A mixed shepherd came bounding toward us as we entered the little house owned by Scottie’s boss and his husband, Alex. The dog circled our legs yipping, but it was obvious she was happy to have visitors, and was not being aggressive.
“Hey, Lucky.” Scottie patted the dog. I knew he was really nervous about the party, and it wasn’t only because he’d brought me along. Scottie always seemed tense when he had to be around a group of people, and today was no different.
When he straightened, I put my arm around him to relax him. “You okay?”
“Of course.” He lifted his chin.
I smiled at his bravado. We made our way to the backyard, where everyone was gathered. There were purple, red, and yellow balloons and streamers all around the yard. A bar was set up on the right side, and a big barbecue grill was on the opposite side of the space, smoking like a chimney.
A tall blond man approached with a ridiculously huge fake mustache and a silver-sequined sombrero. “Happy Cinco de Mayo!” He grinned and held out his hand to Scottie. “I’m glad you could make it.” He turned his light eyes on me. “I’m Alex.”
“Lance.” His grip was strong, and his confidence radiated off him like an oven. “That’s a nice ’stache.”
He grinned and fingered it. “You like it?” He pointed to a long table near us that was piled with hats and accessories. “Help yourself to the costume table.”
“Do we have to dress up?” Scottie’s voice squeaked.
“Don’t be such a party pooper.” I picked up a bright orange sombrero and put it on my head. “How do I look?”
Scottie gave an uneasy laugh. “Um…”
Alex shrugged. “No, you don’t have to dress up. I just thought it was fun. We dress up for Saint Patrick’s Day parties, why not Cinco de Mayo?” Alex glanced over to where his husband was tickling a giggling little boy. “My son, Dylan, thinks it’s a great idea. But Rafe thinks I’m nuts.”
I lifted a big black hat with red ball fringe and placed it on Scottie’s head. His face turned pink, and he stared at me like he wanted to strangle me.
“You want to murder me right now, don’t you?” He nodded and I laughed.
“The booze is over there, and we have a taco bar, Mexican lasagna, and hot dogs and hamburgers. Help yourselves and if you need anything, just ask.” He wandered off toward another group of guests that had just arrived.
“Drinks first?” I asked Scottie, and he nodded vigorously.
We made our way toward the sound of blenders, but along the way Scottie ran into various people he worked with. They all seemed to like him as they smiled warmly at him, but I could sense how uneasy he was. Eventually we reached the bar and we each grabbed an ice-cold beer. He downed half of his right away, and when he met my gaze he laughed sheepishly.
“Alex seemed nice,” I volunteered.
“He is. Rafe is a lucky guy.” He didn’t look at me as he spoke.
“How long have you worked for Rafe?”
“A little over four years.” He flicked his gaze to mine. “I moved here from California about then.”
I nodded. “I didn’t think you were born here.”
“Why?”
“You don’t have my lovely accent.”
“Oh.” He laughed. “And before you ask, no, I don’t surf.”
“Okay.” I frowned.
He peeled the label on his bottle as he spoke. “When I first moved here, everyone I ran into had the impression all Californians surfed.”
“I tend to avoid generalities.”
A guy about our age walked up to us. He had dark hair and light green eyes. “Scottie?” He smiled warmly at my date. “I thought that was you.”
Scottie perked up a little, and he held out his hand. “Hey, Brandon.”
Brandon seemed to have trouble taking his eyes off Scottie. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Why?” Scottie wrinkled his brow.
“Because you never seem to come to these big parties anymore.”
I was a little annoyed the guy was acting like I was a lawn statue or something. I cleared my throat and held out my hand. “I’m Lance.”
Brandon blinked at me, and then he shook my hand. “Oh, sorry. I was just so surprised to see Scottie.” He turned his attention back to the other man. “You look great.”
Scottie’s cheeks were pink as he turned to me. “Brandon owns a dog rescue that our clinic works with.”
“Cool.” I tried to relax a little and not get too uptight about how Brandon was fixating on Scottie.
Brandon gave another short laugh. “It’s just so surprising to see you here. I think the last time I saw you was the Christmas party.” He bit his lower lip. “That was a fun night.”
Scottie shifted uneasily. “Yeah.” He dropped his gaze to the ground.
It didn’t take a genius to see the two of them had some kind of history. My stomach clenched with nagging jealousy at the thought of the two of them together. Scottie had said he hadn’t fucked in a long time, but he’d never said he hadn’t done other things. From the way Brandon’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes heated, I knew he was still interested in Scottie.
When Scottie pressed closer to me, it made me happy. At least he wasn’t giving signs of wanting to dump me and go off with this other guy. “That’s a noble thing to have a dog rescue. It can’t be easy.”
Brandon glanced at me as if he’d kind of forgotten I was still there. “No. It’s a lot of work. But I love it.”
“Brandon helps us place any stray dogs we find.” Scottie smiled at the other guy. “Over the last four years we’ve found homes for almost a hundred strays.”
“That’s amazing.” I glanced toward Brandon. “Do you take donations? I’d love to support your work.”
He straightened, and for the first time he seemed friendlier. “That would be awesome. We rely almost entirely on donations.”
“I’ll get your details from Scottie, and I’m happy to help out.”
“Thanks, man.” Brandon smiled.
“No problem.”
Scottie surprised me when he looped his arm around my waist. My chest tightened at his little show of affection. He rarely touched me first. I almost always had to initiate intimacy. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. We’d spent every night together the last week, so maybe he was beginning to feel more comfortable with me.
Brandon shifted restlessly, and when I glanced at him his mouth was turned down as if he was disappointed. “How long have you two been a couple?”
I didn’t know how to answer because Scottie and I weren’t officially anything really. At the moment I didn’t want to see other guys, but he’d never said what he wanted. I didn’t think he was dating anyone else, mostly because we’d been seeing each other so frequently he probably wouldn’t have had time. But it was possible he was interested in other people too.
Maybe he’s interested in Brandon.
“This is new,” Scottie volunteered, looking at me timidly.
I didn’t love his answer, but the silence following Brandon’s question had been awkward. “New but promising,” I said, leaning into Scottie.
“Yeah.” Scottie smiled.
“I see.” Brandon’s gaze dropped to the beer in my hand, and he swallowed as if thirsty.
“Would you like a drink?” I offered to Brandon, trying to be polite.
“Oh, um… sure.” He glanced toward the bar. “I’ll just have what you two are having.”
“Be right back.” I moved to the bar, which was about six feet away, to grab him a beer. There were about three people in front of me in line, and I tried not to stare back at Scottie and Brandon too much. I couldn’t help but notice the second I’d moved away, Brandon had pushed in closer to Scottie. Scottie didn’t look bothered by his attention, just nervous. But everything about people seemed to make Scottie nervous, so I wasn’t sure how to read the situation.
As I waited in line, Brandon spoke softly to Scottie. Scottie laughed a few times, and it made my stomach ache. Was he into that guy? I wasn’t a person who got jealous easily, and I was surprised by my insecurities. I figured it was because Scottie was hard for me to read. It was obvious he liked me sexually, and he had invited me to this party today. But maybe he just hadn’t had anyone else to ask. For all I knew, he’d tried to get hold of Brandon but he hadn’t been available. As I waited in line, my newfound self-doubts attacked me relentlessly.
When I finally had Brandon’s drink, I returned to them and Brandon stepped back, putting more space between him and Scottie. To me that showed he was well aware he’d been invading my date’s space, and that annoyed me.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the cold ale from me.
“No problem.” I put my arm possessively around Scottie’s waist again. Scottie shot me a curious look, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“So what do you do, Lance?” Brandon asked.
“I’m a bartender at the Shaker.”
“That’s on the West Side, right?” He nodded. “I’ve been there a couple of times. It’s nice.”
“Thanks. I enjoy it.”
Brandon narrowed his gaze, and then he snapped his fingers. “Oh, shit. Yeah, I remember you now. You were tending bar one of the nights I was there.” His smile was tight. “You hit on my friend.”
My face warmed and I felt Scottie stiffen.
Brandon feigned embarrassment. “Oh, shit. Sorry. Maybe that was TMI.”
“Just a little.” I held his gaze, wanting to wipe that smug look off his face.
“But, hey, that was like three weeks ago.” Brandon shrugged.
“That was before Lance and I knew each other.” Scottie pulled his hat off and raked his hand over his hair. He kept his gaze straight ahead as he said, “But we aren’t married. We can do what we want.”
That was the last thing I wanted to hear, and also the last thing I wanted Brandon hearing. It would probably be like a green light to him. I didn’t want to have to spend the rest of the party fending off his advances toward Scottie.
I forced a laugh and pulled Scottie in for a kiss. As my lips met his I could feel the tension in his body, but he didn’t pull away and his mouth opened slightly against mine. After a few seconds, he sighed and melted into me. That told me what I needed to know, and I lifted my head and smiled into his pretty blue eyes. “But you’re mine tonight, right?”
“Yeah.” He sounded breathless, and his face was flushed.
“Get a room, guys.” Brandon’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll give you a call later this week, Scottie. It was great seeing you.” He walked away, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Scottie chuffed, and when I glanced over he was watching me with a puzzled expression. “What was that about?”
I shrugged. “Can’t I give my date a kiss?”
“I thought for a second one of you was gonna piss on me to claim your territory.”
“Sorry.” I dropped my gaze. “I didn’t like the way the guy was trying to hit on you with me right here.”
He surprised me when he moved in and kissed me again. His tongue swept inside my mouth, and he cupped my cheek. When the kiss ended, his eyes were warm with arousal. “Well, I didn’t like hearing how you hit on his friend.”
My pulse was elevated and my body flushed from his touch. I just wanted to drag him behind the rose bushes and kiss him some more. “I really like you, Scottie,” I said softly. “I haven’t dated a guy twice in the last year. You’re the first guy I’ve wanted to see again.”
“Okay.” He smiled tentatively. “Good.”
“That doesn’t scare you?”
He pursed his lips. “Not at the moment.”
I ran my fingers through his short blond hair, scanning his handsome features. “Will you spend the night at my place tonight?”
He licked his lips, and he nodded. “Yeah.”
“All night. I don’t want you trying to leave at two in the morning or anything.” My voice was deep, and I kissed the tip of his nose. “I want to wake up with you in my arms.”
His lips twitched. “Careful, Lance. You’re starting to sound kind of romantic. That won’t be good for your player reputation.”
I narrowed my gaze. “I’m not playing with you. You better know that now.”
He swallowed and his eyes held mine. “I… I don’t want to disappoint you.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I know I’m not your usual type.”
Stroking his cheek, I sighed. “Yeah, you’re not. You’re real.”
“Real fucked-up.”
“Stop it.” I pulled him closer. I also couldn’t seem to fight the feelings that grew stronger each time I saw him. “We don’t need to think about the past. Let’s just concentrate on where we are right now.”
He gripped me, his fingers digging into my arms. “Do you think that’s really possible?”
“Why not?” I sighed.
His eyes were dark with worry. “The past has a way of following you.”
“No. Don’t think like that. Our pasts have sucked enough from us. Let’s live in the moment from this point on.”
“It’s worth a try,” he said softly.
My heart ached at how uncertain he sounded. But I figured if I just kept being a steadying influence on him, he’d come around and see that our future didn’t need to be controlled by our past experiences.
We were interrupted when Dylan came running up to us, giggling as he ran from his dad. Dylan grabbed Scottie’s leg and screeched as Rafe scooped him up with a big grin.
“I’ve got you now.” Rafe covered the laughing child’s face with kisses.
“Eww. Kisses are gross,” Dylan said, wiping at his cheeks.
Rafe held out his hand to me. “I’m Scottie’s boss.” He smiled.
“I remember.” We shook. “I’m Lance.”
“Welcome to our home.” Rafe glanced at Scottie. “I’m glad you made it. We’ve missed you at the last few events.”
Scottie grimaced. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m just glad you came.” Rafe’s curious gaze turned to me. “How’s your mom?”
“Oh, she’s good.”
“Have you and Scottie known each other long?”
Something about his tone reminded me of how a father might interrogate his daughter’s prom date. “Not long.”
He nodded. “I see.”
“About two weeks maybe?” I turned to Scottie.
“Probably.”
“What do you do?” Rafe arched one brow.
“I’m a bartender.”
“I see. How long have you been doing that?” Rafe set his son down, and the little boy ran toward the house.
“I guess about three years.”
Rafe nodded. “Is that your career or is it just something you’re doing short-term?”
Scottie gave an awkward laugh. “Sorry, Lance. This is what happens when I don’t ever bring anyone around. When I finally do, everyone is so shocked they want to grill you.”
I laughed. “It’s fine.”
Rafe looked embarrassed. “Was I interrogating you, Lance?”
I held up two fingers in a pinching motion. “Maybe just a smidgen?”
Rafe smiled and patted Scottie’s shoulder. “We all feel protective of this guy.”
Scottie looked like he wanted to crawl into the bushes and hide. His face was red, and he wouldn’t make eye contact. “I’m gonna go get us another beer.” He strode off with his shoulders stiff.
Rafe winced. “Oops.”
I sighed. “You know Scottie. He hates being the center of attention.”
“Very true.” Rafe’s gaze was curious. “You know he’s not like other people, right?”
I cocked my head. “Meaning what?”
He glanced after Scottie. “He’s fragile.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I know.”
Alex called for Rafe and he turned his head and waved. “My husband calls.”
I grabbed his arm. “Wait.” He faced me. “I know you care about Scottie, and I want you to know I do too. I wouldn’t hurt him on purpose. I really like him.”
Rafe’s expression softened. “That’s good to hear. While I don’t know the details of his past, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out something happened to him. He’s much better than when he first came to work for me, but I’d like to see him just get better and better.”
“I want the same thing.”
He smiled. “Great.” He walked away toward the house.
Scottie came up a minute later, and he handed me a beer. “Sorry. I needed some air.”
“It’s fine. It gave me a chance to talk frankly with Rafe about my intentions, without giving you a coronary.” I grinned.
“God.” He pinched the skin between his eyes. “You’re probably regretting coming with me.”
“Not even a little.” I sipped my beer.
He bumped my elbow with his. “Can I still spend the night at your place tonight?”
“You’re damn straight you’re spending the night. Don’t even think about trying to get out of it.”
“I don’t want to get out of it.” His eyes glittered. “In fact, I can’t wait for this party to be over.”
“That makes two of us, Scottie. That makes two of us.”