I gaped, my pulse thumping in my temples. Was he right? But so far, we had been consumed by sex.
“Cat got your tongue, Thompson?” The edge of his lips twitched. “You have something special. Don’t fuck it up.” He knocked his knuckles against my chest.
“What’s going on in here?” Grey strolled in from the hallway, a grey polo stretching across his wide chest and white linen shorts wrapped around his hips.
“N-nothing.” Fuck, Tex better keep his mouth shut. Grey might get spooked if he heard him talking like that. “I made coffee. Want a to-go cup for the car?” Because I sure as hell wasn’t staying here any longer with Tex in this mood.
“Yeah, sure.” He sauntered into the kitchen, hooked an arm around my waist and planted a hard kiss on my lips. “You look amazing.” A soft grin curled his lips.
“So do you.” I peeked at Tex, shaking his head as he started the blender, whirring filling the air. As I turned to make our coffees, Grey pressed against my back, his chin resting on my shoulder, the amazing scent of his shampoo meandering into my nose. God, he fucking smelled good.
As the blender stopped, Grey faced Tex. “Hey, we’re headed to brunch. Want to join us?” He slipped his phone from a pocket in his shorts. “I found this place called Brunch Snob. Ever been there?” His gaze flicked from Tex to me.
Tex smirked. “Nope, I’m going to enjoy this smoothie and log in to my class schedule to be sure I’m prepared for tomorrow.” He poured his smoothie into a tall glass. Under his breath, he said, “You two lovebirds can have a nice date by yourselves.”
As I sipped my coffee, I sputtered. Fucker. He had to go there. I gauged Grey’s reaction.
Choking on a laugh, he said, “Yeah, right. Come on, Malik.” Hooking his arm in mine, he grabbed the other coffee from thecounter and led me toward the door leading to the garage. “I’ll drive.”
Grey parkedin a nondescript plaza in tan stucco with arches between the pillars of the covered walkway for the shops. A sign readingBrunch Snobin red rested atop one arch with a Mexican bird of paradise flower in the logo. Grey said, “So, have you ever eaten here? The Yelp reviews were excellent.”
“Nope, never.” I climbed out of the car and met him on the walkway, extending my hand to him. The place bustled with people, a telltale sign ASU was in session.
“Don’t worry, I put our name on the waitlist online.” He grabbed my hand and then stopped, slipping his hand from mine. “Uh, we should probably stop holding hands in public, don’t you think?” He flashed a placating grin. “We’re close to campus, and students are probably in there.”
I stared at him. So, holding hands in public was fine before we started hooking up, but not now? “Yeah, sure.” With my chest tensing, I opened the glass door for him. “After you.”
“Thanks.” He stepped inside, past a line of people at the hostess stand and spoke with a woman.
Planting my hands on my hips, I scanned the place. It looked new and clean, with black tables and chairs scattered along a greyish wood laminate floor in the modern farmhouse style that was so popular these days.
“Okay, I have a table.” Grey tapped my arm with the back of his hand and followed the hostess toward a booth along the wall.
Great, a booth. Normally I’d sit next to him, but now with him being so sensitive about our optics, I should keep mydistance. As Grey slid onto the black bench seat, I dropped into a chair across from him.
Biting his lip, his gaze raked over me. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I picked up my menu and skimmed it. “Damn, you can get fried chicken and waffles here.” Why hadn’t I known about this place?
“See? I picked a suitable spot.” He leaned back as our server stopped at the table, and we both ordered mimosas. “Malik, I’m sorry for not holding your hand and not behaving…well, how we used to. But we should tone that shit down in public, don’t you think? What if someone here knows who we are?”
With my brows flicking up, I set my menu down and focused on him. “Grey, do you know how many photos there are of us on Instagram being affectionate?” All someone would have to do is look at either of our profiles.
His gaze widened. “Shit, I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe we should delete?—”
“Fuck no. I’m not doing that.” Tex’s words rang in my ears. With heat swelling my chest, I jabbed my index finger on the table and said, “Don’t you think it’ll look odder if we don’t continue to behave the way we always have? Don’t you think whoever the fuck’s been watching our IG profiles will think something’s up then?” I scoffed as the server set our drinks on the table.
As his brows furrowed, his lips parted. “I-I don’t know.” Dipping his head, he glared at his menu and ordered a lobster omelette.
With a huff, I ordered the fried chicken waffles. Fuck it, I’d probably have enough left over to take home for later.
When the server walked off with our menus under her arm, his gaze rose to mine. “I’m sorry, Malik. Can I meet you halfway?” He patted the bench seat beside him. “Come here and sit next to me.”
With a smirk, I rose and glided in next to him while he slid my drink toward me. I’d won this battle. But how many more were to come?
“Are you happy now?” He rested his bare thigh against mine and shifted closer to my side.
“Yes.” I sipped my drink, the cool bubbles mixing with the tang of the orange juice. “We’ll become known for our bromance when we play games. Hiding it will prove impossible.”