Page 91 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

Gabriel grabs him by the tie and pulls him into a hungry kiss. Ellis makes a muffled sound of surprise, having expected a simple, PDA-acceptable peck. Gabriel clearly had a different idea because once Ellis’ lips part on a gasp, his tongue pushes in, relentless and demanding.

Ellis has to brace himself against the counter as he opens up, swallowing a moan as he tastes something sweet with an aftertaste he’s come to associate with Gabriel.

“Get a room!” someone barks, a note of amusement in their voice.

They pull apart, and Ellis gives the intruder a side-eye. There’s something familiar about the man, but he can’t place him.

“Friend of yours?” he asks, since the man seems to be amused by their antics.

“Not anymore,” Gabriel grumbles, getting a laugh out of Ellis.

The man approaches them, stopping in his tracks as he stares at Ellis.

“Hey. I know you,” he says, managing to sound accusatory.

Now that he got a proper look at him, the memories come back to Ellis. “Right. You’re Dawson’s friend. Kevin, is it?” They’ve only met once, briefly, at the hospital when Cal was first brought in and Ellis had flown up from Sydney.

“Kieran!” not-Kevin corrects snappily. “And you’re Dickhead’s brother.”

Okay. So Kieran apparently has feelings about Cal.

“Wait.” Kieran’s frown deepens. “Why were you kissing Gabe?” Now, that was definitely accusatory.

Gabriel sticks his tongue out. “Because I’m irresistible.”

Kieran doesn’t look happy, though Ellis fails to see how the situation concerns him. Maybe he’s Gabriel’s ex? The thought is very unsettling.

“Are you two a thing? Seriously?” Kieran points at Ellis. “Him?”

“Hey, cut it out,” Gabriel bites out, all playfulness gone. He looks pissed, and it’s so unusual and unexpected that Ellis finds it a teeny tiny bit hot. “What’s your problem?”

A tall man with strawberry blond hair speaks from behind Kieran. “He needs a good whooping, would be my guess.” Ellis watches as Kieran’s eyes widen like he recognizes the voice, and he whirls around. “A bit of a drama queen, aren’t you?”

“You,” Kieran growls.

“Miss me?” The man’s lips curl in a dangerous grin. Something about it reminds Ellis of Gabriel.

“Fuck you,” Kieran spits out, seething. “What are you doing here? Are youstalkingme?”

The man huffs. “Nothing that interesting. Just popping by to say hi to my favorite cousin.” He nods towards Gabriel who manages an awkward wave. “Looking a little worn out. Rough night?”

Kieran’s teeth flash, reminding Ellis of a rabid dog. “Fuck. You.”

The man’s smile only gets wider. “Keep saying that and you might get your wish.”

Fingers digging into his palms, Kieran turns to Gabriel. “Is my drink done yet?”

“Oh!” Gabriel jumps, hastily looking for the docket. “Just a sec.” What feels like five seconds later, he’s putting the finished drink on the counter. “Here it is.”

Kieran stalks forward and grabs the cup hard enough that some of the liquid splashes out of the sipper. “Your family sucks.”

Gabriel gives a strained laugh. “You’re not wrong.”

Kieran strides away angrily, then nearly yeets his drink at the man when he calls, “See you around, Kieran.”

Likely figuring the drink is too expensive to waste, he instead delivers a very passionate ‘Fuck you’ and all but runs away.

Ellis and Gabriel share a look when the coast is clear. “Ash?” Ellis guesses. Gabriel has only mentioned one cousin.