Rough Canvas (Nature of Desire 6)

"I only heard about it a couple days ago. . . "

A few minutes later, when Thomas finished, Josh stayed silent for a long pause.

"Christ. Marcus and I have been friends a while, and I didn't know anything about his family. "

Thomas felt a tightening in his gut. "I know. Me either, until this week. " Another pause, as if Josh was having some trouble getting out the words. "Listen, Thomas, Lauren is my Mistress. She and Marcus shared me one night. Long story short.

One time, special circumstances. She's everything to me. Marcus and I were never lovers. Got it?"

"Okay. " Thomas got his mind around it, took a more secure grip on the phone.

"Okay. "

"She's a girl, so she's going to say it the girly way - ow. But. . . " Josh's voice got serious again. "She's right. You're everything to him. Don't fuck him up. Okay?"

"I. . . " Thomas looked over at the sleeping man, his arm thrown over his eyes. "He's everything to me too. I've got it straight now. He won't shake me. But there's one more thing I've got to do. That's why I need you here. After I take care of it, he's never getting rid of me. "

"Good. Because he's a royal pain in the ass and you have our sympathy. " Thomas grinned. After a few more moments of confirming plans, a guilty shock as he realized the two of them were at the tip end of Florida and would have to arrange a flight in, he hung up. Only to find Marcus awake and watching him.

"Josh and Lauren will be here for dinner tomorrow night," Thomas informed him.

"Meddlesome prick. You think you have the right to handle me?"

"When you need handling. Why don't we invite Julie over tomorrow morning if she's back from Massachusetts? We'll fix her breakfast. " Marcus considered him. "Okay," he said at last. A sudden exhau

stion crossed his face, the simmering belligerence just evaporating, making Thomas' heart hurt for his lover. "I don't have much in the kitchen. And the place is a fucking mess. "

"I'll take care of it. Why don't you just keep on napping? I'm going to finish this idea up, then I'll wake you and we can head to bed. " Marcus lay back on the grass. "Fine. But be sure you wake me. You're feeling so nurturing right now, I don't want you scooping me up in your manly arms and carrying me back downstairs. "

Thomas sent him an arch look. "Will you beat on my broad chest with your feeble fists if I do?"

"And ruin my manicure? Not likely. I would have Julie sock you in the eye though.

In the morning. "

"Then shut up and go to sleep. I'm working. Trying to make you money to keep you in the manner to which Donald Trump wishes he could become accustomed. "

"Music to my ears. Tomorrow night I'll have my biggest commission source and the one artist I know who can give him a run for his money in my house. " Marcus raised a brow. "Come to think of it, maybe I should keep you two separated, like the President and the Vice President, never in the same building. " Thomas snorted. "J. Martin is your biggest commission check, another guy you've never let me meet. "

"You and the rest of the world. He's very private. Likes living on some ass-end remote island off the coast of Florida. "

Thomas stopped dead. His charcoal made an uncontrolled smudge as he forgot to remove it from the paper during his swift turn.

"J can actually stand for a name beginning with J," Marcus pointed out. "Like Joshua. Josh. "

"I was talking to J. Martin? That's Josh? Holy - why didn't you tell me? Holy Christ.

I. . . You fucked J. Martin. Holy Christ. "

Thomas broke off, scowled when he saw Marcus with his hands laced behind his head, eyes dancing with laughter at his reaction.

"So now it's okay that I fucked him?"

"You dick. I'm going to throw you off this roof. "

"Security will not let you stay for dinner tomorrow night if you kill me," Marcus said, rolling to his feet more quickly than expected as Thomas came after him. He dodged around a tree anchored in a massive clay planter.

"I'll make it look like a suicide," Thomas promised.