This time, when Josh felt that hardness against his hip, he smiled at Riley and pulled him tighter against him, one hand sliding up his shirt while the other slid into the back pocket of Riley’s jeans.
Riley had never felt so… cherished. Had anyone ever held him like this? Had any of the girls he’d ever dated looked at him like he was the center of their world? Nope, not even close.
Josh, on the other hand, looked at him like he could do no wrong. Riley had spent his life trying to emulate the person Josh believed him to be.
If Josh thought he was this all-powerful hero, ready to swoop in and save the day—to save Josh—he’d make sure he did his best to be that man. For him.
The song changed to an even slower tune, and Josh cupped Riley’s cheek, caressing the skin with thecalloused pad of his thumb.
Riley’s breath stuttered as he looked into Josh’s eyes. He adored this man, and he had to have him.
He inched closer until their lips were a breath away, giving Josh a chance to pull away if he wanted, but all he did was bring their foreheads together.
Riley knew at that moment that Josh was his person. He’d always been his person when it came to being the first person he called to share news, good or bad, the first person he cried with, raged with, celebrated with.
Now, he knew that Josh was his person ineverysense of the word.
He was his everything.
At that moment, nothing could pull Riley away from Josh. He angled his head until he could brush his lips against Josh's. He’d meant for it to be a quick kiss, a reminder that he was in this, but Josh had different plans.
Josh’s hands slid up Riley’s back until they were cradling his neck, then his head. Then he kissed Riley with purpose as they continued to sway and grind on the dance floor.
Riley couldn’t even hear the music anymore, Josh invading all of his senses. The spicy smell of his cologne, the taste of a pale ale on his tongue, the sound of his breaths mixed with his own, the feel of his hands holding him close, and the sultry look in his eyes when he retreated, those eyes practically black in the dark club.Josh was everywhere, and Riley would do everything to keep it that way.
Later that night, when they’d returned home and crashed into Riley’s bed, continuing their dance horizontally until they both came, Riley made a vow to himself.
He would fight for this. With everything he had.
————————
The next day was a day off from the gym—thank goodness because they had not gone to bed early the night before—and Riley had made plans to get lunch with Sophie.
Usually, Josh would join them, but Sophie specifically asked for a private lunch with her brother.
Josh had looked slightly hurt about it, because he’d always been like a brother to Sophie too, but Riley was also trying to move away from that fact because now Riley and Josh felt like the farthest thing from brothers.
He didn’t tell Josh, but he also wanted some quality sister time so he could talk about Josh. He couldn’t exactly do that with him sitting there.
It was weird being at Hero’s Pub in the middle of the day. Usually he hit up the bar at night after an indoor soccer game with the Cherry Stems, and it was such a different atmosphere in the daytime. The servers lookedlight and refreshed, although slightly bored, and there were far fewer people so it was easier to see the Cherrywood memorabilia and photos displayed tastefully on the walls alongside the flatscreen TVs playing sports highlights and the news.
The bar sat in the middle of the pub, with tables and stools circling it.
Sophie poked fun at him for ordering the crab bisque, but he was adamant that it was the best he’d tasted in his life. He wasn’t sure what the ingredients were, but it was addictive.
“Can you keep a secret?” Sophie asked, an uncharacteristically serious look on her face.
“Yeah, of course,” he said, slightly annoyed. “When have I ever shared any of your secrets?”
“I mean,” Sophie said, pausing to take a deep breath, “could you keep a secret fromeveryone. Including Josh.”
Riley froze as he considered her question.
It’s not that he couldn’t keep a secret from Josh, but he’d always been uncomfortable about it, unless it was to protect him.
Garrett was looking into the police report Riley found in the police database. When they had a video call to discuss it, he asked how Riley got his hands on it, cocking an eyebrow at him, but they both agreed it was better if Garrett didn’t know. And until he knew for sure what washappening, he was going to keep that from Josh.
The thing was, Josh had this unavoidable urge to try to understand things. He asked questions, sometimes inappropriate ones, not because he was being rude but because he honestly wanted to understand something.
