He frowned, his eyes cruising down my face to my chest. Then, like someone had tossed water on him, his gaze jerked back up. “I’m Zorro.”
“Not with your mask off, buddy,” I said. I’d been drinking and felt fairly toasty. Too much so to drive, but since Cyrus and I had gone as friend-zone dates, he drove. I couldn’t imagine he’d ever drink enough to get drunk. At least not silly fun drunk. He was too in control for that. Pity, it would be fun to see.
I opened the door and started inside to the stairs. “You coming Zorro or not?”
He followed me, shutting the door behind him. I often had a secret fantasy that he’d come to my place, we’d talk, and then he’d ravish me. He often came to my place, but usually it was the shop for coffee and a cupcake. And he never ravished me. Hence, the attempt to attract another man.
Up the stairs, I opened my apartment door and let him in. Cyrus was huge and my apartment was small, so it always felt like he was everywhere the few times he’d been up to my place.
“Wine, beer or something stronger?” I asked him as he made his way to the couch.
“Beer is good.”
I got us both a beer, popped the tops and brought them to the couch. I sat next to him, taking the heels that were killing my toes, and tucking my feet under me. I clicked my bottle with his.
He pointed at me with his beer bottle. “What’s with the witch outfit? I thought you were going as a cartoon character or something?”
“I was but then decided on sexy witch.” I grinned. “I think I pulled it off. Do you?”
His jaw clenched as he sipped his beer. “It’s nice.”
I frowned and tried not to be hurt. I looked down at the cleavage of the girls. Sensual without being skanky, or so I thought.
“Lyle Simmons and Jacob Donner thought it was more than nice.”
His dark eyes cut to me. “Is that what you want? Those two fuckwits to be nice to you?”
My brows shot up. He wasn’t wrong about Lyle and Jacob. They weren’t at the top of the gene pool, and Lyle was a bit of a pervert
, but they were nice. I wasn’t interested in them as dating material, but it was nice to be noticed.
“Careful Zorro, I might think you were jealous,” I teased, because come on. Cyrus was all beefcake and broody sexy man, with sweetness hidden deep inside. Guys like him choose women who were at least five inches taller and twenty pounds thinner than me.
He looked away and drank his beer.
“So, the witch is in session. What’s on Don Diego’s mind?” I asked knowing there was something going on with him.
He sighed and shrugged, then took another sip of his beer.
“Seriously Cyrus. You’ve been out of it all evening. Since you picked me up. Did something happen?”
He sat playing with his beer bottle. “Just some concerns about my mom.”
“Oh? Is something wrong?” A part of me thought he’d just said that to give me some excuse. But I went with it.
“I don't know. She just sounds off. Tired. Run down.”
“Maybe she’s working a lot.”
“Maybe.” He sipped his drink again glancing at me as he did. Cyrus was hard to read at the best of times, but now he was a true enigma.
He set his bottle down on the table next to the couch and laid his head back to rub his temples.
I frowned. “Maybe you should go visit her if you’re this worried?” Wanting to help, I rose on my knees next to him and reached my hands over to rub his temples.
He jerked slightly as he lifted his head. I leaned back slightly, but kept massaging his temples.
“Petal.”