make up for the loss of Alec in our lives.”
Linc remained quiet as he struggled to gain control of the inexplicable anger that boiled
inside him. He”d only known Mitch and Tomi for a few hours, but that was more than
enough time for him to see their true character, to know that they were good, beautiful
people — inside and out.
“Pathetic bastard.” Linc looked up to find both Mitch and Tomi staring at him. He
hadn”t meant to speak out loud, but now that he”d said it, he refused to take it back. He”d
love the chance to be a part of their lives, to be included in the love they had for each
other — even if it was only for a little while. It was unfathomable to him how a person could deliberately try to destroy them, would voluntarily walk away from them. He didn”t know
who the fuck this Alec asshole was, but it was obvious that he was a sorry piece of shit.
“I know it”s not my place to say this, but I can”t imagine how anyone could give up the
chance to be with the two of you. He didn”t deserve you.”
Tomi laughed. “I couldn”t agree more.” She sobered some. “Despite everything that
happened, despite everything he did to us, I still can”t bring myself to hate Alec. If it weren”t
for him, I would never have met Mitch.”
“And now you”re finally getting married, like you”ve always wanted.” Linc changed the
subject and tried to lighten the mood. “When”s the big day?”
“Two weeks from tomorrow,” Mitch told him. “It can”t happen soon enough for me.”
“Well, I think that deserves a toast.” Linc lifted his glass. “To new beginnings.”
“To new friendships.” Mitch touched his glass against Linc”s. Tomi raised hers as well.
“And to new possibilities,” she added.
Linc took a sip from his glass before placing it on the table again. Glancing at his watch,
he was surprised to see that it was after midnight. They”d been at the restaurant for hours. As
he looked around the room, he saw that most of the other patrons were already gone.
“Wow, it”s later than I realized. We probably should get ready to go before they kick us
out.” He meant for his words to be a joke, but inside, he hated the thought of leaving them.
“You”re right.” Tomi stood. “I”m going to use the ladies” room before we leave.”
Both Linc and Mitch watched as she walked away from the table. Linc glanced at the
remaining men in the room, and he noticed that their gazes followed her as well.
Turning to Mitch, he said, “You”re a lucky man.”
“Don”t I know it,” Mitch murmured. His gaze remained locked on Tomi”s departing
form. Linc paused for a moment before he said, “I”m sure Tomi knows how lucky she is as
well.” Linc waited for him to meet his gaze, made sure Mitch saw the interest in his eyes,
understood the meaning of his words.
Mitch gave him a slow, sexy smile and a slight nod. Understanding shone in his
expression.
They both looked up as Tomi returned to the table. “Ready to go?” She smiled down at
them, and Linc felt his heart skip a beat. He was blown away by how unbelievably stunning
she was.
Damn, he wanted this woman. His gaze switched to Mitch, and he felt the same
attraction, the same desire for him as well. God knew he had no right to feel the way he did
about them, knew he was only making things worse for himself when the night was over and
they walked out of his life for good. Nevertheless, he couldn”t seem to help it.
“Yeah,” Linc said. He and Mitch stood as the waiter arrived with their bill. Linc
reached into his pocket for his wallet and pulled out his credit card.
“Uh-uh.” Mitch stopped him. “We invited you, remember? This is on us.” Before Linc
could say anything else, Mitch handed the waiter his credit card along with the bill.
Smiling, he said, “You know, I really don”t mind paying. I”m honored that you”d want
to spend part of your evening with me.”
Tomi laughed. “In that case, you can pick up the bill next time. How does that sound?”
Linc searched her face, trying to make certain he wasn”t reading between the lines,
wasn”t jumping to conclusions. But Tomi”s expression confirmed her words. She wanted to
see him again. One look at Mitch and it was obvious that he felt the same way.
“That sounds good.” Linc spoke casually, trying not to sound too excited or appear too
anxious. It was hard to do when that”s exactly how he felt.
After the waiter returned with Mitch”s credit card and receipt, they left the restaurant
and got into the car. The ride back to their hotel seemed much shorter than the ride to the restaurant, and Linc was tempted to take a scenic route in order to stretch out their time
together.
All too soon, he pulled up in front of the hotel. Linc got out of the car and met them
around on the sidewalk. He forced a smile and prepared to thank them for dinner, say good
night, and get the hell out of Dodge before either of them had a chance to see how deeply
they”d affected him in such a short period of time. However, when he opened his mouth,
what came out was nothing like he”d intended.
“I have to be honest with both of you. I”m not ready for this night to end. I don”t want
to say good-bye.”
There. He”d said it. The looks on their faces left no doubt that they”d gotten his message
loud and clear. It was too late to pretend that he hadn”t said it, to act as if he didn”t mean it.
Besides, he wouldn”t take it back even if he could. All he could do was hold his breath and
hope that he hadn”t gone too far, crossed too many boundaries.
He watched them share a brief look before they turned to him. Tomi held out her hand
to him as she spoke two of the sweetest-sounding words he”d ever heard in his life.
“Then
