Page 19 of Enslaved

But once again, Heath ended up being the one with the words. “Do you remember the night we played spin the bottle?”

A loud snort burst from Court. “Vividly.”

“Good.” Heath bit his bottom lip, looking slightly guilty. “I called you over to play with us.”

Court smiled. “I recall.”

“I stopped that bottle on you on the sly.”

Court couldn’t help but laugh. “You did not.”

“I did.”

For a second, Court floundered. He wanted to call bullshit again, but he hadn’t been joking. Court recalled every second of that night with crystal clarity. His brain locked on the moment that bottle landed on him. Court had watched that bottle spin witha desperation of his entire life riding on the outcome. Damn. Heath had stopped it. It had been sly. If Court hadn’t been watching so intently, he would have missed it. At the time, he had merely thought Heath had dropped the cigarette he had been handing to his friend, but the drop had been exact, stopping the bottle on Court.

His gaze snapped to Heath.

A wry smile touched Heath’s lips. “I wasn’t oblivious. Like I said, you went by a different name back then, and obviously, you looked completely different, but I saw you. No one else stared at me the way you did. You always had so much heat in your eyes. It was a horny teen's dream. Why do you think I blew so fast the moment you touched me? I knew you’d burn me to the ground, but I was a shithead, and you were nobody. I didn’t know how to get you alone without…”

“Humiliating yourself,” Court finished for him.

Heath winced. “Like I said, I was a shithead.”

“You actually weren’t.”

Heath looked confused as fuck.

Court didn’t make him ask. “It was never your athleticism or popularity that caught my eye. You were nice. I know you don’t remember, but I recall every tiny detail. You used to position your body in the locker room so the other guys didn’t look my way and make fun of my weight while changing for gym. Youalways included people who never got included in anything. I noticed all those things. In fact, I suppose that was one of the biggest reasons I was crushed by the cruelty. In my head, I’d built you up to be this amazing guy. It was a hard drop from the pedestal I had built for you. Funnily enough, it turns out you really are amazing. Life is funny.” It was absolutely crazy to him that Heath had wanted him before Court changed himself to unrecognizable from his fat days.

“We were one hundred percent meant to be. All this other shit is terrible, but we’ve always had each other, even when we didn’t realize it. Just because we went our separate ways for a while and I forgot about those days, everything looks so clear now. It was always us.”

“Thank god.” Court had never meant anything more. Without Heath, he had no idea where he would be right then, but he knew it would be terrible.

Heath leaned across the car and stole a kiss. “I love you. Do you trust me to make everything better?”

Court couldn’t help but smile. “Always.”

“Good.” Heath settled back and started the car. “Close your eyes. Get some rest. I’ve got you.”

Court did as told. He knew Heath had him. They always had each other.

They had to move on with their lives. There was too much drama. It felt like they couldn’t simply be a happy couple without some over-the-top bullshit. Heath needed to put his foot down. It seemed as if he had been calling in every favor he had since they started dating. Court was worth it. Heath grabbed his phone and texted Noir before pulling from the parking lot. Since the hospital hadn’t let him go back with Court, Heath had reached out to Noir. He knew if anyone had heard the gossip, it was him. Heath hadn’t been wrong. Drue’s debts had come calling. Apparently, that was exactly what Court needed to finally fully walk away. Unfortunately, he didn’t think walking away guaranteed Court would be safely left out of the equation if Drue didn’t find a way to pay. That meant Heath had to once and for all solidify Court’s position in the community. He would no longer be Drue Langley’s son. Court would be Heath Overton’s husband. That mattered more than because of money and stature. Heath was best friends with Prince Noir. There were some people no one dared fuck with. Noir was at the absolute top of that list.

Heath drove on autopilot while plotting the best he could with very little time. Tonight, they needed sleep. Court had left his phone with Heath while he visited his father. Heath had used the opportunity to block all Court’s family contacts. So at least they should have a phone call-free night. They needed more than that. Court looked mentally and physically exhausted. Heath wasn’t far behind him.

He pulled into a circular drive and put the car in park.

Court’s eyes shot open. He blinked at their surroundings as a royal guard opened his door. “Where are we?”

“Prince Noir’s,” Heath answered as he climbed from the car and passed his keys to a different guard. They would know better than him how to keep his vehicle protected overnight. He took Court’s hand and headed for the door. Noir waited for them. Court looked half dead but still awed. Even though they ran in the same circles, Heath doubted Noir had ever spoken to Court. One of them or not, Court would be beneath him.

Thankfully, Noir didn’t look as cold as he could be tonight. He focused on Heath. “You made it faster than I expected.”

Heath chuckled. “I’m fucking exhausted.”

Noir’s light green gaze shifted Court’s way. “You look tired too. I’ve had a room opened for you. You have nothing to worry about here.”

Even though Court was visibly confused, he still managed a sweet smile. “Thank you.”

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