All Stirred Up by Z. A. Maxfield

Author:Z. A. Maxfield [Maxfield, Z. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gay, Romance, Contemporary, MLR Press
ISBN: 9781608203314
Amazon: B004Y1NNKK
Barnesnoble: B004Y1NNKK
Goodreads: 9709613
Publisher: MLR Press
Published: 2011-04-25T07:00:00+00:00

ChApter ten

If you’re a gifted flirt, talking about the price of eggs will do as well as any other subject.

~Mignon McLaughlin

Dirk pushed his chair back from the table slightly as if he

wanted to keep himself from eating more. There was nothing

left on his plate but parsley; he’d powered through a salad and

a steak, some vegetables, and a monstrous baked potato. Now

he was looking over the dessert menu, his gaze travelling over

the nearly erotic photographs of cheesecakes and pies. He was

all unabashed enthusiasm and voracious appetite, and it looked

good on him.

When the waiter arrived at their table, Dirk was ready. “This

one, Kahlua mousse with coffee ice cream. That’s got my name

written all over it.”

Brendan handed his dessert menu back. “I’ll just have an Irish

coffee when his dessert comes.” The waiter nodded and headed

back toward the kitchen.

“More?” Brendan offered Dirk a last glass of wine. When

Dirk shook his head no, Brendan poured himself another,

emptying their second bottle. It had been a blessing to find a

restaurant within walking distance, because he was more than a

little shit-faced. It was nice to know he could enjoy himself and

then regroup in the fresh air on the walk back.

Dirk gave him a once-over that was part admonishment and

part challenge.

Brendan shrugged. “Lately I’ve been drinking a lot more than

that.”

“Have you?” When Dirk asked a question in that oh-so-idle

90 Z.A. Maxfield

way, Brendan knew he was heading for another landmine.

“You know I have. I told you.”

Dirk’s nod was a prompt to go on.

Brendan picked his wine up and took a healthy swallow. “Get

off the clock, Doc. We’re here to enjoy ourselves.”

“All right.” Dirk’s gaze, while still probing, was slightly

unfocused. He blinked and grinned amiably. “Tell me three

things you like to do for fun.”

“For fun?”

“And they can’t be about work or sex. Go.”

“I…” Not about work or sex? What else is there? “Uh…”

“Do you ever go to the movies?”

“Not really.” Brendan tried to remember the last time he’d

seen a move in a movie theater. Mostly he watched them in

hotels. “I go to the gym.”

“For fun?”

“No.” Brendan acknowledged that he might be bad at this

particular game. “I don’t know if I do anything just for fun. What

do you do for fun?”

“I rent boats and sail when I have time. I ride horses. When

I’m home, I like to garden. My grandmother grew roses that have

won all kinds of awards. I took some cuttings, and they grow at

my place now.”

Brendan felt his eyebrows rise; that happened sometimes

when he drank, his face went and made all sorts of expressions

without his consent. Ordinarily he could keep it rather still. Dirk

seemed to have a genius for getting him to reveal more than he

wanted to. “Roses?”

“Yes. Do you garden?”

“No.” Brendan hadn’t ever gardened, per se. “Evan wants to

buy a house where he and Toby can grow vegetables and herbs.

He’s considered part of the localvore movement, and he goes on

and on about things like pesticide-free food and bees.”

All Stirred Up 91

“Bees?”

Brendan nodded. “Bees are necessary to almost every aspect

of food production, and their numbers are decreasing at an

alarming rate.”

“Seriously?

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