Page 9 of The Baker and the Kraken

Did you say that sort of thing on a not-date? But you know what? Why shouldn’t you admit to wanting to spend time with someone? Adam squared his shoulders. There was every chance that Calder would decide what everyone else did after a while, that Adam was too much to put up with, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy all the time they had together until then.

“Where are we going?” Adam asked.

It wasn’t precisely that he didn’t like surprises, but generally, the unknown wasn’t his friend.

Calder told him, “I thought we could grab fish and chips and eat them on the beach, if that’s okay.”

Adam blew out a breath in relief and beamed. “I’d really like that.”

Calder’s answering smile rivaled the sun, bright and contagious. “Wonderful.”

No formal place sittings, no chance of Adam knocking food, cutlery, or glassware off the table, and if any food fell, well, they were outdoors, and an animal would probably eat it.

So they strolled along to a fish and chip truck, which Calder confided to him was one of the best in the city. He’d sampled a lot of them, apparently.

“I bow to your expertise,” Adam said, laughing. “I appreciate just getting to slip in at the end and enjoy the spoils of your effort.”

Calder’s teeth flashed white against his tanned skin. “You can enjoy my spoils anytime you like.”

Adam swallowed thickly. He was seeing innuendo in everything because Calder was the hottest man he’d ever met and Simon had been putting ideas in his head. Yes, it was surely that.

Thankfully, their order was called out, and Adam could stop thinking about it—only then he managed to squirt ketchup onto Calder as well as onto his chips.

Adam tried to mop up the stain and succeeded in making it worse, smearing it over more of the man’s shirt, which felt like it was silk or another expensive material.

“Oh, I’ve ruined it! I’ll pay for it to be cleaned,” Adam said miserably.

Calder’s hand clasped Adam’s, making him suddenly preternaturally aware that his fingers were pressed to the hard planes of Calder’s stomach. He’d been so focused on the stain that he somehow hadn’t noticed that he was practically groping the man’s torso through a thin layer of fabric.

Adam could feel his face heating even more.

“It’s fine,” Calder assured him with an easy smile. “My clothes will wash. I’d much rather eat this meal with you while it’s hot.”

He looked… genuinely not upset. Adam had gotten pretty good over the years at seeing when someone said one thing but was just being polite. It tended to come out in a strain in their voice or extra lines around their eyes or mouth. But Calder looked… fond?

That couldn’t possibly be right, could it?

Chapter Four

Calder

Calder thought their date was going extremely well. Yes, it was obvious Adam was nervous and a bit uncertain, but every time Calder reassured him that everything was fine, he settled a little more. Calder didn’t like that Adam seemed to be expecting a negative reaction to his behavior, and Calder was determined to show him as often as necessary that it didn’t bother Calder at all. To the contrary, Calder liked everything about his mate, and that included his clumsiness.

They went to sit on some flattish rocks on the sandy beach. Calder had never been a huge fan of fancy, restrictive meals, and he’d hoped Adam would feel the same. Or maybe his likes were broad. At any rate, he seemed to relax the longer they sat together, munching away at their food as seagulls wheeled overhead, their calls loud and strident, and the surf crashed rhythmically against the beach, music to Calder’s ears.

Adam managed to knock several fries out of his container and onto the sand, but Calder simply smiled. “Someone will eat them.”

Adam eyed the gulls. “I’m actually surprised they haven’t tried already. I’ve had some gull encounters in the past, and I’ve always lost.”

Calder laughed. “Gulls are definitely opportunistic, but maybe they don’t want to interrupt us.”

This made Adam laugh and shake his head, amused.

There might not be a lot that stopped gulls, but Calder was one of those things. There were times where animals were much smarter than humans.

“This really is good,” Adam told him, licking his fingers in a way that made Calder want to suck them into his mouth, but he restrained himself.

He hadn’t lived this long by not learning patience.