Love Next Door

by Jerry Cole

  Reese looked away.

  “No, I didn’t. And that’s what got him killed.”

  If he had seen him as a client, then this wouldn’t have happened. Reese would have used common sense and not listened to his lover saying he knew best. Henry had been determined to show that he wasn’t scared of his stalker. And it turned out that he should have been very scared about a deranged girl obsessed with him to the point that she wasn’t prepared to share him with anyone else.

  David made a noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat.

  “Look, Reese, have you spoken to anyone about this?”

  “I’ve spoken to you about it, haven’t I? And Maria knows, although not as many details as you.”

  “But I’m not a professional.”

  Then it dawned on Reese where this was going. He growled and glared at David.

  “I don’t need counselling, David. Don’t even try it.”

  “Are you sure?” David countered. “You’re grieving, and you’re stuck. My counsellor would happily take you on if I asked a favor…”

  “Stop right there.” Reese snapped. He shook his head. “Don’t ever mention it again. I’m not going to a counsellor. I don’t need it.”

  “If you don’t, why are you still at home when you should have gone back to work?”

  Reese flinched. He shot to his feet.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  David sighed. He barely reacted to Reese’s outrage.

  “Reese, how long did you sit with me talking about what you’d done? Who was the person you confided in about your feelings before you confessed them to Henry? That was me. You came to me about everything, and I gave you my honest opinion. That’s what I’m doing now.”

  Reese bared his teeth. Why did David have to turn from a sympathetic ear to a reasonable voice? It was grating him up the wrong way.

  God, the man sounded a lot like him.

  “I’m not asking for advice, David. I just…” Reese couldn’t do this anymore. Things were starting to hurt, and he was struggling to breathe. He headed towards the door into the kitchen. “I just want to be left alone.”

  “And you think staying indoors working out until you collapse is going to help you forget?” David snapped. “You think it’s going to bring him back if you ignore the fact you need help?”

  Reese snarled and swung back around. The man was far too stubborn for his own good.

  “Last time, David.” Reese warned. “Don’t. Just go away. Leave me alone.”

  David’s face was flushed. His eyes were bright. Why did seeing him like this turn him on? David’s jaw tightened and he stepped back towards the drive.

  “Fine. I’ll go and mope in my house with my own problems. I’ve got enough of them anyway without dealing with yours.”

  He stormed out, almost knocking his head on the garage door. Reese momentarily considered calling him back, but he didn’t. There was nothing they could say to each other right now. And David had no right to tell him he needed counselling.

  Reese didn’t need help. He was fine.

  Who was he kidding? He wasn’t fine. Reese was screwed.

  Chapter Five

  How stubborn could a man be? David was still simmering two hours later as he sorted his laundry. Reese needed counselling to help with his grief, anyone could see that, but he refused to see it. It was only going to get worse if he couldn’t get it out with a professional. David was not a professional; there was only so much he could do.

  God, David wanted to shake the man. Hell, he wanted to punch him. Then kiss him. David’s head was switching between the three. Why did this stubbornness from Reese make him all the more attractive? David hadn’t appreciated it before, and certainly not with James. Why was it different with Reese?

  Things were going to get worse if Reese didn’t face everything that had happened and worked it through. Talking to David was one thing, but David didn’t know if he would ask all the questions that needed answering. That was for a licensed counsellor to do. They would know how to help Reese. David was at a loss.

  If Reese didn’t want the help, David wasn’t going to give it. Reese could wallow in his own grief for all he cared. David wasn’t going to come over and help when Reese was struggling. He had made his bed and David was certainly not going to help Reese lie in it.

  As he carried the laundry basket through the house, there was a knock at the door. David groaned. He wasn’t in the mood for guests. And it wouldn’t be Nicole as she would be at work. He hoped to God it wasn’t James or Laura; David wasn’t in the mood for either of them.

  The knocking started again. Sighing, David put the basket on the couch and went to the door. He looked through the spyhole. Reese was standing on the porch, now fully dressed, shuffling from foot to foot. What did he want now?

  Knowing he wouldn’t leave until David had seen him, he opened the door. Reese stood there, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. He had spruced himself up a little with jeans, smart loafers and a navy button-up shirt that fitted snugly on his body. David had to stop himself from openly staring. Even after an argument, he couldn’t stop himself from eyeing up Reese and admiring his body. Reese did look good no matter what he wore.

  “David?”

  David then realized he had been staring. And now Reese was looking at him oddly. David cleared his throat and leaned on the doorframe.

  “What do you want?”

  Reese winced.

  “I guess I deserved that.”

  “Yes.”

  David wasn’t going to let Reese off so easily. He had been harsh, and David didn’t appreciate it. From the way Reese was shifting from one foot to the other, he knew it.

  “Listen, I know I said a lot of harsh things earlier…”

  “A little bit.”

  “...But you were trying to help. I... I was having a rough day. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have.”

  Reese groaned.

  “Could you just shut up and let me apologize?”

  David folded his arms. He was enjoying watching Reese squirm.

  “I haven’t heard the apology yet.”

  “Because you won’t let me get there.” Reese rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m sorry. I really am. Can we be friends again?”

  David kept himself silent. He had almost blurted out that he had forgiven Reese already, but seeing the bodyguard looked like a little boy apologizing to his parents was amusing. It wasn’t often Reese was put on the back foot, and David wanted to milk it. Reese groaned.

  “Come on, David, don’t do this to me. It’s taken me two hours to come over and do this. Just answer me, please.”

  “I’m not going to fall out with you over this.” David paused, again a little longer than necessary. “But an apology is welcome.”

  Reese winced.

  “Damn, you like to make me feel three inches tall.”

  “I’m good at that.”

  “I’ve noticed that over the years.” Reese rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you might refuse, but why don’t we go out for a bit? It’s Friday and we can have a bit of fun as mates again. Just as we used to. God only knows, I need to get out more.”

  Now David felt like he was on the back foot. Had Reese just asked him out? No, he had framed it as a mates evening out. But David still felt the butterflies in his belly. It felt more like Reese was asking him on a date. David had to stop himself from saying yes immediately; he didn’t want to sound too eager.

  “Okay. But I’m choosing where to go.”

  Reese didn’t look sure about that.

  “Am I going to like it?”

  David grinned.

  “You always do.”

  ***

  The pins scattered everywhere in a half-strike, and David punched the air as he walked back to their seats. Reese sat on the leather bench and scowled, arms folded as he pouted.

  “I hate this game.” He grumbled.
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  David laughed. He plonked himself down beside Reese and stretched out his legs.

  “Oh, come on! You love it, really!”

  “I don’t know what makes you think that.”

  “You were loving the game when you were ahead.” David prodded Reese in the side. “You forget that I start off bad and get better as we go on. Now I’m ahead and you’re throwing your toys out of the crib.”

  “I’m not!”

  “Liar.”

  It was always the same. No matter what they played, Reese got grumpy when he started losing. David always found it amusing. Whenever they played video games on multiplayer, Reese tried several dirty tricks so he could win, from coughing whenever David needed a steady hand, to outright tickling him. David gave it back as good as he could, and that did end up with both of them getting killed in the game once that was forgotten, but Reese hated losing.

  Even at bowling. David had thought going out to the bowling alley would be fun, bashing pins and imagining them as people they hated. It was certainly working for him, and he was feeling less tense than before. Chances were, if he was grumpy about losing, Reese had David’s face on the pins.

  Reese nudged David aside and stood up, grabbing at one of the bowling balls. As he went up for his turn, David found himself staring at Reese’s rear end. His jeans always hugged him nicely, and David had ended up eyeing Reese up a little more than he should. He couldn’t help himself. Reese had caught him a few times, and then David realized Reese seemed to be putting a show on for him, flexing his muscles while David watched.

  Was he flirting with him? David didn’t know, but he was enjoying the show.

  Reese sent the ball down the lane, and all the pins were knocked out, bouncing around before disappearing from sight. Reese let out a triumphant shout and punched the air, turning to smirk at David.

  “Strike! See if you can beat that!”

  David laughed.

  “You’ve got another go, remember?”

  Reese was grinning widely as he selected another ball. As he picked it out, a young woman from the next lane who had been standing by the balls pretending to look through them suddenly took an interest. David watched as she said something to Reese, smiling prettily up at him. David had been aware of the group of young women who had turned up beside them, all of them watching both David and Reese. It wasn’t a coincidence that they had picked that lane when several others were empty at that time. Over the past half-hour, they had attempted to talk and flirt with the pair of them, but David and Reese simply smiled and got back to their game. They were swept up in their own company.

  Kudos to them, they did keep trying. David wondered if the girls thought they were playing the hard game and just needed the right distraction. If only they knew.

  Maybe if he and Reese kissed, the girls would leave them alone.

  The thought of actually kissing Reese had David licking his lips. He had been wondering what it would be like to kiss him over the last week, and it had resulted in David walking around with an erection most of the time. Not the best look when arresting a woman for shoplifting or having a fight in the mall. His right hand didn’t not want to see his cock again for a while. They weren’t on speaking terms.

  Reese gave the woman who had started flirting with him, putting her hand on his arms, a smile and patted one of the lighter bowling balls. Then he selected his own and went back to his turn. He knocked down all the pins again and he swaggered back to David. David couldn’t help but laugh at Reese’s behavior.

  “You are such a sore loser, Reese.”

  “You always beat me.” Reese shot back, flopping onto the bench. “I want to be able to win at some point.”

  “I don’t always beat you.”

  “You do!”

  “I can’t remember the last time I won.”

  Reese laughed and pushed David’s shoulder.

  “I can’t decide if your memory is atrocious or you’re just a good liar.”

  “Sassy bastard.” David reached for his glass, only to see that it was empty. He took both his and Reese’s drink and stood. “You want something else to drink?”

  “You’re just trying to get out of your go.” Reese teased.

  “No.” David gestured at the board. “Start of a new game. You get us set up and I’ll get the drinks.”

  “Sure.” Reese stood and gave David a sly look as he went to the terminal. “Are you trying to get me drunk so I don’t win again?”

  “You didn’t win.” David lifted a leg and nudged Reese in the thigh with his foot. “And you’re driving, aren’t you? Water for you now.”

  Reese flipped him the bird over his shoulder as he started up a new game on the screen. David laughed and headed towards the bar. The place had been relatively quiet when they first arrived and now it was busy. People were hanging around waiting for a lane to open up so they could play. The alcohol was flowing freely, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. David preferred the sanctuary of his own home, but it was at times like this that the place lifted his mood. Having people in good spirits around him had an effect on him, and David enjoyed himself even more. Reese seemed to be affected the same way. His mood was certainly lighter and he was smiling more. Even with his grumbling, he was having fun.

  This was a good idea. They needed to do this more often.

  David reached the bar and managed to catch the barman’s attention, pointing at the glasses in his hand and then at the soda. The barman took them and put them away before fetching clean ones. As he filled, David fumbled with his wallet.

  That was when he heard a harsh female voice behind him.

  “How did I guess you were going to be here?”

  David spun around. Laura stood behind him, hands on her hips. She was wearing skinny jeans that showed off her slim legs and a white vest over a bright pink bra. Her hair was loose about her shoulder, her eyes flashing at David.

  “Laura?”

  “I thought I told you to keep away from James.” Laura snapped. She jabbed a finger in his direction, almost catching David in the face. “He’s mine now, not yours. Stalking him isn’t going to get him back.”

  “You…” David was still trying to get his thoughts in order. They had momentarily scrambled when Laura turned up. “I didn’t even know you were going to be here.”

  “Liar.”

  David rolled his eyes. Laura was ridiculous. He was getting fed up, and tonight was not the night for this. He paid the barman and took the glasses of soda. Then David turned back to Laura.

  “You need to stop being paranoid, Laura. Just because James will shag anything left, right and center when he’s with you, doesn’t mean that his ex-husband is going to be a threat. I don’t give a rat’s ass what he’s up to and it’s certainly not with me.”

  He tried to step around Laura, but Laura stepped with him. With the press of people around them. David couldn’t get past her unless he physically shoved her out of the way. As it was, other people were starting to take an interest. Laura did love her drama.

  “You always were good at lying, David.” Laura sneered.

  David was not doing this. Not tonight. He stared Laura down.

  “You’re a cop, Laura. Do you really want to risk your badge having a pointless fight?”

  “James is mine, and you’re not having him back.”

  “I don’t want him back. You’re welcome to him since you decided a married bisexual man was fair game. I don’t share and I don’t give second chances.” He raised his eyebrows. “Now, move out of the way or I’ll raise my voice and get security over here to remove you.”

  For a moment, Laura looked like she wasn’t going to shift. She could easily have played the innocent girl act and put the blame on David, but not with the amount of people watching them. Her face screwed up in a scowl and she stepped aside. David moved past her, purposefully giving Laura a wide berth. He didn’t trust her to leave him be just like that.

  She didn’t follow him, bu
t David was still shaking as he went back to his lane. Reese was talking to two of the girls, who were practically swooning over him. One of them was standing a little too close, and David felt a knot of jealousy in his stomach. He shook himself. He needed to get a grip. Reese was not his, and girls weren’t his type. David had no need to be jealous. This wasn’t a date.

  In David’s mind, he knew he had been treating it as such. Especially with the flirting and banter between them.

  Then Reese saw him and quickly excused himself from the girls. He reached David and took the glasses from him.

  “You okay?”

  “Laura’s here,” David said as he slumped on the bench, “Which means that James is here somewhere as well.”

  “Oh.” Reese frowned. He put the drinks on the table and sat beside him. “Do you want to go?”

  David was eager to leave. Partly. But that meant letting Laura win. She was under the illusion that she had everything and David was trying to steal it from her. That was just daft, and David knew trying to break that illusion was only going to make things worse. And he wasn’t going to let her win.

  “No,” he shook his head. “I’m not leaving here because they want to bowl as well. I won’t let them squirm or let me ruin my evening.”

  Reese didn’t look convinced, but he nodded and patted David’s thigh.

  “Okay. You’re first. Let’s enjoy the game.”

  David’s sentiments exactly.

  Chapter Six

  Reese let out a heavy sigh as they stepped outside. Even in the warm weather, the nights could suddenly turn pretty chilly. Tonight, it was bracing. And welcoming. It had gotten considerably warmer in the bowling alley, and Reese could feel the sweat trickling down between his shoulder blades. It felt like a relief to come out into the crisp night air.

  “I needed that.” He declared, shoving his hands into his pockets as he fell into step beside David.

  David laughed.

  “I thought you hated bowling.”

  “I did. But that was fun.” Reese nudged David with his shoulder. “Thanks for taking me out. I needed that. God only knows how long it’s been since I actually went out.”