by Carol Lynne
Angelo started to open his mouth, but Marco held up a hand. “I’m not going to say anything else.”
Angelo nodded and grabbed the twelve pack out of the backseat. “Did you bring beer?”
Marco shook his head and walked towards the house beside Angelo. “No. I’ve got to work in the morning. I was supposed to finish a job, but I left early to do the ceremony thing, and I promised Kent.” Marco stopped and waved his hands. “It’s a mess. Don’t pay any attention to me.”
Angelo bumped his hip against Marco’s. “I’ll always pay you attention.”
Marco smiled and opened the front door. “Thanks.”
He spotted Moody in the dining room trying to do what he could to help set up for poker. Angelo’s stomach did a flip flop. He carried the feeling of being in love along with his beer into the kitchen.
Strong arms wrapped around him from behind and a warm pair of lips kissed his neck. “Get things worked out?”
Angelo set the beer on the counter and leaned back against his lover. “Yes. Hopefully someday Marco will let me tell you, but for now, I promised to zip my lips.”
Moody spun Angelo around and stared down at him. “I hope that doesn’t include opening them for my kiss.”
“Never.” Angelo opened willingly for Moody’s probing tongue.
“Good God, there’s way too much making out going on at these poker games lately,” Kent said, walking into the room.
Angelo broke away and shook his finger at the burly construction boss. “You just wait. Your time’s coming.”
Kent shook his head. “You’ll never see me bringing a date to poker night.”
Releasing his hold on Moody, Angelo reached for his bag of limes. “Do you want a beer?” he asked Moody.
Moody shook his head. “I’ve got one open in the other room. I just saw you come in and thought I’d come and say hi.”
Angelo grinned and glanced over his shoulder. “Hi.”
“Hey, it’s on!” Zac yelled from the media room.
Angelo grabbed his beer, stuck a wedge of lime in the neck of the bottle, and led Moody to the television. His friends had already gathered on the large sectional sofa. Angelo stood with Moody behind him, watching himself on the screen. “Do I look fat?”
Everyone in the room laughed and shook their heads.
“You look gorgeous,” Moody whispered in his ear. “I’m gonna have to keep a close eye on you or some rich playboy will try and take you away from me.”
Even though he’d said it in a teasing way, Angelo could hear the underlying worry in Moody’s voice. The television forgotten, he turned and kissed his lover. “You don’t need to worry. I have everything I need right here.”
As the news segment ended and his friends stopped by to congratulate him on their way to the dining room, Angelo let his own words sink in. Yeah. Maybe I do have everything I need right here.
* * * *
“We’re going to have to get you a bigger chair,” Bobby remarked, looking at Moody.
Moody shrugged off the comment. “I’m used to it.”
They were taking a bathroom break between games, and Angelo had disappeared into the kitchen with Kent to refill the snack bowls. Moody noticed Marco kept eyeing him. He didn’t know the guy very well and hated to sound rude, but the stares were starting to get on his nerves. “Have you got something you want to say to me?”
Marco studied him for several seconds before opening his mouth. “Are you just gonna let him leave?”
Moody took a long swallow of his beer before answering. The question pissed him off, but he knew where Angelo’s friend was coming from. “He needs a job. Believe me, I don’t want him to go, and I’ve told him that, but I think we both know Angelo doesn’t do well with taking orders.”
“You’re damn right,” Angelo agreed as he took his seat next to Moody.
Moody leaned over and gave his lover a kiss. They kept it chaste, but Moody touched the tip of his tongue to Angelo’s lips in a promise of things to come. He took the beer Angelo held out and set it to the side.
“So were you talking about me?” Angelo whispered in Moody’s ear.
“Marco seems a little upset that I’m letting you move.”
Angelo glanced at Marco. “I still don’t know why you’re so upset about it. Basically the only time I see you anyway, is during poker night. If I end up going, I still plan to come back a couple weekends a month.”
“So you’re thinking about staying?” Bobby asked.
Moody held his breath. He’d love nothing more than to have Angelo with him on a daily basis. He watched as Angelo flushed. God that was cute.
“I’m still thinking through a couple of things. I just don’t know what I’d do for a living if I stayed.”
“Have you ever thought of starting your own sales agency?” Jules asked.
“What would I sell?”
Jules shook his head. “Don’t give me that look. You’re a hell of a lot more than just a salesman. I can think of several advertising ideas you’ve come up with for clients. I’m sure there are a number of GLBT owned businesses in the area that could use help getting the word out about their companies.”
“Sounds to me like something you should consider,” Moody piped up. He wasn’t above grasping at straws if it meant being with the man he’d fallen in love with.
Angelo shrugged. He seemed to be studying the small pile of multi-coloured chips in front of him. “I’ll think about it, but it would probably cost a lot to start up a business like that.”
“You could use the spare bedroom in your house for an office until you start bringing in clients. You have a laptop, connections in the community, what else is there to think about? Please, at least give it a try,” Marco pleaded.
Moody received a jab in the ribs from Kent. “You’d better watch it, buddy, I think Marco’s after your man.”
Not knowing either of the men well, Moody’s gaze swung towards the good-looking man across from him. He was pleased to see Marco roll his eyes and flip Kent the bird.
“I’m not after Angelo.” Marco pointed at Moody. “He’s finally found a nice guy. I just think he should stay and give it a chance.”
Kent crossed his arms. Moody could see a lifetime of doing construction work in the bulging biceps on display. “Then Angelo’s the only man you’re not after.”
Moody knew there must be some underlying tension between the two friends. He felt Angelo’s hand squeeze his thigh. He glanced over and could tell his lover was biting his tongue about something.
“Why do you say stuff like that?” Marco asked. “You know nothing about my dating habits. I know you think you do, but you don’t.”
“I know you come into work half asleep most days. And for your information, I know for a fact you didn’t finish that job you promised me you would.”
“You’re right. I plan to go back first thing in the morning and get it done. It should take me three hours tops, and I wasn’t even going to write it on my timecard.”
“So, that still doesn’t explain why you had to leave early? What the hell was so important you had to drop everything, huh?”
Despite his size and his job, Moody wasn’t big on confrontation. He put his hand over the top of Angelo’s, ready to get out of there.
“Enough!” Angelo exploded, surprising everyone in the room. “Get off his ass, Kent. What does it matter what he had to do? He said he was going back on his own time to finish, so leave it alone. Geez. Why can’t we play a friendly game of poker anymore without you insulting Marco every fucking minute?”
Moody could see the anger in Kent’s facial expression. One of the skills he’d picked up on the job was the ability to read people, and Kent’s body language was definitely telling a story.
“Can we please just play cards?” Marco asked. “I don’t want to do this anymore, Kent.”
Kent scooted his chair back and stood. “Go ahead and deal me in if you want, but I need to use the bathroom.”
As soon as Kent left the room, Angelo leant across the table to address Marco. “You okay?”
Marco nodded. “I hate that he hates me.”
The rest of the men started to chuckle. Angelo reached out and squeezed Marco’s hand. “Silly goof, he doesn’t hate you, he’s sweet on you.”
“Bullshit.” Marco stood. “I’m going to get another Coke. Anyone want anything?”
“Would you mind throwing this in the recycle bin for me?” Moody held out his empty bottle. When Marco reached for it, Moody smiled. “They’re right, ya know? There’s something there. I don’t think he’s admitted it to himself, but he does feel something for you. Otherwise he wouldn’t get so upset.”
Marco gave Moody a half-smile and disappeared into the kitchen. Moody reached for his cards and caught all of the men staring at him. “What?”
Zac chuckled. “You’re going to fit in just fine.”
* * * *
With no chips, Angelo sat out the last couple rounds of cards. Although losing sucked, it gave him a chance to think. As he watched his friends laugh and interact with each other, he realised he didn’t want to go anywhere.
He thought about the business idea Jules had brought up earlier. It would be hard, and he wasn’t sure it was something he even wanted to do, but it had him thinking. Sure he’d loved his job at the radio station, but he’d never really tried to do anything else. Maybe there was something else out there that he would be good at.
Moody tossed his cards on the table. “I’m out.”
Angelo looked across the table to see the large pile of chips stacked in front of Marco. Although he was the only one at the table who knew his friend’s circumstances, Angelo couldn’t have wished for a better winner.
He caught Marco’s attention and winked. Marco grinned and laid down yet another winning hand. A soft kiss landed on his temple, and he turned to find Moody staring at him. “You ready to go?”
Moody nodded. “You?”
Angelo smiled, thinking about what he had waiting for him when he got back to Moody’s. Hopefully things with Blakely would die down and he could once again return to the comfort of his home. Only instead of his home as it used to be, he now pictured Moody in it as well. He wondered if his beloved would consider giving up his apartment.
Angelo stood and carried his dirty dishes into the kitchen with Moody hot on his heels. After throwing away his paper plate and tossing the bottles into the recycle bin, he turned and wrapped his arms around his lover.
He’d planned to tell Moody his decision once they got home, but he couldn’t hold off another minute. “If Steve calls about that job in LA, I’m going to turn it down.”
“Huh?”
Angelo nodded. “Surely there’s something I can find to do in San Francisco.”
Moody hugged him tighter and bent down for a kiss. Angelo opened immediately, feeling the sweep of his lover’s tongue.
“You’re sure this time, right?” Moody asked after they broke the kiss.
“Positive. I have a question for you though.”
“Okay.”
“Please tell me you own a pair of sneakers?”
About the Author
An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. These days, you can usually find Carol either cleaning jelly out of the carpet or nestled in her favourite chair writing steamy love scenes.
Email: [email protected]
Carol loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.
Also by Carol Lynne
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