Page 149 of Love By Design

My legs weren’t much more than jelly, but I fought my way into something halfway presentable, and Silas did the same. Earlier, I would have expected him to moan and groan over the color and the cut of whatever he chose, but he moved quietly around the room with much more ease than before. My plan had worked, even if it was a little cruel to send him into the lion’s den ready to burst.

He held my hand the whole way to dinner, and after we parked, I kissed his knuckles, his nose, the corner of his mouth.

“They will love you, but nowhere near as much as I do,” I promised.

He hummed, giving me a weary smile.

“And as soon as we’re back in the car, I’ll make you come.”

Silas’s smile grew larger, and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him again.

“I could come like this,” he murmured into my mouth, and I didn’t hate the idea, but we did need to get into the restaurant before my brothers came looking for us.

For the first time ever, I was the last one to arrive.

We were back at the round table again, my seat open and the one beside it as well. Silas’s grip on my hand tightened as we walked in, but I gave him a reassuring squeeze and pulled him up alongside me as we arrived at the table.

“Silas, these are my brothers. You’ve met Smith. This is Hunter and Finn.” I pointed at each of the three of them in turn. “This is Silas.”

“Oh, he is cute,” Finn announced, standing up and extending his hand for a shake, which Silas returned. Hunter followed suit, and Smith offered him a wave. We all took our seats again, and beside me Silas vibrated so aggressively, I could feel it in my bones. I rested a hand on his thigh, maybe alittle higher than was decent, but it was enough for his breath to catch in his throat and his body to settle.

“So,” Hunter said, unusually talkative, “tell us about yourself.”

“This isn’t an interrogation,” I warned.

“I asked a very standard getting-to-know-you question,” he shot back.

“It’s fine,” Silas interrupted, clearing his throat. “It’s fine. I’m twenty-five, I’m also an architect. I live…downtown. My best friend and I share an apartment.”

I noticed the hiccup about where he lived, but I bit my tongue to stop from calling it out. I meant it when I’d promised myself I’d let Silas come around to the idea on his own. We needed that balance for things to work. Living situations weren’t something I could dominate my way into, even if the thought of Silas and all his things being under the same roof as me and mine was enough to…

“That’s sickening,” Finn said.

I looked up in time to see him roll his eyes at me and raise his glass in a toast.

“What?”

“Your eyes,” Hunter answered for him, gesturing vaguely at my face. “You’re all…in love with him.”

“Of course I am,” I said.

Beside me, Silas exhaled.

“It doesn’t matter what he does or what he likes,” Finn decided. “Anyone who makes you lookthatlovesick has to earn a pass.”

“He is also nice,” Smith said from my other side. “From what I’ve seen at least.”

“Thank you,” Silas muttered, tucking his chin toward his chest.

It was smooth sailing after that, all of Silas’s and my worry gone with Finn’s nearly immediate and magnanimous blessing.We made it through an enjoyable meal where Silas learned he and Finn liked the same kind of movies, he and Hunter shared an affinity for spreadsheets, and he and Smith, of course, did enjoy their chosen careers. They were agreeable in the ways that mattered, in the ways I knew would be sustainable.

After we said our goodbyes, Silas and I walked back to the car. He was quiet for the most part, almost at ease but still so very tense. As soon as the doors closed, he dropped his head against the headrest and grabbed the sides of his seat.

“Please help me,” he moaned.

“I told you I would.”

The parking lot was empty enough that I wasn't worried about getting caught. I undid Silas’s pants and shoved my hand behind the waistband of his underwear. He wasn’t hard, but his cock burned my palm when I wrapped my fingers around him. He made a gasping sound and lifted off the seat, hips thrusting toward my hand as I stroked him.