Jesus, I really needed to focus.
“Sorry, what?” I asked as I put a piece of meat into my mouth. It was some kind of lamb dish that Vaughn and Luca’s mother had made often and that Con had learned how to make. I’d learned recently that although Vidone Covello had been Italian, Theodora had been Greek.
“I said, don’t you think that if Vaughn’s going to wash his pajamas every night, he should invest in more than one pair? How dirty could he possibly be getting them that he’s gotta run to the laundry room every night?”
I began choking on the food at the question. Vaughn’s handcame up to slap me gently on the back. He had a big grin on his face. Con, for his part, seemed to be completely clueless about the loaded question he’d asked.
“Um…”
“Yeah, Aleks, why do you suppose I can’t keep my shorts clean?” Vaughn asked.
“Must be his newfound love of grits,” Luca suddenly said out of the blue.
“Since when do you like grits?” Con asked, still totally oblivious. “Isn’t Aleks the one who likes grits?”
I was still struggling to chew the piece of lamb well enough so I could get it down. Vaughn’s hand was on my back rubbing circles into it. “Yes, he is,” Vaughn murmured.
“Hmmm, guess I’ll need to make another go at making him grits,” Con said absently. “I’m a way better cook than you, Vaughn.”
“Keep your hands off his grits, Con,” Vaughn said as he shot his friend a dark look.
“My brother’s fiancé makes me grits!” I blurted. “But Vaughn’s are better.”
All eyes turned to me.
“They are?” Vaughn asked me, his eyes going all soft.
“Um, yeah,” I stuttered. “I like how you, um, added shrimp… Magnus’s are really good but yours… I really, really like yours. They’re the best,” I added lamely.
Vaughn’s smile of pleasure did gooey things to my insides.
“I still don’t get what grits have to do with Vaughn’s shorts,” Con announced.
“Jesus, brother,” King muttered as he stood and grabbed his plate to take it to the kitchen. He smacked Con on the back of his head and snatched his plate too.
“Hey, I’m not done.”
“Yeah, you are,” King said. “Let’s go, Mr. Oblivious.”
Con’s gaze shifted to me, then Vaughn. He suddenly grinned and said, “Oh, gotcha…grits. Aleks, you sure you want to settle for his grits—”
“Okay, you’re doing the dishes,” Luca said as he stood and grabbed his own plate, then Con’s arm.
“I cooked,” Con protested as Luca practically dragged him from the dining room.
“Sorry,” Vaughn said. “They can be a bit much.”
I wanted to laugh at that. Ididlaugh at that.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Vaughn’s fingers moved up to my neck and I found myself leaning into his sensual touch.
“What do you mean?”
“My family… they’re…” I shook my head. “Huge, for starters. I mean, I don’t go to many of their get-togethers… okay, none, really,” I began. “But some of them come over to our house and the way they all joke… it’s like nothing I’ve seen before. And Dante, he just… he loves it,” I said with a smile. “Hedeservesit.”
I felt Vaughn’s eyes on me and felt my body go all warm. “You’ll see what I mean when you meet them someday.”
