“Yeah, well, it’s a modern world. He needs to get with the times.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ll think about it.”
Lou eagerly nodded and squeezed Gia’s fingers. “I’ll show you out.”
She didn’t wait to be led out of the room, instead striding toward the door and away from the bigot seated behind his desk. That his outdated thinking had affected Luke hurt her. Like acid to her emotions, she felt the wounds keenly.
The minute the door was shut, Lou whispered, “I am incredibly sorry, Gia. I never knew, I promise.”
She wasn’t sure why she believed Lou, but she did. It was as simple and as bizarre as that.
“You’re welcome at our house, Lou. He isn’t, but you are.”
The older woman sighed. “I can see why you feel that way. I can’t believe he said that to Luke.”
“Me neither. Luke’s been quiet these last few weeks. It’s been strange around the house, and now I can see why. He’s fighting himself, his own beliefs, and those of his father. There was always going to be a battle.” She sighed, knuckling an eye to rub the ache gathering there. “I didn’t need this. It’s hard enough knowing he’s going to be out of here for nine months without realizing how badly he’s been affected by his father.”
“He loves Lexi, Gia. You don’t have to doubt that. Luke loves that little girl. It doesn’t matter that she’s Josh’s. It never has. I’ve seen him happy—properly happy, truly happy—on two occasions. The first time was when he introduced us to Josh, and the second when he brought Lexi out into the waiting room after you’d given birth. You gave him that gift, and I’ll always thank you for it.” Lou squeezed Gia’s hand again. “That’s the truth.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“You needed to know.”
“I need to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
“Then go to him and ask him.”
“I will.”
“Robert is…” Lou sighed. “Saying he’s set in his ways doesn’t describe how traditional he is. It took him a while to get used to what, who Luke is.
“We had a rough few months, but Luke…” Lou sighed. “I know every parent denies it, but Luke is Robert’s favorite. The instant he held that boy in his arms, my husband changed.
“He’s a good father. Some might say he’s rigid, too much of a disciplinarian, but bearing in mind who he is, it was never bordering on the ridiculous. He let them excel, pushing them to succeed, but in a motivational way.
“It was hard when Luke came out. And then, when you came along, it was like being back in the nineties again, in those days when Luke told us who he was and what Josh meant to him. I don’t think Robert has ever gotten over the fact that Luke couldn’t share that with him.”
“Lexi’s innocent in this, Lou. No matter what you say to try to humanize Robert, it doesn’t take away from what he’s done to her. She’s my baby. Would you have stood for this when Luke was little?”
“No.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t have.”
“Exactly. I hope we can get past this. But at the moment, I’m not sure how. For Robert to feel so little for Lexi… There’s no way to come back from that.” She patted Lou on the arm. “I’d best get back. Lexi’s in the car. We’re going home.”
“You were serious when you said you’ve pulled her from the academy?”
She grimaced. “Yeah. Josh lost it with the principal, and I don’t blame him. She basically told us the kid who’s been picking on Lexi had the right to say the things he’d said because he was exploring the diversity of our relationship. The sins of the fathers truly are visited upon the sons. In this case, the daughters. And it’s not fair. We’re going to look into homeschooling.”
Lou nibbled her lip, and half turning, she looked down the hall, then whispered, “If you need help with math, then I’ll come over. I was always good with that. And the sciences. I’ll help out.”
“That’s kind of you.”
Lou shrugged. “Might be the only chance I get to know my granddaughter.”
Gia huffed out a breath. “We’ll see.” She headed out the door and murmured, “Bye, Lou. See you around.”
Waving, she walked toward the carport and saw Lexi sitting on the ground beside the car, Kindle in hand.
“Hey, sugar. What you doing down there?”
Lexi’s smile was distracted, her attention still firmly fixed on her book. “It was warm in the car.”
“You ready to go home?”
She nodded.
Gia reached down for her, and when she helped belt Lexi in, she pressed a kiss to her forehead. Hiding a smile because, magically, Lexi had managed to get ice cream in her hair, she inhaled the scent of baby powder, the bubble-gum soap Lexi insisted on, and the essence of her baby.
Whether homeschooling was the right option or not, they’d find out. But she wasn’t like Robert or Luke. She’d protect her cub come hell or high water.
There was a time and a place for Lexi to get used to the cruelty of the world.
Five years of inhabiting it was not the right moment.
Chapter Seven
“Josh?” Luke called out from the front door as he stepped out of his boots and started to unfasten his belt.
“In the office.”
The return holler made his fingers tremble as he worked at his zipper. With it unfastened slightly, his cock felt less like it was trapped in a vise. He ran down the hall, then bounded up the stairs, where he burst into Josh’s office.
Seeing the intent frown on his lover’s face, he knew he should walk away, back off. But he couldn’t. Instead, he zeroed on him, bent down, then jerked Josh’s chin around to face his.
Josh glared at him, but he ignored the glower and smashed their lips together. Josh opened his mouth, and Luke took immediate advantage, sliding his tongue deep, raking the two slippery muscles along each other.
When Josh shuddered, Luke pulled away and whispered, “Stand up. Stand up now.”
There was a dazed look in the silver orbs, but he leaped to his feet. Luke took immediate advantage and grabbed at Josh’s crotch. He shaped the length through the thick camouflage. When Josh groaned, he fumbled with the fastening, rushing to free him too.
The thick, ruddy shaft peeped through the zipper, and Luke pressed himself against Josh. Gripping his own cock, he rubbed Josh’s along his, and his ears throbbed at the sound of the other man’s pleasure, never mind the deliciousness of the sensation of their cocks touching.
The slight lip of the glans, as it rolled down his shaft, had him arching onto tiptoes, and their cries merged.
Precum slicked their path, and through Luke’s tight grip, it was almost like they were fucking Gia together again.
Pressing his mouth to Josh’s, Luke kissed his lover, teeth nipping, raking down the other’s lips. Josh hissed when Luke bit down hard.
“I need to fuck you.” Luke pulled away and grabbed the waistband of Josh’s pants. He tugged them down, and Josh, unusually docile, let Luke arrange him until Josh was bent over the desk, his ass pushed out, legs restrained by the lack of give in his BDUs.
Josh groaned when Luke scratched his nails down over the curve of Josh's ass, then up the backs of his thighs. Luke watched as he dropped his head, almost as though the weight were too much to bear. That he could make this man show any weakness at all always made his chest feel inordinately tight.
Josh moaned, then grunted when Luke’s tongue fluttered out and prodded against his ass, licking and fluttering. His intent was to drive him insane with the delicate nips. In reaction, Josh's back arched when Luke’s nibbling, teasing bites came to a halt, and he clamped down on a chunk of Luke’s ass.
Luke grabbed Josh’s balls, gripping them in his palm, tugging tightly and rolling them around in his fist. Josh’s groan was filled with strain, but he seemed to relax some when Luke fitted himself to Josh’s back. Luke knew from experience his weight was a welcoming cover, and his cock was a hot and heavy presence resting in Jos
h's ass crack. Both were a wordless message that spoke of what was to come.
Luke rested his chin against Josh’s shoulder, curled the fingers of one hand into Josh’s; the other he used to guide his cock into the tight, taunting pucker he needed.
Desperation fluttered through Luke when Josh’s ass rippled, rejecting him, but he prevailed after he spit into his hand, further slickening the tip of his shaft.
When the taut rosette welcomed him, finally, he barely withheld his moan. He slid in deep. The sensation of being home filled him as fully as he did Josh.
He took a moment to savor the sensation, to revel in the tight fit, and then he fucked Josh.
Reclaiming him hard, fast, and rough.
And Josh loved every bit of it; his grunts and groans, the loud growls and bit-out curses were a litany of sound that increased Luke’s own high. For himself, he gloried in the closeness, the intimacy.
It felt like a lifetime since they’d been this close. In reality, it had been a day, but still. It was too long to be apart.
The notion that they’d be apart for months soon made his heart ache, and in reaction, he sped up the pace of his pistoning hips.
Every inch of him was caressed, and Luke reveled in every thrust. He reached forward, grabbing tight hold of Josh’s dangling cock, and as he fisted it, felt the fast pulses of Josh’s heartbeat, he could feel the instant climax hit Josh. He took advantage, pounding into him harder, and as Josh roared his release, Luke sobbed out his own.
Whimpers escaped him as need flooded from his body, through his pores, and into the atmosphere.
The release of tension, the feeling of having the weight lifted from his shoulders, were welcome.
As soon as the afterglow from the orgasm burned out, those delicious few moments when his brain shut down to focus on the sparks firing at his nerve endings, this morning’s briefing hit him.
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Josh’s T-shirt-covered back.
With one of his hands still holding Josh’s, Luke slipped the other underneath the hem, his fingers rubbing against the tight muscles of Josh’s belly as he embraced him.
It took a while, but Josh finally gritted out, “What was that about?”
His voice was a rumble in Luke’s ears, the sound like an orgasm for his senses. “Nothing.”
Josh grumbled, “Liar.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You can’t come in and fuck me out of the blue without telling me why.”
“Did you just hear what you said?”
“Gia’s corrupted me.”
“She’ll have you talking about your feelings next.”
He gasped in mock horror, and then he hummed a little. “That came as a shock, but it was a nice one.”
“Nice? That all?”
Josh chuckled. “Okay. Fucking amazing surprise.”
Luke grinned against his back, and then, carefully, he pulled away from Josh, letting his cock fall from the tight clasp of Josh’s ass. When he groaned, Josh chuckled again. “Serves you right.”
“Well, Gia’s out of order until the honeymoon.”
Josh snorted. “Don’t let her hear you say that. She’ll prove you wrong.”
“She was sore last night. I thought she was never getting out of that goddamn bath.”
Josh rolled into a standing position, then ducked to pull up his pants, not even grimacing when cum dripped out of his ass. As he fastened his pants, he boasted, “I took her hard yesterday.”
There was a pleased grin on his face that had Luke shaking his head. “You could have waited until I got back.”
“Like you waited for her to get back now?”
“Touché.”
Josh chuckled, and then his lips fell into a somber line. “You ready to tell me what’s going on?”
Luke started to nod, and then, swallowing, he whispered, “I got the mission briefing.”
“That bad?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me what it is?”
“No. We’re going earlier than planned as well. Next Friday, at the latest.”
“Then it’s a good thing I have the tickets for Vegas. You’re not leaving this country without my ring on your finger. Well, hanging next to your dog tags.”
Luke’s lips twitched. “It’s a big deal to you, this, isn’t it?”
“I’m surprised it isn’t for you.”
“Are you offended?”
“No. But I thought it would be.”
Luke shrugged. “I never thought the day would come when it would be legal, so I never thought about it.”
“You’re ready, though, right? I want this, but I don’t want you to feel pressured into it.”
Luke grunted. “Are you serious? I love you, Josh. I might not always say it, and I know things deviated along the way, moving away from us and on to what we have with Gia, but I love you more than I did when I first realized my heart belonged to you.
“Can I say when the SCOTUS ruling came out, I didn’t think about it? Of course I did. But I was concerned it would hurt Gia. She’s younger than us, and yeah, she’s a tough little cookie, but she’s still a girl. I thought it would be important to her to get married. Now that I know it isn’t, I’m all yours.”
Josh’s smile was tender. “I asked her first, you know. I’m not sure if you believed me yesterday when I told you that.”
“Good. I’m glad. And I did believe you. You had no reason to lie to me.”
“This isn’t going to change what we have with her. But I need you to know what we have is stronger than ever. You’re right, we have deviated away from us, and that’s fine. What we have here, with Gia and Lexi, is far more than I ever imagined. Some days, I’m so fucking happy I could burst. And that’s because of you, Lexi, and Gia.” He sucked in a breath. “But I feel like this is my way of reminding you that it’s all happening because we’re strong together. What we have, the trust we have in one another, is incredibly fierce, enough that we can do this. Nothing can break us.”
Luke leaned forward to press another kiss to his lover’s lips. “I understand.”
“You do?” came the hopeful question.
“I do.”
“Good.”
The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut had them looking out into the hallway.
“That reminds me,” Josh mumbled, gaze focused on anything but his lover. “Lexi’s being homeschooled now.”
Luke froze. “You actually pulled her out of the academy? Saying is one thing, man, doing is another.”
“You should have heard the bullshit that goddamn bitch was spouting, Luke. I wasn’t having our little girl being taught by such a prejudiced dirtbag.”
Closing his eyes, he shook his head. “Didn’t you think to consult me before you made the final decision?”
Josh cleared his throat. “Well, it was mutual. I told the old bitch I was removing her, and then, well, she expelled Lexi.”
Luke frowned, but Josh saw there was a heated glow in the depths of his gaze. “She expelled Lexi?” His voice was low, dangerous.
“Yes.”
“The little girl who gets told off for saying please and thank you too much?”
Josh frowned but nodded.
“The little girl who is so goddamn polite she’ll let people pass in front of her often enough that she never gets a chance at the refill soda bank?”
Grunting, Josh nodded again.
“That fucking bitch. I’ll fucking report her to the highest goddamn schooling authority in the country. What did they expel her over? The fact that her family is unorthodox. I’m risking my fucking life for our nation, and that so-called fucking American dares to judge how we lead our lives?” He growled. “Pass me that fucking phone.”
Josh’s lips twitched. “You might need to do an Internet search on the ‘highest goddamn schooling authority in the country.’” He paused. “Although you needn’t bother. I’ve put Dana on it. I’
m as furious as you are.”
Gia popped her head around the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of Luke’s naked ass and still-wet cock, but she only blinked, then blurted out, “No f-words, you two! Little ears.”
With that, she ducked back out. Luke looked at Josh, and Josh glanced at him. They burst out laughing almost as one.
Still chuckling, Luke bent to pull up his pants, amused that Gia hadn’t exactly batted an eyelid at his state of undress. Well, not enough to make a comment.
“The pitter-patter of furry feet too, if Lexi has her way.”
Josh’s groan had Luke grinning wider. “She’s after a dog again?”
“Yeah.” He grunted. “And dammit, I can’t say no when she asks me nicely.”
“Make sure she doesn’t know that. She’s cute as pie now, but when she turns into a teenager, she’ll use it against you. Mark my words.”
Josh wrinkled his nose, and the move was so similar to Lexi’s, Luke’s heart sighed at the sight. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
Luke clapped a hand on his arm. “You sure homeschooling is the best step forward?”
“No. But it’s the best option. I’ve had Dana look into the different routes we can take. I think, until Lexi’s older and wiser and a little more used to how unusual our lifestyle choices are, it’s the safest option. And I think she’ll be happier at home. She’s such a little bookworm, we might find she excels better here, where we can proceed more quickly with the subjects she likes a lot.”
Luke sighed. “That academy would have looked great on her resume.”
“Yeah, I know. But sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t.”
Gia’s footsteps echoed down the hall, and Josh took a seat in his desk chair while Luke perched on the side of the desk. When she stepped into the room, she headed to Luke, kissed his lips, then bent and pecked Josh’s cheek. She yelped when he grabbed her and tucked her on his knee.
“Where have you been? I rearranged my schedule so I could be at home this afternoon.”
Luke knew that was in reaction to his deployment. It reassured him that Josh would be here for Gia more in his absence.
The Luck of Love Page 9
