Shatter (Unbreakable Bonds 2)

A hint of red colored Andrei’s neck. “Ian, it’s just food. We get that for you, it’s a religion or maybe even some kind of twisted foreplay, but it doesn’t work that way for the rest of us.”

“It should.” Ian stared at Lucas until the older man started to glare back. But Ian gave him that smile—the sweet one that could melt the coldest of hearts—and Lucas’s expression softened. Ian touched Andrei’s arm. “This is serious, though? You two? I’m right, aren’t I?” He laughed. “Your parents did come to Thanksgiving, Andrei.”

Ian and his love of romance. Snow couldn’t help his fond smile. How the kid could still believe in soul mates and happily ever after’s was a miracle considering what he’d been through. God, his heart was a beautiful, beautiful thing and he was a constant reminder to Snow that some people were precious enough to be worth any sacrifice.

All the people at this table were. Maybe even the newest member—who looked poised for flight as he tried to resist Ian’s questions. The poor Romanian glanced at Lucas, then cleared his throat. “We’re just having fun.” Even to Snow, his smile looked nervous.

“Are we?”

A shocked silence fell over the table with Lucas’s sharp tone. The man’s expression said so much about his feelings for Andrei and Snow was sure he wasn’t the only dazed person at the table.

“Is that what we’re doing?” Lucas asked, voice low.

Andrei cocked his head, his sable eyes narrowing on Lucas. As usual, the heat between the two made Snow feel like he witnessed something infinitely private. Andrei had pulled his black, curly hair into a ponytail at his nape, so his curious expression was plain for all to see as he locked his stare on Lucas. “I thought so. Thought that’s what we agreed on. No strings.” Andrei paused, licking his lips. “Are you saying you want more?”

Lucas suddenly grinned. Snow had only seen that look in his eyes when it had been directed at one of his three close friends and even then, it had never held the heat, the flat-out possessive delight that lit his gaze every time he looked at Andrei. He slowly reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a single condom and held it up between two fingers.

“Prepared much?” Rowe asked, his mouth snapping shut when his wife reached across the table to smack his arm. “Hey now!” He rubbed his arm.

Lucas kept his gaze on Andrei as he flipped the condom over his shoulder, tossing it away. “That answer your question?”

The two men didn’t move as Snow held his breath, then Andrei abruptly lunged half out of his chair, grabbed Lucas’s jaw, and kissed him right there in front of everyone.

The feelings that tore through Snow confused him and made him feel faintly ashamed. He should be thrilled for his friend, happy that the man had found someone who made him feel like that. And he was. But some part of him felt cloudy with fear—fear that his world was shifting. Snow had never seen his best friend like this and it caused a pang in his heart because it had been mostly the two of them since they’d been in elementary school. He took in Lucas’s relaxed slouch as he let a man kiss him in public, the way he reached up to smooth his thumb over the hand Andrei had on his face.

That tender gesture showed so very much about how things had changed. When Andrei pulled back and murmured something too low for the rest of them to hear, Snow looked away, not focusing on anything in particular. Lucas was rearranging his life around someone he obviously cared for and that selfish-bastard part of Snow—the one Rowe had joked about—wasn’t sure how to handle it.

One of Snow’s greatest secret fears was that he held nothing of substance beyond his relationship with Lucas.

Seemed he’d be finding out.

He turned back to find Andrei had returned to his chair, but their hands remained threaded together in Lucas’s lap. For a moment, Snow wondered what it would feel like to want someone like that in his life. Someone intimate. For some reason, a pair of dark brown eyes came to mind and he frowned. No, absolutely not.

Someone once again caught his eye before he quickly turned away. But the light hit on a swarthy face that struck a chord of instant fury inside Snow. His ruminations dried up, his gut twisted, and his palms started sweating. He hoped he was wrong, but the clawing, black anger tearing into him told him he wasn’t.

“Uh-oh, I’ve seen that look come over Snow’s face before.” Melissa stretched her neck, obviously trying to see where Snow was looking. “Looks like Snow has zeroed in a possible target. Can anyone else see? Is he hot?”