And he was sorely tempted. The sight of anyone kissing Noah had switched off all rational thought in his brain, turning him into a caveman with a handgun. Not the best combination. He’d ached to put a couple of bullets into JB’s sweet, handsome face. No one was allowed to touch his Noah, to come between him and the man he loved.
But rational thought finally started to kick in while he listened to JB tell his story. In 2014, Rowe had been married to Melissa. He went to bed every night with a woman he loved more than life. He could reach out and touch her, kiss her whenever he wanted.
What had Noah had during that time? Cold, rocks, bullets, and some shitty rations. Was it so wrong that Noah had someone to make his life a little easier while he was fighting overseas? Fuck, no! He hated the idea of Noah being alone. No one there to hold him, to rub his back, or tease him on those rare times when he got too serious. If Rowe couldn’t be there, he was glad that Noah had found some comfort with JB.
But all that old shit stayed in the past. Rowe had set his claim on Noah, and no one was taking his place.
“So…JB, huh?” Rowe asked, inwardly proud of himself for sounding so damned civilized.
“I didn’t expect him to kiss me.”
He couldn’t stop his amused grin at Noah’s defensive tone even as inside, Rowe was still kind of simmering over the whole thing. “You slept with him.” It wasn’t a question because it had been damned obvious he had.
Noah nodded. “It was after you and me. Scratched an itch, that’s all.”
“It was just once?”
Noah glanced at him again. “No, it was more than once. I broke things off because I was in love with you, and it wasn’t fair to him.”
“He wanted more.” Again, it wasn’t a question. Of course the guy wanted more. Anyone would want more with Noah Keegan. He’d had Noah for one night in Prague so many years ago and had definitely wanted more, but the idea of it had scared the shit out of him.
“Yes, he did. But like I said, my feelings were firmly with someone else. You.” Noah hit the blinker and slid into the right lane. “You have nothing to worry about. It was just fucking for me.”
It might have been just fucking to Noah, but Rowe had picked up something entirely different from JB, and the knowledge sat like a heavy lump in his stomach. The guy was going to be staying with them. A guy Noah knew intimately. An extremely good-looking guy…
He had to bite back a growl because a part of him wanted to beat his fists on his chest and declare Noah his. He wasn’t proud of that. He knew Noah loved him and he didn’t have anything to be concerned about, but it still felt like he’d eaten something bad. His rational brain and inner caveman were not liking this arrangement at all.
They reached the house and JB pulled in behind them, his headlights sweeping across the brick. Knowing both Noah and JB were in danger had Rowe extra vigilant as he looked over the quiet house and neighborhood. All he saw were well-maintained homes and well-manicured lawns. It was a quiet area with mostly older couples and families with children. A kid’s bike was parked right outside his next-door neighbor’s house in plain sight and would still be there in the morning. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Rowe got out and opened the garage door into the house. Three happy dogs immediately assaulted him. Vlad, Igor, and Daisy greeted Rowe as if he’d been gone for days and not a couple of hours.
JB dropped to his knees, chuckling when he got a tongue in his face. “You’ve got your home well-guarded.”
Rowe disengaged the security system as he nodded. “I don’t know what’s better—the system or the dogs. Together, they keep the place secure. You’ll be safe here.” He watched as Noah kneeled beside his friend and loved on their dogs, his smile easy and happy. The two together made an attractive picture. Rowe fought back a scowl.
JB stood and walked farther into the room, stopping at the wall of photographs. They stretched across the wall leading into the hallway from the kitchen. Rowe looked at them, realizing there were far more images of him and Mel than him and Noah. How had he not noticed that imbalance until right at that moment?
After the home he and Mel created together went up in flames, Noah had reached out to his friends and collected dozens of pictures of Rowe and his wife. Noah had always made sure Mel was still part of their lives. That Rowe never had to choose between them.