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“You watch Hallmark Christmas movies, don’t you?”

“Joke’s on you; I totally do, and I love them.”

“Explains your big house for one person,” Grady mused. “How many kids do you want? Twelve?”

“The house isn’t that big,” Lake said. “Unless we jam like four kids in each room, I guess? I’d like three or four, though. It was just me and Avery growing up, and I always wanted more siblings. The idea of a whole big family has always appealed to me.”

Grady tilted his head thoughtfully. “You’d be a good dad.”

“Thanks! I think so too.” Lake grinned, sticking his tongue out the side of his mouth.

Grady shook his head ruefully. “Well, I’m sure one day your prince will come.” He poured mango juice into the glasses and pushed one across to Lake.

Lake laughed harder, pointing a finger at Grady. “You watch them too! I know you do!”

Grady didn’t answer, but Lake had him already, he knew. If he could quote a Disney princess, he absolutely watched Hallmark Christmas movies.

Grady handed him a steaming bowl of the ragout. Lake made a mental note to Google what it was. He shovelled a bunch of pasta, a meatball, and some mushrooms into his mouth. It practically melted in his mouth, and his eyes slid closed as he groaned. “Oh my God. I’ll do whatever you want; just don’t stop feeding me this.”

Grady chuckled, and Lake’s stomach flipped at the low sound. He frowned as he swallowed the food in his mouth. That had felt awfully like butterflies, which couldn’t be right.

His mouth dropped open with his fork halfway there when a realisation kicked in. “Hey, you distracted me!”

“What?”

“Sneaky trick, detective.”

Grady speared a mushroom and slowly chewed. Lake waited patiently. Being patient wasn’t his natural state, but he’d had plenty of practice, and he’d wait Grady out as long as he needed to.

“What was I distracting you from?” Grady asked, arching an eyebrow.

“From telling me what happened between you and… that guy, and how you already knew why he was a dickwad and cheated on you?” Lake wrinkled his nose. Even saying the words sounded dirty.

“I don’t know anything about what kind of relationship your friends and your brother have,” Grady said, “but sometimes people have preferences about their role during sex.”

“I’m… not sure I’m following,” Lake said. “Like role-playing?” That was kinkier than he’d expected from this uptight guy. And what did that have to with his breakup?

“No,” Grady said, the twinkle in his eyes telling Lake that he was more amused by the question than anything. “Like I don’t bottom.”

Don’t bottom.Lake’s mind blanked out for a second.

“Like… ever?”

“No.”

“And your ex… he also didn’t?” Lake speared a meatball and bit it in half. There was some kind of spice in it. A little hot, but also delicious. He’d have to remember to ask what it was later.

“He did,” Grady said. He pushed his half-eaten bowl away. “Otherwise, we would never have had sex.”

“Some relationships don’t have sex.” Intimacy wasn’t always based on sex, and Lake had had a few relationships where it hadn’t been a factor at all. And Lake wasn’t always into having sex with people, especially if he didn’t feel much of a connection with them. What was the point of getting naked with a person if you didn’tfeelanything for them? The act of sex for the sake of it made him feel dirty and uncomfortable.

“They don’t,” Grady agreed. “Ours did, and we had exclusive roles.”

“And he… didn’t like that?” Lake asked. That didn’t track for Lake. Grady was a bit gruff, but Lake couldn’t see him deliberately being uncaring about a person’s feelings, especially not with someone he was dating.

“I had no reason to think he didn’t like it. He never spoke about it, and he was a willing participant in our sex life and enjoyed what we did together. But since he was the one topping when I found him with the other guy…” Grady trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish. Lake understood what he meant.

“That’s kind of a shitty reason to cheat on a person. I mean, any reason is shitty, but that one is particularly bad. Especially if he never even talked to you about it.”