Page 23 of Grant’s Heat

“You don’t have to do that, man. I’m not in a bad place or anything. You don’t have to babysit me. I’m solid.”

I offered my fist for him to bump. After knocking his knuckles with mine, Elijah stopped abruptly and stared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Is it such a big deal that I just want to hang out?”

“No.” Shit. I sounded defensive, even to my own ears. I frantically added, “I mean, it shouldn’t be.”

“I didn’t think so either, but for some reason, you’re making me jump through hoops to make it happen.”

“Dude, I’m sorry.” I rubbed the tired muscles at the back of my neck. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride to whichever one of your seventy-two houses you want to go to. And while we sit in traffic, you can tell me what’s going on.”

“Thanks. That’d be great.” I gave my watch a quick glance. “The tangle shouldn’t be too bad. It’s the tail end of rush hour, and if we go to Long Beach, we can avoid Hollywood and the Westside. Let’s go to my place in Naples. I stayed there last night, and that shower is definitely my favorite.”

Elijah looked at me sideways and laughed. “Whatever you say, man.”

Once we were established on the freeway and traffic was moving along at a nice pace, Elijah exhaled slowly. “So you’re actually going to make me ask you?”

I fought against shifting uncomfortably in the passenger’s seat. “Ask me what?”

“You really don’t know?”

Of course I knew. Didn’t mean I was going to just cut open a vein and bleed for the man.

“I thought if I waited long enough, you’d start talking,” Elijah finally murmured. “But she really has you this twisted up?”

“Or maybe it’s just not your business,” I snapped. “Have you ever considered that?”

He let out something between a huff and a groan.

“You sound like an injured farm animal,” I said, grinning at his dismay.

“Look, dumbass. I’m just trying to be a friend here. Maybe if you get the shit out of your head, you can plug back into what actually matters.” He pretended to give his next comment some thought before saying it out loud. Finally, with his finger still positioned at his chin, he quipped, “Like your job?”

I watched the Southern California night pass outside the window as we sped down the freeway. Goddammit. Of course he had a point. But I just couldn’t see anything good coming from talking about all the things whirling around in my head.

A few more minutes of silence stretched between us before my friend tried prodding again. “Okay, at least tell me this. Am I right to assume this concerns Rio Gibson?”

“Eliiijjaaaahhh.” I drew his name out, a deliberate chide. “You know what they say about assuming.”

“Would you grow up for a minute, Twombley? I’m serious about this shit. Right now, only I’m still noticing it, but that won’t be the case for long.” He dared to flash me an annoyed glance. “You’re so damn distracted all the time, man. Totally off your game. Not just at work. It’s happening everywhere. Tonight’s a perfect example. You didn’t want to go to the club. Then you even turned down a chance to have someone over to the house. I don’t think I’ve ever—and seriously, I mean ever—witnessed you turn down a chance to get your dick wet.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” I volleyed. “And I’d hardly say that’s a reason to deem me ‘preoccupied’ or ‘off my game’ or whatever.”

“Bullshit.”

“What’s bullshit?”

Elijah laughed. “Says the same man who had his appendix removed and then had a nurse riding his cock in his hospital bed where he lay recovering just twelve hours later. Dude, I don’t think you know how to turn down pussy.”

“Pffft. We both know that nurse was hot. You can’t say she wasn’t.”

“Beside the point, man.”

“Then what is your point? Just get to it already.”