Full Domain (Nice Guys 3)

“It’s cold out here, guys. Can we go inside?” Jace’s voice came from the hood of the car. Mitch had forgotten the cold. Actually he’d grown quite warm with all the testosterone flowing through him. He now understood why Colt acted so crazy and possessive when he and Jace had first started dating.

“Yeah, y’all come inside,” Colt echoed, dropping the suitcase until the wheels hit the ground. With the handle extended, he dragged the thing along the driveway toward Jace.

“What was that about?” Cody whispered when Colt moved out of earshot.

“I don’t even fucking know, and weirder than that, I don’t know if I wanna mess with Colt anymore.” Mitch’s brow furrowed even further at his words.

“That’s what I just said in the car,” Cody countered, clearly confused.

“It was a good call. You should’ve fought me harder on that.” Mitch couldn’t wait for this honeymoon phase of their relationship to wear off so he could get back to his normal self.

Cody started toward the front, but when Mitch didn’t move from his spot, Cody came back, took his arm, and pulled him in the direction Colt and Jace had walked. “You’re being weird,” Cody finally said.

“I’m always weird. A smart guy like you, I figured you’d have noticed that by now,” Mitch replied, finally taking the lead and walking up the front steps. Jace waited outside the front door, arms clutched at his chest to ward off the cold. Colt stood in the foyer, smiling brighter than he’d ever seen him smile. Shit, the guy had figured out Mitch had a jealous streak. Fuck, his life sucked. All of a sudden the thought of staying here the next few days seemed a bit like hell.

~~~

“Cody, I understand you’re the grill master,” Colt said, carrying two full plates of steaks and hamburgers through the kitchen to a door leading out to a covered patio. Through the window along the back wall, Mitch could see an industrial-size grill pushed close to the house. Jace trailed behind with a second plate loaded with long-cut strips of assorted vegetables. Colt was overly excited about his meat options, and even with the current state of the freezing temperatures outside, he’d lit the grill, planning to cook their dinner outside.

“Leave him alone,” Jace scolded. Now that Mitch was a man in love, not single and the instigator he’d always been before, Mitch could see that Jace had always kept peace between the parties—the constant equalizer. It hadn’t been more than an hour since they’d arrived, and Colt was already in rare form. He was dishing out the crap, making up for a full year’s worth of snarky comments from Mitch.

“What? He grills at home all the time,” Colt remarked, acting innocent. Cody jumped up from the kitchen table and opened the door for Colt, pushing it wide to accommodate all the food Colt carried. Mitch watched as fucking Colt Michaels grinned big and winked at Cody. Aggression stewed in his gut.

“Thanks, Cody,” Colt murmured, drawing out Cody’s name before looking over at Mitch and laughing so hard that the steaks wobbled in his hands. Jace let out a huge sigh and followed his lover, shutting the door behind them. Mitch couldn’t make out the words between them but could see the intensity of Jace’s words in his expression.

“You’re being weird. They’re being nice lettin’ us stay here. What’s your problem?” Cody asked. Cody had moved to the seat directly beside him, speaking low. His honey’s eyes implored him to get over whatever was eating so solidly at his good mood.

Colt’s teasing was inevitable, but damn it, it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up to have someone flirting so openly with Cody. Worse yet, he hated to admit how it bothered him. And yes, without question, he’d given Colt shit, but that had been in good fun, to give everybody laughs when they’d needed them the most.

Now, Colt wasn’t playing fair. Yes, Mitch refused to consider the hypocrisy of that thought. Being on the receiving end sucked when he was just learning how to manage all these protective, possessive emotions bombarding him all the time.

“Stop, okay. He’s messing with you on purpose. He’ll stop if he sees it’s not gettin’ to you,” Cody reasoned.

“You’re hotter than Jace,” Mitch grumbled, leaning in to quickly kiss Cody’s full lips.

“No, I’m not!” Cody argued, laughing at what he clearly considered absurd.

“To me you are,” Mitch countered, proud when Cody beamed at his words and lifted a thumb to his chin, giving his jaw a soft caress. Who could have possibly known how much he’d like these hot moments they shared. They gave him the confidence to continue. “It’s not just Michaels. I always remember that night I met you, and you wouldn’t tell me anything about yourself, but Michaels walked up and you were all talkie, giving name, rank, and serial number. I don’t like that,” Mitch said, surprised that moment still bothered him even after all this time.

“I think I might be jealous,” he declared. As he said those words, he reached out, fisting Cody’s hand in his, needing a lifeline for these stupid insecure thoughts. And he knew how irrational his statement sounded, especially since they’d all shared Christmas day together at his parents’ place, where all four of them had gotten along great.

“I talked to him, because I was not into him. I was into you. Too much into you. I needed distance. You overwhelmed me. You still overwhelm me, you know. I’ve told you that before.” Cody spoke quietly, his gaze begging him to understand.

Silence lasted several seconds as he stared into Cody’s brilliant blue eyes, digesting the entire conversation. “I shouldn’t’ve brought you here. It’s still all too fresh. I should’ve listened to Sinacola. When Michaels walked up on me outside, I never heard him coming. That could’ve been anyone walking up on us. And I wasn’t wearing my weapon. How had I left that in the car? I’ve brought you into the lion’s den, and I was too comfortable and too arrogant to realize just how off my reactions are. It scares me,” Mitch admitted, dumping the truth out. If he couldn’t be on his A game, Cody needed to be. Well, at least as much as he could be considering he was still recovering.