appearance a moment later behind him was all the confirmation Bennett needed that his friends had been enjoying each other when he had arrived.
A shaft of envy pierced his chest, like an arrow to the heart, and he bit back the groan that rose in his throat. He had never been the one to envy his coupled-up friends their relationships until now, but since Ry had fallen in love with his PA, Bennett had been fighting against an increasing melancholy as he considered how little he cared for the men he had previously been interested in playing with. That he hadn’t been on a date in close to a year and hadn’t hooked up in even longer was telling, and a sign that things were definitely off with him.
Shaking himself out of his funk, he chose to tease his bestie instead.
“Dessert before lunch, Ry?”
He kept his tone light and let himself chuckle. He and Chandler were really only now getting to know each other better and he didn’t want to offend him. The color that rode up Chandler’s cheekbones as he stepped past Bennett headed to the stove was all the confirmation he needed, but he kept his eyes on his friend, whose blindness meant he couldn’t see the smirk on Bennett’s face.
“Fuck off,” Ry said good-naturedly.
“I would if I could,” Bennett said, doing his best to keep his tone light and playful.
“What’s gotten into you these days?” Chandler asked, removing something delicious smelling from the oven.
“Maybe that’s the trouble, Chan,” Ry interrupted to reply with a dirty grin on his face. “Maybe Bennett’s too toppy to take it…”
"TMI!” Chandler protested, interrupting Ry’s graphic thought. “Let’s eat. You both need to occupy your mouths with something other than words.”
Both Bennett and Ry laughed, and Bennett helped Chandler to lay the table. Once they were all seated and chowing down on Chandler’s savory mac and cheese with meatballs, Ry asked him what his travel plans were for the year.
“Well, I’m sort of booked for events for the next three months, including a stint in Brazil in a month, as well as for June and July. So I’ll be around for three months before I’m off to do some work for Historical Houses magazine. I’ll be all over the country for a month. Then I’ll probably take a break, enter some competitions, before I start working again. Historical Houses wants me to do a series of European ones as well, but so far, I’ve only signed up for the one in England later this year. And I’m seriously considering running photography classes.”
“That entire England trip sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun,” Chandler enthused. “When will you know about the rest?”
“Hopefully before the money runs out,” Bennett replied jokingly.
Ry made a disbelieving sound and Bennett turned to look at him. “What?” he asked.
“We both know you’re rolling in dough,” Ry said. “So there’s no chance you’ll run out of money before another job comes along.”
Bennett smiled. It was true enough, but he liked to always have something in the bag. He didn't have a regular nine-to-five job, so he couldn’t afford to be lazy.
“Well, maybe not rolling in it, but I can hold my own for a while.”
He paused, thinking about his newfound lack of interest in hookups. He was ready to settle down, to become a responsible adult with a mortgage and a family, and nobody managed either of those well without money.
“Anyway, how are you guys doing? How was the honeymoon?”
The look that passed between the two men, even though Ry was blind, was such pure unadulterated love that Bennett felt it like electricity in the air. Damn! This was what he was craving like he was a drowning man needing air. When they didn’t respond at once, he filled the achingly sweet silence with words.
“That good, huh?” He tried for a smile. He was happy for them. Really, he was. “I’m glad, guys. And since Chandler has had a chance to look over the pictures, we can decide what you want me to publish for your guests and what you’re sending them in the ‘Thank You’ cards.”
Best to get things away from emotions and down to business. He was safer talking about work. He was safer just working.
Chandler spoke up. “The honeymoon was fabulous, thanks for asking. And yes, I loved everything that you sent. But Ry and I discussed it, and we decided that we didn’t want to give everyone the same picture, that they’d appreciate something