“You didn’t. We were leaving. Just waiting for our car, and it’s such a nice evening that we decided to wait outside. I’m Chester Braxton, and this is my partner, André Webster.”
“Nice to meet you. Elliot’s spoken about you all.” He extended his hand.
Chess’s lips twitched as he grasped it. “And yet you’re still willing to shake our hands. Good man.”
A car approached, this time no doubt his friends’, and Chess gave him a hug and whispered, “You’ll never know unless you try. You just need to decide if you want to.”
He waved to them once they’d settled into the car. Win, to his surprise, remained by his side, quiet and watchful. Dressed all in black, he blended into the evening, except for his glittering eyes, which stayed fixed on Elliot.
In a split second, Elliot knew he had to make the decision if, as Chess said, he wanted to try. Maybe he hadn’t learned from past mistakes, but he didn’t believe Win was of the same mold as previous men he’d been with. In every respect, Win had already broken that into a million tiny pieces.
“Feel like talking?” he asked Win.
“I do.”
“Come inside.” Flooded with a sense of control, Elliot led the way into his living room. “Excuse the mess. The guys brought enough food and wine to last the weekend.” Given the late hour, he figured Win might be hungry. “Do you want something? There’s pizza and baked ziti. I can heat it up.”
A tired smile tugged the corner of Win’s mouth upward. “I haven’t had dinner, and lunch was a squashed turkey sandwich. I’m ready to chew on that box. I don’t need it heated.”
“Help yourself.” They sat, Win in the club chair and he on the couch. In less than ten minutes, he’d demolished three slices of pizza and a helping of baked ziti. Refusing the wine, he accepted a glass of ice water.
“Thanks. That was amazing. I’ve been living on sawdust, it seems, with this detail, but now it’s over and I can take a breath.”
“You got them?”
While Win had never gone into the technicalities of his work, Elliot understood it was dangerous and that long hours were the norm.
That beautiful smile he didn’t see too often broke across Win’s face. “Yeah. And it felt so good.” As quickly as the smile came, it faded. “But it wasn’t as satisfying as it could’ve been.”
His heart thumped hard. “No? How come?”
“Because…it wasn’t enough. I knew I wouldn’t get to see you when I came home.” He swallowed, throat muscles flexing, and Elliot longed to press his lips to the pulse beating so strong under the skin. “I missed you.”
While inside he was a sappy mess, he drew on every molecule of strength he had to answer like an adult. “You say that, but you didn’t try to call or text me. It’s been a week.”
“I’ve been so busy with this assignment—”
“I’m worth a text or an email. I’m sure you had a free second.”
Jaw tight, Win regarded him steadily, but Elliot refused to break.
“You’re worth a whole lot more than that. And you’re right. I do owe you an apology.”
Elliot nodded. “You do. And I’m listening.”
Win’s brow furrowed, and he licked his lips. He was always in control, so it was remarkable to see him like this, considering Elliot had rarely seen the man disconcerted. It took Win several minutes to collect himself. “On assignment I’m always focused on what needs to get done. Usually no one comes between me and the job. It’s what I’m there for. And it’s never been a problem.” He blew out a breath and ran his hands through the tangles in his hair. “But this week was different.”
Rapid heartbeats thrummed against Elliot’s breastbone. “It was?”
“Yeah.” Agitated, Win sprang up from his seat and started pacing the room. “All week I was distracted, wondering if I’d ever see you again. See, I like what we have…had. I like coming home and knowing I’m going to see you, spend the night with you. Be with you.” To Elliot’s shock, Win sank onto the floor next to him and placed a hand on each of his knees. “I like you.”
It took the strength of a superhero to keep his wits together and maintain a calm exterior instead of doing what he wanted, which was to fling his arms around Win and kiss him. “I like you too. But that was never an issue. From the start, you told me you wanted to be friends with benefits, but your actions don’t match your words. So you need to tell me right now what that means to you, because we’re not on the same page, and I want to know. Where do we go from here?”
