“I know what dinner is…”
During this little back-and-forth, Reese had gotten to his feet, held out his hand.
Only because he offered, Brantley shook it, holding on for a second longer than was probably appropriate.
“Good to see you again,” Reese stated, taking his hand back.
Most definitely, but not for reasons Reese was likely thinking.
“Any reason you failed to mention you had dinner with Brantley last night?” JJ asked Reese.
“Not last night,” Brantley corrected. “Monday.”
“Oh, ’cause that helps.” JJ huffed, staring at Reese before her gaze shot to Brantley. “You coulda called, dished.”
“Nothin’ to dish about. Two guys sharin’ a table rather than eatin’ alone,” Brantley explained.
“Yeah, right.”
“It’s true.” Reese’s smile was sexy, even if it was directed at JJ and not him. “Completely harmless.”
Yes, harmless. Such a shame.
“Sorry, I guess the time got away from us,” JJ said by way of apology, obviously realizing she was getting nowhere with this topic.
“I’m a few minutes early,” he admitted. “I’ll just wait.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said quickly. “Sit. Please.”
Though he considered rejecting the offer, Brantley found himself pulling out a chair, easing down into it. He glanced between the two, wondering if this breakfast was their way of parting ways after a night rolling around. Funny that he found himself a tad jealous. Not of Reese. No, he was jealous of JJ for having an opportunity he would never have.
Kinda pathetic, he knew, but he didn’t give a shit. It had been a damn long time since he’d had this sort of reaction to a man. Yeah, he knew Reese Tavoularis was straight. So fucking what? Didn’t diminish the erotic fantasies a bit.
Reese waved the waitress over, then passed her his credit card before she even got the check out of her pocket.
“Add on whatever he’s havin’,” Reese said.
The waitress glanced at Brantley. He gave her a quick wink and a subtle shake of his head. “Just a cup of coffee, thanks.”
Before she left, the waitress gave Reese a good once-over. Seemed to be an epidemic and Brantley certainly wasn’t immune to it.
“Who paid for dinner the other night?” JJ asked when the three of them were alone.
Brantley frowned, trying to catch up. “What?”
“Dinner. You know, the meal at the end of the day? Who paid?”
“I did.” Not that he understood why that mattered.
“Hmm.”
“No hmm. Just two—”
“Oh, yeah. I heard you. Two guys sharin’ a table, blah, blah, blah.” Her attention turned to Reese. “Are you headin’ to work from here?”
“Yep.” He glanced at his watch. “’Bout that time.”
Brantley had intended to sit quietly, but curiosity got the better of him. “You work for Travis at the resort?”
“No. Walker Demo.”
Why that made him feel better, he wasn’t sure, but he played it off. “Ah.” He nodded, sat back. “Gotcha.”
Reese glanced between him and JJ, clearly not sure what to say. But Brantley could see the curiosity in his gaze. He wanted to know if Brantley had been lying about her being just a friend.
“Don’t worry,” Brantley offered. “Not here to poach. Like you assumed the other night, you’re more my type than she is.”
To his surprise, Reese didn’t balk at the statement. Instead, he offered a smile. “Is that what I did? Assume?”
Brantley grinned. “If I recall, you’re the one who blurted you weren’t gay.”
He was aware of JJ following their banter with keen interest. Thankfully, it was cut off when the waitress returned with Reese’s credit card. Once he’d scribbled his name on the receipt, he set the pen down, smiled at JJ.
“Thanks for joinin’ me,” he said, as though he didn’t care that Brantley was sitting there with them.
“No problem. Thanks for buyin’.”
“Maybe we could do this again sometime.”
JJ smiled. “Maybe.”
Reese looked back at him. “Good to see you again, Brantley.”
“Likewise.”
To avoid appearing too interested, Brantley didn’t turn to follow him as he moved toward the door, although he wanted to. Badly.
JJ, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as subtle. Her gaze steadily followed Reese as he made his exit. When she peered back at him, her cheeks were pink and there was a brilliant smile on her face.
“Sorry,” he told her again. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t,” she said easily. “Honestly.”
“So you’re tellin’ me that glassy-eyed look isn’t his doin’?”
JJ’s eyes widened. “Oh, God, no.” She glanced over her shoulder, back. “You thought…?” A soft chuckle escaped. “Definitely not like that.”
“And why not?”
“Well, for one, he’s a baby.”
Brantley frowned.
“He’s thirty, Brantley.”
He barked a laugh, couldn’t help it. “In my book, that makes him eligible.”
Another blush infused her cheeks. “Trust me when I tell you, I have no interest in him like that. He’s six years younger than me. Far too young.”
Brantley nodded his thanks to the waitress who delivered his coffee. He picked up the cup, sipped. “Well, I can tell you, he’s not too young for me.”
“And up until you walked up, I would’ve told you you didn’t stand a chance,” she said with a grin.
