Page 85 of Mr Nice Guy

Skyler cranes his head around me to send Deacon a startled look. “Did you just threaten me with a TLC song?”

Deacon offers a wry smirk. “Not intentionally. But if you don’t get your hands off my boyfriend your new nickname will be ‘Left Eye’.”

No doubt unable to resist teasing Deacon, Skyler gives me a kiss on the cheek before finally stepping away.

“Ew. No. Just no, no, no,” Sullivan rants, shaking his head. “Heis not a boyfriend. He’s an old man.”

“Something to aspire to, I’d say,” Skyler murmurs.

“Watch who you’re calling old, Sully,” I hear a familiar voice say. “He’s only a couple years older than I am.”

I turn to see Paxton Greenwood striding across the living room towards our little group. For a moment I’m startled to see him here, but then I remember he’s the Cox siblings’ step-brother. Fortunately, we’ve already cleared the air after that strange meeting a couple weeks ago, so there’s no awkwardness today. Now that he’s been a hundred per cent reassured that there won’t be any changes to his show, he’s been happy to step back and let us get on with things; I can tell he’s still a bit uneasy about changes at the network, but I don’t think there’s too much risk of him making a big fuss about it once the ball gets rolling.

“Yeah, well you’re not sleeping with my brother,” Sullivan grumbles to Pax.

Paxton turns his attention on Deacon, raking his gaze up and down my boyfriend’s incredible body. “Well, I wouldn’t have said no had the offer ever been put out there.”

“Watch it, Greenwood,” I practically snarl. “There are plenty of ways for me to make your life hell.”

He lets out a loud chuckle. “Chill, boss. It was a theoretical musing. I know he’s all yours.”

All mine. I love how that sounds.

“Urgh, I think I’m going to vomit,” Sullivan grumbles.

“Sully, you’re being a fucking dick,” Deacon says, folding his arms across his chest and staring his brother down. “Tanner and I are together. We love each other. Get used to it.”

Sullivan sighs, running a hand over his face in obvious agitation. “Deacon, come on—you can’t trust this guy.”

“Why? Because he’s still legally married to a woman he hasn’t seen for three years?” Deacon demands. “Because hewasyour business rival? Because he didn’t tell me some things after only a couple weeks of being together?”

Sullivan’s jaw tenses and he turns to Drew. “Babe, help me out here.”

Drew’s brows shoot up. “Why would you expect me to help you. I’m with Deac—you’re being a dick.”

Sullivan’s mouth falls open in shock. “Wha—only the other day you told me you love me,” he reminds his boyfriend, almost accusingly. “When you love someone you stand by them no matter what.”

Drew rolls his eyes. “No, when you love someone you have to tell them when they’re being a dick. Which is why I’m telling you right now—Sullivan, you’re being a dick.”

Sullivan just stares at Drew for a long moment, a strange expression on his face.

“Sully? Are you even listening right now?” Drew asks, brow creased in concern.

Sullivan blinks rapidly, as though coming out of a stupor. His cheeks flush and his lips curve into a bashful smile. “Sorry. I just heard you say ‘dick’ about a thousand times and kind of lost focus. And then you did that thing with your tongue and you’re lip ring…:”

“Ah, okay, are we done here? Is the air clear?” Deacon asks, clearly uncomfortable as he tries not to look too closely at the way Sullivan and Drew are now staring at each other. “I’d like to get out of here before they start going at it.”

Sullivan lets out a grunt of annoyance and tears his eyes from Drew, turning on me with an intense look. “Did you give up MesiTec because you were trying to get back into my brother’s good books?”

I share a curious glance with Deacon. I hadn’t even considered how it might look that way to Sullivan.

“Because I don’t want him dating some asshole who’s just going to buy his way—”

“Jeez, calm down,” Deacon drawls. “We were well and truly back together by then.”

“Then what was with the change of heart?” Sullivan asks, clearly baffled.

I let out a sigh. I guess there’s no need to keep this from him now. “MesiTec was my wife’s company.”

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