Chapter 6
Gabriel knew that Sean thought he’d been being very sly, with the whole let’s go grab something in my truck charade, but he’d seen through it in a hot second.
But what was he going to do? Reject Sean’s attempts to seduce him? When they felt so sweet and Gabriel knew how good they could be together? He might be an asshole, but he wasn’t a stupid asshole.
“Hey, sorry we got . . . interrupted.” Sean glanced up at him, all coy eyes, tongue flicking out to lick his lips, and Gabe thought if he wanted to drag him back behind the truck again, he’d be down for that.
But they’d just left, pulling Lennox along with them, and there was something so odd about that guy, how mixed up he was, so awkward and cold and yet the way he kept staring at the crowd around the fire pit? There was a yearning there, a wanting to belong. Maybe even a belief he couldn’t ever.
And Gabriel might be an asshole, but this guy had bought a lot of meatball sandwiches off him in the last few months, and he also hated to see anyone who wanted something he couldn’t have.
It cut a little too close to home, because even though he was definitely, undeniably, getting Sean naked tonight, he still wasn’t getting what he really wanted, was he?
“It’s alright,” Gabriel said. “Will you have any unexpected visitors at your place?”
Sean’s forehead crinkled adorably, and he shot him the look that had made him want to kiss him, basically from the first time he’d ever directed it in Gabriel’s direction. The one that screamed, in neon flashing letters, what the fuck are you even talking about, buddy?
Maybe it shouldn’t have been so freaking cute, but it was.
Every single damn time since the first time.
That alone should have clued Gabriel in to his single-minded obsession with Sean, but he’d been in denial.
How could two people who argued so much actually want each other enough to nearly rip their clothes off?
It was a mystery, but it was one that Gabriel was one hundred and ten percent into exploring.
“No, nobody at my place. Just us,” Sean said.
“Then we won’t be interrupted later. That’s all I care about,” Gabriel said. “Because once I get you naked, there’s no going back.”
“I already knew that,” Sean said with a sniff, but Gabe could feel him trembling under his shirt. And Gabriel? He was trembling at the exact same frequency.
“Just making sure we’re on the same page,” Gabriel said as he steered them over to the bar where Jackson and Alexis had abandoned the bottles for cuddling on the same bench.
“You want a beer?” Sean said, turning to Lennox, who was trailing a few feet behind them. “I think there’s some other booze here, too, if you want something else.”
“I’m good with beer,” Lennox said stiffly.
“Three beers coming up,” Gabe said, pulling open the cooler, which still smelled vaguely like fish. Considering all the fresh catch that Wyatt and Tony stored in it, the fish smell would probably end up lingering forever.
“So, what do you do for work?” Sean said, turning towards Lennox.
He’d obviously decided to adopt the guy, his feelings clearly similar to Gabe’s, and he’d have to be a lot colder to not find it sweet.
Sean could be a super thoughtful, caring guy, and that was a part of his personality that Gabe had hoped he could explore more fully when they finally started hooking up.
But considering that Sean had claimed that it could only be sex and nothing else, Gabriel wasn’t sure that was going to happen anymore. He was trying to manage his expectations and not be disappointed by impossibilities.
“Me?” Lennox asked, putting a hand up to his chest, a little self-consciously. “Uh, well, I own a business. A security business.” He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable talking about himself. “We opened a new office a few blocks away from the lot, and that’s when I started coming here.”
“Oh, that must be why Tony asked you to check out the security lighting,” Sean said, laughing. “I feel dumb now.”
“No, Tony didn’t know, I didn’t tell him, I . . .”
“Don’t like sharing much about yourself?” Gabriel chimed in. “Yeah, I kinda got that impression. Well, a warning, that’s not going to last long around here. We’re a fairly open group.”
“Yeah, I got that impression, too,” Lennox said dryly.
“Impression of what?” Ash appeared at his elbow, a beer in one hand, and one of those plastic shot glasses in the other. His tanned face was flushed, and when he looked up at Lennox, the flush deepened.
“That everyone’s fine fucking around,” Lennox said.
Sean frowned because yes, he’d discovered them doing that exact thing, but it was still a little harsh. Because they did run a successful business here. Six successful businesses, actually. They’d never be able to do that if they were actually fucking around all the time.
“That’s not true,” Ash said righteously.
Lennox regarded him steadily, without even a whiff of guilt. “I just know what I’ve seen.”
“You certainly have no issue coming around buying meals from us,” Tony said.
For the first time, Sean saw the beginning of a crack in Lennox’s steely composure.
“I don’t have any issues,” Lennox said firmly. “I apologize if you think I did. You’re free to live your lives however you see fit.”
But now that Sean had seen the uncertainty hiding in his eyes, it was impossible not to see it.
He didn’t think Lennox disagreed with their lifestyle choices. Instead, he was fairly certain that was envy in his voice.
“We certainly will,” Ash said.
“I guess I’ll see you around,” Lennox said, and with a single, opaque glance towards Ash, walked off. Nobody stopped him.
“Well, he was a major buzzkill,” Tony said as soon as he was out of hearing distance. “Why’d you invite him, anyway?” he asked, turning towards Ash.
“He seemed like a nice enough guy. Could use some friends,” Ash said.
“I think he probably still could,” Tate said, speaking up for the first time. Sean knew then that his quietly observant friend had seen the same thing he had.
“Yeah, I think so too,” Sean agreed.
“Don’t expect me to be the one inviting him next time,” Ash said. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
Except, Sean knew how promises like that went. He’d started out that way too, sure that he was going to hate Gabriel for all time. So painfully certain that he’d never forget that meatball, rocketing towards him. And what was he doing now? Finding dark corners so he could try to seduce him.
“I like to think nobody’s hopeless,” Sean said.
“Yeah, you would,” Ash teased him, a smile suddenly lighting up his face. “I don’t suppose you’d want to go on record and tell us what’s going on between you and Gabe?”
“Nope,” Sean said, exchanging a smile of his own with Gabriel. “We’re good, thanks.”
“Just how good?” Tony wondered.
“Ask me tomorrow,” Gabriel said, and Sean tried very hard not to flush just as red as Ash had. He glanced down at him, a knowing look in his eyes. “You ready to get out of here?”
He’d been ready for hours, ever since Gabriel had finally seen the light and agreed to Sean’s plan.
“Yeah, definitely,” Sean said, reaching out to take Gabe’s hand. “Hey, guys, thanks for a great six months,” he said. “And here’s to a hell of a lot more.”
“Cheers to that,” Lucas said, raising his glass. “Have fun, and be safe, you two crazy kids.”
It wasn’t until they were walking through the warm night air towards Sean’s townhouse that Gabriel began to get nervous.
He was excited. He was turned on. And, he discovered, he was also terrified.
“Hey,” he said, giving Sean’s hand a little squeeze.
“Has it . . .” He cleared his throat. “Has it really been almost five years for you? Nothing else, not since your . . .” He hesitated.
He’d been more than a little insensitive before, about Sean’s dead husband, and he didn’t want to fuck everything up by doing it again.
“Husband? Milo?” Sean supplied with a quick grin. “You can say it, you know, I’m not made of glass. I’m not going to shatter.”
“I know,” Gabriel said. Couldn’t help but think that Sean might be the strongest person he knew.
If he ever fell in love the way Sean had with his husband, and then he died, he didn’t think he’d ever get out of bed again.
But not only had Sean pulled himself up, he’d come here to LA and created a new life for himself. That was strength personified.
“But no, nothing. No one since him.” Sean’s gaze was so trusting, it sent another wave of apprehension washing through Gabriel. “I didn’t want anyone else, and that was okay. But now I do, and that’s okay, too.”
Gabriel wasn’t quite as confident as Sean was.
It was one of the reasons he’d hesitated to agree to his friends-with-benefits plan.
The other was that he definitely felt more than just friendly towards Sean—he wasn’t sure he could precisely identify his feelings, but he knew it wasn’t just platonic lust. But between watching Sean try to hit on anything with a dick and learning to live with what morsels Sean was willing to give him?
In the end, the decision was a no-brainer.
“I just don’t want this to be a mistake,” Gabriel said, more honestly than he’d intended.
Sean gazed up at him. “It won’t be,” he said, his voice still so certain.
“Alright,” Gabriel said. Maybe the trust in Sean’s eyes didn’t solve every problem, but he’d be lying if he tried to claim that it didn’t make any difference.
Sean had chosen him. He hadn’t wanted anyone, not after Milo, but now he did, and Gabriel still couldn’t quite believe that it was him.
After their conversation, Gabriel felt his jitters calm, and his blood begin to race. In a few minutes, he’d have Sean exactly where he’d wanted him for so long.