Page 107 of Bean

I reminded him then that I loved him as he was, but I would be there for him whatever he chose. Luckily the treatment hadn’t made things worse, and the things it was meant to improve were improving.

He seemed happier. More settled. And so was I. We didn’t see each other as often as we wanted to, but that was something I planned to talk to him about. There was no rush, but I wanted to know if there was a possibility of a future where we shared one space.

“Well, kids,” Ivy said as she stood. She wore a gorgeous vintage swimsuit covered in black polka dots and her hair was set in perfectly coiffed victory rolls. “I have a date myself.”

I grinned at her. “Tell Andrei to call me soon. We need to do a double date.”

Bean brightened. “Oh! Yes. Ivy was just telling me about this wine bar?—”

I groaned, cutting Bean off, and Ivy reached down, tugging Bean to his feet and pulling him close. “Ignore him, my love. He has no taste. Besides, you and I know he’ll do whatever you want.”

Bean smiled, and I shrugged because she was right. I would.

Ivy kissed his cheeks, then kissed mine, waving to Heath, who was still on his board, before heading for the stairs. Tugging Bean against me, I wrapped my arms around him and lifted his chin so I could take a proper kiss.

“Is it time to go soon?” he asked.

I chuckled. “Yeah. If you want.”

He rocked his hips toward me. “I want.”

I kissed him again, but I pulled back before we got too ahead of ourselves. “Come on,” I murmured, knocking my forehead against his. “Let’s get going before we make a whole spectacle of ourselves.”

Bean snorted. “That’s definitely not on my list.”

I grabbed him a little tighter. “Mine either. I hate sharing.” And I meant that with my whole heart. Years back, when Gio wanted to open our marriage, it hadn’t bothered me as much as I thought it would. But knowing now that I wasn’t polyamorous told me everything I needed to know about that marriage.

With Bean, I would rather tear my own heart out than let anyone put their hands on him. And if that made me a selfish bastard knowing he would only ever have my touch, so be it. I turned, waving to Heath, who smirked and shot us both a wave in return. Then, I took Bean’s hand and led the way to the stairs.

The beach Heath was at was the perfect location from my place. A little jaunt across the road which was only busy duringcertain hours of the day, and a short walk up a small hill, and we were there.

The place still smelled like fresh paint and new cabinets. It wasn’t as decorated as I wanted, so it didn’t quite feel like me yet. But it was getting there. I wanted more than that though. I wanted more than just my touch around the place.

I wanted Bean’s too.

“We should go shopping this weekend after your shift,” I said, kicking my shoes onto the little tray that collected sand.

Bean did the same, then frowned at me. “Shopping for what?”

I took a breath and looked around at the bare walls. “Stuff for the house. To make it look nice.”

“Like art?” he asked.

I pulled him close by the hips. “Maybe to Le Creuset,” I murmured. “Or Sur La Table.”

He laughed softly as I nuzzled his neck. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Maybe. I’m also trying to pawn off the task of outfitting my kitchen because I still don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

He laughed harder, kissing me again. “If you insist. I only work until noon on Saturday. How does that sound?”

“Perfect. I’ll buy you lunch.”

“Like a date?” he asked. I nodded, and he stepped back away from me, frowning. “You know I’m going to get spoiled, right? If you keep doing this. You don’t need to woo me, Jarek. You have me.”

I sighed and stuck my fingers in his belt loops before walking him backward toward the wall. He hit it with a dull, soft thud, and I crowded against him just the way he liked. “Yes, I do. I will never get tired of making you feel special. I will never tire of grabbing your favorite flowers when I see them or your favorite iced tea, even though sweet tea is an abomination.”

“Bite your tongue!”