“Huh? Nobody. Just an old friend.” DJ had been preoccupied reading the note in the card,letting the picture fall to land face up on the dining room table.“Boyfriend?”“Yeah, I guess.”
Sidling over to pick up the photo, Joe held it gingerly between two fingers, like it might be radioactive. “He’s cute. What’s his name?”
“Danny Esposito. Why?” Tilting his head a bit to one side, as though that mightsomehow make Joe’s attitude more comprehensible, DJ came around to stand next to Joeand take another look at the picture. It was an old one; so old DJ had forgotten itsexistence until it had fallen out of Danny’s card.
“You two look happy.”
“I suppose.” DJ shrugged and turned to lay a hand on Joe’s arm. Suddenly he needed thereassurance of touch. “It was a long time ago. That’s water way under the bridge.”
Joe’s eyes narrowed. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Why aren’t you?” Sliding his hand up Joe’s arm, DJ brushed Joe’s hair back behind one ear, leaving his hand to rest warmly against Joe’s neck.“I don’t know.” Joe’s gaze slid away to look at the picture again. “I guess there’s a wholelifetime of things -- people -- in your past that I don’t know anything about. He’s a good-looking guy. Who’s to say he won’t show up looking to get back with you?”
“Joe?”Still staring at the picture, Joe didn’t look up. “What?”
“Who are you really and what have you done with my boyfriend?”
That got Joe’s attention. Joe’s head came up and DJ got a look at those burnt chocolateeyes, the ones that made his insides turn over every time. Only now they were hesitant --not the self-assured, even cocky, gaze DJ was used to. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, what happened to my king-of-cool boyfriend and who’s this guy who’s soinsecure all of a sudden?”
Joe’s hands came up to rest at DJ’s waist, fingers curling into his T-shirt, his gaze boringinto DJ’s with an intensity DJ didn’t know how to read. “You have no idea what aheartbreaker you are. I still can’t believe you were single when I came along.”
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