He was though. Technically. He’d stabbed somebody in the neck. Didn’t that make him a murderer by definition? How did things get so out of control? “It’s fine. Don’t tell anybody where I’m staying.”
“I’ll be in touch shortly.”
For the second time that day, somebody hung up on him. He shook his head. He was the one facing jail time. Why did people keep acting like he was the one who was inconveniencing them? He grimaced as he thought about the people he might actually be inconveniencing. Charlie. Wyatt. Calder.
He quickly texted Wyatt and asked if there was any way he could bring him some clothes. He let him know he was essentially on lock-down until further notice. Wyatt shot back a thumbs up.
With that handled, Robby tossed his phone and went in search of Calder. He found him in the kitchen, facing the open window to the parking lot below. He had his phone in his hand and a woman’s voice came through the speaker. “—several attempts to reach you regarding retrieval of your loved one’s ashes. Please call us back at your earliest—” The voice disappeared as Calder hit a button on his phone.
Loved one? Ashes? That didn’t sound like a pet. Had Calder lost somebody recently? If he had, he clearly wasn’t interested in sharing that information with Robby. He backed up a few steps and made a production of clearing his throat so Calder wouldn’t feel like Robby had snuck up on him.
“That was fast,” Calder said, turning around to look at him, that slick half-smirk on his face. The one Robby hadn’t seen since their shower that first day. Robby called it Calder’s ‘casanova look.’
“Shit, Casanova,” Robby cried, earning a confused look from Calder. “I didn’t give him his meds or his breakfast.”
He noticed then that his beloved dog was curled up sleeping on the back of Calder’s couch. There’s no way Cas would have let him forget to feed him. Robby turned to narrow his eyes at Calder. “Why’s he so quiet? Did you drug him?”
Calder shook his head. “Yes, I did. I fed him too. Before you even got your butt out of bed this morning.”
“Oh. How did you…”
“There are pet-sitting instructions in that box of his. I took care of him while you were in the clink, remember?”
Robby flushed. “Thank you.”
Calder backed Robby up against the wall. “Well, I figured if I let that gremlin die, you wouldn’t let me see you naked anymore.”
“You’re right,” Robby murmured, initiating a kiss. “What should we do until Wyatt and Charlie get here with my clothes?”
Calder wrapped his arms around him and kissed him thoroughly. “I’m going to teach you something useful.”
Robby liked the sound of that. His hands slid down to Calder’s ass, pulling him closer. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
Calder grinned. “Self-defense.”
Robby could feel his face contorting into a sour look against his will. “What?”
“Self-defense. I’m worried you won’t know how to protect yourself when this is all over. I can be your Mr. Miyagi.”
Robby blinked at him. “My who?”
Calder gaped at him. “Mr. Miyagi? Daniel-san. The Karate Kid? Christ, angel. We’ve got to get you up to speed on your classic films. This is downright embarrassing.”
“I was raised in a cult. I didn’t see a computer until I was fifteen. Movie nights weren’t really a thing until my dad took over and decided we needed to modernize,” Robby reminded him.
Calder shrugged in a ‘fair enough’ gesture. “Good point. Luckily for you, angel face, I happen to be gifted in many things. We will watch all the movies, I’ll teach you all the ways to protect this hot body of yours, and I’ll teach you all the fun things to do with said body… Well, not all, but almost all.”
Who was this man? How did he let everything just roll off of him like life was just one big joke while Robby felt like every decision was life or death? Maybe Calder could show him how to not take things so seriously? “Calder Seton, life coach. How very LA of you,” Robby mused.
Calder grinned, wiggling his brows. “I prefer your sexual sensei.”
Robby rolled his eyes. “Of course, you do.”
“Come on. Let me teach you how to protect yourself.”
Robby’s heart sank. That was the thing, though. Calder couldn’t teach him the one thing he truly needed to know. Robby didn’t care about protecting his body. That’s what he had Calder for. What he needed was to protect his heart, and he was pretty sure it was far too late for that. “Okay, fine. You win.”
“Gotta hit harder than that, angel face.”
