“I love you too.”
Peter couldn’t imagine anything that would feel better than hearing those words.
***
Epilogue
“You know how this looks, don’t you?” Aiden asked as he and Peter stepped off the mat. Peter had just finalized the sale of Tank Security’s mercenary operations, and Aiden was still acting like he’d cut off his balls and handed them to Chad in a silk purse.
“How does it look?” Peter asked, stretching and testing the movement in his shoulder where Aiden had landed a vicious punch.
“It looks like you’re whipped.” Aiden’s voice was contemptuous.
Peter couldn’t help it. He grinned.
“I prefer to think of it as being in love,” he said. He turned to Aiden, the grin falling off his face. “And if anyone has a problem with that, they can come to me about it.”
Aiden’s lip curled, and he shook his head. “It’s pathetic, Peter. You shouldn’t—”
Peter kicked Aiden’s legs out from under him and put him in a chokehold, staying calm as he squeezed down on Aiden’s throat. He could deal with Aiden being pissy, no problem, but outright disrespect? Aiden should know better.
“I don’t care what people think or how it looks, Aiden. Chad is my mate, and I want him to be happy. That’s my priority. Do you understand?”
Peter let up enough that Aiden could wheeze out a strangled “Yes,” and then he squeezed down again.
“If anyone says anything disparaging about me or my mate, I will fuckingbreakthem. Do you hear me?”
This time Peter didn’t let up the pressure on Aiden’s throat, and Aiden’s face turned purple. Peter waited until he passed out before letting go.
Aiden was lucky he was Peter’s friend. Peter knew he meant well, but he needed to accept that Peter wanted to be the kind of man Chad could live with.
Coming to with a cough and a jerk, Aiden looked up at him with an angry expression.
“I don’t like people thinking you’re weak,” he said, his voice rough. Peter’s anger drained away.
“I would have had to do this eventu ally,” he said, shrugging. “The illegal ops were a liability.”
Aiden didn’t complain after that, and he and Peter headed to the locker room to change and get ready.
It was weird to be in his own training facility on a guest pass, and Peter decided that his next move would be to buy a new gym for what remained of his mercenary division.
“I’ll see you soon,” Peter said, clapping Aiden on the back. Aiden said a hasty goodbye and took off on his bike, and Peter hoped his pride wouldn’t stay wounded for long.
Getting in his car, he headed home.
***
Chad was on the couch with Peter’s laptop nestled in his lap, looking for work, when Peter came home.
“Still at it?” Peter asked, dropping down next to him on the couch. Chad nodded, forcing his attention to stay on the screen in front of him. Peter looked and smelled amazing, but Chad made himself ignore it.
He wanted to make Peter work for it for once.
Peter was dressed in loose sweats and a tight compression shirt, the material clinging to his wide shoulders and massive pecs, and he obviously hadn’t showered yet. The scent of clean sweat and alpha hung in the air, and Chad’s cock hardened against the fly of his jeans.
“Yes. How was your workout with the douchebag?”
Peter frowned. “Don’t talk about Aiden like that. He’s not so bad.”
