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Then again, this was the first time Sean had really had something to interrupt and annoy Bailey about. It wasn’t like Bailey was in the habit of entertaining men at his house on the regular, so it was hardly Sean’s fault he was currently intruding on a very private wake-up call.
Henri winced and reluctantly let Bailey go as he scooped up his jeans and shirt. “Yeah, about that—I might have some idea what his problem is. Here, why don’t you take these? I’ll grab the towel.”
Bailey frowned and reached for the clothes Henri was holding out to him. “What do you mean you might have an idea?” he said, as he quickly pulled on Henri’s jeans and shirt, and when Henri’s cologne swirled around him, Bailey took a deep inhale and knew he’d forever think of this moment on his kitchen floor whenever he smelled it.
“Uh, well, I wasn’t sure at first, but it turns out…I kind of know your brother.”
Nothing Henri could’ve said then would’ve shocked Bailey more than that. His mouth fell open.
“Wait.” As Bailey’s brain tried to play catch-up, Sean began beating on the door again, and he shook his head. “What do you mean you know my brother?”
Henri tucked the edge of the towel in at his hip, and Bailey thought it a testament to just how thrown for a loop he was that he was busy thinking about Sean, instead of the fact that Henri looked smokin’ hot standing in nothing but a towel.
“I, um, work with him sometimes.”
What in the—
“Bailey! Open this damn door, now!” Sean’s shout and his fist on the door finally snapped Bailey out of his momentary shock as he stared in bewilderment at Henri.
“I, uh…” Bailey rubbed his head and down to the back of his neck. “I need to answer the door.”
“Right, yeah,” Henri said as he stepped aside. “I’m gonna go clean up in the bathroom and let you two, you know, talk.”
Henri took a step away, and as he went to leave, Bailey reached out and took hold of his arm.
Henri stopped, and when he looked back, Bailey said, “Is there anything else I should know about this? About the two of you? He seems pretty fired up.”
A flash of something, Bailey wasn’t sure what, flickered in Henri’s eyes. But then he shook his head. “Nope. Ask him whatever you like. I just wasn’t sure of the connection until now.”
Bailey slowly nodded, still trying to wrap his mind around what he’d just found out, and then let go of Henri’s arm. “Okay. Leave Sean to me. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.”
“I’ll be here.”
As Henri walked out of the kitchen and down the hall, Bailey watched him go and got stuck on those three words for a second—I’ll be here. They were so simple, so everyday, but coming from a man like Henri, a man who, by his own admission, didn’t stay? They were powerful. And even with Sean banging down the door and throwing a wrench in their afternoon, Henri was still sticking around.
That has to mean something, right?
Trying not to read too much into things, Bailey ground his teeth and marched to the front door, bracing himself for what was apparently going to be a showdown of epic proportions. He had no idea why his brother was so fired up over Henri being there if the two of them worked together, but he planned to find out quick-smart and send Sean on his way.
He was an adult, for God’s sake, and this was fucking embarrassing.
Bailey did a final sweep of the living room, making sure Henri was out of sight, before he pulled the door open. Sean whirled around on the front stoop and took two long strides forward, his finger raised as he said, “All right, where is he?”
Bailey braced a hand on the doorframe, blocking entry to his home, and glared his brother down. “Hello to you too, Sean. What the hell is going on with you? I was trying to sleep.”
The lie was out of his mouth before he even meant to say it. But really, what was he going to say? Thanks for interrupting my midafternoon sex on the kitchen floor? It didn’t matter anyway. Sean wasn’t buying it for a second.
“Bullshit you were sleeping,” Sean said as he tried to look over Bailey’s shoulder, and Bailey shifted so he was blocking his sightline. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
Right now, that would be a yes, but Bailey thought it best not to mention that as he continued his standoff with his pigheaded brother. “I think you’re acting like a lunatic and I have no idea why. Is there a reason you’re banging down my door at two in the afternoon?”
“I just told you the reason—Boudreaux. Now where is he?”
