It was the sweetest fucking thing he’d ever heard.

And now, sweating and sated, Gannon wished more than ever that Cam were there with him.

“You still there?” Gannon asked.

“Yeah,” Cam whispered. “Still here.”

“Have dinner with me and Milly tomorrow night.”

“Milly?”

“Yeah,” Gannon explained. “We have a standing date each week.”

“A date with your assistant?” Cam sounded skeptical.

“She’s my friend,” Gannon admitted. “And my assistant.”

“Sure she won’t mind me taggin’ along?” Cam inquired.

“She definitely won’t mind. But I’m warning you, she’ll probably interrogate you.”

“I think I can handle her.” Cam chuckled softly. “Where?”

“I’d say pizza, but…”

“I’m good with pizza,” Cam said quickly. “Always good with pizza.”

“Pizza it is.”

“Not at your place,” Cam added.

Gannon knew why Cam had said that. The same reason Gannon had insisted they go out last night. He knew that, given the chance, they would be taking this relationship to the next level. It was clear that Cam was still hesitant, and though Gannon longed to be inside him, to make Cam feel everything Gannon was feeling, he was going to be patient.

“No, not at my place,” Gannon agreed. “Meet us in downtown Austin.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Gannon hated to get off the phone, but tomorrow would be there before he knew it, and he needed to get a little sleep. Not to mention, tomorrow night, he’d get to see Cam, so that was incentive enough. “Good night, Cam.”

“Night.”

With that, Gannon hung up the phone, cleaned himself up, and drifted off.

Still thinking about Cam.

Seventeen

Cam tucked the check into the deposit bag and shoved it into the top drawer of his desk. He’d spent the last hour dealing with the hot-headed renter who’d insisted that he had paid his storage fee for the month. From the moment the guy had walked through the door, Cam had known he’d been itching for a fight, but Cam hadn’t given him one.

Finally, the guy had given up, writing a check though he insisted he’d already written one and Cam had probably just thrown it away—because that was something Cam would do. Right.

Glancing at his watch, he realized he didn’t have time to shower, but if he hurried, he would be able to change clothes. Grabbing his phone, Cam headed out, locking the door behind him and then double-timing it up the stairs to his apartment. He’d made it into the hall, was about to unlock his door when Roan stepped out.

“Where’re you goin’?” Roan asked, following Cam into his apartment.

“Date,” he said, heading to his dresser. He snagged a clean T-shirt, then shrugged out of the one he had been wearing.

“With Burgess?”

“Gannon, yes,” Cam said, pulling the clean shirt over his head before pulling open another drawer and locating a pair of cargo shorts.

He dropped his shorts, then tugged on the clean ones, looking up in time to see Roan watching him. For the first time in all the years he’d known Roan, Cam suddenly felt strangely uncomfortable changing clothes in front of him. Was he mistaken? Or was Roan watching him with interest?

Not that Cam had time to question his friend. And he damn sure didn’t want to put Roan on the spot if that hadn’t been the case.

“Where’re y’all goin’?” Roan inquired.

Cam headed for the bathroom, splashed water on his face, swiped more deodorant under his arms, and then returned to find Roan still standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb. “Pizza.”

Roan nodded.

“Did you need somethin’?” Cam asked, grabbing his wallet and truck keys off the coffee table.

“Nah,” his friend said.

“I’ll catch you later, yeah?” Cam herded Roan out the door, then turned to face his friend.

“Sure.”

And as though that strange little encounter hadn’t happened, Roan disappeared back into his apartment while Cam ran out the door, down the stairs, and to his truck.

An hour later, Cam walked into a small pizza joint on South Congress in downtown Austin. As soon as he walked in the door, he was assaulted by the delicious scent of garlic and tomato. Scanning the somewhat crowded space, he found Gannon and Milly sitting at a table near the wall.

“Sorry I’m late,” he told Gannon, sliding into a chair beside him, across from Milly.

“Problems?” Gannon smiled at him, subtly touching Cam’s hand briefly.

“Had to deal with a renter,” he explained, glancing between Gannon and Milly. “Took longer than I thought.”

“No worries,” Milly said cheerfully. “Just means you get one less beer.”

Cam smiled, forcing himself to relax.

“I already ordered,” Gannon said. “Assume you like pepperoni.”

Cam nodded, noticing Milly was looking at them intently, her smile widening.

“Care to share with the class?” he prompted, looking over at Gannon briefly, then back to her.

“Nope. I’m good.” Milly’s blue eyes glittered and she giggled.

Cam looked at Gannon. Gannon shrugged.

“So...” Milly prompted, wrapping her fingers around her beer bottle. “Gannon tells me you’ve got your nipples pierced.”

Gannon choked on his beer, and Cam had to reach over and smack him on the back.

“Kidding,” she said, laughing. “I knew before he did.”

Cam stared at her, confused.

“I could see ’em through your shirt.”

“Ahh.”

“Wanna beer?” Gannon asked, his voice strained from his coughing spell.

“I can get it,” Cam told him.

“No, no. I’ll let Milly embarrass me while I’m not here for a change.”

Milly winked at Gannon.

When Gannon walked away from the table, Milly leaned forward, her expression morphing from carefree to serious. “What are your intentions with my friend?”

Cam sat up straight, trying to determine if he really needed to prepare an answer, but before he could, her smile returned.

“Gosh, you’re easy. Or so Gannon says.”

Cam laughed at that. He’d liked Milly from the beginning, but he liked her more now. It was obvious she cared about Gannon.

Leaning forward, Cam adopted a somber expression. When Milly leaned in close, clearly expecting him to lay something serious on her, he said, “Do you want to hear dirty details?”

Her laugh exploded from her, causing people to turn and look at them. Including Gannon, who was watching them from the counter.

“I like you,” Milly told him. “I think you’re good for him. Did you know he hadn’t taken a day off for years? Not until last weekend. That, my friend, tells me a lot about you.”

“Does it?” he asked, glancing over when Gannon returned to the table, three beers in his hand.

Cam took one and passed it to Milly, then took another.

“Yes, it does,” she answered, winking.

“It does what?” Gannon’s brow furrowed, as though he were trying to unravel a mystery.

“Oh, nothing. I was just telling him about your collection of sex toys. He wanted to know how one of them worked. I was just explaining.”

Cam peered over at Gannon, watching as his cheeks flushed and the tips of his ears reddened.

“Why did I think this was a good idea?” Gannon mumbled to himself.

“Because you love me,” Milly told him.

Gannon tilted his beer to his lips. “Or so you keep telling me.”

Yep, this was bound to get interesting.

Gannon spent nearly two hours listening to Milly regale Cam with stories. Luckily, after her initial teasing, she’d stopped trying to embarrass him too much.

So, he’d spent most of his time listening to Milly and Cam talk about their ski trips. Apparently that was something Cam had done since he was a kid, and Milly’s family used to go every year. Instead of feeling like a third wheel, Gannon had been relaxed, enjoying the easiness between them, the way Cam was frequently looking his way, sometimes brushing against him on purpose just to get his attention.