“Hope like hell you thought to incorporate a bathroom in this joint. You get too many guests locked in, things might get ugly.”
“Full bath,” he said easily as he used his palm to unlock the door. “Plus a kitchen.”
“Your very own panic … barn.”
Brantley shot him a sideways smirk before leading the way outside. Reese waited while he locked up behind them.
“So when you’re not sleepin’, and you’re not sittin’ on one of your two barstools, and you’re not camped out in your bat cave, what do you do?”
“Not a whole helluva lot.”
“Good to know. Next time I need a partner at the range, I’ll hit you up.”
“Anytime,” Brantley said, grinning.
They had just reached the back deck when a man wearing a backwards baseball cap sauntered around the side of the house. His eyes instantly jumped between Reese and Brantley, landing on Brantley before a wide grin formed.
“Hey,” Brantley greeted the visitor. “Cyrus, meet Reese Tavoularis. Reese, meet Cyrus Jernigan.”
Ah. This was the Cyrus he’d overhead Brantley talking about that night at the diner. Based on the heat he saw in Cyrus’s gaze as it raked slowly over Brantley, their mutual friend hadn’t relayed to him the fact they were only friends.
Reese offered his hand, noticed how Cyrus thrust his hand out and gave a rather forceful shake.
“Nice to meet you.” The comment was pleasant enough, but Cyrus’s eyes reflected his obvious question as to what Reese was doing there.
“What brings you by?” Brantley asked, motioning for them to go inside.
“Just thought I’d check in. See how you’re doin’. We didn’t get a chance to do a whole lotta talkin’ the other night.”
Reese fought the urge to grin. So that was jealousy sparking fire in Cyrus’s green eyes.
“Want a beer?” Brantley said in response.
Cyrus quickly offered a confirmation while Reese figured now was the perfect time for his departure.
“I should probably be headin’ out.” He spared a quick glance at Cyrus. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same.”
Brantley moved toward him. “I’ll walk you out.”
His first instinct was to tell Brantley not to worry about it, but something inside him—some foreign emotion that seemed a hell of a lot like jealousy but couldn’t possibly be—had him biting back the words.
Once outside, Reese stepped off the front porch. “Boyfriend?”
“Who, Cyrus?” Brantley chuckled. “No. He’s just a friend. An overprotective one.”
He was more than that, but Reese didn’t bother to say as much. What Brantley did in his spare time was none of his business. Certainly not when it came to his romantic entanglements.
“Well, thanks for hangin’ this mornin’. And thanks for puttin’ my ass to shame out there.”
“To shame?” Brantley’s smile was wide and made the dimples in his cheeks flash. “Hell, I wasn’t even tryin’.”
“Sure you weren’t.”
“Don’t believe me?”
Reese cocked an eyebrow, earning another laugh from Brantley.
“Maybe we can do it again sometime,” Reese told him, then realized how it sounded. “I … You…”
Another brilliant smile from Brantley, along with, “No need to explain. I had a good time. Maybe we can check out paintball next time.”
“Ah. Paintball. Now you’re suggestin’ I let you shoot me.”
“Perfect way to spend a Saturday, no?”
“No. Probably not.” Reese grinned back, knowing full well he would make the effort to go if the opportunity arose.
Before Brantley could say anything more, Reese noticed Cyrus standing just inside the house, his face appearing through the screen door.
“I won’t keep you from your company.”
To his surprise, Brantley didn’t even bother to look back. His gaze remained locked on Reese’s. It was Reese who forced himself to walk away. And though he did, he couldn’t help wondering when the next time he’d see Brantley again would be.
Or what Brantley and Cyrus would be doing once they went back inside.
The last part … yeah, he decided he wouldn’t think too long or hard on that, either.
Chapter Seven
One month later, September
“I still can’t believe you took a day off to let me shoot you,” Brantley told Reese as they stood in his kitchen while burgers cooked on the grill just outside the back door.
“Okay, for the record,” Reese stated, “I cut out early. Not the same as takin’ a day off.”
“Early? You call leavin’ at ten in the mornin’ early?”
Reese grinned, his hair a wild mess from the helmet he’d worn during their paintball match. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
Brantley took a long pull on his beer, noticing the green paint that was practically glowing behind Reese’s ear. It took tremendous willpower not to reach over and wipe it away. Somehow he managed to keep his hands to himself though. No sense ruining what was quickly becoming a damn good friendship.
After finishing off his beer, Brantley tossed it into the recycle can. “You mind keepin’ an eye on those burgers while I hit the shower?”
“Sure thing.”
“Unless you wanna join me,” he teased, his gaze swinging to Reese’s to catch his reaction.
