The
front door bells clanged, and he glanced up, a little startled. He hadn’t asked
Shannon if he should lock the front door. A man about his own age came inside,
wearing the worn clothes of a poor college student, a canvas cross-body bag
slung over his shoulder. He was slim with thick brown hair and wide, blue eyes
that stopped Alessandro short. He also had the most kissable red lips Alessandro
had ever seen on a man. Not really handsome, but leaning toward the cute side,
and those lips…
Alessandro’s
dick twitched.
He’d
take a phone number scribbled on a receipt from this guy any day of the week.
Too bad. “We’re closed.”
Vivid
blue eyes latched on and drank him in, taking just a split second longer to
check Alessandro out than any perfectly straight man would have. “My sister
owns the place,” he said in a slightly mocking tone. “She won’t mind.” As if to
prove his point, Shannon’s supposed brother reached back and turned the door’s
lock. “Who are you?”
Alessandro
squared his shoulders, not at all intimidated by the slightly shorter, much
skinnier man in front of him. “Alessandro Silva. Shannon just hired me.”
“Damn,
that was fast. We only hung the sign three hours ago.”
“Right
place, right time, I guess.”
“I
guess. I’m—”
“Jaime,
hey,” Shannon said. She came down the center aisle, wiping her hands on a
towel. “You’re cutting it close, kid. You okay?”
“Yeah,
I’m fine,” Jaime replied. “I had to get some books from the library and lost
track of time. You know I never miss a chance to scrounge for leftovers and harass
you while you try to close up.”
“Go
harass Rusty instead. Fill the dishwasher.”
“Yes,
ma’am.” Jaime tossed his bag onto a chair and strolled to the back of the shop.
Alessandro
caught himself watching Jaime go, so he turned his attention back to Shannon. “Your
brother?”
“Half brother,
yeah,” she replied. “Pain in my ass, but I can’t seem to find any traveling
sideshows that will buy him off me.”
He
snorted laughter. The comment was sarcastic, but he didn’t miss the underlying
affection in her words. “Have you considered selling him to science?”
She grinned. “Oh, I like you, Alè. I like you.”