Page 14 of Labor of Love

When it was over, Luca let go of his face and looked up at him with a goofy smile. “Yeah, no, I don’t think I need an app… and I don’t think we need to keep up this whole ‘platonic’ charade. I was maybe exaggerating just alittlebit about the hormones thing.”

All signs of guilt disappeared from West’s face. Bewilderment took its place. “You were exaggerating?”

“A teensy bit.”

“Why?”

Luca bit his lip to keep from grinning, but some of his adoration for West must have slipped through anyway, because a hint of a smile appeared on West’s face.

There was no going back now.

It was time to lay all his cards on the table and hope—despite his many fumbles—that he’d managed to play them right. “Because like you as more than just a friend… and if you feel the same way I do, I’d like to do this again. Often. Maybe even as soon as after dinner tonight.”

West’s whole face lit up, and Luca knew before he said a single word what his answer would be.

They banished all things platonic kiss, by kiss, by kiss.

No more “just friends.”

West was his, and he was West’s—exactly the way it was meant to be.

8

LUCA

Summer was in full swing, sunlight beating through the window despite the early hour on what Luca hoped would be a lazy Saturday. Last week at work had been rough—dental cleanings hadnotbeen designed with the heavily pregnant in mind, and he’d been doing way more of those since they’d taken him off X-ray duty—but at last, the torture was over. Friday had been his last day in the office. Paternity leave had officially begun.

“You awake?” he whispered.

Beside him, West stirred. These days, his bed was lessThe Elite Home Magazineand more like a very comfortable peacock made of bedding had exploded across it, but otherwise, the room remained more or less the same, with the exception of the mess that was Luca’s laundry, which only made it into the basket eight times out of ten.

“Mm,” West confirmed, cracking open an eye. “You hungry?”

“No. Pretty sure if I smell so much as bread toasting, I’ll hurl.”

“Meal replacement shake, then?”

“Yeah. I could go for that.”

“I’ll go get you one in a bit. I just need a second to wake up first.”

“Yeah?” Luca grinned, biting down on his lip. “Do you need a little help?”

West opened his one cracked eye fully. “Right now? Do you think we have time?”

“Only one way to find out. C’mere.”

With all the open joy of a schoolboy getting into mischief, West closed the distance between them and wrapped Luca in his arms, dragging him in for a kiss that made Luca glad they’d put breakfast on hold. He hummed in enjoyment and kissed West right back, one hand fishing between their bodies to find the fly of West’s boxer briefs. While his hormones had somewhat stabilized, he found himself in frequent need of West’s body, and West was always happy to accommodate. It was a good thing he’d be home for the next couple weeks before the baby got here, because chances to act on his impulses had been few and far between, and now that they’d both be home all day, there would be way more time to sneak in a little nookie whenever?—

As though summoned by the cock-block gods themselves, the bedroom door creaked open.

Luca froze.

West ended the kiss.

Still and silent, they listened as a pair of tiny bare feet tried—and failed—to sneak across the bedroom.

There was a moment of silence, and then, with a roar, their two-year-old son, Shiloh, leapt onto the bed.

---