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“Most definitely.”
We spent the next hour or so bouncing between tangents and details about the available property. As suspected, he’d recently remodeled the space, including brand new ovens, fridge, all the basics I needed for a restaurant.
I couldn’t buy the first place I saw, especially out here in the middle of nowhere, regardless of how loudly my heart said this was the place to grab. But he was happy to rent it to me for the evening, to get a feel for how I liked it.
“You going to be okay, hobbling around on that?” He nodded at my cast.
As long as no one told my doctor, I’d be fine. “I’ve got it.”
I couldn’t stay on my feet as long as I wanted, but that just meant taking frequent breaks. The downtime was perfect for calling anyone I’d met locally to buy supplies, and the rest of the time was for cooking. Prepping for dinner tonight.
And when I was close to ready, I texted Eli and asked him to meet me here.
His reply said,what are you… Never mind. I’ll be there.
About fifteen minutes later, I was letting him into the restaurant that had a single table decorated with a tablecloth, and settings for two.
The instant I locked the door behind him, he whirled on me. “What the hell are you doing? How long did you spend down here? You can’t be on your feet. We talked about this.”
Aww. He cared.
I knew he did.
“Well?” Eli looked at me expectantly.
My answer was to press my mouth to his and kiss him for everything I was worth.
26
elijah
I spentthe day arguing with Andrew about rewrites. Not because we actually disagreed, but he was that stressed out. I’d never seen him like this, and didn’t think it was possible.
Not that I blamed him when he finally admitted he’d lost another investor in the film.
“Not sure why they care about Joystick’s bad press given your past and what your movie is about,” I tried to keep my tone light.
Andrew almost cracked a smile.
“I mean, you’re a former fucking porn king,” I said. “Making this movie, with the stars you have, is already one hugefuck the world.”
Andrew grinned. “I like the way you think.”
The rest of the work day went smoother, until Austin messaged me and asked me to meet him on Main Street. I was torn between concern and fury. Why was he there? Was he hurt? Was he being impulsive again and risking getting hurt?
I knocked on the door to the vacant restaurant ready to take him to a clinic if needed and scold him if not.
When he kissed me, I forgot it all. Nothing mattered except the way his mouth molded to mine, and the grip of his fingers digging into my arms. His lips, soft but also hard and demanding.
Yeah, we’d kissed a few times recently, but this was different. There was a power in this. An intensity I couldn’t ignore.
A kind of promise I’d spent a long time convincing myself that I’d never have from Austin.
When we broke apart, I couldn’t find my voice or my thoughts. I needed to cling to him so I wouldn’t float away.
“I’m sorry.” Austin’s words fell over my cheek as he kissed along my jaw. “For anything in the past that kept us apart. That you hurt for so long. But I’m not sorry for this.”
I didn’t… “What isthis?”
