No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,36
and tossed it at Charlie. “Do me a favor and cover that up.”
Charlie tucked the towel into the front of his belt so it hung like a flowered loincloth over his naked groin. “Now who’s being bashful?”
“I’m just not sure which eye to look at while we talk.”
Charlie laughed and leaned a hip against the kitchen table. “So what’s so important you have to interrupt my rather enjoyable afternoon?”
Gray set his half-full bottle of beer on the counter. “Warren told me about this neighbor of yours. He seems to think this guy might cause you trouble.”
“He might, but he hasn’t yet.”
“You’re not worried?”
“It’s always been a risk. I’ll deal with it.”
Gray chewed his lip, debating. “I know how you feel about guns—”
“Oh, Christ. Don’t start that shit again.”
“I worry. If somebody decides you have drugs here—”
“Gray, shut up.”
“I have an extra. Warren has several extras. We could take you to the shooting range—”
“No.” He knew Gray was only doing it out of concern for his well-being, but it didn’t matter. “No guns. It’s absolutely not worth it.”
Gray sighed in frustration. “I can’t even help anymore. At least before, I had a badge if trouble came knocking on your door. Now, I have nothing to offer. Nothing that Warren isn’t better at, at any rate.”
Charlie laughed. “You’ll still be the first one I call. Is that what you need to hear?”
“No. For God’s sake, call Warren if you need him. I just wish you’d reconsider—”
“I have considered it. The answer’s still no.”
Gray sighed again. “Okay. I figured you’d say that, but I wanted to ask anyway. I worry about you.”
“I appreciate that.”
Gray finished his beer in one swallow and tossed the empty bottle in the recycle bin. “I guess I should let you get back to your guest.”
Charlie shrugged, smiling. “Not that I don’t like catching up—”
“But getting laid is infinitely more fun. I get it.”
He headed for the door, and Charlie stayed close, wanting to make sure Gray didn’t peek into the bedroom just to be a pain in the ass.
“Let me know when you and your bashful new boyfriend are ready for another poker night. I think it’s your turn to host.”
“It’s Phil’s turn.”
“His house is thirty minutes away and smaller than my bathroom.”
Charlie laughed. “Fine. My turn. I’ll let you know.”
Except how exactly was that going to work? Charlie pondered it as he watched Gray walk down the sidewalk to his car. It wasn’t as if Gray was the only obstacle. Phil and Warren both knew Jonas and were bound to take Gray’s side in any kind of conflict. Gray and Avery had been married less than two months, and suddenly Gray’s ex was about to be part of their lives. That was a big hurdle for any relationship to clear.
Charlie didn’t want to deal with it. He didn’t want to deal with them. For the first time, he wondered if maybe he was making a mistake, sleeping with Jonas. Yes, he’d been carrying a torch for him for six years. Yes, he was as crazy about him as ever. But he’d also managed to live without him all that time. Maybe it was better to look at this as a temporary fling. Once the surgery was over, Jonas would go back to his life in Seattle and Charlie’s friends would never have to know.
It’d be easier that way.
All except for the fact that losing Jonas again would break his heart.
He could offer to move to Seattle with Jonas, but he’d miss Gray more than he could say. Gray had been his rock for more than two decades now. The four years he’d spent in Afghanistan had almost been Charlie’s undoing. He’d grown reckless and almost violent. It hadn’t helped that Abuela had died while Gray was overseas. But that was years ago. Charlie had grown a lot since then. Moving away from Gray didn’t have to mean falling apart.
But he didn’t want to. That was the heart of it. The idea of moving out of his house didn’t hurt too much. He’d received yet another offer from the real estate agency. Maybe it was time to sell the house and leave the past behind. But he wasn’t ready to leave his best friend behind too.
Where did that leave him? He didn’t want Jonas going back to Seattle, but he didn’t want to make him part of the group either. He wanted to keep Jonas to himself. To keep their relationship secret. To be able to come home