No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,96

going to be the end of us. We’ve only been married for two months! I’m asking if you still love him, and you ask act like you don’t even know what I’m talking about!”

Gray stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. Avery watched the emotions play across his face—shock giving way to bewilderment. Then realization, and finally, guilt. His shoulders fell, the fury finally leaving his eyes.

“Shit, Avery.” And the next thing Avery knew, he was in Gray’s arms, being held tight to his chest. “I’m sorry. Jesus. I was just so mad, and…I don’t know. I wasn’t even thinking about Jonas. Or about you.” He kissed the top of Avery’s head. “I’m sorry.”

Avery wrapped his arms around Gray’s waist, buried his face in Gray’s chest. “I’m being silly, aren’t I?”

Gray’s soft laugh was tinged with sadness. “Yes, and no. I mean, I get it. Of course you’re worried. Anybody would be. But you have nothing to be concerned about.” He stepped back enough to meet Avery’s eyes. He gripped Avery’s upper arms tight enough to make Avery wince. “You know I’ve never loved anybody the way I love you. Nobody. And frankly, Jonas doesn’t even make the short list.” He touched Avery’s cheek, his gaze meeting Avery’s, the intensity in those steely eyes telling Avery that Gray was here with him, one hundred percent of his focus on Avery and nobody else in the world. “You are the calm in the center of my storm, Avery. You’re the quiet place I will always, always come back to. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Avery nodded, his eyes filling with tears. “Okay.” He settled against Gray again, finding the spot where he fit so perfectly, his head tucked under Gray’s chin. “Okay. But I may need you to tell me that a lot over the next few days.”

Gray chuckled, rubbing his back. “I can do that.”

Avery took a moment to pull himself together. Gray loved him. He thought so little of Jonas, he hadn’t even understood what Avery was asking. That helped. It gave Avery a small feeling of victory to cling to.

He dried his eyes, stepping back. “Are you really that mad at Charlie? Mad enough to stop being his friend?”

Gray sighed, turning to resume his pacing, although with a bit less rage this time. “I’m sure not happy about it. We’ve been best friends for more than twenty years, and I find out now that he’s been lying to me all this time? That he’s been seeing Jonas for six fucking years and keeping it a secret from me?”

Avery shook his head, still wiping tears from his cheeks. “Jonas claims that’s not how it was.”

“I know!” Gray sighed again. “I know,” he said, calmer this time. “That’s what Charlie said too.”

“But you don’t believe him?”

Gray threw up his hands. “I don’t know what to believe! I never thought my best friend would sleep with my boyfriend, that’s for sure! He says it only happened once. And yeah, it was six years ago. And yeah, Jonas and I were all but done by that point. But here I was, going to Charlie with all my problems, and now I find out they were falling for each other the entire time? How exactly am I supposed to feel?”

“I don’t know. I think you have a right to be angry. And hurt.”

“I feel like a fucking idiot.”

Avery waited, watching Gray pace, wondering what he dared say. “But this is Charlie.”

“Fuck! I know! You think I don’t know?” And for the first time, Avery heard more than anger. He heard the tears Gray was fighting like hell to hold back.

Avery went to him, and for a while, they didn’t talk. They just held each other. He had a feeling Gray was forcing his grief back down, fighting to reclaim his anger because it felt safer than crying. That just wasn’t something Gray allowed himself to do.

For Avery, it was about comfort, feeling Gray’s arms around him, reminding himself that Gray loved him. Gray had loved him enough to drop to his knees in the Tap House and propose. Gray assured him each and every night that they were meant to be.

Avery softened against him, letting his hands wander up Gray’s strong back, reveling in the feel of his muscular body. Gray put his lips against Avery’s neck, one hand sliding down to clutch Avery’s ass. His cock grew hard against Avery, and Avery smiled. They were perfect together in more ways than