He kissed her hand. “I can’t imagine you looking anything but.”
“Okay, buddy. Stop being so charming. You’re giving husbands a bad rap.” Forrest clapped him on the back, and Spencer snickered.
“Making sure you up your game, man,” He turned to Chess and André. “And my favorite husbands. How are you?”
Chess hugged him. “I’m good and still thinking about that amazing night. I hope you were showered with praise at work for everything.”
“Oh, they were over the moon.” He kissed André. “All that lovely money from the bazillion orders. I’m hoping for a nice juicy bonus at the end of the year.”
“You definitely deserve it,” André said. “Todd’s an extremely talented young man, and we’re going to do business. I already had Bianca call him to make a tentative offer. I don’t want him slipping away from us.” André squeezed his shoulder.
His heart was truly happy for Todd. “Perfect. I’m sure it will be a beautiful match.”
“Have you heard from Wolf?” Chess asked Spencer, taking a glass of white wine from Win.
“Me? Why would I hear from him? Has he called up with his usual ‘I’m too busy’ excuse?” And even expecting that, disappointment flooded him. After the event had ended, he’d spent the better part of the night ruminating about what had happened between them in that isolated hallway and running through Wolf’s more than bizarre reaction and words.
Having had an idea what was about to go down, so to speak, when Wolf’s partner led him off the dance floor, Spencer had followed them. He’d had no compunction about spying on them, and watching the man push Wolf beyond his limits had made his blood boil.
Then, when he and Wolf had come face-to-face, he’d burned for a different reason. In all their years together, he’d never seen Wolf so vulnerable. To see him falter…it made him so much more human—and goddamn attractive. Spencer had been ready to drag him off and do incredibly dirty things to him, but Wolf’s eyes spoke a different story. Instead of the usual glare of disapproval or skepticism, they’d reflected hesitancy and tentativeness. Almost as if he hadn’t known what to do. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Wolf was afraid, but that was impossible. Wolf feared nothing and nobody.
More than anything, he wished he could talk to someone about Wolf’s behavior that night, but any mention of it to Elliot or Chess would set them off on an emotional expedition of discovering their feelings. Neither he nor Wolf was looking for that, but it would be nice to get an opinion as to what the hell was going on inside that man’s head.
Elliot had taken Claudia and Forrest on a tour of his new vegetable garden, while Chess and André began a game of ring toss on the lawn, leaving him with Win. Because he respected the man and saw him as someone with a steady head on his shoulders—and who’d fit seamlessly into the group—Spencer felt he could trust him to ask his opinion.
“Can I get you a refill? You’re chewing on the ice cubes, which is a sign for another.” Win stood before him with the pitcher in hand, and grateful, Spencer held out his glass.
“Thanks. Can I ask you something? But you have to promise not to tell Elliot.”
Win’s brows rose. “Youwantme to keep a secret from him? If you remember, that didn’t turn out too well the last time.”
Spencer allowed himself a smile. “Yeah, but that was your problem.”
“And this is yours?”
Win’s direct gaze left him wondering why the hell he was bothering. Wolf sure as hell didn’t care. He couldn’t even find the time to come to a damn barbecue. Then he recalled Wolf shaking under him and the hitch in his breath. Something wasn’t right.
“Kind of. Mine and Wolf’s.”
“Together?” At his nod, Win’s eyes grew wide, and he took Spencer by the elbow, leading him to the far end of the deck. “Okay, we’re out of earshot of everyone. What’s going on?”
“I need you to understand that this isn’t about me being angry or annoyed with him. But I know you and Elliot see and talk to him more regularly than I do, and I want your opinion on his behavior. Has he changed from when you first met him? And if so, how?”
“You care about him.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course I do. He’s been in my life since I was eighteen years old. He’s infuriating and insufferable and obnoxious, but…”
“You love him anyway.”
Win’s unflinching gaze disoriented him. Love? Wolf? Ridiculous.
“Well, yeah. Like I love Elliot and Chess. We’ve been through a lot together.” At Win’s unconvinced expression, he hurriedly continued. “I’m not here to get into our personal dynamics. The night of the party, did he seem off to you?”
“Off?” Win’s eyes narrowed. “What’re you talking about?”
“Look.” Frustrated, he gulped down half his drink and set the glass on the wooden deck railing. “I followed him from the dance floor with that guy because something didn’t look right to me.”
“No shit?”
