Read By Any Other Name for Free Online Page B

himself away from the doorway. “You’re taller than me and shorter than Thom and more built than either of us. So not much of what we have would fit you. I mean, I thought about it; if you feel awkward taking our money, then I could’ve made you take our clothes and bought us new ones.” There was the old mischievous glint Skye could remember from the past in Dru’s eyes.
     
    “Yeah, I remember getting your portable CD player when mine broke down. You told your mom you lost it and she bought you a new one.” Skye smiled.
     
    “I might have done something like that,” Dru murmured as he turned to walk out of the room again. “We better go before Thom gets annoyed and burns the dinner.”
     
    “I’ll go freshen up and be right back,” Skye said. After all, he had just spent over nine hours traveling pretty much across the country.
     
    “Sure. Just call us if you need anything and be down soon.” Dru smiled warmly and left the room.
     

Chapter 4

     

     

     
    Thom
     

     
    Thom was chopping peppers and onions for dinner and trying to think about how to be rational about this. How did a skinny kid with bad skin turn out looking like that ? No matter what Skye had been through, he had bounced back. And then some. Hell, if Thom himself could get a body like Skye’s without using all his free time exercising like crazy, he’d try immediately. He knew he couldn’t, so that was that. He’d just have to live with a hunk whom his partner had been in love with under his roof from now on.
     
    He avoided cutting off the tip of his finger by sheer reflex and cursed under his breath. It meant nothing, right? Having the self-esteem issues he did and then having Skye tossed into the mix. It didn’t have to mean anything. It was just that he had seen the way Dru stroked the scar on his knee while reading the letter on Friday. He had also seen the casual way Skye tugged at Dru’s hair in the car. There was history there. So maybe Skye was broken and healing, but….
     
    “Honey, what are you doing?” Dru’s voice shook him from his misery.
     
    “Hmm?”
     
    “You’re staring at the fridge. Did it do something to you?” There was a teasing edge to Dru’s tone, and Thom tried his best not to get annoyed. It would be very petty to get annoyed by a joke that wasn’t meant to be offensive. The only offensive things were his own thoughts, which were heading down the “how can he want me? I wouldn’t want me” loop.
     
    “Sorry… just thoughtful, I suppose,” Thom said and turned to receive a kiss. “Where’s Skye?” he asked when he noticed the man hadn’t come downstairs yet.
     
    “He’s freshening up,” Dru said and moved to stand behind Thom, pressing himself against the taller man’s back. “Anything I can do to help?”
     
    “Not really. Doing something quick. Pasta, maybe? You can help by staying where you are,” Thom said and leaned back a little, enjoying the way Dru’s arms around his waist tightened for a moment.
     
    “That I can do,” Dru said, and Thom felt him smile against his back, even through the T-shirt he was wearing.
     
    “Can I help?” Skye asked from the bottom of the stairs, and for some reason, Dru didn’t move away from Thom.
     
    “Yeah, I got the monkey on my back, so you could check that cabinet”—Thom pointed with the knife—“to see what kind of pasta we have.”
     
    “Okay. What are you making?” Skye asked and opened the cabinet door to look at the contents.
     
    “You eat meat, right?” Thom asked, and after getting a nod, he thought for a moment. “Well, I suppose I’ll improvise. Lots of veggies and something resembling a Bolognese sauce, I think.”
     
    “You have… fusilli here, that might be okay with the veggies too?” Skye held out a container with the short, spiral-shaped pasta.
     
    “Works for me,” Dru commented, otherwise still and quiet against Thom.
     
    “Fusilli it is, then.” Thom nodded and showed Skye where to