Page 44 of Mouth to Mouth

Well shit. Luca hadn’t expected that. “Dinner? Just you and me.”

Brad gave him a small smile. “I had a really good time with you last night.”

What the fuck? Luca nodded. Last night had been perfect. Which was why he didn’t want to hear Brad tell him that it couldn’t happen again. Luca knew it couldn’t, but let a boy have his dream for more than twelve hours.

“I’d like to share a few things with you. It might explain some of my…actions. No pressure. I understand if you just want to go back to how things were.”

Did that mean Brad didn’t? “I could do dinner.” Luca really hoped he didn’t regret this decision.

“Yeah?” Brad’s bright blue eyes lit up. “Does seven work for you? I thought we could have dinner over at the Cantina then take a walk on the beach.”

That sounded all romantic and shit. “Sure. Seven works for me.”

Brad bounced up the stairs, placing a gentle kiss on Luca’s cheek before hurrying back. He was halfway down the staircase before he turned around. “I’ll see you tonight. Have a good day.”

“Uh yeah.” Luca pressed his fingers to the spot that Brad had kissed. Was this the same man that Luca had been snarking at for the past month? Well, no, it obviously wasn’t. It might be the man that had sat with him on the nursery floor, allowing Luca to climb all over him.

Shaking his head, Luca continued down the stairs.

When he entered the coffee shop, Luca was glad that the morning rush hadn’t hit quite yet. Dawson was moving around behind the counter, trying to get everything prepped.

Scott was there, taking the chairs stacked on the tables and putting them in place.

“Hey, man,” Luca greeted Scott. “Thanks for helping Dawson open.”

“No problem. I’ve helped James enough.”

“Well, your coffee is on me today,” Luca offered.

Scott grinned. “Thanks.”

Wait! Luca looked at Scott. The young man spent as much time in the coffee shop as the employees. Usually he had his head buried in a book at the back table, but he was around a lot. Part of the scenery. Part of the crew.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Scott asked with suspicion.

“Hey, Scott,” Luca said with a wide grin.

“Hey?”

“What are your plans for the summer?” Luca asked.

Scott shrugged. “I’ll be working on some research for next semester but not much more than that.”

“Are you interested in a part-time job?” Luca questioned.

“Me?” Scott pointed at himself. “Really?”

“If you want,” Luca said. “I’m not going to have James much longer since he’s almost done with his probationary period soon. Plus, summer is our busiest time. I’ve been putting off hiring someone since I hate to mess up the vibe we have going on. You already fit in with us. I’d totally work around whatever you needed to do for school. And no pressure.”

“No!” Scott shouted. “I mean yes! I want a job. I’ve been wanting a job.”

“You have?” Luca frowned. “I didn’t know that. Why hasn’t James said anything?”

Scott rolled his eyes. “Because neither of my brothers want me to work. They think I should spend all my time studying and nothing else.”

Luca moved closer. “I thought you liked school.” He really liked Scott. Had he been a shitty friend?

“I love school,” Scott drawled. “But that isn’t the only thing in my life. I’m the same age as James, seriously only a few minutes younger, yet everyone thinks of me as the baby.”