Page 38 of Something Unavoidable

Ryan and Nick behaved themselves, and Keegan only had to shoot Micah a warning look before he mimed zipping his lips and turned the topic to their New York trip later in the week.

“It’s gonna be amazing,” Micah told Archer and Izzy. “Wait until you get a load of the view from Xavier’s balcony. It’s obviously too cold to hang out there, but,” he whistled, “you can see all the way to the Empire State Building.”

“I can always turn on the heat lamps and open up the hot tub if you’d like,” Xavier offered from the other side of Nick. “Finn and Ev spent half of our last trip out there. I bought a few more lamps since I was afraid this sweet boy,” he pressed a kiss to Finn’s temple, “might turn into a popsicle.” He lowered hisvoice, but Keegan still heard him murmur “adeliciouspopsicle” in Finn’s ear before doing something against Finn’s neck that had him flushing pink and hiding his face. Keegan thought he might have heard a hissed “Daddy!”

Xavier wrapped an arm around his shoulders, looking pleased with himself.

“Archer, I hear you have a new client,” Maggie said from the far end of the table as she deftly changed the subject.

“Potential client,” Archer corrected. He paused to finish chewing. “Someone saw the piece Xavier has up and wants to talk to me about a commission.”

“No need to sell yourself short,” Xavier told him. “It’s a done deal. Morgan was obsessed. He keeps messaging, wanting to know when he can meet you.”

Archer shrugged, gave a crooked smile and admitted, “If it’s all the same to you, I’m gonna keep being nervous. I’ll believe it when the check clears.”

“First of all,” Xavier said, “for the amount Morgan can afford to pay, it will be an e-transfer. And second…” Xavier placed his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. “We need to work on your confidence. You’re extremely talented, Archer. I have friends asking when your next gallery show is and if I can get them in in advance.”

Archer blinked at Xavier, looking stunned. “Gallery show?”

“Get ready, Archer,” Nick said, laughing. “You’re about to find out why Xavier is the best in the business.”

Finn hugged Xavier’s arm and gazed up at him with his heart in his eyes, while Xavier smiled and took a sip of his wine.

Keegan couldn’t imagine living that life and didn’t particularly want to try. While Ryan, his men, Archer, and Izzy were in New York living it up, he would be spending a week at his cabin. It was something he did every winter. He’d arranged for Josie, the other nearby vet, to cover for him. He’d done the samefor her when she went to visit her family for the holidays. They had another swap planned for the summer.

As he listened to Micah and Izzy discuss all the things they wanted to get up to in the city, the clubs they wanted to check out and the sights they wanted to see, he found himself dragged down a rabbit hole of overthinking. What would Izzy be like, turned loose on the New York City club scene? Men would be falling over themselves to talk to Keegan’s gorgeous brat. To do more with him. And Izzy had always proved to be willing.

The thought of random strangers’ hands on Izzy, their bodies pressed up against him, inside him, made Keegan’s stomach churn. And that, in turn, made him realize just how close he’d let himself get.

Keegan knew it wasn’t his place to make demands. They had never discussed what it was they were doing, much less exclusivity. And more than that, he knew Izzy would react badly if he brought it up now—hell, if he brought it up at all. But dammit if he didn’t want to pull Izzy aside and beg him not to let another man fuck him. To be with Keegan and only Keegan.

Izzy’s knee was bouncing under the table, and it drew Keegan’s attention back to the conversation. Micah was in the middle of explaining some kind of viral video. It took Keegan a few minutes, but he clued in that Ev, the boy they were going to visit, was the subject of the recording. Micah pulled out his phone to show Izzy and Archer the video, posted by Remy Dalton, of all people, of a redheaded young man and a beautiful blond woman performing at a black grand piano. It was taken on a cell phone, but, despite the low quality, their talent was clear. Others obviously agreed, based on the number of views that was nearing the millions.

Izzy was playing along with Micah’s excitement about hanging out with celebrities, but Keegan could feel the tension rolling off him.

Something was wrong. Keegan wished he knew what to do about it.

Keegan wasn’t great atfeelings. More accurately, he wasn’t great attalkingabout feelings. His own or other people’s. Sure, he could dole out advice or point out when someone was missing the obvious—like when a certain ranch manager wasn’t getting the hint that his employee was in love with him. But putting a name to the swirling mix of stuff that flared in his chest as he watched Izzy speak quietly to Klaus, their foreheads pressed together, was beyond him.

Keegan knew one thing. He couldn’t let Izzy leave for New York on Thursday without saying…something. Except, he’d spent the last two days obsessing over it and he still didn’t have a goddamn cluewhat.

Izzy stepped out of Klaus’s stall and caught Keegan staring. “What?”

Keegan opened his mouth, then paused. What was his plan here? The only thing he knew for sure was that asking Izzy to stop sleeping with other men would end in a fight. And he didn’t know what Izzy would take more offense to—the implication that he was sleeping around too much, or that Keegan had any right to make the request in the first place. Probably both.

Izzy shifted under Keegan’s scrutiny and looked away. “Are you pissed about this morning? I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Keegan was taken aback. “Why do you think I’m upset?”

Izzy waved a hand at him. “You’re making a face.”

Keegan shut his eyes and covered said face with his hand, a huff of amusement leaving him even as his skin went warm.

“Uh…” Izzy said, sounding out of his depth. “You’re…blushing.”

Keegan just shook his head. How the hell was he supposed to tell Izzy that he’d been staring because he couldn’t look away? He lowered his hand and opened his mouth.

“Keegan, can I borrow you?”

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