“You could pretend I ordered an espresso.”
I laughed. “Or you could actually order an espresso.”
He blinked. “The café does room service?”
“We don’t. But I could give you my number?” The moment I said it, the atmosphere in the room changed, but I couldn’t take it back. I held my breath as Adri tilted his head.
“Only to bring me espresso?” he asked.
“Or to talk. Message. Exchange silly emojis. If you want?”
The silence dragged on, tightening around my chest, until he finally turned to me. “When I came to the café yesterday.” He paused as if searching for the right words. “It wasn’t just your espresso I’d missed.”
That was profound, coming from him. The sudden urge to kiss him shook me to my core. My heart pounded,and my breath stuttered. I didn’t dare speak as I shuffled closer, studying his face for any sign that I was going too far. Too soon. There was still one thing I needed to tell him first. “Adri,” I started, “I’m trans. Quinn and Julian… I?—”
He placed an iridescent purple finger against my lips that felt more like human skin than I’d expected. “You gave birth tothem.” His low voice enveloped me. “I understand. I still want to kiss you. Can I?”
My lips tingled from the static thrumming beneath his skin. “Yes.” What else was there to say?
His mouth was warm as he kissed me—hot, deep, hungry. Everywhere we touched, his skin felt alive with the same static. He tasted like kissing a live wire, with a hint of bitterness. Espresso. He sighed into my mouth as we came up for air and pulled me closer. I brushed my lips across his, not ready for this to be over. He invited me in, his tongue teasing mine. I wondered what he tasted in me after all the sweets and fizzy drinks the kids had fed me. I hadn’t had espresso all day. He made me crave one.
And of course, that was the first thing I blurted out when we finally parted.
Adri’s eyes went wide. “Maybe not right now.”
I grinned at the implication. No. Maybe later. Much later.
Chapter Fifteen
ADRI
something's not right
We did indulge Sam’s espresso craving—and mine—in the end. The rich aroma—he’d insisted on brewing himself—enveloped us from the to-go cups as we sat at the fountain while the sounds of the city faded into a comforting murmur around us.
Energy hummed behind us, subtle and unmistakably magical—the fox and elk guarding the hotel doors. I didn’t speak their language, nor they mine, but I sensed a recognition, an agreement between us. They deemed me friendly, harmless.
While Sam had barely glanced at them earlier, he was fidgeting, forcing himself not to look. I exchanged a glance with them and sensed their reluctance. Message received. It was not my place to speak for them.
I leaned into Sam, enjoying his warmth and the bitterness of the espresso coating my tongue. He wrapped his hand around mine and squeezed. No words were spoken. Instead, we sat in comfortable silence until it was time for him to go.
He pulled me with him as he rose and wrapped his arms around me.
“See you tomorrow,” he whispered in my ear.
“See you tomorrow,” I repeated, wishing I didn’t have to work. Wishing he could stay.
“Have a good shift.”
I smiled. “I will.” How could I not, after he’d set me alight? “Sleep well.” That was what humans wished each other, wasn’t it?
“Oh. I will,” he said with a wink.
Just for that, I let him kiss me goodbye, right there on the plaza.
As I walked to the hub, my entire system felt alive—awake, buzzing—from the kiss. Kisses. I could still feel the imprint of Sam’s lips against mine. A soft pressure that sent a thrill through me. The lingering sweetness of the treats he’d confessed to eating, the sugary notes mingling with the fizzy drinks that sparkled on my tongue. And, of course, espresso.
The hub was empty when I entered and put the box containing the Bakelite rotary phone on my desk. Strange. I pinged Rick, but received a busy signal. Then I pinged Riley.
