Chapter 3
Chapter three
August
Getting out of the house had been mission number one.
All my years living on my own, and I’d never set the kitchen on fire, and of course it happened in front of a firefighter. Stroke of luck that turned out to be, because now the fire was out, the kitchen saved, and I was still going to have a delicious dinner.
Red Square Diner was one of my favorite restaurants in town, as I’d always had a soft spot for diners, especially with the odd hours I worked. Sometimes I was starving after a day at Alchemy Ink, and if I got out at eleven at night, this place was always a safe bet.
I turned up the volume in my car when a classic Propaghandi song hit the playlist.
“Shit, I haven’t heard these guys in ages,” Drake said. “They were one of my first concerts.”
“Good taste,” I commented, bopping along to the music as I flew down the street.
“Man, it’s been too long since I’ve been to a show,” he said with a sigh. Maybe I should invite him to the one I was going to that his sister bailed on when she dumped me. Would that be weird? Probably.
After a few turns, I caught sight of the bright sign for Red Square Diner. It had a classic vibe with wide windows, yellowed lighting, and a tan exterior. I pulled into a spot in the parking lot and shut off the ignition.
I glanced over at Drake beside me, and my skin prickled with awareness.
Right, I’d pretty much abducted my ex’s brother.
He cut a fit figure in his fire company shirt and cargos, definition there that implied he worked out plenty.
While he and Serena had the same dark hair and tan skin, his features were more angular than hers.
The thick scruff on his chin and piercing brown eyes framed by long lashes added a hint of pretty to his ruggedness.
He smelled like sweat, which I happened to love, and damn, I was far too distracted.
“All right,” I said, shaking myself out of my stupor. Serena’s brother was hotter than I’d expected, but apparently the whole family had good genes. “Let’s get in there and order food before I starve.”
I exited the car first, and the slam of the door echoed behind me as I sauntered up the walkway.
When I entered, I didn’t bother waiting, just wandered to my favorite booth on the right side of the diner.
It offered a great vantage point to people-watch, and I liked the comfort of having a spot.
Me and the crew from Alchemy Ink had visited here many a time.
When I slid into the booth, Drake took the other side.
“I’m assuming you come here often,” he said.
“Townie,” I said. “This has been a haunt for me for a long while.”
“I had a few spots like that in Roxborough,” he said, grabbing one of the plastic menus they kept at the table. He flipped through it with a glazed look.
“Too many choices?” I asked. “Go with the bacon cheeseburger, and you won’t be disappointed.”
“That easy is it?” He flashed me a grin, his white teeth on display, and my pulse sped up. Well, that was inconvenient.
The waitress came over to our table, her curly hair barely held back by an elastic band. “What can I get you?”
“Two bacon cheeseburgers,” I ordered. “Tea for me. You a coffee or tea guy?”
“Coffee,” Drake said.
“Got it,” she replied. “I’ll be right back with the drinks.”
Drake leaned back in the seat, his hands behind his head, placing those thick forearms on full display. I licked my lips on reflex, my mouth drier.
“So,” I said, carding my fingers through my hair. “Sorry for, uh, abducting you, I guess.”
His grin widened, a wicked arch to his brows. “Pretty sure this was a dinner invitation.”
Was he flirting, or was that throaty tone just how he spoke? Serena had to hit me over the head with her interest because I was shit at picking it up. Everyone at the shop made fun of me for the amount of missed connections or numbers I collected by accident.
“Who did your ink?” Drake asked, his gaze scanning over me. I shifted in my seat. Right, he was looking at my tats.
“My coworkers,” I said, lifting the punk sleeve Nyx had been working on. “Trash polka style here, since that’s Nyx’s specialty, and Owen is designing a back piece for me.”
“Wait, are you a tattoo artist?”
I snorted. “I guess that’s why people answer the ‘what do you do’ question. Yeah, I work over at Alchemy Ink.”
“No way, I’ve been eyeing the place up for a while. I’m used to going into the city to different artists, but I wanted to check out the local talent,” he said.
I sat up in my seat, already interested. “You’ve got ink?”
“Not much yet,” he admitted.
“Where?” I asked, since none of his tattoos peeked past his sleeves.
He waggled his brows. “That’s only getting seen by select people.”
Heat rushed through me. The idea of peeling the shirt off him to view the muscles beneath was so tempting. My mouth watered before the ice water dumped in. Serena’s brother. He was off-limits, right? Granted, I wasn’t sure of the etiquette over dating siblings. Probably frowned upon.
Granted, it wasn’t like she was going to fuck him.
The waitress snuck our drinks over, and I began to doctor mine with sugar, swishing the tea bag around, while Drake took a straight-up sip from his black coffee.
His lashes fluttered a few times as he savored the first taste.
Not helping the filthy direction my imagination was going.
I busied myself with a slurp of piping hot tea, which got stuck in my windpipe.
I spluttered, slamming on my chest as I choked for air.
“You okay?” Drake asked, giving me a concerned look.
Heat flushed my cheeks as I caught my breath. “Totally. Just take my word that I’m not usually this much of a mess.”
“Hey, no judgment here,” he said, his muscled arms still distracting me. “I’d normally make a joke about choking, but I just met you.”
“Trust me, tea’s not the only thing I’ve choked on,” I teased. Fuck, I loved sucking cock. I had an oral fixation to the extreme, and it had been far too long since I sucked dick.
Drake’s eyes widened, and then his gaze fixed on my lips. I licked them on instinct. Bad August. This wasn’t what I should be doing.
The waitress swung by with our burgers, thankfully saving me from babbling about dicks. Though more people should. They were great.
I took a huge bite, relief flooding through me along with the delicious flavors. Just because I hated being alone didn’t mean I should latch onto the first person to walk my way—or dive into my kitchen to put out a fire. But the competency wasn’t a detractor, if I was being honest.
Drake let out a low moan, and I whipped my head up. His long lashes fluttered again, and the look of enjoyment on his features amplified his hotness.
“Damn, these burgers are so good,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the tiredness speaking, but I could live off these.”
“See?” I said. “Told you.”
“So, if you’re a tattoo artist, what’s your style?” he asked between bites.
“Watercolor,” I stated. I rolled up my sleeve to show off the skull and crossbones against a splash of ocean I’d gotten done in watercolor style. This had been one of my first tattoos in the city, and I’d gotten addicted.
“Damn, that’s pretty,” he said, reaching out. His fingers stopped right before touching my skin, and he looked up. “Can I?”
“Yeah, examine away.”
His fingers brushed against my skin, and electricity rolled up my spine.
My breath hitched. Even with us sitting in opposite seats, his proximity raised the heat in the room, and I shifted in my seat as he skimmed his fingertips across the tattoo on my bicep.
He was just checking out the ink, which had been expertly done. That was all.
“Gorgeous,” he said. “I’ll have to check out your work sometime.”
“You can find it walking around town,” I said, pride thrumming through me. “I was one of Owen’s first recruits when he opened Alchemy Ink. Me, Cas, and Nyx have been there from the start.”
“I’m overdue for an appointment,” he said. “Maybe I’ll come to Alchemy Ink.”
Please do. The words didn’t escape my lips though, because yeah, while I’d never met Serena’s hottie brother while we’d dated, we’d been together for six months and had just broken up. Weird territory, to say the very least.
“Can’t visit you at the workplace,” I joked. “Otherwise, I’ll be labeled an arsonist.” I chewed on another bite of my burger, making a concerted effort to focus on that so I didn’t fawn over Drake.
“Okay, so explain something to me,” he said. “What’s the deal with the air fryer?”
I blinked, not expecting the question at all.
“Look, I was trying to educate Serena in the ways of good food, and that’s my baby.
I needed it back.” Truth be told, I had far too many kitchen appliances.
Every minor thing made its way into my cabinets, from the cast-iron garlic roaster to my fat separator.
All useful, even if the assortment spilled off the shelves.
Drake snorted. “Couldn’t an oven suffice?”
I placed a hand over my chest with a mock gasp. “How dare. Next you’ll be telling me my insta-pot is a fad too.”
Drake crooked an eyebrow. “I mean…”
“Why did I kidnap someone so mouthy?” I teased. “You can pry my air fryer out of my cold, dead hands.”
“Far be it for me to part you from your precious kitchen appliance,” he said. “I was just here to see it safely home.”
“After being up for a million hours,” I responded. “How are you still upright?”
“Stamina, baby,” he responded, a wicked glint in his eyes again. I shifted in the seat, trying to ignore my cock’s valiant attempt to stiffen. “For real, I’ve done these shifts for years. It’s old hat. Your body gets used to the stint to an extent.”
“Mm, I like sleep far too much,” I said, taking the final bites of my burger. “You couldn’t pay me to stay up for twenty-four hours. I think it’s awesome you found something you love that much, though.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, it’s great.”
My brows drew together. “That sounds as enthusiastic as a DMV visit.”
He snorted. “Nah, I like the work. It’s just gotten a little boring as of late.”
“Wait, you run into burning buildings and shit, right?” I asked. “Like, the whoosh whoosh with the hose?”
A big laugh exploded from him. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
I shrugged. “Am I wrong? But if that’s boring, what the hell do you find exciting?”
He scrubbed at his face. “Calls are always adrenaline-inducing, don’t get me wrong. I’m having more of a life-related ennui. Maybe not boring, but like… no room for advancement. Why I’m pouring all this out to a stranger, I have no idea.”
“Hey,” I countered. “I’m not a stranger. I’m your sister’s ex.”
“You know that makes it weirder, right?” Still, a smile crept onto his face, and I savored the twinkle in his brown eyes.
“Weird is my specialty.”
He let out another laugh, and I reveled in it. This outing with Drake was as unexpected as the fire in my kitchen, but one was far more preferable. Talking with him was easy and comfortable, and he didn’t seem to balk at my oddities, which was always a good sign.
However, while I could indulge in this little flare of attraction now, I couldn’t see my ex’s brother again.