tilted her head back and looked into his green eyes and couldn’t prevent a smile from forming on her lips.
“Hell yeah,” she whispered.
“I love you, baby,” Gary declared and kissed her sweetly on the lips.
“I love you, too.” She snuggled back down until she was comfortable and let her heavy eyelids drift closed. Moments later she squealed when a slap landed on her ass. Turning her head to look over her shoulder, she saw Steve looking at them with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Come on, you two. Up and at ’em. The day’s wastin’ away,” he grumbled. “Why don’t you two get in the shower, and I’ll get breakfast ready.”
“I don’t think I can move,” Selina replied with a pout and then smiled when Steve’s eyes drifted down to her lips.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll carry you.” Gary moved off to the side of the bed. His semiflaccid cock slid out of her body at the movement, and then she was lifted up into his arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she rested her head on his shoulder and let him cart her to the bathroom.
Chapter Eight
Steve looked up as Gary and Selina entered the kitchen. They were smiling at each other, and he felt a pang of jealousy over the close intimacy the two of them seemed to share. But then she looked at him, and the envy stabbing through his gut and chest diminished when she bestowed the same intimate smile on him. He turned back to the stove when he felt another chink in the armor around his heart form. Placing the last of the cooked food onto plates, he carried two of them over to the dining table and set them down. He returned with his own plate and a pot of fresh coffee.
“This looks and smells wonderful. Thanks, Steve, I’m hungry,” she praised and gave him another smile.
“I’m starving,” Gary piped up with a grin. “Great sex will do that to a man.”
Selina giggled and quickly lowered her eyelashes. She was so damn sexy, his eyes were drawn to her again and again.
Already Gary’s demeanor had changed from the lighthearted personality he wore around Steve to the more serious person he knew he kept hidden beneath the surface. That made him think that maybe he wasn’t good enough to be Gary’s lover. His gut churned at the thought he might be holding back Gary from what he was meant to and could be, and he looked down at the untouched food on his plate. He pushed his plate away and picked up his mug of coffee instead and sipped the dark, bitter brew. It was just the way he liked it, and he let the hot liquid travel down to his stomach, hoping it would heat the inside of his frozen body.
“Why aren’t you eating, Steve?” Selina asked with a concerned frown.
“I’m just not hungry, I guess.”
“Why won’t you talk to me? I promise whatever you have to say won’t ever be repeated.”
“Leave it be, Selina.”
“What are you so scared of? Do you really think that what you are keeping hidden from me will make me run screaming from the house? Don’t you get that the love I feel for you is unconditional? That means no matter what you’ve been through or done, I will keep right on loving you, warts and all. I’ve opened my heart up to you. Why can’t you do the same?”
“Fuck, Selina. You don’t know what you’re asking of me,” Steve replied in a roar.
“No, I don’t, because you won’t let me in,” she yelled back.
She didn’t flinch from her chair when he rose up and stalked toward her. He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her up until she was standing, too. She kept her gaze steady on his as he leaned close and spoke to her in a cold, harsh voice.
“You want to know what I’m hiding. Okay, sweetheart, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he told her fiercely. “My father died when I was little more than a baby. When my mom remarried it seemed she had chosen a pearl among men. Everyone loved to be near him. He made everyone laugh and happy. He loved to be around the entire family, and they liked