the door behind him. Luca could tell he was pissed—they didn’t keep secrets from each other, and it wasn’t like Luca was trying to hide Xan. But he also didn’t want to deal with Todd’s meddling until there was something solid between the three of them, and he had no idea when that would be.
With his single, functional arm, Luca managed to grab all the bags, and he walked into the kitchen where Xan was filling up Ivy’s water. The younger man looked over his shoulder, then dropped the water dish in the sink and rushed over to him.
“What are you doing? Oh my god.” He slid some of the bags off his arm and shoved them on the counter. “I thought you said your friend was dropping off dinner.”
“He did,” Luca said with a sheepish smile, then gestured over at the bags. “I made him drop it all and leave.”
Xan’s cheeks went pink, and his gaze darted down to his shoes. “Right. Uh. You know, I really should go.”
Luca’s stomach sank. “Hey, if I’m being a huge, needy asshole about you staying, and you don’t want to deal with all this, I will totally call you a car—no hard feelings. I didn’t mean to pressure you.” His heart twisted with guilt in his chest, because this was probably exactly what Sebastion was talking about.
“It’s not that,” Xan said. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt and shrugged. “I feel like I’m imposing, and I totally get why you don’t want your friends to meet me or whatever—I mean, I’m some fucking stranger from a wrong text who…”
“Oh.” The word came out on a breathy laugh, and Luca took a couple of steps forward. “My friend Todd is…a lot to take sometimes. He’s kind of like the dad in our group of friends, but in the worst way. Today has been a lot, and I was not up for listening to his bullshit.”
Xan’s eyes searched his face, hesitation and uncertainty in them. It made Luca want to find Max and beat the fuck out of him for warping this deserving person into someone who now doubted that he was wanted. He deserved better, but Luca knew he couldn’t push him into realizing that.
All he could do was be there. And be patient.
“Are you hungry?” Luca asked.
Xan shook his head. “Not really. I uh…helped myself to a sandwich earlier.”
Luca rolled his eyes and reached out, squeezing Xan’s shoulder. “You could literally clear out the fridge, and I wouldn’t care. In fact, you’d be doing me a favor. But if you won’t judge me too badly, I’m going to take a pill and stuff my face with burritos.”
Xan’s smile was smaller than before, but just as sweet and still a little shy. “I’ll finish Ivy’s dinner, and I can take her on her evening walk.” He let out a small laugh and shook his head as he went back to the sink. “Sebastion texted me a very thorough schedule for her.”
Luca snorted a laugh as he started to go through the bags, which was not as easy as he anticipated with only one hand. “That’s entirely my fault. She had almost no training at all when we got her. She came from a really fucked up situation.” He grabbed the pill bottle out of the pharmacy bag and put the cap between his teeth, trying to turn it. “I…tried to…”
“Fuck’s sake,” Xan breathed out and gently reached for the bottle. He stared Luca right in the eye as he twisted the cap and tapped one out onto his palm. “Go sit down on the couch.”
Luca’s eyes narrowed at him. “You don’t get to boss me around in my own home.”
“Tonight I do, and if you argue, I’ll call your husband,” Xan told him.
Luca felt something rushing through him—playful and hot and wanting. He shoved it away and stormed out, feeling real irritation because he knew Xan was off limits. And would be for a long while. Possibly forever.
Flopping on the couch, he kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and did his best not to stare a minute later when Xan came into the room with a burrito cut in half and the little containers of queso and guac perched on the side of the plate. He tried not to meet his gaze, but Xan was a little unrelenting with eye contact as he set it down and pressed one fist to his hip.
“I know this is probably weird, and