by Ella Frank
If ever a night called for me to have a drink, then this was it.
17
Xander
ABOUT AN HOUR into dinner at Bailey’s, I was feeling good and buzzed courtesy of the drinks Henri kept bringing my way whenever I was about to hit empty.
I’d made it my mission to keep as far away from Sean as possible since the verbal dress-down he’d given me outside, and if why I’d been so quiet on the way over here wasn’t so damn mortifying, I might’ve told the jackass to pull his fucking head in.
As it was, I wasn’t about to admit I was avoiding him because I couldn’t seem to control my cock whenever he was near. That just seemed like a fate worse than death—not that that was the best analogy for me these days either.
“Running a little low there, Xander. Need another?”
I turned to see Henri crossing the large deck in his usual boots, faded jeans, and black tee. He had a bottle of the good stuff in his hand, and as much as I wanted to say yes to another refill, I knew I needed to slow it down.
“I’m fine for now, thanks.”
Henri shrugged and placed the bottle on the rail behind him. “No problem. You’ve been hitting it kinda hard since you got here anyway. Something up?”
Bad choice of words right there, and as my eyes cut to the grill where Sean stood with Bailey, I shook my head.
Henri chuckled. “Wanna maybe try that again with more conviction?”
The twinkle in his eyes almost matched the twinkle from the small silver piercing through his nose, and told me I wasn’t fooling anyone, especially him.
Henri Boudreaux had come into all our lives around six months ago. He’d started out as a CI for Sean after being arrested—who, we’d all been told, was a complete delight to work with. Not.
But then fate had stepped in, a traffic ticket was issued by Bailey, and bam, the man who had once lived a life of ill repute was now on the straight and narrow with my best friend—well, the narrow, at least.
Turned out him and Bailey were perfect for one another, and I couldn’t be happier for them.
“I’ve just been dealing with some crazy stuff this week and it’s taking its toll, that’s all,” I said.
Henri frowned. “What kind of stuff?”
“Work stuff.”
Sean looked up at that moment and pinned me with a look that made my fingers tighten around my tumbler. Shit, how was it that I was so aware of him now? How tall he was. How broad-shouldered. How good those jeans looked cupping his—
I quickly dragged my eyes back up to see Sean now scowling at Henri. Clearly that relationship was still in progress.
As Sean went back to talking with Bailey, Henri leaned into me, bumping shoulders. “Wanna tell me what that was about?”
“What what was about?”
“Nice try. But I happen to know you’re way smarter than that. So what’s going on with you and Dick? And what’s with this…new version of him? He almost looks human.”
Just hearing Henri put us together in the same sentence, as though we belonged there, was all kinds of wrong. I raised my glass to drain the remainder of my bourbon, and just as I was about to swallow, Henri said, “You two fucking?”
I nearly choked on the alcohol but somehow managed to force it down and get control of my coughing fit. “What?”
“Are you two—”
“I heard you.”
“Well?”
“No. He’s straight.” When Henri’s eyes widened, I realized how that sounded. As in, if Sean wasn’t straight, we would be? Hell no. “Plus it’s Sean. No. I just… We—” Fuck. Spit it out already, Xander. “He’s helping me out with something. We need to talk to you guys about it later, but it’s complicated and weird.”
“More complicated than if you were—”
“Don’t say it again,” I said, pointing at Henri’s chest.
Henri laughed and held up his hands. “Okay, I’m just sayin’. That’d be really fucking weird. Especially for Bailey, right?”
“I think you need to stop talking about this or I’m going to lose all my alcohol on your boots.”
“Shit, don’t do that. They’re new.”
“Okay, guys,” Bailey called out as he handed Sean the tray of steaks and closed the lid of the grill. “Get your asses to the table.”
As we headed toward the sliding back door, Sean looked over at the two of us, a frown twisting his lips.
I knew he was pissed—or still pissed—about what I’d said on needing company other than him, but it was for the best. Being around Sean, and only Sean, these last few days had caused some anomaly in my brain and body, and there was no way I was going to add fuel to the fire by being close to him around his family.
Like Henri said, it’d be really weird if something I couldn’t control should happen, leaving me to explain my wayward cock to my best friend and his brother.
It was just best, for now, if Sean hated me. That way, things would go back to normal…right?
18
Sean
XANDER WASN’T LYING about wanting to spend time with people other than me, and about two hours into the evening I was just about fucking done with it.
I knew the two of us weren’t the best of friends—whatever the hell that meant—but did he really find me so repellent he needed a time-out?
I wasn’t one to usually give a shit under normal circumstances, but it annoyed me to no end that I was fixated on his little avoidance routine tonight, and after we’d all finished eating and I saw him stacking up Bailey’s plates to take them into the kitchen, I got to my feet and picked up several glasses to follow.
With Bailey and Boudreaux safely tucked away in the living room all kissy face, I made my way to where Xander was rinsing the dishes for the dishwasher.
Earlier I’d caught him talking with Boudreaux out on the deck, and something about the way they’d been watching me told me I’d been the topic under discussion.
At first, I’d thought Xander had been filling him in on what had happened this week. But I dismissed that idea when Boudreaux started laughing and Xander looked like he wanted to disappear into thin air.
So…maybe he’d mentioned the cover story? That would no doubt tickle Boudreaux’s funny bone—the idea of me playing a gay man. But again, if that was the reason why Xander looked so fucking offended, I was just about done.
I was doing him a favor, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t have to act like I had the goddamn plague.
Just as that thought entered my head, I put the glasses down on the kitchen counter and said, “Okay, what the hell is going on with you tonight?”
I didn’t have to be a detective to notice the way Xander’s spine stiffened, and when he straightened his shoulders and glanced back at me, my stomach did some weird flipping thing.
Oh shit, Bailey better have cooked that steak all the way through.
“Nothing is going on with me tonight.”
“Bullfuckingshit.” I leaned against the counter by the sink. “You’ve hardly said two words to me all night.”
“That’s not true.” Xander went back to rinsing the plates. “I just said seven.”
I reached across him and flicked off the water, and when he glared at me, I realized how close that put us to one another. Our sides were touching and our faces were within inches of each other.
“What’d I do to piss you off so bad?”
Xander’s chest rose and fell against my arm. “Can you please move out of the way?” he said, polite as ever.
Pulling my arm back, I slid a little way down the counter and crossed my arms. “Come on, Xander. What’s going on? Is it because of this morning? I know it was rough, but I’m not going to tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Xander shut his eyes and took in a deep breath, and as he let it out he flicked off the water and turned to look at me. “It’s not that.”
“It’s not?”
“No.”
“Okay.” I ran a hand
through my hair and gripped the back of my neck. “Then what is it? Because as far as this all goes,” I said, waving a hand between us, “I thought I was doing pretty damn good. You said the clothes were better.”
“They are.”
“Then what’s the problem? I don’t remember saying anything particularly offensive today. We went shopping, what happened happened, you took a nap, and when you woke up, I was getting ready to go out with you. What the fuck happened between now and then?” And why did I suddenly care?
Xander swallowed, and just when he was about to answer, Bailey walked into the kitchen carrying the rest of the glasses.
“You two need some help?”
“I… Uh, I think we have it,” Xander said, going back to rinsing the plates.
Bailey pulled open the door to the dishwasher. “You could at least stack the dishes, Sean.”
Yeah, shit, I guess I could. But I’d been so focused on trying to work out why Xander was pissed at me that it hadn’t even occurred to me.
“So what’s been going on with you?” Bailey said as he handed Xander a glass. “You were super quiet at dinner.”
I was this close to saying “see” like we were still a bunch of teenagers, when Xander shrugged and said, “Who could get a word in edgewise with Sean talking the whole time?”
“Hey, you could’ve shut me up anytime you wanted to.” Xander pinned me with a look so fierce that I was surprised it didn’t cut me off at the knees. “And anyway, seemed no one else had shit to say, so I figured I’d keep you all entertained.”
Bailey chuckled. “Yeah, I’m not sure how we survived all these weeks without you. I will say, though, you’re looking good, Sean. Or maybe that’s because I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks.”
I glanced down at my new and improved wardrobe, and figured now was as good a time as any to fill Bailey in on what was really going on.
“Nah, I think that’s probably ’cause of Xander.”
Xander’s hands froze in the sink.
“Because of Xander?” Bailey looked between us, but it wasn’t lost on me that Xander had glued his eyes to the glass in his hands.
“Yeah. We need to talk to you, Bay.” I tapped Xander’s shoulder to make sure he was on board with this, and when he looked over at me and nodded, I turned back to my brother. “Why don’t you let us finish up in here, and then we’ll come and talk to you and Boudreaux.”
Bailey narrowed his eyes. “Is everything…okay?”
I shoved off the counter and clapped him on the shoulder. “Everything’s okay. Xander just needed some help, that’s all.”
“Help?”
Xander turned off the faucet and grabbed the dishtowel to wipe his hands as he turned to face Bailey.
“What kind of help?”
“Let’s go and talk.” Xander threw the towel on the counter, and we all walked out of the kitchen to find the table cleared and Boudreaux sitting in the living room. He looked at the three of us and said, “Okay, what’d I miss in the kitchen?”
“Nothing,” I said, as I walked to the wide windows that overlooked the back of the property, and Bailey sat by Boudreaux’s side.
Xander took the recliner, looking about as comfortable as one might sitting in a dentist’s chair. So I decided to save him the difficulty of explaining this all over again.
“Earlier this week, Xander received some pretty disturbing threats at his work,” I said.
Bailey’s eyes flicked from me to his friend, concern crossing his face—along with a whole lot of confusion. “Threats? As in messages?”
“Yes.” Xander nodded. “Three of them.”
“Each one more personal and more…threatening than the last,” I added.
“Oh my God.” Bailey scooted forward to the edge of the couch. “Are you okay? Do you know who’s sending them?”
“Yes, I’m okay, and no, not yet.” Xander wiped his palms on his thighs, and I walked over and stood behind the recliner, hoping to ease some of his nerves.
“If you needed help,” Boudreaux said, “Bailey and I could’ve—”
“No.” Xander shook his head. “I mean, I appreciate it, and I did think about it. But my boss wanted me to hire a bodyguard, and you guys just moved in together and I wasn’t about to ask one of you to come move in with me, so—”
“Sean moved in with you instead?”
I aimed my best shut the fuck up stare at Boudreaux. But clearly the days where I had any clout over him were long gone, because he smirked.
Xander nodded. “It was the smartest move after we talked it through.”
“Wait a minute.” Bailey got to his feet and looked at me. “You’re working as Xander’s bodyguard? What about your job?”
“I was already due for a vacation, so I decided to make it a working one,” I said.
“Oh, okay. Well, that’s good.” Bailey turned to Xander. “Sean is an incredible detective. You couldn’t be safer.”
Those words coming from Bailey made my chest tighten. I couldn’t remember him ever saying something so positive about me before. I looked at Xander, who nodded.
“I know,” he said. “That’s why I said yes. But that’s not all.”
Boudreaux chuckled, as if he’d known all along there was more to this than me hiring on as Xander’s bodyguard—and fuck him for being right.
“What do you mean?” Bailey said, and then looked over his shoulder at Boudreaux. “Did you know about this?”
Boudreaux—the arrogant fucker—shook his head and grinned at me. “No. But I think it explains Dick’s new wardrobe.”
“Fuck you, Boudreaux.”
“Mmm, I think I’ll pass.”
“Would you two quit it,” Bailey interrupted, and then looked back to Xander. “I want to know what’s going on.”
When it became clear Xander wasn’t about to tell him, I let out a breath said, “Because we don’t want to scare this psycho off before we catch him, we had to come up with a reason for why I would be around Xander twenty-four seven.”
“Right, like undercover? You do that all the time.”
“Exactly.”
“So what’d you come up with?” Bailey asked, still not cluing in. Not that I blamed him—this really was the last scenario he would ever think of.
“Bet I know.”
At Boudreaux’s comment, I dug my fingers into the back of the recliner. “Did anyone ask you?”
“No. But Bailey’s asking you. So why don’t you tell him?” The direct challenge in Boudreaux’s voice was all for me, that I was sure of. But knowing this was going to be uncomfortable for Xander made my anger rise.
“Why don’t you back the fuck off? We’re getting there, okay?”
Bailey’s head jerked in my direction, but I was zeroed in on Boudreaux, who inclined his head ever so slightly.
Was that an apology? I wasn’t sure, but if it was, I knew it was more for Xander than myself.
“Bay,” Xander finally said, “this is going to be as weird for you as it is for me, I’m sure. But after running through all the scenarios, the best way for Sean to be around me all the time without question was to have him go undercover as my boyfriend.”
You could’ve heard a pin drop with how quiet the room got, and then Bailey blinked and looked between us.
“You’re going to pretend to date…Xander?”
I was about to tell him yes, and not to be upset because it should be over pretty soon, when Bailey let out the loudest laugh I’d heard from him in years.
“You’re going to…” Still laughing, Bailey looked to Boudreaux, who was grinning. “Sean’s going to…” Bailey shook his head and whirled back around to face me. “You’re going to pretend to be gay?”
Bailey completely lost it, laughing so hard that tears came out his eyes, and once he finally got himself under some kind of control, he said, “I’m sorry. I just— Really? That’s—”
“Insane? Right?” Xander shot to his feet. “As if anyone’s goin
g to believe Sean is gay. I told him that.”
Bailey let out another laugh and came around the coffee table to rub Xander’s arm. “I’m so sorry. This has had to have been so horrible for you.”
“Hey, I’m right here, you know,” I said. “And I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job, all things considered.”
Xander glanced over his shoulder at me and grimaced. “I tried to make him more…dateable?”
Bailey snorted. “It definitely shows, but come on, it’s Sean. He’s not really your type.”
Okay, apparently I was fucking invisible, the two of them now talking as though I wasn’t even there. Xander finally had someone to commiserate with over what a bad idea this had all been.
I gritted my teeth, trying to bite back any scathing comments, when Boudreaux got to his feet and came around the recliner to me.
“I’d ask if you need any tips on how to act around Xander to make this little charade of yours more believable.” Boudreaux looked over to where Bailey and Xander were still busy discussing what a horrible option I was, and then added, “But I think you know how act with him better than he even realizes.”
I whipped my head to the side to see Boudreaux’s lips twitching. But before I could tell him to fuck off, he clapped me on the back hard and said, “Be careful there, Dick. I think this job is much more dangerous than you think.”
The fuck? I’d been up against some of the most ruthless drug cartels in the country, not to mention gangs and murderers. Boudreaux was delusional if he thought this was more dangerous.
But before I could tell him he was totally off the mark, Boudreaux headed to the kitchen, leaving me under the scrutiny of two men who had decided the rest of the night would be finishing the makeover Xander had begun earlier in the day.
19
Xander
“AND WE’RE BACK in five, four, three…” Two and one were mouthed by Mikey behind camera one as the lead-in music rolled and the red light on the camera turned green.