Just like that, Jackie relaxed beside me as they answered the questions.
“Here, Auggie.” Dad passed me tongs. “Take over for me while I get more drinks from the fridge and check on Lucky. He went to hide in the office as soon as Lydia and Valerie arrived.”
I stepped closer to the grill, which put me next to Charles, who still hadn’t acknowledged me.
“Hey, Charles. Think we can find somewhere to talk in a bit?” I asked him.
He shook his head at me. “Not here.” His eyes traveled to where Jackie had taken off their shoes and now sat at the edge of the pool with their feet in. They were already engaged in a discussion with the two women.
“It’s not even necessary,” he said, his words stiff. “I get it. In fact, I did say it was okay for you to fuck around with whomever, right?”
“We’re just friends.” I stared into his eyes, which was difficult to do when he kept looking away. “I already told you that. Truth is that I haven’t looked at anyone else since I’ve been with you, Charles.” I dropped my voice to a near whisper. “And I might just tell you now that I find you being jealous hot as hell, but it’s not the time nor the place. I’ll explain everything to you later.”
A little color returned to Charles’s face, but before he could respond, Declan intervened, placing a hand on Charles’s shoulder.
“Why do you both look so intense? Everything all right?”
Charles seemed at a loss for words. I could tell guilt was eating him up at what we were doing, so it was up to me to keep the suspicion away from us.
“Everything’s good. Charles and I are just talking about my résumé on which he gave me constructive feedback.”
“Still struggling to find a position?” Declan asked.
“I’m sure something will come up soon.”
“Well, if you need me for reference or—”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Declan chuckled. “I had a feeling you would say that.” He turned toward the sound of Jackie’s laughter and arched his eyebrow at me. “Nice. Do we hope they’ll be coming around more often?”
At Declan’s question, Charles’s earlier tension returned. He mumbled something I didn’t hear and stalked off toward the house.
“We’re just friends,” I told Declan. “Given their toxic work environment, I thought they could benefit from being around open-minded people.”
“What do you mean toxic work environment?”
“Their boss is a big douche, insensitive to their preferences and identity.”
“Hmm.” Declan frowned. “And what do they do?”
“Secretarial job.”
He nodded but then got distracted as Dad returned from the house. I quickly gave him back the spatula, wanting to ask if he’d seen Charles but not willing to draw their attention to us.
“Your friend seems nice.” Dad gave me the same look Declan had.
I groaned. No wonder Charles thought Jackie and I were more than friends. Everyone else did. Why did people no longer believe there was such a thing as friendship without anything more intimate? The sexual chemistry between Jackie and me was nonexistent.
“Just a friend, Dad,” I said. “I’m going to peek in on Lucky. I should steal him away for a couple of days sometimes.”
“Just as I thought, he’s in my office,” Dad called at my back.
I went over to Jackie and politely excused myself as I interrupted their conversation. The two women swam away, giving us some modicum of privacy to talk.
“Are you okay with me leaving you here for a few minutes?” I asked them.
“Yes, everyone’s so cool. Thanks for inviting me. This place is huge.”
“Great.”
Before I could move away, they grabbed my wrist. “Why did you bring me here if you knew he was here?”
I blinked at them in surprise. “What?”
“That guy who makes you unavailable,” they replied. “It’s him, isn’t he? That gorgeous hunk who looks like he wanted to murder me. Isn’t he the same guy who was at the bar that night we went there together?”
I stared at them, unable to speak. How much to share? Jackie had been quite confidential with me so far, and it wasn’t like I could share about Charles with anyone else. All my friends were somewhat connected back to Declan and Owen. I couldn’t risk our relationship to come out yet. Not until Charles was confident about us and what he truly wanted out of our relationship.
“It’s complicated.”
They laughed softly. “I’m guessing nobody here knows.”
“No, and I’d like it to remain that way. He’s really gun-shy.”
They mimed the act of zipping their plump pink-glossed lips. “My lips are sealed.”
“Thank you.”
And because the moment seemed to call for it, and I was extremely grateful for having discovered them as a friend, I leaned forward and kissed their forehead.
“I’m glad I met you, Jackie.”
“Uh-oh,” they groaned.
“What?”
“Your big secret just came out and saw us talking. He went back inside, and he doesn’t look amused.”
I glanced toward the open patio doors and caught a hint of Charles’s frame disappearing back inside. This wasn’t how I’d planned to spend the day at all.
“Go get him.” Jackie gave me a gentle push. “By the way, I think I love your dad for bringing pronouns into our introductions.”
I grinned at them. “Hey, wreck one relationship at a time,” I teased. “If Declan hears that statement, he might not be so friendly. You don’t want to get on his bad side.”
I said it teasingly but also as a soft warning. There was still a lot to know about Jackie. I didn’t want them to say the wrong thing and have Declan letting loose his possessive side.
Damn, that was one thing it seemed father and son had in common. Whereas Declan embraced it, Charles was still in denial about it. Possibly because then he’d need to face the fact that what we had went deeper than just sex with an expiration date.
He might not have said so explicitly, but he gave hints about the baby being born, and he never included me in those tidbits.
Declan and Dad were engaged in a conversation with the het couple on the lounge. They barely paid me any attention as I entered the house. Damn, I’d forgotten just how huge this house was. How was I supposed to find Charles?
Then it hit me. I might be wrong, but it was worth a shot. I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. So far, we hadn’t brought any suspicion on ourselves, but if we were gone for too long, then it would raise questions.
I located the room where Charles had spent the night, when he’d popped by while Dad and Declan had been on their honeymoon. I didn’t knock, just quietly eased the door open and sighed in relief that I knew him so well. He stood by the foot of the bed, his shoulders slumped.
“Charles.”
He didn’t turn around when I came in. I closed the door behind me and spun the lock for extra precaution.
“Charles, I told you it’s nothing.”
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. The material stretched across his backside, and I stifled my groan at the provocativeness of his stance. His pants were already so tight. I longed to push them down to his knees, bend him over the edge of the bed, and fuck him so deeply and fiercely that he’d realize he was the only one I wanted.