12. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
I Like Learning Things About Him and Myself
Luke
I can’t help but throw my head back, laughing at his rambling. “You’re fascinating, Kaden. It’s refreshing.” I try to simmer down, attempting not to hurt his feelings by laughing at him.
I notice the way his eyes light up from my modest praise. He finally shows a hint of a smile behind all the nervousness and his shoulders relax the slightest bit.
“No, I am not in hiding or any of that. But if I were, would I tell you?” I say with a grin.
“Well, I suppose not. Then why all the secrecy?”
“I didn’t want to be here. My brother and cousin think I need to get out more, said I work too much. They convinced me to come tonight against better judgement. So, I’m here, but if someone wants to know something about me, they can ask me. I’m not a steak on a menu you can order without earning the right to eat it first. I don’t give everyone, and anyone access to me.” That may have come off cocky, but he doesn’t react.
I realize I said I didn’t want to be here. Interesting.
“Asked and still not answered,” Kaden gestures towards me with a hand and wide eyes, as if I forgot he had asked me already. I did.
He quickly follows up with “or have I not earned access yet?” Surprisingly, he has.
“I am an owner by title, chef at heart. My first restaurant opens in three months.” I subconsciously puff my chest out with pride.
“Someone is proud of himself,” he says, acknowledging the movement, “rightfully so given the accomplishment at your age.” He gives me a small smile, enough to reveal a dimple on his right cheek I hadn’t noticed until now. Dimples are cute.
My cheeks heat with…embarrassment? No, that’s not it.
“When you know what you want in life, you go after it. No matter what it takes,” I say with determination in my eyes and tone.
“Yeah, I suppose we should,” Kaden ponders, his gaze never leaving mine.
Is he blushing?
He exhales softly before turning away and redirecting the topic. “I feel like a piece of meat on a menu being on that list, too. I’m not used to being put on display. It’s uncomfortable,” his voice calmer, less nervous than a few minutes ago.
“You don’t seem uncomfortable now. What’s different?”
He hesitates answering. “Probably the whiskey,” he says, shrugging one shoulder.
I follow his gaze turning to look over his shoulder at the dance floor. Jackson and Lanie are still laughing and dancing together, looking like they are enjoying each other’s company.
“What’s with the shirt anyway? Is it a joke or something?” I ask, nodding toward Lanie.
“My sister’s answer to making sure everyone knew we weren’t a couple. For some reason, it happens more often than you’d think,” Kaden muses.
“That’s weird, but you two must be close if people are assuming that.”
“Yeah, we were always close growing up. She’s my best friend. I mean, look at her. She’s a lot of fun to be around. How could you not love her?” he says with such adoration.
“And you’re not?” I raised an eyebrow, confused.
“Not what?” He turns back to face me, confused like I am, now.
“Not fun to be around,” I clarify.
“I don’t know. I guess I can be with my family and friends. Strangers, not so much.”
“Well, I’m a stranger and I’m having fun with you.” I flash him a coy smile.
Did that sound like I was flirting with him?
Why am I flirting with him?
Kaden is back to blankly staring at me.
I move the conversation to something completely different, mentioning the type of music the DJ is playing. That seems like a safe topic. We discover we both lean towards liking rock music, and even some heavy metal, more than any other genre. Which turns into us both rattling off the bands we love and our favorite songs from each album. I will neither confirm nor deny that we may have belted out the chorus of ‘The Devil in I’ by Slipknot. I’m not sure when was the last time I had this much fun, especially talking with someone I hardly know.
We get lost in more conversation that flows effortlessly. Every once in a while, he glances towards his sister, obviously checking to make sure she is okay. Lanie and Jackson are lost in their own little world. It seems they hit it off well. We see Faith dancing with Dakota close by our siblings.
Kaden is much more relaxed now. He didn’t even notice his whiskey is gone. I flag down the bartender again. “You’re empty, want another?” I gesture towards his glass.
“Are you trying to get me drunk now, Luke?” Kaden counters, a coquettish grin in place.
That, I know, is flirting!
Those captivating eyes are now filled with something resembling desire. The way he says my name does things to me that I can’t explain why.
A sudden rush of warmth returns to my face and the hairs on my arms are tingling where they meet my skin. I like the feeling.
Not knowing how to answer his question, I look for the bartender and hurriedly order two double shots of Tequila, a beer, and a whiskey.
Lost for words, I make it a slow task of pulling out my wallet to get my credit card, stalling time until the bartender comes back with our drinks.
“Let me get this round,” Kaden hands me his card with one hand while his other hand wraps around my forearm.
It stuns me. I stare down at my arm, relishing the feeling of his strong hand and warm skin against mine.
Well, that sure feels different. In a good way.
Kaden must see me staring, he jerks his hand back to his side. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” he nervously blurts out.
I immediately miss the warmth from his hand on my skin. I slowly raised my head, the hazy feeling fading.
“You didn’t offend me, Kaden. At all,” I say in no uncertain terms.
The dimple is back again. “Good,” he replies, not taking his eyes off me while he hands his card to the bartender that happened to be watching this all unfold in front of him. The smug asshole walks away, card in hand, with a knowing smirk.
I’m not entirely sure what is happening here, but I don’t want it to stop. Kaden is a great guy and funny, too. It’s obvious he has a different effect on me than any man has before. Hell, no woman has ever had this kind of effect on me. I’ve never been attracted to men more than thinking they were objectively good looking or had nice a physique. What’s different about him from the others? This doesn’t make me bi, does it? That doesn’t make sense. I’m surely an ally, but I’ve never considered myself queer in any way. I hadn’t been given a reason, until now.
Am I willing to explore this? With Kaden?
I slam my shot back and chase it with my beer. I regret it immediately when the mix of flavors linger together on my taste buds.
“How did you become a dentist at such a young age? Don’t you have to go to school for a billion years or some shit?” I try changing the subject and wind up staring at him like it’s for the first time.
Kaden goes on to tell me about taking college courses while still in high school and that helped fast track the path to his degrees.
I start getting lost, admiring his strong jawline, sky blue eyes, full lips, and the way his slightly curly hair hangs long enough to curtain his face that the chocolate brown shade makes his eyes pop even more. I imagine he has a baby face without the day-old scruff, but it suits him well. I can tell by the snug fit of his gray chinos and black polo that he takes care of his body.
Blood rushes straight to my cock. Kaden is very different from other men. My brain knew this, my cock finally caught up to the fact.
“Luke, you okay?” Kaden asks with concern in his voice, noticing me spacing out I suppose. I don’t know how long I was gone.
“Uhm, sorry. Yeah, I’m okay. I think I might be feeling the alcohol’s effect.” I let out a nervous laugh at my lie.
Man, what an interesting turn of events. This would have been the last thing I expected to happen tonight. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing skipping the menu planning.