Page 4 of Hot Neighbor Summer

As much as I love Duke, he doesn't need me in that way. And I know he has the same needs I do, the same desire to lavish love on someone, which isn't what I need from him, either. Plus, we're both tops, and hung as fuck, so it's a real shame to let all this man meat go to waste.

We realized years ago that a third person would make what we have truly perfect. Finding said other person has proven to be a challenge though.

Until now, that is.

Duke can play it safe all he wants, but I sense an opening here. And if there's one thing my cock craves right now, it's an opening.

"Come inside." Duke opens the door wider. "We were just on our way to see you."

"You were?" Bailey asks, stepping inside.

"We were," I confirm. "We wanted to make sure you were okay. That asswipe hasn't contacted you again, has he?"

"No. He's blocked me on every channel imaginable."

There's a firm edge to his voice, which I take as a good sign. But breakups are always tough, even when they're with jerkholes. I need to remember that. Bailey will need some time to heal and process his emotions.

Luckily for us, Duke and I have all the time in the world. We may only be in our early forties, but some savvy investment decisions after we hung up our skates mean we can live a semi-retired lifestyle. That's one of the main reasons we moved here.

We lead Bailey into the kitchen, and as Duke pours us some of his delicious homemade peach iced tea, I take the opportunity to ask Bailey something that's been on my mind since we moved in. "How come you're never here during the week?"

Bailey slides onto a stool at the breakfast bar. "I work in Forest Lake, and I have a small apartment there. I inherited the house when my grandmother passed away last year."

He starts fidgeting. Duke stops pouring and looks at me. We can both feel the weight of Bailey's loss. I want to go over to him and bundle him up in my arms like I did yesterday on his front lawn, but instead, I honor what I said to Duke andtread carefully. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

Duke places the glasses and pitcher on a tray and suggests, "It's a gorgeous day. Let's go outside."

I open the door for Duke, who's carrying the drinks. When Bailey approaches and smiles at me, I swear he makes me lose my breath the same way Duke still manages to.

Being big and tall ourselves, we're both suckers for shorter, slender guys, and at about five seven, Bailey fits the bill perfectly. His medium-brown hair falls about messily in a way that makes me want to drag my fingers through it, and his boyish face is dusted with a faint hint of stubble. But it's his hazel eyes that draw me in. I've always been a sucker for eyes, and there's a world of mystery behind his that I'm itching to explore. I want to know everything about him.

I latch onto his shoulder as I slide the door closed, and we make our way to the table under the umbrella. He looks up at me, smiling again, and my core ignites. Man, I want to explore every inch of his delectable body.

We sit at the massive outdoor table facing the pool with Bailey in the middle. Duke's always been the better one at handling small talk, so he asks Bailey what he does for work—he's a project manager for a real estate investment company—whether he likes it here—his favorite thing is to escape the city and come up here on weekends, especially in summer, and hang out by the lake—and what music he listens to. He rattles off a bunch of artists I've never heard of, which highlights just how many years separate us. I don't know whether the age gap bothers Duke, but I couldn't give a shit about it. As long as Bailey doesn't mind I can't spell the names of half the artists he mentioned, then why would I give a damn what anyone else thinks?

"So what happened with your ex?" I ask when there's a break in the conversation.

Duke shoots daggers at me. "You'll have to forgive Stellan. He was raised in the woods by pack animals and lacks social skills."

Bailey grins. "It's okay. Um…" The grin fades, replaced by his brows forming a deep V. "Conor cheated on me." He lets out a sigh and stares up at the blue sky. "Three times."

Anger boils my blood. "That's so fucked up."

"We're sorry that happened to you," Duke says, and I give a sharp nod.

"It's fine. I mean, it's not. It really sucks. But this time we're really over. I'm not taking him back. Not after what he said."

Duke glares at me, and I can read his mind as clearly as if he were saying the words out loud.Don't ask. Don't ask. Don't ask.

But I can't help myself. I've been dying to find out more about Bailey for a whole freaking month, and now that I finally can, I'm not about to pass up the chance to do just that.

"Do you mind if I ask what he said?" I get the words out as gently as I can.

"You don't have to answer that," Duke says, trying to keep his voice calm while frowning at me.

Bailey drops his head. "It's so embarrassing, you guys."

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