Electric Blue and Catnip - 5. Chapter 5

Five

I should go down to that office and talk to him, Alexi thought.

Tipping the bottle, he filled his glass with white wine set the bottle down. He braced his hands on the table and stared into the clear liquid with a sigh. He should just quit hiding in this empty house and go down to Rosen Models to talk to Adrian. They needed to talk. He knew that.

Picking up the glass, his right hand trembling slightly, he sipped the wine. Getting off the stool, he paced around the island table, and rubbed his forehead when fear over took him. He couldn’t go down there. Just remembering Adrian’s cold voice on the phone scared him.

He was afraid to find out what he would find if he went down to those offices. He wanted more from Adrian, always had, but the fact that he couldn’t seem to get it, what did that say about them?

Lily walked into the kitchen thirty minutes later carrying bags of groceries. She dumped them on the island table and stood glaring at him with a frazzled expression. Pointing at him with a midnight black long nail, she shook her head.

“You’re such a pain in the ass. I had to get the doorman to help me with these bags. He is still getting the rest from the cab. How dare you leave me?”

“I told you to quit on the dinner.”

“Well, too bad for you, I invited three more people, so you better get started cooking.” Pushing a bag that was threatening to tip over the table, she reached for the bottle of wine. “And stop starting the party without me.”

“Three more people?” he asked with a frown. He felt ill at the thought of strangers seated at the dining table. Tossing the last of his wine back, he narrowed his gaze at Lily. “Who did you call?”

“Well, I called Andy, he was with Ben, so they said they’d come together.”

Andrew Johnson was the studio’s producer and Ben Howard was the sound engineer. They were great people, and he hadn’t had a chance to hang out with them socially the last two months. “Who’s the third person?”

“Laura Steele.” Lily smiled at him and shrugged her slender shoulders when he raised a brow at their final guest. “She’s in town for a couple of days. She wanted to see me later, but now that Adrian has bailed on dinner, I thought it would be better if I didn’t leave you alone.”

“I’m not a child to look after. Go out if you want, I told you dinner is cancelled.”

“If you’re not a child, Alexi, then make the darned dinner and entertain our guests. Be a grown up, and quit bashing your head against the same wall over and over.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Adrian is not the only whale in the sea. Open your bloody eyes and see that before you end up heartbroken all over again.” She gave a little huff as she headed to the elevator where the doors had just opened.

Bloody woman, he got off the stool and walked slowly to the grocery bag that was threatening to tip over again. Picking it up, he reached in and pulled out a package of very gorgeous red succulent strawberries. Righting the bag so that it wouldn’t fall, he moved to the cupboards above the countertop on the wall and got a bowl.

He’d been dreaming of a romantic dessert late in the night with Adrian. Seated on the thick carpet in the living room, right by the floor length windows watching the city night-lights come to life…, he dumped the strawberries into the bowl and reached for the wine bottle again.

Dousing the strawberries in the clear liquid, he reached in for one and smiled when the taste of strawberries and rich decadent wine burst in his mouth. Who needed Adrian to enjoy dessert?

He sighed, eyes closed as he swallowed the delicious strawberries. He reached for another strawberry and was about to take a bite when someone cleared their throat.

Turning around fast, he gasped when he saw Joshua standing at the kitchen entrance with an amused expression on his too handsome face. He was carrying a bag of groceries and a bottle of red wine.

“Hi.” Joshua smiled and Alexi’s heart dropped at his feet. Gulping the strawberry in his mouth, he tried not to choke. “Lily told me to come right in she’s gone to get more bags downstairs.”

“What are you doing here? It’s not six o’clock yet.” The moment the words were out, he berated his stupid brain for not remembering to welcome Joshua. Gosh, he’d forgotten how amazing those blue eyes were.

“I mean, it’s-,” he looked around the kitchen with a frown. What in hell time was it? Didn’t they own a clock?

“It’s going on one o’clock.” Joshua told him quietly, nodding to the microwave in the corner. “I called Lily to confirm the dinner date and she told me to come on over. I hope now's not a bad time?”

Joshua walked into the kitchen, making it impossible to ignore his spectacular physique. He resembled a star quarterback. His body lovingly encased in a nice baby blue short-sleeved shirt that showed off toned arms and a sculpted chest. For a professor, Joshua looked remarkably fit, probably spent more than a few hours in the gym. Refusing to meet the amazing eyes, he took in wavy black hair, stubble on his strong jaw. It reminded him of a young Antonio Banderas, in his days as Zorro. Shaking his head at his thoughts, his gaze slid down to Joshua’s narrow hips and legs. A pair of light colored pants showed of his long legs and he was…barefoot?

“What happened to your shoes?” Alexi gaped at the sexy bare feet. Blinking, he frowned at this attraction waging a strange battle through him. Feeling like he was betraying someone, he pushed it away and looked away from the gorgeous feet. Could feet be gorgeous? The wine was playing games with him. “I mean, I hope-

Joshua chuckled a little. “They are in the hallway. The floors are so clean; I didn’t want to track in from walking in the park.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, the closet is full of slippers or sandals. I’ll go get them.” The thought of having Joshua walking around his house on bare feet was too intimate. He couldn’t have that.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind being barefoot.” Joshua shrugged and put the bag on the island table making sure the wine bottle wouldn’t fall. Joshua flashed him another smile making him wonder if his heart was going to be in a constant race. “What’s with all the grocery shopping?”

Alexi dragged his gaze away from the thoughts of a too comfortable Joshua standing in his kitchen to the brown bags on the table. “Dinner, I needed some things.”

“Are you cooking?” Joshua asked his eyes wide in surprise.

The reaction irritated him. A frown dancing on his forehead, he demanded. “Who did you expect was cooking?”

“A chef,” Joshua chuckled when he gaped. “You don’t seem the type to cook.” He pointed to his hands and continued. “Your fingers are too elegant and soft.”

Glancing at his hands, Alexi found he was still holding the strawberry and dumped it into the bowl of strawberries and wine. Sliding the bowl into the sink, he turned his back against the sink counter.

“I,-uh-, was about to start,” he waved at the bags.

“I don’t mind helping.” Joshua leaned on the island table and crossed his arms against his chest.

Those bloody electric blue eyes settled on him and he was suddenly an organism under a microscope. It made him squirm, which irritated him. Looking away from those eyes that were staring at him intently, he rubbed his jaw. “Welcome to our home. I forgot to say that.”

“It’s a beautiful home. Have you lived here long?”

“Not too long,” Alexi’s gaze returned to Joshua. He felt compelled to spell out the temporary nature of his stay in New York. “I’m only here for the next four months. Afterwards, I’ll be leaving.”

“Oh,” Joshua said quietly, his tone tinged with disappointment but he couldn’t be sure. Especially when Joshua’s devastating smile made a comeback with his next words. “Well, if that’s the case, then I make it my duty to make sure you enjoy your stay here in New York.”

“Aren’t you teaching?”

“I’m on leave for the summer.” Joshua shrugged. “I was going to hide out at my house and finish a manuscript I’m working on, but, showing you around sounds like more fun.”

“Are you writing a novel, or is it one of those boring literature books?”

“Don’t know about boring, but if you’d like, I’ll let you see it sometime.”

Pushing off the sink counter, Alexi moved to the brown bags and started unpacking them. Joshua watched him do it while he continued their conversation. “What do you do?”

“I’m a music composer. I’m currently working on a project with Silver studios. Once I’ve fulfilled the production aspects of the contract they gave me, I’ll head back to Osaka.”

“Silver studios,” Joshua grabbed a brown bag and started helping to lay out the ingredients in the bag. “You must be writing a film score. That’s amazing. I can see that the baby grand in the living room gets used. It also explains the slender fingers. I’d love to hear you play sometime.”

Taking the empty brown bags, Alexi threw them into the trashcan in the corner and was about to wash his hands when he looked down at the floor. Joshua’s bare feet, while sexy, were going to need slippers if he was helping. He hurried out of the kitchen and went to the closet in the foyer. Taking a pair of leather indoor sandals, he carried them back to the kitchen and dropped them by Joshua. He was glad when the man put them on without a fuss.

They put things away, with Alexi quietly directing Joshua. Once that was finished, he moved to wash his hands at the sink careful to move the strawberries out of the way. He gave the strawberries a longing glance before he turned back to the room ready to get to work. He set about removing the salmon from the cooler, followed by the ingredients he would need for his recipe. He was busy rummaging through the pantry for olive oil when Lily returned.

“Has Alexi offered you something to drink?” Lily opened the fridge. She glanced at him when he emerged from the pantry. “Alexi, I see you’ve already put our guest to work. You should at least feed him.”

Shaking his head when she reached in for orange juice, he turned to Joshua and nodded to the fridge in invitation. “There is no reason to be hungry, Joshua. Since you’re already in the kitchen, feel at home.”

Joshua nodded and turned to the sink to wash his hands. Before he ran the water, Alexi watched him give the bowl of strawberries on the counter a curious glance. Joshua looked up and their gazes met. Alexi turned away first his face suddenly so hot. Lily poured Joshua a glass of juice, slid it across the island table to him and perched on a stool.

“So, Joshua, who’s wedding, did Alexi crash yesterday?”

“My baby sister,” Joshua replied sipping his juice. Alexi set out a tray of potatoes for him to skin and he got started on it right away. “She and her husband are now in Hawaii enjoying a two-week honeymoon.”

“That’s sounds like fun. Would that be a place you’d choose to go on a short vacation or would you prefer Vegas?” Lily asked.

Alexi sighed at her probing questions and reached for the onions. Lily wrinkled her nose at him when he set them before her. He gave her a smirk as Joshua answered her question.

“It depends who I’m going with on this short vacation.” Joshua glanced at him and winked as Lily launched into a series of probing questions about his answer.

Their afternoon progressed in an easy pace of food preparation and heated debates between Lily and Joshua on all sorts of topics. He acted as a mediator siding with Joshua most times because Lily could be a viper in a debate. He was busy chopping the salmon into smaller sizes when Lily’s phone rang.

She excused herself after a glance at the caller ID and Joshua turned to look at him with a sigh. “She’s tough. I feel like I’ve been undergoing an interview. Is she always this way with all your potential boyfriends?”

Alexi dropped the knife before he could do any damage to his fingers. Looking up, he found Joshua lounging on his stool, a wine glass between his fingers, his lips twitching into a smile. The sun light cast his dark hair into interesting shades that begged for fingers to tease them out. He looked tempting enough to be a potential boyfriend.

“Wait until you meet my mother.” Alexi retaliated and picked up his knife again. “I’m really sorry you ended up working for your dinner like this. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“It’s been an interesting afternoon. Being here is better than alone in the house.”

“Are you originally from New York?”

“Yep, born and raised in Staten Island, by a single mother and a grandmother who had no qualms disciplining us. They gave us, me and my sisters, no choice when it came to excelling.”

“Are you the oldest?” Alexi asked, putting pieces of salmon into a bowl ready for a short marinade.

“No. I have an older sister, Jenny; she’s thirty-six now. She’s married with two kids and living in Brooklyn. There is a gap of three years and then me. Alicia follows me with a gap of five years.”

“So, that makes you thirty-three.”

“That it does.”

“What about your dad?” Alexi asked thinking of his own father and the fact that he needed to check in with him soon. If he forgot, he was liable to find his grandparents knocking at the door looking for him. They always did when his father called for a favor.

“My father died when Alicia was born,” Joshua replied quietly his tone nostalgic.

“I’m sorry.” He bit his lip at the thought of growing up without a father. “That must have been hard, losing him.”

“It was, but we pulled through. Mom and grandma gave us a good life.”

Heading back to the sink, Alexi paused, his gaze falling on his bowl of abandoned strawberries. Giving them a longing look, he was about to put them aside for later when Joshua swiped them away. He started to protest but then Joshua bit into a luscious strawberry. His eyes immediately fixating on Joshua’s lips as his tongue darted out to lick the corner of his mouth to catch the excess wine. His breath hitched, heat rushing through him. Flustered by his arousal, he hit the tap harder than he’d intended to turn it on and plunged his hands under the cold water. Joshua chuckled beside him.

“These taste good, do you want one?” Joshua asked holding out the bowl to him when he was done washing his hands.

“No, you have them.” He didn’t think he wanted to test this newfound attraction to Joshua Randolph. He grabbed a hand towel and dried his hands fast. Putting distance between them, Alexi started grilling the salmon and baking potatoes for dinner. He was glad when Lily returned to pick up where she’d left off.

*****

Dinner was fun and relaxing, Alexi thought hours later. Lily had saved the day after all. He sat at the head of the table watching Ben and Andy try to impress Lily. Laura, Lily’s friend was in deep conversation with Joshua about a project that was taking place at NYU. Joshua looked distinguished when he got intellectual, Alexi thought. He could watch Joshua all night if given the chance.

Joshua had his whole body turned to Laura, his gaze on her as she explained a point. His attention fully engaged as they talked. He wondered if Joshua did the same when they were talking. Could he get Joshua to give him that same rapt attention?

“If you stare any harder, I’m going to have to clear the room for you two.” Lily leaned over on his right to tell him. “Have some wine, breathe, and smile at Andy. He just said your ideas at the studio are amazing.”

Doing as instructed, Alexi forced his attention away from Joshua and turned to talk to Andy and Ben who were enthusing over the film score. Grinning as they teased him for cooking so well, he looked up to find Joshua studying him just as intently. The slow burn in his groin increased and he shifted in his seat slightly. He wondered what would happen if he gave in to that gaze.