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But when he pulls me close and his tongue delves into my mouth, it’s all the encouragement I need. We’re both sucking and straining and gasping for air when he breaks away with a muffled, “Fuck.”
“Cole?”
“Yeah?”
“Never wait three days to kiss me again. Also, never let me make any stupid promises about ending things with a goodnight kiss,” I whisper, brushing his lips.
His lips find mine again with a low, hungry rumble. I love his frustration boiling into my mouth, the passion lashing in his eyes as he rips away from me.
“If I ever entertain this stupid chaste shit again, shoot me first,” he says, his hand sweeping my hip. “It has to be less painful than this. Definitely less brutal than the smurf balls I’ll be dragging home tonight.”
A few days later, I’m in the lab, working on a frozen drink when I hear footsteps.
Troy stops at my side, wearing that pearly white smile that seems permanently riveted to his face.
“Hey.” I smile at him and return my eyes to my blender.
He comes over to the metal lab table I’m working at and leans against it. “I had to see the campfire magic for myself. Cole insisted.”
“Did he?” I try not to sound annoyed.
“Yep. I’m just the bean delivery guy, but every so often I get a wild hair to see the final product. Especially the new stuff.” Troy winks at me.
“Your timing could be better. I’m only working on frappes today...”
“Would you mind showing me the campfire base? I’m sorry to pull you away from your other work; it’s just, you know what a hardass the bossman can be.” He makes an exaggerated panicked face, raking his fingers through his hair.
“Well, it’s no big deal to whip up a quick batch. Here, you can see it from the start...” I grab the blender, stick it in the freezer, and set up the grill. “Any particular drink?”
“Just the basic drip. That’s the part you actually do over the fire, right?”
“Right. Kona or the Wired Cup brew?”
“Is it the same process?” he asks.
“Basically, yeah. With the peaberries, you use less flame and more time to get it just right. The home version brews faster because you can add more heat without burning the Sumatran and Brazil mix.”
“Kick-ass. I see you’ve done your homework.” He scribbles a few notes into his phone with a stylus. “Give me the Wired Cup stuff. No point in wasting precious peaberries for a demo.”
I get a pot going over the open flame on the grill and start the brew, setting the timer. I disappear for twenty minutes to my desk, taking care of records and saving myself from more awkward conversation.
But I can’t stall him out forever.
When I return to my station, he’s sitting in my seat by the grill and looks up. “So, you and Cole really hit it off like a house on fire back in Hawaii, yeah?”
I blush, but I don’t dare confirm or deny it.
Just because Troy knows doesn’t mean it’s open season.
I remember how much Cole stressed privacy. I also don’t have any raging desire to get Troy started on our love life, even if he is a dear old friend of the man I’m dating.
He shoots me that too-wide grin again. “Relax, Badger Lady. You don’t have to kiss and tell. It’s all safe here among friends.”
I frown. Hearing that silly nickname from him is the only time it’s ever annoyed me. I’m not sure why his entire attitude rubs me so wrong.
Maybe it’s because he’s just too close to a mysterious past that keeps surfacing...
“Say, can I ask you something, Troy?”
“Of course.”
I clear my throat. “...what do you know about what happened to the late Mrs. Lancaster?”
He sobers up fast, that easy smile disappearing instantly.
“Aster?” He scans the room like he’s afraid of someone dropping in. Even though we’re the only people in the lab, he still whispers when he says, “You don’t know? Well, it’s only natural to wonder... Long story short, she killed herself. Everybody knows it, deep down.”
I gasp, rocking back against the counter.
Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t that.
“S-she did?”
“Yeah. She was...a good woman. Stunningly beautiful. Smart. Amazing head on her shoulders for art. She had a lot going for her before—you know. But she was also pretty messed up, mentally.” He looks away with a heavy sigh. “Poor woman really had something going wrong in her head. Her family was all perfection, but I always knew there was something rotten in her life. It wore at her. It corroded her.”
Corroded? Interesting choice of words.
“That’s awful,” I say softly, the only thing I can manage.
“Yeah. Suicide is a hard fucking pill to swallow, and just between us, I don’t think Cole ever came to terms with it. He probably thinks he’s partly responsible for not keeping her happy even though she had an army of therapists.” He pauses, slowly meeting my eyes. “Destiny was so young. I’m not sure she ever totally understood it. I’m just damn glad they’re both finally moving on. For a while, I didn’t think either of them would. They kept their distance from me for years. I think that big trip was a way of dealing with things for a lot of reasons.” He smiles brightly. “Hey, you seem pretty close with Destiny, too. That’s great. It was cute the way you made sure she had her phone before you let her join me on the boat ride.”
