He snorts but then his face falls again. He looks so uncertain, gnawing on his lip, that part of me wants to lean forward and suck on those lips, just pull that insecurity right out of him with my mouth. If I knew it would help, I’d do it. But I don’t, because that’s not our thing. Not yet, at least.
“I promise those dudes out there will like you.”
“I just…never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything. Can you please just forget it?”
He pushes his way out of the car, and I rush out after him.
“Not sure I can forget that, Eli. You actually opened up to me. I’ll remember it forever.”
“It was a moment of insanity. I’m fine now. Won’t happen again,” he mutters and then eyeballs a black SUV in the distance where Sem and Magnus are hovering.
My brother and Magnus both watch as we approach, and then Magnus turns to talk to his best friend, August, who is sitting in the driver’s seat of the SUV with a tattooed guy straddling his lap.
Huh. I’ve hung out with August a few times before when I’ve crashed at Sem and Magnus’ place. I thought he was a straight dude. Guess I was wrong. Apparently, I’ve been wrong about a lot of people being straight. My dick is totally smirking at me right now.
“So, guys,” Magnus begins with a wide smile. “Luke just showed up while we were leaving. Therefore, this is no longer a double date. It is hereby dubbed a triple date.”
“This is not a date,” Elliot grumbles to no one in particular. I just throw my arm around him and squeeze his hard body right into mine.
“Fuck you going on about, Eli? Don’t make this weird.”
“I am most likely the least weird person here,” Eli says, and I pull him closer to me. Damn, I like him close. Plus, he smells good. I lean in and sniff a little.
Fuck, yeah. He really does.
When I turn back around, Magnus is rolling his eyes.
“I take issue with that,” Magnus says loudly. “I happen to think that I amverynormal.”
That just makes me laugh because I know all about the weird shit Sem and him did a while back. I know too much, actually. The van Beek family is tight, a little too tight at times. Sem blathered on and on one night about their kinky sex, in great, exaggerated detail. Yet another reason why my brain needs a bleach bath.
“Oh, fuck off, tiny. You’re crazier than a soup sandwich,” I say, reaching out and scooping Magnus right into my arms.
My brother growls loudly and grabs his husband away, cradling him to his chest.
“Don’t touch him, Luke,” Sem mutters. “You trying to die?”
I grin, and Elliot pinches the bridge of his nose. Nah, he pretends he’s annoyed, but I see how his lips twitch. He’s trying not to smile.
Suddenly the SUV door is thrown open, and the tattooed guy comes tumbling out. He stumbles into the dirt and then brushes his pants off and straightens his shirt. A smile lines his face, and he meets my eyes.
“Hey, I’m Emery. I haven’t met you two.” He flicks his hand between Elliot and me, and while I smile, Elliot just stares at him. He’s probably never seen so many tattoos before.
“I’m Luke, Sem’s older brother. And this is Elliot, my best friend,” I say.
“He uses that word too loosely,” Elliot interrupts. “This man just invaded my space one day, and I can’t get rid of him.”
Fucker. He jokes. No one gets them but me.
I reach out and pat Elliot’s head to irritate him even further. “Nah, he secretly loves me. Keeps me around to show off. He likes my muscles. Told me so himself.”
Elliot sighs and looks to the sky mumbling something under his breath but makes no move to extricate himself from my side. Instead, he subtly leans into me.
Asshole thinks I don’t notice, but I do. I notice all the things when it comes to him.
“Alright, this is fucking awkward, but then again, with this family, why am I surprised?” Magnus mutters and then announces, “Alright, everyone, listen up. For expediency, this is August, my best friend,” he points to the guy with golden blond hair and a muscular body. “And today, August and Emery have officially become boyfriends.”
Emery links his arm with August and bounces a little. “Why, yes, we have. And we are also stepbrothers. It’s all very scandalous. But yeah, he’s all fucking mine. And he is fabulous at sex. I mean, look at him. Mr. Rogers. Who knew? Mind blown.”