And it had helped, but it hadn’t been nearly enough.
It was still his safe-haven, though. His life had been pretty quiet since he’d bought it, with a lot of his time spent at home. He hadn’t been celibate or anything, but he also hadn’t had anyone spend longer than an evening there, and no one had ever spent the night. Now he’d invitedtwopeople to do just that, for an indeterminate length of time.
He tried to picture them in his house, in his space, and what was scary was hecould. The issue wasn’t that it would be too intimate. Or that he didn’t feel close enough to them. It was that hedid, and that was foolish. No, it was really fucking stupid.
Yet, here he was. With no regrets.
The parking spot in front of his building was available, which had to be a fucking sign because this was the North End of Boston, and there wasneverparkinganywhere.
“This is it,” he said, gesturing up at his windows as they stepped onto the sidewalk. He tried not to rush them but was eager to get off the street. When a car parked at the end of the block, he went on high alert, sliding his hand toward the small of his back.
The tension left him in a rush when Marcus climbed out and waved.
He jogged over. “Chance sent me to help carry stuff.”
“We can do it,” Reese said, turning back toward the car.
“You can step inside the door, please,” David said, guiding Reese and Mati into the lobby that was little more than a place for mailboxes and deliveries from Amazon.
He hated that they look worried. He pressed a quick kiss to each of their lips.
“We want to help,” Reese said.
David smirked. “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll still get a chance to carry stuff. Just wait here.” He popped back out to the sidewalk, pointing at Marcus. “Don’t say a word.”
Marcus, who had clearly seen those kisses through the door, grinned. “Okay.”
Just for that, David handed him the box of Calphalon skillets and leftover wine.
David unpacked the rest of the car and shuttled things to Mati and Reese. After collecting the last two boxes, David herded Marcus through the door.
“Where are we going?” Marcus asked, eyeing the stairs.
“Third floor.”
Marcus’s face was priceless.
When they got to his floor, David unlocked his door and pushed it open. Marcus deposited his boxes on the kitchen counter and left with a wink. If they needed him, he’d be in his car or somewhere else nearby until someone else took over the duty.
Mati and Reese hovered in the entranceway.
“Come in, come in.” David led them down the hallway. “The bedroom is this way, if you want to drop your bags.”
They both seemed relieved.Did they honestly wonder if they would be sleeping anywhere else?
Mati gasped when she saw the open beams and skylights above the bed.
Reese crossed to the windows to admire the view over the rooftops and the harbor just visible in between. “This is amazing.”
David smiled, enjoying how they looked in his space. “Thank you.”
Mati curled her arms around David’s waist and he decided his plans for dinner could wait. Reese smiled, trailing his hand over the soft comforter on his way to them.
David had just pulled Reese in for a long, hard kiss when his phone rang.
Mati closed her eyes and let out a frustrated whimper. “Can we ignore that?”
“I can’t,” David sighed. “My do not disturb is on for everyone except Chance and Hodges.”
