they batted their eyelashes at him. The older crowd, which began to trickle in just as Tally was tying his apron, had started to warm up to him too. Women in tracksuits with strollers and friends smiled at him, tentative but genuine, as he took their orders and chatted. Lex noticed that Tally had learned names, asked about their gardens or the dinner they’d made over the weekend. Made them feel like he cared. They guy was a natural. Lex supposed it was from all the years of waiting tables. It was fun to watch, all the same—all those prickly people turning slowly toward him. He knew from experience working at a similar shop in college, that it was hard enough to win over people who knew nothing about you. Tally was managing it with people who would’ve been happy to kick him in the knees a few short weeks before. Impressive.
But it was still hard to be in the shop with Tally. He was hard. Almost constantly. And that one little fact made Lex want to curl up and die. Every time they bumped up against each other, every time he heard Tally’s low flirtatious chuckle or smelled him or thought of how perfect it felt when Tally’s tongue slid up against his, up he went again. Jesus.
“Hey, Lex?” It took him a moment to realize Tally was talking to him.
“Oh, sorry, I was spacing.” There it was, that sexy chuckle that made his stomach all weak.
“Sherri wants a peppermint mocha, and I just noticed the peppermint syrup is empty.”
“Oh, I’m sure I have another one of those in the storeroom. I’ll be right back.”
Breathe, moron. He stood in the storeroom, peppermint syrup bottle squeezed tightly in his hand, willing his body to get over the reaction it always had to Tally. Why did he even bother? No matter how hard he concentrated, it just got stronger.
Lex was grateful when it was time for him to hit his office and do paperwork. Entering information into his accounting program had never been Lex’s idea of entertainment, but he was exhausted. Hours wanting to kiss Tally, wishing he could get right up against him and inhale as long as possible, had worn Lex out. Mind-numbing repetitive tasks were all he had the brain energy for.
He forced himself to concentrate on the work that honestly did need to get done. There was usually a stack of papers and invoices the size of a football field to be entered into his computer. It had gotten better since he had Tally to take over in the afternoon, but paper organization had never been Lex’s strong suit, and it was still something that would constantly need work. Lex started with the invoices, entering them methodically and making sure they were allocated to the correct accounts. When he’d just pulled out his stack of cash register receipts from the previous week, he was startled by a shout from the front room.
“Hey, Lex, Amy’s here. Should I send her back, or are you coming out?” Tally’s friendly call startled Lex out of the quiet trance he’d been in. As much as he hated doing the picky little accounting shit, it was probably the only thing that occupied his mind enough to push Tally out of it.
“Yeah, send her back,” he called and dropped the pile of papers he still needed to deal with back in their basket. Later….
“Hey, sweetie,” Amy chirped as she dropped into the only other chair in his office.
“Hey, Ames. What’s up today?”
“First of all, this latte is divine. Either you’re a master at training, or he’s just naturally gifted.”
“Lemme taste.” Lex held out his hand. What he’d already had of Tally’s was good but— ohhh . Heaven in a cup. “What is this?”
“I don’t know. He asked if I’d be the guinea pig for something he’d been working on.”
Lex had to know. “Tally, can you come back here?” he called.
A few seconds later a startled looking Tally stuck his head around the doorjamb. “Yeah?”
“What on earth did you put in here? It’s amazing.”
“Hold on.”
He came back after a minute or so holding a syrup
But it was still hard to be in the shop with Tally. He was hard. Almost constantly. And that one little fact made Lex want to curl up and die. Every time they bumped up against each other, every time he heard Tally’s low flirtatious chuckle or smelled him or thought of how perfect it felt when Tally’s tongue slid up against his, up he went again. Jesus.
“Hey, Lex?” It took him a moment to realize Tally was talking to him.
“Oh, sorry, I was spacing.” There it was, that sexy chuckle that made his stomach all weak.
“Sherri wants a peppermint mocha, and I just noticed the peppermint syrup is empty.”
“Oh, I’m sure I have another one of those in the storeroom. I’ll be right back.”
Breathe, moron. He stood in the storeroom, peppermint syrup bottle squeezed tightly in his hand, willing his body to get over the reaction it always had to Tally. Why did he even bother? No matter how hard he concentrated, it just got stronger.
Lex was grateful when it was time for him to hit his office and do paperwork. Entering information into his accounting program had never been Lex’s idea of entertainment, but he was exhausted. Hours wanting to kiss Tally, wishing he could get right up against him and inhale as long as possible, had worn Lex out. Mind-numbing repetitive tasks were all he had the brain energy for.
He forced himself to concentrate on the work that honestly did need to get done. There was usually a stack of papers and invoices the size of a football field to be entered into his computer. It had gotten better since he had Tally to take over in the afternoon, but paper organization had never been Lex’s strong suit, and it was still something that would constantly need work. Lex started with the invoices, entering them methodically and making sure they were allocated to the correct accounts. When he’d just pulled out his stack of cash register receipts from the previous week, he was startled by a shout from the front room.
“Hey, Lex, Amy’s here. Should I send her back, or are you coming out?” Tally’s friendly call startled Lex out of the quiet trance he’d been in. As much as he hated doing the picky little accounting shit, it was probably the only thing that occupied his mind enough to push Tally out of it.
“Yeah, send her back,” he called and dropped the pile of papers he still needed to deal with back in their basket. Later….
“Hey, sweetie,” Amy chirped as she dropped into the only other chair in his office.
“Hey, Ames. What’s up today?”
“First of all, this latte is divine. Either you’re a master at training, or he’s just naturally gifted.”
“Lemme taste.” Lex held out his hand. What he’d already had of Tally’s was good but— ohhh . Heaven in a cup. “What is this?”
“I don’t know. He asked if I’d be the guinea pig for something he’d been working on.”
Lex had to know. “Tally, can you come back here?” he called.
A few seconds later a startled looking Tally stuck his head around the doorjamb. “Yeah?”
“What on earth did you put in here? It’s amazing.”
“Hold on.”
He came back after a minute or so holding a syrup
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