Chapter Eighteen
Monty
Last night differed from the others, and Monty had got—hypothetically—why Rue had rushed out while he was in the shower. Not even a goodbye kiss—was that too much to ask for?
It seemed it was, and it nagged like a broken tooth, except Monty didn’t want to rock the boat when Rue wasn’t a sure swimmer in the sea of relationships.
It was becoming more and more obvious when he didn’t appear to know how to react when he came to Monty’s if sex wasn’t immediately on the cards.
It had taken a full week before Rue came into his apartment and didn’t just stand around like a spare part.
Progress was progress.
If he kept telling himself that, maybe Monty would believe it. Except last night felt like a giant leap forward, only for Rue to take more steps back by leaving the way he did. Without talking.
He couldn’t deny it, this was Monty’s issue.
He planned to talk about it tonight during the call with Kendrick, who he was clearly a conduit to openness.
But something was amiss at work with the urgent meeting Rue messaged about.
As the PAs weren’t invited, it came with a feeling it wasn’t good news.
Monty could try to guess but the list could be endless, so why bother?
He checked the time before plating the leftover chicken parmigiana and placing it in the oven to warm. He’d washed up, had a shower, tidied the living room, changed the bedroom sheets, and now was at a loose end.
Chimes coming from the living room got him eagerly rushing to answer the iPad call. The thrumming of excitement increased as he pressed the green button to accept the call and Kendrick’s grinning face filled the screen.
“Hey honey, don’t you look sexy.”
Monty gave a twirl in his new black lounge pants.
They fit perfectly, to show off his backside to its full potential.
Monty was well aware of how much both men loved his ass.
He’d paired the pants with a dark gray, loose-fit T-shirt with a wide neck that slipped off one shoulder.
He felt it added a sexiness to the casual wear, and by Kendrick’s comment he’d say he was right on the money.
Now he hoped Rue thought the same, and it encouraged him to stay again.
“Why, thank you.” He fluttered his eyelashes as he sat cross-legged on the couch in front of the iPad.
“Where’s Rue?”
“Running late. Silas called an urgent meeting,” Monty explained.
Kendrick had pulled quite a few double shifts with Trey needing time to organise house renovations on the place he’d bought for him and Cassidy. Monty could see Kendrick’s exhaustion despite only seeing him on the small screen.
“Bugger. I hope it ain’t anything serious.”
“Me too.” Monty perched his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his fists. “Are you gonna get some time off after all these extra shifts you’re putting in? You look tired.” Monty didn’t have the same worries about talking freely with Kendrick as Rue did.
“I’ve interviewed several guys this afternoon.
A couple looks like they may be a good fit.
They’re coming in to do a couple of shifts, and if they pan out, then I can take a few days off.
” He sat forward, holding Monty’s gaze. “Maybe take a flight up to Hazardville? You up for a visitor and putting me up at your place for a few days?”
Monty wiggled his butt and giggled outrageously loud at the excitement bubbling inside him. He didn’t care if he was being very obvious. “Yes. Yes. One hundred percent yes.”
Kendrick’s laughter came through the speaker, filling the room. “So that’s a yes then?”
“Silly,” Monty snickered.
A message popped up on the screen. He caught the “I’m on my way,” before it disappeared, and the wiggles were back.
“Rue’s on his way, should be about ten minutes.”
“We can hope he’s as happy as you.” Kendrick didn’t sound as confident, despite the jokey tone.
Then Monty recalled the disappearing act this morning, and his bubble burst. “He stayed last night.”
Kendrick’s only reaction was a brow arch. “You sound conflicted.”
The man was good at picking up on things Rue tended to miss.
“Not about him staying, more the fact he did a cut and run while I was in the shower. Weirdest thing. It was all chill, heck, he laughed at something I said, then he was hightailing out the door shouting goodbye without the decency of saying it to my face.” He hated how it came out as a whine, but there it was.
“He’s still adjusting, honey. Rue’s a man who sees things in black and white. He has his reasons for this, I’m sure. We just need to be patient with him. He’s worth it, isn’t he?”
“You both are,” Monty confessed, releasing a shuddering breath. Two weeks in and he was making room in his life and heart for Kendrick, the same as he’d done for Rue, whether or not the other man got that.
“Honey, I wish I could kiss you right now.” The need shone out at Monty and brought with it a splash of cold-water reality. Making room wasn’t going to be enough with the distance between them. A holiday wouldn’t always be enough when Monty wanted… more.
Stop being greedy.
It’s not greedy to want more. His animal was adamant about that, making Monty struggle to contain a discontented sigh.
The sound of an engine idling got Monty shifting to get up.
“I think Rue’s here!” He went to the window and saw Rue parking in the empty space in front of his apartment block.
His pulse gave a mighty leap as he considered how Rue would react to the news of Kendrick coming for a visit.
“It’s him,” he said aloud, and please let him be happy, though he kept that part inside his head.
Monty buzzed Rue in and was at the door of his apartment when he crested the top step. “Come on, Kendrick’s waiting for you.”
Something about the wariness in his expression set Monty’s nerves aflutter. Shit.
He came in behind Monty, shutting and locking the door wordlessly.
The hope of Rue accepting what they were about to talk about left Monty dry-mouthed.
In the living room, Rue’s gaze went straight to the iPad, and a sense of trepidation grew inside Monty.
“I’ve heated some chicken parmigiana, I’ll go grab it.
” He darted out of the room, hands shaking.
He ran them down the sides of his legs, halting in the kitchen and taking a deep inhale, then another after slowly releasing the first. It did fuck all to help, so Monty grabbed a cloth to lift the plate out of the oven, placing it with some cutlery on a tray.
He paused in the kitchen doorway to see Rue standing, his laptop bag still in his hand. Wasn’t he planning on staying?
“Here we go. You can give me your laptop, I’ll store it with mine while you eat.” Monty swapped the tray for the laptop bag before Rue could say differently. “Sit. Keep Kendrick company, he’s got something to talk to you about.”
Rue, who bent at the knee to take a seat, looked like his back had seized up on him and he’d got stuck the way he froze. His unreadable gaze went to the iPad.
“It’s all good, honey, sit. I can explain what I was planning while you eat.”
The pace at which Rue moved showed his reluctance and Monty’s nerves were now climbing the walls like a professional rock climber. What was wrong?
He chanced a glance at Kendrick, seeing signs that he had also noticed something was off.
Alone in his bedroom to get some perspective before he had a freak out, Monty told himself off. “You’re overreacting because of this morning. Rue has not come to tell you that whatever this is, is over. Now stop catastrophizing and get your butt in the living room.”
He used the bathroom, having a nervous pee. When done, he plastered a smile on his face and went to sit cross-legged next to Rue. His plate was nearly empty, and Kendrick was regaling a funny incident about Trey and coping with Cassidy’s pregnancy.
Had he mentioned the trip to Hazardville?
He looked between the iPad and Rue, unable to tell.
When Kendrick’s laughter died down, Monty was bouncing with anxiety. “Did you tell him?” he blurted out.
Kendrick’s chuckle said not.
“Told me what?” Rue placed the tray on the coffee table, away from the iPad, shrugging out of his suit jacket. His moves were jerky as he slung it over the back of the couch, next tugging at his tie like it could be strangling him as both Monty and Kendrick eyed him with apprehension.
“You know all the double shifts I’ve copped recently?
” Rue had the tie sliding from his neck as he nodded.
“I’ve got some time owed to me, and after interviewing today, I could potentially have two guys who could fill in when I take time off.
” The shrug he gave suggested it was nothing big, but the way his lips pinched said otherwise.
“So, I was thinking of flying up to see you both. Staying at Monty’s for a few vacation days. ”
With the air hissing through Rue’s teeth, Monty couldn’t assess whether the reaction was good or bad. His expression remained unreadable. The man had a great poker face.
“How’d you feel ‘bout that?” Kendrick asked, when Rue didn’t reply.
“I… you wanna see me—us?”
It was a damn odd question when that was clearly what Kendrick was suggesting? What were they missing?
“Isn’t that what I just said?” Kendrick’s amused tone sounded forced to Monty.
“I had an interesting meeting this evening… very interesting.”
“Good or bad, interesting?” Kendrick asked, a furrow appearing between his brows, revealing his unease.
“You two can tell me.” For the first time, Rue looked directly at Monty. “How do you feel about moving to Bayfield for a few months, possibly six?”
“What!” Monty exclaimed, swamped by a wave of want that left him drowning.
“You serious?” Kendrick growled.
Rue looked between the two of them, nodding. “Very. Someone needs to facilitate the move of the omegas from Drinkwater to Darling Ranch… and I offered.”
At Kendrick’s confused look, Monty explained, “Drinkwater is a place where we visited a factory. The conditions the workers were forced to endure got Starling Enterprises buying the factory. It was in the press—”
“It’s not the only thing in the fucking press,” Rue muttered angrily, and Monty got a sinking feeling.
“What this time?” he asked with trepidation, already aware of how the omegas had suffered.
“Someone in the hotel sold their story about what happened with the omegas three weeks ago.”
Kendrick held up his hand. “Sorry, what happened three weeks ago? I don’t read newspapers, they’re full of shit.”
Rue ran through everything, giving brief highlights, then explained how four of the omegas were moving to the ranch.
“You’ve offered to be the one to facilitate the move here?” Kendrick clarified deliberately.
Rue nodded slowly. “I have skills from my army days that could help. Only two of the security team are due to be coming with them.”
“What am I missing? Are they in danger from more than just the press?”
Monty witnessed Rue’s hesitation at answering Kendrick, his stomach twisting into knots. “There have been threats, I won’t lie. The alphas involved in the abuse aren’t happy that this is all going to court and they could get prison time.”
“Fuck, so you’re putting yourself in the firing line.”
Those words rang through Monty, but not because of the threat. Hell, no. For Rue to consider this… then surely, he must have feelings for them? Want to see where this thing was going? Was he reading too much into this?
“I can handle myself, Kendrick.” Rue smirked sexily. “I might like you to pin me down and fuck me, but if I wanted to do the same to you, I could, easily.”
Monty groaned aloud, his body responding to the visual of something that hadn’t—as far as he knew—been on the cards.
Kendrick looked ready to burst through the screen. “That can be arranged.” He was so close to the screen his face filled it. “I’m going to assume that you’ll both need a place to stay—with me.”
It really wasn’t a question, and Monty giggled, although Rue’s laughter surprised him.
“Bossy much?” Rue ran a hand through his hair, his expression turning serious. “Is that ideal? We… what… shit I don’t even know what we’re doing here.”
“Figuring our shit out is what we’re doing. I miss you both.”
Raw honesty gave Monty a hard knock to his chest, his hand trembling as it pressed against his racing heart.
Rue’s throat clicked when he swallowed. “We could try—”
“I’m in.” Monty had no issues in wanting to see how this could work.
Life was a gamble, and sometimes folks lost, but then some won big.
Hollis, Frey, and Ziggy had, so why couldn’t he?
Kendrick’s home was gorgeous and big enough for them not to be up in each other’s space all the time. A definite bonus.
Rue’s groan was long and pained. “Is that right?”
Monty leapt into Rue’s lap, not overthinking it, and slung his arm around his neck. Grinning cheekily at Rue, and then Kendrick, he said, “He offered, I don’t want to offend him, but staying in a tiny cabin versus Kendrick’s big house is a no brainer.”
“Thanks, I think,” Kendrick spluttered through his laughter. “What about you, Rue?”
His smile was hesitant. “It could be too much, having us there—all the time?”
“I’m a big boy. I can express myself if I’ve a need to. You don’t need to add that to any pile of worry you've got going on in that head of yours.”
“If you want us to leave, feel it’s not right, then just say and we’ll head to the ranch,” Rue persisted.
Monty’s stomach flip-flopped. Was that a yes? “Are we doing this?”
A saucy smile aimed at the iPad got Monty wiggling on Rue’s lap. “A two-foot-four cradle for a bed versus your enormous bed? As my PA said, it’s a no brainer.”