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The aching loneliness he lived with deep in his heart said differently.
His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to thumb through the latest messages and posts. A small smile tugged at the left corner of his mouth. This could work. It would prove to Sven that maybe he had some friends who weren’t out to hurt him and knock a few names off that damn list.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, spinning back around to face Sven. “I’m hungry. Let’s go to lunch.”
“Out?”
“Yep. There are some friends who are meeting up in about an hour. That’ll give me just enough time to get ready and get downtown.”
“An hour isn’t enough time to prepare. The house—”
“The house will be fine,” Geoffrey called, already walking toward his bedroom. “You changed the locks last night. Besides, we need to eat!” He quickly disappeared into his room and shut the door. He held his breath, waiting for Sven to argue, but there was no sound of Sven following or pounding on the door, demanding that Geoffrey change their plans. He needed to get out of the house. Claustrophobia was starting to set in. He normally didn’t mind staying in during daytime hours, working on his app, but he couldn’t stand feeling trapped. Staying home had to be his choice.
He also needed to get a little space from Sven, which probably wasn’t the sanest thought since Sven was his damn bodyguard. But just being in the same room with Sven had him constantly bouncing between walking hard-on and screaming frustration. The man was sexy as fuck and just the tiniest of smiles would send him straight over the moon with joy, but most of the time the blond giant was tight-lipped, silent, and stern.
If anything, this whole fiasco was proving to shine a bright light on the reality that there could never be something between Sven and himself. They were too different. Their lives were too different. Ahhh…but a few nights of sex…those could still be so amazing.###
“You announced on Facebook that you’re going to lunch?” Sven asked, his tone utterly incredulous.
Well, it was better than the silent treatment that Geoffrey was anticipating after refusing to let Sven drive that monstrous black SUV he’d arrived in. It looked like something a drug lord would be chauffeured around in with its bulletproof glass and front grill guard.
Of course, he’d argued that it would be impossible to find a spot to park that monster downtown on a sunny Sunday afternoon. They’d be forced to walk blocks to the restaurant, and Geoffrey had no desire to show up sweaty and disgusting thanks to the blistering August sun. Not that his sleek compact SUV was much smaller, but he’d never had any trouble finding a parking spot for it.
And then after fighting over which car they were taking, they fought over who was driving. Sven was not happy about being stuck in the passenger seat at all, but Geoffrey argued that since this person had done nothing to actually threaten his life, then it was still safe for Geoffrey to drive his own car. He even tried to use the excuse that riding shotgun gave Sven the chance to get familiar with Geoffrey’s neighborhood, but that reasoning did little to placate him.
“Sure,” he replied with a shrug as he navigated the car smoothly to a stop at a red light. “I posted a pic of my outfit and a heads up that we’re heading for waffles on all my social media sites. People like that. They like to know what I’m doing and who I’m hanging out with. You know, the social part of social media.”
“But someone following you via social media is trying to hurt you.”
Geoffrey’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I know. I was thinking that if this is someone who is a part of my everyday circle of friends, maybe this person will show up at lunch. Maybe hearing their voice will help to trigger my memory of that night.”
Sven softly grunted. Not exactly arguing with Geoffrey’s point, but it wasn’t the most supportive answer.
“And you’ll be there the entire time. You’ll have my back, right?”
“Of course! But we need to be cautious. Plan carefully.”
“We’ll be careful. It’s broad daylight in the middle of one of the busiest parts of the city. And I’ve got you.” He flashed Sven his flirtiest smile and was rewarded a shake of his head, but he saw Sven’s lips flinching as if he were fighting hard to hold back his smile.
“You’re ridiculous and the light is green,” Sven said after a second. The smile might not have appeared on his lips, but Geoffrey could hear it in his voice. That was a win.
Pulling the car into traffic on the expressway, he hummed to himself, feeling just a little bit lighter than he had for a few days. “Tell me you like waffles.”
