Vulnerable [Suncoast Society] (Suncoast Society #29)(77)

He didn’t want to leave it behind with Jesse. Life was too damn short, and he always wanted it nearby.

Leo also loved his friends for what they’d set up for tonight. A bunch of the women, led by Tilly, were going to take Laurel and Eva out to dinner and a movie, then back home to Eva’s to play whatever board games Laurel wanted to play until she fell asleep.

It would keep the child and her mom occupied.

Tilly would be spending the night with them, just in case. He’d confided enough in Tilly to let her know why he wanted someone there with Eva, even though he felt confident the worst was behind them.

In her new role, Eva seemed more at peace with the world than Leo could ever remember seeing her. Tilly assured him she would use the time together to talk to her about the lifestyle, about her expectations, and toss around some potential matches she was already working on.

Fine with him. He didn’t want things rushed, and knew that, now, with Eva safe, he could enjoy his new life with Jesse without guilt.

As the afternoon wound down and guests filtered out, the “girl gang” formed. After hustling Laurel through quick good-byes that didn’t give her time to think, they departed, leaving Leo and Jesse alone, relatively speaking. Most of the other guests soon followed.

Lucas walked over. “We’ll finish cleaning up, don’t worry. You two go enjoy the honeymoon suite.”

Leo laced fingers with Jesse. “I want to walk there.”

“You sure?”

“It’s just around the pool.”

“Oh, speaking of the pool,” Lucas said. “We’re going to shut all the blinds and keep the TV on.” He smiled. “The pool and hot tub are all yours tonight, I promise.”

Leo made sure his wheels were locked and carefully stood. “Thank you for everything. For this, for your help with Eva before.”

Lucas shrugged. “It’s called paying it forward. We were damn lucky. So I like to help out where I can.”

Jesse followed close behind Leo with the wheelchair, just in case. When they reached the door, Leo opened it, stepping aside.

Leo pointed at the wheelchair. “Sit.”

“What?”

“I said sit. I can’t carry your ass across the threshold but I can damn sure push it.”

Jesse chuckled and sat in it, unlocking the wheels as Leo got behind him and pushed. Once inside, he locked the door behind them. “You know what I want?”

“What?”

“A naked boy on his knees in front of me.”

Jesse only hesitated a moment before he jumped up from the wheelchair and started stripping. Seconds later, he knelt on the floor in front of Leo, his forehead resting on Leo’s shoes.

“Good boy,” Leo softly cooed. “Such a good boy for me.”

Few things in life excited Leo more than the rounded curve of his boy’s spine that flowed into the seam of his perfectly biteable, spankable ass.

He didn’t want a long, drawn-out scene tonight. He was still easily tired and in pain. A far cry from three months ago after the accident, but he’d learned to pace himself. Last night, his boy had gotten a good spanking.

Tonight, he’d get his f*cking.

“Go wait for me in the bedroom,” Leo told him. “On the bed, on all fours.”

Jesse jumped up to do it.

He waited until he knew Jesse couldn’t see him to retrieve his special wedding present for Jesse.

He’d enlisted Tilly’s help for this, having it delivered to her house, where she kept it for him, sneaking it here so it’d be ready and waiting.

He got the hand-tooled matching leather collar and cuffs from the drawer in the entertainment center. They looked even better than the picture Tilly sent him when they’d arrived. He’d had the initials LJCM entwined on the collar with a Celtic knot design. The knot design was repeated on the wrist and ankle cuffs.

Jesse and Leo would both be changing their names. They’d be Leo Cooke-Morrow and Jesse Cooke-Morrow. He’d had one last private conversation with Eva last week, to ensure she was all right and offer her the chance to change her last name, too, if she wanted. She’d opted to stay with Cooke as her last name instead of reverting to her maiden name.

He couldn’t blame her. Not after what she’d been through. But had she wanted to add Jesse’s last name to hers, he wouldn’t have minded. They were a family. They would always be a family, and whatever poor bastard Tilly eventually found for Eva would have one hell of a crucible to run through before he made it to the bonus round that would allow him to join their family.

Their pack.

In fact, it had—ironically—been Laurel who’d dubbed their family a “pack” after watching a special on the wolves of Yellowstone and their extended family structure. She’d declared that their home was a pack, too, and ran around making ah-oooh wolf noises.

She just thought her parents were laughing at her.

They were also laughing at the fact that Laurel had accidentally hit upon the perfect descriptor for their unusual family unit. They weren’t poly, and they weren’t a leather family in the technical sense of the term.

Pack seemed to fit them best.

Leo walked into the bedroom and laid the collar and cuffs down at the end of the bed by Jesse’s feet, where the man couldn’t see them. He reached out and stroked Jesse’s ass before removing his tuxedo jacket.