AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I glanced up from my book to find the owner of the voice watching me with starkly pale green eyes framed by black hair.Hello, sexy. “May I help you?” Some nights I might flirt with him, but I wasn’t in the mood tonight.
“I’m Fred, this is Barney.” He jerked his thumb at the guy with him. Who was just as gorgeous.Fredlooked more professional, in a button-down shirt with the sleeves buttoned around his wrists, andBarneywas in a faded concert T-shirt and battered jeans.
The serious one and the clown. Interesting, but not unique, combination. Stupid names. “I’m Betty.” I could play along with whatever their game was until they were gone. Especially for the view.
“Told you she was a Betty.” Barney nudged Fred. No surprise, Mister Concert T-shirt wasn’t as reserved, but he was just as nice to look at as his friend.
Fred pursed his lips, but turned a smile back on me. “We’re sorry to interrupt. There are no more free tables. May we share yours?”
It was a polite enough request. I gestured to the chairs next to me. “Help yourself.”
Fred nodded at my book. “It must be a good book.”
“It’s one of my favorite series.” It was the new issue ofSpring Popcorn. The artwork was Japanese inspired, but the artist was local. The two main characters were male best friends who refused to admit they were in love. She had a stunning grasp of the male form, and the way she alluded to their will-we-won’t-we physical relationship was almost hotter than seeing it in vivid detail.
Almost. My imagination was happy to fill in the blanks. The same way it was doing right now with Fred and Barney. Hell, they could be the stars of the comic. Or my life. I didn’t have any issue slotting them into a fantasy or two, where I was the middle in a Bedrock sandwich.
“No spoilers. I’m two books behind,” Barney said.
He was reading this? “Then you probably don’t want to know that Haru turns into a dragon halfway through this one, to save everyone from the Nazi invasion.” I kept my tone serious. The series was strictly contemporary, with no magic, so I half-hoped he’d know I was teasing.
His grin was worth the joke. “I’d better catch up, then. Especially if there’s a little bit of dragon-on-best-friend action.”
“That’s a disturbing image.” Disturbingly intriguing.
Barney winked. “But you’re totally trying to figure out the logistics anyway.”
“Busted.” I was enjoying this more than I’d expected.
Fred nudged his friend. “We’ll let you get back to it. Thanks for letting us intrude.”
I’d read a while longer, and if they got too loud I’d go. Right. Like I could focus with two mister hotties sitting right here.
They kept their voices low enough that I had to strain to hear them, even though they were only a few feet away. Sounded like they were from out of town, but loving the city, and hoping to see more of it while they were here.
I wasn’t reading anything, despite trying my best to look like I was. I tried to block them out and pretend they weren’t impacting my universe with their manga-come-to-life looks and politely low conversation. It didn’t matter how hard I stared at the page in front of me, I wasn’t processing any of the words.
A tickle bubbled in my throat, and I reached for my coffee. When my fingers collided with the cup instead of grasping it, my gut sank. I’d missed.
Iced coffee splashed everywhere. Down my shirt. Over my slacks. On their shoes.
“I’m so sorry.” All my composure vanished, and I fumbled for napkins to mop the table.
Fred plucked my purse from the floor before the creeping puddle reached it, and my panic surged harder until he set the bag on my now-empty seat.
“Excuse me,” Barney hollered at a nearby employee, cranking my humiliation higher. “Can we get a mop over here?” He left, and returned a moment later with a stack of napkins. He handed me several. “Take care of yourself. We’ve got this.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, and started patting coffee from my once-white top. The liquid suctioned my clothes to me, clinging to my boobs, every fat roll. The sooner I got out of here, the sooner I could tumble backwards into humiliation. Until then, I was going to be collected.
I looked up to find Barney staring at me.
“Enjoying the show?” I hid a wince at the aggravation that slid into my voice.
He looked up, meeting my gaze unflinchingly. “Quite a bit.” There was a sincerity and heat in his reply that scorched my already hot skin.
“Sorry about him.” Fred elbowed Barney. “His filters don’t always work right.”
Barney didn’t look fazed. “She asked, I gave her an honest answer.”
