Wolf groaned. “Good Lord. No wonder I stay away from coupling up. All this sweetness is nauseating.”
“Isn’t it, though? You and I, Wolfie. We’re the smart ones.”
“Okay. That’s it.” Elliot set his wineglass on the table and folded his arms, all the while splitting his glare between Wolf and Spencer. “Spit it out.”
Wolf swirled his Scotch around in the tumbler. “What? My Scotch? There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“Ha-ha, very funny. No. That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about you two. What’s going on?”
Spencer elbowed him. “I don’t know, Wolf. What’s going on?”
He shrugged. “Beats me. Elliot, what’re you talking about?”
“This,” he sputtered. “You and Spencer joking and not snapping at each other.”
Wolf lazed back in his chair. “You’d rather we fight?”
Elliot’s mouth fell open. He glanced up to the ceiling, muttered something to himself, and shot them an evil look. “If you think you’re being cute, you’re not.”
“I’m not? I thought I was. Now I’m crushed.” Wolf grinned, and Spencer cackled.
“Don’t worry, Wolfie. You’re still hot in my eyes.”
“All right, enough.” Chess smacked the table. “Wolf, you’re torturing Elliot. And me. The last we saw you and Spencer, neither had a good thing to say about the other. Now you come to this dinner, and it’s like you’re besties on steroids. What happened?”
Wolf slanted a look to Spencer, who sat with a Cheshire cat smile.
“We met at the station. I interviewed some of the people picked up in the bar raid, including Spencer’s father, although I didn’t know who he was at the time. Once I heard, I stayed around after Spencer visited him to make sure he was okay.”
Spencer’s smile had turned brittle. Wolf didn’t like seeing that, nor the sheen in those bright blue eyes before Spencer lowered his gaze.
Elliot, always soft-hearted, virtually melted into a puddle at his words. “I knew you two cared about each other.”
“Of course we do.” Wolf grew irritated. “Just because he bothers the shit out of me ninety-five percent of the time doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
“Ahh, true love, Wolfie. We’re meant to be.”
About to answer, Wolf felt a hand on his knee. A brief squeeze, but it was enough.
“Meant to be what? Annoying each other to death? If that’s the case, mission accomplished.”
“If I wasn’t here, you’d miss me. Admit it.” Spencer stole a french fry off his plate, and Wolf, who disliked people touching his food, huffed out his displeasure.
“Do you mind? There’s a whole bowl in front of André. Must you touch mine?”
“But what if Iwantto touch yours, Wolfie? It’s more fun.” With deliberation, Spencer reached over and plucked another one off his plate and closed his teeth around it. “Mmm. Nothing like a nice juicy fry. I’ve been craving them all day.”
“Idiot,” he muttered, while inside his heart banged at the press of Spencer’s hard thigh against his.
Why was Spencer still flirting when they’d had their talk and decided to keep it simply friends between them? Or was he making too much of everything Spencer said? Granted, Wolf hadn’t stopped thinking about that kiss on his couch, and he’d spent the nights since then alternating between getting angry at himself for slipping up and allowing it to happen and jerking off. Which only added to his confusion about his feelings for Spencer. He didn’t want to think about what it would be like to have sex again with Spencer, yet at night when he closed his eyes, it was all he saw.
How was he going to do this? There had to be someone else besides this frustrating man who turned him upside down and inside out, someone who would be able to make him feel…something. Maybe he should try to date. And even though the thought of getting close to another man left him cold, Wolf was determined to break his unnatural attachment to Spencer. Who, it seemed from his conversation, had no problem moving on. Wolf cut into his hanger steak and listened to Spencer’s chatter.
“…I told him, ‘Honey, your ass looks fabulous in those pants, but I’m sure it’s even better when it’sau naturel.’ So he closed the curtain, and I gave him a personal inspection. And I was right.” A smug smile curved his lips. “I always am.”
Chess rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re banging the models. Come on, Spence. You’re too old for this. Plus, you deserve more than quickies in a dressing room.”
A bleak expression crossed Spencer’s face before he winked. “Those are the best kind. They take the edge off.” He grabbed another fry from Wolf’s plate. “And no, I didn’t. I looked but didn’t touch.”
