Reservations

Luckily, he’d been able to sit in the front of the plane, close to the exit. He hadn’t notified anyone of his arrival, and having left the suite with only his laptop and carry-on, he quickly pulled both from the overhead bin and made his exit from the airport terminal in record-breaking time. The crisp, freezing Maryland air barely registered, though the temperature was probably a fifty-degree decline compared to California’s sunny skies. He wasn’t quite to the curb when his Bluetooth alerted him of a call. He tapped the side of his earpiece, answering without checking caller ID.

“Yes,” he said sharply.

“Why’s Levi trying to quit?” Julian asked just as harshly, foregoing any greeting on his end.

“Don’t let him.” Thane’s jaw tightened, his teeth clamped together as he lifted a hand and waved for a taxi. The driver pulled forward a couple of seconds later and popped open the trunk before the vehicle even came to a stop.

“Yeah.” Julian gave a disingenuous bark of laughter. “Wish I had thought of that. Seriously, that’s your answer?” Julian gave another irritatingly long pause that grated on Thane’s last nerve. “That didn’t work, papi. He’s up in the office now, insisting he’s done.”

“Tell him I’ll stay away.” The words were like bile in his mouth. Knowing he’d caused Levi so much pain was a sobering and bitter pill to swallow. He looked down, shaking his head, knowing that staying away from the handsome man would be a monumental task, one he wasn’t sure he could accomplish. Thane let out a pent-up breath and tossed his carry-on inside the trunk followed by the laptop case. “Levi doesn’t have to worry about me. I know I screwed up and I’m willing to admit it. I just hate how I left things.”

“If that’s true, then you need to find a way to make it right. Where are you? It sounds like a raceway.”

“I’m back home. I just got off the plane.” Thane slammed the trunk closed, rounded the back of the taxi, and climbed in the backseat, calling out to the driver before the door shut, “1030 Court Avenue, Ellicott City.”

“That’s a bit of a ways,” the driver answered in a hard New England accent. The guy never looked back or moved a single muscle to get the car started, and that seemed to piss Thane off more than Julian’s irritating attitude.

“Goddammit. Julian, don’t let him quit and call me back in thirty minutes.” Thane ended the call and reached for his wallet to pull out a fifty-dollar bill. “Here, I didn’t have time to call a ride. It can’t be more than that.”

“Not enough time to get a coat?” The driver’s eyes raked over him as he took the cash, laid it in the cubby.

“Commentary’s not necessary. Just drive.”

The guy did. He took off as if he were trying to outrun a fire. Thane fell back against the vinyl backrest, scrambling to brace an arm on the passenger side seat to help keep him in place. It took an arm locked on the door and one gripping the seat to keep him upright. He tried to stare out the window, to keep the nausea from roiling in his gut, but that didn’t work. The driver drove like an eighteen-year-old boy in a tricked-out Corvette. As his body shifted from side to side and he concentrated on keeping the contents of his stomach down, he closed his eyes, thankful that fearing for his life was probably the only thing that kept Levi off his mind.

And there Levi was again.

Thane held on tight as the images of their time together played out in his head. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t get out of his mind the pain etched on Levi’s handsome face. It physically hurt, knowing he’d caused Levi so much anguish.

“We’re here. I need six more dollars.” Thane’s eyes popped open, and he scanned his neighborhood. He’d again gotten lost in his thoughts. With a quick glance at the digital display on the dash, he tugged his wallet free, thumbed through the bills and pulled out a twenty before handing the money over. Without a word, he exited the car, and went around to the trunk to retrieve his things. All he needed at the moment was a bottle of the good stuff and the comfort of his bed.

Based on the sounds coming from the patio, there was a gathering going on. He heard music—some 1940’s jazz Erin loved—and laughter. Normally that sound would ease his troubled thoughts. He’d be all in to crash whatever party they were having. Instead, Thane let himself into his townhome and tossed his suitcase on the sofa, immediately unzipping the flap. The only thing inside was the pillow he and Levi had shared. He grabbed it, bringing the soft cotton to his nose, breathing Levi in. Lord, it still smelled like the guy, stirring both Thane’s heart and his dick.