Just a Bit Confusing (Straight Guys 5)

No matter what was going on with Jamie now, Ryan would only make it worse.

Chapter 23

“Rise and shine, Jimmy!”

James groaned and burrowed deeper under the comforter at the sound of Luke’s cheerful voice.

“No, no, no,” Luke said, tugging the comforter off and exposing his bare skin to the cold air. Russia wasn’t as cold as people said. It was worse.

“Give it back or shut the bloody window,” James grumbled, shivering and hugging himself. “It’s February. In Russia. Not exactly the time of the year to keep the windows open.”

“I will—if you get your bum out of the bed. You’re not going to spend all day in bed again.”

Sighing, James sat up and glared at his friend. “It’s not like I have anything better to do while you’re away.”

Luke’s soft brown eyes were completely unsympathetic now. “At least you aren’t the one freezing your balls off in this weather and attending meaningless meetings with people who barely speak English.” He shut the window. “How do I look? Do I look older in this suit?”

James shrugged. It was difficult to muster up much enthusiasm for anything these days. “Not really. Why do you care?”

“I want the man I’m meeting to take me seriously,” Luke said, his golden brows drawing together. He grabbed his laptop from the desk and brought it over. “Look.”

James looked at the dark-haired man on the screen and felt a vague sense of unease settle in his gut. A picture shouldn’t have given him such a cold feeling, but it did. It wasn’t the man’s clothes; he wore a classy dark suit not unlike the one Luke was wearing. It wasn’t the man’s appearance: he was tall, fit, and quite good-looking. He couldn’t be older than thirty, maybe thirty-five at most.

No, it was the eyes that made James uneasy. The way those pale blue eyes looked at the camera…there was something unfeeling and cruel in them.

“Who is that?” he asked.

“The man I’m meeting.”

“He looks vaguely familiar.”

“He’s a well-known businessman,” Luke said. “Owns quite a few companies in Europe, but he’s the big fish here, if you get what I mean. I asked around. People call him a shark.”

James’s eyes widened. “Why are you meeting him? You said your dad didn’t let you deal with the important stuff.”

“That’s the thing: he doesn’t.” Luke powered down the laptop, his expression grim but determined. “Dad doesn’t know. I’m going to prove to him that I can handle men like that.” He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and pulled a face. “I just wish I didn’t look like a schoolboy. Oh, well.” He sighed. “Wish me luck. I’ll need it.”

“Good luck,” James murmured as Luke shrugged into his coat and strode toward the door.

Luke paused by the door and looked back. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone for. Maybe a few days. Don’t stay in bed while I’m out of town—I’ll know. And no more drinking until you learn to hold your liquor. Promise me.”

“I promise,” James said with a forced smile.

Luke didn’t look particularly convinced. “I told the hotel staff to feed you twice a day, but you must go out at least once a day, got it?” His voice softened, “It’s not healthy, Jim. I’m worried. Maybe it’s time for you to go back home. Being away is clearly not helping.”

“I can’t go home. Not when I’m like this. I promised him that I wouldn’t bother him anymore.” James bit his lip. “I can’t go home.”

Luke shook his head. “When I look at you, I start having second thoughts about wanting epic love. Maybe it’s more trouble than it’s worth.”

A faint smile curled James’s lips. “Epic love sucks only when it’s unrequited.”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “I hope I’m smart enough not to fall head over heels in love with someone who’ll never love me back.”

James laughed at that. Luke had no idea what he was talking about. “Go. What is the local police number? I’ll need it if the Russian mafia kidnaps you.”

Luke chuckled. “If the Russian mafia kidnaps me, the local police is the last place you should call.” With that, he was gone.

The door clicked as it locked after Luke, and he was alone with his thoughts once again.

After a few moments of stillness, James crawled back under the comforter and closed his eyes, ignoring the pang of guilt for his broken promise to Luke.

For the most part, he didn’t regret joining Luke in Russia. Luke was good company and Russia was…interesting: the people, the cultural differences, the sheer size of the country, the huge gap between the social classes. It was all very interesting and…

It had been the longest, shittiest two months of James’s life. Sometimes it was hard to remember why he had to get up at all, and those mornings were the worst. He was self-aware enough to know that he had a nasty case of depression, but he didn’t know how to pull himself out of it. How to get a grip.