13. Leo

CHAPTER 13

leo

I dashed to the bathroom, ran a washcloth under hot water, and snuck back into Love's room just as a few of the guys returned home.

"Was that Leo?" someone asked.

I shut the door behind me and bit my lower lip. "I was spotted."

Love was laid out on the bed, completely satisfied—not to mention an entire mess—and the grin never left their face. "That's okay. They were running out of things to tease me about."

Love's relaxed attitude made me laugh as I gently wiped them down. "So you're not mad at me?"

They shook their head. "Absolutely not. I'm incredibly proud of you now that I'm no longer furious with you. And I don't care who knows we're together." The sun lit up their hair and sheets like some sort of painting, and I wondered if we could stay in here forever.

"If I could afford it, I'd take out an ad in Times Square." I meant every word, especially when it made them smile like that. "Honestly, I might do it anyway. Fuck my credit," I said as I joined them on the bed.

They pounced on my chest, setting everything right in my world. "You can't fuck up your credit."

"Whatever," I said, feeling obstinate. "It's my credit."

"Yeah, but if you mess it up, how are you going to start a plumbing business out here?"

I startled at their words and the sharp grin on their face. "W-what?"

"I'm just saying, there's a shortage of plumbers in this area, and you're highly skilled." They nipped at my bottom lip. "And not for nothing, but my ass is very tempting."

I blinked, thinking of all the things Major had done for me. I wanted so badly to do exactly what Love said, but…

They put their hand on my chest and rubbed gently. "Hey, stud. I was getting way ahead of myself. I know that what you've built with Major is special. I was just wishful thinking out loud."

I let out a relieved sigh that could probably be heard four counties away. Before they could get the wrong idea, I said, "I don't want to be away from you. And I don't wanna disappoint Major, so…"

"So nothing. We're not in a rush. We'll go back and forth on the weekends until we figure it out. And I may not know Major very well, but I know he loves you and wants you to be happy."

"You make me happier than I've ever been," I said, desperate to know that they believed me.

Love's eyes crinkled as they smiled. "That makes me feel wonderful, Leo. But don't forget how much work you put into making yourself happy."

I pulled them in for a kiss, and we didn't stop until our eyes got heavy. We napped until the smell of pizza wafted under the door and my stomach gurgled.

Love threw their head back and laughed. They bent over and kissed my belly, rubbing it. "Come on, lover. Let's face the firing squad and get some pizza."

My face heated as I pulled on my trunks and T-shirt. "I really need to keep some clothes here."

"You look great," they said, curving their hands around my ribs. "Now let's go eat before it's all gone."

Grabbing my hand, they led the way, cracking the door open enough to poke their head out.

"Love's first lover in the bunkhouse. It's a banner day."

"Leo's got game, boys! Pay attention—he showed up, fixed a bunch of stuff, and basically hung around until Love had no choice but to throw him into bed and thank him properly."

I followed Love out of the room, bemoaning the fact that I couldn't hide behind their trim frame.

"Okay, okay, get it all out," Love said, sending a round-it-up gesture to everyone in the room. "Don't hold back now."

Instead of more ribbing, however, Marlin—the main instigator—popped up and tugged Love into a boisterous hug.

I growled, not really meaning to, but… Yeah. Marlin released Love and bent over, cackling. It was a good thing he let go of Love right away because I was sure he needed his arms for his job.

"We're just happy to see you happy. You're a good kid," Marlin said, patting Love's back. "Or person? Human?"

"Person works just fine," Love said, grinning.

"Just as long as you remember that they're mine," I said, my voice coming out a little deeper and louder than I intended. The message seemed to reach everybody, though, so I called it a win.

Love chuckled, then fisted my T-shirt and kissed me in front of everyone. My stomach gurgled again, loudly, and that set the room off.

"Damn, Love. Feed the poor man," Marlin said, shoving a paper plate full of pizza in my direction. "He's gonna need sustenance to keep you satisfied."

Love dropped their face into their hands, shaking their head. "I swear. I can't take y'all anywhere."

"Whatever, you love us."

"I do." He shifted his eyes to me. "Some a little more than others."

A round of wooOOoo s went around the room, but Love hip-checked Marlin, grabbed their own paper plate and pizza, and pointed to the oversized chair. I dropped down into it, and they plopped onto my lap, and it all felt so natural. The encouraging smiles from everyone made it real.

Once the pizza had been demolished, we spent the rest of the evening chatting about how the day went, even sharing a bit of our story. By the end of it, more than a few eyes were shiny.

"You two give some of us hope," Kris said, smacking my arm as we all made our way to the bedrooms. "And don't worry, we'll put in our earplugs."

"Oh my God." I scrunched my eyes closed, heat blooming up through my chest and neck.

Love faked a punch to Kris's shoulder. "Stop teasing him. Though… Yeah, definitely go for the earplugs tonight."

"You're even worse than he is," I complained, then sent them a shy smile.

I anticipated at least another round or two, but the second my head hit the pillow, the entire day's worth of emotional upheaval, work, and sex kinda took me out. I started to apologize to Love, then realized that they were already snoring away.

I loved having sex with them, but this was good stuff, too. I wrapped my arms around them and drifted off.

The overhead light was rude, dragging me from a delicious sleep. I flexed my arms, smiling when I realized they were still wrapped around Love. While we'd both fallen asleep right after dinner, we'd woken a little past midnight and made love again, this time facing each other.

The look in their eyes as I entered them was something I'd never forget.

Though… that led to a question. If I was holding Love, who'd turned on the light? I blinked and saw Junior looking down at us with a smirk. Shit. I sat up, nearly tumbling Love off the bed.

"Junior?" I asked, wondering if I should prepare for battle. I didn't want to hurt him, but… between the two of us, I would definitely win in a fight.

Even if I was naked as a newborn under this sheet.

"Don't start, Junior," Love said, their voice sleepy but firm. "We love each other, and the quicker you can get on board with that, the better it will be for everyone."

Junior chuckled. "Oh, we'll be discussing this at some point, but three mares are presenting, and we've got to get down to the stables."

I groaned and checked my phone. "It's four thirty."

"I'll see if the ladies wouldn't mind rescheduling," Junior cracked, his eyes bright with laughter.

"Why would anyone make this their profession?" I grumbled, wondering where the jeans Erik had given me had gone.

"Whatever. You chase clogged toilets all day."

"None of that ever resulted in practically needing a body glove." I spotted the jeans halfway across the room. "Now, unless you want to see my bits, get the fuck out."

Junior shook his head. "If you're gonna be defiling my sibling, you should at least have the decency to put on boxers when you go to bed."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time," I said to his back as he walked out.

He was laughing as he shut the door, which I took as a win.

Love and I rolled out of bed, and I put on my new-to-me jeans and beat-up kicks. Love hit me in the chest with an oversized—for them—T-shirt. I pulled it over my head, and while it was tight on me, Love's appreciative look made me less self-conscious.

We stumbled out to the kitchen, where Junior had started a pot of coffee. After filling our canteens, we set out for the stables at a run.