Swear (Landry Family 4)

He tosses me a wink before joining her in the front. I meander to the doorway and listen to their conversation.

“What did you tell him?” she hisses.

“I told him I’m gay,” he admits. “There’s no chance he swings both ways, is there? Hey!” he yelps as I hear a smack that makes me grin.

“Would it have killed you to pretend we have something going on?”

“And why would I do that?”

“To buy me some time.”

“Because you need to get your head together after he just fucked the shit out of you?”

“Heath. Really?”

“Yes, really. Now, circling back to your question, I couldn’t pretend anything. I couldn’t take my eyes off that hunk of man meat,” he says.

I bite my tongue so I don’t laugh out loud.

“Second,” he continues, “I’m not about to get on his bad side. Did you see his biceps? Wait. You’ve seen his biceps and his triceps and his . . . Come to think of it, I hate you.”

“Get in line, buddy.”

“You just got dirty with GI-fucking-Joe. I’m proud of you, Ellie. Maybe you’re not too old to learn new tricks after all.”

A laugh comes roaring out of my mouth before I can stop it. I grab the last of my belongings from the table and stick them in my pockets before joining Ellie and Heath in kitchen.

“I need to head to the office,” I tell them both. Looking at Ellie, I grin. “I’ll call you later and we can pick up the conversation we left off.”

“Sure.”

Wrapping my arm around her narrow waist and pulling her towards me over the start of her faux objection, I kiss her loudly and with as much force as I think is legal square on the lips.

“Thanks for last night,” I wink.

“Ford!”

“Oh, I can’t even . . .” Heath nearly squeals.

When I release her, she stands breathless, a little wobbly on her feet, as I head to the door. “I’ll call you this afternoon, Ellie.”

“Hey!” Heath calls after me. “You forgot mine.”

Ellie

“I’m a little perturbe

d,” Heath says, his eyes still on the door. He straightens his yellow polo shirt.

“I can’t wait to hear this,” I sigh.

“I feel . . . cheated.”

I look at him blankly.

“Like you’ve been holding out on me,” he adds.

With a roll of my eyes, I head to the coffee pot. As expected, Heath follows on my heels.