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“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I forget my strength sometimes. I don’t mean to keep hurting you!”
Just then, another man stepped up beside him. He was quite a bit shorter and had fluffy hair, glasses, and a sweater that looked like it was straight out of the nineties. “Give him a second to breathe,” sweater man suggested as he grabbed the first guy’s wrist. “I swear, you’re as bad at this as Talon was.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, or why I suddenly had a pang of jealousy in my gut as the shorter man dragged Mr. Gorgeous away. I didn’t like that he was being touched by someone else, but why the hell should I care? The only thing I knew about the guy was that he had smashed the crap out of my nose.
I hustled to the back room and dabbed the blood away from my nostrils before pinching my nose shut to stanch the flow. Once I was convinced that the bleeding had stopped, I cleaned myself up at the sink before stepping back into the cafe behind the counter.
I did a quick scan of the dining room and found Mr. Gorgeous sitting at a circular table. He was joined by the guy in the sweater, and a third man who was as big as Mr. Gorgeous was; maybe even more so.
At the sight of me, Mr. Gorgeous sat up straighter, and had a quick but animated discussion with his companions. He pointed in my direction, but I didn’t have time to figure out what they were talking about; a line was forming in front of the cash register.
Some people enjoyed their morning coffee and pastry as they sat in the cafe’s dining room, but many others got their cups to go, and got grumpy if the line took too long. So, I hurried through the orders, making sure all of the to-go patrons were taken care of while Josie hobbled through the dining room, waiting tables.
When I reached the end of the line, I looked back to the corner where the three men had been sitting, but my heart dropped when I found empty seats. The wait must have been too long for them and they left. But why did it bother me so much?
I didn't know them. Sure, the one who crunched my nose was nice -verynice - to look at, but that shouldn't matter. I made a promise to myself long ago that I wouldn't get involved with or even become interested in any man. I should be glad that the temptation was gone. But I wasn't.
Movement to my right caught my eye and when I looked in that direction, my heart fluttered at the sight of the three men, now sitting on barstools at the counter. Mr. Gorgeous enthusiastically waved me over, and although irritation flitted through me at being rushed, my feet moved quickly, drawing me close to him.
When I stood in front of him, he lifted his hand and I flinched when it moved toward me. He stopped within an inch of my face and said, “I promise I’ll be gentle this time.”
He brushed his fingers down the length of my nose with a featherlight touch. “It’s not broken,” he assured while my eyes fluttered shut. “Everything feels great.” It sure did; it had been so long since I had felt the touch of a man. I never knew the nose was an erogenous zone, but damn if I didn’t have a tingle in my groin.
“Lance.” My eyes popped open at the sound of my name and my cheeks flushed when I realized I was being obvious with my enjoyment of his touch. Thankfully, the man wasn’t looking at me; his focus was on the name badge on my chest. “I like that name; it’s very powerful.” He looked up at me again and smiled as his hand left my face to extend. “I’m Hunter.”
“That’s powerful too,” I replied as I shook his hand. Everything about him was manly; his name, his form, his intense gaze, and even his grip was strong, but not overwhelming.
“This is my friend, Talon,” Hunter said as he nodded his head toward the big guy sitting next to him. Talon was manly and handsome as well, but for some reason, he didn’t give me a groin tingle.
Talon nodded his head in greeting and added, “Andthisis my gorgeous mate, Brandon.” He leaned over and kissed the smaller man’s puffy hair, and I sighed at the pride in his voice. I longed my whole life for someone to be proud of me; proud to be with me.
No, that’s only gotten me into trouble. I’m better off by myself.It was at that moment I realized I was still holding onto Hunter’s hand, so I dropped it quickly. He rubbed his fingers together as if he missed the feeling, and I gave my attention to Brandon to distract myself.
“Mate?” I asked curiously. I’d never heard the term except from a couple of customers visiting the area from England, but they were describing a friend. Talon and Brandon certainly looked more than friendly.
“Mate, partner, husband,” Brandon answered with a shrug. “They’re one in the same. They all mean that I’m his.”
“And thank fuck for that,” Talon replied with a slight growl in his voice before leaning in and taking Brandon’s lips in a deep kiss.
The moment was both heart-melting and jealousy-inducing, so I cleared my throat and asked, “What can I get you guys?”
Hunter propped his elbows on the countertop and placed his chin in both hands, giving me a dazzling smile. “I want to try whatever you like.”
“Hmm, well, I usually eat the same thing every day; a caramel frappe and a glazed donut, but that might be too much sugar for you.” He obviously took great care of his body and probably chose more nutritious foods.
Hunter gave me an obvious wink when he answered, “Not at all. Ilovesweet things.”
My cheeks flushed again. This guy was affecting me in a way that I’d trained myself for years not to feel. I quickly darted my eyes to Talon and Brandon, who were thankfully coming up for air. “What about you two?”
“Hmm?” Brandon asked, looking blissed out. Talon chuckled and the young man’s eyes came back into focus. “Oh, right! I’ll take an apple cider and a blueberry muffin please.”
“I’ll have the same,” Talon smiled, and I turned my back to them quickly without another look at Hunter.
While I prepared their drinks, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I was both worried and hopeful that a certain sexy guy had hopped the counter, but I sighed with relief and disappointment when I found Josie at my side.
“I’m going to head out.” Her normally pale face was flushed and she looked tired. “The rush is over and my legs are starting to ache. Will you be okay by yourself?”
“Of course.” After the rush of people getting their drinks on their way to work, things slowed down in the cafe. Even if it didn’t, I wanted Josie to rest, so I would deal with it. “Take it easy. See you tomorrow?”
