn't know we had company."

"Kai." Luna's face has turned the color of a ripe tomato. "The shop. Is closed. I said I'd lock up."

"You did say that." He doesn't move to cover himself. Just stands there, strapped and collared in tight leather underwear, like standing in his café in bondage attire is a completely normal way to greet customers. "My bad."

Beck is absolutely losing it beside me.

His shoulders are shaking, and his hand is clamped over his mouth, covering the strangled sounds of a man trying very hard not to scream-laugh in public.

"Um. We should go," I say quickly.

"No, no." Kai gestures with his hand, sending the tails of the flogger into a frenzy. "Stay. Try the cold brew. I made a new batch this morning and I'm—"

"Kai." Luna's voice could cut glass. "Go. Now."

"Yes, mistress." He winks at her, then turns to me. "See ya, lovebirds. Hope you like the cookies."

He disappears back through the curtain, and I hear him humming. At least, I hope it's him humming. It could be something… vibrating.

Beside me, Beck finally loses it. He doubles over, one hand braced on the counter, laughing so hard no sound comes out.

Luna shoves a paper bag at him. "Take the cookies and never speak of this."

"Never." Beck wheezes. "I'll take it to my grave."

"Thank you."

He points toward the curtain. "Safe word's caramel latte, right?"

"Get out."

We get out before Luna decides to murder us both, stepping back into the warm Beachside night with a paper bag of brown-butter cookies and absolutely no caramel lattes.

The boardwalk is still alive despite the hour. Strings of carnival lights glow overhead, throwing bright lights across the weathered boards while music drifts from somewhere down the pier. The Ferris wheel turns against the night sky, every carriage lit in neon pinks and blues, and the air smells like the sea, fried donuts and warm sugar from the cookie Beck has already stolen from the bag.

Beck takes a bite of his cookie, then holds the other half toward my mouth.

I stare at him. "You know I have hands, right?"

"First-date rules."

I roll my eyes, but lean forward and take the bite anyway.

His grin tells me I've just made a terrible mistake.

Annoyingly, the cookie is fucking incredible.

"So. Do you think Luna likes being spanked?" Beck says casually.

"Beck!" I nearly spit out the cookie. "That is not what we saw. We saw a man in a harness. That's it."

Beck laughs up at the night sky. "Right. And where there's a harness, there's a—"