“Yeah, I just…” His eyes dart to the woman before returning to mine. “Carpet monster.”
“What?” My brows shoot up in confusion, glancing at the worn industrial linoleum floor.
He ducks his head, a neon blush ripening his cheeks like a cherry tomato as his palms smooth his rosy pink shirt. The lettering on his chest readsDILF: Dang, I Love Flying,and I tilt my head as I read it.
“Carpet monster…” he continues, vaguely gesturing with his hands. “You know, when you trip over nothing? It’s the carpet monster out to get you.” His accent is subtle but strange, not one I can readily place. Not from anywhere around here, that’s for sure… not with those enunciated consonants and proper vowels. I snort a laugh, and his eyes fly back to mine, that crooked smile tilting his lips again.
“You a pilot or somethin’?” I gesture at the shirt, and his flush deepens.
“Or something,” he mumbles.
Beside me, the woman says, “Um, sweetheart, if you’re good, we need to move along,” and I’m floored by her nerve as I turn to get an eyeful of cleavage. Her arms push together, shoving her tits so high they could sneak their way out of a turtleneck.
“We?” he says, squeaking in high-pitched surprise before he coughs to clear it.
“Oh, bless your heart… you didn’t think he was intoyou, did you?”
Alright, I need to put a stop to this sooner than later. “Listen—”
“Delilah,” she interrupts, fluttering her lashes so fast, it’s a miracle she doesn’t take flight.
“Right, Delilah… regardless of whether I’m into him, I’m definitely not intoyou, and honestly? I’m not really sure whyyou’re even here.” My momma would smack the sass right out of me if she heard me speaking to someone so bluntly—especially a woman—but enough’s enough. “Go back to whatever you were doing and let me shop in peace.”
Her eyes widen so far, she morphs into a caricature of herself. “You’d rather spend time with someone like…him?” She waves her hand up his body, gesturing to the whole of him. Blush spreads to his neck as his gaze falls to the floor, and his discomfort triggers an unexpected wave of fury. It’s rare I get annoyed, much less full-blown angry, but my protective instincts are spiking.
“He’s…” She leans forward as if she’s whispering a secret. “Queer!”
“You can’t know that from looking at someone!” I snap, tossing my arm around his shoulders as he chokes on a panicked whine. “And who said I wasn’tqueer, too?”
Her mouth drops so far, her tonsils are on display. “Because you’re…” She does the hand thing again, gesturing to all of me. “You’re hot!”
I hum, tilting my head back and forth like I’m in deep thought. “So is he.” With that, I steer him in the other direction and walk away from the slack-jawed woman.
As soon as we round the corner, I withdraw my arm, leaving my hand on the man’s shoulder for a quick, reassuring squeeze. “Hey, I’m really sorry if I overstepped back there. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.” In a small town, everyone knows everyone, and I’m known for being overly friendly. But I’m also a big guy, and a stranger to him.
Combined, the two might not make me the white knight I was trying to be.
“No, no, I appreciate the backup. She was… something else.”
“She was more used up than a gas station tanning bed and her bulbs were half burnt out.” He laughs then, a breathy, tinkling sound that’s musical like his voice, and I can’t help my grin, relieved that he doesn’t seem to be scared of me.
“You’re, uh…” He glances up at me again, those unique eyes shy under his lashes. “Making a cake, you said?”
“Oh, um, yeah,” I say, kicking my feet against the stained linoleum. “It’s my second cousin’s eighth birthday tomorrow, and I’ve been put in charge of the cake. Momma says she is too sick to bake, but I think she’s doing it just to torture me. Honestly, I considered buying one from the bakery and messing up the icing enough to make it look homemade, but I know better. As soon as they cut it open and saw how pretty it was inside, they’d be on to me.”
“No good in the kitchen?”
“‘Fraid not. Put me in front of a slab of meat, and I’m right at home…” A surprised, adorably noisy snort forms in his throat, and my mouth drops open as my hands land on my hips. “I’m sorry. Was there something funny about that?”
The stress from our encounter with Delilah disappears off his face as he flashes me a giant smile. “Whatslab of meatdo you normally have in front of you?” He bats his lashes, feigning innocence, and I throw my head back in a laugh.
“You’re trouble,” I tease, and his cheeks flush again. Why do I suddenly want to do more to make that sweet blush appear? It’s been years since I’ve been attracted to a man, and I’ve never openly flirted with one… especially not in the middle of the Piggly Wiggly. “What’s your name?”
“Azrael,” he answers, wringing his hands, “but you can call me Az.”
“My name’s Beau.” I offer my hand, and he shakes it with a quiet huff of a laugh. “I’ll hazard a guess and say you ain’t from around here, are you?”
“Definitely not.” His smile is timid as he bites at his lip, and I can’t help it as my gaze drops to the hint of teeth sinking into the bottom one. “Um, so, I actually love to bake, and I’d be happy to help you pick out what you need.”
