Page 21 of Toxic Devotion

“I know.” He pressed a soft kiss to Neil’s lips, then leaned back to meet the man’s gaze, his heart floating in his chest. “Trust me, I know.”

Neil covered the hands Marco had on his face with his own, his eyes shining as he smiled. “Tell me again?”

Marco chuckled but happily said, “I love you.”

Chapter Seven

Marco

HE WAS sitting with his chin in his hand, eyes tracking Neil as he moved across the room. He had Rome at his side as they talked, probably about Marco’s safety. Those two always had a bit of a pissing contest going on where security was concerned. Rome was damned good at his job, but Neil had gadgets and tools that would help make everything easier for Rome and the men.

Rome didn’t see it that way, though. He didn’t appreciate the competition. It had nothing to do with his and Rome’s shared past. They’d barely been more than kids with no one else to trust in. They’d also quickly discovered that they weren’t good together. Rome was his second. His consigliere. They would never be equal and that fucked with any relationship. They’d gone back to being friends and it was the best thing they had ever done for their relationship.

He liked protective Neil. He was pretty fucking hot when his wild side showed. Pushing Neil out of that safety cocoon he usually wrapped himself in had proved a favorite pastime of his. He was a big fan of Neil claiming him as his man. As his love.

Fuck, but he loved that man. He’d never felt anything like it before and he didn’t think he would ever feel like that for anyone else. His gut and his heart were telling him that Neil was it. Neil was his once-in-a-lifetime love.

It had almost been two years since he’d walked into that hotel bar and things certainly hadn’t turned out the way he’dexpected. Even after the mind-blowing sex, he hadn’t exactly expected to watch Neil kill two men. Neil still hadn’t found out who they were or why they’d tried to kill him, and it worried him. Not any more than whenever he had to watch Neil walk out the door because he never knew if he’d be coming back.

Of course, he knew if Neil had a choice in the matter, he would always come back to him, but despite the man’s skillset, he was often on his own, and sometimes you just needed someone to have your back. He had Rome but who did Neil have? When Marco wasn’t there, who had Neil’s back? A part of him knew the answer was probably no one and that terrified him.

The second Neil headed toward Marco, Rome left the room, which was probably for the best. Marco stood from the couch, a teasing smile on his lips as he met Neil in the middle of the room.

“You guys done?”

“I could keep going for hours but I’m pretty sure I would end up at the bottom of a lake if I did,” Neil said, the gleam in his eyes letting Marco know he found it amusing.

Neil leaned close, lips brushing Marco’s, hands sliding up his waist. A buzzing sound had Neil pulled back with a curse. Marco watched with hooded eyes as Neil grabbed his phone off the table and checked his messages.

“Shit,” Neil muttered. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked up at Marco, an apology in his eyes. “Sorry. I’ve gotta take care of this.”

Marco nodded, avoiding Neil’s gaze.

“Marco?”

When he kept his eyes on the floor, Neil tilted his head back with a finger under his chin.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

The lie came out easily, but he wasn’t surprised when Neil gave him a knowing look. The man knew him too well. Knew all his tells. As infuriating as that should’ve been, instead, it made his heart happy.

He sighed, then said, “I just… I don’t keep secrets from you.”

Neil’s hand fell to his side, and he nodded slowly, making Marco prepare for the man to shut him down. Shut him out. Yet again.

“There’s a lot I can’t tell you,” Neil said. “But this isn’t work. Technically.”

He frowned at Neil, uneasy settling in his chest.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s sit down,” Neil said, motioning toward the couch. He let Neil tug him toward it and sat down next to him, watching him with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

“Eight years ago, I put together a black ops Marine team. They were exceptional. Until two of them got taken prisoner.”

Marco’s mouth fell open.