Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 9

returned to the soiree house and given one more chance. He would have one soiree to find a marriage group who wanted him to be their coração , their heart. He'd been lucky once before when he'd found Christopher and Trevor, but that didn't happen to everyone. The Royal Coração had been on his fourth and final soiree before he'd been chosen and married, and Tabansi had no illusions that he was more special than Elian. Besides, what were the odds that he'd find someone more perfect for him than Trevor and Christopher? No, it was just best for him to not get his hopes up. The worst that could happen is that he went to the soiree and no one chose him. Then he'd have to declare himself a spinster and lose his home and his status. There was also the dreaded outcome of losing his job as a medical professional and having to go into prostitution. While legal on Kardalusia, the insurance sucked and he would end up having to sell his body to multiple patrons just to make a fraction of the money that he made as a doctor.
    Realizing that he hadn't responded to Jordy, Tabansi pulled his mind forcefully away from his inner musings and dilemma and looked up at the older man. "Yes, I remember you. You were working out with Maddock and Taggart Undertson, right?" He saw Jordy's eyes widen before the beautiful green eyes, which shone with a touch of gold, darkened slightly. Tabansi found himself fascinated by the older man's reaction to his question. What had he said that so turned on the handsome teacher?
    Knowing that he was too shy to question the other man, Tabansi just smiled at Jordy instead.
    "Yes, Maddock, Taggart and I are all an official marriage group foundation," Jordy's words were offhanded, as was his tone, but the darkening of his eyes, the green turning almost black with the gold flecks looking like lightning bolts, belied that theory.
    Gods and Goddesses, could it really be that easy? Could the three men who had filled his thoughts all morning, the first three men he'd really and truly seen since Trevor and Christopher died, be the three men who would save him? He couldn't be that lucky. To have found people who wanted to rescue him from a bleak existence twice… was it even possible?
    "Would you have lunch with me, Tabansi?" Jordy asked him, the older man's voice low, seductive, like melted chocolate poured over ice cream. Tabansi felt himself melt as the words drifted over his skin. He wanted to close his eyes with his head tilted back and let the words rain down on him like a refreshing rain, arousing him, bringing him to climax.
    But he was pretty sure that he could get arrested for that.
    "Yes," he sighed instead, smiling tremulously at Jordy, wondering what the hell he was getting himself into.
    ****
    "So I'm standing there, lemon pudding dripping down my face, staining my white shirt and Taggart turns to look at Maddock and says, 'I really wanted to eat that, you know'," Jordy regaled Tabansi with another amusing story about his life with Maddock and Taggart, and Tabansi laughed. The two of them had spent their entire lunch period just getting to know each other better. Tabansi learned all that there was to know about Jordy. He knew that while Jordy was known as "The Prankster," he had a passion for numbers and history as well as theology and learning in general. He was a sexy nerd, something that had been used to describe his older brother, the King of Kardalusia, Corbin Dyer-Carrington.
    Tabansi picked up the napkin that sat next to his plate and covered his mouth as he tried to contain his mirth. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd laughed so hard. Trevor and Christopher had been great but their senses of humor were nothing like Jordy's. Jordy seemed to radiate amusement and hilarity and it was definitely a balm on Tabansi's still quite wounded soul.
    "So what do you do after work?" Jordy asked him and Tabansi raised an eyebrow at the other man.
    "I usually go home, whenever I get off, have some dinner or breakfast or lunch, depending on the time of day, and then I go to sleep. How about you?" His eyes traveled over the tanned skin of the extremely muscled man with his gold speckled green eyes. A very large part of him wanted to throw caution to the wind and strip naked before bending over the table with his ass pointing up in offering to the older man.
    As if he was aware of Tabansi's thoughts, Jordy's eyes darkened as his eyes narrowed. Leaning forward, his voice dropped low as he spoke for