“I told you that no one’s a hundred percent straight.”
She nodded, laughing softly, most likely not to wake her neighbors. She started for her apartment door, keeping her steps slow and her voice a little above a whisper. “He’s a real good guy, Greer. Like it’s surprising how good he consistently is. He’s great with children. The senior aerobics class at the gym loves him. He’s fostered animals. He loves his family. They’re all very close. His dedication to his youngest brother is probably the only reason Ducky functions normally in the real world.” Skye stopped at her door, digging the key from her back pocket, then looked Greer directly in his eyes. “He’s a real good man.”
He nodded even as he had a hard time connecting with the deeds of such a saintly human being. If he were being honest with himself—and that was a rare occurrence indeed—Dallas sounded much like the kind of man Greer had always wanted to be. His damn innate arrogance and self-centeredness hadn’t allowed him to believe all those good qualities truly existed in a person.
Skye pushed the key inside the lock and twisted the doorknob. The door unlatched and opened an inch or two. Her concern kept her from going inside. He plastered on his best grin and bowed his head just to keep some levity between them.
“Consider me warned.”
“So you’re going to chase after him?” Skye asked, pushing the door open wider.
Greer nodded slowly, not at all certain he planned to pursue. Whatever had happened in the club between them, all the draw pulling him to Dallas, made him restless and uneasy.
Besides, it seemed sleazy to think of sex with someone so close to being the next messiah. Greer reached out for the door, pushing it farther open to encourage Skye inside.
“Remember, no means no, mister.” Her fingernail poked him in the chest. “And not tonight. He’s drunk.”
“I can be a gentleman.” Greer furrowed his brow. She nodded once before closing the door. Once the lock clicked in place, he started down the stairs. The Uber’s red brake lights illuminated his path.
Greer crawled in the backseat beside Dallas who looked as if he hadn’t moved an inch since he’d left. The smiles just kept coming as Dallas let out another long loud snore.
“He’s loud,” the driver said as the vehicle started forward. Skye hadn’t exaggerated, Dallas’s apartment was truly only two buildings over. When the driver stopped, they both tried to look out the windows to see the numbers on the doors.
“Let me go check which one is his.” Greer jumped out, jogged to the first door in the building, pleased Dallas’s place was the closest to the parking lot. He went back, rounding the trunk to Dallas’s side of the vehicle. He carefully opened the door, thrusting a hand out to keep Dallas from tumbling forward. “Okay, big guy. Time to wake up.”
He couldn’t help but feel the strength of Dallas’s strong body as his hand roamed over Dallas’s defined chest, jostling him a few times. When he didn’t wake, Greer lifted his palm to Dallas’s cheek. The soft whiskers of more than a five o’clock shadow had Greer sweeping the pad of his thumb up to the soft, bare skin of Dallas’s cheek. The simple, intimate touch sent tingles shooting across Greer’s body, rippling over his heart.
No doubt, Greer was drawn to Dallas. Everything about these unplanned touches had affected him in the most primal way. Instead of dwelling on the instant quickening of his heartbeat or the rapid puffs of his breath, Greer slapped Dallas gently a couple of times on the cheek. The guy barely moved. Then only to get more comfortable.
“Sometimes it helps to pull ’em out of the car.” The driver’s voice helped stabilize the suddenly unsteady ground beneath Greer’s feet, reminding him they weren’t alone. He ducked his head back inside the vehicle, judging the sincerity of such a suggestion. “Be careful, sometimes they just fall to the ground.”
Great advice.
With an open palm and a little more force, Greer tapped Dallas on his cheek. Dallas’s red-rimmed gaze met his as if nothing more than a gnat had bothered him awake.
Dallas’s brows slid into a hard V, looking as if he tried to work something out in his head. “I thought I was going home.”
“You are.” Greer stepped back, letting Dallas see his building. “Come on. I’ll get you to your apartment.”
“Okay.” Dallas gave a slight single nod and didn’t move another muscle. His eyes closed.
“All right, we’ll do this the hard way.” Greer pulled Dallas’s arm while moving one of his legs out of the vehicle. Luckily before he tried to lift this hunk of a man to his feet, Dallas jolted awake again, getting himself awkwardly out of the car.
“Where are we?” Dallas tilted his head, the dawning answer appearing in his eyes. He looked over at Greer then back at the car, placing a hand there to steady himself. “Why’re you here?”