“I meant what I said during my ceremony. Your being patient with me and letting me finish this career when you so clearly had a much bigger plan really means everything to me.”
Robert grinned. Happiness flooded him, sending him floating into sensory overload. The words along with the little puffs of breath from Landon warmed his soul.
“You ready?” Landon asked, his gaze refocusing on Robert’s lips.
“I love you,” Robert whispered.
“I love you. Let’s go start our life together.” Landon kept hold of his hand, drawing him to the door.
“Did you get your service medal? I want to get it framed.”
“It’s in my pocket.” Landon’s grip on his hand changed, switching Robert’s hand to his other before stopping in the threshold. Landon’s grin grew bigger as he stepped into the room and lifted his hand for one last salute. He received wild cheers, cat calls, and loud whistles in return. Landon turned away, stepping back toward Robert, wrapping an arm around his waist. They took long strides down the hall. “Let’s go home.”
Robert followed behind Landon, moving past him when he entered the kitchen of the Minneapolis home. “Now remind me why we needed to pay to have a four-and-a-half-year-old truck shipped here?”
“First of all, we didn’t have to pay a dime; the military covered all the cost. Second, we just left your little swimmers behind to begin the fertilization process, and you’re thinking about my truck?”
Robert seemed so indifferent to something Landon had incredible anxiety over. Robert reached for a coconut water then slapped his ass and left him standing in the center of the kitchen. “Speaking of leaving the guys behind, do I need to suck you off now to pay you back, or can you wait until we get home tonight? It sucked not being able to have sex on your retirement night. I’m sorry it worked out that way.”
Since Landon hadn’t had what he considered real sex in weeks and had only been in Minneapolis less than twelve hours, he assumed he’d at least get a quick blow or hand job, but Hurricane Robert had every one of their minutes scheduled before they left in forty-eight hours for their trip. A trip Robert had also planned in meticulous detail.
Landon preferred to stay home. He had a deep desire to find his way in his new life. He wanted to settle down, stop traveling so much, and plant his roots into Minnesota soil. Well, unless his new life was this life where literally every minute was timed to the exact moment. In that case, he may as well be in the military.
“I think you should’ve just sold it and bought something new here,” Robert called out.
Landon narrowed his eyes, feeling the slow burn of irritation building. He followed after Robert, trailing through their penthouse. How the hell did he, a small-town boy from Texas, live in a penthouse? Instead of voicing the ridiculousness of him being so hoity-toity now, Landon tried to tamp down the frustration growing inside him. “That’s something a rich kid would say. My truck’s still in good condition,” Landon replied, turning the corner into their bedroom. Robert had already made it through to the bathroom.
“You’re a rich kid, remember? Daddy’s got the sweet YouTube deal.” Robert stepped back inside the bedroom, one of his many handmade suits on a hanger. A pressed dress shirt and matching silk tie in the other hand. He carefully placed them on the bed before untying the drawstring knot in his joggers. “You up for a quickie, rich boy?”
Landon let go of his pent-up breath, the tight muscles in his neck had him rolling his shoulders. He found he didn’t want to act on Robert’s offer which was weird. When had he ever turned down Robert?
Robert narrowed his gaze and slowed after the initial push of his sweats down his legs as he tried to read Landon. “What’s wrong?”
“You seem so unfazed about what we’re doing with the egg donor and the surrogate. Like it’s no big deal. They harvested her eggs and you just left your sperm. It’s a big deal, Robert. We have three days for fertilization. Have you talked to the surrogate or her doctors? Is she ready?” Landon asked, saying a bunch of words that didn’t speak to the true reason of his irritation.
“Of course, I talked to her, Landon. What’s causing this uncertainty?” Robert asked, laying his sweats on the end of the bed, standing in his boxers, looking at Landon as if he had all the patience in the world to wait for his silly questions.
“I’m not uncertain. I just feel like we’re rushing through everything right now when we probably shouldn’t be.” All right, that might be closer to his truth, but still not hitting the true cause of his anger.
“How do you figure? We’ve been waiting to begin all this. I wasn’t the one who wanted to start this directly following your retirement. This is what you wanted.” Robert grew silent, his head drawing back, blue eyes locked on his. Robert’s face darkened as his brows lowered. “You do want this, right?”