Love Him Free (On the Market #1) - E.M. Lindsey Page 0,70

as he pushed the pad over toward Rocco. ‘Levi was on my case the other day about learning sign language. Stuff like that is hard for me. I barely passed Spanish with a C-. But I’ll try if you plan to stick around.’

Rocco realized the note for what it was—a sort of third-degree. What are your intentions with my boyfriend’s brother? He smiled a little and shrugged. “I like him. We haven’t talked about the future much but if he wants me to stay, I’d like to.”

James worried his bottom lip between his teeth. ‘We don’t get along. Me and Simon. I’m trying tho.’

Rocco nodded and gave James’ shoulder a pat in solidarity. He didn’t know the situation well enough, and he also could easily see why Simon would conflict with others. His body was soft at the edges, but his wit and temper weren’t. Rocco loved that about him though, and hoped it wouldn’t change.

‘We heard what happened with your ex. That’s shitty. Were you together long?’

Rocco had a feeling that note was a bit of espionage on Levi’s part, but he didn’t mind. His entire business with Eric had been fully public, even if most of the world only had Eric’s side of things. “We were together since I was in college. We split up a few times, but I think it was fifteen years total.”

James’ eyes went wide, and Rocco felt the breath he released. ‘So is Simon like a rebound thing?’

Rocco felt his eyes narrow, his hands itching to sign instead of having to voice this all. It was an unfair question for how he felt about Simon, but he reminded himself no one here knew him—and a lot of these people didn’t seem to know Simon, either. “Eric and I fell out of love a long time ago. Years. But he was my interpreter and being together was easier than being apart.”

‘Is it true he’s engaged to your former agent?’

Rocco’s eyes went blurry as they stared at the note. He’d been deliberately avoiding all social media—but maybe to a fault. He blinked again, and James had written more.

‘Shit. Did you not know? He posted it on Twitter.’

Rocco curled his fingers into tight fists to avoid them shaking, and he licked his lips before he tried to speak again. “I didn’t know.” The words felt heavy and mis-spoken on his tongue, but he didn’t care. He was saved for the moment when the kitchen doors swung open and a short, slight woman walked out.

She had a round face and wide eyes, her dark hair piled in a messy bun on top of her head. There were strands of silver glinting in the overhead light—but she looked young for greys. Her smile was friendly, and her full mouth moved a mile a minute as she spoke.

She stopped abruptly though, glancing over at James, then Rocco watched her eyes zero in on his hearing aids and she blushed high on her cheekbones as she set the beer down in front of him. “Sorry,” he saw her lips shape.

Rocco waved her off. He was grateful for the distraction, but he’d have to face this, and soon. “Kosher?” he asked.

She blinked then turned the case to the side and pointed at the little OU symbol Rocco had seen plenty of times, but had never wondered about. He gathered the beer to him, then tipped a nod at James and Rose before hurrying out. It was rude—probably unforgivably rude to run out like that. Hell, she might have even needed payment. He might have just stolen product.

But James’ reveal had shaken something in him, and he didn’t know why. He didn’t want Eric back—that wasn’t it. It felt like something deeper, more profound. Like maybe he’d wasted fifteen years on a man who had just been waiting for someone better to come along.

It was probably normal, wondering what Xander could give Eric that he couldn’t. Rocco was more attractive, and he was better in bed—he didn’t even have to fuck Xander to know that. But then he thought about Simon—about how simple things like kissing and touching felt more passionate than any sort of bondage or kink or role play or romantic set-up he’d ever been in—filming or not.

Just Simon’s fingers on him alone got him more worked up than Eric’s acrobatic tricks ever could.

And maybe that was it. Rocco could offer Eric money, and popularity, and an easy lifestyle. He offered him permanent work and someone to come home to