“You think they wouldn't mind me picking their brains a bit about it?” Wyatt looked hesitant but excited.
Garrett walked over and gave him a quick kiss. “They wouldn’t mind at all. They love what you’ve made for the club and are always giving your name out to people interested in pieces for their homes. Why wouldn't they want to help?”
Wyatt blushed and shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable with the praise. “I guess so. I’ll call them later this week, once I get some plans laid out.”
Garrett touched Wyatt’s face and leaned in close to whisper something in his ear. Wyatt’s blush got deeper, but he nodded and smiled, then whispered, “Yes, Sir.”
The little glances and touches the two exchanged made it clear how things were going. They were clearly very much in love. At one point, Calen might have been jealous, but not anymore. It was too early to use the word, but he wasn’t going to deny how much Brent meant to him.
Looking over at his sub, Calen saw a smile on his face as he looked at his brother. They were all expecting invitations to Garrett and Wyatt’s collaring ceremony sooner rather than later. There was no way those two weren't meant to be. And as Brent glanced over at Calen, giving him a tender, loving expression, Calen thought his friends might not be the only ones talking about long-term commitments very soon.
CHAPTER 10
Brent
“I need to head outside and put some stuff on the grill…” Wyatt’s voice trailed off as he reached into the fridge and pulled out two big dishes.
Garrett automatically grabbed one. “Here, let me take that.” Then he turned to the rest of them. “I’ve got the chairs set up outside.”
Taking the hint, they all started moving to the back of the house. Brent was the closest to the door, so he moved to open it. Wyatt smiled, “Thank you.”
As they all piled out and found seats, Brent found that he enjoyed hanging out with everyone and not having to do a single thing. No planning, no making sure everyone brought something edible, it was perfect.
Dragging one of the chairs over to the shade, Brent was surprised to see Bryce follow him. Calen looked over, tilting his head in an obvious question, but Brent shook his head. It was sweet, but whatever Bryce wanted to talk about wouldn’t drive him crazy, no matter what it was. But Brent had a feeling their conversation wasn’t going to be about him, anyway.
Bryce sat down, leaning back and doing his best to look like everything was perfect. The only thing missing from making him the star in a summer commercial was the beer. Yeah, something was definitely up. If he wanted to pretend everything was fine, Brent would let him—at least, for a few minutes.
Finally, Bryce broke the silence. “Everything going okay with you guys? I’m assuming since you arrived together you had a chance to talk?”
“We did. We’ve discussed a lot and I think we’re in a good place.” Brent looked over to Calen and had to smile. He was trying to talk shop with Garrett but he was getting shot down. Garrett was going to make him take his full vacation no matter what.
“So, it’s serious?” Bryce’s hands kept moving, like he was wishing he had something to fidget with.
“Very. He had us write a contract earlier. No specific end date either.”
“Wow. That is serious.” Bryce didn’t seem to be sure what to say.
“He’s barely restraining the urge to collar me right away. He’s trying to open up and show me that I’m important.” His Dom was so cute, but Bryce didn’t need to know that part.
“I’m glad. If anyone deserves to find ‘Mr. Right,’ it’s you.” Bryce seemed calm and relaxed, but there was something in his voice that made Brent think things weren’t going so well.
“How’s everything going for you?” Not sure where to take the conversation, Brent tried for something broad and hoped he’d be able to narrow it down. Bryce wasn’t the most open person, but he’d always been able to share what was on his mind with Brent.
“Work’s good. We’ve picked up several new customers lately. It’s going to end up being quite a few new policies. Even a couple of business ones I need to talk to you about when you get back to work.”
And there it was, the tiniest hitch in Bryce’s voice when he talked about the new clients. “You had a new person come in the other day when I was there, didn’t you?”
Bryce was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “Oliver Stanton.”
Brent couldn't tell if Bryce was going to volunteer anything else, but his reaction was enough to make Brent keep pressing. “How did your meeting go? He was from the club, right?”
Again, there was silence for a long moment before Brent responded, “Yeah, it’s going to be a good few policies. Auto, Life, the whole nine yards.”
“Are they easy to work with? I don’t think you said, have you met his partner yet?”
Bingo. There it was. The slightest flinch that he would have probably missed if he hadn’t been watching Bryce closely. Something about that couple was bothering him. If it was just an issue with the policies or even that they were annoying, Bryce wouldn't have hesitated to say something. So this had to be personal.
“I did.”
