Free Wicked Hearts by Claire Thompson Page B

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    While Reese talked, Jeff tried not to stare at the hollow of his throat, remembering
    his scent and the taste of his skin. He tried not to recall moving his mouth and hands
    over Reese"s bared body, or taking his rigid, silk and steel shaft between his lips. He
    almost succeeding in blotting out the salty-sweet taste of Reese"s cum.
    He kept waiting for Reese to say something, anything, that would indicate he
    remembered they"d actually made love and spent a night together, but Reese kept his
    banter superficial. Had it meant nothing to this man? Was Jeff now supposed to forget it
    had ever happened?
    Unable to control himself a second longer, Jeff burst out, “So what the hell
    happened between us, Reese?”
    “Huh?” Reese looked nonplussed.
    “Saturday. Or have you already forgotten?” Reese"s expression darkened, though
    with anger or pain, Jeff couldn"t tell. He wished he could grab the words and stuff them
    back into his mouth. Damn, he"d promised himself he wouldn"t do this. Cool, calm and
    collected, not demanding explanations or promises of something more.
    “I haven"t forgotten,” Reese said softly. “You"re the one who left.”
    “You didn"t ask me to stay,” Jeff retorted with more force than he meant to.
    Reese lifted one eyebrow, his grin sardonic. “Did you want me to? Was that just a
    ploy then, saying you had work to do? Maybe you want to send me the script in
    advance next time, so I know my lines?”
    Flames licked Jeff"s face and he lifted his coffee mug to hide it. Next time. Did that
    mean there"d be a next time? Had he misread Reese yet again? Was he ever going to
    figure out what really lay beneath that confident, cool exterior? “No, that"s not what I
    m-m-meant.” Fuck. Jeff closed his eyes, taking in a slow, deep breath.
    He felt Reese"s hand slip over his, his touch firm and cool. He opened his eyes to
    find Reese"s gaze fixed on him. “Relax. I was just teasing you. Look, I had a great time
    with you. When I woke up and you were standing there saying you had to go, I wasn"t
    gonna force you to stay. That"s not my style.”
    The waitress arrived and Reese pulled his hand away and sat back. She set down a
    large platter heaped with thick slices of French toast sprinkled with powdered sugar,
    plump purple blueberries on top. She set a smaller plate piled with crisp bacon beside
    it.
    Jeff watched as Reese put butter and syrup on the French toast and then cut a large
    bite. The bagel Jeff had had four hours before was pretty much history, as far as his
    stomach was concerned, but he"d been too edgy to think of eating when they first sat
    down. Now his mouth was watering. He took a sip of his coffee, wondering if he should
    order something.

    “I"m never going to eat all this,” Reese said suddenly, as if reading his mind.
    “Would you mind taking some? We can use this butter dish.” He dumped the packets
    of butter into the bowl that held tiny cups of cream for the coffee. Without waiting for
    Jeff"s response, he slid a slice of the French toast onto the plate along with two pieces of
    the bacon.
    Pushing the plate across the table toward Jeff, Reese grinned and shrugged. “Sorry.
    I can"t stand to waste anything.”
    “Actually, that looked so good, I was thinking of ordering some myself.”
    They smiled at one another for a beat and then another. The tightness that had been
    in Jeff"s chest since he"d left Reese Saturday morning eased, at least a little. His heart
    picked up its pace, his cock stirring, the French toast forgotten.
    “So,” Reese said. “You busy tonight?”
    ~*~
    After the impromptu breakfast, Reese left Jeff at the office to make his round of
    calls. He drove along I-25, his mind in a fog. “What the fuck are you doing,
    Armstrong?” he said aloud. “You violated rule number one of the Armstrong code of
    relationships.” Rule number one was never to be the one to make initial contact after the
    first time having sex. He"d not only