“Is that why you like to be called Mojo?” Tal asked. “Because you’re a different person to the one you are at work?”
Tal glanced at Corey. He’d clearly remembered Corey had said that.
“Finally, you get it!” Benjamin said.
“I’m still not sure I can call you…Mojo.”
“Corey will,” Louis said.
Corey nodded. “It suits you. I’ll work on Tal.”
Tal huffed.
“I like to cook,” Corey said. “I’ve been a bit limited by not having much of an oven. And when you’re only doing it for yourself, it’s not such a pleasure.”
“I get that.” Mojo lifted a tray of sausages wrapped in bacon out of the fridge.
“Wow, that’s a lot,” Corey said.
Louis laughed and took out another tray. “All mine.”
“Will you show me how you make the stuffing?” Corey asked.
“Of course I will.”
Tal took Louis into the living room and left Corey with Mojo.
“You have to give him time,” Mojo said.
“Who? Tal or Louis?”
“Both of them, probably. Louis has always had a soft spot for Tal. He’s incredibly protective. He thinks you’re too young to understand what Tal needs.”
“Do you think that too? That I’m too young?”
“No.” Mojo turned to look at him. “I think you’ll find out exactly what Tal will need and make sure he gets it. You’re already doing that. I’m… I’m sorry Louis looked into your medical records. I think part of him is sorry too and not just because it was an invasion of your privacy. If you ever told anyone what he’d done, he’d be struck off. Please don’t say anything. He’s a brilliant ER doctor.”
“I won’t say anything. He saves lives every day. It would be wrong to stop him doing that.”
“What happened to you was tragic,” Mojo whispered, his eyes full of understanding, though somehow that pissed Corey off.
“Not as tragic as it was for my friends.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Living with guilt, misplaced or not, isn’t easy. Looks like it left you feeling the need to control things.”
Corey gritted his teeth. “And that’s why I wanted to be a dom?”
“Who knows? Whatever works for the pair of you is all that matters.”
They chattered as they worked together and Corey liked Mojo more and more. Forensic pathology sounded really interesting. Not that Corey would ever be able to do anything like that.
By the time they joined the others, Corey felt as if he’d known Mojo for ages. Louis still needed work. Probably years not weeks.
“Want to help me lay the table?” Louis asked Corey.
“Sure.”
When Corey went into the dining room, he drew in a breath. There was a small grand piano in front of the window.
