Neither of these two were the type of people I pegged him as having for companions, yet, in a way, they made sense. Their friendly attitudes and approachable personalities were a perfect foil to Silas’s own serious and reserved one. I’m sure in private settings, they brought him out of that stone-faced demeanor I’d come to know well while in his care, picking and poking at him until he softened.
He was dry to a fault, and had a wicked bite to his words that always bordered on some kind of ironic sense of humor no one else but he could pick up on.
My drive to know more about him wasn’t something that had come out of the blue after one night spent in bed together. These feelings had been festering for a while, prodding the back of my mind since he’d discharged me.
Getting to know his friends was a way into a glimpse behind the curtain that I’d seen last night—a man capable of unraveling.
“New, but permanent.” Marlow grabbed Blake’s left hand and held it up, a shiny gold ring reflecting in the morning light from the bay window behind them.
I smiled. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Marlow’s grin was boyish and charming, pride evident in how tenderly he squeezed his partner’s wrist and clutched it to his chest. “And neither of us fell off the side of a cliff this time.”
Blake’s eyes rolled hard. “Don’t even start.”
Marlow slapped a hand to the side of his face, fluttering his lashes at me. “He chained me to the side of the rock face. It wassoromantic struggling to get down on one knee while he fussed with the waist harness the entire time.”
“You struggled because you have screws in your leg. Not from the harness,” Blake countered. “Don’t blame my methods.”
“And plates. Can’t forget about those. I’m half cyborg.”
“It’s only one leg, wouldn’t that be a quarter? You have four limbs.”
Marlow’s brows pulled together. His thumb worked along the wrist still held against his chest, slow circles massaging the tissue between the bones in an absentminded manner. He lowered his mouth to kiss along Blake’s fingertips while lost in thought, clearly taking the off-handed comment seriously.
“I guess it would depend on my body mass, then?” Marlow finally said. “If we were going with an overall presentation.”
“Maybe. Either way, you’ll definitely be setting off metal detectors at the airport.”
His eyes lit up instantly. “Oh, shit. You’re so right. They’re going to think I’m packing some kind of bomb on me. You’re going to have to bust me out of jail.”
“What an exciting start to our honeymoon. A whole heist. I’ll remember to pack us both ear pieces so we can communicate while you’re being held against your will in one of those little airport jails.”
Marlow gasped. “I bet they won’t even read me my rights. Those bastards.”
Blake quickly leaned forward, getting close to his partner’s face. “I better get started on that law degree, then. Can’t have them violating your rights so flippantly. I’ll wear a suit under my sweats and bust in there as your lawyer and yell at them for holding you hostage.”
His mouth dropped open. “Wait... can we do that before? You know, as a practice round.”
A smile grew on Blake’s face. “Practicedoesmake perfect.”
Suddenly, I felt the need to turn away at their... interesting display of affection.
Who was I to judge, though?
I’d gotten railed while wearing lingerie picked out by the man who’d done said railing.
So much for digging info out of them about Silas.
It was just as well. Hearing it from the horse’s mouth, versus a third party, was probably better, anyway. If I wanted to get to know the man I hoped called me to his bed again, I’d have better luck talking to him directly. Even if getting the opinions from his friends was intriguing enough to press them again over the subject once they stopped making goo-goo eyes at each other.
How deeply Silas valued his privacy was up for debate.
Clearly, these two, or at least Marlow, was a close enough friend to know the alarm code to get into this ridiculous mansion. No acquaintance had access to that kind of information and certainly not one that was familiar with him.
So it was safe to say Marlow was a safe person to ask if I wanted to get to know Silas.
However, on the other hand, how upset would he be if he felt like I was invading a private part of his life?
