“Great,” Casey said even though Rio could tell it was anything but. She was smiling and even acting upbeat and positive, but... She turned to give her full attention to the crowd. “We really do need to wrap up and get out of here—the hotel staff’s had a long enough day as it is. Thanks so much, Palm Springs, this has been fun; we’ll see you tomorrow!”
And with that, one of the con’s organizers came onto the stage to take Casey’s microphone from her, repeating that because they’d gone over, they had to leave the room as quickly as possible. Most of the attendees headed for the exits, but a not-small number had already started beelining for the stage, where Todd had pulled Casey slightly back and off to the side.
They were talking together, their heads close and faces turned slightly toward the back of the room. But Rio didn’t need to use his lip reading skills to know what Todd was saying. Guy’s body language was cranked to a full Hey, babe, let’s hook up for old time’s sake.
Son of a bitch.
Whatever Todd had said, he’d made Casey laugh but at the same time, she pulled her hand free from his. She was telling the dude something, but then turned and looked directly at Rio, which made Todd look at him, too. She waved a little, so Rio lifted his hand back in not quite a wave. Did she want him to...?
She smiled, and made her gesture more clear—that time it was definitely a come here.
So Rio pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against, and headed for the stairs that were around the side of the platform. No need to gallop, leap, or bound. He’d leave that to Todd.
As he climbed the stairs, Casey came to meet him with Todd a few steps behind her. She made a furtive face that was such an accurate manifestation of the gritted teeth emoji that Rio had to laugh a little.
But then she held out her hand for him—and he took it because she seemed to want him to as she said, “Luc, meet Todd Weston. He played Miles on the show.”
But Rio had reached across himself, taking her right hand in his right hand, like they were going to shake, and that clearly wasn’t what she’d wanted, because she pushed his hand aside and reached for his left hand instead. Not his hand-shaking hand, but his hand-holding hand. She even interlaced their fingers.
Wait. What...?
“Todd, this is Luc Rosetti, my boyfriend.” She squeezed Rio’s hand. Several times. Emphatically. “Ella had a family emergency, so he’s standing in as my security, too. He’s a Navy SEAL.”
Well, shit. He was here in Palm Springs pretending to be Luc, which made him Dave’s double-fake boyfriend, but now Dave’s double-fake boyfriend Luc was taking a turn at being Casey’s fake boyfriend, too.
Rio could make a career of this.
Laughing again, because he really couldn’t keep the absurdity in, Rio squeezed Casey’s hand back—just once and far more gently—as he nodded and grinned at her. Let’s do this, he tried to tell her with his eyes. I’m in. Then he realized that all he really had to do was let go of her hand and drape his arm possessively around her shoulders.
Yup. That did it.
Todd was hating him, so hard. This was freaking fun.
“Thank you,” Casey breathed almost silently into his ear just before she gave him a loving-girlfriend kiss on his check that nearly made his laughter escape. But she was holding it together, so Rio kept it to a small burble that was annoyingly giggle-like.
Todd, meanwhile, had started doing the whole So you’re a Navy SEAL, but I’m pretty hot shit, too speech, which didn’t quite include dick-measuring, but came damn close.
“We really should get going,” Rio interrupted as Todd finally stopped to draw in a breath.
Casey leaned her head against his shoulder. “It’s been a long day.”
“It has been,” Rio agreed. “Oh, I meant to tell you. Your mom texted a few minutes ago. Jon arrived safely.”
“Oh, thank god,” she breathed. “Thank you. Thank you thank you...”
She hugged him, both arms up around his neck, and damn but she was warm and intriguingly muscular but soft in all the right places, and she smelled stupidly good.
He felt that ground-shaking, world-tilting shift again, and for one pure, hot second he knew with an unswerving certainty that he’d spend the rest of his life wildly happy if he just never, ever let go of her, and damn, he wanted to do that. Just live right here, in this moment of now, forever.
But Jesus Christ, just like when he’d danced with her at the wedding, his one-hundred-percent not-gay body equally stupidly started to respond. Because if wrapping her in his arms like this felt so freaking great, wouldn’t it be even better if they could do it naked, with her legs wrapped around him, too...?
He made himself pull away before his body betrayed him. “We really should—” Shit, was she looking at him funny now? Nope, the weirdness was all his. “—go.”
“Yeah, we really should. See you tomorrow.” Casey barely looked at Todd as she took Rio’s hand and pulled him with her toward the stairs. Miracle of miracles, the attendees had followed instructions and the crowd had dispersed. That was a break.
“Nice meeting you, Tom,” Rio told the man, and oh, the expression on his face.
Casey looked at him sharply as they headed toward the exit. “You do know it’s Todd, right?”
