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Steady and steadfast. Everything. From a source he for fucking sure wouldn’t have accepted back in his past life. But in this life, in this surreal moment, this was all he’d ever needed.
And so he said, “Thank you.”
Zander’s lips quirked. “For what?”
Vince slung both hands around the other man’s neck, linking his fingers, bringing their faces close so he could kiss Zander’s nose. Pressing their bodies together just so Zander could maybe feel the way his heart thudded.
For him.
For the life he’d given Vince.
“For loving me.” Love was work, he’d learned since finding his men. Everyday type of work. It was effort and conscious thought, awareness, and choice. Not an easy thing. It was a commitment to wake up every day and be there for the people you swore your heart to, holding space for their hopes and fears and dreams, their well-being and vulnerabilities. Doing all that while protecting them.
Also not an easy thing.
You had to want to do it. Every day. Over and over and over.
“You love me too,” Zander pointed out. His voice had dropped to barely above a whisper and he dipped his head, rubbing his nose against Vince’s.
“I do,” Vince told him hoarsely. “Every day. Every single day, I love you more. I love him more.”
“Good.” Zander smiled. Oh, when he trained that smile on Vince, he felt in-fucking-vincible. And caught, like prey in a trap that he didn’t want to escape.
The sound of the front door opening and then closing widened Zander’s smile. “Kiss me.”
Vince fell on him, into his mouth, with a groan of desperation, opening for him and clutching Zander close at the first touch of their tongues. How he could taste so good, still, always, was a mystery Vince didn’t think he’d ever solve.
Too soon, Zander pulled away. “We’ll eat dinner.” He swiped his thumb over Vince’s bottom lip as footsteps drew closer. “We will fuck each other and then later we’ll think about things. Much later.”
“I’m here,” Scotty said loudly at Zander’s back. “What was so urgent I had to come home?”
Vince pulled away from Zander and went to the younger man, cupping his jaw and kissing him, hard and deep, but way too brief. “Help me with dinner.” He glanced back at Zander. “Then we’ll talk.”
33
They didn’t get to eat. Hell, they didn’t even get to cook. Scotty demanded to know what was going on and because they were suckers, both Vince and Zander caved and told him about Syren Rua’s unexpected appearance and his fascination.
Scotty didn’t see it as a big deal nor was he on board with Zander adding more people to his security detail. Yeah, he could pout all he wanted; Zander wasn’t giving an inch when it came to that.
“You’re gonna do it, aren’t you?” Scotty folded his arms, eyes all pleading as they stood around in the kitchen.
Zander had to look away from him, otherwise he would give in again because he couldn’t stand to see Scotty in distress. Fuck. Was that what love was? Because goddamn.
“Zander will do what’s best for us,” Vince said before Zander could. “He loves us and besides, this is kinda his area of expertise.”
Scotty’s pout got more prominent and Zander rubbed the middle of his chest. He didn’t like seeing the younger man out of sorts—it felt unnatural—but he had to stand his ground. Syren Rua was not one to be played with and before something happened that none of them could come back from, he had to ensure that Scotty was fully protected.
He’d already warned Syren that he would consider any attempt to contact Scotty or Vince an act of aggression and react accordingly. The crazy fucker had simply chuckled in his ear and then ended the call. Dude was unhinged and Zander wasn’t taking any chances.
“Hey, c’mere.” He crooked a finger and that fast Scotty closed the small space between them and stepped into his arms. Zander cupped the back of his head, pressing a kiss to his nose. “Trust me, okay? Don’t let his looks fool you. Listen to Vince. Listen to me. Syren is the most dangerous fucker around.”
Scotty placed both hands on Zander’s hips and tipped his head back, meeting his stare. “But you’re also dangerous.”
Zander nodded. “I am, which means it would be war between us. I don’t want that. I want a life as conflict free as I can get it despite being who I am because it means you two would be safe. I want you to be safe. It’s not good for your mental health for you to be involved in anything like that.” Emotion roughened his voice as he stared into Scotty’s eyes. Nothing was more important than the men he loved being happy and safe. “I want to be your safe space and that can’t happen if I’m beefing with Syren.” His relationship had to come first, which meant he would do all he could to prevent anything or anyone fucking with them.
Scotty studied him for a while, expression earnest, and then he nodded. “Okay.”
Zander tightened his grip on him “Yeah?”
