Chapter 12

It didn’t help that DeShawn looked really great in the low light. Patton struggled to keep himself from staring, eyes desperate to follow the lines of his muscles clearly outlined beneath his tight black T-shirt. He unconsciously slipped behind an impassive mask that offered no hints of his thoughts or feelings. DeShawn carried the conversation. He had to if he didn’t want a tense silence to fall over the table like a fog. Patton responded appropriately, tried to focus on the menu, then on his hands, then finally, thankfully, on his food.

“You always this open and friendly?” DeShawn asked between bites of his pasta.

“Is there something in particular you want to know?”

“Do you want me to leave you alone? Because I can do that. I’m not trying to bug you.”

“You’re not bugging me.”

“Really? This is how you treat somebody you like?”

“I never said I’d be good company.”

“True, but I think you could be. If you felt like it.”