Forgive and Forget (15 page)

Joe got under the covers and held them up for Tom as he slid in behind Joe, pulling Joe back against him. They spooned, and Tom smiled before placing a kiss to Joe’s shoulder. It was strange. He felt like he’d been waiting for this for a long time. It didn’t make any sense. No, actually it was the only thing in his life that made sense right now. He should be worried or frustrated that he couldn’t remember anything, but being here with Joe in his arms somehow made everything less frightening. He put his hand against Joe’s chest, over his heart, and Joe hummed a lovely little melody Tom was certain he’d heard before. Like everything else he tried to remember, it was fuzzy, in the distance and just out of his reach, but it was there. Tom couldn’t place it, but it meant something to him. It was important.

Tom closed his eyes and nuzzled his face against Joe’s hair. Whether he regained his memory or not, it wouldn’t replace the ones he was making with Joe. It wouldn’t change the way his pulse sped up when Joe entered the room, or the way his heart skipped a beat when Joe smiled at him. Whatever happened, he was lucky to have found Joe, and he had no intention of letting him go.

JOE
woke up with a smile on his face. He couldn’t seem to get rid of it. Not that he wanted to, at least until he rolled over and found the bed empty. His heart sank and all kinds of troubling thoughts came into his head.

Usually Tom was still asleep at this time. Joe tried his best not to panic. Did Tom regret what they’d done? Maybe sometime in the middle of the night Tom had woken up, memory intact, and run off to his old life wondering what the heck had possessed him to shack up with a guy like Joe.

Joe got up and dressed, though not before giving himself a good talking-to. He needed to have more faith in Tom. His friends were right: he couldn’t let that jerk Blake ruin his chances for a future, whether that future involved Tom or not. With each passing day it was getting harder to ignore his heart or the way his stomach filled with butterflies every time Tom smiled at him. Tom was handsome, strong, with a smile that could outshine the brightest star. It wasn’t just the sex, though that had been amazing. Every muscle in Joe’s body ached in the most delicious way, and the thought of Tom had Joe smiling like a dope.

After his morning routine, he dressed and headed into the kitchen. The mouthwatering scents of frying bacon and aromatic coffee had him all but floating into the kitchen, where he found Tom. His bright smile lit up the room, and it tugged at something inside Joe. What might it be like to wake up every morning to that smile?

“Morning, sunshine. Why don’t you have a seat?” Tom motioned over to the breakfast nook, and Joe happily obliged. No man had ever made him breakfast before. He certainly hadn’t expected the spread Tom laid before him: scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, hash browns, buttered toast, fluffy homemade pancakes with strawberry compote, maple syrup, coffee, and in a tiny blue vase, a flower from the garden. Breakfast smelled heavenly, but when Tom walked over and kissed him, Joe was floating high.

“You didn’t have to do all this,” Joe said, thanking Tom when he handed Joe a large mug of coffee. Joe took a sip and moaned. It was exactly the way he liked it: a little bit of milk and two sugars.

“I wanted to,” Tom replied with a wink. He took a seat across from Joe and poured himself some coffee. “You deserve to be pampered a little, Joe. You work so hard.”

Joe didn’t quite know what to say to that. He’d thrown himself into his work since opening the new café downstairs. It was smaller than the first one, and a little behind the times, but he’d worked day and night to turn it into what it was now. Maybe he didn’t have the money for renovations, but the café was doing exceptionally well. If he continued to save and maybe took a small risk, he could afford the renovations; start small. He didn’t know where the notion came from, but it didn’t seem as daunting as it once had.

Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a vacation. He didn’t know why he was thinking of these things now. He loved what he did, so time off wasn’t something he ever felt he needed. Then again, it had been a long time since he had anyone to enjoy a vacation with.

As they sat and had breakfast together, Joe couldn’t help but ask. “How are you doing, Tom?”

Tom glanced up from his coffee and paper. “How do you mean?”

Joe motioned around him. “Here. In general. I know this isn’t the most exciting life.”

“I beg to differ,” Tom replied with a naughty wink. “I’d say last night was pretty damn exciting. Good thing no one lives downstairs, or we might have had a few complaints about the noise.”

Joe’s face went up in flames, and he playfully kicked Tom under the table. “That’s not what I meant. Also, I’m not the one with the dirty mouth.” Thoughts of last night made Joe fidget in his seat. Tom had woken him up some time before dawn, ravishing Joe and driving him to the point of reckless abandonment. It was also when Joe discovered Tom’s penchant for dirty talk.

Tom wriggled his eyebrows. “And I know what to do with it. Admit it, you love my dirty mouth.”

“Oh for goodness sake. You’re incorrigible.” Joe was in serious danger of getting hard at the breakfast table. The man had no shame. He also wasn’t wrong.

Tom chuckled and put his paper down. He leaned in, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Can you blame me? The way you move is absolutely sinful, Mr. Applin. You keep that up and you’ll never get rid of me.”

Joe swallowed hard.
If only.
Joe had opened his mouth to reply when his cell phone buzzed. He checked it and sighed.

“The shop will be open in fifteen minutes. We should finish up. Thank you so much for making breakfast, and, um, for last night.”

Tom finished his coffee and stood. He leaned in and gave Joe’s cheek a kiss. “Believe me, it’s my pleasure.” He took Joe’s earlobe between his teeth, sending a shiver through Joe. “I think I might be hooked on the taste of you, Joe. I hope you’re prepared.”

Joe didn’t quite know what to do with himself. What would Bea do? Joe grimaced. It was far too early to be terrified. He turned his face and kissed Tom, surprising him. Tom was always the first to initiate an intimate moment. Maybe it was time for Joe to be a little bolder. He took hold of Tom’s face and kissed him deeply, then slipped a hand under Tom’s T-shirt to tweak a nipple, making Tom suck in a sharp breath.

“We’ll see who’s prepared,” Joe murmured, nipping at Tom’s stubbly jaw.

Tom groaned. “Looks like I’ll be spending the day thinking of all the terrible things I’m going to do to you tonight.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Joe purred, before getting up to clear the table. He’d never flirted so brazenly before. It felt… wonderful.

Joe was still a little worried Tom might get bored working the kitchen of the little café, but the man never complained and went about his duties with a smile. He looked happy. Joe hoped that by this point there was enough trust between them that Tom would confide in him if he wasn’t happy.

Downstairs Tom helped Bea in the kitchen while Joe took the helm with Elsie at his side and Donnie took orders at the tables. The moment they opened the doors, they greeted the morning rush of customers in dire need of caffeine. Joe understood them perfectly. Nothing got done without a hefty dose of java. It was nonstop until after noon, when most folks were out to lunch. Many stopped by for some pie to take back to their offices or to save for later. The next rush would be in after most folks got off work. They’d drop by on their way home and pick up something for dessert, or they’d stop in for coffee with friends and to chat. The college kids and tourists were in at all hours. Once things slowed, Bea made Tom and Joe a small picnic and sent them into the garden for a while. Joe was on to her, but he wasn’t about to tell her there had been more than pleasant conversation going on between them. Though judging by her smug grin when she saw them together, he’d hazard a guess that she already knew.

Joe was grateful for the little garden between his café and the boutique. He was the only one who seemed to use it, which suited him all the better. The small trees, shrubs, and potted plants made it all feel like some closed-off little corner of the world rather than a makeshift garden between two buildings in the middle of Manhattan. Their own little Central Park, without the traffic and tourists. They sat on the grass on a towel, their bellies full. They had a few more minutes before they had to go back to work.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Bea’s playing matchmaker,” Tom said with a smile.

“You’d be right. She’s been trying to find me a man for years.”

Tom cocked his head to one side, studying him curiously. “Surely it hasn’t been that hard. A guy like you?”

Coming from anyone else, Joe would have thought he was being made fun of, but not from Tom. Tom appeared genuinely perplexed as to why Joe was still single. Had the guy not spent enough time in his company?

“Where do I start? I’m awkward, clumsy, talk to myself, sing to myself, argue with myself, wake up before the cows, believe you can taste memories, and I have nothing but this café. My only family is Bea, Donnie, and Elsie. I don’t have many friends because I have trust issues, and I’m not exactly the most adventurous person.”

Tom blinked at him. “I’m not sure I see the problem.”

Joe let out a laugh. “Seriously? Believe me, it’s sent more than one guy packing. That or the fact I never got past taking their number. Well, Bea would take their number. I’d say I’d call and then pretend I lost the number.”

Tom wrapped his arm around Joe and pulled him in close, giving him a kiss. “Joe, everything you said makes you all the more endearing. Don’t think of them as faults. Think of them as what makes you uniquely you. You’re one of a kind. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

Joe worried his bottom lip with his teeth. Only one guy concerned him at the moment. Joe wanted to say so much to Tom. How happy he was that he was here, how the past few weeks had been amazing, how he wished Tom could stay…. Instead, he smiled at Tom and said, “Thank you.”

Tom gave him another kiss before pushing himself to his feet. “Come on. We better head back in before Bea starts taking pictures.”

Joe stared at him. “She’s been watching us?”

“Yep. Like a hawk.” Tom held his hand out, and Joe took it, allowing Tom to help him to his feet.

Joe shook his head. He wished he could say he was surprised, but he wasn’t. She was probably dying to tell him she told him so. The woman was agile and crafty. She’d spring up from the darnedest places to tell him she was right, like some kind of white-haired ninja retiree.

Tom packed everything up, giving Joe one last kiss before he disappeared into the kitchen. Joe rolled his eyes as he passed Bea, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. The shop was full, the customers were happy, and his little motley crew was all high-spirited, not that they didn’t tend to be, but lately they seemed to be even more cheerful, and Joe wondered if something had been missing before that he hadn’t been aware of. There certainly wasn’t anything different about him, was there?

Soon it was closing time, and Joe bid farewell to the last customer. They all pitched in cleaning up, and Joe thanked everyone for another great day. He sent leftovers home with Donnie and Elsie, like he usually did. There was never a whole lot, but Joe would rather have leftovers at closing time than run out during the late-afternoon rush. It wasn’t like he had trouble getting rid of it. Elsie’s big brothers adored his pies and were always hopeful Elsie would be bringing some home. Donnie’s dad was also a fan. The poor guy worked late at the docks, and Joe always made sure some pie was left for him. He was a good man and had raised Donnie on his own after Donnie’s mom passed away when he was just a toddler.

Once everyone was gone, Joe turned to Tom. “How about I finish up and you use the shower? I’ll be up in a minute.”

Tom removed his apron and hung it up on the hook by the door. “You sure?”

“Positive. I won’t be long.”

“Okay. I’ll get dinner started. How’s pasta sound?” Tom’s smile lit Joe up from the inside out.

“Sounds great.” He enjoyed the view of Tom’s gorgeous backside as he headed upstairs. Despite not being able to go to a gym, Tom had been able to keep himself in shape, exercising every morning and making do with whatever he had on hand, whether it was the stairs, bags of flour, sit-ups, pushups, lunges, or a host of other routines that exhausted Joe just by looking at it. Tom was convinced he’d get Joe to join him. Joe had a hearty laugh before stuffing his face full of cherry pie. His exercise came in the form of rushing around serving his customers, baking, and going up and down the stairs from his apartment to the shop.

Joe walked into the café and gave a start at finding a man standing there in a dark hoodie and jeans. How the heck had the guy gotten in? They’d locked all the doors.

“I’m sorry, but we’re closed.”

The front door opened and several more men stepped inside, all looking equally dangerous.

Joe tried not to panic, but it was hard. His mind raced, going back to that night when he’d been jumped and beaten. Had Blake sent them? Joe’s heart leaped into his throat, and he took a step back. Not again. “We’re closed, gentlemen. I’m afraid you have to leave.”

One of the men in a leather jacket closed the door and locked it.

“Where is he?” Hoodie Guy hissed.

Behind him a man with a scar running down the side of his face joined him. “He asked you a question.”

Joe carefully backed up toward the counter. “I don’t know who you’re talking about. Please leave before I call the police.”

The men spread out across the shop. Hoodie Guy sneered. “Now that would be a very bad idea. I’m going to ask you again. Where is he?”

Joe swallowed hard. Who the hell were these guys? And why were they looking for Tom? Whatever they wanted from Tom, it couldn’t be good. Maybe it was time to invest in a new alarm system. He hadn’t updated the thing since it was installed years ago, and it had a habit of going on the fritz. Very little money was kept on-site, and he figured if someone was going risk stealing his ingredients or food processor, they might reconsider when they spotted the boutique next door that sold thousand-dollar shoes.