“I also might have told them I was bringing someone special and not to make a big deal about it, even if it is a big deal.”

  Inside, Leo did a happy dance. Outside, he was calm and collected, until King brushed his lips over Leo’s temple, followed by a kiss in the same spot.

  King had kissed Leo.

  In front of everyone.

  Leo pretended he didn’t notice everyone else pretending not to notice King’s affectionate gestures. Mostly Leo was too stunned to do anything else. He didn’t take King for a PDA kind of guy. Not that he expected King to play tonsil hockey with him in front of his family, but Leo hadn’t known what to expect, considering they hadn’t really given a name to whatever was between them.

  Sinking a little more into King, Leo took a moment to admire the gorgeous living room and the huge Christmas tree in the corner, the top of which almost reached the high ceiling. It was candy-themed, playful yet elegant, a perfect combination of Ace and Colton. Beautifully wrapped gifts were piled high beneath the tree and several layers deep, all matching the tree’s candy colors. From what Leo could tell, some of the candy on the tree looked real, undoubtedly Ace’s idea, though if that were the case, Leo was surprised there was any candy left on it. The guy always seemed to be eating.

  Colton, Bibi, and Laz returned with bowls and plates filled with all kinds of deliciousness, from cookies and a cheese platter, to chips and dips. Leo’s mouth watered as everything was placed on the huge coffee table in the middle of the room.

  “Ace, Nash, Lucky, you guys are in charge of drinks.” Bibi motioned toward the kitchen, and the three men didn’t so much as question the order. They jumped to it. Clearly King wasn’t the only Kingston with a commanding presence.

  Once the living room was overflowing with food and drink, a good deal of it alcohol, since everyone was spending the night, it was apparently time for games.

  “First up, Scattergories,” Bibi announced. “You all know the drill. Divide into two teams.”

  Leo gave a start when everyone bolted from their seats to the couch he and King sat on. They all scrambled to fit, and Leo laughed as he was forced onto King’s lap. What the heck was happening?

  Bibi placed a hand to her head as if she were summoning patience. “You can’t all be on the same team as Leo.”

  Wait, they all wanted to be on his team? Leo lifted his questioning gaze to King, who shrugged, his eyes filled with laughter.

  “Have you ever played this game?” King asked, a thump momentarily distracting Leo, and he cringed as Joker groaned from the floor. Chip was immediately all over him, licking his face and pulling at his shirt to help him up. Leo turned his attention back to King and shook his head in response to his question.

  Growing up, he never really played board games. They weren’t challenging enough, and the other kids stopped wanting to play with him, stating that playing with him was no fun and not fair because he always knew all the answers.

  “When the dice is rolled, whatever letter comes up is the letter your words have to start with. You get the most points by coming up with words that no one else has come up with.”

  “Sounds pretty straightforward. But why does everyone want to be on my team?”

  “Because they want to win. You’re a genius, remember?”

  Ace, having been displaced, narrowed his eyes at everyone piled on the couch.

  “Whatever you are thinking, forget it,” Lucky warned from Mason’s lap. “You don’t fit.”

  “Challenge accepted.” Ace dove across them, making everyone shout, curse, and groan. He lay on his back, stretched out, his head on Nash’s lap, and his hands behind his head. “I’m ready to play. For my winnings, I’ll accept cash, credit, or gift certificates.”

  Bibi marched over, her glare fierce. “Jack, Joker, Ace, Lucky, and Nash, get your butts on that couch over there right now. King, Red, Laz, Mason, and Colton are on Leo’s team.”

  There was a collection of groans, but the guys got up and did as they were told. Bibi could easily give Leo’s dad a run for his money. Leo slipped back onto the couch next to King, smiling when Chip jumped up and curled in next to him before letting out a bark.

  Bibi rolled her eyes. “Fine, you can stay with Leo.”

  Joker gasped and thrust a finger at Chip. “You traitor!”

  Everyone laughed as Chip dropped his furry head onto Leo’s lap and covered his face with his paws.

  “Is it okay to pet him?” Leo asked Joker, who waved a hand in dismissal.

  “Go for it. He’s an attention whore. And a traitor. You think you know a guy and then bam, right in the back. After all the bacon.”

  Chip lifted his head and cocked it to one side.

  “Oh, now you acknowledge my existence?” Joker folded his arms over his chest and sniffed. “I’ll think about it.”

  Chip lowered his head back onto Leo’s lap, big dark eyes aimed at Joker and tail thumping against Red’s leg. How could anyone resist those eyes? Leo pet his head, amazed by how soft and sleek Chip’s fur was. It had a beautiful shine, and his ears were huge! Leo had never seen a dog with pointy ears that big. King leaned in to murmur in his ear.

  “See? Even Chip loves you.”

  As Bibi set up the game, a thought occurred to Leo.

  “What if we win?”

  “If? You doubt us?”

  “No, I mean, what if we win and they get upset.” Leo motioned to the guys sitting opposite them.

  “They won’t get upset, I promise. I can’t, however, promise they won’t try to bribe you in order to get you on their team next time. It’s a pretty good way to get free stuff.”

  Leo blinked at him. “Are you serious?”

  “Oh yeah.” He lifted a leg. “Where do you think I got these boots?”

  Leo gaped at him. “Someone gave you those boots so you would be on their team?”

  King nodded. “My family is very competitive. They’re not sore losers, but they will do everything they can to win. Ace and I wear the same size shoes, so that was my price for being on his football team. Nash actually played college football, so he made out like a bandit that game.”

  “So… Ace gave you his brand-new boots, just like that.”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow. No one’s ever wanted me on their team, much less enough to bribe me.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  Leo shrugged. “I guess my knowing all the answers made them feel bad.” He never wanted to make anyone feel bad about not knowing something. Leo would never get upset with someone for informing him of something he didn’t know. He found it a perfect learning opportunity. He never lorded his smarts over anyone. Everyone had smarts; they were just different. Leo’s street smarts were pretty much nonexistent. He’d been sheltered all his life by his family, and anytime they were together, there were usually guards with them because of his father.

  King had gone thoughtful, and Leo frowned.

  “You okay?”

  “How about this,” King said with a smile. “If you don’t feel comfortable answering at any point, you can always tell one of us, and we’ll answer for you.”

  Leo hadn’t thought of that. “Okay.”

  King hadn’t been kidding about how competitive his family was, and Leo loved that he wasn’t the only one with unique words. Everyone had different skills and knowledge the others didn’t, all of which they drew from for their words—Laz his photography, Red with his medical knowledge, Bibi and Nash the culinary arts, Mason his former ranching and police experience, Ace his general Ace-ness, and so on. Leo’s team still won, and it was just as King said. No one was pissed they lost. They teased one another, joked about their choice of words, but not a hint of maliciousness or anger.

  With King excusing himself to go to the restroom, Leo took the opportunity to admire the view of the beach from the wall of glass that stretched from the living room down past the dining room and kitchen. A set of glass doors led out onto a wraparound balcony, the end of which had stairs leading down to the pool and the private walkway to the beach. Bowers’s men occasionally came into view as they patrolled the property.

  Leo shifted his focus to the glass and the reflection of King’s family in the living room as they argued over which Christmas movie to watch first. He smiled, his heart squeezing when King stepped up behind him and wrapped Leo in his arms, his cheek coming to rest against Leo’s.

  “Your family is amazing.”

  “They’re a pretty good bunch, aren’t they? You okay? Do you need a breather?”

  Leo shook his head. “I’m good. Just reflecting.”

  Jack stepped up to them, clearing his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but can I borrow Leo for a few minutes?”

  King released Leo, and Leo turned to Jack, curious.

  “Sure, what’s up?” Leo asked.

  “I wanted you to have a look at my security system. See what you think.”

  Leo blinked at him. “You want my opinion on your security system?”

  Jack shrugged, his boyish smile wide. “Well, yeah. I mean, I’m good—okay, damned good—but you work at a whole other level. I’d love for you to check it out, see if anything jumps out at you that can be improved.”

  Leo glanced at King. “Is he serious?”

  King puffed his chest up a little. He almost appeared… proud. “Where cybersecurity is concerned, the buck stops with Jack. You’re the first person he’s ever asked to do this.”

  Leo turned back to Jack, the butterflies in his stomach going wild. “I’d be honored.” He tried to tell himself not to make more out of it than it was. Jack said he wanted his opinion, but if Leo did find something, he’d probably just humor him and never ask him again. No one liked having their work corrected, especially when that work was part of who you were. King followed quietly along as Jack led Leo through the house, pointing out the various high-end cameras, where the panic room was, the various security measures put in place, and finally the system itself, which was located in the wall of Colton’s office. It could also be accessed via a panel near the kitchen, but after one particular incident where Ace decided to upload his music, scaring the hell out of Colton, and not being able to fix the volume, Jack had decided the main hub should be within Colton’s reach.

  It was impressive, for sure, but something jumped out at Leo, and he tapped his fingers against his leg. Not missing a beat, King leaned in and placed a reassuring hand to his hip, his words soft and encouraging. “Tell him. He wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t want to know.”

  Swallowing hard, Leo turned to Jack. “It’s a great system, but what happens if someone manages to make it into the house?”

  “No one can hack this system. I built it myself from scratch.”

  “I can,” Leo said, hoping he wasn’t overstepping.

  Jack appeared thoughtful. “I’m listening.”

  “You’d have to be really really good to get past all these security measures, but someone like me could. The chances of that happening are super-slim. I mean, if you have my level of skill and want to do some damage, you wouldn’t be going after Colton. You’d be going after something big. Let’s say someone like me does come after Colton for whatever reason. Once he’s in the system and you have hostiles in the house, then what?”

  “That’s what the panic room is for.”

  “What if Colton can’t make it there? Okay, worst-case scenario. Colton is upstairs in his bedroom. Ace isn’t here. Our hacker gets into the system, locks Colton in the house and everyone else out. Armed guys are on the ground floor. Colton can’t get to the panic room or outside. He’s trapped.”

  Jack seemed to consider his words. “What would you do?”

  Leo was taken aback by Jack’s genuine curiosity. His rapt attention was focused on Leo, like whatever Leo was about to say was probably going to be fascinating.

  “Install OC aerosol devices that are connected to a secondary nonwired system, make sure it has an alarm, infrared detection, and face recognition—so it doesn’t get triggered by anyone programmed into the system. Include a delay timer and failsafe code Colton and Ace can use so the cable guy doesn’t accidentally get incapacitated, but you’ll still know when someone’s in their home. Four six-ounce cans per device should cover roughly four thousand square feet. I’m sure you can work out the logistics, but that way if someone does get into the system, the moment intruders step out into the hall, they’re going down, giving Colton enough time to get to the panic room and call for help. I would also consider creating a passage that goes from somewhere on this floor down to the panic room. It’ll cost a pretty penny, but considering someone already tried to kidnap Colton once, I’d say it’s worth the expense.”

  Jack blinked at him, and Leo took a small step toward King. Shit, he hoped he hadn’t insulted the guy.

  “Damn, you’re absolutely right. That’s a great idea!”

  Leo gave a start at Jack’s enthusiasm. “It is?”

  “Yes! I mean, it’s very unlikely someone could get into my system, but we need to consider that cyber criminals aren’t simply multiplying but getting smarter. There are people out there like us who could get in if they wanted it hard enough, if they wanted to hurt Colton for some reason, or someone paid them enough. Who the hell knows, right? We should be prepared for all scenarios, no matter how unlikely. I could easily rig an internal system like the one you described. Thanks, man.” Jack patted Leo’s shoulder. “Hey, maybe when this is all over, if you’ve got some free time, we could meet up and talk? I’d love for you to consider maybe doing some freelance stuff for me. If you’re interested.”

  Leo gawked at him. “Me? Freelance? For you?”

  Jack’s face turned pink, and Leo could have kicked himself. Jack hadn’t been saying it to make Leo feel better. He really wanted Leo to consider working with him.

  “Shit, I’m sorry,” Jack replied, shaking his head. “I got carried away. You’ve probably got way more important things to work on. Pentagon-level shit and all that.”

  “I’d love to,” Leo blurted.

  Jack’s expression brightened, and a big smile spread across his face. “Yeah?”

  “Are you kidding? It would be awesome!”

  “That’s great! Thanks. Call me, okay? King will give you my number. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make some notes on what we talked about. I love these guys, but they don’t really get excited about this stuff like I do.”

  “Are you kidding? There’s nothing more exciting than starting a new project. The possibilities are endless.”

  “Right? See, you get it. This is going to be amazing. Joker’s gonna flip his shit when he finds out he’s got to deal with two of us now. I can’t wait.” Jack cackled as he went off, and Leo stood stunned.

  “Did that really just happen?”

  “Fuck, that was hot.”

  Leo’s eyes widened, and he turned, a little gasp escaping him when he found himself the focus of King’s lust-filled gaze. King’s eyes were dark, pupils blown, and a low groan rose up from his chest as he stepped closer to Leo. What was happening right now? King wrapped Leo in his arms, bringing him up hard against his body, his thick, hard length stabbing Leo in the stomach. Oh my God, he was turned on.

  “The way your mind works is a thing of beauty. You see things the way no one else does. The rest of us, we go hunting for all the pieces, hoping to make them fit, but not you. For you, the pieces are already in place, leaving you to focus on finding what’s missing.” King brushed his fingers down Leo’s jaw. “You’re amazing.”

  Leo waited for the punchline, but there wasn’t one. King truly believed Leo was someone special. Not only that, but he found it attractive, so much so that he was dragging Leo with him through the house.

  “I need to get you alone before I end up bending you over Colton’s desk. Pretty sure he wouldn’t appreciate us having sex in his office.”

  Leo couldn’t believe this was happening. He followed King toward the guest bedroom they would be sharing tonight. “You guys really do care about what I have to say.” They didn’t simply ask him his opinion; they valued it—valued him.

  King stopped so abruptly, Leo almost ran into him. He turned, his blue eyes filled with… hurt.

  “Why do you look so pained?” Leo asked, running a thumb over one of King’s thick, blond eyebrows.

  “I hate knowing how badly you’ve been hurt. It’s why you can’t see how truly remarkable you are.” King cupped his cheek, and Leo leaned into the touch. “What can I do, sweetheart? How can I help?”

  Leo stood on his toes and wrapped his arms around King’s neck, brushing his lips over King’s. “Don’t you see? You’re already helping, by being you. I know that sounds a little cheesy, but it’s true. You coming into my life has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” There was a cheer from downstairs and loud Christmas greetings. Leo smiled against King’s lips. “Merry Christmas, Ward.”

  “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

  As they kissed, Leo knew there was no going back. His life had changed—he was changing, and he liked the person he was becoming. He didn’t feel so scared anymore, like he was insignificant. He wasn’t. He meant something to his family, to King, to King’s family. No longer was he on the outside looking in. He’d found somewhere he belonged, and he would fight with everything he had to keep it.

  Chapter 9

  One day.

  That’s how long it took for his entire life to change, and it wasn’t until this moment that King realized it. Had someone told him the turn his life would take by meeting one young man, King would have thought they were delusional. The instant Leo had stepped up to him in the bunker, he should have known. He’d laid his eyes on Leo, and something had begun to shift inside him.

  King woke up on New Year’s Eve wrapped around Leo, his heart light and his thoughts filled with possibilities for their future. They needed to talk at some point about what came next. They’d been going with the flow, trying to focus on the situation at hand, neither coming out and saying what they felt or what they wanted. King no longer questioned what—or rather who—he wanted. He wanted Leo, in his life, permanently. The problem he faced was a new one for him. He didn’t know how to go about making that happen.