Page 36 of The Marriage Negotiation

There was that.

I got out of bed and headed for my dresser. I wasn't working so I went with a simple pair of tan slacks and a white dress shirt. It was warm enough out that I wouldn't need a blazer.

After dressing, I made a quick trip to the bathroom to brush my hair and wash my face. By the time I came out, Zaq was waiting for me. He had dressed similar to me, although his pants were a pair of faded denim jeans.

I absently plucked at his shirt and asked, "Is this okay?"

"It's fine," I replied as I looked him up and down, admiring the way the jeans hugged his thighs. I'd say I was a leg man, but I also liked his ass, his chest, and pretty much every inch of him.

Maybe I was just a Zaq man.

"Got your phone?"

Zaq nodded as he held it up and tilted it from side to side.

"Then let's go."

When we got into the elevator I leaned back against the wall and drew Zaq to me, his back against my front. I couldn't exactly make out with him without giving security a good show, but I could hold him.

"Want to go for a walk in the park when we get back?" I asked.

Zaq smiled back at me, tilting his head until our eyes met. "Depending on how long the meeting goes, we could grab dinner first and then walk it off."

Sounded like a plan to me.

The elevator doors slid open once we reached the ground floor. We were hit with a level of noise when we stepped out that I had never heard in the place before. There was a lot of shouting.

Clearly, someone was not happy.

I placed my hand in the low of Zaq's back and started leading him toward the front door. If someone was throwing that big of a fit, I didn't want Zaq anywhere around them. Security could deal with it.

Unfortunately, as soon as we left the bay of elevators, I recognized the voice shouting at security. I pondered for a moment on whether to just walk on by and pretend that Peter wasn't there, but I didn't want to leave security at the mercy of his shouting.

"I need to deal with this," I whispered to Zaq. "Why don't you go hail us a taxi?"

Zaq shook his head. "We're married now. We face problems together."

"You know how Peter can get," I reminded him "I don't want you to have to deal with that."

My brother could be a complete beast when he was angry. He used his mouth first to get his way and if that didn't work, he used his fists.

Zaq smiled as he stepped in front of me, pressing his hand to my cheek. "Are we married? Yes or no?"

I frowned, my eyebrows instantly snapping together. "Married."

Zaq moved over to stand beside me and then hooked his arm through mine. "Then we deal with it together."

Nothing on earth could have kept the smile that spread across my face from happening. Except for my frat brothers,this was the first time I had ever had someone support me unconditionally.

It was a weird feeling, but very warm.

I moved my arm so that I could grab Zaq's hand, lacing our fingers together, and then I gave it a gentle pat. "Just promise me to get out of the way if Peter starts anything physical."

"I'm not looking to get beat up here, Patrick, but I refuse to let you face this alone."

I guess that was as good as it was going to get.

I clenched my jaw so tight it hurt and then walked with Zaq toward the security desk. I wanted to roll my eyes when I saw Peter yelling at the guard behind the counter. When would he ever learn that he couldn't bully people into submission?

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