José rubbed his eyes and took another drink from the juice bottle. "Sorry, Ma. But I just don't feel like thinking of Laird's junk in any manner. Look, Ma, I love you but I have to go."
" Sí, sí. You take care and don't work too hard."
"I won't. I love you, Ma."
" Te amo, mi hijo."
José was happy when the conversation ended. He loved his mother but sometimes she drove him nuts.
Dropping the cordless phone beside him he shook his head.
His mother wanted him to get together with Laird—that wasn't how it worked. He could never see Laird, Rajan, or Savaro in a sexual way.
"Ew… I feel dirty all of a sudden." He rose and stripped on his way up the stairs to his bedroom. He stopped long enough to remove his watch then entered the bathroom and took a shower. Once he gathered some snacks and a few bottles of water, he spent the rest of the
day going over numbers for Laird's place once more. Soon the numbers were all blurring together and turning into Ronin's face. He frowned, closed the folder, turned off the laptop, and grabbed his car keys. If he took a drive to the new offices in Century, the breeze would clear his head. Or maybe he should just go down to the beach. Standing beside his car, he decided for the beach. There wouldn't be anyone there at that time of the day. He'd always loved walking in the sand. Most times he would do it barefoot until he remembered that teenagers drank there on weekends. There were always broken bottles and remnants of camp fires. José made a mental note to keep his shoes on. The last thing he wanted was to end up in the hospital for a tetanus shot because he sliced his foot open.
By the time he got into the car and pulled his head from the daze he was in, he wasn't at the beach at all. José was outside Ronin's door, with the sexy bear looking at him with a heated gaze. José knew Ronin knew precisely why he was there. The sad part was, even as he stood there meeting Ronin's gaze, José was still trying to deny it all. It wasn't happening. It was all a dream.
* * * *
The way José stood before him scared him at first.
Then he saw something in the man's eyes that both turned him on and made him curious. Still, he didn't move. "Two visits in one day, José? To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I didn't mean to come here," José replied, walking by Ronin. He rubbed his palms against his jeans-clad thighs. "I meant to head down to the beach but here I am."
José had a scent that sent his heart hammering inside his chest. It was a cologne he'd never forget—
Heartbeat. But he'd never liked it on any man before.
Perhaps it was because they'd bathed in it. Taking a breath, Ronin closed the door and followed. He leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms. He watched José pace the kitchen silently for a while before taking a breath. "José…"
"Gimme a second," José replied, still pacing furiously.
"Do you want a drink? Something to eat?"
"Damn it, Ronin! Gimme a second!"
Ronin watched him for as long as he could before walking over, stepping before him, and grabbing José's shoulder. "Stop. Just stop it. You're going to wear a damn groove in my brand new flooring. Now, what's the matter?"
When their gazes met, Ronin didn't need an
explanation. He saw the fire, the unsure desire that raged inside the man's eyes. But even so, he just didn't understand why that fire burned for him as fully as it was roaring
within José's eyes. Taking a breath, he led José to a seat and sat beside him.
"You know why I'm here." José's voice was filled with soft finality.
"Yes."
"And?"
Silence.
Silence?
What was he supposed to say to that? He'd only met the man a day ago and already he wanted him in ways that made no logical sense. Ronin didn't move—he didn't so much as turn his head to look at the lovely specimen of a man sitting beside him. There was a heat radiating from José's body that warmed Ronin—that made him want to run away and stay all at the same time. Holding his breath, he extended a hand to José's thigh and caressed it softly.
Slowly, he lifted the hand higher. José grabbed it and stopped it mere inches from his hips.
"Ronin…"
He pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry."
José rose from where he was seated and pressed his back to the wall. Ronin stretched his legs out before him and eased into the back of the sofa, allowing José the chance to stare at him. Ronin found he loved the way José's gaze roamed his body as though stripping him. He eyed
José's lips, noticing the way they parted ever so slightly. He smiled.
"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all day?" Ronin was proud of how soft his voice was with his question.
"Yes I am. I think it's safer than what's going through my head."
"And what"—he leaned forward to rest his elbows against his knees—"pray-tell has been going on in your head?"
"I don't want to… I mean I don't know if I can…
Ronin, I'm nothing like the men you're used to."
"And how do you know what kind of men I'm used to?"
José chuckled and rubbed his palms against his thighs. "I mean look at you? You're all thick and beefy and all… bear. I'm as far from bear as you can get."
Ronin laughed. "When it comes to men I don't discriminate. I love them smart, funny… freaky."
José's eyes widened.
"Scared, José?"
"Of?"
"Being a freak."
José licked his lips. "Not scared."
The room slipped into a quiet that threatened to
drive Ronin insane. José walked back to him and this time, Ronin watched the lovely man kneel before
