TWENTY
Two weeks later, Leo was still smiling. He didn’t even mind Peter’s good-natured jokes or Marla making goo-goo eyes whenever he and Morgan touched in front of her. They’d been spending time at Peter’s shop, and he was impressed with how quickly Morgan had taken to boxing.
“I like sharing what’s important with you,” Morgan said when he’d mentioned it.
“You’re what’s important.” And judging by Morgan’s incandescent smile, Leo knew it was the right thing to say.
“Are you saying that to get lucky?” Morgan chuckled as he pulled off his sweaty shirt and jumped when Leo grabbed him around the waist.
“I already am.”
Today they’d been invited over for a Labor Day barbecue, and when they walked into the house holding hands, Marla nearly swooned.
“Have I told you lately how much I love seeing you together?” She kissed Morgan first, then him.
Leo chuckled. “If I’m correct, this might be the ten-thousandth time.” But he didn’t mind. Not anymore.
“Here are the lovebirds,” Peter hailed them from the grill. “We were wondering if you were going to blow us off.” He waggled his brows. “No pun intended.”
“Morgan wanted to, but I told him it wouldn’t be right. He was practically begging me to stay home.”
“You dirty liar.” Outraged, Morgan let go of his hand and shoved him. “That’s so not true.”
Snickering, Leo popped the top off a bottle of beer. “I know. I just wanted to see you get all mad. You know how much I like it.”
Huffing out his displeasure, Morgan accepted a glass of wine from Marla. “Thanks. And yeah, so you tell me. I didn’t realize it meant keeping me in a perpetual state of annoyance.”
Leo bent over and murmured in Morgan’s ear, “You have me with a perpetual hard-on, so I think we’re even.”
“Shut up,” he hissed, and Leo spied the flush under his scruff before he ducked his head and walked away to talk to the kids. Now he knew that pink blush covered every inch of Morgan’s body, and it was one of Leo’s favorite things. Hell, almost everything about Morgan had become a favorite. The man was a fever in his blood he had no desire to cure.
Peter slung a meaty arm around his shoulder. “It’s okay. I remember what it was like when me ’n Marla were first dating. Happy for you, brother. I see the difference now.”
“Difference? What’re you talking about?”
“Between you with Diego and with Morgan. You don’t take your eyes off him. It’s different when it’s real, am I right?”
Leo squirmed under the scrutiny, still finding it hard to have his personal life on display. But this was Peter, and he deserved an explanation. “You’re right. Guess it depends on the person you’re with.”
“Like I said, you never know when the right one’s gonna come along. Morgan’s a great guy. Has to be, to put up with your moody ass.”
“Happens to be his favorite part of me.”
“No. Dude, you did not just make a butt joke with me.”
Leo cackled. “If I can’t with you, who else?” He sobered. “But seriously, thanks for putting up with me. It’s been hard, especially lately.”
“What’s going on? You feel like talking?” Peter didn’t even try to hide the hopefulness in his voice.
Morgan, who’d been wrangled into playing a game of ring toss with the kids, finally extricated himself and joined them. “I’m over there getting my butt kicked by some little kids, and you two look like you’re discussing something very important.”
“We were. You.”
Morgan gave him the kind of smile that made Leo want to drag him close and kiss him.
“That could go two different ways.”
This time Leo did act on his feelings, albeit with some restraint, and gave Morgan’s cheek a nudge with his nose. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell them how you almost flooded my bathroom this morning.”
