“So,you were hoping that I would escort them down there?” Doug finished. Pushy bastard couldn’t give me a second to breathe.
“Yeah, something like that.”Doug didn’t seem as eager to agree, now that he knew what I wanted his help with. This was a horrible idea.
“Let me talk to Eli,but I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I know he’s been wanting to get down there, but he’s been worried about Jordan getting the wrong idea.” It didn’t take a psychic to know Eli had valid concerns. Before Jordan, he’d tried hiding his own desires by playing the role of a hyper-masculine Dom. He was good at it, but those of us who knew him could see it was a facade.
“Man,aren’t we quite the pair?” I let out a sigh.
“No one ever said relationships were easy,Jack. I just happened to get myself tangled up with a boy who’s new to the scene and one who still can’t admit what he truly needs. But now, Eli—”
“I’m goingto stop you right there,” I interrupted him. “I don’t know how that sentence ended, but I’m pretty sure you were about two seconds away from sharing far more with me than Eli would be comfortable with. Let me know what Eli says. I need to get back out there and make sure everything’s set up.”
“If we come down,are you going to give us a sneak peek at what’s been going on in the new area?”
“Of course.In fact, I’d like to get your opinion on a few things.” Doug had played a bit with a few Littles, so he might be able to tell us what we’d all overlooked.
“You got it.”A door slammed shut and I heard Eli’s rumbling voice in the background.
“Go talkto them and let me know what’s going on.”
“Sounds good.”The sound of Doug’s breathing filled the line. After a few long beats, he said,
“And I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say we’re happy for you, Jack. I get why you were a bit gun shy after Collin left, but it’s good to see you happy again.”
“Thanks. I am happy.”I’d said those words countless times over the years but hadn’t meant them. Not like I did now.
“You say that now,”Doug scoffed. “We’ll see if you’re ready to tear your hair out a few months down the road. I get the impression Slade is a handful.”
“And I wouldn’t haveit any other way.” We disconnected the call, and I leaned back in the chair while I gave my racing heart a chance to slow down. Having Slade here for the night was exactly what I wanted, even if I hadn’t realized it yet. Now, I just had to hope all of the moving pieces fit together.
