Page 50 of Steady and Strong

Conor’s confession about his feelings in high school had rocked Luca to the core, but more than that, it had sparked an awareness deep inside him. Because the more he played back that day in the library over in his mind, the more he considered that near kiss, the more he wondered if he really would have pushed Conor away. They’d been standing very close—too close for just friends. And it hadn’t occurred to Luca to move back because…he hadn’t wanted to.

Luca thought Joey had planted the seed about Conor, but he was starting to believe it was Conor who’d dug a hole all those years ago.

Unfortunately, Conor hadn’t lowered all his walls, and while Luca felt confident their past had been fixed, there was still something holding the other man back.

Luca shook himself free of those thoughts, his attention refocused to the here and now as Conor shucked off his jacket, tossing it heedlessly to the floor, something Luca would bet a million bucks the tidy man had never done before. He and Harper had started teasing Conor about his fastidiousness—in his home, his office, and his attire. Conor never had a hair out of place.

Except for right now, when the strands were standing on end, thanks to Harper running her fingers through them, gripping handfuls of the dark brown hair in her attempt to keep his lips on hers.

Harper kissed like she ate, voraciously, with a lot of appreciative moaning. Luca could watch these two for the rest of his life and never get tired of the show. He wasn’t the type to hold back in the bedroom, his past lovers calling him dominant, even aggressive—though that hadn’t been a complaint.

However, Luca was in uncharted territory tonight because he’d never been with a man. He and Conor had only shared a few kisses, most of those tonight, and while he knew what fit where, it wasn’t like the two of them had discussed the important shit.

Like top and bottom.

Fuck.

Luca had promised to get them there, but what he hadn’t done was lay the groundwork. Instead, he’d reverted to character and bulldozed them all into this bedroom together because it was where he’d desperately wanted to be.

So he needed to proceed with caution.

Because this mattered.

Too much.

So much that he didn’t want to rush things, didn’t want to screw it up. He’d misinterpreted Conor’s feelings when they were younger, and he’d unintentionally hurt him. He didn’t want to do that again.

Luca didn’t realize anyone had noticed his hesitance, too lost in his own thoughts, until he felt Conor’s hand on his shoulder.

He shifted until his lips brushed Luca’s ear. “We have time. Tonight is for her.”

Luca pulled back, looking at Conor’s handsome face. They should have always been friends. It had been obvious in high school they were…not exactly kindred spirits but a matched set. Or maybe polar opposites was the better descriptor.

Where Conor was book smarts and the definition of white collar, Luca was the blue-collar guy who’d read one book in his life and used it for every book report from seventh grade to graduation. Luca liked to have a good time and was frequently called the life of the party, while Conor was quieter, more likely to hold up a wall than tear down the roof.

Luca couldn’t explain why it worked, but it did. He nodded, shirking off his foolish doubts because he was exactly where he wanted to be.

He cupped Conor’s cheeks and kissed him, a long, deep kiss filled with promise. When they parted, their foreheads pressed together. “Soon,” he murmured.

Conor stepped away, his breathing heavier. Harper, like Luca, seemed to enjoy the voyeur role as much as the participant one. She stood just to their side, taking in everything. They’d spoken loud enough that she heard every word. There were three people in this relationship, friends and soon-to-be lovers. Luca never wanted any secrets between them.

“Come here.” Luca crooked his finger at Harper, whose eyes were heavy-lidded, still drunk on Conor’s kisses.

She stepped in front of him, offering no resistance when he placed his hands on her hips, turning her so that they both faced Conor.

“Take off your clothes,” he said to Conor, his arms wrapped around Harper’s waist. His words were a test—a small one—and the slight pause and narrowing of Conor’s eyes before he pulled the knot of his bow tie loose told Luca what he needed to know.

Conor would follow some of his commands, but not all.

He slowly slipped the tie from the collar, dropping it on top of the jacket before lifting his fingers once again to unbutton his dress shirt. Conor took his time, drawing it out, perfectly aware of the effect it was having on his audience.

When he shrugged the shirt over his shoulders, and Harper drew in an audible breath, Conor gave them a sexy smirk. Luca’s authority had tweaked him, so Conor was getting even by giving them the slowest, hottest striptease in history.

Luca reached down to adjust his pants, the tight material beginning to chafe, given how long his dick had been hard. His erection had made its first appearance the second Conor stepped out of the limo outside Luca’s apartment, and it hadn’t softened beyond half-mast since. He was approaching the danger zone, aware that it was going to take every ounce of self-control to keep himself from coming in Matt’s tuxedo pants if Conor didn’t hurry the fuck up.

When Conor reached for the button of his slacks, Luca felt Harper still, aware that neither of them was breathing. The only sound in the room was the hiss of Conor’s zipper sliding down. He was moving faster now—halle-fucking-lujah—his haste apparent in the way he toed off his dress shoes, then shoved his pants and boxer briefs down together.

Luca had grown up with three brothers, played countless sports, spent plenty of time in locker rooms. He was no stranger to seeing other men’s naked bodies, but he’d never felt an iota of attraction or need or…whatever the fuck he was dealing with now.

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