Chapter 15Sven woke early and stared in confusion at the blue wall he faced. It took him a moment to remember he’d spent the night in Geoffrey’s bed. The man had scrunched up against his back, throwing one arm over his waist. Sven rolled over, expecting he’d wake, but Geoffrey was dead to the world with one cheek smashed into the pillow, his mouth slack, hair flopping over one eye. Smiling, he tugged Geoffrey close. Burying his nose in his soft blond hair, he breathed Geoffrey in deep as he stroked his hand down his smooth back.
He was crazy about the man’s skin. It was beautiful and silky. He loved the soft blond hair on his legs. He’d thought Geoffrey bleached the hair on his head until he’d gotten him naked. He wanted to touch him all the time and having him so close and still smelling like sex woke other parts of Sven’s body. Hoping to wake him, he pulled Geoffrey onto his chest and chuckled when he still didn’t. He merely sprawled, arms and legs on either side of Sven—complete deadweight. Some of Sven’s chest hair must have tickled his nose because he wiggled it.
Yet he slept on, releasing a soft snore.
They’d worn each other out the night before, so Geoffrey apparently needed more sleep. Sven rolled him back to his side and slid out of the bed, chuckling when Geoffrey nestled into the warm spot he’d left. Sven looked around the floor, frowning until he remembered they’d left their clothes upstairs. He sure as hell wouldn’t fit into anything of Geoffrey’s, so he strode naked out of his room and got halfway through the living room before he realized Royce was sitting out back by the pool.
The asshole grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, not bothering to hide the fact that he was looking at all of Sven. Sven rolled his eyes and continued to the guest room. When he walked outside, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt—technically it was his day off—Royce was still smirking.
“Guess I can see why you forgot I was coming in to relieve you early. Don’t worry, I made the outdoor rounds already and all looks good. Except for the big-ass delivery on the front porch.” Royce leaned back on the plush black pillows on the white outdoor couch. His grin faded as he scrutinized Sven’s face more than he liked. “So, you and the golden boy, huh?”
Sven nodded slowly, not really sure what to say. He was still breaking the rules, but because he’d come clean with Rowe, he didn’t feel bad about it. Hell, he’d dropped all his rules at this point and his long-time worry over being with someone so much smaller had all but disappeared. Geoffrey had proved he was up for anything.
He thought about leaving Royce to the job and crawling back into bed.
Royce crossed his tattooed arms. “Good for you, Larsen. I knew you liked him, but could never see why you held back when he made it obvious he wanted you.” He laughed, the sound dark and low. “But damn, you’re going to have your hands full with that one.”
“No doubt,” Sven answered, looking forward to every crazy moment of it.
He eyed Royce, taking in the circles under his eyes and wondering what was happening in his private life. He’d hung out with the man, but Royce wasn’t one to share anything outside of work. The only things he knew about him were that he lived alone and he had the hots for buttoned-up, accountant-looking types. Sven had more than once watched him lure men like that home with his bad boy sneer.
Sven settled across from him on one of the wicker love seats and started to put his feet on the coffee table, but changed his mind because it looked thin.
Royce followed his gaze. “That’s the most ridiculous table I’ve ever seen. Outdoor furniture should be built for rowdy times. What purpose does this tiny table serve?”
Sven was about to make a quip about how small Geoffrey was but he lost Royce’s attention. The man looked at something over Sven’s shoulder, his eyebrows climbing his forehead and true pleasure darkening his eyes. Sven turned to see a naked Geoffrey padding through the room toward the stairs. He aimed a fierce frown back at Royce.
“Damn, Sven. Handful or not, your boy is gorgeous.”
“And off limits.”
Royce scowled. “You don’t have to warn me off him, Sven. I don’t go where I’m not welcome.”
He knew that—he did. But Geoffrey raised something unfamiliar in Sven. He really could take care of himself with his self-defense training, but there was a vulnerability to the man that raised Sven’s every protective instinct. And it was one of the things that attracted Sven so much. Geoffrey just seemed to go with those parts of himself.