Page 134 of Billion Dollar Love: Manlove Edition

“Homes don’t have to be big.” Carson held the door for Luke and followed him into the living room. “This place is yours. That’s what matters and makes it special.”

“I’ll bet you have a huge house.” With a nice staff, lavish furniture, and no secrets in his past.

“Nah. I never bought a house. My financial advisor shouts at me almost daily to diversify beyond my investments, but I don’t want a house. I haven’t found anywhere I want to live.” Carson removed his coat. “This is a great house. There’s enough room to be homey, but not cavernous. I like it.” He stopped in front of a photo of him and Luke together. “You kept this.”

It wasn’t a question. “Yeah. We had fun that day.” Luke coveted those memories and replayed the moments of their trip to the pier when he couldn’t stand the loneliness. They’d walked the boardwalk together, eaten ice cream, posed for silly photos, and ridden every rollercoaster four times. He’d had no cares. The day belonged to him and Carson.

“Have you been back to the pier?” Carson asked.

“No.” When he’d been worried about paying the loan on the house, he’d been careful with his cash. Now, he wasn’t wild about spending money on frivolous things.

“We should go back,” Carson murmured.

If Carson stuck around, then he’d visit the pier again. He sighed. “If you want to take off your socks and shoes, we can go out to the patio. There’s more room out there and it’s quiet.” He removed his jacket, shoes and socks, then padded through the house to the sliding door. “I love spending time in my yard. I put in the landscape lighting myself, and there isn’t a weed in sight.”

“I’ve always wanted a patio.” Carson joined Luke beneath the awning. “It’s peaceful.”

“The neighbors are far enough away that it’s private, but still close enough that if something drastic happens, they know.” Luke chuckled. “When the Pattersons got the skunk, we all knew. You couldn’t miss the shouting.”

“I’ll bet.” Carson laughed. “Skunks. We don’t have those in my apartment building.”

“I guess not.” Luke sobered. “You live in a high-rise?”

“It’s tall.” Carson shrugged. “But there’s no yard or patio. I don’t even have a balcony.” He nodded. “Speaking of a yard, have you christened it yet?”

“No.” His cheeks and the tips of his ears burned. “I don’t tend to bring guys over.” He liked to keep his dating life and homelife separate. Duncan only knew where he lived because he’d followed him home.

“I’m the first?” Carson grinned. “Luke, I’m honored.”

“Second.” Luke averted his gaze. “Duncan was here first.”

“Duncan,” Carson bit out. “The jerk.”

“He’ll be crushed. He had his heart set on romancing you.” Carson might as well know the truth.

“Tough.” Carson wrapped his arms around Luke. “I can see working on my apps here. I like your collage of awards and diplomas on the wall. You’re a smart man. We could have a future here. I’ll bet the neighborhood is great for runners.”

He couldn’t keep up with Carson’s line of thought. “Yeah.” He had to be hearing his ex-boyfriend wrong. The words sure sounded like Carson wanted to stay in Litchfield. Why? Nothing exciting ever happened. The nightlife wasn’t great. The town featured no clubs and only a few family-style restaurants. Carson would end up bored in days. He’d complained about getting the hell out of the “one-horse town” when they were in high school. The town hadn’t evolved much since then.

“You don’t think I want to come home.” Carson let go and settled on one of the chairs. “I miss Litchfield.”

He sat beside Carson and rested his elbows on his knees. “You used to complain you hated it here.”

“I changed my mind.”

“What did you do when you left?” He wanted to know everything and understand why Carson would’ve changed his thoughts. How did he measure up in Carson’s life?

Carson laced his fingers together and leaned back in his seat. “I went to college, like you, but I drifted, too. Kind of sucked, really. I had plans, but I blew out my knee during our sophomore year, so I lost my spot on the cross-country team. I thought I wanted bigger things and all I had to do was chase them. I wanted to be challenged, and I needed to run.”

“Makes sense.” Carson hadn’t liked staying in one place for very long. Luke stared at the stars. He and Carson were two beings in a huge world. What they did wasn’t important—not in the grand scheme of things. Still, he couldn’t believe Carson, the man he’d loved so much, was back in his life. The odds weren’t in his favor for Carson to stay. “Is that desire what prompted you to create your app?”

“I wanted something that tracked miles, did elevations, but also encouraged me to keep running. I needed to be pushed, especially when I rehabbed my knee. Some days I didn’t want to move, and others I had too much energy. I wanted something that pushed me, but also rewarded me when I did my workouts. I made what I wanted, and it turned out others wanted the same kind of app,” Carson said. “I wanted things my way, which I guess is selfish.”

“Nah, you’re determined.” He knew Carson would do great things. The man had wild ideas. He admired Carson.

“You know, it sucked, though,” Carson said. He reached for Luke and held his hand. “I wasn’t happy.”

“Why?” He couldn’t imagine not being content. Carson had everything.

“I hate running alone.” He stared at Luke. “I missed you. No one quite fit the bill. Either they ran too fast, too slow, or didn’t want to stick with me.”

He missed having a running partner, too. “We went our separate ways,” Luke said. “It’s not terrible. People drift apart.”

“They can come back together.” Carson left his seat and knelt in front of Luke. “Hearts are strange things. They know what they want and won’t be denied—even if we think we’re in charge. They are.”

Luke reached for Carson, but something buzzed and he jerked. His phone. He tensed. “Shit.” He withdrew the device from his pocket. “It’s Duncan. Probably to chew my ass out for leaving him and to beg me to put him together with you.” Duncan always did have interesting timing.

“Don’t want him.” Carson palmed Luke’s thighs. His smile widened as he leaned forward and nuzzled Luke’s throat. “I need you.”

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