by Ann Grech
“Hmm, yeah, I’m awake. What’s wrong?” she rambled as she roused, sitting up.
“Shh, it’s okay. Nothing’s wrong.” He reached out and took her hand as she looked around wide-eyed. “I got a fright when I woke up,” Connor soothed, trying to play down the jackhammering of his heart and the reason why he’d practically thrown her out of bed.
“What time is it?” Levi mumbled from behind him.
“Oh, shit,” Katy breathed. “We’re late, Lee. You’ve gotta get outta here in twenty minutes, and I should already be at the shop. I’ve got a cake being picked up this morning, and I still need to do the finishing touches to it.”
Connor tossed off the sheet and stood as Katy and Levi dashed out of the room to get ready, relieved they weren’t going to stick around to dissect the clusterfuck of his nightmare and earlier flashback. “I’ll get coffee on,” he called out, walking to his bag to get fresh underwear. He didn’t expect Katy to stick her head back in, and when she did, she copped an eyeful.
“Oh, um, thanks, boo. Coffee’d be great. Um,” she stuttered, still staring at his semi-hard, pierced cock, “help yourself to whatever you….”
Connor laughed self-consciously, kind of flattered that Katy had lost track of what she was saying. “Cupcake, eyes up here.” He pointed to his face. Her shock from hearing him and the deep blush staining her cheeks a rosy pink, made him laugh harder as he bent and rifled through his bag to find his last pair of clean underwear. Holding them against his groin, he watched her with interest. His skin pricked with awareness, her eyes on him setting every one of his nerve endings alight. Desire curled low in his gut. He tried to fight it, but the flush on Katy’s cheeks had him wondering what other parts of her would grow pink when she was embarrassed or better yet, turned on. Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Katy ploughed on, trying desperately to save the conversation.
“I don’t know what time I’ll be finished. Do you want my car? You’ll be stuck here. I don’t want you to be stuck here.” And her rambling was cute.
“I’m fine. I’ll Uber to my tattoo guy and back.” Checking the time on the alarm clock next to the bed had Connor moving. Levi was going to be late, and Katy already was. If they wanted coffee, he needed to get dressed.
Katy paused, waiting in the doorway as he slipped on the tight boxer shorts. Connor knew she wanted to say something more, but she was hesitating. Did he make her uncomfortable? Should he be sleeping with clothes on? Maybe he should, especially while he was bunking there.
“You have a Prince Albert.” Her words were quiet, filled with surprise. “I didn’t know you were pierced.”
Connor gave her a lopsided smirk, trying to ease any discomfort she had around him. “Only the girls I’ve slept with know that.”
“That’s probably a long list. It’s not exactly top secret information.”
“It’s not as long as you think, Cupcake. I don’t exactly get around much.” He wasn’t defensive—never defensive with Katy—but he was a little sad. The truth was he hadn’t even kissed a woman in a year.
She could read him well. But instead of pity at his sadness, she opted for humour, salaciously wiggling her eyebrows as she said, “Well, I know your secret now.” He loved that about her—her playfulness never failed to make him smile.
“One of them.” He shrugged, feigning a casual air and concentrating on willing down the thickening of his shaft. Despite how damn inappropriate it was, his dick enjoyed the attention. It was nice to have a little for a change, even if it went with a healthy dose of guilt for even speaking with his best friend’s girl about his cock.
“One? There’s more?”
“Two others.” Connor ground his teeth together, willing his dick down. If they kept this conversation up any longer, he’d be sporting a boner that he couldn’t hide behind his underwear. Almost desperate to get her out of there without making either of them any more uncomfortable, Connor cut the conversation short. “But we’ll have to talk about those another time. You’re late.” Katy nodded, smiled and sprinted away, giving Connor a chance to breathe. He sat on the end of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. The last twenty-four hours, hell the last hour, had been surreal, like he was living in the twilight zone. A sexed up one at that. Both Levi and Katy had thrown him. He was kind of glad Levi hadn’t woken up to find himself rubbing off against Connor. He could handle it, but he wasn’t sure whether Levi could. And knowing his best friend had Connor’s taste on his lips, that Levi had sunk his teeth into Connor’s muscle? Connor shivered. That bite was hot as fuck, but what the hell? Why am I even thinking that? And then Katy checking him out? Her eyes were like velvet sliding over his skin. Decadent and taboo. Connor adjusted himself and took in a breath. Yeah, his head was spinning; he was overwhelmed.
Levi
“That’s a wrap, everyone,” Sam called out. Levi rubbed the towel over his face, wiping away the sweat from his brow, before stretching his tired arms above his head. He’d been filming at Village Roadshow’s studios that day, in front of the green screen. Wearing a Lycra body suit and enough sensors to detect the slightest muscle twitch, Levi was literally a science experiment for the day. They were filming a series on how muscles reacted to stimuli—he was demonstrating the effect of exercise on the body.
The show, Challenge Accepted, was aimed at young teens to change perceptions of body image, encourage physical activity and steer them away from drugs and alcohol consumption—all things Levi was passionate about. He was the host, the face of the show, and most of the time the guy who put his body on the line to accept the daily challenge. Every activity they filmed was in controlled conditions, minimizing any risks, but it didn’t reduce the physicality of his job. And that’s what he loved about it—the rush. He wasn’t just some personal trainer turned TV host. He was out there jumping out of planes, swimming with sharks, abseiling and whatever else DJ, his location manager, could think of to challenge Levi with. Whatever it was, it was usually a blast.
Levi pulled the last of the sensors off his skin, wincing at the tug on the hair of his inner thigh and pulled on his shorts and tee. “Thanks, Sam. Lemme know if you wanna re-shoot that last segment.” Levi shook his head. What a nightmare. His guest host wouldn’t stick to the script, kept adding in extra lines, and when Levi was cued in to speak, would talk over him. “I can come in anytime if you need me.”
“I think we’ll be right once it goes through editing. We can tidy up quite a bit of it. I think we’ll be able to use enough to get this segment wrapped up.”
The vibration in his back pocket had Levi holding up his index finger to Sam, asking him to wait a minute. He didn’t recognize the number of the person calling, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. In his line of work, he often had friends of friends calling asking him for advice. “Hello.”
“G’day, mate, it’s me.” Connor’s deep voice resonated through the phone and Levi smiled. His friend was settling in, and it pleased Levi to no end. “This is my new number.”
“Okay, cool. Whatcha up to?” Sam motioned to Levi in the direction of the staff car park. He nodded and followed, walking side by side between two of the tall industrial-looking steel sheds. Giant numbers were painted on the side of each building, a nine on the one closest to him. It was the largest sound stage in Village Roadshow’s studio—the southern hemisphere in fact—and already had an impressive résumé of blockbuster films in its first year of operation.
Their shoes crunching on the loose gravel lining part of the asphalt road, Levi enjoyed being outdoors for the first time that day. The late afternoon sun shone down on them, the slight breeze cooling down the muggy weather. It’d probably rain later that night. It was steamy.
Connor replied to Levi’s question, saying, “I’ve picked up my rental. It’s as bad as your piece of shit.” Levi could just picture the smirk on Connor’s face as he rolled his eyes. “I got my phone and just finished getting my tat. Now I’m hungry. Wanna get some food?”
&nbs
p; Levi looked at his watch. “Katy should be finished soon too. Was planning on going past her shop on my way home. We can pick her up and grab a pizza down the beach if you like?”
“No worries, I’ll meet you there,” Connor replied happily. The line clicked off and Levi smiled.
“I’d say that smile was for Katy, but….” Sam trailed off.
“It was Con, my best mate. He’s finally home for good.”
“He’s the one who was serving in the Middle East, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Levi couldn’t help but smile again. He’d done a lot of that during filming too. What wasn’t there to be happy about? Of course, he was a little confused if his reaction that morning was anything to go by. But he was wholeheartedly choosing to ignore the niggling in his gut that there had been some kind of fundamental shift in him. Things that he’d been trying to deny for a long-arsed time had seemed to click into place the night before with an ease that scared him. There were parts about himself he wasn’t sure he wanted to give voice to yet, or ever. Things that would, no doubt, affect a lot more people than just him.
He pulled his car into the small strip of shops housing Delectable, Katy’s cake shop and bakery. She’d started the little shop three years ago, and it’d grown in leaps and bounds since then. Learning her art from the best pastry chefs in the south-east, she quickly found her passion. It wasn’t luck that’d made her such a roaring success. No, it was the hours she spent labouring away, perfecting each element of every cake she’d ever made. It didn’t take long for her reputation to grow, leap-frogging her to the number one wedding cake bakery on the Gold Coast. And while she was working on growing that aspect of Delectable, she and Dylan, her new pastry chef, had managed to addict every person within a ten-minute drive of the shop to their delicate sweet tarts and cakes, and complex flavour combinations of the specialty macaroons they baked.
The building housing Katy’s shop wasn’t anything special, pretty nondescript actually—a single-storey, deep-red brick structure with white awnings. The handcrafted signs adorning those awnings and random collection of businesses somehow gave the centre a quirky character and irresistible charm. Who would have thought that a bottle-o, newsagent, a boutique dress store, antique furniture and Delectable would work? Katy had known it was the right spot the moment she’d seen it. And it hadn’t let her down.
Unlocking the door to Delectable was like entering gustatory heaven. The cakes Katy baked were always to die for and the shop smelled just like her: sweet, with hints of vanilla and chocolate. Levi crossed the consultation area on his way to Katy’s work area. The candy-striper feel to the waiting room was perfect for the shop. Decorated with light and dark pink satin striped wallpaper, the walls contrasted against the black couch and silver floor rug. The soft light from the understated chandelier and warm oak flooring gave the room some class. He loved it there. It was totally Katy, totally her work—feminine, bold, sexy, and sophisticated.
He paused to admire the latest mock cake before the window. The four tiers covered with preservative-laced icing was designed to look like it was draped in silver satin. Tiny roses, so intricate in their detail, ran along the base of each tier, each one a piece of art in itself. Love flooded his chest, leaving a warm tingly feeling in its wake. His girl had achieved her dream, and he was damn proud of everything she’d done. The awards, thank-you letters, and photos hanging on one of the walls showed just how much her hard work had paid off.
Levi headed to the back of the store, letting himself in through the pin-code protected door to see Katy. Unlike the consultation area, the kitchen she spent most of her time in was monotone—gleaming floor-to-ceiling stainless steel. Katy stood along a stretch of bench working on a partially completed cake which sat on a small trolley, her pastry tools on the only part of the workspace which hadn’t been cleaned yet. Her eyes flicked up to his, and they held, Katy flashing him a grin before she turned her attention back to her project. Levi paused to admire her in her element, watching as she smoothed out a fold in the icing. The latest masterpiece she was working on was coming along. The sketch pinned to the wall showed him what the final design would look like—a champagne-coloured round hat box covered in a bow almost the same size as the cake. There was another sketch showing the detail on the brooch—silver antique filigree and pearl—pinned to the centre of the bow. Once finished, the walls of the cake would be covered in what looked like lace and crystals, which he knew from experience would be delicately sweet and crunchy.
He couldn’t resist going to her then. Wrapping his arms around Katy’s waist from behind, he kissed her temple. “You know, every time I pass through the front of the shop, I wanna tell you just how amazing you are.”
“Feel free to. Can’t hurt the ego.” She leaned into his touch and tilted her head back to meet his lips in a soft kiss, never losing the goofy smile she wore.
“You are, you know? Amazing.” Levi brought a hand up to her face and ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Looking into her bright blue eyes, he marvelled at how perfect she was. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Katy smiled, and his brain melted. She was beautiful. Tiny and feisty, crazy talented and, although a little piece of him wanted to beat his chest and growl mine, the truth was, he was hers.
“Have a good day?” he asked, resting his hands on her hips.
“It was good. The two cakes for this Saturday’s weddings were delivered okay. This one is for Sunday afternoon, so I’ve got a little time up my sleeve to finish it off.” She dropped the tiny spatula she was working with and stretched out the kinks in her neck.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Levi smiled and nipped the exposed skin on her throat, licking away the sting. “Was thinking we’re about due to have a day at the beach.”
Katy hummed contentedly. “I’d love that. Have you asked Connor yet?”
“No, he hasn’t.” Connor’s voice startled both of them as he leaned over the counter where the register was. When did he get here? “But I’d love to come, unless I’m gate crashing.” Levi may have been surprised, but the spark of… something—excitement, happiness, heck who knew—from seeing Connor surprised Levi more. Ignoring it, he smiled.
Connor motioned around the shop. “Can I take a walk around?”
“Sure, I’ll give you a tour.” Katy smiled again, glowing with happiness as she moved to the door Levi had just entered through. Levi loved seeing her like that—radiant, excited about finally having Connor see her business after all the renovations. It was a strange sense of satisfaction that he got knowing it was Connor’s return, not him that had done it. How screwed up is that?
“This place is amazing, Cupcake.” The wonder in Connor’s tone as he surveyed the space was exactly the same as Levi’s reaction every time he walked through. “The refurb looks great.”
Levi smiled as Katy took Con’s hand and led him around, giving him the story of how the expansion came to be. Her cousin Nick fronted up the money. She’d be able to pay him back in a few months when she turned twenty-five and came into her trust fund, but Nick wouldn’t insist on it—he had seen something in her when she’d confessed her dream to do wedding cakes full time. So he’d stepped in and given her the push to break out on her own. Katy had worked hard to prove his instinct right by building the business, taking on Dylan so he could bake the everyday line of sweets, and Ashton, the budding pro-surfer, to work the checkout.
They re-entered the kitchen and Levi was still smiling. It turned into a laugh when Connor’s belly rumbled loudly. He flushed red and smiled at them sheepishly. “Sorry, haven’t eaten much today.”
“Here, take one of these. They’re good.” Katy tossed him one of the last two muffins. “It’s banana and oat bran, no added sugar.” Katy moved over to the trolley and wheeled it into the cold room. “I’m just about done here. Gimme five to clean up and we can go and get dinner.”
“Can I have the other muffin?” Levi called out to her retreating form
.
“Help yourself. It’s blueberry.”
After shucking her chef’s whites in the office—which doubled as a change room—Katy walked out wearing jean shorts, her unlaced steel capped boots, and a tight red tank. Levi took his time admiring her curves. She pulled off hot and sexy effortlessly, and his cock responded. Adjusting himself discreetly, he shot his gaze to Connor and saw the same pained look of desire he knew he was wearing. At least Lee wasn’t the only one who was powerless to resist her. Why it didn’t bother him that another man was so openly adoring his girlfriend was something Levi would have to return to another time.
“So whose car are we taking?” Katy asked, completely clueless at the state she had both of them in.
“Con can drive,” Levi volunteered. He couldn’t think straight with no blood in his brain, and he was at the point of being so hard he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to walk, never mind drive.
“Ah, yeah sure,” Con hesitated, before turning on his heel and quickly walking out.
Katy
Levi adjusting himself and Con looking like he was about to swallow his tongue had Katy reconsidering her getup. She’d thrown them into her bag that morning not realizing that it’d have that kind of effect. She wasn’t close to being naked, but their eyes on her caressed her like she was. Was it bad that she was enjoying it? That these two men—who were damn beautiful—thought she was sexy enough to capture and keep their attention? Even though from what Con had said, he hadn’t seen much action in a while. That needed to change. He deserved happiness and love and someone to fall head over heels for him. Maybe I should set him up… but with who? Who would be worthy of him? Who would treat him like their everything?