Order (Tattoos and Ties 2)

There were so many sides to this man. “You have two hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars here, Key,” Alec said, sounding almost accusatory, even to himself.

Key’s gaze lifted to his, showing exactly how uninterested he’d been in all this cash lying between them. “Is that enough to pay the attorney?”

“Are you serious? You won’t even buy new hair ties and you have two hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars in a safe in the back of your uncle’s property? Not even a wall safe. I could have carried the thing off.” Yeah, that definitely came out as an accusation.

“Are you mad?” Key’s hand stopped moving, letting Nash attack him as he stared straight at Alec.

No, he wasn’t mad and did manage to shake his head no. In a relationship of constant twists and turns, this was another major shift in learning who Key was as a man. “You’re a baller. My boyfriend’s got money. Where did this come from?”

Key’s face went through a range of emotions. As he said what he said, Key’s playful grin spread across his face only to fall instantly when he again asked how Key had gotten this much cash. He masked his thoughts as he rolled to his back and started to rise.

“If it’s not enough to pay for the attorney, I can sell a bike,” Key added, reaching for his beer bottle on the coffee table. It was twenty-five degrees outside, the wind sounded like a blizzard had moved in, and Key had chosen a cold beer when all Alec wanted to do was snuggle on the sofa and stay there until this minute of winter blew through.

“This changes things. I’m intimidated. If you can get your hands on this kind of cash, you don’t need me,” Alec said, lifting to his feet as Nash attacked a stack of cash.

Key obviously thought Alec’s words were the funniest thing in the world. He laughed one of his hearty laughs, drawing Nash’s attention. Their pup leaped forward, double timing it Key’s direction. Key’s phone vibrated, and Alec followed him toward the kitchen where he pulled a new beer from the refrigerator. Alec wasn’t nearly ready to let this go.

“I’m serious. That’s a lot of cash. You can absolutely pay your attorney and build our house.”

“I doubt that,” Key said, twisting the cap off the bottle. With a well-practiced expert flick of his fingers, he sent the cap flying toward the trashcan, then he reached for his cell phone, charging on the kitchen counter, right as it started vibrating again. Alec stood in front of Key as he worked his phone with his thumb, and Alec’s hands went to his waist as he stared at Key. More than anything else, Alec wanted to provide for Key. He was serious—that was what he saw as his role in their relationship. Key made them a family. Alec paid their way. He’d been working himself into the ground catching up on everything associated with Arik Layne Properties for the sole purpose of being their bread winner, wanting to give Key more.

Key’s forehead crinkled, and he shook his head, drawing Alec’s gaze down to the phone. He didn’t necessarily intend to read Key’s text message—it was more that it was right there in his face. The message came from Dev. He bent in more to see animated cats dancing in front of a lit fireplace. The perfect diversion. Alec turned his head to get a better look. The GIF seemed so out of place, considering it had been sent from the tatted-up man he’d watched throw one of the biggest fits he’d ever seen anyone throw while in the waiting area at the jail.

“What’s that mean?”

“Don’t know,” Key replied and placed the beer on the counter to type. “He asked if we were home durin’ the bad weather, and then that came.”

“We’ve been in the house all day—there’s a chance of ice tonight. You need to stay in too.” Alec watched as Key typed the words, pushed send, and the pending message dots started drumming, showing Dev was already typing back.

“Yeah, we’ve been in all day—me, Holly, and the kids. No plans to change. Take care, brother.”

Alec looked up to see Key’s brows draw up in question while he stared at the phone screen.

“He likes cats?” Alec asked, taking the cell phone from Key’s hand and going back to the GIF. He’d seen it correctly: three cats dancing to “Jingle Bells” in front of a fireplace.

“Not that I’ve ever known.” Key grabbed his beer and the phone from Alec before bending, scooping up Nash, and going back to the living room. Alec trailed slowly behind Key, his gaze moving between the cash still on the rug, and Key’s impressive back covered in a tight-fitting thermal long-sleeve shirt. Something wasn’t right, maybe several somethings weren’t right, but Alec couldn’t quite wrap his head around what he was missing.