Broken Warrior (The Weavers Circle 1)

“I’m being paid plenty for this job, and I’ve got a free room while I’m here.”

“Yeah, but you’re not having any fun either. You need to get out. Have a few drinks. Maybe laugh.”

“Baer,” Clay grumbled in a low warning.

“We’re going to this drag show I know. Great entertainment. Great drinks. You’ll love it.”

“I don’t think—”

Baer kept talking right over him. “You’re gay, right?”

“Baer!” Clay barked.

Baer scowled over his shoulder at Clay. “What?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, nothing I guess. I thought—”

“It’s none of your business!” Clay snapped.

“I’m bi,” Dane admitted in the middle of the back-and-forth before he could stop himself. Their sharp comments had been like watching a fierce tennis match, and Dane was sure someone was about to throw a racket.

Those two words halted Clay and Baer. A huge grin spread across Baer’s lips, and Dane couldn’t bring himself to look at Clay, but the weight of the man’s dark eyes on him was a heavy thing. Did Clay know how badly Dane wanted the press of his larger body against his own? To taste those lips? God, he was losing his mind.

“See!” Baer crowed.

Dane dragged his gaze to Clay, catching his look of irritation. “What?” Clay shook his head. “Just drop it. He doesn’t want to hang out with us.”

“Hey! That’s not it!” Dane countered.

“There. I told you so. Of course he wants to hang out with us.” Baer’s grin never wavered.”

“Why would you thi—”

Baer clapped his big hand on Dane’s shoulder and gave him a friendly shake. “Great! We’ll leave in an hour. Plenty of time to shower. We’ll take my Jeep.”

Dane’s mouth fell open, and he watched as Baer released him and wrapped his arm around Clay’s shoulders before ushering the other man out of the apartment to the stairs. Their heads were close in quiet discussion of something Dane couldn’t hear, but he was sure of one thing: he’d been fucking had.

How the hell had that happened? The moment Baer had mentioned going out for drinks, Dane had been positive he was not leaving the house. But now he was mentally riffling through his closet. Which shirt should he wear? And maybe the jeans that made his ass look really nice?

The problem was that he liked hanging out with Baer and Clay. When those two didn’t disappear into the woods for their strange long walks during the day, they were usually around to help with the remodeling of the house. And thank God, they were both good with power tools and knew how to take directions. Their help carved almost two days off the kitchen work.

But the more time he spent around Clay, the more he wanted the man.

And the more time he spent jacking off in the shower.

Which just piled on the guilt.

Katie wouldn’t have wanted him to feel guilty over wanting Clay. She’d want him to move on and find someone to make him happy.

But she’d died because he hadn’t been there. Their son had died because he wasn’t there. He didn’t deserve a chance at happiness again.

And yet he still walked over to the small closet in the bedroom and pulled out the dark-red shirt that looked nice against his light-brown hair. He searched out the jeans that hugged his fucking ass.

If he was going out and having drinks, he wanted Clay to want him just as badly as he wanted the man. It didn’t make sense, but he was tired of the pain and the emptiness. He wanted to go out and have a few laughs.

Then maybe tomorrow he could return to the long stretch of loneliness that waited for him without Katie.Baer was an evil genius. Thank God he was on Clay’s side.

Clay would have put money on the fact that Dane wasn’t going to join them. But one hour after they left Dane’s apartment, he appeared at Baer’s Jeep, hair styled and clothes…fuck…how the hell was he going to keep his hands and mouth to himself? The man looked stunning. The burgundy shirt was stretched across broad shoulders and thick biceps and then skimmed across the perfect flat stomach. Jeans molded powerful thighs, and it was only when they were walking into the club that he could see Dane’s amazing ass.

Clay was ready to drop to his knees and worship every inch of the man with his tongue.

He was prepared to spend the rest of the night hard, and he didn’t give a shit who knew it. They only needed to take one look at Dane to see the reason. And this man was his as far as the rest of the world was concerned.

Oh, Dane had gotten more than a few looks as they walked into the place. Whispers, winks, eye fucks, and smiled invitations had Clay ready to go full caveman. A look from him deterred most people.