Chaps & Cappuccinos

by A. J. Macey

  Don’t need to piss off Reid and Jesse during their volunteering.

  “Lunch, Babydoll?” King asked, his hand coming to my lower back as we walked. “Maybe we could hit that Italian restaurant. They have the best food in Elk Ridge.”

  “That one?” Pointing across the street, I gestured to Basilico Ristorante. The building looked older and worn, but the parking lot was packed even for the middle of the workday.

  “Yup. I remember you having a thing for pasta and lasagna,” he stated, leaning closer to brush a kiss on my temple. “And they have probably the best tiramisu I’ve ever had.”

  “Really? That’s good then because I don’t think I’ve ever had it,” I divulged, wrapping my arm around his waist as we walked. I could feel his gaze fall on me, studying the side of my face, the feeling of his eyes trailing over me making me grin.

  “Does that mean I get to feed you your dessert?” he murmured, his voice heating. A picture of him holding up a fork, a sexy smile on his lips as I ate the treat off of it popped into my head.

  Holy crap, who knew something so simple could be so… exciting.

  “I’d love that,” I whispered, finally looking up at him.

  “Good. Know what I love?” He changed the subject as we reached the door to the restaurant, curling around and pulling the glass door open as he talked.

  “Hmm, I don’t know. That could be a lot of things.”

  “Hello! Just the two of you today?” the hostess asked before Kingston could respond. Gathering menus and silverware, she led us through the crowded restaurant to a booth in the back corner. “Your server will be with you shortly.”

  “Thank you,” we both said, getting settled on opposite sides of the table.

  “The answer is you, Babydoll. I love you.” It was so small, yet the simple statement meant so much more.

  “I love you too, King.” My already smiling lips widened as I reached across the table and wrapped my fingers around his warm, calloused palm.

  “Hello and welcome to Basilico! My name’s Greg, and I’ll be your server today. Can I get you started with something to drink?” He was older, his graying hair cut short and his tanned skin wrinkled. He waited patiently, holding a pen over a small pad of paper.

  “Lemonade for me, please,” I ordered.

  “Same for me,” King echoed. With a parting nod, Greg stepped away from the table, leaving us alone again. “So, any ideas on what you want?”

  “You seem to know me pretty well because this lasagna looks delicious,” I teased, scanning the menu more. It all looked yummy, and the more I looked the more I wasn’t sure what to get. “Though, this alfredo looks enticing. Or this—”

  “How about I get one and you get another, and we can split them?” King offered. “I can honestly say I love everything on this menu, and since it’s your first time, I figured that way you can find a dish you love too. If you want.”

  “That sounds great.” I beamed, his thoughtfulness making me melt where I sat. Greg popped up at that same time with our glasses, pulling out his paper pad once more. Ordering didn’t take long, and soon enough it was just Kingston and me.

  “So,” he started, bracing his elbows onto the table and leaning forward, “how is my babydoll doing lately?”

  “Eh, not bad.” I shrugged, mimicking his position by leaning against the shiny tabletop. “Getting through the days with my mom even though it’s a struggle. Talking to my dad back in Cali a lot more, which is nice, and everything seems to be going well with Sam.”

  “And how are you feeling about school and stuff coming up?” It didn’t take much, the hint of concern in his words telling me what he hadn’t said out loud.

  How are you coping with knowing the trial against boat shoe Brad is coming up?

  “Meh,” I mumbled. “Still chugging along with that. It’ll be here before we know it, so I’m trying to pretend I don’t know that until it’s here. I’m sure your dad will want to have a couple meetings beforehand to go through everything again, so I’ll deal with those when they come. It’s going to suck hardcore, but I think it’ll be okay in the end. Until then, it’s in the back of my mind.”

  “I’m here for you, whatever you need. Okay?” King told me softly, my gaze falling to the table. Catching my attention by leaning down and peering up at me, King gave me a reassuring smile, the tiny curl to his lips helping ease the lead weight pressing down on my chest. “What about college or after graduation in a few months?”

  “I’m nervous since we don’t know yet if we got in or not, and I haven’t heard anything about the scholarships I put in for, though that’s not as much of a worry. Other than that unknown, I’m really excited. I think it’ll be fun, and a good start for Jesse… all of us, really. Get to leave all the crap behind. Just us and the future, you know?” I trailed off when I felt a burn bloom on my cheeks. “I don’t know if that ramble made any sense, sorry.”

  “Of course it did. I know Reid had brought up the other night about Jesse pursuing a career as an artist when he and I were doing homework and Jesse was volunteering. Said it was your idea.”

  “Uh… yeah, but I understand if that doesn’t really work financially or whatev—”

  “Shh, Babydoll, you don’t have to explain or anything. I think it’s a brilliant idea.” Kingston’s smile was soft and warm, his gaze twinkling as he looked at me. The sounds around us faded away as we talked and my heart squeezed, hope brimming at his words.

  “You do?” I questioned quietly.

  “Of course. I want Jesse to be able to do what he wants. Just like I do for Reid and you.”

  “So…” I started tentatively, feeling weightless and much more at ease with this direction of conversation. “You’re thinking about the future too?”

  “All of us are,” King told me, bringing our combined hands to his lips for a kiss. “There are only a few more months of senior year, and while we’re only eighteen… well, three of us are… that doesn’t mean we aren’t thinking about ‘what ifs’ with each other. I know I don’t have the relationship experience that Reid might or the experiences Jesse does, but I want this. With you. With all of us.” Leaning forward, Kingston shifted to reach me across the table. His kiss was gentle, but I could almost feel everything he wanted to convey in that single moment. When he pulled back, I could barely hold in the burn that pricked my eyes, the urge to cry building as I looked at his comforting smile.

  Home.

  That was what filled me when I thought about my boys, about the future here in the middle of nowhere. A home that I hadn’t been expecting or looking for, but one I’d found nonetheless.

  “Here we are! Lasagna and alfredo,” Greg interrupted, cutting off my emotional slew of thoughts. “Is there anything else I can get you? Any order in for a dessert for when you’re done or perhaps a coffee or refill?”

  “Coffee for me, please.” I knew that after I ate and indulged myself I was going to need caffeine to stay awake during the movie.

  “Hot or iced?” our server questioned, taking down my coffee order before writing down the order for tiramisu from Kingston. “I’ll be right back with your coffee, and I’ll bring out the tiramisu in a while when you’re ready.”

  “Thank you,” we both told him, chuckling at our echoed statements.

  “All right, what to try first… King, you pick,” I directed, my stomach growling at the delicious scents wafting from both plates. Spinning some up onto his fork, King picked up a bite of the alfredo and held it out for me to try. It might not have matched my fantasy perfectly, but the tingles that spread across my skin and built in my lower belly were no less tantalizing. The movement was almost sexual in nature as I wrapped my lips around the metal and slipped the food off. At that point, I wasn’t sure if the food was just that good or if the molten gaze he was giving me added to the taste, but a moan escaped me as I chewed.

  “I’m going to take that you like it?” he asked, pink patches growing on his cheeks as he spun another bit
e of pasta and ate it. “Mmm, that definitely is pretty delicious.”

  “Now for the lasagna,” I urged, letting myself get lost in our own little world. In my eyes, there was no one else in the restaurant, nothing but us and delicious food. Replicating what Kingston had done, I scooped up a bit of food and held it out for him to eat. Watching him eat from my silverware was almost as heated as eating from his had been.

  “I don’t know which is better. What do you think?”

  “Oh wow,” I exclaimed after taking a bite. “I honestly don’t know, either. They’re both delicious, so I guess it was good we got both?”

  Greg appeared a little while later with my coffee and another refill of King’s lemonade before leaving us to finish eating. The two of us were content to steal random bites off of each other’s plates, each time making the other laugh, the motion almost becoming a silly inside joke. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, both plates were pretty much devoured, and I felt full as heck, so I slowly sipped my coffee and let King have the final bites of both dishes. Can’t forget about that tiramisu coming our way.

  “Still up for dessert?” Kingston asked me when I slumped back against the booth. I gave him a half-glare, chuckling when he held his hands up in surrender. “I just don’t want you to feel sick or eat too much, Babydoll, but I am very happy you’re good for dessert. I think you’re going to love it.”

  As if our server knew what we were talking about, he walked up to our table with a small plate in hand, a square cut of tiramisu on top. There were layers to it, a dusting of dark powder on top, and the scent of coffee filled my nose when Greg set it down onto the table.

  “All right, Babydoll, open up,” Kingston murmured as he took a corner of the treat and held it up for me. Just like it had with the entrees, a wash of heat filled me as I leaned forward.

  “Oh, wow.” I hummed, covering my filled mouth with a hand. “That’s… amazing.” Coffee, cream, layer after layer of flavor I couldn’t pick out burst across my tongue.

  “I’m happy you love it. Maybe we can come back for more another day, or maybe we could learn to make it! I enjoyed baking together on Valentine’s Day,” he confided.

  “Really? Me too.” I perked up, taking my own fork so we could each eat our half of the delicious dessert. “And I would love to do that with you.”

  Kingston didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. The smile he gave me said it all. Baking, music playing, dancing around the kitchen listening to Reid tell jokes, Jesse sitting at the table flipping through different books on the library’s website… I could picture it almost as clear as day in my mind, and that was when I knew I wanted that.

  I wanted it more than I could even put into words.

  One day, I thought with a tiny grin, one day soon.

  “Ready to head the movie?” Kingston asked a few minutes later, shifting to pull his wallet from his pocket as Greg approached.

  “Yup,” I said, excitement lacing my tone and my grin growing as I set my fork down. It didn’t take long to pay the bill and sign the check, so, after sucking down the last of my coffee, I slipped from the booth and took the hand King held out for me.

  “Good because I’ve been waiting to see this movie until you had a chance to see it with me.”

  “Really?” When he nodded, I felt the bubble of home expand in my chest.

  There’s no place like my Nebraska home.

  15

  March 19th

  I would try and come up with something clever or cute to put here, but all I can say is wow and I can’t wait for the next time.

  #HeWasBiggerThanIExpected #HorizontalTango #ThankfulThursday

  Three hours later, King and I were back in his car heading to the house, our hands intertwined and my face in a permanent smile. It’d been the perfect date, Kingston and I cuddling in the movie after stuffing ourselves full. It wasn’t fancy, but it was exactly what I’d expected from my sweet boyfriend, delicious food and a relaxing atmosphere where we could enjoy ourselves…everything I could have wanted.

  “Want to play some video games when we get back or watch some TV if Kill’s hogging the game system?” he asked when we turned on the street. “Reid and Jesse still have a few hours, and my parents are at a business convention or something for the next day and a half.”

  “I’d love to,” I told him. “Like I said earlier, I had no real plans today, and spending time with you is better than that by a long shot.”

  “Good, I love spending time with you too, Babydoll.” After one more kiss, King tossed the car into park and we climbed out.

  “Hm,” Kingston murmured after we walked in the house to find it empty and silent. Heading up the stairs with King, I turned into his room and plopped down onto the futon to watch a movie while he continued to his brother’s room. He returned with a small frown and dug out his phone. Turning it back on from the movie, he checked for any notifications. “Oh, looks like Kill is staying at a friend’s for the night.”

  “So, just us?” I asked, a hint of warmth blooming in my body. I became hyper-aware of Kingston’s gaze shifting from his phone to me. With each step he took to close the distance between us, my heart galloped a little faster.

  “Just us,” he whispered in agreement, crouching down in front of me. Warm hands cupped the outside of my thighs, King rubbing his thumbs in gentle sweeps. “Emma, we don’t have to do anything—”

  Before he could finish, I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. I didn’t do anything else, not wanting to push him toward something he didn’t want, but Kingston seemed to want this as much as I did. King took the lead, sucking my lower lip between his teeth and biting slightly.

  A moan radiated through me at the sting, the sharp ache in my lip melting away and leaving only warmth behind. Kingston’s hands tightened around my thighs, but not enough to hurt, the grasp trapping me in place between his crouched form and the futon cushion. My mind raced with all the ideas of what we could do, all the things that I’d wanted with my boys… with Kingston since New Year’s.

  “Why don’t we move somewhere that isn’t the futon?” King suggested, his words breathy and thick. I could barely nod before he scooped me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. His hardened length pressed into the seam of my jeans, and the embers that had started to smolder sparked with each step toward the bed. Brushing my tongue against King’s, I deepened our kiss, our lips never parting the entire distance. As soon as he reached the edge, he half-lowered, half-dropped us onto the bedding.

  “Oof,” I exclaimed with a chuckle. I’d been so lost in his kiss that I’d paid zero attention to where we’d been going.

  “Sorry, Babydoll,” he murmured as the grip he had on my butt fell away. His arms shifted from under my legs until he was propped up with a hand braced on either side of my head. Instead of continuing to talk, I trailed my fingers over his shoulders and up the back of his neck to bury my fingers into his silky blond hair. The groan that rumbled through him accompanied a shiver, his reaction adding to the heat building in my core. I wanted to make him feel good, enjoying the half-lidded gaze he looked down at me with.

  Capturing my lips once more, King drank me up. Teeth nipped, tongues brushed, the two of us losing ourselves in each other’s embrace. When he rocked his hips forward, the hard length that had pressed into me rolled over my core, sending a sharp bolt of pleasure through me. I was buzzing, aching for more, and as if he already knew, Kingston started to trail kisses down my jaw and neck.

  My breath caught when he reached my chest. Cupping one boob, he squeezed gently, massaging the soft mound as he kissed down my other one. If my heart beat any harder or louder, I was sure he’d be able to hear it. Taking his time, he shifted my shirt up, torturous inch by torturous inch, until he was able to slip it up over my head.

  “You let me know if you want me to stop, okay?” King prompted, folding himself back over me once my shirt was off.

  “I think I should be asking you that,” I whispered,
giggling at the ticklishness of his beard against my neck.

  “I don’t want to stop,” he told me seriously, soft lips brushing over my skin. “I want this, with you.” The sentiment in his words filled me with a different kind of warmth, fuzzy and sweet, the sensation making our time together even more special. Running my fingers through his hair, I guided him, moving him from where he’d been showering the curve of my neck in attention to my lips. There wasn’t anything I could say to convey how I felt, how much I wanted this with him too, how special it was for him to give me his first time, so I didn’t say anything. I kissed him deeply, holding him tightly.

  As if a switch had been flipped, our deep kisses and soft, warm emotional reverie shifted to passionate and fiery. Working his way back down my chest, he didn’t take his time, reaching around and unclipping my bra. Between the cool air of Kingston’s room and his heated mouth on my skin, goosebumps flared over my chest, my nipples pebbling. Rocking his hips again, Kingston pulled a moan from me. A breathy gasp followed, a sting from his grazing teeth over the sensitive bud melting into a molten wave of need.

  Kingston’s wet tongue was a delicious contrast to the roughness of his facial hair, working in tandem to make me writhe under him. After a bit of fumbling, he got my belt undone and my pants peeled down my legs, but before he could continue down my stomach, I did something that surprised even me. I moved him off and rolled on top of him, straddling his hips.

  “Mm, I could get used to this view.” King’s tone was low and gravelly, his hands gripping my thighs in a tight grasp. Circling my hips, I ground down on his confined erection, enjoying the expression that played across his face. His head pressed back into the bedding, opening his throat up. I folded over, pressing a kiss to the throbbing vein of his neck, a gust of AC blowing over my back as I did so. I wanted to feel his torso against mine. Really, I wanted everything, but I also didn’t want to rush it, trying to remind myself of how Reid had treated me my first time. So, I worked my way down his body, undoing the buttons on his shirt as I did so. As I pushed the edge of his undershirt up, my eyes fell on the swath of golden tan skin, following a trail of blond hair that disappeared into the hem of his pants.