Page 43 of Izzy
Izzy raised his eyebrows at that. "He did?"
"He didn't say your name. He just said a Daddy, but I think he thought about you when he said it."
"How could you tell?"
"Because he seemed sad after that." Todd frowned. "You made him sad even though you're in love with him."
Izzy growled and then regretted it because Todd stiffened. "It's not love."
Todd bit his lower lip as if he were trying not to contradict Izzy, but he still frowned.
"Shit." Izzy started out of the kitchen toward the living room. His stomach in knots.
"You owe me a Ulises story."
Izzy didn't turn to face Todd as he spoke. It was on the tip of his tongue to downplay his time with Ulises but thinking about itbrought him back to the last time they'd fucked. It had been the closest to making love he'd ever experienced. "When I'm inside him it feels like…all the good things in the world are given to me. But I…don't deserve it."
It had felt like love. Damn it. And he hadn't deserved that either.
He heard someone gasp and assumed it was Todd but didn't turn.
"I'm not going far, boy. And not for long." And with that he headed outside toward the pool.
Chapter Nineteen
Who knew Izzy had a romantic and loving thought in his head? Not Ulises. But he knew what he'd overheard. He leaned against the wall just out of sight in the hallway and listened, hoping for more, but all he heard was Izzy's boots as he walked away. Then Izzy opened and closed a door, probably going outside to breathe out all his romantic thoughts, since they were so foreign to him.
Ulises knew the house well. Izzy had gone out by the pool, which meant Todd was the only one in the kitchen. He'd come for a bottle of water. Failing was thirsty work. As much as he wanted to avoid Izzy and Todd, he also didn't want to die of dehydration and Seryn refused Ulises when he'd asked him to get it. Making him go was Seryn's way of sticking his nose into Ulises’ business. Ulises suspected he'd done that already. He should be annoyed with Seryn for his busybody ways, but he wasn't. Getting his own water was irritating though.
Ulises took a deep breath, held it for four seconds as though he were meditating, but he needed to shore up his courage to faceTodd. He could always fall back on breathing exercises. At least that was what Seryn always said.
When he entered the kitchen, Todd stood with his back to a lump of some sort of dough. He crossed his arms over his chest as if he were pissed off.
Ulises made a beeline for the refrigerator.
It seemed Todd had been stuck in his thoughts because he whipped around and met Ulises gaze.
"He's in love with you." Todd put a hand over his mouth as if he hadn't meant to say that.
Ulises stopped midway into the kitchen and met Todd's gaze. If Todd had smacked him, he would have had less of a response. He didn't see it coming.
He had to take a minute to think.
"Ully?" The last person to call him that had been his mother.
Ulises came out of his surprise and started toward the refrigerator again. He grabbed a water and headed back the way he'd come. As he left, he said, "You don't need to be jealous. I think you're wrong but even if you aren't, I'm not his mate. Besides, he ended things between us. Nothing is going on and nothing will ever again."
"That's not why—"
Ulises left the room. He darted into the bathroom on the way to the training room. He set his water bottle on the sink before studying his reflection in the mirror.
"I almost regret it." Almost. The things he didn't regret about Izzy had nothing to do with the sex. It was about the tender moments they’d had together. The way Izzy always held him afterward and cleaned him up. The one time they hadn't had sex. Instead, they'd binge-watched a crime drama series on television.
A knock sounded.
Ulises turned on the water for the sink. "I'll be out in a minute."
"I need in there." Izzy. Sheesh. He had bad timing.
