“I’m happy for you, man. Just don’t get your ass whooped by younger guys, or you’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Hey!”
We were laughing when our food arrived, and the tension that had been surrounding my heart over the past few months fell away. I’d missed my friend. It was easier once we’d gotten the big feelings out of the way, our conversation falling back into our comfortable familiarity.
“Loren and Jude were telling me about Fort. He sounds rambunctious.”
“Ha! He’s a pain. I’ve never had a more stubborn dog. I’m at my wit’s end with him. If he hadn’t bonded to Lor, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I just hope he can be somewhat amenable to training. I’ve been thinking,” he paused, looking up at me through his eyelashes, “about maybe giving him to her for a therapy dog if I can get him to cooperate.”
Smiling, I agreed. “I think she’d like that.”
“Phew. I worried it might be too much.”
“Nah. Not with Loren. She’s not like the women we’ve dated before. She’s different.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to see that.”
Finishing off my food, I placed my napkin on my plate, wondering what to say next. Wells surprised me again, offering his own vulnerability.
“I know the other night, I made some claims and said some things, but are we going to talk about liking the same girl, who also happens to like a few other people, and the fact we like each other?”
“I think that’s the most vulnerable words you’ve ever said in one sentence,” I joked. Wells softened, and it encouraged me to be vulnerable too. “I told her when I realized I liked her months ago that I also had feelings for you, but that you often had your head stuck up your ass, so I didn’t know what, or if anything, would ever become more between us.”
Wells snorted, agreeing. “Accurate, even if it does sting a little. How did she respond?”
“Well, actually. At first, she thought I was just waiting to be with you, but I admitted that ideally… it would be all three of us together.”
He sat back. “You thought that before I even admitted I liked her?”
“I knew you liked her from how hard you were resisting, dumbass.”
“Oh, yeah.” His lips lifted slightly in a crooked grin. “She didn’t freak out?”
“No,” I chuckled, “quite the opposite. It’s hard to see her with Nicco, and even that big scary one, but I see how Lo is with them, and I know I could never ask her to choose. That was my problem all along. Having to choose between you and a woman. I could never let you go, and in the end, it never worked because I couldn’t give my heart fully to someone who didn’t also see you as an extension of me.”
“I think that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me. I kind of wish we weren’t in a crowded restaurant with a booth between us right now so I could show you how incredibly sexy I find you when you go and get all territorial.”
Gasping, I locked eyes with him, and I saw he meant every word. There weren’t any walls between us, and he was showing me himself. Wells’ emotions were on the surface, and for once, I didn’t have to guess how he felt. He was showing me. Grabbing my water glass, I downed the rest of it.
“I kind of wish the same, but I also know if we’re going to actually make this work this time, have a real relationship between us, then we need to take it slow. I can’t give you my heart for you to change your mind in a week when things get tough. I’m sorry, I know that probably hurts, but if I’m going to have a chance at the future I always dreamed of, then I want to do it right.”
“I accept that because I know you’re right, even if my dick says otherwise.”
Groaning, I shifted my own growing erection at his dirty talk. He smirked, watching me.
“I’ll break down your walls, Roe. Just like you did for me countless times. And when you can trust us, it will be better than you ever imagined. I promise to give you that.”
I gripped the table, keeping myself seated. I feared otherwise I’d throw caution to the wind and kiss his stupid, handsome face. Clearing my throat, I closed my eyes and counted, my breathing slowing as I centered myself on ignoring the lust coursing through me.
“So we both want Loren, and I told you how I felt about the others. What about you? How do you feel about them?”
Wells blew out a breath, leaning back in the booth. “The possessive idiot in me wants to claim her. I see her with them, and I want to break their hands. The realistic side of me knows I should be grateful. More dicks in her life means I have less opportunity to mess it up. I might actually be capable of having a relationship with her if I’m only on for 25% of the time.”
“I think you’re underselling yourself, but that’s an interesting way to look at it.”
Before expanding on it more, the waitress came over with our checks and cleared our plates. I was kind of sad the dinner was over, enjoying seeing my friend again. Even if he also made my pants tight, leaving me with blue balls. An idea came to me, only briefly thinking about it being terrible, and I decided to follow my heart.
“I’m headed to Levi’s hockey game. Since they’re technically supervised,” I growled, flexing my jaw, “I can go to them even though they’re not on my assigned days. Would you… would you want to come?”