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Geoffrey looked up to say something quietly to Sven, something that made the man smile and kiss his forehead.
Royce had to look away then.
Instead, he watched as Marc rose from his seat and paced a short distance away, his hands shoved into his pockets. He stared into the house for a moment before speaking without actually looking at anyone. “I noticed that you’ve got a large blank space on your wall in the office. I’ve got a new artist you should look at. Her work would match the tone of your entire house.”
Geoffrey snorted. “Of course you’ve got someone.”
Marc turned a smile on Geoffrey. From where Royce stood, he could only partially see the man’s face, but it was still like being kicked in the gut. “Have I steered you wrong in the past? You still like the Korty, right?”
“I love the Korty and the two Mrozowskis,” Geoffrey said with a laugh. “I’m just not looking for a new piece right now.”
Marc winked. “I’m merely keeping an eye out for you.”
“You cool being stuck with this guy?” Geoffrey jerked his head toward Royce.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Marc’s smile dimmed a little as he looked over his shoulder at Royce before looking back at Geoffrey. “You met the last guy I was seeing at the gallery showing in New York.”
“Yeah, but he was nice. Smiled a lot. I thought for sure Andrei would assign Garrett to you.”
“Garrett’s out of town,” Royce snapped. “He’s stuck with mean, old me.”
Again, Marc’s gaze returned to him. Strange how that scrutiny felt like a physical caress. He had the strangest feeling nice was the last thing Marc was interested in. And fuck if that didn’t make it harder for him to focus. But he had to.
“Quinn, have you already gone over what we’ll be installing in his house?”
Quinn nodded and pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. “Having a new security system installed makes sense. We’ll be able to coordinate your external security with the new cameras and sensors we’re adding to the interior. We’ll be showing up tomorrow. Marc’s already told me his sister could be around at the time, so you won’t be helping. You’ll be on stage, so to speak. I suggest the two of you spend the evening in his room getting to know each other.”
Geoffrey snorted. “Damn, Q-Man, did you move that fast with your last assignment? The one you’re now dating?”
“And you have room to talk? Sven showed up here and never left.”
“He did,” Geoffrey said, patting Sven’s belly. “But not for long.”
Sven’s smile was sheepish. “I really didn’t. You spent the night with me every time I went home, so technically, we moved pretty fast.”
“I knew what I wanted.” Geoffrey looked up at him.
“So did I,” Sven murmured, leaning down to kiss his boyfriend.
Their relationship was still so new, they seemed to forget anyone else was in their vicinity at times. But Sven kept the kiss quick and G-rated. Royce thought about saying something snarky, but he caught Marc’s expression. The man watched them closely, but absolutely nothing in his expression gave him away. And that intrigued Royce more than anything. How did he feel when he watched the obvious love the two men across from them shared?
And why the fuck did Royce care? This guy was a job. A job with a ridiculously gorgeous face—but a job nonetheless.
He glanced at Quinn to find him not even paying attention to Sven and Geoffrey, his gaze locked on the screen in front of him. Quinn could be oblivious to those around him when his focus was on his work. Or a video game.
Or his own boyfriend, who happened to be a local private investigator.
“Okay,” Quinn said. “We’ll show up tomorrow to install the security system, and Royce goes home with you tonight. Did you already pack for a couple of weeks?”
“I have my ready bag with me, but I’ll need to go by my place for more.” Royce thought about the clothes in his closet. Would they work with this persona he was taking on?
“I’ll follow, so you can leave your car,” Marc said. “My story was that I’m picking up my boyfriend from the airport, so you can ride in with me.”
Royce absolutely hated the thought of being without his truck for the duration of the job, but he merely nodded.
Quinn shut his computer. “You’ll need breaks, so do you want Sven as your backup?”
“Sure,” Royce answered.
“No,” Marc said, his voice low. “Sven won’t work because he’s been in the public eye a little too much lately. Everyone knows he works as a bodyguard. My sister even drooled over a picture in the paper of him guarding a function for the mayor.”
Geoffrey’s low laugh made Royce bite back a grin. He knew his mountain-sized boyfriend was the type of man who fueled fantasies for both men and women. “I don’t do as much social media these days, but I have been guilty of showing him off a time or two, so that’s partly my fault. Also, I’ll never apologize for ruining any fake boyfriend jobs he would have gotten. I want these lips only on me.” He paused. “And his baby nephew is okay, too.”
