Page 51 of Loving You

Monty burst into laughter and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, kissing him harder. “You make a good argument. If you ever want a career change, I know a law school not too far from here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now, let me find my shoes so we can get going. I need to get my tongue in your mouth without the risk of sensitive ears picking up all the little sounds and making us live to regret it.”

Monty grinned and stole a last peck. “Sounds good.”

Yeah. It really did.

Bronx swore he could taste Monty on his tongue in the days that passed after dropping him off at his place. He could feel echoes of his touch on his skin, which was wholly distracting as he attempted to finish the work to get his office open.

It didn’t help that Lucas was giving him shit every time they were in the same room together, though he did appreciate his son didn’t bring it up when they met with the rest of the dads. Bronx desperately wanted to tell someone—anyone. But he didn’t want to lose Monty. He had no idea how long he’d be able to keep him—if he’d be able to really keep him—so he wasn’t trying to race the clock.

His head was pounding the Friday before the office opened. He was behind his desk, trying not to think about what he and Monty had gotten up to the week before, but it wasn’t easy. He remembered acutely what it felt like with his knees pressed to the floor and Monty’s cock throbbing along the back of his tongue.

Heremembered the thrill of nearly getting caught and the feeling after of holding Monty close as they waited for the person to leave.

He still hadn’t figured out who it was—he didn’t recognize the voice of any of the staff, and no one had asked him about it. He was fairly sure they were quiet enough to not be heard through the door, and he wasn’t sure how he’d live with himself if they weren’t.

“Knock, knock.”

Bronx looked up to find Valerie—the other full-time vet—standing in the doorway. Her long black hair was in a braid that fell over her right shoulder, and she was dressed in a pantsuit, which told him she’d probably been out doing official office things.

“Hey. Sorry, I hope you weren’t standing there long.”

She shook her head, taking two steps in and glancing around. “I have to admit I’ve had my doubts about leaving Pahws for this place, but the offices here actually let me stand up and walk around.”

He snorted. “Yeah. My last place was in a house that was built before the industrial revolution, and it smelled like a gas leak and sewage. The offices were up this super-narrow set of stairs, and I was convinced I was going to be thrown to my death by some old Revolutionary War ghost. Anyway, what’s up?”

She grinned and took one of his guest chairs, dragging it in front of the desk to sit. “So, I just got done at the bank. The account is all set up, and they’re sending over the payment system hardware later. Mica will be at the desk getting the computers all updated and the software tested, so she said she’ll take care of it.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief. “Appointments?”

“Twelve on Monday, and we’re booking up pretty quickfor the rest of the week. I think we’ll have to start looking at Saturdays and Sundays in the next couple of months.”

One of Bronx’s new hard, fast rules was not working on weekends unless he had to. At his old clinic, it hadn’t mattered unless Lucas was home from school, but since he’d chosen to stay over most weekends, Bronx had filled his time with work.

Now that things were better, he wasn’t willing to give up his hours with his kid.

Not while he was still young enough to be home.

“That’ll be between you and Neil,” Bronx told her. “It’ll be a few years before I’m willing to do weekends.”

She didn’t look annoyed. She smiled and leaned back in the chair. “How’s your kiddo adjusting?”

Bronx shrugged and glanced to the side. “Well enough, I think. He doesn’t talk to me much about how he’s feeling except to be angry at his dad.”

Her face fell. “Yeah. That’s rough. Joint custody?”

Bronx swallowed heavily. He hated telling people the truth, even though the only person who looked bad was Jules. But he also wasn’t a man who liked lying. “I have sole custody. My ex didn’t leave just me.”

“Oh.Fuckhim,” she said angrily in the voice of a person who knew exactly what that felt like.

“Exactly. Lucas thinks it’s his fault, which makes me want to eviscerate my shit-for-brains ex. But he was a crappy dad from the start, so the one thing Luke isn’t is surprised.”

Her brows flew up. “It’s probably better that he walked away. In my experience, having a half-assed parent is worse than an absent one. I mean, it’s still gutting either way, but it took me so long to realize my dad was never going to actually be there for me and to stop chasing him.And I’m still the dipshit who answers the phone when he calls.”

Bronx shook his head sadly. “I think Lucas might struggle once his anger dies down a bit. It’s still really fresh. But therapy is helping, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. He just got a job at my friend’s restaurant, and my boyf—my other friend,” he corrected, flushing, “is going to take him flying.”

Veronica lifted a brow and smirked. “Your other friend is a pilot?”

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