Trouble & the Wallflower

Published by

Dreamspinner Press

5032 Capital Circle SW
Suite 2, PMB# 279
Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886

USA

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Trouble & the Wallflower

© 2014 Kade Boehme.

Cover Art

© 2014 Leah Kaye Suttle.

www.leahsuttle.com.

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.

ISBN: 978-1-62798-448-5

Digital ISBN: 978-1-62798-447-8

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

February 2014

Thanks to Wendy for reminding me to take a break and keeping me sane. Ang, for making me laugh when I need it most. Sey, Ames, and Taylor, you all make my life brighter.

And to Mon. Thanks for planting the tiniest of ideas that turned into these boys I’ll never forget.

D
AVY
PASSED
a cone loaded with two black-licorice ice cream scoops to a beaming toddler who bounced in her father’s arms. After a thanks and a tip from the dad, Davy gave his typical shy smile-and-nod routine. He was pretty sure he was the only person who ever managed to get tips off shyness, but he figured that working in an old-fashioned soda shop where the majority of clientele were tourists and children, being unassuming was preferable to being overeager. People were at ease around his shy nature, and it paid his bills.

The bell that hung above the door jingled, followed by laughter, signaling that he had customers. As he turned to greet them, he couldn’t even muster a smile when he recognized the group of five guys walking in. Okay. So there was occasionally something about his job that wasn’t quite so comfortable, and these guys—more specifically one of these guys—rattled his cage, and he wasn’t sure why.

Well, that was a lie. He knew why. They were around his age and attractive, his opposites in every way, and they were guys. Cute guys. They had the hipstery look of most Seattle twentysomethings and spoke freely with one another, laughing raucously at their own ridiculousness. They came in at least once a week. In fact, he knew most of their orders by heart at this point. He also knew they were all openly gay after having heard plenty of their carefree conversations. He knew they were students, and all of them worked in the area surrounding the market at Pike’s Place. He’d seen most of them daily, though he was certain they never noticed him. Not many people did. He liked it that way. But one of them always noticed him. Whether they were in Bart’s Soda Shop where Davy worked or if they bumped into each other on the street, this one guy rattled him the most because he saw Davy.

Davy had figured out the guy’s name was Gavin, mostly because the guy had told him. About a hundred times. Gavin always zeroed right in on Davy, even as the rest of the world passed quiet Davy by as if he were a ghost. It was unnerving. Davy didn’t know what to do around other guys in general. He could sit in the club for hours being a wallflower, seeing the occasional guy look his way, and never once leave his spot. He’d flee before anyone thought to approach him. He wasn’t a total freak, but being around other guys, especially gay men, tended to make him a nervous wreck. But damn if he never gave up.

Gavin, with his beanies and skinny jeans that hung low in the crotch and his wicked grin that sported two devastating dimples, was definitely someone Davy couldn’t ignore. And those eyes. Big brown eyes shadowed by his ridged forehead and prominent eyebrows. Those eyebrows were perfect. Dimples and glinting brown eyes aside, Davy had heard enough of their conversations to know Gavin wasn’t exactly a blushing virgin. Not by a long shot. Davy didn’t intend to be a notch on that guy’s bedpost any time soon. Not that he was a notch on many guys’ bedposts willingly, but he did his damnedest to avoid it where this guy was concerned.

Of course, Gavin’s gaze locked on Davy’s before anyone else’s as his small group of friends made it to the counter. Gavin shot Davy what he must have thought was his most winning grin. Davy gave his usual response—he rolled his eyes. Gavin laughed, his friends shook their heads at him, but he was never discouraged, damn him. He hung back as usual as his friends came up one at a time to order their milkshakes, floats, and cones. Davy kept peeking out of the corner of his eye as, one by one, he handed each of the other guys their treats. They looked at him apologetically, rolling their eyes right along with him, always confirming that the only reason they came in the shop was so Gavin could throw himself at his potential conquest.

Davy often wondered how Gavin was so certain Davy was gay. But it still seemed he was way too quiet for anyone to make an assumption other than perhaps thinking he was asexual. Perhaps Gavin hit on all men that shamelessly, but he seemed overly confident that he might have a chance with Davy. Which he did not. At all.

Finally it was Gavin’s turn, and Davy plastered on his best fake smile but crossed his arms over his chest as Gavin slid smoothly up to the counter, with that annoyingly sexy smile and those devilish eyes, and leaned in as close as he could, elbows propped on the top of the counter, chin in his hands. Davy quirked an eyebrow as Gavin shamelessly appraised him, causing Davy to blush. Damn how easily he blushed for giving him away every time. Didn’t matter that his skin was naturally a honeyed tan, his blush still shone bright on his high cheekbones. Gavin’s smile grew smug every time Davy’s cheeks colored, and it really pissed Davy off. Another one of many reasons he wouldn’t give this guy the time of day.

“Heya, Davy.”

Gavin’s voice dripped with suggestion and Davy rolled his eyes. Again.

“Hello, sir. Cherry limeade, as usual?” Davy kept his tone even.

Gavin gripped his heart dramatically, and his friends snickered behind him. Davy pursed his lips in annoyance. “Ouch, Dave-o. I remember your name. Do I mean so little to you?”

“Less than you’d think,” Davy said with a glare. He hated this guy for getting a rise out of him. He tried to tell himself it was because he couldn’t stand the guy, but he knew it was because he actually wanted to jump the counter and lick the guy from head to toe. Thankfully Gavin didn’t know he was the only person who inspired any type of reaction out of Davy, who was normally shy enough he wouldn’t back-talk someone who jumped in front of him in line. Damn this Gavin dude.

Gavin leaned in again with a smirk. “Now, I just don’t think that’s so, Davy. I don’t see you talking smack to my friends. I don’t see you talk back to anyone, really. So I think you’re just playing hard to get.”

Shit.
“Whatever.”
Clever.

Gavin’s eyes practically widened in excitement. Davy’s lack of a poker face must have shown Gavin he was right. Although he’d call it “never gonna get” before he’d say “hard to get.” He looked to Gavin’s friends, beseeching the strangers with his eyes to intervene. They were all too busy turning red from laughter or shrugging apologetically. No help there. Before he embarrassed himself with this jackass any further, Davy turned to the soda station and started squeezing limes for the cherry limeade. He just wanted them gone.

He concentrated on the work at hand, breathing in and out. If only Gavin understood. He’d give anything to be normal enough to just take his number one of the million times he’d offered it. He’d love to go have that coffee with him. But Davy wasn’t normal. He was struggling past a panic attack now. The only thing stopping him from freaking out totally was the familiar actions. Cut the lime in half, juice it, add sugar and carbonated water. Shake. Shit. He forgot grenadine. He had to look at Gavin again because the grenadine was under the counter. Damn. He avoided eye contact, but he could feel the smirk on Gavin’s face, and part of him wanted to throw the guy’s drink in his face. The rest of him wanted to run into the back and hide. He hated being noticed. Why couldn’t Gavin just figure that out?

When he went to pour the drink into a to-go cup, Gavin cleared his throat, making Davy look up at him, startled. “Something got you flustered?”

Gavin’s smugness really,
really
made Davy reconsider running and vote for slinging the drink in the guy’s cocky mug. Gavin nodded down at Davy’s hands, and Davy noticed he’d dumped the damn limeade on the floor instead of into the cup.

Shit!

Davy had to control the growl that wanted to escape.

Get a grip.
Now Gavin’s friends were in full hysterics, and Davy hated them for it. He wanted to die. He flung the cup in the trash, turned to make another limeade, and poured it into the cup this time instead of on the floor. “On the house,” he said.
Please just leave.

Gavin held his hands out as if he was surrendering.

“No, no, no. I insist.” Gavin pulled some cash out of the pocket on his plaid button-down shirt.