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Half an hour later, having kissed Laurie so soundly I hoped his lips were still tingling, I got in the car with Carter, Matteo, Miles, and Ford.
“All set?” Matteo asked from the driver’s seat.
Carter nodded, and he pulled away from the curb. Then Carter turned to me. “What exactly is going on with you and Laurie?”
I glanced at Miles. He shook his head. “I didn’t say a word.”
“He refused to give us any information, the bastard,” Matteo said.
“Beck told me not to touch him. He told me to leave him alone because he needs to heal. He’s been through hell with an abusive son of a bitch.”
“And you did exactly what he told you not to do?” Carter asked.
“It’s not that straightforward. But yes, I did.”
“And Laurie knows your history?”
“He knows, and he was very willing despite that. He is a grown-up, and he’s allowed to make his own decisions, no matter what my brother thinks.” My brother, who was currently being held captive. “I didn’t know Beck was going to go and get kidnapped.”
Ford laid a hand on my shoulder. “Of course not, but I’ve seen you with guys before. This is different.”
“It is so different. You fucking warned me, and I swore it would never happen.”
“So this is when we get to say, ‘I told you so’?” Carter asked. “This is when I get to remind you I said it would happen, and you swore your turn would never come, and now it has.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, this is that time.”
“Holy shit!” Ford’s mouth dropped open. “You’re in love with him?”
“I can’t stand the thought of anyone else touching him. I can’t stand the thought of spending a day without him, and I absolutely cannot stand the thought of him leaving New York. He’s mine, and I intend to keep him here.”
“Yep,” Matteo agreed, “you’re in love.”
“I take it you haven’t told him that yet?” Miles asked.
“No, I don’t know if he would believe me. He thinks this can’t be real. He says he doesn’t belong in my world because he didn’t grow up with money. He doesn’t want to be a charity case, and he needs time to build his own life.”
“All of that does sound reasonable,” Carter said.
“Fuck off. Whose side are you on?”
“I’m not picking sides. You can give him those things day by day. As he sees how committed you are to him, he’ll learn to believe you. You can let him have his own life. You could back off a bit and let him heal.”
“We tried to not touch each other after the first night when Beck got angry with us. We barely made it three days, so I don’t think backing off is an option.”
“Maybe you’re actually what he needs to heal,” Miles suggested.
Carter and Ford turned to look at him, even Matteo glanced in the rearview mirror.
“Watch the fucking road,” Miles snarled.
“It looks like Laurie might be very good for you,” Ford said.
“He is. I want to start a fashion label.”
Ford nodded. “That makes all the fucking sense in the world.”
