LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(77)

I kissed him and gently released his hold on me before pulling out of his body to dispose of the condom. Before I could even pull the condom off, Scotty sprang into action and did it for me, jumping up and making his way to the bathroom. He came back with a hot, wet washcloth and fluffy towel and smiled serenely while he tended to me before cleaning up his own body.

“That’s my job,” I said with an appreciative smile. “What’re you doing?”

He tossed the towels away and climbed back in bed, snuggling in close.

“It occurred to me that you’re a service top.”

“Explain.”

“Every time we’ve had sex, you’re the giver. You give, give, give.”

“I want you to feel good,” I said, defensively. “Is that bad?”

Scotty’s face softened. “No, Spartacus. It’s not bad. It’s very, very good. But I want you to feel good too, you know?”

I pulled him closer. “Seeing you happy makes me feel good.”

“Shhh!” Scotty hissed. “Don’t let anyone else hear that, or they’ll bump me off so they can take my place. Jesus Christ. It’s bad enough you’re gorgeous and successful and famous. You gotta be kind and generous in bed too? Fuck me.”

I laughed and pulled him on top of me, enjoying his fake frown. The sunlight hit him again, causing him to glow like an angel. It was impossible to take him seriously.

“We still on board for Operation Cyndee Dump today?” I asked.

“Ew. That sounds nasty.” Scotty shivered in disgust. “But yes. To use Lolo’s phrase: she must away.”

“That man is a character,” I mused. “Wonder where Oscar found him.”

“Some kind of used diva store; I’m sure of it.” He frowned. “Though I still want to know why he’s with that toad.”

I sat up and faced him, realizing I’d forgotten to tell him about Oscar’s text from the day before. “Omigod, I got a little intel on that. Scratch that. Big intel.”

Scotty crossed his arms behind his head on the pillow and smiled up at me. “Here for it. Continue.”

“Supposedly, our Larry is none other than Lawrence Porterfield, a state senator from Louisiana most famous for an anti-gay rant on the senate floor two years ago. He’d sponsored a bill against LGBT adoption, and when it subsequently passed, Lolo lost his shit. He was adopted himself by shitty parents who later kicked him out. So the idea that a kid like him would have no chance at adoptive queer parents made him see red.”

Scotty sat up and leaned forward, anger flushing his face. “God, Roman! Why the hell is he with someone like that? That makes me want to go beat the toad to death.”

I held up a finger, smirking. “Before you do that, wait,” I told him. “You might like this part.” I paused, building anticipation before saying, “Lolo deliberately set out to seduce him.”

I saw the reality dawn on Scotty’s face and a sly grin appear. “No shit. Smart Lolo. Very, very smart.”

“Right?”

“So what’s his endgame do you think?” I asked him.

I shrugged. “No idea. But given what we’ve seen of Lolo, I wouldn’t underestimate him. I’m sure things aren’t going to end well for Larry.”





23





Scotty





Storm Strands Stowaways In Stowe



After rolling around in bed a little longer, we exchanged soapy hand jobs in the shower and made our way downstairs. Roman was whisper-giggling his way through an impression of Lolo playing prisoner to Trevor’s cop when I recognized the sound of my mother’s voice in the kitchen.

“Shit,” I hissed, nudging Roman to go faster. “She’s already up. Hurry.”

My mother had never been known as a morning person, so it hadn’t occurred to me that we’d have to wake up early so we could warn Diana and her family not to share anything my mom could sell to the tabloids. But sure enough, when we entered the kitchen my mother was begging Diana to tell her more little-boy Roman stories from their childhood.

The moment I saw her, I went straight to her, forcing a smile. “Mom! You’re awake. How… great,” I said, false cheer dripping from my voice.

She turned to me, a familiar gleam in her eye. “There you are, Scottybear.” She air-kissed my cheeks. “Of course I’m awake—jail isn’t really known for letting inmates sleep in,” she added with a wink.

I blinked, glancing toward Diana to see if she’d react to my mother’s admission she’d just gotten out of jail. But she didn’t even bat an eye, just continued hulling strawberries for a fruit salad. I cleared my throat. “So… I guess you shared details about your recent… accommodations?”

Mom waved a dismissive hand. “Oh of course. Diana and I are old friends by now, aren’t we, dear?” she asked, sending a smile Diana’s way.

“We’ve been trading embarrassing stories about the two of you,” Diana said, waggling a finger between me and Roman. “I had no idea you’d performed a full reenactment of All The Single Ladies for your school talent show.”

Oh dear god. I winced and glanced at Roman out of the corner of my eye, desperately hoping he hadn’t just heard that. I could tell from the smirk on his face he totally had. “I didn’t know that either, bae. You’ll have to tell me more about that later,” he said, brushing a kiss along my temple before whispering in my ear, “Or even better, show me.”