...Geoffrey sighed. “I keep telling myself that I’m happy for the two of you. If you’re happy, I am. I keep telling myself that it doesn’t matter, and I’ll get used to it, but…”

“It doesn’t work out that way?”

“It doesn’t seem to.” Geoffrey moved to a tree, leaning his shoulder against the trunk with his back to Nash. “I don’t know what today was about, but I’m sorry I ruined your picnic.”

“It was about you.”

Geoffrey looked over his shoulder, and Nash was much closer than he thought. “What?”

“We were scared,” Nash admitted. “After yesterday. We thought we were going to lose you. Neither one of us wants that.”

Geoffrey shook his head. “That was childish of me, Nash, and I truly am sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you that I quit. It was just…the heat of the moment. I don’t intend to sell my part of the firm. Well, unless you want me to at this point.”

“No.”

Geoff turned to rest his back against the trunk, surprised by Nash’s vehemence. “Still not certain about those Bowie numbers?”

“That’s not…I mean, I don’t want you to leave the firm either, but that’s not what we were really worried about. We don’t want to lose you, Geoffrey, from our lives.”

Now Nash was standing toe to toe with him, and the sheer strength of his will forced Geoffrey to look at him. “I can’t see you two like that, Nash. What we’ve done together, what we’ve built, is too important for me to walk away from it all. But I can’t watch you two. I know I should just deal with it, but I can’t.”

“Why?” Nash asked softly, as though he actually expected Geoffrey to answer him.

“Why? Nash…” Geoffrey paused, unsure of what to say. He had already made a massive ass of himself that morning; he might as well go the distance. “Because it’s looking at everything I’ve ever wanted and nothing I can ever have.”

“Everything?” Nash said, as though he wasn’t familiar with the word.

“Everything.”

“Geoffrey…”

And then the world was frozen around him. Time stopped. His heart stopped. Nash’s mouth was on his, his hands gripping Geoffrey’s shoulders. This was something Geoffrey had thought about, a fantasy he had forced himself to forget, and now he didn’t know how to react. His body betrayed him, his mind left him, and he was left as stiff and dumb as a mannequin while Nash continued to tease his mouth.

Finally, his lungs remembered how to work and forced him to gasp. That slight movement was enough to re-awaken his body, and he moved forward, into Nash’s embrace and opened his lips to deepen the kiss. They stumbled back, Geoffrey pushing until Nash hit the tree behind him. The kiss moved from something hesitant, to something demanding, both of them giving in to an urge that had been dogging them for over ten years.

The kiss slowed, losing that desperate edge, and Nash put his hands on Geoffrey’s hips, pulling him closer. Geoffrey could taste the sweet fruit juice on Nash’s lips, and something else, something a bit bitter. He knew it was Sunny. He knew she could be coming to look for them at any minute, and knew what he was doing was wrong. So wrong. But desire flooded his body and he couldn’t make himself stop. He was dying for it, dying for the attention, dying to explore every bit of Nash’s mouth, and then further, to know every inch of his body.

“You’ve been wanting to do that for awhile,” Nash murmured when Geoffrey finally lifted his head, but he didn’t step away.

“Yeah, awhile,” Geoffrey agreed.

“Why didn’t you?”

Geoffrey’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t I slam you against a wall and kiss you? Did I have any reason to think you’d welcome that sort of treatment?”

“You really are oblivious, aren’t you?” Nash asked, but not unkindly.

“Who said I was oblivious?”

“Me,” Sunny said from behind him.

Geoffrey stiffened, taking a halting step backward. He didn’t want to turn to face her. How could he explain pushing her boyfriend against the tree and devouring his mouth? He looked at Nash helplessly, but Nash didn’t seem concerned at all.