Joshua’s heart swelled at Frank’s smile. It transformed his whole face. “What is that? It smells incredible.”

  “It has coconut, chamomile, and sage for your skin, but what you smell is the bergamot and lavender.” Frank shrugged. “I like to take care of myself.” He turned the electric shaver on and faced the mirror, pausing to look at himself and seeming to get lost in some memory. “When you spend years with nothing, you learn to appreciate life’s little luxuries when you can get them.”

  The tears pooled in Joshua’s eyes, and he quickly blinked them away before Frank could see them. He focused on the bathroom instead. “I can’t imagine what you went through.” Joshua hadn’t seen the rest of the house. He’d been too distracted last night by Frank’s mouth and hands on him, but if it was anything like the bathroom, he’d bet it was impressive. The huge bathroom was all cream marble with dark wood cabinets and industrial style lighting. The shower had it’s own tiled room, the bathtub with jets big enough for two. It was spotless, sleek, sophisticated, and expensive.

  “Hey.” Frank took hold of Joshua’s chin and turned his face so their eyes could meet. Despite the sadness in Joshua’s heart, he couldn’t help his soft laugh at Frank’s half-clean, half-foamed face, which promptly broke into a smile at Joshua’s laugh. He tapped a finger to his foamed cheek and plopped a dollop of the cream on the tip of Joshua’s nose. “I’m okay. It was a terrifying time for me, and for a long time, I had nightmares I was still that scared teen out on the streets. Now when I look back, it serves as a reminder not to take anything for granted, and to never stop doing what I can to help those youth who are in the same position I was then.”

  “You’re an amazing man,” Joshua said, coming to stand behind Frank and wrapping his arms around him. He let his head rest against Frank’s back.

  “I’m not. I’m just a regular guy who doesn’t always get it right but is trying.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” Joshua could stand here all day watching Frank shave.

  “Of course.”

  “Why a hummingbird?”

  Frank’s smile turned wistful. “It was a nickname. When I was little, I was a tiny thing, so much smaller than other boys my age, and I had so much energy. I never seemed to stop, always zooming from one place to another. My sister used to laugh and call me a hummingbird. It became her nickname for me.”

  “What happened to her?” Joshua asked softly, his heart breaking at the sadness that filled Frank’s eyes.

  Frank finished shaving, washed his face, and patted it dry. He turned in Joshua’s arms. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

  Joshua nodded. “But only if you want to share it with me.”

  “My mother reached out to me only once after I was kicked out, and it was to tell me my sister was dead. During a night out with friends, she was jumped in the parking lot and raped. My mother told me she agreed with the detective that if my sister hadn’t been dressed the way she was, maybe it wouldn’t have happened. My sister ended up taking her own life.” He frowned and stared down at his razor. “I know there’s nothing I could have done. My parents had done their best to turn her against me. They cut me out of their lives completely, like I never existed, but I still wish I could have been there for her. To let her know it wasn’t her fault. In my mind, she’ll always be the loving big sister I looked up to who called me hummingbird.”

  Joshua placed his hand on Frank’s arm, tears stinging the back of his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Frank.”

  Frank turned and kissed him, a slow, languid kiss, like they had all the time in the world. Or at least it seemed so until Joshua’s stomach rumbled.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” Mortified, Joshua let his head fall against Frank’s chest.

  Frank pulled back with a chuckle. “How about some breakfast? Then I can give you a tour of the house.”

  “Sounds great.” He looked down at himself. “I should probably find my clothes.”

  “Or you can borrow a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt.” Frank hummed as he leaned in to kiss Joshua again. “I like the idea of you in one of my shirts.”

  Joshua could barely control his grin. “Okay.” He happily accepted the pants and shirt, and although both were a bit baggy and long on him, it wasn’t too bad. They were super soft and so comfortable. After they dressed, Joshua followed Frank out into what looked like the formal dining room, and beyond that the kitchen.

  “Your house is amazing.” It was all high ceilings and big windows that filled the place with sunlight. The kitchen was huge with dark wood cabinets, black marble countertops, and stainless-steel appliances. The sleek industrial style continued with the three large pendant lights that hung from the ceiling over the island counter. “What can I do to help?”

  “Grab me the eggs, bacon, and fruit bowl from the fridge. Do you like French toast?”

  “I love French toast.”

  “Perfect. You can help me make it.”

  Together they worked around the kitchen. Joshua prepared the egg, vanilla, and cinnamon mix for the brioche. He plucked a blueberry out of the fruit bowl, receiving a playful smack on the hand that made him laugh.

  “Keep your grabby hands off my berries.”

  “But I like your berries,” Joshua replied, waggling his eyebrows.

  “Ooh, you’re trouble.” Frank dipped two slices of brioche in the mix and placed them in the frying pan. He pointed behind Joshua. “Can you grab me that.”

  Like a dork, Joshua turned. “What?”

  “Never mind,” Frank said through a mouthful of something.

  “You sneaky sneak! You totally stole some bacon, didn’t you?”

  Frank shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You left the fridge door open, by the way.”

  “I did not.” Joshua laughed when Frank tried and failed several times to get him to turn around, including taking hold of his shoulder and physically turning him to point out the view from the living room window, which was beautiful. “Put the bacon down, Frank.”

  Crunch.

  “Working around Ace has you hearing things,” Frank replied with a snicker.

  “He’s also a bacon thief.” Joshua turned around and plucked a blueberry out of the bowl. He tossed it and opened his mouth to catch it, only to have Frank swipe it out of the air and pop it into his mouth. Joshua gasped. “You stole my blueberry!”

  “I did,” Frank said with a chuckle as he slipped the last piece of French toast onto the plate. “And it was delicious. Probably the best blueberry I have ever tasted. There will never be another blueberry like it.”

  Joshua barked out a laugh, then shook his head. He helped Frank take their bounty of breakfast goodness to the smaller dining room table at the end of the kitchen. They served themselves coffee, and Frank brought over a carafe of freshly squeezed orange juice. Joshua ate his weight in French toast topped with berries and gooey syrup. He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun at breakfast. Anyone who knew Frank saw him as this scary, serious guy, but in truth, he was just observant, quiet. How many people outside of Joshua knew Frank had this lighter side to him? Possibly Colton, who’d known Frank for years, and no doubt Frank’s best friend, Val.

  Once they’d cleaned up breakfast, Frank took him on a tour of the house as promised. It was a two-story five-bedroom house with one of the bedrooms converted into a home office, another into a home gym. The two upstairs bedrooms remained guest rooms, along with a small sitting room and two bathrooms. The place was massive. Not as big as Colton’s mansion, but still huge. They stepped through the sliding glass doors in the living room and out onto the patio. Although not on the beach, it had a breathtaking view of the river. All kinds of trees and flowers grew around the property, all expertly taken care of.

  “You have a jacuzzi?”

  “Yep. Want to take a dip?”

  “Oh my God, yes!”

  Frank started stripping, and Joshua gaped at him. “What? There’s no one around us. Plus, there’s a shitload of trees and a fence. We’re good.”

  “Okay.” Joshua didn’t need to be told twice. He stripped where he stood and followed Frank in. The water was hot, but not so much it was unbearable. He sat and groaned as the jets massaged his back. “This is nice.”

  “Come here.” Frank motioned him over, and Joshua went, smiling when Frank pulled him onto his lap. Their slow kisses soon turned as heated as the water they were in. Frank palmed both their hard erections and jerked them off together until Joshua was screaming Frank’s name.

  The rest of the day was just as lazy and amazing. At least until a phone call came in during dinner, which they’d made together. Joshua had never had so much fun cooking steaks before. He’d also had no idea Frank loved to cook. They’d put on music, talked, and laughed. It had been wonderful.

  “Shit. Okay. I’ll be right there.”

  Looked like dinner was over. Joshua was more worried about the grim expression on Frank’s face. He hung up and stood.

  “What is it?”

  “Fucking pipe burst again. I need to go.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Joshua made to stand, but Frank held a hand up to stop him.

  “No, it’s fine. You finish your dinner. Stay as long as you like.”

  “Frank—”

  “It’s fine.” Frank wiped his mouth with a napkin, then kissed Joshua. Something flashed in his eyes, something Joshua couldn’t quite make out, but it was gone just as soon as it had appeared. Joshua didn’t push it. He quickly finished his dinner, even if he didn’t have much of an appetite left. Not because Frank was leaving, but because Frank seemed… off.

  “I’ll see you later.” Frank paused by the door, and Joshua hurried over.

  “Frank, please. Let me come with you. I’m sure there’s something I can do to help.”

  “Thanks. I had a good time last night.” With a kiss to Joshua’s cheek, Frank was gone, leaving Joshua feeling weird. Did Frank want him to stay? Was he hoping Joshua would be here when he got home? What was he supposed to do here on his own until Frank got back? He supposed he could watch TV, but who knew what time Frank would be back?

  Deciding to stay, Joshua made himself comfortable on the couch. He watched TV for several hours and sent texts to Frank asking him if he was okay. He’d tried calling but Frank never answered or called back. At some point Joshua fell asleep. Checking his phone, he frowned at the time. Five in the morning. Damn. He must have been more tired than he thought. Checking his phone again, his heart sank. Not one call, no texts, nothing. Knowing Colton would be up, Joshua called him.

  “Hey.”

  “Hi.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing?” Joshua winced. Colton knew him much better than that.

  “What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?”

  Joshua couldn’t help his smile. Colton might be an only child, but that didn’t mean he didn’t appoint himself big brother. “I’m at Frank’s house. We, um, slept together.”

  “That’s great!”

  A sigh escaped Joshua.

  “That not the sigh of everything’s great. Talk to me.”

  “It was amazing. I mean, it was everything I thought it would be and more. But we were having dinner when a call came in from the club. The pipe in the employee lounge burst again. I offered to come with him, but he told me to finish my dinner and stay as long as I wanted.”

  “Okay. Where is Frank now?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him, Colton. Ten hours. I called, texted, and nothing. He couldn’t call me or text me in ten hours to tell me he was okay? I know he doesn’t have to answer to me, and maybe he only intended for things between us to be just about sex, but for fuck’s sake, he couldn’t just say something?” Joshua shook his head, hating the heaviness in his heart or the way the back of his eyes stung. “I’m worried about him. He’s working himself to death and doesn’t even realize it. Maybe he doesn’t think I’d be worried? God, what if he thinks it was all a mistake?”

  “He cares about you,” Colton promised.

  “I know. At least, I think I know.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Joshua opened his mouth when he heard the door being unlocked. “I think he’s home.”

  “Okay. You deserve more, Joshua. Remember that.”

  “Thank you.” Joshua hung up. He stood when the lights came on, and Frank stopped, his expression clearly stating he hadn’t expected Joshua to be here.

  “Joshua?”

  “Yeah, I fell asleep. Sorry. You said it was okay if I stayed.”

  “Of course it’s okay. I, uh, just didn’t think you’d be here.”

  “Oh.” Joshua nodded his understanding. He probably figured Joshua would have gone home by now. How many guys hung around that long after sex? Was he being naïve?

  “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m happy you’re here.”

  “Everything okay at the club?” He hated how awkward things were between them. Frank didn’t move from where he stood, and Joshua didn’t go to him, unsure if his advances would be welcome. “You didn’t call. Or text.”

  “I know.”

  Joshua’s heart plummeted. “Why?”

  “I was kind of busy.”

  “Right.” So basically, Frank had ignored Joshua on purpose. Perfect. After heading to Frank’s bedroom, he grabbed his clothes off the bed.

  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “You did. It’s fine.” He quickly changed back into his own clothes.

  “I knew this would happen.”

  Joshua paused halfway through buttoning his shirt and lifted his gaze to Frank. “Knew what would happen?”

  “What always happens. I start seeing someone, they act like they’re okay with my owning a club, and then they start resenting me for it.”

  What the hell? Where had that come from? “Wow, I didn’t realize you thought so little of me.”

  “Come on. You can’t tell me it’s not true. I know you’re upset about today.”

  “Yes, I’m upset,” Joshua spat out as he pulled on his shoes. “Not because you had to go deal with an emergency at the club, but because you shut me out, let me worry about you for ten hours because you couldn’t spare the half a minute it took to answer my call or text just to let me know you were okay. To make matters worse, you’re accusing me of having feelings that I don’t even have and dismissing me without giving me a chance.”

  This couldn’t be happening. No, it was fine. It had to be fine. He just needed some time away from Frank, and maybe Frank simply needed some time on his own. So much had happened in the last few days alone, Joshua needed to cut the guy a break. Joshua went into the living room and grabbed his jacket up off the couch. “If I’m feeling a certain way, believe me, you’ll know it.” He headed for the door, his heart sinking when Frank didn’t so much as utter a word. Turning, he shook his head. “If all you want is sex, just say so. I’m a big boy; I can handle it.” He slammed the door behind him and shoved his arms into his jacket.

  The door opened behind him, and Frank growled, “Where the fuck are you going? I drove you here, remember?”

  Joshua narrowed his eyes at Frank. “I can get myself home. Thanks for the concern.” He ignored Frank and hurried down the stairs. Taking out his phone, he called Colton. “Can you send a car to pick me up? I’m coming in to work today.”

  “Of course I can send someone. I’m so sorry.”

  “Me too.” He hung up and sighed. This wasn’t how he pictured things going between them, but that was the nature of relationships, wasn’t it? Not that they had a relationship. Sort of. Ugh, okay, no. All he needed was some time to regroup. He wasn’t giving up on Frank. Not yet. This was only a hiccup. Maybe he needed to add a new tab to his spreadsheet. How not to strangle your man in five easy steps. Something told him it would take more than five steps.

  SEVEN

  “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

  “Excuse me?” Frank lifted his gaze from his computer to the very annoying man sitting on his couch glaring at him. He should have kicked Ace out when he walked in here like he owned the place. Did he think he could do whatever the hell he wanted because he was married to Colton? Who the hell was Frank kidding? His friends were a pain in the ass, and they were very aware he wouldn’t do a damn thing about it.

  “You are an asshole,” Ace repeated, enunciating each word.

  “I know that. Are you expecting me to get offended, or… what? What do you want, Sharpe?” As if he didn’t already know. “Colton sent you.”

  “Colton is perfectly capable of telling you what a fuckwit you are on his own. I’m sure he’ll be along shortly. I’m here because my husband is unhappy, and my husband is unhappy because his friend is unhappy.”

  Frank ignored the way his heart squeezed in his chest at hearing Ace’s words. He’d never meant to hurt Joshua, but they were heading in that direction anyway, so why prolong it? “I didn’t think Joshua was the kind of guy to have someone fight his battles for him.”

  “Again, you’re an ass. He doesn’t know, and he’ll probably be pissed when he finds out, but Jesus, Frank, what the hell is wrong with you?”

  “You seem to have a pretty good idea. Why don’t you tell me?”

  “Joshua is crazy about you. You knew that. Why would you fuck him and just toss him aside?”

  “Fuck you,” Frank spat, jumping from his chair. “I did not fuck him and toss him aside.”

  “No?” Ace leaned back and threw his arms open. “You could have fooled me.”

  “It’s none of your fucking business.”

  “But it is my business,” Colton hissed as he marched into the room and stopped in front of Frank. “Joshua is a kind, sweet, wonderful person. He doesn’t deserve you shitting all over his heart.”

  “Joshua is a grown man who doesn’t need you two mother hens trying to fix his ouchies. Mind your own fucking business.”