Chapter 17
KYLIE
“You’re fucking perfect.”
And God, I believed him. I was desperate to hear him lavish me with praise.
He turned the shower on, three shower heads spraying instant hot water. I stepped in, warming my chilled body. Luc pulled me up against him. I burrowed my face into his chest as he reached behind me for a loofah sponge.
I watched as he lathered me up and then turned my body so I could rinse. He inspected my wrists, which had faint marks from where the ties had been.
“Are you sore?” Soft brown eyes searching for any hint that we’d gone too far.
“Deliciously sore, I think that’s the phrase,” I said, and my stomach flipped as his mouth tipped up in a smirk.
I reached my hand for the loofah and took a turn washing him, spending a bit more time studying the tattoos in the light of day.
“Are you still hiding these from your family?” I asked, tracing the outlines of the oak tree’s branches, which was the centerpiece on his back—imagery of light and dark, all black ink and swirls.
“Not anymore. After Jack and I got full access to our trusts, the rules no longer existed, and we could be ourselves.”
“Is that why Jack only started dating men recently?” I asked, remembering the media frenzy when Jack Lecompte was first seen out with his partner Craig Rice.
“I would say that was part of it, but he wouldn’t have lost his trust fund for that.
My parents are progressive. Players in sports are expected to ascribe to the stereotypical masculine man; there aren’t many ball players who are out, and it’s not because they aren’t gay.
Not all men are comfortable around gay men.
It’s improved in the last fifteen-plus years, but it’s not great.
But when you put up the numbers that Jack does, you can get away with almost anything. ”
Luc lathered my hair while I asked, “Have you ever been with a man?”
“That’s a loaded question,” he said with a sigh.
“It’s a yes or no answer,” I said, leaning into the way his fingers massaged my scalp. “And you’re very good at that.” I sighed and leaned into him.
“Thanks, it’s always my intent that you enjoy it when I touch you—but back to the other question,” he paused before speaking as if he were trying to find a way to explain. “Several years ago, Skylar approached me and asked about inviting a third into our relationship. I agreed.”
I waited for Luc to continue, but he had become focused on giving me a scalp massage, and as magical as his hands were, I wasn’t ready to end the discussion without full disclosure.
“And?”
“And it was a mistake, for one. If you’re asking if swords crossed, yes, they did. But the worst part is that Sky developed an emotional connection with Grant. And that, compounded by the fact that I refused to leave baseball, put the final nails in the coffin.”
Realization hit. “She’s marrying Grant…’
“She is,” he answered.
That was about thirty shades of fucked up.
“I don’t share anymore,” he answered, his voice cracking with emotion. “Though if you ever wanted to bring a woman into the bedroom for you, I’d be open to that.”
I turned to face him, and anger flared as I absorbed what he’d just said. “Umm, I’m not sure if I should be insulted or pissed.”
Realizing he’d just stepped in a pile of shit, his eyes grew wide.
“Shit, Kylie. I’m sorry.”
“If you think women are okay because I won’t get attached and it would remain as ‘just sex,’ let me remind you that I’m bisexual, and it’s been the sex part where my relationships died, not my ability to connect emotionally.”
“I understand. I’m sorry if I made it seem like I didn’t value same-sex relationships the same as heterosexual relationships. I had thought Sky and I had a rock-solid foundation, but we didn’t. So, no sharing, okay?”
“No sharing,” I agreed.
Luc turned off the shower and reached around to where he had set us both up with oversized, fluffy bath towels. He took care of me first, then used his towel to dry off and stepped out of the shower.
“Skylar wanted you to quit baseball?” I asked. From the little I knew about Luc, I could see this request would have been divisive in their marriage.
“Yeah, the travel was a strain for her, probably leading her to seek more emotional support from Grant. It’s not for everyone, and not all women can handle the trust that is involved with their partner being away so much of the time.”
“Did you ever cheat?” I asked, unsure if I would get a straight answer. How many men admitted to cheating? Far fewer than the number of men who cheat.
“No, but the reputation ballplayers have is because there are a ton of guys who fit the stereotype.” He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. “Do you want a pair of shorts? I have some with a drawstring that could work.”
“Yeah, I would rather not head home in last night’s dress.” I had reluctantly put my hair up in a messy bun without brushing it, sure that I would pay for that move later.
I checked my phone to find a text from my father and Lily.
Dad: Hope you had a good night.
Me: Good morning. I did. I’m headed straight to Lily’s before I go home to get my keys.
Dad: It’s not just Lily’s anymore…
Me: I know! I keep forgetting!
Switching to my thread with Lily, I smiled when I read her text.
Lily: See you soon! I can’t wait!
Me: See you soon! Is there any chance I can borrow some shorts? I can’t do the walk of shame in men’s shorts and a T-shirt…
Lily: Luc?
Me: Yup.
Lily: I’ll buy the wine. Get ready to dish.
Luc paid attention to every move I made, and I could tell by his reaction that he was dying to know what I was texting.
“Letting everyone know you’re alive?” he asked.
“Yes, but I won’t be alive much longer without that breakfast you promised. I’m starving.”
It was then that I noticed a fluff ball the size of a small dog had taken over half the bed.
“Who is that?” I asked.
“Liam, my cat.”
“Shit, he’s the size of a small dog,” I said as the large gray cat stared at me before meowing.
“He’s trying to get your attention,” Luc said.
“Where was he hiding? I didn’t notice him until now.”
“I’m not sure, but we were pretty focused on other activities. He likes people, but not the commotion, and last night was…”
“Commotion…” I finished for him. “Can I pet him?”
“Sure, he’ll let you know if he’s not interested.”
I approached Liam cautiously and held my hand out for him to sniff. He immediately nudged my hand, his loud purrs interspersed with chirps.
“How do you manage him when you’re on the road?” I asked.
“My neighbor Denise comes over and visits and takes care of him for the longer stretches. Maybe next time you visit, he’ll be more social.”
I watched as Luc got dressed. His fitted dress pants and dress shirt accentuated his athletic build, and when he went to tie his tie, I moved in to take over.
“Where’d you learn that?” Luc’s stare heated as he watched me deftly tie his necktie, almost as deftly as he’d tied me to his headboard this morning.
“My grandmother would always tie my grandfather’s tie for him. She taught me and my sisters,” I said as I ran my hands down the front of his chest and took a short detour across his waist. My hands followed my gaze as I failed to resist devouring him any way I could.
“Let’s eat,” he said, and spun me around, pressed his palm on my lower back, and ushered me towards the hallway. “If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t make it out of the house.”
“Wait, you aren’t going to carry me around like a caveman anymore?” I asked in jest, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the way he easily picked me up and tossed me around.
He shook his head. “I’m going to feed you, and then, unfortunately, I need to drop you off on the way to the ballpark.”
“I’m going to Lily’s, sorry, my new place. I should get used to saying that, huh?”
“You’ll get used to it once you’re in there, and once that happens, it will become your reality.”
“That’s true. Right now, living there is just a concept. It’s hard to wrap my head around it.” I paused and watched his back as he walked ahead of me. “What are you feeding me?”
“Carbs?” he asked.
“Yes, please. What else?”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him, leading us back downstairs towards the kitchen. I looked around, realizing that there was no sign of the mess we had made the night before.
“Um, did you wake up in the middle of the night?” I asked, confused and sure that I would have felt him get out of bed.
“No, Cindy came by to clean this morning. She also dropped off some groceries so that I could make you the breakfast you demanded.”
“I didn’t even hear her,” I said, wondering when she might have been in the house. Oh, no. I blushed furiously.
“Well, I’m sure she heard you.” Luc’s statement confirmed my most embarrassing fears.
“No!” I gasped, practically shouting as my face continued to flame in embarrassment. Had she heard me begging him to let me come? “You can’t just let people in and out of your house while we’re having sex.”
“It was either that or we’d starve. Cindy is discreet, which is why you didn’t even know she was here.”
“Please don’t do that to me again. Otherwise, I won’t be able to relax and let go.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling me close and kissing the top of my head. “I’m used to having staff in and out of the house; I forget that other people aren’t.”
“Luc, I don’t even like asking someone to pump my gas.”
“Got it.”
He sliced two bagels and slipped them into the toaster while cooking bacon and eggs. I had intended to plop myself on the island chair and let him wait on me, but being a middle child, it was next to impossible to observe and not participate.
I searched through the cabinets, pulling out plates and utensils, and did my best to assist with the cooking.
“Ooh,” I said, staring at the complicated espresso machine. “I’m not going to be able to do much with that. Can you make the coffee, and I’ll take over the eggs?”
“Latte?” he asked.
“Do you have oat milk?”
“Almond, but I’ll add oat milk to the list for Cindy next time.”
I continued to man the eggs and bacon while Luc ground the beans and made the lattes.
“Almond milk is good for me. I don’t need you to order anything special.” Again, middle child thing, never wanting to make things more work for anyone else.
Luc stared at me as if he was trying to make sense of something before shaking his head and turning back towards the espresso machine.
“I feel like you had an entire conversation in your head.”
“I’m just trying to make sense of something. Maybe it’s because you’re so different from any woman I’ve known. I like it. That’s literally the entire conversation. I like it, and I like you.”
“That’s good, Luc. I like you, too.” The words easily came out of my mouth, and we briefly made eye contact, and I earned one of my favorite eye-crinkling smiles.
He finished making our coffee just as the bagels popped up in the toaster. I served the eggs and bacon as he spread cream cheese on the bagels.
When we eventually sat down to eat, Liam decided to show his face.
“Is he looking for scraps?” I asked.
“No, he’s not a fan of anything on our plates, but he’s a sucker for tortilla chips.”
“He eats chips?”
“He’s not supposed to, but he’ll swipe them right out of your hand.”
I looked Liam dead in the eye. “Don’t try me, guy; I’ll fight you for my chips.”
Liam gave me a dismissive stare as he chirped in response. Yep, that cat would do whatever the fuck he wanted, and I loved him for it.