the garage. After their date last night, there was no way he was going a full day without seeing Ben. A video chat wouldn’t be enough. He hadn’t slept much last night, his mind revisiting every detail from their date.
And that kiss.
At the red light, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headrest. Those kisses and the way Ben perfectly fit in his arms felt like heaven. But it was that moment by the game stand where everything had faded away. Everything but Ben and the plush bull he had picked as his prize.
He opened his eyes and stared up at the red traffic light.
It was a silly thing and likely hadn’t meant as much to Ben.
“When I miss you, I’ll still have my bull.”
He was certain they were teasing words. But he couldn’t deny how his heart furiously pounded when, for the first time, someone had chosen him over a sea of colorful options. A memento, a surrogate stuffed toy to hug when he wasn’t around. Not another warm body.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and blew out a shaky breath. He was falling so damn hard the landing was going to shatter his heart into a million pieces he wouldn’t be able to reassemble. He wanted Ben. He wanted those smiles and that happiness that called to him like a beacon. Everything about him was honest, kind, and heartfelt. And the way he put everyone else before himself was something of selfless saints.
Ben was resilient as hell and a master at disguising his pain. Bull suspected the years of practice had allowed him to hone that skill. Playing the shell game between being on his own, jumping from one foster home to another, and having friends who were anything but, all working together to thicken that armor he so cleverly wore. Regardless of how hard Ben had tried to hide it, he couldn’t hide the deep cut of pain from his sister’s rejection. Bull had seen it in the tears and heard it like a wailing scream from the barely audible sob that had escaped.
Bull swore he would never let anyone ever hurt Ben that way again. That was his goal, the new task at the top of his to-do list. He wanted that joy in those green eyes to not be tainted with a single fleck of pain. He wanted those smiles and that happiness to be one hundred percent real and unguarded.
Always.
And he wanted to stand at his side, embracing that extraordinary level of kindness and selflessness.
Forever.
A honking horn from the car behind him brought him back to reality. He looked up at the green light and shifted his mind back into gear as he drove through the intersection.
In a few minutes, he would be with Ben.
And he couldn’t wipe the silly grin off his face.
Bull rocked on the balls of his feet, waiting for someone to answer his knock at the back door of HH. He could have rung the doorbell, but that would have triggered the flashing lights in the house. The dorky romantic in him wanted to see the surprise on Ben’s face.
The back door swung open to a frowning Julian. “Why the knock?”
He shrugged. “Wanted to surprise Ben.”
“He’s in the kitchen.”
He squeezed by Julian and headed toward the kitchen, spotting Ben sitting in one of the chairs at the dinner table reading a newspaper. Bull crossed his arms and leaned against the entryway, enjoying the view.
Ben glanced up. His eyes rounded and a huge smile—the biggest Bull swore ever having seen—split Ben’s face. Ben stood and walked around the table toward him, throwing his arms around his neck.
Yeah, so worth the surprise.
Bull uncrossed his arms and held Ben in an embrace. He buried his nose in that dark hair, savoring every single second. Ben tipped his head up and smiled, his gaze wandering toward Bull’s lips. Bull didn’t need further prompting. He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to Ben’s waiting lips.
“Can I get into my kitchen?” Julian grumbled. “Break it up.”
“Not a chance.” Still holding Ben, Bull shifted their bodies so Julian could shimmy by. Ben softly chuckled and rested his head on Bull’s shoulder, not making a single lick of effort to break free. Reluctantly, they separated from the embrace a few moments later. Ben took his hand and led them back to his seat at the table.
“What are you doing?” Bull signed. He had stopped voicing his words when signing. Ben had