eyes glittered in the overhead light. “A whole bunch.”
“I’m freaking starved.” Oliver slapped his hands and rubbed them together.
The room broke out in laughter as the two teams headed up the stairs after General Rhine.
He lingered and caught Liam’s hand. When the man stopped and turned, he tugged him in and kissed him on the lips.
Liam set aside his clipboard and gripped him hard.
“I’ve been waiting all damned day for my kiss,” he complained.
Liam chuckled. “I gave you a kiss when we left home this morning.”
“I know, and that was seven hours, twenty-four minutes and six seconds give or take.”
Liam’s laughter against his lips warmed his heart.
Liam
“Okay, this is practical,” he began.
Spencer stood in stunned silence gazing at the brand new 2020 GMC Sierra Denali pickup truck in the driveway. It was identical to his with two exceptions. His was a 2019 and the color was a metal gray. Spencer’s was a coal black so black that it literally ate the light.
“Spencer?”
Spencer blinked and turned to him. “That’s an eighty thousand dollar truck. How is that practical?”
“You need to remember I make three times that much in an hour,” he replied softly.
“Oh, I forgot.” Spencer nodded.
His heart dropped and he held his breath before letting it out. “We can take it back.”
“Are you kidding?” Spencer’s eyebrows flew upward.
He hesitated. “No?”
“You fucking better be. Don’t you dare take that truck back,” Spencer breathed and stalked toward the driver’s door and opened it.
Relief made him giddy and he laughed. The keys were in the ignition making a ding when the door opened.
“It has the thumbprint lock or you can use a code or both,” he said, stepping excitedly up into the passenger seat.
“Let’s take it for a spin,” Spencer said as he slid behind the wheel.
So much joy was in Spencer’s face, it made Liam breathless. It hurt his heart to think that something so small brought so much joy, but then he remembered that this wasn’t small to most people. It made him happy to know he could give this to Spencer.
“Where to?” He snapped his seatbelt.
“How about the beach?”
“There’s this little shack that has the best pizza and beer on the way.”
Spencer tossed him a grin and pulled the truck through the gate.
They both waved at Jason as they passed by.
“What made you think of this?” Spencer asked, checking both ways before pulling onto the freeway.
“Well, you needed a new vehicle.”
“I was happy borrowing yours.”
“You can still borrow mine. I only wanted you to have something all your own. This is in your name.”
Spencer smiled and reached for the radio. It had full surround sound and they blasted the radio all the way to the beach.
Settled into a booth at the beach shack, Liam took another swallow of his beer and finished a third piece of pizza. Spencer had eaten the rest of the pie, but with his body mass, he’d need it.
“I need to fly out on business.”
“Where?”
“Dubai.”
Spencer paused in wiping his mouth.
“When?”
“The day after tomorrow. Feel like going with me?”
“Hell yeah.” Excitement gleamed in Spencer’s eyes. “That’s one place I’ve never been.”
“Really?” He’d thought being in the military that Spencer would have traveled all over.
“Yeah, really. I always stayed as close to home as possible.
Of course. With Wesley being so young and without a father, Spencer had filled that role.
“Well, here’s your chance.”
“Good thing my passport is up to date.”
“Good thing.” He returned Spencer’s smile.
“I need clothes.”
“Let’s go shopping.”
“All right,” Spencer readily agreed.
Startled, Liam could only stare.
“What?” Spencer grinned.
“No argument?” He squinted.
“Would it do me any good?”
“No.”
Spencer’s laughter drew more than a few glances their way, but Liam didn’t give a fuck. He lifted Spencer’s fingers to his lips and kissed them.
He was enjoying the hell out of this man’s company and the look in Spencer’s eyes that promised more when they reached home.
Life couldn’t get any better than this.
Two days later…
Spencer
Liam’s phone rang. “It’s Anna.”
Spencer smiled when Liam sat the phone on the towel between them and punched the speaker button. He loved the hell out of the fact that they had no secrets from each other.
“Anna? What’s going on?” Liam said.
Spencer stretched his legs out and adjusted the bottom of his swim trunks and dug his toes in the sand.
“Jason and his wife were going to be evicted from the house they rent because it is up for sale. So, I let them rent out the children’s old house,” Anna said.
He smirked, the children’s “old house” she was referring to was the size of a small