Chapter Twelve #2
She wasn’t wrong. Ivan gave the rest of the crew the all clear once Harry and Rory finished.
The guys practically knocked one another over to form a line.
Ivan didn’t join them right away. He waited at the table and held out a chair for Rory, who just blinked at him for a few seconds before lowering into the seat.
“Aww,” Owen cooed before taking an elbow in the gut from Tyler.
Rory glanced up at Ivan to see if it bothered him, but Ivan seemed fixated on the scrambled eggs on Rory’s plate instead of the shenanigans going on at the buffet.
Rory offered his fork, and Ivan accepted.
He took a small bite of eggs and closed his eyes while he chewed.
Rory recognized that rapturous look on Ivan’s face and averted his gaze before he blushed and gave his thoughts away.
“Get that line moving and save me some eggs,” Ivan demanded before setting Rory’s fork down and getting in line.
Rueben was smiling when he sat across from Rory. “Surprised the big guy didn’t pull rank and advance to the front of the line.”
“Why the hell didn’t I think of that?” Ivan groused.
Owen raised his hand. “I know! I know! Because you—” This time the jab came from Kieran.
“Tough crowd,” Owen teased, rubbing his belly.
Rory was going to wait for everyone else to sit down before eating, but he noticed Harry had already tucked into her food.
She met his gaze and gestured toward his plate with her fork.
Rory gave in and was glad he did. Everything was perfect.
He was halfway through when Ivan returned to his seat.
Rory always thought you could learn a lot about someone by observing their eating habits.
Ivan was so tidy about everything from the napkin across his lap to the biscuit he’d split into two equal halves.
Rory looked at his biscuit in comparison and couldn’t help but smile at his lopsided top and bottom.
The top was huge, about three-fourths of the biscuit.
The size difference kind of reminded Rory of him and Ivan.
“Would you like some honey?” Ivan asked as he drizzled the liquid over his biscuit.
Rory was usually more of a jam person, but he was eager to taste Ivan’s creations. Rory leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Is that the liquid gold you’ve been telling me about?” he asked.
Ivan briefly met his gaze with a smirk. “The one and only. Best honey you’ll ever have.”
Was that a euphemism for something else? “Can’t wait.”
Ivan handed him the pot shaped like a whiskey barrel and the honey dipper.
Rory skipped the butter and drizzled a generous amount of honey onto his biscuit.
He noticed the bee and mountain logo on the handle when he replaced it in the pot.
He rotated the barrel and saw the same logo on the opposite side.
“Is this how you package your honey for retail?” Rory asked. Ivan had shoveled food into his mouth, so he nodded. “Genius marketing.”
“Ivan designed and made the prototype, which is the one you just used,” Harry said.
“You’re good with wood too?” Rory asked, then realized how that sounded.
Ivan made a slightly choked noise but smiled as he chewed.
“Power and manual tools,” Rueben said. “He can create such pretty art from a block of wood.”
“You whittle?” Rory asked.
Ivan took a drink of orange juice and nodded. “My grandfather taught me when I was a kid.”
Rory smiled. “My grandfather whittled too, but he couldn’t convince my grandmother I was ready to learn.”
Ivan held up his hand and pointed to the scars on his thumb. “The ladies in my life weren’t thrilled with the number of stitches I required until I learned better control and skill.”
“I learned how to play the guitar, though,” Rory said, realizing it sounded like they were on a date.
He looked around the table and noticed all eyes were on them.
Ivan didn’t seem remotely concerned about anything but his breakfast, so Rory followed his lead.
He was doing well until he bit into the biscuit and tasted Ivan’s honey for the first time.
It was sweet and rich, coating his tongue and going down smoothly.
Rory didn’t mean to emit a hum that sounded like a moan.
Utensils clattered to plates, and Rory jerked his eyes open.
He wasn’t conscious of even closing them.
The expressions around the table ranged from amused to slightly embarrassed for him.
Ivan’s hand settled on Rory’s leg, just above his knee. Ivan gently squeezed, and Rory wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he was having to the moan. Was he trying to quiet Rory or turn him on? He glanced over at Ivan and relaxed when he saw the smug grin on his face.
“Best you ever had, right?” Ivan asked.
“Without question.”
“Are they still talking about the honey?” Owen mock whispered.
Tyler sighed. “I’m concerned that you have to ask.”
Rory forced his gaze away from Ivan before he did something truly indecent and concentrated on eating.
Ivan didn’t remove his hand until they finished their food.
Everyone carried their dishes to the kitchen to rinse and stack in the dishwashers, but the crew was on a rotating schedule to do a deeper clean after each meal.
They had to wash big items by hand, stow all the condiments in their proper places, and wipe down the surfaces.
It took two of them twenty minutes or less to do the whole thing.
It was Ivan and Dylan’s turn to clean, but Rory nudged Dylan out of the way and shooed him away with his hands.
Ivan smiled at him when they were all alone in the kitchen. “The best you’ve ever had, huh?”
Rory understood it was a loaded question, and he replied with an unequivocal and emphatic, “Yes.”
Ivan closed the small distance between them and searched Rory’s gaze. He released a shaky breath and said, “I think you mean it.”
Reminded of Harry’s phrase, Rory realized what a comfort it was to believe every word that came out of someone’s mouth.
He didn’t want to bullshit Ivan or sell him anything; he wanted Ivan to believe the words that rolled off his tongue, no matter where they were or what they were doing.
“I damn well do.” Ivan was not only the best lover he’d ever had, but that honey was in a class of its own.
“Would you like to come to my office and meet my new queen bee? You said you wanted to learn about my operation. We can do some more interview prep before Roberto arrives this afternoon.”
Rory tilted his head slightly. “You realize what you’re actually inviting me there for, right?”
Ivan smiled wickedly. “Absolutely.”
“In that case, I will gladly come over and check out the inner workings of your honey pot.”
Ivan snorted and turned to the sink, shoving his hands into the soapy water. “It was this or pull you in for a kiss. I’m desperate to taste my honey on your tongue.” Ivan stared at Rory’s lips so intently it felt like a caress.
Rory sighed. Nothing had ever sounded sexier to him. He dipped his hand into the same soapy water and caressed Ivan’s forearm while pretending to search for other items to wash. “I’ll be over as soon as I finish my tasks.” With incentive like that, he figured it would cut his work time in half.