I held up my hand to stop this in its tracks. Lying to Will wasn’t an option for me. Not really. I cared about him, and even though this was different, I knew what it was like to be betrayed by a best friend. But I had to tread carefully because I didn’t want to out Elijah’s secret either. This was already a fucking mess. “He’s not my boyfriend. I promise. Come on, man. You know me. We’re…hanging out. I like spending time with him.” That last part I would never admit to Elijah, but it was true. All of what I’d said was. “And this dinner needs to be only the three of us. I can have you and Elijah over for dinner another night if it makes you feel better.”

“I’m crushed, I’ll have you know.” Will winked. “Come on. Let’s get our asses out there so I can show you up.”

We locked our shit, and I followed him out.

I’d made sure to look good.

If there was one thing I didn’t do, it was half-assing anything, and I didn’t plan to start now. I wore my favorite pair of jeans. They were dark and made my ass look fucking fabulous. I paired them with a white, button-up shirt, with the top couple of buttons left undone and the sleeves rolled up to my elbows because everyone knew that was hot. What was it with forearms, anyway? They were the body part that shouldn’t be sexy but definitely was. My hair was wet and messy, made to look like I didn’t care, but I definitely did. I didn’t shave, because again, stubble was hot too.

At six forty-five, I grabbed the bottle of rosé from the fridge, went across the hall, and raised my hand to knock, only to hear voices inside. The motherfucker had gotten there early. He was trying to show me up.

My hand came down and rapped on the door. I didn’t like to be one-upped, and that was definitely what Danny was trying to do. But why? Had I misread things? Was there something between them? Did Danny have feelings for Elijah, or did he simply dislike the fact that there was something going on with his best friend that he didn’t play a part in?

The door pulled open. It wasn’t a shock to see Danny standing there instead of Elijah. And he looked…well, he looked good too, damn him. Not as good as me, but still. His black hair was gelled, and he wore a polo shirt that hugged his chest. His face was clean-shaven, and I suddenly found myself wondering if Elijah liked his men with stubble or shaved.

Which wasn’t supposed to matter at all.

“Hey. Good to see you again.” I held my hand out to shake his, giving Danny my best smile.

“You too,” he replied as I stepped in.

“Elijah talks about you a lot. I know we’ve seen each other around, but we don’t really know each other, so it’ll be good to put a person to the stories.”

“Sorry,” Elijah said, walking over. He had a nervous look on his face, his dark eyes a little wide and panicked, and I found myself wanting to soothe him.

“Am I late?”

“No. Danny got here a little early tonight.”

I nodded and wrapped my arms around him. Elijah tensed, as if he hadn’t expected it. Was it that bad to be touched by me? He was totally going to ruin this. “I brought wine.”

“Thank you.” He pulled away and took the bottle from me. “Anyone want a glass? I need a glass.”

Yeah, I was pretty sure I needed one as well, or maybe ten. The tension in the room was thick—Elijah’s nerves, and Danny’s…whatever the fuck was going on. Danny had my thoughts tangled up, and I needed time to work through it. For whatever reason, he didn’t like the idea of me and Elijah spending time together, which quite frankly made me dislike him. He could fuck Tight Ass and bail on their dinners, but E couldn’t chill with me?

“It smells great,” I said. “I can pour the wine, and then you let me know if there’s anything else I can help with.”

“Thanks.” Elijah’s face looked slightly pinched. It wasn’t a face I recognized. “The glasses are right here.”

He opened the cabinet, I got them down, and he handed me a corkscrew.

“You don’t have to help,” Danny said. “We have dinner under control. You’re a guest.” Oh, score two for him, the bastard. He’d gotten there before me, and also pointed out that I was new and Elijah’s place was like a second home to him.

“If you’re sure. I don’t mind, really.” I handed Elijah a glass, then Danny. Eli immediately put it to his lips and sucked it down. “Are you feeling okay?” I reached out and cupped his face. Christ, his skin was soft and warm against my hand.

Tags: Riley Hart Stumbling into Love Romance
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