Page 173 of Captivated

“Where’s the boyfriend?”

Zeeb leaned forward, his palms flat to the table. “And that is precisely the kind of thing I wanna talk about. Don’t go saying stuff like that when Nate’s around, okay?” He winced as he straightened, then slipped his wrist back into its band.

Damn it, body. Get your act together.

Butch frowned. “But Nate’s gonna be a lot different now, isn’t he?”

Zeeb paused. “I hope so. But if he’s not?—”

“He’s with you,” Butch interjected. “That’s gotta mean something.”

If he’d been able to, Zeeb would’ve hugged Butch tight enough to crack his ribs.

He sees a lot. He cares.

Hell, they all did.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Walt strolled out. He saw Zeeb and clutched his chest. “Damn, Zeeb, don’t tell me you finally lost your cherry last night.” He grinned. “Well, the only one you had left.”

Zeeb rolled his eyes. “I swear to God, everyone’s a fucking detective around here.”

Walt pulled a chair out and sat. “Hey, I can’t help it if some of us saw the writing on the wall, all right?” He folded his arms. “Just didn’t believe you’d drag it out for as long as you did.”

Teague’s voice rang from the doorway behind Zeeb. “Oh yeah? Don’t you go giving Zeeb any crap, just because he got his shit together at last. How long did it take you to get up enough nerve to make a move on a guy?Youmay not choose to remember, but I sure as hell do.”

Zeeb turned and glared at Teague. Dammit, he was smirking.

“You knew too? How I felt about Nate?”

Teague shrugged. “You think you’re the only one who notices a thing or two about how folks move around here?”

“Did youallknow?” Zeeb gave him and Walt an incredulous stare.

Matt walked in, carrying the breakfast dishes. “Well, sure we did.”

What the fuck?

“Nate was scared, we knew that. But when he was around you he perked up.” Teague smiled. “I saw him reach for you, then drop his hand. He wanted to touch you so desperately, but something held him back. I guessed that was probably fear.”

Well, I’ll be….

“When did you grow up?” Zeeb gaped at him.

Teague shrugged. “I had a chat with Sol and told him I wanted to help the pair of you. The rest, as they say, is history.” He smirked again. “You may worship me now.”

“And whileNatewasn’t all that obvious,you?” Matt grinned. “Fuck, you were about as obvious as a calf in heat.” He chuckled. “We kept asking ourselves how Nate could miss it.”

“Really?” Zeeb’s chest tightened. “But none of you said a word.”

“Why should we? You’re both big boys,” Walt drawled. “We’ve been around long enough to know that when it’s right, it’s right.”

Zeeb stared at him, then back at the others. All of them were standing around as if they were waiting for a damn round of applause.

He took a deep breath. “Look, I want you to watch your mouths when Nate’s around. He’s been through stuff you wouldn’t believe.”

Walt frowned. “Yeah, you’ve hinted at that. Sounds like the kid has issues, so fine, we’ll handle him with kid gloves.” Then he smiled. “But hell, you two are good together. Even I can see that.”

The group fell quiet for a moment, and Zeeb regarded them all with a full heart. He might not have asked for their approval, but it was nice to have it, all the same.

---