“Right. Dinner.”
Shit, I haven’t texted anyone since my disappearing act. I pull my phone out of my purse only to see that it’s dead. Double shit.
I spot a charging cable hanging from the island and plug it in before standing next to Jackson. He opens the oven and pulls out a small tray of bacon. The scent wafts through the kitchen, and my stomach growls. I’m not even the biggest fan of bacon, but something about the smell just tells your body it’s time to eat. It’s a comforting smell, bringing back memories of early childhood mornings by the beach in the summer. Jackson tongs the strips into a dish that has a variety of cooked eggs in it before covering it with a lid.
“Can I help?”
I hate that I’m just standing here, doing nothing.
“Sure. Can you grab some condiments from the fridge and put them on the island? I already have the plates set up there. I’m just going to get the waffles ready, and then we’ll wake up the sleeping beauties.”
“Wow, waffles? You’re going all out.” I pull open the fridge and start pulling out various condiments from the side compartment. It’s more stocked than I would expect for a guys’ fridge. There is actual food in here, not just energy drinks, beer, and take-out boxes.
“Trust me, it’s not like this every weekend. I like to leave them to fend for themselves occasionally. It humbles them.”
“Hey, now, don’t lump me in with Parker. At least I can cook for myself. Parker starves if there’s no food.”
I turn around, drinking in Aleks’ disheveled form. He is just wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, tattoos on display and nipple piercing glinting in the sunlight. I lick my lips.
“My eyes are up here, babe.” He winks.
I scoff, turning back around. I locate a bottle of maple syrup in the back of the fridge along with some whipped cream and smile triumphantly.
Aleks comes up behind me, looping his arms around my waist.
“You look sexy in my shirt,” he whispers in my ear. It sends a shiver down my spine. “Even sexier knowing there’s nothing underneath.”
“Sorry to disappoint but I’m all covered up. There was a set of clothes left for me.”
“Tsk,” he lets go of me, “Sydney.” He reaches around me, pulling out some milk and chocolate syrup, and plops them on the table before skirting around me to fiddle with an elaborate espresso machine.
I sit on a stool at the island, observing Jackson and Aleks. They are fit as hell, all lean muscles and tight asses. This entire apartment is full of attractive guys. If anyone knew The System were this hot under their masks, they’d have a heart attack.
Aleks parks himself next to me at the island, handing me a cup of coffee.
“Sorry, we don’t have any creamer. Jackson and I are the only ones who drink coffee, and he likes it black.”
“Then how do you like it?” I’ve only ever seen him drink mocha lattes.
Jackson deposits a plate stacked with fresh, crispy waffles in front of me, and I light up at the smell, my mouth watering. “Oh, you’re about to find out. And I’m going to apologize in advance for the absolute atrocity you’re about to see.”
He walks off, banging on a door in the hallway next to the kitchen, barking at Parker to wake up. All the while, I watch as Aleks pours himself half a glass of milk, squeezing in the chocolate syrup and mixing it. It seems like he is just making chocolate milk. Then, I watch as he pours two shots of espresso into it, stirs, and takes a sip.
His sip is obnoxiously loud, and he looks right at Jackson. “Yum.”
“Okay, that’s not that weird.” It’s just a shoddy version of a mocha latte if you think about it. Like the Dollar Tree version.
“God, you two are made for each other, then.” Jackson takes his seat at the end of the island, next to Aleks. “This guy has the biggest sweet tooth.” He juts his thumb into Aleks’ shoulder before plating breakfast for himself from the array before us.
“I don’t like all sweets, I just like chocolate,” Aleks volleys back, snatching up the waffle Jackson was in the process of picking up. Jackson swats it out of his hand, and the waffle goes slapping onto the marble.
I laugh at them, sipping my coffee. It’s a comforting environment. It’s been forever since I’ve been around this.
I grab two waffles after they’ve finished fighting over them, dousing mine in maple syrup, letting it fill up the little squares. I’m about to reach for the whipped cream when Aleks snatches it out of my hand.
“Hey!”
He just smirks at me, shaking it and spraying it over my waffles. I watch as he draws a little whipped cream heart, my own heart doing a flip at the cheesy display of affection.
“Aww.” I lean forward, giving him a peck.
“Well, I feel very single.”
Parker’s morning voice is deeper than normal. It makes his accent thicker somehow. He drops into the stool next to me, grabbing a slice of watermelon before his ass even hits the seat. He is wearing nothing other than a pair of blue trunks. I’m beginning to think everything this guy owns is blue. That, and that the men of this apartment have an aversion to clothing.
I cut a piece of my waffle, bringing it to my mouth and releasing a sigh of pleasure as the tastes bloom on my tongue. It is pure crispy perfection. The maple syrup perfectly coats it, and the little pockets of whip cream cut through the sweetness.
“This is so good, Jackson. Thank you.”
“See, at least someone here has manners.”
Parker and Aleks mumble out thank yous as they continue to eat their fill of Jackson’s brunch feast. Parker skips the waffles, piling his plate with eggs, bacon, and watermelon. Aleks stacks his waffle with eggs and maple syrup. Everyone’s relatively silent as they eat, the guys chatting here and there about some gaming stuff I don’t totally grasp. Some of it I can piece together from listening to Blade’s streams and just minor gaming knowledge, but when they start talking stats, it goes right over my head.
The elevator dings, and Sydney’s voice rings out. “I brought juice and an NDA.” She strolls into the room. Her hair is styled in a fishtail braid, lashes coated with a layer of mascara, but a darkness hangs under her eyes. I feel bad. She was still on the phone when we went to bed last night, sorting everything out.
Sydney rounds the kitchen and leans across the opposite side of the island, dropping a white bag on the top. She runs her eyes over the three men with a sigh.
“You boys couldn’t bother putting on a little more clothing this morning?”
She rummages through the bag, taking out four red juices and a green one. She slides the green juice my way. “I hope I got it right. I was eighty percent certain that you were drinking the Green Beam when we met.”
I smile at her, touched by the gesture. “I was, thank you.”
She slides a red drink to each guy, Parker and Jackson groaning.
“Don’t whine, you need your vegetables.”
Aleks, however, sips on his happily between bites of waffle.
When I finish my food, stomach stuffed with maple waffle goodness, I force myself to get up and bring my plate to the sink to rinse it off.
“None of that, Stevie.” Jackson chastises, coming up beside me. “Parker and Aleks know the rules. I cooked, they clean.”