Page 20 of Toxic Devotion

Marco groaned and looked skyward, praying for strength to keep from strangling his sister, then glanced at Neil and laughed when he saw the appalled look on the man’s face.

“I…” Neil trailed off, mouth opening and closing a few times before he decided to keep it closed and shook his head.

Marco placed his hand on top of the one Neil had lying on the table and said, “I think we’ll stick with boyfriend.”

Neil looked up, eyes sparkling as their gazes clashed. This man. He did things to him. Made him feel all sorts of things he’d never thought he’d feel for anyone. He loved Neil. He was in love with him. If that hadn’t already been extremely clear to him, the way the man was with his sister would’ve sealed the deal.

“Welcome to the family,” Alicia said with a cheeky smile as she threw her arms wide, almost hitting the chef who was carrying two plates of their dinner.

“Whoops, sorry,” Alicia said, red tinting her cheeks.

Marco shook his head and offered to help with the plates. Emilio, of course, refused. It wasn’t often the chef cooked for them anymore. He was the head chef at the restaurant now after having cooked for the Serrano family for over twenty years. The man still made himself available to them whenever they asked for him, but Marco preferred that Emilio could go home and spend some time with his family. Today was an exception. He’d wanted the best food for the two most important people in his life as they got to know each other better.

With dinner served, he thanked Emilio and sent the man on his way. He had grandkids to go home to after all. Six of them between his own three kids.

The meat was perfect and one bite in, they were all moaning and hurrying to shove another bite into their mouths. Emilio never disappointed. The chef had spoiled them their whole lives.

As they ate, Alicia kept asking Neil questions and while he was answering one about toilets in the middle east, Alicia met Marco’s gaze across the table and the softness in those browns as she gave him a smile and a nod of approval meant everything to him.

When they’d finished their dinner, Alicia was the opposite of stealthy as she loudly came up with something she absolutely had to do right away and threw Marco a wink before walking out of the door.

A sigh pushed past Marco’s lips and all he could do was roll his eyes and laugh when Neil arched a knowing brow at him.

He motioned with a tilt of his head toward the hallway and Neil followed him with a soft smile on his lips. They made it up the stairs to his bedroom and once the door was closed behindthem, the look in Neil’s eyes as he watched him told him he needed to confess. He couldn’t hold it back any longer. He didn’t want to.

“I love you,” he said, scared to shit about Neil’s reaction.

Neil stared at him for a moment, then he blinked, and all those walls he usually kept up disappeared.

Air eluded him as he stared into gray pools of love.

“I love you, too,” Neil said, hands coming up to cup Marco’s face. “I love you so god damned much it hurts when I’m away from you. It hurts when I’m with you and can’t touch you.”

“You love me?”

“I do,” Neil said with a nod, a smile spreading on his lips. “How could I not?”

“I’m pretty sure that makes you fucked up,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.

Neil leaned closer to brush his nose against Marco’s, breath on Marco’s lips as he said, “And what does that make you?”

“Insane and in love,” Marco said.

Neil glanced down with a shake of his head.

“Life isn’t gonna be easy for us,” Neil muttered.

Marco put a finger under Neil’s chin to turn his face up.

“Life was never going to be easy for us. At least we have each other. Hell, we have more than that.” He cupped Neil’s face with both hands. “We have love. Something not many get to have with lives like ours.”

“We got lucky, huh?”

“Luck or fate, whatever you want to call it,” Marco said, a smile stretching his lips, though it quickly faded. “I wish I could marry you.”

He wished they wouldn’t have to hide, too, but the lives they led didn’t exactly permit them to take liberties like that. He didn’t like the prospect of his enemies knowing about Neil, but he was more concerned with Neil’s superiors and how it wouldblow back on him. Unlike Marco, Neil couldn’t kill his way out of it. And he would. Kill anyone who got in the way of his life with Neil.

“I don’t care about a piece of paper,” Neil said with a shake of his head. “You’re mine in my heart. That’s what matters.”