Page 20 of Tastes of Him

Sean rolled his eyes, and I rolled mine back. “It’s boring.”

“It’s science,” I hit back. “Science is never boring.”

The look he gave me said more than he could, and I laughed before handing him my phone.

“Fine. Find us something more upbeat and fun to listen to.” He took the phone quickly as if I might change my mind, and I shook my head in amusement. The breakfast we got to go had held us over until we got halfway to Denver and had to pull over to fill the truck back up and grab more coffee. The memory of Sean coming back to the car with a horrified expression on his face was hands down one of my favorite parts of the trip so far.

“Every surface in that bathroom was wet.”

His shiver of clear disgust had startled a huff of laughter from me until I went into the bathroom myself and saw just what he meant. I vowed not to stop again until we were safely in Denver, gas or piss be damned.

The sparkle of the sun on his skin as we made our way south with nothing but grassland on both sides threatened to destroy my focus. The soft smile on his face was damn near my undoing, and it was only the promise of a soft bed where I could stretch out with him by my side that kept my foot on the gas pedal.

It was after five when we finally hit Denver city limits, and I could feel myself relaxing at being in a larger city. As much as I tried to stay upbeat with Cameran and Sean, the drive had worried me slightly, though I had done lots of research before setting out. Spending a couple of days in a larger city before continuing the drive would be a nice change of pace.

“Oh. This is nice,” Sean said as we pulled up to the place we would be staying. It was quaint, and the reviews had been excellent.

“The breakfast is supposed to be amazing, and they use all local vendors.” I eased the truck around to the parking lot. When we stepped inside the building, Sean looked around with a smile on his face that was almost brighter than the sun itself when we had been on the road. We checked in quickly, both of us chuckling at the eclectic vibe of the place.

“This is weird, but I kind of really like it.” He ran a hand over the black wallpaper before dropping his duffle on the bed. “One bed again, huh?”

I shrugged. “I had originally planned to travel alone, remember? I can call down and see if there are any other rooms available with a second bed.”

Sean looked at me for a second before his lips curled up slowly in a smile that sent shivers down my spine. I wasn’t sure if they were good shivers or if I should beware, but either way, I was excited to find out.

“I think we’ll be fine with just the one.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Roderick

Idon’t know what I was expecting when it came to exploring the city with Sean, but it certainly wasn’t to be clutching my sides from the amount of laughter I let out. I had always enjoyed listening to him talk, but his running commentary on the people we walked by had me damn near on the ground.

“We should come back when it’s snowing,” Sean said as I followed him over to another storefront. He peered inside before shaking his head and walking on. We hadn’t bought anything, instead just wandering around and doing our fair share of people watching. The night was cool compared to how it probably was back home in Atlanta. “Can you imagine getting actual snow? That would be a trip.”

I chuckled. “Atlanta gets snow occasionally.”

“Yeah, but not like they do up here, I’m sure,” he countered. The grin on his face as he looked up at me was far more interesting to witness than any amount of people watching could be. “I don’t think I’d want to be out in it too much, but sitting around a fireplace with some hot chocolate sounds like the business.”

I had to admit that did sound pretty damn good, though I think that might’ve had more to do with the thought of sitting with him rather than the hot chocolate and fireplace alone. My phone beeped, and I pulled it out of my pocket.

“Looks like our reservation is about to come up,” I said. “We should head over to the restaurant so they don’t give our table away.”

It was tempting to reach out and thread my fingers through Sean’s, but I wasn’t sure how that would be taken. The kisses we’d traded last night and this morning went over well enough, but in the waning light of the evening sky, my doubts started to creep up.

What if he really just doesn’t want this? Want you?

It was a thought that had been simmering lately, especially when sharing a bed for a few days had amounted to nothing but a lack of sleep and frustrating mornings. I had been trying in vain to push them far away. Sean had never acted unfavorably to what he saw as me teasing but was really me putting out feelers about our potential.Feelers that were never reciprocated until last night.

“So, is the food at this place any good?” Sean asked as we walked back. The back of our hands brushed together, and before I could second-guess myself, I turned my hand, catching his. His palm was warm and fit perfectly in mine as I threaded our fingers together. I had expected something, some acknowledgment of what I had done. I almost expected him to pull away. Instead, his fingers curled around mine, holding me firmly.

I smiled down at my feet, ridiculously pleased by something so small. One part of me wanted to call myself pathetic, but the larger part that won out was the part of me that was deliriously happy. I continued walking in the direction of the restaurant as I described the menu and how I’d found out about the place.

“It’s not fancy or anything,” I said as we stepped inside and let the hostess know we were here. “But the food is supposed to be really good, and there’s a good mix of everything to try.”

Sean nodded. “Well, it’s a good thing we don’t need to dress up. You can take me somewhere fancy once I am back in the same state as my full wardrobe.”

My heart thumped hard as my mouth went dry. Did he mean what I thought he meant? Asking for us to have this moment together when on the road and not surrounded by anyone or our normal responsibilities was one thing. Asking for it to continue even when we got back to the ‘real world’ was completely different. I wanted it, but I needed to know where Sean stood.