“You know I’d never do such a thing.”
“Not on purpose, no.”
“Fine, let’s go out to see our friends, but you’re taking me on that dance floor,” Josh asserted, marching out of Riley’s bedroom with him hot on his heels.
“You can bet on that,” Riley said, smacking Josh’s ass as he passed him on the way to their front door, each of them grabbing their wallets and keys from the counter.
Josh would have to research how long it would take for blue balls to kill a man.
————————
PJ Shanahan’s was packed from wall to wall, but they managed to find their group easily thanks to Hunter standing out like a tall sunflower in the middle of a meadow. The guy was huge, in every direction.
As Riley and Josh navigated their way through the crowd to reach Hunter and Garrett, Josh wondered why he had never been attracted to Hunter. He was gay now, right? So why didn’t Hunter’s blond man bun and his bulging muscles ever make him curious? Or Garrett’s runner’s physique and movie star smile? They seemed to be surrounded by good-looking men all the time.
He turned to look at Riley, wondering if he was thinking the same thing as they held each other’s hands through the club so they wouldn’t lose each other. When their eyes connected and Riley gave him that sweet smile of his, it all made sense.
How could he ever look at another man when Riley was right here?
Sure, Hunter was pretty much a Thor look-alike and Garrett tended to attract every gender in his orbit. But maybe Josh liked his men leaner, closer to his height and, most of all, Riley. Maybe it wasn’t men he was attracted to; maybe it was Riley.
Did that still mean he was gay? Or probably bi, since he was legitimately attracted to women before. He’d have to do some research, or maybe ask Cole. He was their unofficial sexuality guru.
Of course, Josh forgot to turn around from staring at Riley and crashed into another couple on the dance floor. He apologized profusely, and the lithe woman he ran into shook him off, but the death stare from the guy attached to her prompted Riley to step between them and continue their walk toward Hunter and Garrett.
Riley was always there to defend him. Josh couldn’t count high enough to tally the number of times Riley had had to step in to save him, sometimes from himself.
He was Josh’s protector. His savior. His everything.
Yup, Riley was in a league all his own.
When they finally reached the guys, Josh was trying to control his heart. He felt like a puppy let loose in a room full of toys and treats, but he only had eyes for Riley.
Hunter and Garrett smiled at them, but their smiles turned mischievous when they glanced lower. Josh worried he had a drink spilled on him, or his fly was down, and he didn’t notice, but he realized he was still holding Riley’s hand like a vice.
When he looked at Riley and saw his nervous smile and the flush rising in his cheeks, he let go of his hand. It almost hurt to let go, like everything in his body was willing him into Riley’s grasp, where it was safe and secure.
He covered the moment by hugging Hunter and Garrett hello, Riley following with the same.
Hunter was in a tight T-shirt that looked like it shrank in the wash, drawing attention from everyone walking by. And Josh meant everyone. Men, women and everyone in between.
Garrett was in a button-down navy shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, his dirty blond hair perfectly coiffed like he’d stepped off the set of a Hallmark Christmas movie. As a detective, he was a serious guy, but when he smiled he did it with his whole face.
Both of them had drinks in their hands. Garrett nodded toward their hi-top table, where two beers weresitting there for Riley and Josh.
Riley and Josh shouted thanks as they grabbed the drinks and toasted their friends.
They shot the shit for a while as they drank, taking advantage of the great spot for people watching. The blaring music made it hard to have a conversation, though.
Josh could barely hear Riley over the music when he shouted, “You guys have your eyes on anyone tonight?”
They were both good looking and probably had their pick of anyone they wanted. Except Riley. Riley was… taken?
Wait. Was he?
Josh was sick to his stomach as he realized they hadn’t talked about exclusivity at all. They’d agreed to give this a try, but did that mean they’d still try to hook up when they were out, like they usually did?
Hunter’s boisterous laugh cut off his thinking.
