“I’ll wear them on our date tomorrow night,” he decided and Grant blushed adorably as he parked in his driveway.
“Great,” he said but his knuckles were white as they twisted around the steering wheel.
“Grant,” Royce called as he turned his chin. “I had a wonderful time today. Thank you.” He heard Grant suck in a breath and shiver as he leaned close and Royce drank his startled moan as their lips touched.
“Slow down,” Grant panted as he pushed against Royce’s chest. “It’s Thursday afternoon. Let’s keep this PG,” he scolded and Royce swallowed hard as he nodded in agreement.
“Sorry,” he rasped then reached behind him and pushed the door open. “You promised me tater tots,” Royce reminded Grant as they got out.
“I didn’t forget,” he chuckled as he raised the back door. “I’m about to blow your mind with the air fryer.”
“I’ve never had nachos or tater tot nachos,” Royce confessed and Grant hissed as his eyes dropped.
“I feel terrible about your waistline,” he said and Royce’s neck craned.
“What’s wrong with my waistline?”
“I’m about to destroy it with that bag of cheese and a bottle of ranch,” Grant warned and Royce snorted defiantly.
“I’m not afraid of love handles. I think I could carry off the ‘dad bod,’” he said as he curled his fingers then grunted as Grant pushed the colossal bag of tater tots at Royce.
“Of course you can,” he replied flatly and Royce frowned as Grant grabbed a box of assorted fruit and soft mozzarella.
“Let’s have chips and salsa too,” Royce said as Grant hooked his arm around the tub of salsa.
“Sure.” He chuckled as he let Royce into the house then groaned at the mess in the sink as he put down the salsa. “Sometimes, I don’t dread her going to college,” he shared as he scraped off a plate then put it into the dishwasher. Royce hummed vaguely as he opened the fridge and hunted for the appropriate place for the cheese. He made himself useful and put things away as Grant ranted about Audrey and prepared the tater tots. Grant air-fried a basket of the frozen tots then dumped them on a baking sheet and covered them in shredded cheese and baked them. He topped them with chopped green onions and ranch dressing and Royce sobbed as he ate.
“This is sorcery,” Royce declared as he wiped his lips with a napkin then moaned as he took a sip of his beer. “I’ve been to the finest restaurants in the world and I’ve never tasted anything as incredible as this.” He leaned on his elbow and pointed at his plate with his fork then swore as he shook his head.
“You’re going to love taco night,” Grant chuckled then licked his lips as Royce’s eyes became heavy and clung to them.
“Does that mean I’m invited?” He asked as his head tilted and Grant nodded.
“Sure,” he whispered breathlessly.
“Grant,” Royce sighed but the spell broke. Grant groaned and bit into his lip.
“Please, don’t.” It was faint and ragged and it felt like a punch in the gut. Royce rocked back and held up his hands as he recovered.
“I’m sorry,” he said. Grant pushed a hand through his hair and his nose wrinkled.
“I don’t know what this means or what to do about it,” he complained as he slid out of his seat and went to the fridge for another beer.
“Why do you have to assume the worst?” Royce asked. Grant’s tongue slid across his teeth as he gave Royce a withering look.
“You shot my tire.”
“We’ll have a charming story when we tell our grandkids,” Royce suggested and Grant hummed in agreement.
“We’ll need one to explain this mystery,” he said as he waved between them. Royce’s hand dragged down his face as he prayed for strength, then he smiled and waved airily.
“It’s fine. I’ll sublimate my desire with an ungodly amount of fat and calories,” he said then shrugged as he stabbed his fork into a mound of potatoes, cheese, onions and ranch.
“Thanks for understanding,” Grant said as he dropped back into his seat. He pushed out a hard breath then winced at Royce. “I’m over what happened before. Mostly. But it would be a lot less confusing for me if I wasn’t trapped in my head worrying about your motives and how much of this is about obligation and pity,” he explained as he pried off the cap. Royce frowned at his fork then shook his head.
“I honestly had a great time today. I thought it was about that,” he countered and Grant nodded.
“I did too. It was a great way for us to bond and to help me relax when people are watching us,” he replied. “If that was your plan,” he added but his eyes stayed on his bottle, avoiding Royce’s. Royce hissed as he shifted and stretched his neck.
“That’s fair but that wasn’t it,” he insisted. “I wanted to spend time with you and do something in your comfort zone but it wasn’t about the mission. I don’t want to cause you more stress and I want this to be easier for you.” He watched Grant closely as he turned it over. The corner of Grant’s lips curved and Royce felt a warm flutter in the center of his chest.
“Thank you for that.” It was low and soft and Royce didn’t hear a trace of sarcasm or accusation. Then, Grant’s brows pulled together as his teeth scraped over his lip and Royce braced himself. “But at the end of the day, you’re here because of the Lees and all of this is part of your cover. You have to be nice and fix me. That’s what the perfect boyfriend would do, right? The best covers are the ones that are exactly what they look like, but I don’t know if I can pretend to fall in love as well as you or how to pretend I’ve been fixed, when this is over.”
“I don’t think you need to be fixed,” Royce interrupted but Grant held up his hand.
“Tell that to my medicine cabinet. I’ll get the hang of this and figure out how to play my part because everyone’s counting on me. And I think I could convince someone normal and decent to want me if I can fool Hopkins Creek into believing you’d fall in love with me,” he mused. Royce hated the idea of someone normal and decent for Grant. Particularly the normal part.
“Are you saying I’m indecent?” Royce asked and Grant’s eyes swept to the ceiling before he shrugged.
“I think so,” he said and Royce grinned.
“Then we’re halfway there. I’m going to prove that you’re not nearly as boring or broken as you think you are,” he warned. Grant opened his mouth to say something terrible about himself but Royce held up his fork and gave him a threatening look. “Tomorrow. Let’s enjoy the rest of our dinner and then I’ll leave you to your bath and your Ambien. I don’t mind appearing more wholesome and respectable. God knows my father would approve,” he added dryly and Grant laughed softly as he raised a shoulder.
“You can’t take off before we’ve had dessert. I wouldn’t be much of a boyfriend if I didn’t give you ice cream. Have you ever had a root beer float?” He asked and Royce dropped his fork.
“No!” He gasped as his eyes swung to the refrigerator. Royce learned that he couldn’t sublimate his desire for Grant with tater tots and ice cream but it was still one of the most magical days of his life. He’d seen the Wonders of the World, the world’s greatest masterpieces and the Aurora Borealis, but nothing felt as wondrous and moved Royce as deeply as seeing Grant blush and hearing him laugh. Which was shockingly decent and wholesome, as far as revelations went.