After the sight of the old bar and stone walls, he’d not been sure what to expect for the bathroom, but he was relieved to find it completely modern with sensor-activated faucets, plush hand towels, and fine decorations.
Best of all, he was completely alone. Snagging his phone out of his pocket, he pulled up the messaging app. He didn’t have a single damn bar, which wasn’t surprising considering how far underground he was. However, the restaurant was providing free Wi-Fi.
Met hot guy in Sonthofen. Took me to dinner in an old dragon cave. Tell me not to be stupid. Really want to be stupid, Cameron quickly texted.
Cassie’s response was immediate and not at all helpful.
dragons didn’t live in caves
they built castles
Cameron rolled his eyes at his sister. Of course she focused on the dragon part of his story.
But she sent a second text a couple heartbeats later.
pic or it didn’t happen
Growling softly, Cameron pulled up his photo gallery and quickly flipped through it. He’d been snapping pictures on his phone all day. He was stunned he had any battery life left, but he thought he’d caught one that accidentally included Alric. Yep, there. The cathedral they’d stopped at. Cameron had grabbed a picture of it, but he’d also caught Alric smiling softly at him at the same time.
He hesitated. A part of him didn’t want to send it. Didn’t want to share Alric with anyone, not even his twin sister. And he shared everything with her.
That thought alone had him attaching the picture and sending it to her. He was being crazy. Setting the phone down on the counter, he quickly washed his hands and splashed some water on his face.
His phone started to ring. He looked down to find his sister was attempting to Facetime him instead of texting him back. Grabbing a hand towel, he quickly dried his hands so he could answer her call.
“Oh my GAWD, Cam!” she immediately shouted at him, her face filling his screen as if she were holding her phone incredibly close. “Are you shitting me? I’m ordering you to be stupid.” His sister had no filter. Everything just fell out of her mouth. Most of it at the exact wrong time. The bathroom door opened just as she loudly said, “You let that sexy man pin you to the nearest wall and you call him daddy or papa or whatever the fuck the Germans call their sugar daddies!”
Cameron’s cheeks blazed, and he punched the end call button over and over again until his sister’s screeching commands were at last silenced. He glanced up only long enough to confirm it wasn’t Alric who’d walked in on that. Luckily, it wasn’t.
Before tucking his phone away, he quickly shot off a text of shut up. I’ll report later, perv. He splashed more water on his face to help chase away the heat blazing in his cheeks before returning to the restaurant.
At the table, he found Alric seated with a bottle of wine already open and two glasses poured. In the open seat lay a thick, cream-colored blanket made of what had to be the softest wool he’d ever felt.
“When you said table blanket, I wasn’t sure what you’d meant,” he said in a low voice as he continued to stand by the booth, running his fingers over the woven material.
Alric deftly slid to his feet and stood beside Cameron. He picked up the blanket and motioned for Cameron to sit. “The restaurant is a local favorite, but many find the cave a bit chilly, so the owner teamed up with a local artisan to provide her handmade blankets to customers. I assure you that it is new and has never been used before.” Alric gave him a little smirk as he leaned down and spread the soft blanket across Cameron’s lap. “In truth, they never have a chance to be reused because the customers buy them along with their dinners.”
“I can see why. It’s beautiful and so soft.” Between Cassie’s lewd comments and Alric’s smiles, Cameron wasn’t feeling cold at all anymore, but he had no desire to part with this blanket either.
Alric returned to his seat, the candlelight making the man look even more handsome as it caressed the sharp planes of his face.
“I hope you don’t mind that I ordered some wine. It’s similar to what we had with lunch,” Alric said when Cameron continued to just stare at him like an idiot.
Cameron blinked and straightened. “No, that’s perfect. Thank you.” He had to get his freaking head together. It had to be from the crowded condition of the festival, or possibly moving into the cool, dark cave. Or his sister’s reaction to Alric. Or just too much of that sweet bread. God, how did he even have room to eat more?
But as he picked up the menu, his stomach rumbled, demanding to be given more offerings or it would embarrass him in front of the sexy man. They chatted about the food, and in the end, he let Alric order for him, trusting in his judgement.