His long legs were bare, his feet in deck shoes. Black shorts hit him mid-thigh. They were snug without being indecent. His untucked white linen shirt, open at the neck, revealed his chest hair and his sunglasses perched atop his head.
He was a chameleon, at home in whatever he wore. Confidence oozed from him, but instead of making him a brash, arrogant bastard, he was humble and down to earth with an easy way about him that drew people in—including my friends. There’d been very few moments where he and I weren’t attached at the hip, but when it had happened, my buddies each pulled me aside and commented on what a great guy Declan was.
“Damn, Papi. Let’s get out of here and find some food before I toss your ass back in bed.”
I reached forward, taking his hand in mine, and pulled him from the room.
* * *
We founda diner and stuffed ourselves until we groaned. Instead of heading back to the hotel pool as planned, we hit the strip, taking in the sights. Every step of the way, Declan was right next to me, his hand in mine, either leading or following. I would’ve thought it would be annoying. It had been withher. I’d figured it was that voice in the back of my head telling me we were all wrong for each other, but then it had been the same with Lucia, who I adored, who got on my nerves after a while. But not Declan. There was never a moment when I thought, ‘God, just let me go.’ Instead, when we let each other’s hands drop, I felt the absence in my soul.
Jesus, that thought alone should make me gag.
But it didn’t.
And I didn’t know what to do with that.
On the way back to the pool, I kept looking at him, then at our entwined hands, and back at him, trying to figure out what was different. The questions that ran through my head drove me bonkers.
Was it me?
Was it him?
Was it that I was ready now when I hadn’t been with Lucia?
Was it because he was a guy?
Was it the sex?
Or maybe it was this new dynamic that he unlocked?
When we settled into the lounge chairs next to the pool, the guys took off looking for snacks and drinks, or in Priest’s case, sex. At least that’s what he said when he told us he’d see us later back in the room.
“Now that we’re alone, how are you doing, Papi?”
My head rolled against the seat back so I could look at him. The dark aviator sunglasses shrouded his eyes, leaving me with an intense longing. His eyes were so expressive, but with them covered, I was at a loss. I sucked my lips into my mouth, licking them before rubbing them together while trying to come up with a decent response.
“Don’t hold back. Don’t choose your words. Just throw it out there.”
Mad respect for him came over me, and I smiled. “I’m trying to figure you out.”
“Me or us?”
“Both.”
“Same, Papi.”
“Do you want to get a quickie divorce to go along with our quickie marriage so we have a matched set?”
“Do you?”
“No. I told you, I think this is the only way I’ll ever take this chance. Now that it’s happened, I’d like to see where it goes.”
“And if it takes a turn?”
“Then we agree to part ways without drama or fanfare.”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
