With Winston at his shoulder, he opened the door—and his heart sank. “Oh God, what’re you doing here?”
Spencer breezed past him. “I’ve been texting you all morning, and you’ve ignored every single one of them. So I had to make sure you weren’t dead.” He stopped short, a smile breaking out across his face. “Well, well. Not dead at all, I see.”
The three of them remained standing in the foyer, and Elliot shut the door. “I’m fine, so you made a trip here for nothing.”
“Nothing?” He struck a pose and folded his arms. “On the contrary, I see something. Something tall, built, and gorgeous. Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
Behind him, Winston snickered, and Elliot gritted his teeth. “Spencer Hawkins, Winston Rogers.DetectiveWinston Rogers.”
“Oh, well, arrest me, Officer, and if you forget the handcuffs, don’t worry, I have a few sets of my own. Nice to meet you.”
They shook, and Spencer, instead of letting go of Winston’s hand, led him to the living room. “Let’s all sit and get acquainted. I’m one of Elliot’s closest friends, so you can tell me everything. We have no secrets. First, where did you and Elliot meet?” He sat on the sofa, but if he was hoping Winston would sit beside him, he was disappointed, as Winston took the recliner. Elliot took the empty space next to Spencer.
Elliot rolled his eyes, about to answer, but Winston beat him to it. “In his bedroom.”
It might’ve been the first time Elliot had seen Spencer speechless. And despite his annoyance, his lips twitched and he had to press them together to keep from bursting out in laughter at the shock on Spencer’s face.
Spencer glared at him. “Right now, and I mean this exact second, Elliot Hansen, if you don’t tell me what happened, it’s gonna get ugly.”
“What are you going to do, wear plaid with stripes?” Elliot dug an elbow into Spencer’s side. “Get over yourself. The house was broken into last night. Winston was passing by and saw someone coming in through the window. He followed him inside and caught him in my bedroom and arrested him.”
With each word, Spencer’s mouth opened wider. “Broken into? Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No. He never had the chance. Winston stopped him before he could do anything more than look around a little, but I was scared shitless to wake up and find two men in my bedroom.”
“Usually I would say that’s not such a bad thing, but God, Elliot. That must’ve been scary as hell.” A crafty gleam entered his eyes. “And how lucky were you that a detective happened to be passing by?”
“Not so much luck. I live next door.”
“Do you now? How exciting. And wonderful for you, Elliot. Nothing like having a man in uniform at your beck and call.” A wicked smile curved his lips. “He ticks all the requirements on the list, I’m betting.” Those last words were said in a murmur.
“Shut up,” Elliot shot back, hoping Winston hadn’t heard Spencer. “Your imagination boggles the mind. I’d hardly say Winston is at my beck and call. It was a matter of the right time and the right place.”
“Did it have anything to do with that broken window? I bet it did, right, Detective?” Spencer’s accusatory tone grated on Elliot, but he couldn’t object when the man was right. “We’ve been telling him to get it fixed for months now. That no-good bum he had living here didn’t do a damn thing.”
“Call me Win. And yes. He entered through the front window. That’s why Elliot and I went to Home Depot this morning, bought a lock, and fixed it.”
Call me Win?How come he didn’t get that?
“Did you, now?” Spencer practically purred. “How absolutely domestic of you. You know what?” He jumped up. “I think this calls for a little celebration. Let’s go to brunch. My treat, of course.”
“I don’t—” Elliot began.
“But I do. Right, Win?” Spencer linked their arms. “Any day you find a newfriendis a good day, don’t you think?”
“Spencer, I’m sure Winston has better things to do than have brunch with us.”
“Actually, I’m hungry, so brunch sounds pretty good.”
Having Winston joking with Spencer in his house proved too much for Elliot. “I-I’ll be right back.” He hurried away and escaped to the kitchen, where he could calm his racing heart. Leave it to Spencer to come busting in, interrupting…what, exactly, Elliot didn’t know. But the taste of Winston remained fresh on his lips, and he wished they were still sitting on the steps. Close and intimate.
“Elliot? You okay?”
Winston filled the doorway, and Elliot felt lust shiver through him.
I’d like to see you naked and feel you inside me.
“Yeah. I just needed a moment.”
