I couldn’t be his first but at least I’m in his life every damned day, the first and last person he sees and talks to.
That ends today, but it’s okay. Leo owns both of us. With almost five years under our belt, me and Jordan together in this thing we share, I can drop my territoriality when it comes to Leo spending time with Jordan.
Because they’re both mine now, and like hell will I let anyone take either of them from me. Nearly everything they do and share will be in front of me, and I will be a part of it, not something compartmentalized and hidden from me, beyond my ken because of circumstances.
When Jordan explodes a sense of triumph washes through me, as it always does, even stronger than my impending climax becauseIam the one doing this to him.
Me.
Mine.
I barely hold back until he finishes and then I join him, catching my breath and falling forward onto him as he reaches for me, draws me to him, holds me.
One hand settles on the small of the back, the other in my hair and massaging my scalp.
“My good boy,” he murmurs. “Sogood.”
Don’t get me wrong—I know part of what he does is an act, a mask he puts on with the help of Leo’s love and strength at the base, every bit as much as I do with my POTUS mask of a calm, steady, incisive leader who can handle everything.
Leo is at our core.
Maybe I fell hard and fast for Jordan, possessively so, but in the back of my mind I always remember that neither of us would be here and loving each other if not for Leo.
I touch my forehead to Jordan’s. “I love you, Sir. I know we can’t legally marry you, too, but you are my husband. I take you, Jordan Remington Walsh, to be my husband, my spouse, the keeper of my heart and soul, even if we can’t publicly share those vows today.”
I hear something and when I look I spot the tears in his eyes. “I take you, Elliot Gerald Woodley, to be my husband, my life, my love. I swear I will always walk by your side and you will always be in my heart even when no one else knows who we are to each other.”
I blink my tears away as I slant my lips over his for a gentle, tender kiss. A loving kiss.
Sealing a vow. “I do,” I whisper. “Forever.”
He smiles. “I do, too.” He lifts his head and nuzzles his nose against mine. “Forever, El. Me and you.”
“Me and you.” I chuckle. “And Sir Stalksalot.”
That earns me a laugh. “Yeah, well, like either of us could keep him away even if we really wanted to.”
“I don’t want to.”
He sighs. “Neither do I.” His hazel-green gaze meets mine. “I need you to completely come clean to him. No secrets between us anymore. Except state secrets, obviously.”
I know who and what he means. “Obviously.” Our mess squishes between us, warm and slightly tangy to the nose with the overlay of the sweetness from the water-based lube Jordan prefers for this kind of play, but I love everything about it.
“Can you do that for me?” he asks. “Truly lay your soul bare to him so he understands everything you were thinking, and why you acted the way you did back then? About me, I mean. And why you really came to get me in Tallahassee.”
I nod. I came out to my parents—admitting the total truth to the man who’s loved me from the moment he met me should be a cinch, right? Especially when I know he loves Jordan as much as I do.
“Thank you.” He kisses me. “You know I willalwayshold your secrets for you, but the fewer I have to juggle with Leo means less work for me. Less to remember. Fewer lies I need to keep straight, especially to him. And I don’t like lying or keeping things from him when it comes to the three of us.” He stares into my eyes. “The public doesn’t matter now. You’re out of the closet. If we can do a hard reset of the playing field between all of us it means less stress on you, and on me. It means you’ll be able to better focus on your job taking care of the country, and I’ll be able to better focus on my job of taking care of you.”
He’s absolutely right. “Yeah.”
“Please, think about it. I won’t order you to do it but it would mean a lot to me.” He boops my nose. “Maybe a wedding present to me, huh?” He smiles.
I kiss him again because he’s my heart and soul and I know he’s right—he’s always right. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask, baby.” He turns his head to look around me and squint at the time. “Feel like getting up and taking your last shower ever as a single dude?”
I lean in and bite the top of his shoulder hard, making him laugh but it turns into a moan halfway through. “Fuck that shit—I’m not single and haven’t been for years. If you mean unmarried, sure.”
