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Taking the other man’s hand in his, Ford spoke again. “Sweet, this is my cousin, Connor O’Reilly. Con, my boyfriend, Reef Reid.”
Connor laughed when Reef shook his hand, staring between himself and Ford. They looked alike—even more so as they’d grown up. There was no mistaking they were related, even with the height difference between the two of them.
“Holy shit,” Katy breathed from behind them. “And you think Nick and I look alike. You guys could be twins.”
“Right?” Reef said to her smiling, as she hooked her arm through Connor’s. Having her there with him, showing him some affection—it filled him with a warmth that made the butterflies in his stomach flutter hard. He smiled down at her, knowing that the love he had for her was written all over his face. He wanted to pick her up and kiss her, love her, but he didn’t. Barely. Reef spoke again, and he looked at the other man, trying to dispel the image that had just popped into his mind of he, Levi, and Katy walking along the beach hand in hand.
“Good to meet you, Con.”
“I’m Katy, Con’s friend.” Connor flicked his gaze towards Katy again, and she instinctively leaned closer. The heat in her eyes was unmistakeable and, God, did Connor want to take her up on her invitation.
“Come inside and meet everyone,” Con murmured without being able to tear his eyes away from Katy. He motioned to the house he’d just come from and began walking.
In a loud enough voice that Cam and Maxi, Nick and Emma and Levi would hear—the closest group to the back gate—Connor called out, “Guys, meet Ford, my cousin, and his partner, Reef. They’re here from Kiwiland for a few weeks.” Turning to Ford and Reef, he grinned. “We’ll test ya on names later, but the only other person you really need to know is Levi, my best mate and Katy’s partner.” Connor motioned to Levi who sauntered towards them. Connor bit his lip to stop the appreciative hum escaping just as Katy tightened her grip on his arm. Levi was effortlessly gorgeous—ripped muscles, dark blond hair, and smooth golden skin that he wanted to lick.
“Damn, you’re all freaking beautiful,” Reef muttered under his breath, making Levi break out in a laugh as he held out his hand in greeting.
“G’day, Reef. Hey, Ford, nice to meet you. Nick, Katy’s cousin, is gonna throw some burgers on the barbie in a few. Beer’s in the Eskies over there. Chuck yours in there too, if you like.” Levi motioned to the coolers lined up in the shade. “We’re about to play a game of footy. You guys in?”
Reef’s wicked grin at Ford, and Ford’s smile back was contagious. Levi tossed an arm around Connor’s shoulders and squeezed him tight for the briefest of moments before ripping his singlet off and carelessly tossing it onto the grass. Connor almost swallowed his tongue watching the other man jog out the gate.
“Looks like I’m playing against him then, huh?” Katy mumbled. Connor paused and looked down at her before barking out a laugh when she flicked her shirt.
“I’d pay good money to watch you play skins, Cupcake,” he teased.
“Shut up, doofus.” She nudged him and reached down to slip off her sandals before shouting, “Okay, boys, let’s do this.”
Connor followed her in a daze out the gate and onto the sand. Ten of them—five on each side—were lining up to play, Mike in the centre holding the ball. Placing it on the ground, he used his foot to roll it back into Levi’s waiting hands, and the scrambling began. Katy ran behind him as Connor charged for Levi, readying to tackle him. The ball was passed away and Connor diverted, running for one of the other players. Sand flew in the air as they sprinted across it, racing after a ball being tossed between players. Wind in his face, salt in the air, his heart beating hard as he pumped his legs fast, Connor grinned. This was life. Friends and family, having fun. This is what he’d been defending, sacrificing those years for. The war wasn’t over—hell, it’d probably continue for decades as the world tried to rid itself of those crazy bastards—but Connor wanted to live. He wanted to love.
Reaching long, Levi got his fingers on the ball, barely three feet from the makeshift try line. It was a shoe-in that he’d cross the line, but it didn’t stop Connor going in for the tackle. Bending, he wrapped his hands around Levi’s middle and let his weight drop, pulling the other man down with him. Levi slammed the ball down on the ground and yelled out in triumph.
“Lucky pass,” Connor muttered as he stood and dusted himself off.
“Superior skill, babe.” Levi slapped his arse and winked at him before sauntering off back to the middle of the field. The few people around him didn’t bat an eyelid, but Connor’s skin prickled in awareness. Blowing out a breath, he picked up the ball and kicked it toward his team’s try line, aiming for Nick’s outstretched hands. The other man caught it easily and passed it to Katy, who tucked it under her arm and sprinted. She was small but fast. Dodging the bodies of the men hurling themselves at her, she crossed the line and planted the ball down, arms raised in victory as she shook her cute little arse.
Soon they had Cam and Maxi, and two people who he learned were Emma’s sister-in-law and her PA, join them on the makeshift field. There were a few tries The King would be proud of, but the rest were disastrous. And the plays? God awful. But it was hella fun. Sweaty, out of breath and covered in sand, Connor needed water, so he was relieved when Nick called a time-out. Making their way back through to the yard, Connor brushed off all the dry sand he could, before stripping off his shirt and standing under the outdoor shower to rinse off the rest.
“So how’re you settling in since you’ve been back?” Ford asked him as Connor handed them both a bottle of water from the Eskies.
“Yeah, good.” Connor nodded, smiling as they stood in the sun to dry off. “I’ve got regular gigs at a couple of pubs and cafes a few nights a week. I’m living with Katy and Lee, and that’s working out great.”
“And Lee’s the same Levi who you’ve been friends with since you were a kid?” Ford queried.
“Yeah. We’ve been mates since we were five.” Connor looked over his shoulder at his lover and smiled, Levi grinning back. Steering the conversation away from himself, he asked the two of them, “Ford said you two met on the slopes. How’d that happen?”
A longing filled him when Ford wrapped his arms around Reef from behind and pulled the man back against him. Nuzzling their heads together when Reef turned side-on, the snowboarder smiled. “He was my heli-skiing guide when I holidayed in New Zealand. We got stuck in a snowstorm while we were on the slopes and we camped out in a ranger’s hut for a few days while the blizzard passed. Then this one got hit by an avalanche and the rest is history.”
He’d heard about the avalanche, knew that Ford was injured, but not too seriously. “So what, cabin fever?” Connor teased his cousin.
“Hey, don’t knock the D until you’ve tried it.” Ford gave as good as he got, making Connor choke on his drink, but his demeanour had changed on a dime, becoming defensive, and maybe a little aggressive. “Dude, if you’ve got a problem—”
Connor held up his hand, halting Ford in his tracks. The other man had tensed, the opposite of what Connor wanted. “Mate,” he whispered, grabbing Ford’s arm and dragging him away from the others into a more private nook in the yard. Reef followed, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ford, clearly backing his lover up. “I’m bi, you don’t need to convince me. I’m not judging you, dammit.” Connor scrubbed his face and looked around. “But keep it to yourself. Not many people in this crowd know, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Do Katy and Levi know? You’re not hiding from them, are you?” Ford asked, concerned.
“Yeah, they know.” Connor let out a breath. “Can I ask you a question, Reef? About when you came out?”
“Sure, anything.”
