The Luck of Love (11 page)

He gritted out, “Luke is my son. I love him, and he knows that.”

“I know… Maybe if you say it enough, then it will remind you that’s the truth.” She huffed as a thought occurred to her. “This isn’t the first time you’ve mentioned this, is it? But it’s the first time he’s let it hit home. He wants a child of his own, and I don’t blame him; of course I don’t. He's a great dad, and any children we have will be lucky to have him as a father. But you’re the reason why, aren’t you? Lexi’s not good enough for you, and subconsciously, she’s not good enough for Luke.”

The words made her choke, but she realized that was the case.

“You’ve turned your own son against his child,” Lou whispered, aghast. “How could you do that? Why would you do that?”

Robert sat frozen in his chair.

“Because he’s twisted, that’s why.” She flung her hand out, physically underlining her point. “You do realize he’s been thinking about leaving us.”

“Breaking up?” Lou choked out. “Oh, my God, you can’t be serious.”

Gia nodded. “Yeah. I’m serious.”

“You've made him doubt the only relationship that has ever given him any peace. You know how hard it was for him to come out. Damn you, Robert Gray. God, I can’t stand to be in the same room as you, you snob.”

Gia watched as the two stared at each other, a silent argument passing between them. No words were necessary because every now and then, they would firm their mouths or jerk their chins forward.

Discomfited, wishing they were yelling down the house rather than simply glaring at each other, she inserted, “Now that I’ve made my point, I’m leaving. I won’t tarnish your lovely home with my presence.”

That broke the silent argument. Lou jumped up and grabbed her hand. “Please, don’t be silly. I’ll make this right. I want Lexi to know her family.”

“How can I let her be here when I know he’ll treat her differently? She’s a little girl. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“No, she doesn’t, and I’ll make sure to skin his hide if I see him treating her cruelly. He’s not a bad man, Gia. He’s old-fashioned. That’s all.”

“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 That his outdated thinking had affected Luke hurt her.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 Josh'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.”