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Knowing he shouldn’t but unable to stop himself, August extended his right hand, pressing his knuckles into Micah’s palm. “See? I told you I’m fine. Not even a mark.”
Micah caressed the side of August’s hand with the pad of his thumb as he examined his index finger. “Does it hurt?”
The air thickened and crackled between them, making it difficult for August to draw in his next breath. “N–No, it doesn’t hurt.”
He didn’t look up, but he could feel Micah’s gaze on him, feel the heat of his stare. Micah didn’t belong to him anymore, though, and he had no right lusting after the guy. Pulling his hand back, August stepped away and looked down at his shoes.
“Ant? What’s wrong?” Micah followed him, moving closer until he had August back against the kitchen table. “Are you okay?”
Glancing toward the patio doors, August could see Ian standing in front of the grill on the back deck. Right then, he was happy, secure, and completely clueless to the war raging in August’s head and heart. For everyone’s sake, it needed to stay that way.
“Do you want me to heat the pie now or wait until after dinner?”
Micah frowned, but thankfully, he didn’t comment on August’s strange behavior. “Let’s wait until after dinner. I mean, unless you have to leave right away.”
He should. Hell, he should walk out the door right then and keep going all the way back to Tulsa. Weakness held him rooted to the floor, though. “Meredith has a hot date tonight, so no, I don’t have anywhere to be.”
To August’s profound relief, Ian chose that moment to throw the double doors open and sashay into the kitchen. “Charcoal is burning, steaks are marinating, and I am a god among mortals. You’re welcome.”
“I see you haven’t changed at all.” August had always been a little envious of Ian’s devil-may-care attitude.
“True,” Micah agreed, “he’s still an idiot.”
He said it flippantly, but August detected the undertone of annoyance in Micah’s voice. Hoping to diffuse the tension while also showing he could be an adult about Micah and Ian’s relationship, he turned to Ian and tilted his head to the side.
“Oh, I don’t know. He has his uses. Plus, he’s kind of hot.”
Ian blushed, which actually looked kind of adorable on such a big man. Micah, however, had his mouth twisted into a grimace like he’d swallowed a hive of living bees.
Oh-kay.
“Don’t mind Micah. He’s incapable of telling the truth.” Ian twisted the cap off a Budweiser and tossed it into the trash before tipping the bottle to his lips.
“Oh, so you aren’t hung like a horse and have the stamina of a god?” August didn’t know what had caused him to say it, but he also couldn’t stop the word-vomit from spewing out of his mouth, either. “Well, that’s disappointing, I suppose.”
Ian choked and sputtered, spraying beer all over the counter and the floor. Micah stood motionless in the center of the room with his mouth hanging open like he’d just witnessed August sprout antennas from his forehead.
“Ant!” he finally choked. “What the hell?”
“Trouble,” Ian gasped, still trying to catch his breath from his coughing fit, but he had a huge, wicked grin on his face. The kind of grin that said he rather enjoyed trouble. “I like that,” he confirmed.
“I—” Unfortunately, August had no idea how to finish that sentence.
“Don’t mind Alpha Uptight.” Ian fished another beer out of the fridge and tipped it toward Micah. “It was funny and you know it.”
“How do you even put up with him?” August pondered, still unable to stem the flow of his verbal regurgitation.
Ian surprised him when he adopted a somber expression and dropped his head like a whipped dog. “You’re absolutely right. I really shouldn’t take his abuse. What type of treatments do you suggest for a guy who’s hung like a horse and has the stamina of a god?” His lips twitched at the corners, and his hazel eyes glistened with mischief. “Oh, please, Dr. Tucker,” he called loudly, “please cure me of my self-destructive ways.”
August bit down on his tongue to hold back his laughter.
Micah jerked his head from side to side, looking between them like he couldn’t decide which one to murder first “What the sweet fuck is going on here?”
“Micah, yes, hmmm.” Ian seemed to consider him for a moment, but then shook his head as though he found him lacking. “Sosorry, sweet cheeks. I guess it’s just not meant to be. Doctor’s orders, you understand.”
August lost it. All the stress, nerves, and uncertainty of the past two days finally caught up with him, and he fell against Ian’s side, laughing hysterically until tears streamed down his cheeks.
Micah watched the two most important people in his life fall all over each other while they howled like loons. Initially, this had been his goal. He wanted Ian and August to like each other. He just hadn’t expected them to like each other quite so much.
