Page 47 of Grounding the Baker
They parked up in the town centre, and Austin jumped out of the truck, not giving Liam a chance to get his seatbelt off before the door was opened for him. The whole gentleman bit might be old-fashioned and cliché, but he’d never experienced it before, so he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. Once they were both wrapped up and the truck was locked, he followed Austin onto the high street. It was busier than Heartwood, but would be like a ghost towncompared to London. How had he lived there for ten years? It hadn’t even been three months, and he couldn’t imagine ever living there again. When he’d had to stay there to sort out his work stuff, he’d felt suffocated.
“Have you ever lived in a city?” asked Liam.
“No. Always been a small-town boy. Why?”
“I’m just wondering how I lived in the London hustle for ten years when this feels busy to me now,” he said, gesturing to the high street.
Austin frowned. “Are you okay being here?”
“Of course. Like you said, it’s good not to have an audience.”
Austin smiled. “Here we are!”
They’d stopped outside The Hushed Chicken. The place had a Michelin star. Liam was speechless. He’d always wanted to come here, and it was somewhere he’d planned to bring his mum to for her birthday in June. He couldn’t stop his eyes watering.
“Hey,” said Austin, holding his shoulders and pulling him close. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m good.”
“I only ask one thing of my partners, Liam. They need to always be honest with me.”
“I don’t want to put a damper on the evening.”
“Well, if you don’t tell me, then I’ll spend all night worrying that I’ve upset you.”
“I was planning to bring Mum here for her next birthday.”
Austin’s face showed overwhelming compassion. “We can go somewhere else...”
“No. I’ve always wanted to come here, and I can’t think of anyone better to do that with than you.”
Austin smiled. “I was going to wait until the end of ourdate, but I really want to kiss you now, Liam. Can I kiss you?”
Liam felt himself get choked up, and his eyes watered again, but he couldn’t nod his head quick enough. Austin put his hand behind Liam’s neck and pulled him forward. Their lips met, tentatively at first. Liam wasn’t expecting Austin’s beard to feel so soft against his skin, but his lips were even softer. Liam felt Austin’s tongue tease his lips, and he used his hand to pull Austin closer by the hip. When their tongues connected, he was positive he heard fireworks. He’d never been kissed like this before. His hips involuntarily thrust against Austin. He was hard as well. In fact, that couldn’t be his dick. Whatever it was, it was enormous, so it had to be his phone or something. Austin was the one to pull away, but he was smiling.
“That was even better than I’d hoped it would be. Now, let’s go inside and stop giving everyone a show.”
Liam looked around and saw there were people milling around them, going about their evening. A few flashed knowing smiles at them both. Thankfully, Roseville was just as inclusive as Heartwood, so it wouldn’t have been the first time they’d seen two men snogging on the high street.
He couldn’t help but lick his lips, to savour the taste of Austin a bit more. Liam wasn’t sure what it was, but it was both sweet and masculine. It was... everything. Austin was looking at his lips. The heat in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Shall we go in, then?” asked Liam.
“Yes.”
Austin smiled before taking hold of Liam’s hand and walking them into the restaurant – swoon! Liam had read a gazillion romance novels, so his fantasy expectations could be a little high, but Austin was superseding all of Liam’sbook boyfriends with this first date, and they hadn’t even eaten yet.
The restaurant was clearly at capacity, yet it didn’t feel crowded or noisy. Their table almost felt private, even though there were other couples only a few feet away. The place had a posh gastro-pub vibe to it, which was a description Liam would keep to himself. The low light would make it a challenge to read the menu, but he’d manage without embarrassing Austin. It wasn’t like he’d never eaten at expensive restaurants in London, especially with some of his clients. He’d never done something like this on a date, though, and he felt a bit out of sorts, like he didn’t belong here.
“We’re having the chef’s tasting menu. It’s called fields and fireplaces,” said Austin.
Liam couldn’t help but snort and tried to cover it with a cough. Austin grinned at him and gave a wink, which was humorous and hot at the same time. He’d had a tasting menu before, which was usually delicious but always took ages. That would mean a long wait before he got to kiss Austin again. Thinking of that kiss made his body tingle. He’d never had such a perfect kiss in his life. It felt commanding, yet gentle and caring. How the man did all those things at once was a mystery, and he suspected Austin would be the same in the bedroom. Whatever had pressed against him couldn’t have been his cock. It had felt like another limb. No, he had to believe it was something else. If he didn’t, he'd probably combust with needy horniness before they’d finished dessert.
They spent the first ten minutes just talking about Austin’s customer drama he’d had to deal with, and what Maisie had been up to when Liam looked after her. That little girl was amazing, and why wouldn’t she be withAustin as her dad. Her mum must have been something special as well. As Austin was driving, they both went with soft drinks– well, posh virgin cocktails.
“This is your amuse-bouche,” said the server. “A walk through the hedgerows. You have wild blackberry gel, whipped goat’s curd, a toasted hazelnut crumb, and a single thyme blossom. Enjoy, gentlemen.”
Liam suppressed a grin, but Austin had a twinkle in his eye as well. To be fair, it tasted delicious, but in two small bites it was gone. The flavour was sharp and sweet, which worked really well. The chef obviously knew what he was doing.
