back. “What are you two getting all cozy about? And why wasn’t I invited?”
“You’re always invited, babe.” Jimmy leaned past Mikey to smack a kiss onto Cory’s lips. “I was just telling Mikey that we want to take him out tomorrow night.”
“Oh yeah!” Cory nuzzled into Mikey’s hair. “Wine and dine you a little before we get to the sixty-nine.”
Heat washed through Mikey, and he shuddered and leaned back against Cory’s chest. “Oh God.”
“Hush, now, don’t scare the boy off.” Jimmy ran his fingers down Mikey’s cheek. “Don’t you worry about any of that. Tomorrow will be about having a good meal and good conversation. Nothing more than that. We might flirt, because we can hardly help ourselves there, but it’s just for fun. We don’t expect anything from you except to enjoy yourself.”
Cory turned Mikey’s head to kiss his cheek. “Now. We figured Evan and Riley could use a couple of hours alone, so how about we watch a movie, and then we’ll take you home? We promise to behave ourselves.”
He held up three fingers in the classic Boy Scout salute, and Mikey couldn’t help grinning. “Something with lots of explosions, maybe?”
“You got it!” Jimmy jumped up and crossed to the shelf full of DVDs in the corner, rummaging for something and then going over to put in the player. Mikey settled into the sofa, still leaning on Cory, and tried not to think about anything but special effects and car chases.
Chapter 5
“D AMMIT ! W HERE the hell are my shoes?”
Flustered, frustrated, and running more than a little late, Mikey barely held back from kicking the wall next to his closet door. In just his socks, that was asking for a sore toe to add to his other frustrations. He hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything all day long, as the pile of crumpled papers in the trash can next to his desk could attest, discarded versions of sketches that wouldn’t work.
“Nervous?”
Mikey rolled his eyes at Riley, who leaned against the frame of his open door, arms crossed over his chest. “No idea why you’d think that,” Mikey grumbled, digging one more time in the box in the bottom of his closet. He knew he’d kept the black wingbacks he’d worn maybe a dozen times since his mother had insisted on buying them for him to wear to high school graduation seven years earlier. He dragged them out for job interviews and the rare special occasion, and if his first real date in years didn’t qualify, nothing would.
“Maybe under the bed?” Riley asked. “Didn’t you unpack them already to wear for your interview at the park?”
Mikey stopped his frantic search and leaned forward to beat his head gently against the wall. “Yes. I did.”
Riley laughed softly and saved Mikey the trouble of looking. He walked over and crouched by the bed to swipe one hand under the edge and slid out a shining pair of black dress shoes. Mikey glared at them, as if they’d hidden from him on purpose.
Riley straightened up and planted his hands on his hips. “Take a deep breath.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that. Stand up straight and take a deep breath, then blow it out slowly.”
“You gonna make me do yoga now?” Despite the snark, Mikey did as instructed. As he blew the breath out, he closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing. It didn’t work, but at least the images whirling around his head slowed to a less frenetic pace.
“All right.” Mikey opened his eyes, and Riley nudged the shoes with his toe. “Put on your shoes, straighten out your hair, and if your men get here before you’re ready, they can just wait until you are.” Riley tilted his head and ran an appraising gaze down Mikey’s body. “You look good. Nice but not overdone.”
The sincere compliment caught Mikey off guard, but his ingrained Southern manners kicked in. “Thank you,” he said. “Um, I wasn’t sure if the shirt worked.”
“Perfectly. Brings out your eyes.” Riley
“You’re always invited, babe.” Jimmy leaned past Mikey to smack a kiss onto Cory’s lips. “I was just telling Mikey that we want to take him out tomorrow night.”
“Oh yeah!” Cory nuzzled into Mikey’s hair. “Wine and dine you a little before we get to the sixty-nine.”
Heat washed through Mikey, and he shuddered and leaned back against Cory’s chest. “Oh God.”
“Hush, now, don’t scare the boy off.” Jimmy ran his fingers down Mikey’s cheek. “Don’t you worry about any of that. Tomorrow will be about having a good meal and good conversation. Nothing more than that. We might flirt, because we can hardly help ourselves there, but it’s just for fun. We don’t expect anything from you except to enjoy yourself.”
Cory turned Mikey’s head to kiss his cheek. “Now. We figured Evan and Riley could use a couple of hours alone, so how about we watch a movie, and then we’ll take you home? We promise to behave ourselves.”
He held up three fingers in the classic Boy Scout salute, and Mikey couldn’t help grinning. “Something with lots of explosions, maybe?”
“You got it!” Jimmy jumped up and crossed to the shelf full of DVDs in the corner, rummaging for something and then going over to put in the player. Mikey settled into the sofa, still leaning on Cory, and tried not to think about anything but special effects and car chases.
Chapter 5
“D AMMIT ! W HERE the hell are my shoes?”
Flustered, frustrated, and running more than a little late, Mikey barely held back from kicking the wall next to his closet door. In just his socks, that was asking for a sore toe to add to his other frustrations. He hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything all day long, as the pile of crumpled papers in the trash can next to his desk could attest, discarded versions of sketches that wouldn’t work.
“Nervous?”
Mikey rolled his eyes at Riley, who leaned against the frame of his open door, arms crossed over his chest. “No idea why you’d think that,” Mikey grumbled, digging one more time in the box in the bottom of his closet. He knew he’d kept the black wingbacks he’d worn maybe a dozen times since his mother had insisted on buying them for him to wear to high school graduation seven years earlier. He dragged them out for job interviews and the rare special occasion, and if his first real date in years didn’t qualify, nothing would.
“Maybe under the bed?” Riley asked. “Didn’t you unpack them already to wear for your interview at the park?”
Mikey stopped his frantic search and leaned forward to beat his head gently against the wall. “Yes. I did.”
Riley laughed softly and saved Mikey the trouble of looking. He walked over and crouched by the bed to swipe one hand under the edge and slid out a shining pair of black dress shoes. Mikey glared at them, as if they’d hidden from him on purpose.
Riley straightened up and planted his hands on his hips. “Take a deep breath.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that. Stand up straight and take a deep breath, then blow it out slowly.”
“You gonna make me do yoga now?” Despite the snark, Mikey did as instructed. As he blew the breath out, he closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing. It didn’t work, but at least the images whirling around his head slowed to a less frenetic pace.
“All right.” Mikey opened his eyes, and Riley nudged the shoes with his toe. “Put on your shoes, straighten out your hair, and if your men get here before you’re ready, they can just wait until you are.” Riley tilted his head and ran an appraising gaze down Mikey’s body. “You look good. Nice but not overdone.”
The sincere compliment caught Mikey off guard, but his ingrained Southern manners kicked in. “Thank you,” he said. “Um, I wasn’t sure if the shirt worked.”
“Perfectly. Brings out your eyes.” Riley
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