anyone else. The difference is that—hopefully—we also take more time to understand where the jealousy comes from and work through it rather than letting it define our relationships.
“Yes, please impart your wisdom onto me,” he teases, his body relaxing as he rests his head against the back of the couch, still looking at me.
“Most jealousy stems from insecurity. You had a problem with him being with other people because you’ve never been sure about your role in his life and vice versa.”
“So, you think once I talk to him and admit I’m in love with him, I won’t feel like punching people he hooks up with.”
“I do. And I’m saying that as someone who cares about you, not someone who’s trying to talk my way into more sex,” I joke to lighten the mood.
“I’ll think about it,” he agrees. “And you and Hudson are both adults; I have no right to tell either of you who to see romantically. So, whatever happens, happens.”
“Okay.”
Leo
There’s an awkward tension in the room as I carry the large plate of brownies in.
“Everything good?” I ask, darting my eyes between the two of them on the couch. I kept myself busy in the kitchen for a few extra minutes, figuring they were probably going to make out a little, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see that or not. But they’re sitting a few inches apart on the couch, definitely not fooling around.
Riot looks over, his eyes lighting up when he spots the brownies. He reaches for the plate, and I yank it away, narrowing my eyes at him.
“What’d you do?” I accuse, noticing the tension lines around Bishop’s eyes.
“He didn’t do anything. We were just talking,” Bishop defends. “He can have a brownie.”
“Damn, that’s an effective punishment,” he mutters when I put the plate back within his reach.
“Dude, if you hurt Bishop, I will make an entire bakery’s worth of goodies and eat them right in front of you,” I threaten, easing down onto the couch on Bishop’s other side and putting an arm around his shoulders. Riot looks at me in horror, a brownie halfway to his mouth.
“That’s cold.”
I nod in agreement. No one is going to hurt Bishop if I have anything to say about it. He leans into me, stretching out his legs to drape them over Riot’s lap and then tilting his head to give me a thankful smile.
“I’m glad the three of us are hanging out; this is nice,” Bishop says.
Riot bites into the first cookie and lets out a deep, rumbling moan. The sound is absolutely pornographic, shooting straight to my dick. Bishop seems to have the same problem, shifting around on the couch to adjust himself as a bulge forms in the front of his jeans. We both watch him silently as he chows down on several more brownies, one after another, each sound more obscene than the last.
When he finally notices us staring, he uses the back of his hand to wipe the crumbs off his face and sets the plate down, smirking confidently the whole time.
“We going to watch a movie or what?”
“A movie, right,” Bishop agrees, giving his head a shake as if to clear his thoughts.
He reaches for the controller to pull up Amazon Prime and start the movie he already queued up before Riot got here. Then, he wiggles around a little, getting comfortable with his head in my lap and his feet on Riot’s. I glance over at the other man and catch him looking at Bishop tenderly. My heart swells a little. I certainly can’t dislike anyone who would look at my best friend so sweetly.
Riot looks up again and our eyes meet, a knowing smile curving on his lips.
This might be a little complicated and a bit unconventional, but we can definitely make this work.
Chapter 13
Leo
“Anxious to leave for the day?” Mark, one of the junior partners at the firm asks as I speed walk to the elevators. I shoot him a smile and slow my pace a fraction so he can catch up.
“I’ve got a date tonight that I’ve been looking forward to for a while.” Twelve years to be exact.
“Nice, she must be special.”
“He,” I correct, holding my breath as soon as it’s out, waiting for a reaction. I’ve been lucky enough that no one at my old firm seemed to get their panties in a bunch about my sexuality, but I haven’t been here long enough to know for sure that’ll be the case