“My mom, Alex, me.”
I’m going to strangle him!
“Cruz! Aunt Chloe sees almost everything. Stop embarrassing me. Don’t you need to get back to work?”
“In a bit.”
Robbie raises an eyebrow, clearly waiting for me to say more.
“My Aunt Chloe owns the store, Cruz and I work for her full time. We have another associate named Marlow. She and Cruz have night classes, so t
hat’s why I close most of the time.”
“Only for a few more weeks. Then my schedule changes.”
“What are you studying?”
“Business Management. I plan on going on to Law School when I’m done. I did the free spirit thing for a while. Went to community college and then took off to Europe for a year. When I returned and we finally got Ember moved, I went back part-time. Only a year left.” He winks at me and shoves pasta salad in his mouth.
He and Robbie talk more about Cruz’s trip to Europe as I listen happily. Robbie tells us about his best friend, Finn, just returning from Paris and the security work he did over there. Their conversation is light and laid-back, and a touch of envy rolls through me. Cruz is an open book and has such an easy time talking to people. If only I had inherited that trait.
Robbie looks between the two of us fondly and shifts closer to me in his seat.
“So did Ember tell you about her night of wild sex?” Cruz raises one eyebrow at me, and I feel the color drain from my face.
“Excuse me?” Robbie’s mouth goes tight, and something flashes. Is it jealousy?
“Let’s see, first we started with Pop my Cherry, then went to Sex on the Beach, Blow Jobs, and ended with a Screaming Orgasm.”
Lunch threatens to reappear, remembering all the shots. “You make it sound so dirty.”
“Oh, but Little Star, if done the right way, it can be soooo dirty.” He wiggles his eyebrows and grins.
Robbie starts to shake beside me. “No wonder you felt like shit. That’s quite a mix. And you did Fireball, too? Surprised you’re even out of bed,” he jokes, reaching over to rub my shoulder.
Cruz sees the small gesture and shoots me a knowing look. Then he ruins the moment.
“Alex took care of her. He made sure she had some Aleve before she passed out on top of him.”
The hand rubbing my shoulder stills, and his body jerks. He looks at me with a questioning glare. His arm moves back to his lap. Right as he starts to push back from the table, Cruz grins.
“From your reaction, I guess you don’t know Alex?” he questions Robbie.
“Not any of my business really.”
“No, I guess not, but to let you know, he’s my boyfriend.”
The empty bottle of water Robbie is holding falls to the table as he does a double take between us. His mouth hangs open. The astonished look on his face is hilarious.
“Don’t look so shocked, I know it’s hard to believe, seeing how good looking I am, but it’s true. Females have never really done anything for me,” Cruz says seriously, which sets off another round of giggles.
“Ahh, how I love the sound of that laughter.” Alex surprises us by walking in the kitchen. He looks at Robbie and stops suddenly, taking in the surroundings. His eyes squint, then he comes to me and kisses my cheek softly. “How you feeling?”
“Better now. Thanks for taking care of me last night.”
“Babe, anytime.” He stands back up and reaches out his hand to Robbie. “Alex Carson.”
“Robbie Hayes.”