Page 27 of Mouth to Mouth

“You did something,” Dawson argued. “And I bet his name was Brad.”

“I didn’t do Brad,” Luca corrected. “He just sort of… I mean he might have…”

The thing about Dawson was he was a good listener. Too good of a listener. And he knew how to wait Luca out. The patience of a damn saint.

Luca huffed.

“I don’t have all morning since I need to open the shop soon,” Dawson drawled.

“Breakfast?” Luca offered.

Dawson paled.

“Shit! Sorry.” Luca knew that Dawson didn’t eat after an episode. The chocolate milk was one of the few things that Dawson was able to tolerate. At least for a few hours.

“It’s fine.” Dawson waved his hand. “Make yourself something to eat while you tell me what you did.”

Luca rolled his eyes. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Mm-hmm.” Dawson watched Luca with those intense green eyes. They were still a little cloudy but much better than earlier.

“Or,” Luca responded, “we can pretend nothing happened at all.”

“Ha!” Dawson pointed at him. “Something did happen.”

“Shit! Fine.” Luca knew that he was going to get all kinds of shit for this. Since he could grab something on the way to the beach, Luca decided against cooking anything. The smell might get to Dawson and Luca didn’t want that. Instead he could just use Dawson as a sounding board. Maybe Dawson would have a better idea of what Luca should do.

Luca didn’t want to stop messing around with Brad. The older man was just so sexy. And kind of sweet when Luca wasn’t mouthing off to him. The problem was that Brad had made it perfectly clear that he would never be a Daddy again. Some asshole had ruined that for Brad. For Luca.

“I’m waiting,” Dawson said.

“Brad jacked me off in the rest tent yesterday,” Luca blurted out.

Dawson choked on his chocolate milk, nearly snorting it and ending up spewing it over the counter.

Slowly, Luca backed to the sink and reached behind him to grab the towel to toss it onto the mess.

His friend was glaring at Luca but he caught the towel and started to wipe up the spilled milk.

“You wanted to know,” Luca pointed out.

“I don’t want to know that!” Dawson argued. Then he sighed. “Tell me what happened from the beginning.”

Luca grinned. “Well there was this asshole⁠—”

* * *

Brad

He shouldn’t be here. Brad sighed before yanking open the door to the coffee shop. Instantly the scent of fresh coffee hit him and Brad breathed deep. The entire crew of the Surf City Fire Department met up before the early morning shift started. Brad was hopefully arriving before the rest of the crew. He needed to talk to Luca. Without the nosy-ass friends close by to overhear him and Luca. They needed to talk.

Striding into the shop, Brad shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

The barista, Dawson, glanced up at his entrance.

Brad didn’t see Luca. Maybe he wasn’t even working this morning. In fact, Brad should have thought this out better. Luca had made the semifinals of the surfing competition.

Dawson’s face turned red as he looked at Brad.