Chapter 12

He felt a sudden, startling jolt of pure delight, and the sound that came from

his mouth was a soft sigh of need.

“Eduardo,”

Nuri said. He sounded hoarse.

“I

like that,” Eddy said quickly.

“What?”

“I

like the way you say my name. I like your…accent.”

Nuri

chuckled, very softly. “I like your everything, Eduardo.”

For

a whole minute they just smiled at each other over the table top.

Suddenly,

there was an almighty crash in the kitchen and raised male voices that sounded

like the brothers’. A child ran out of the kitchen into the restaurant,

wailing. The female waitress who’d served Eduardo and Nuri appeared immediately

afterwards, grabbing for the child, but he dodged her and ran between the

furniture, pushing chairs aside, darting past Eddy and Nuri’s table. Eddy

judged him to be about six to seven years old.

Another

woman ran out from the kitchen, a baby in her arms, and another smaller girl at