out a laugh. “Christ, I climbed him like a tree, okay? Happy? I shoved him onto the couch and climbed him, and we were both hard as fuck. We mauled each other and rubbed up against each other, and it was hot as fuck.”
Fitz took a step back, one hand to his chest while he snatched the little spray bottle of water from the tray and sprayed himself, making Joker laugh. He motioned for Joker to continue.
“Then I left.”
“You left.” Fitz narrowed his eyes like he couldn’t quite work out if Joker was telling him the truth or not.
Joker shrugged. “Yeah, I mean, nothing can happen between us.”
“And why is that again?”
“Come on, Fitz. Think about it. A guy like Gio with a guy like me?”
A mist of water hit him in the face. Joker blinked up at him. “Did you just spritz me in the face?”
“I did. To wake you up. I know you’re not thinking you’re not good enough for him.”
Joker frowned and shifted in his seat. “No, not that. We’re so different. He’s all tailored designer suits and private jets, and I’m faded T-shirts, jeans, and a Jeep covered in dog hair. His lint roller budget alone would be enough to fund small governments.”
“You’re adorable,” Fitz said, making Joker frown. “Have you seen the man with your dog?” He threw a hand out and made an exploding sound. “Ovaries everywhere erupt at the sight.”
Joker couldn’t help his snicker. “You’re such a dork.”
“You know,” Fitz said as he spun Joker around and went back to working on Joker’s hair, “I’d thought the same about Jack. I mean, when he gets all excited about his computer stuff, I have no idea what he’s talking about, but it doesn’t matter because seeing his eyes light up and that big boyish smile he gets makes me so happy. And he knows I have no clue what he’s saying, but he loves how attentive I am regardless. That’s what relationships are, not having every little thing in common. I certainly wouldn’t have fallen in love with him if he’d been just like me.” Fitz snorted. “There’s only room for one diva in this relationship.” A bark resounded from the other room, and they both laughed. “Okay, one human and one furry diva,” Fitz corrected.
Joker left Fitz’s with a new haircut and some food for thought. The truth was, the differences between him and Gio didn’t concern him all that much, at least not in the compatibility department. Joker avoided relationships for a reason, and not because he was afraid of putting in the work. There were certain things he was willing to change, but he’d gone through too much in his life to have someone come in and try to change him.
It always went the same. In the beginning, they loved his carefree manner. They laughed at his hijinks with his brothers-in-arms, loved how much he loved his dog, were excited he’d been a Green Beret. They expressed all the things they loved about him, and soon the newness and excitement wore off and the arguments started. He was too messy, too loud, too outspoken, cursed too much, spent too much time with his friends, cared more about his dog than them, and the list went on.
At first they’d say they were okay with him not going to birthday parties or weddings. Then they’d be arguing over why he was okay to go clubbing but wasn’t comfortable going to Grandma’s eighty-fifth birthday party. The arguments would escalate, the accusations of him being emotionally unavailable. So he’d stopped—stopped dating, stopped believing there was someone out there for him who might want him as he was.
With a sigh, he patted Chip’s side as he drove them back to his apartment. Why was he even worried about this? He had a list of reasons a mile long why he shouldn’t get involved with Gio. The guy wasn’t just a friend—sort of—he was Laz’s brother and Colton’s best friend, two men who were in relationships with Joker’s brothers. Their family had grown, and the last thing Joker wanted was to fuck up the good thing he had, and getting romantically involved with Gio was a surefire way to fuck everything up. Maybe the same went for the rest of them, but Joker had to face the fact that if someone was going to fuck up a relationship, it’d be him.
Determined not to think about it, he took Chip to the dog park near their apartment. He