The second he was alone, Shayne fired off a message to Lincoln, and gave into the meds. He hated it. The room was already unsteady beneath his feet. Thankfully, Lincoln returned his text right away.
Shayne:I’m so sorry about tonight.
Lincoln:I’m not. I had a great time.
Shayne:That’s not what I meant. I wanted you alone. I wanted to fuck you.
Lincoln:I have to leave for work in two hours.
Shayne:Did you just turn me down?
Lincoln:Are you alone?
Technically, he was. The guys were still hanging out in the living room, but there was no way in hell he was allowing Lincoln to avoid answering his question. Not to mention, he already felt better simply reading Lincoln’s messages.
Shayne:Yes. What does that have to do with anything? You didn’t answer my question.
Lincoln’s image appeared on his phone. This time, it was decidedly lower than the picture he’d received the night before. Shayne blinked at the photo, drawing a slow breath inthrough his nose. He needed more of Lincoln in his life. Whoa. To him, Ryker paled in comparison. The floor shifted beneath Shayne’s feet, forcing him to lean against the counter. This time it had nothing to do with the painkillers. Every drop of blood left his brain and rushed to his cock. His phone kept him prisoner. He couldn’t look away. A second image appeared, and Shayne growled. He was helpless against it. The sound vibrated from his chest and passed his throat before Shayne could swallow it down. If he could drive, he’d already be heading that way.
Shayne:Is that for me?
Lincoln:Seriously?
Shayne laughed. He could practically hear Lincoln’s sarcastic tone.
“You’re smiling.” Shayne’s head shot up as Grady’s voice cut through the haze of his lust. “I wasn’t sure what to expect when I sawyou tonight. Yesterday had to be one hell of a day for you, but it’s odd. I can’t remember ever seeing you this happy.” He was happy. Unemployed. Injured. Carless and totally ecstatic.
“Sexy doctor,” Shayne reminded him, going back to texting Lincoln.
Shayne: Just wanted to make sure you understood that’s mine.
Lincoln:Got it.
Shayne:Do you? Mine.
Lincoln:That sort of possessiveness goes both ways.
Shayne’s fingers paused over the face of his phone before responding. Before Lincoln, he would’ve scoffed at this conversation. They’d just met. There’s no way he would’ve made such a demand of someone after two days together, but he had just done so. Not only that, he was smiling like an idiot at the idea of belonging to Lincoln. Somehow, in thematter of minutes he’d declared they were exclusive and couldn’t be happier.
Shayne:I wouldn’t accept anything less.
Grady was still staring at him. Shayne could feel it boring into his skull. Meeting the other man’s gaze, his eyebrows rose in question. Grady’s mouth lifted in one corner, knowingly.
“You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”
Shayne blew out a sigh before answering, “Yeah. Looks that way.”
Grady crossed his arms over his chest, nodding. “Cool. You up to head over to Plethora? Henley says that’s where Ryker hangs out on the weekends, and Alex is bound to turn up, looking for him.”
To hide his surprise, Shayne made a show of setting his phone aside. “You do realize that Plethora caters to a certain cliental,” Shayne asked, hoping to be diplomatic. Instead ofbacking down, as Shayne expected, Grady’s face hardened.
“Why would I care?”
Shayne rubbed the spot between his eyes, hoping to wipe away the pain blooming there. “Will you at least tell me why you’re obsessing over this?”
Pacing away, Grady scrubbed his hands through his hair, leaving it standing on end before focusing on Shayne once more. “Honestly? I don’t know. You know how I get and there was something in Ryker’s expression when I said Alex’s name.” Shayne’s phone buzzed across the counter, snagging his attention.
Lincoln:Ugh! Got called in early. See you around noon tomorrow?
