Chapter 7

Which was more disappointing than Efren would have expected it to be. Those glances had warmed his heart.

Much as Efren had hoped for a genial relationship with his new husband, he hadn’t expected the adoration he’d seen in the man’s eyes. Lovers he’d had in the past had certainly looked at him with lust-filled gazes, and perhaps it was because they’d known they could never be more than fleeting partners to him that they’d kept potential feelings in check.

Yes, some of what he saw in Marcelo’s eyes was physical hunger—thankfully—but there were elements of respect and admiration there, too. Unexpected, but not at all unwelcomed.

In the list of qualities that he’d once hoped for in his life partner, Efren had never considered how his spouse felt about him to be one of them. Perhaps because he’d figured the odds were he would marry Marcelo’s twin, Marcela, and he well knew that she would’ve had her own agenda and would’ve been unlikely to let an attachment get in the way of it.