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“Oh, hell yeah,” Clay said, voice breaking on the last word.
Dane collapsed on top of Clay and met his lips in a fiery kiss. “Love you. Love you so goddamn much.”
“Love you, too.” Clay’s tongue thrust into his mouth.
They kissed for a long time, tongues leisurely twining together. Then Clay pulled away and stared up at him. “You’re mine,” he whispered.
“I’m yours,” Dane replied.They all gathered outside the summer kitchen where Dane was grilling steaks and shrimp. He and Baer had put potatoes in the oven, and they had a fresh salad ready to go. Grey and Clay were already at the patio set, and Dane smiled at Ruby, who sat near the stove. She knew where the good food was located.
Dane tossed her a cooked shrimp, and Baer shook his head. “I’d complain about people food with my pet, but I know how much she loves it.”
“How weird is it? Hearing your dog?”
“It’s actually really cool. She’s the most loving, wonderful being you could imagine. Her love is unconditional, and it’s all she really thinks about. Other than chasing out intriguing scents and things that scurry in the underbrush.”
Dane threw her another shrimp and Baer laughed. “No more, okay? It might upset her stomach. She loves it enough to keep eating despite that.”
“I cooked a few without spices so I could sneak them to her.” Dane winked.
Baer shook his head again.
Crickets chirped and frogs added to the chorus. The late hour had forced them to bring out two gas lanterns, which spilled illumination onto the table where they’d all gathered. Dane set down the steaks and shrimp and went back to the kitchen for the potatoes. After checking that they were crispy and perfect, he carried them out to the table. Baer brought out a cooler full of beer as well.
Everyone tucked into the food, grunts of appreciation filling the night air. Dane took a bite of his steak and groaned. It was perfectly cooked, the middle nice and pink. Clay sat next to him, and their legs touched under the table. He could get used to this so easily.
Too bad they were about to go after the pestilents.
Nobody talked for a long time, too busy eating. Ruby hovered under the table and Dane slipped her a bite of steak this time.
“You’re spoiling my dog,” Baer said as he chewed.
“Is she tattling on me?” Dane asked in fake horrified tones.
Baer snorted. “That dog couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it. She keeps thinking something along the lines of ‘Mmmm…more!’ ”
Dane grinned at him and speared a bite of steak. “She’s worth spoiling.” He plopped it into his mouth, moaning over the juices that spilled from the tender meat.
“Keep making those noises, and we’ll have to go back to bed,” Clay murmured under his breath.
“You two are so sappy,” Baer muttered before laughing. “It’s nice, though. Something happy among all this other…stuff. Do you actually feel this bond the aunts created?”
Dane nodded. “I already felt tied to him in a way, but now it feels stronger. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like I know where he is at all times. Plus, I can feel what he’s feeling. I know if he’s pissed at me before he ever says a word.”
“Not sure I’d like that,” Grey said quietly as he moved the food around on his plate. “I like my privacy.”
“Maybe you should move out to the apartment then,” Baer said. “Have Dane move into the main house with Clay.”
“That would be okay with me. You’d have more privacy for your writing.” Dane forked a piece of potato.
“You do get kind of loud, though.” Baer smirked as he sliced up his steak.
Embarrassed dismay sent heat up Dane’s neck. “You can hear us from the house?”
“Nah, I was in the summer kitchen while ya’ll were going at it once. Any man makes you yell like that, you keep.”
“I plan to.”
Dane looked at Clay to find the man’s warm brown eyes on him. He had to fight the urge to drag him back to bed. He wondered if this constant sexual urge would continue or if they were just in the honeymoon phase.
But then he remembered things with his wife. They’d never tired of touching each other. The thought of his wife sobered him some, but the pain wasn’t as sharp. He had Clay to thank for that. He leaned over and kissed him. Dane had a second chance at love, and he couldn’t be more thankful for that.
They finished their dinner, and everyone got up to clean together. It was nice, this pseudo-family he’d picked up. Dane carried the dishes into the house, and they loaded the dishwasher.
Without discussing it, they moved to the living room. Grey brought whiskey and glasses in with him. Once they each had a glass, they settled on the couch and chairs.
