Page 72 of Winning You

He took in a breath, then broke the spell by propping up on his forearm. His free hand reached out, and he curled his fingersinto claws, scratching them over Frankie’s short beard. “I think I’m a lot. And please don’t argue because Iama complicated person.”

Frankie chuckled. “I wasn’t going to argue.”

“Ouch.”

Frankie laughed again. “I’m sorry, but I know you don’t want me to lie to you. You are complicated, and I think for most guys, that can be a lot. But that’s because they don’t see the logic in what you need.”

“I don’t understand.”

Frankie let out a puff of air, then he put his fingers against Lucas’s arm and traced them up and down toward the crook of his elbow. “Like this. It didn’t take me long to figure out that any harder would upset you, and any lighter would hurt you.”

Lucas bit his lip. Hard. How did he just…get it? How did he just know when his own dad had taken years and years to understand?

“You have a system in the kitchen that actually makes a shitload of sense, but I never thought twice about it because I’m used to opening drawers and staring around at stuff until I find it, even if that takes me ten times longer than the way you do it. But it’s what I’ve always done, and someone else might not want to make a change, even if it’s better for them.”

Lucas felt his lips rise into a smile, and he rested his chin on his forearm, his eyelids somewhere between open and closed, but low enough he didn’t really feel the urge to blink.

Frankie traced the shape of his ear a little too gently. It made him shiver. “Everything you need is worth the effort.”

“It helps that you have Elodie, doesn’t it?” Lucas asked quietly.

Frankie sighed and brushed a few stray wisps of hair away from Lucas’s forehead. “Maybe. I like to think I would havebeen patient enough and willing enough to meet you more than halfway even without her.”

“I don’t think it matters,” Lucas eventually said, and he meant that. “I’d never keep a single friend if I expected them to be perfect for their entire lives.”

“Pragmatic of you.”

Lucas laughed and buried his face in Frankie’s chest, hunting and then biting down on his nipple.

“Hey,” Frankie said, trying to keep his voice down. He hugged Lucas and rolled until they were on their sides, legs tangled together, still pressed chest-to-chest. “I like you a lot.”

“You keep saying that. I don’t know what it means.”

“It means that I’ll be whatever you need me to be. Friend, neighbor, lover?—”

“Oh my god, you’re such an old man. Lover?”

Frankie laughed again and kissed Lucas on the jaw. “I don’t know what kids call it these days. Situationship partner?”

“Oh my god, stop.”

Frankie snorted. “You know what I mean. I’m here as long as you want me. And if you’d like to maybe try a date?—”

“I’ve never been on a date. Not…not really.” And that was true. He’d done the coffee thing. The walk in the park thing. Once, he’d met a guy at a bar and spent most of the evening with him, but then he got weird in the parking lot while Lucas was waiting for his Uber and…yeah. None of those things felt like they counted.

“So maybe I can give you another first.”

“I like the firsts you’ve given me so far,” Lucas said with a grin. He found Frankie’s hand and pushed his fingers open so he could kiss his palm. “I think I’ll like this one too.”

“Then it’s a date.”

“Cringe.”

“But you like it.”

Lucas sighed and leaned heavily into Frankie’s arms. “Yeah. I do.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN