Reservations

“We talked about this, Levi. Why’re you working another job?”

Levi stunned him by taking steps back toward him and leaning in to place a quick kiss on his lips. If the goal was to shut Thane up, it worked.

“I gotta go get changed. And Luke knows all about Reservations.” Levi winked at him and left him standing there after dropping all those possible little bombs. Levi didn’t seem upset. Thane watched him go before remembering his Realtor was still on the phone.

“I’m sorry. I got distracted. Where were we?” Thane said, not even sure what they had been discussing. Levi had voluntarily kissed him without being encouraged. That meant something special, and Thane ducked his head, grinning from ear to ear as he absorbed the impact to his heart.

“It sounds like a party.” He registered her laughter, at least he was paying that much attention.

“Yeah, I guess it is.” He struggled for a second more, trying to remember—oh, the house. Right. The house that just got monumentally more important. “So, I’ll be there tomorrow morning. Push this through for me.”

“Not a problem. I’ll send confirmation to your email.”

When Thane ended that call, he sent a message to Jenna to confirm appointments with Layne Construction and the interior designer she’d hired who specializes in lived-in looking homes. He wanted someplace functional and nice for Levi and his brothers.

He looked down at the ground as doubt needled at him. Reason dictated he should lock Levi in before going to all this trouble. But Levi had the personality of someone who needed to be eased into things, guided with a careful hand. That time would come. Nodding, he pushed send on the email and entered the club.

His new home away from home.

~~~

For a Tuesday night, they’d stayed busy longer than normal, but it was still a little before midnight when Levi cashed out his last guest. Thane sat at his normal table, nursing a drink he’d had for well over an hour when Levi took the chair next to him, as Thane let out a loud yawn. “You should’ve gone to bed hours ago.”

“I can sleep on the plane,” Thane said, reaching across the table, taking Levi’s hand in his.

“What time do you leave?” he asked, feeling a little bad about not asking before. Since he’d found out that Thane was planning a trip back home for the re-grand opening of their corporate offices, Levi had worked at keeping his insecurity at bay, not letting Thane know how badly he didn’t want him to leave. They’d gotten into a groove, spending parts of every day together. Levi was going to miss Thane like crazy.

“In about three hours,” Thane, said, looking down at his phone.

“Do you need a ride to the airport?” Levi asked, lifting their joined hands, threading their fingers together. “I’m off. I can take you whenever you’re ready.”

“No, I didn’t want to put you out. I have a car scheduled to be here in about an hour. You could pick me up though. I’ll be back early Friday morning, around this time. I’m taking the red-eye.”

“I will, for sure,” Levi confirmed, nodding. Thane wrapped his free hand around Levi’s bicep, drawing him in for a kiss that lingered. He wasn’t one for PDAs in the club. Well, except for Thane patting his ass on occasion, but dammit, he already missed Thane, and he hadn’t even left yet.

“I’ll leave my key fob in the suite. Drive my car while I’m gone. That battery thing’s getting worse on your car,” Thane said, and Levi decided not to buck him. He wouldn’t drive Thane’s car, but he didn’t fight it out either. They were turning a corner, building a true relationship. They felt genuine and real. He’d let Thane have this one. “Tell me about the social worker stopping in.”

“The lady that stopped in was our protective service worker, and the change in Logan’s school plans instigated her visit. She didn’t get our relocation paperwork, so I gave her my copy. She said she was good with everything, and she’s forwarding our case to Maryland in August. I’m taking that as a thumbs-up,” Levi explained.

“Why do you have a social worker watching you?” Thane asked, his warm fingertips gently caressing across the top of his hand, the compassion he had for the situation on his handsome face.

“I think because I’m so young they want to make sure Luke’s taken care of. It hasn’t been a problem. We get nervous when she shows up, but we shouldn’t. She’s always been good and helpful,” Levi explained.

“Do they know about me?” Thane asked.

“Luke told her. I’ve gotta work with him on over-talking. He was all chatty. He told them about the job at Baconator.” That caused Thane to smile. He and Luke had built quite the bond over food. Thane was a self-taught chef with a knack for blending spices and ingredients. Luke had a love for anything Thane created. Even sometimes just standing in the small kitchen in the suite, watching Thane prepare their meal. It seemed to make both of them insanely happy to talk food.