Page 12 of The Great Maple Mistake (Love in Maplewood #8)

It takes almost a minute before he answers, and I’m not sure if he’s reluctant to tell me, enjoying the gentle massage, or trying to find the words to explain.

Maybe all three? Slowly, he sits up and catches my hand as it slides from his hair.

“As Rae pointed out twice now, allergies can be very serious. Yeah, I’m a firefighter, but I’m also an EMT, and claiming an allergy to something I’m not actually allergic to, when it could be deadly to some people, doesn’t instill trust. If everyone thinks I’m allergic and then they find out I’m not, I could lose all credibility.

And maple is so much a part of this town that it’s probably put me, and my supposed allergy, on people’s radar. ”

I cup his jaw and stroke my thumb over his cheek, not wanting to confirm that he’s probably right about being on people’s radar in this gossip-hungry town.

But the way he leans into my palm has all kinds of fluttery feelings exploding in my chest, and I desperately want to pull him close and comfort him.

God, how can one man be so absolutely adorable and so deadly sexy at the same time?

“ I know you didn’t start this rumor. And Finn knows.

Which means Charlie and Drake probably know.

I haven’t mentioned it to my family yet, but I can.

And your aunt Viv knows too. Right? I’m assuming you told her what happened. ”

Cody nods. “Yeah, and I told the chief, too.”

“See? You’re getting the word out. And pretty soon everyone will know.”

He nods again and turns his head, placing a gentle kiss against my palm. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Reluctantly, I pull my hand back and turn sideways on the bench so I can lean up against the windows and look right at him.

We have things to discuss, and if he touches me, I’m going to lose my train of thought.

“So, as this is our first date, I believe we have some required questions that need to be answered.”

Cody grins and turns as far as he can in the booth. We probably should’ve taken one of the high-tops because the poor guy is gonna get stuck or hurt himself. “There are things I want to ask you, but I didn’t know we’d be having a Q and A session.” He settles and waves me on. “Okay, hit me.”

Before we can get started, Bethany shows up again, this time with our food.

“One burger, hold the onion, and one pot roast and mash loaded with gravy.” She points at Cody’s mashed potatoes.

“That’s the mash. Joe is teaching me diner lingo.

That’s when you don’t use the normal names for the food.

Like, your cheeseburger? Joe says that’s ‘One cow, drag it through the garden!’” She laughs and shakes her head.

“Do you believe it? Some of them aren’t so pleasant.

Like ketchup? He says it’s called a hemorrhage.

” She grimaces. “Yeah, I’m never saying that.

” She leans in conspiratorially. “Sometimes, I think he makes the slang up and tries to get me to believe him.” She stands up straight and shrugs.

“Anyway, can I get you anything else?” We shake our heads.

“Okay. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit. ”

We dig into our food, and I’m happily munching away when Cody makes the filthiest moaning sound.

I freeze mid-bite, my eyes snapping to his blissed-out face, and my mind drops into the gutter as other parts of my anatomy take a very keen interest. With how fast my body is reacting, you’d think I was eighteen again.

I stare at him, gripping my burger a little too tightly so I don’t reach down and give myself a quick squeeze.

I am a grown-ass adult. I’m in control of my hormones, dammit.

I can’t be obsessing about ways to get Cody to make that sound again!

Mr. Too-damned-sexy-for-my-own-good slowly opens his beautiful eyes and must feel me staring.

He turns, hitting me with the full potency of his attention, and damn, that’s not helping.

I finish chewing and swallow my bite. “Good?”

His cheeks get slightly pink, and he nods. “Yeah. This is incredible.”

“Oh.” I stare at the splash of gravy at the corner of his mouth and want to lick it off. My heart races, blood pumping so fast I can feel it throbbing between my legs. Fuck. Not helping, Alex.

I quickly glance up again and meet his gaze. His pupils are blown wide, and he’s looking at me with so much heat it’s difficult to breathe. “How’s yours?”

“Good.” I glance away, focusing on my burger and taking slow, deep breaths.

“Really good. They have great burgers here.” I take another bite, trying to ignore the ache in my groin.

“Actually, I’ve never had anything here that wasn’t amazing.

” I feel Cody shift, and his thigh presses against mine.

No, not just our thighs. We’re pressed together from knee to hip, and our arms keep brushing against each other.

And every time it happens, little jolts of pleasure race all over my body.

Cody clears his throat. “So, um, you’ve lived in Maplewood all your life?”

Good. Chatting is good. It’s an excellent distraction. Now I just have to get my brain online. “Yeah. Born and raised here.”

“You never wanted to live anywhere else?”

I shake my head. “Nope. I went to college in Burlington. That was far enough away for me. I like living in Maplewood. Everyone knows me. Knows my story. Knows my family. We have our difficulties, but what I’d gain in variety and maybe new experiences living somewhere else, I’d lose in being able to be one hundred percent myself.

It’s amazing being queer and living in a queercentric town.

No one looks at me funny or has a problem with who I am.

People here are so aware, that we don’t even ask each other the heteronormative questions about relationships, like ‘when are you getting married?’ or ‘when are you having kids?’ We all just accept that people will love who they love and will know what’s best for them in their relationships. ”

Cody nods, but he looks a little confused. “Is it bad to want to get married? I mean, yeah, I’m pan, so I could end up with anyone. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t get married if my partner and I both want to.”

“Agreed.” I nod quickly. “That’s not what I meant.

Sorry. I just meant that everyone here tends to operate with the assumption that each relationship will be whatever the people in it want it to be, without judgment.

Take Rory Kelly, for example. He’s in a committed relationship with Adrian Gates and Zack Reed.

Everyone in Maplewood just rolled with it, even though poly relationships are only a small percentage of our population.

But it’s what works for the three of them, so it works for the rest of us.

” I shrug. “Guess that’s my long-winded way of saying I like living in a relatively judgment-free zone when it comes to sexuality, gender, and expectations. ”

Cody spears a broccoli floret. “Yeah, I can see how that would be really hard to give up.”

“Plus, my immediate family is here. And even though my mom and dad are divorced, we’re all still really close. We’re even close with my stepdad, Rob.”

“That’s really great that your parents can stay friendly after a divorce.”

I shrug. “They got married right out of college and were together for almost twenty-five years. People change. They grow. And sometimes that doesn’t happen in the same direction. But they still like each other. They still love each other. They just aren’t in love with each other anymore.”

“Still, it couldn’t have been easy for your dad when your mom got remarried.”

I shake my head. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. My dad actually gave my mom away at her wedding to Rob. They thought it was hilarious, like ‘Here, she’s yours now.’ Luke and I saw the humor, but not to the extent that they did.”

“And your dad isn’t with anyone right now?”

I turn and face Cody, suppressing a grin. “Why? Are you interested?”

His cheeks turn bright pink, but he’s grinning. “No. And I could have said that better. I just meant that it could be difficult, being the solo one after a breakup, when your ex and their new partner live in the same town.”

My shoulders sag, and I rest my elbows on the table.

“Yeah, he seems okay with it. He says he is. Though I wish he’d find someone.

But it’s like he’s not even looking anymore.

And before you say anything, no, he’s not still hung up on Mom.

” I roll my eyes. “He’s just damned picky.

Then again, I guess that’s genetic, because Luke and I could also be called picky. ”

“That so?” Cody’s lips twitch like he’s fighting a smirk.

I nod. “Yeah. Very picky.”

He rips his dinner roll apart and mops up the leftover gravy with it. Before he pops it into his mouth, he asks another question. “So, why is that? What is it that attracts you to someone? What do you look for in a person?”