Chapter 27
Three days had gone by without a word from Rhys. No matter how many times he looked at his phone, no texts from Rhys appeared. Caleb had glimpsed him coming and going from Frost + Foam, but he hadn’t attempted to communicate with him.
Every time one of their mutual friends had come into Cloud Nine, Caleb wanted to ask how Rhys was doing, but he hadn’t. Rhys wanted space, and Caleb would give him that. Or at least he had been willing to.
By closing time, he decided he’d waited long enough.
He wasn’t sure how long Marianne meant for him to give Rhys, but his patience had run out.
He missed Rhys. He’d gotten used to seeing him nearly every day.
He wanted to see him, to kiss him, to… He shouldn’t get ahead of himself.
Rhys might not even be willing to talk to him.
Once he’d closed down the shop for the day, Caleb gathered up the drink toppings, apple puree, and pumpkin chocolate sauce he’d prepared during the afternoon lull.
If Rhys wanted to stick to business only, they could work at Frost + Foam that night.
Caleb considered picking up dinner, but he didn’t want to miss Rhys if he was leaving right after closing.
He wasn’t even positive Rhys was working that afternoon, but he was going to hope for the best.
Obviously, any of a number of townspeople might see him enter Frost + Foam, but they already knew he and Rhys were working together, so there was no reason to assume anything else.
Probably very few people were even thinking that way.
At least he could hope that was true, but in Rhys’s mind, the whole town was pushing for them to be together and that made being together too difficult.
Caleb understood, but he wasn’t willing to give up the man he’d fallen for just because of nosy neighbors.
He glanced in the windows and didn’t see anyone. Maybe Rhys was in the back.
When he knocked on the front door, there was no response, but he waited. He was sure Rhys would check the cameras and see him there if he was in the store.
Rhys appeared just as he was about to knock one more time. As he walked to the door, he looked like he’d have preferred to have stayed in the back, but Caleb wasn’t going to be deterred.
“I brought the ingredients so we could make drinks here,” he said when Rhys opened the door. “It’s time we got back to work.”
Rhys shook his head. “Caleb, I’m—”
“We can figure out what we’re doing about us after we make a drink for the festival, but there’s no reason we can’t keep working together.”
Rhys ran a hand through his hair. “I want to work with you. I just…”
“I know. Can I stay?”
“Yes, but… We’ll just make drinks, okay?”
Caleb nodded. It wasn’t what he wanted, but he wouldn’t push any harder. After three days of no contact, Rhys had let him in and agreed to let him stay. That was enough.
Rhys began setting up what they needed at the counter as Caleb unloaded the ingredients he’d brought. “The puree and the syrup are at room temperature. Do you think I should heat them back up?”
Rhys shook his head. “No. I don’t want to put them in the microwave. I think they’ll be fine with the hot espresso and milk.”
“I agree. I just wanted to check.”
“Thanks.” Rhys’s smile looked forced.
They were being absurdly polite and working very hard not to touch each other as they moved around in the small space.
Caleb wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand it.
He didn’t want to have to be that careful.
He didn’t want it to feel awkward to touch Rhys now when he knew how eagerly Rhys had responded before and how much he enjoyed Caleb’s hands on him.
He tried to think of something normal to say.
He could tell Rhys about Mallow, but if he found out Rhys didn’t like cats, that might crush him, so he just kept working, accepting a cup from Rhys when the espresso and milk were ready, then topping it the same way he’d had done the last time they’d created their pumpkin chocolate drink.
Once the chocolate shavings were sprinkled on top of the foam, he took a taste.
“Wow. That’s good.” In his opinion, it was the best version they had made yet, but he knew Rhys was a harsher critic, so he passed the cup to him and waited for his verdict.
He watched as Rhys lifted the cup, tasted the topping on its own, then took a sip. He bit his lip as he watched the muscles in Rhys’s throat work as he swallowed, and his heart sped up when Rhys smiled. “This is really good. I think it’s the closest we’ve gotten.”
Caleb exhaled in relief. “Me too. Maybe the equipment here really does make the difference. If I ever need to replace my machine, I’ll have to look into this brand.”
“It might not be that. Maybe we just hit the exact right ratios.”
“Well, let’s see if we can repeat it.”
They made another latte, and as soon as Caleb tried it, he knew they had done it again. “This is it.”
Rhys took a sip. “We’ve repeated our results, and it’s good. That doesn’t mean we’re done, but we’re closer than we’ve been yet.”
“Do you think we should focus on this one and forget about the apple pie latte?”
Rhys frowned. “Maybe. But it wouldn’t hurt to do another round here on the apple latte too.”
“All right. Let’s try it.”
It didn’t take them long to switch out ingredients and decide what alterations they wanted to try. When the latte was ready, Rhys tasted first. His huge smile made Caleb feel warm all over.
“What did you do to the apple puree? This is so good. It’s going to be hard to choose between them.”
Caleb tried it for himself, then met Rhys’s gaze. “I measured everything precisely until I had the perfect combination.”
“Really? You did what I said?”
Caleb smiled. “Yes.”
Rhys took the cup from him, set it down, then startled the hell out of Caleb by jumping into his arms and kissing him. Rhys was more aggressive than he’d ever been. His hands slid into Caleb’s hair, pulling him down and making him gasp as Rhys attacked his mouth.
Caleb gripped his waist and pulled him close. Rhys hooked a leg around Caleb’s waist, and Caleb shifted his grip to Rhys’s ass, lifting him and grinding against him.
It was only when Rhys pulled back, likely as desperate for air as Caleb was, that Caleb realized they were right there behind the counter where anyone who looked in the windows could see them.
“Need to go in the back,” he said. “Not out here.”
He thought that might freak Rhys out, but instead, Rhys just pushed at his chest, and Caleb walked backward, nearly bumping into the wall as he reached behind him to catch himself.
As soon as they stepped into the back room, where they could no longer be seen, Rhys pulled him in for another kiss.
Caleb slid his hands under Rhys’s shirt, needing to feel his skin.
Needing to feel all of him. Kissing no longer seemed like enough.
He reached for the waistband of Rhys’s pants, sliding his hand inside and wrapping it around Rhys’s cock.
Rhys groaned and thrust his hips, trying to rock into Caleb’s hand in the confined space.
Caleb fumbled with Rhys’s zipper, trying to get his pants fully open. Then someone yelled, “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
They both turned to see Tessa covering her eyes, whirling around, and racing out of the shop.
Caleb tried to readjust Rhys’s clothes while Rhys stood frozen, horror on his face.
“Rhys?” Caleb was starting to worry about him. All the color had drained from his face.
“I didn’t lock the door. I totally forgot where we were. I can’t think around you.” He shook his head. “This was a mistake. It was all a mistake.”
“We were celebrating. It’s okay. You know Tessa already suspected we were more than friends.” He wasn’t sure Rhys had heard anything he said.
Rhys turned away, bracing against a cabinet. “She saw us. She walked right in. I didn’t even hear her. I always know what’s going on. I don’t forget things.” He turned back to face Caleb. “I’m not myself with you.”
Caleb stumbled backward. Rhys’s words had hit him like a slap. He never wanted Rhys to change for him. He wanted him to feel comfortable. “I don’t want to change you.”
Rhys shook his head. “No, I don’t mean that. You aren’t trying to change me, but I can’t think when you’re around. I feel too much. I can’t do this. You should just use one of the drinks we developed tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“You enter the festival. I’m out.”
This couldn’t be happening. “Rhys, you’re the one who pulls the shots. Your skill makes the drinks work. I can’t make it myself.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this. You enter whatever drink you want.”
“Rhys, please.”
He shook his head. “I have to get out of here.” He opened the back door and ran before Caleb could say anything else.