Chapter 17

Angling sideways, Fess rested his head on the back of the couch and matched Joe’s tone. “I’ve always thought that’s a good thing.”

“It is. It’s my own fault I let it get to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s never easy when you find out you’re more judgmental than you thought you were.”

“Most people wouldn’t even be self-aware enough to recognize that.” Reaching forward, Fess broke the invisible barrier that separated them to latch onto Joe’s fingers. “Come here.”

Joe yielded to his lead, sliding across the cushion until their knees touched. “I didn’t plan for you to come back here tonight.”

“I know. What changed your mind?”

“You did.” He pulled away from Fess’s fingers to graze the tips of his across the bared skin at Fess’s open collar. It tickled more than anything else, but Joe’s boldness stole Fess’s breath away. “If you knew half the stuff I’ve dreamt about you, you never would’ve agreed to coming home with me.”