Page 48 of Convenient Rivals

“I’m sorry.”

Gregory stood up and walked over. He took hold of Oscar’s hand and gripped it tightly. The gesture sent a jolt of electricity through him, which caused his body to jerk, but Gregory didn’t let go of his hand.

“What do I do now?”

“I’ve been thinking about this. Do you want the money?”

“I don’t give a fuck about the money.”

“Do you want your mother to have it?”

“No.”

“Then let’s get married.”

“What?”

“Just like we agreed.”

“I thought you’d paid off the debt.”

“I wouldn’t be doing this for the money.”

“Then why?”

“You were willing to help me. I’m just returning the favour.”

Oscar felt overwhelmed. This beautiful man. His eyes showed how genuine he was. He wanted to do this for Oscar, and for no other reason than to be supportive.

“It’s possible they need the money, but why couldn’t they just have told me? I mean, your parents had some financial difficulties, so the same could have happened to mine.”

“That was caused by egos and a child with a gambling problem.”

“I just wished she’d told me they needed the money and I would have helped them get it. I don’t need it.”

“Why don’t we register, anyway? We’ll book something just before your birthday, and if you decide you don’t want to do it, we can cancel, but at least the option is there.”

Oscar surged forward and pulled Gregory into a kiss. It was intense, as all their kisses had been, but Oscar was putting all his emotions into it. He wasn’t using it as a pathway to climax; he wanted Gregory to know how he felt even though he was still too afraid to say the words.

They were lost in the kiss for a few minutes, but they naturally pulled apart.

“What are doing with the rest of your day?” asked Gregory, his lips all swollen and eyes glazed. He looked adorably cute.

“I need to get back to the office.”

“Do you?” He smiled.

“Well, yes. I’m the boss.”

“Exactly. I’m sure if you call Josh, he’ll clear your diary for you.”

“How do you know about Josh?”

“I know all!” he said, with a put-on voice.

Oscar chuckled.

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll call Josh, but you call Hannah and take the day off as well.”

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