“Hey there, buddy,” a familiar voice said as he passed one of the booths on his way to the door.
Nikolai’s heart stopped in his chest as he slowly turned in the direction of the voice.
Sitting in one of the booths, casually enjoying a beer, was Reid.
The man smiled up at him. “Looking good, old friend.”
“Reid,” Nikolai breathed out, not believing his eyes. “Wh-what are you doing here? How?” He was shocked and confused and had no idea what was going on.
He never thought he’d see his old friend again, let alone see him twice in three days.
The six-foot-one hunk of a man stood up, then wrapped his arms around Nikolai.
Still in disbelief, Niko wrapped his arms around his old friend and gave him a squeeze as well.
Holding his old buddy felt incredible. He hadn’t realized until this very moment just how much he missed the guy. A flood of emotions swept over the hardened Russian, threatening to spill out at any moment.
God, the man smelled amazing, like expensive cologne and solid man.
That was Reid; he always dressed to impress while maintaining that masculine sex appeal that drove women wild.
He felt his cock begin to thicken.
Niko’s eyes popped open.
That had never happened before while hugging his friend. It was probably due to the overwhelming excitement of seeing him alive and well.
“It’s good to see you, buddy,” Reid whispered against his chest. He was a few inches shorter than Nikolai.
“Yeah, it’s good to see you too,” Nikolai responded, squeezing his buddy in a tight bear hug before slapping him on the back a few times.God, he missed this man.
They pulled away, and that’s when Nikolai noticed the gray duffel bag sitting on the far side of the booth.
“So, what are you doing here? How did you find me?” Nikolai asked, hoping his friend would stay for a while. It had been almost ten years since he’d last seen him, and there was no way he was letting him go so soon. He still couldn’t believe that Reid was alive and well.
“Finding you was easy. I just looked up the biker logo you had on your jacket when I ran into you the other day.”
Reid gave him one of his famous smiles—the one that made women come in their panties. Sometimes, Niko wondered if Reid realized just how good-looking he really was.
“As for what I am doing here? I’ve been traveling across America and thought I’d stop by and say hi. Maybe stay a few days to catch up?” Reid continued, giving Nikolai one of his classic “I’m too cute to say no to me” looks.
Nikolai knew those looks all too well. He was just used to watching them be used on their clients.
“Of course you can stay, buddy,” Nikolai said, wrapping his arm around his friend once again.
A sudden burst of laughter across the room reminded Niko of where he was. He wanted to talk to Reid, but not in front of all his friends and coworkers.
“How ’bout we take this party back to my place. I assume that you need somewhere to crash while you’re here?” Reid nodded. “Perfect! Let’s go.”
Niko grabbed his friend's bag, then waved to Alexis and Jake as he led Reid out of the bar. He planned to introduce Reid to the others after he had a chance to catch up with his old best friend.It wasn’t every day that your best friend came back to life!
It was only a short ride back to Niko’s house.
Once they arrived, Reid dropped his bag by the door and toed off his shoes.
“Nice place you got here,” he said, following Nikolai into the living room. “You live alone?”
“Yeah, I’m single. Bought this place about five years ago, once I started making some decent money. Want a beer?”
