After his morning routine, he dressed and headed into the kitchen. The mouthwatering scents of frying bacon and aromatic coffee had him all but floating into the kitchen, where he found Tom. His bright smile lit up the room, and it tugged at something inside Joe. What might it be like to wake up every morning to that smile?
“Morning, sunshine. Why don’t you have a seat?” Tom motioned over to the breakfast nook, and Joe happily obliged. No man had ever made him breakfast before. He certainly hadn’t expected the spread Tom laid before him: scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, hash browns, buttered toast, fluffy homemade pancakes with strawberry compote, maple syrup, coffee, and in a tiny blue vase, a flower from the garden. Breakfast smelled heavenly, but when Tom walked over and kissed him, Joe was floating high.
“You didn’t have to do all this,” Joe said, thanking Tom when he handed Joe a large mug of coffee. Joe took a sip and moaned. It was exactly the way he liked it: a little bit of milk and two sugars.
“I wanted to,” Tom replied with a wink. He took a seat across from Joe and poured himself some coffee. “You deserve to be pampered a little, Joe. You work so hard.”
Joe didn’t quite know what to say to that. He’d thrown himself into his work since opening the new café downstairs. It was smaller than the first one, and a little behind the times, but he’d worked day and night to turn it into what it was now. Maybe he didn’t have the money for renovations, but the café was doing exceptionally well. If he continued to save and maybe took a small risk, he could afford the renovations; start small. He didn’t know where the notion came from, but it didn’t seem as daunting as it once had.
Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a vacation. He didn’t know why he was thinking of these things now. He loved what he did, so time off wasn’t something he ever felt he needed. Then again, it had been a long time since he had anyone to enjoy a vacation with.
As they sat and had breakfast together, Joe couldn’t help but ask. “How are you doing, Tom?”
Tom glanced up from his coffee and paper. “How do you mean?”
Joe motioned around him. “Here. In general. I know this isn’t the most exciting life.”
“I beg to differ,” Tom replied with a naughty wink. “I’d say last night was pretty damn exciting. Good thing no one lives downstairs, or we might have had a few complaints about the noise.”
Joe’s face went up in flames, and he playfully kicked Tom under the table. “That’s not what I meant. Also, I’m not the one with the dirty mouth.” Thoughts of last night made Joe fidget in his seat. Tom had woken him up some time before dawn, ravishing Joe and driving him to the point of reckless abandonment. It was also when Joe discovered Tom’s penchant for dirty talk.
Tom wriggled his eyebrows. “And I know what to do with it. Admit it, you love my dirty mouth.”
“Oh for goodness sake. You’re incorrigible.” Joe was in serious danger of getting hard at the breakfast table. The man had no shame. He also wasn’t wrong.
Tom chuckled and put his paper down. He leaned in, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Can you blame me? The way you move is absolutely sinful, Mr. Applin. You keep that up and you’ll never get rid of me.”
Joe swallowed hard. If only. Joe had opened his mouth to reply when his cell phone buzzed. He checked it and sighed.
“The shop will be open in fifteen minutes. We should finish up. Thank you so much for making breakfast, and, um, for last night.”
Tom finished his coffee and stood. He leaned in and gave Joe’s cheek a kiss. “Believe me, it’s my pleasure.” He took Joe’s earlobe between his teeth, sending a shiver through Joe. “I think I might be hooked on the taste of you, Joe. I hope you’re prepared.”
Joe didn’t quite know what to do with himself. What would Bea do? Joe grimaced. It was far too early to be terrified. He turned his face and kissed Tom, surprising him. Tom was always the first to initiate an intimate moment. Maybe it was time for Joe to be a little bolder. He took hold of Tom’s face and kissed him deeply, then slipped a hand under Tom’s T-shirt to tweak a nipple, making Tom suck in a sharp breath.
“We’ll see who’s prepared,” Joe murmured, nipping at Tom’s stubbly jaw.
Tom groaned. “Looks like I’ll be spending the day thinking of all the terrible things I’m going to do to you tonight.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Joe purred, before getting up to clear the table. He’d never flirted so brazenly before. It felt… wonderful.