Reese

“Thanks, Hank.”

“I know the circumstances are shitty, Mal, but I have to say, it’s good to have you back.”

* * *

“Hey, you ready?” I ask Blink, coming up behind him.

He spins around with a big grin on his face.

“You know, I’d almost managed to convince myself that I’d dreamed you up.”

“I’m real. Promise.” I laugh as I see Vega heading our way.

“Hey, do you mind if I tag along too? I’m starving,” he asks casually.

“I don’t mind if you don’t,” Blink says to me. I almost roll my eyes, knowing Vega probably planned this from the minute he heard we were going out. Casual, my ass.

“No, I don’t mind. Anywhere, in particular, you guys want to go?”

“I’m mostly eating clean while I’m training, but I’m open to suggestions,” Vega replies, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the door.

I look over my shoulder at Blink to see him frowning at our linked hands before his face clears, and he reaches out to snag my free one.

Okay, since when did these two become so touchy-feely?

“I’m a vegetarian. So as long as there is something on the menu without meat, I’m good.”

“I didn’t know that,” Vega says as if he’s shocked. God help the man if he ever finds out anything else about me. If that shocks him, everything else will give him a heart attack.

“I remember when you stopped eating meat. I thought it might be so you hit your target weight for weigh-in, but I didn’t realize it was a lifestyle change,” Blink adds as he pulls the door closed behind us.

“I felt better for it. I don’t know if it’s from the years of eating crap through my adolescent years or what, but meat doesn’t always agree with me.”

“What about sushi?” Blink suggests.

“Yum, that sounds really good.”

“Yeah, works for me too, and it’s close enough that we can walk,” Vega agrees.

I walk quietly, feeling small in between their hulking frames. They draw a lot of attention. Not just from the ladies we pass, who flick their hair and offer coy smiles. The men look at them with a glazed hero-worshipping look, or they glare as if they think Vega and Blink are going to run over and steal all their women.

We don’t talk until we get there. When Vega pulls open the door and I see how busy it is, I think we’ll get turned away. There is no way they’ll be able to squeeze us in. I’m surprised when a woman behind the bar spots us and makes a motion with her hand before pointing to an empty table at the back of the room.

Vega leads us through the crowd and slides into the curved booth, scooting down to make space for Blink and me.

I scoot in and find myself the filling in a beefcake sandwich. There are worse things to be, but the chemistry beating at me makes my palms sweat and my pussy pulse. At this rate, I’ll have to leave early just so I can get a little time to get myself off.

A young guy who looks like he’s still in high school takes our orders before returning briefly with a pitcher of water and three glasses.

“So,” Vega starts, but when I look at him, he says nothing else.

“What? What is it?”

“I’m just still trying to get my head around the fact that you’re back,” he admits, making Blink laugh.

“Same damn thing I said.”

“Look, I need to talk to you both about that, and well, a few things. But not here.”