“That’s not a bad thing, squirt.”
“Except that he doesn’t do relationships. Ever. He’s got all these hot guys coming in and out of his life. And I can’t do the sharing, open relationship thing. Why would he ever settle for me?”
“Because I’m sure that he would never see it as settling.” Royce lifted his arm and wrapped it around Quinn’s shoulders, pulling him in close. “I swear you remind me of my little brother.”
Royce never talked about his life prior to joining Ward Security and he felt privileged to learn that much.
“But if he doesn’t consider himself lucky to get you, then he doesn’t deserve you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Talk to him. It’s better to know than to wonder for the rest of your life if you missed out on something amazing.”
“I know. I will. I’m going to give him some time. The mayor isn’t going to roll over and give up. Shane and the police are going to have a fight on their hands even with the confession. Shane and Ethan will need to focus on protecting their business from any backlash from the bastard.”
“Just don’t wait too long. I don’t want you to feel that kind of regret.”
Quinn closed his eyes against the heavy weight in Royce’s low voice. The weight of experiencing that pain firsthand and then having to live with it. He wanted to ask, to say something that would ease his friend’s pain, but he kept quiet and leaned his head against Royce’s shoulder as they waited for the cops to finally release them.
He’d figure out what to do with Shane later. Right now, his hand hurt, his heart hurt, and he felt like he could sleep for a week.Chapter Twenty-TwoQuinn heard Royce’s voice outside his office and he groped for his phone. Squinting at the time, he groaned and rolled over to bury his face in the couch. He hadn’t meant to crash at the office, but he’d arrived back in Cincinnati at one o’clock in the morning and had come by the office first because he liked the showers better than at his place.
Besides he was avoiding his roommates for an entirely new reason now. He’d stopped by his apartment shortly after finishing the case with Shane and Tanner point blank asked if he was screwing around with Shane. Exhausted and frustrated, he admitted that he was gay and in love with Shane. Tanner then informed him that both he and Vince were bi and were thoroughly insulted by the fact that Quinn had assumed they were homophobic meatheads.
Now he was being endlessly teased about having shitty gaydar, which was better than fearing for his life but still a pain in the ass.
After working a series of long days in DC on a job, Quinn succumbed to the siren call of the couch with his favorite blanket still draped over it from the week before he’d left.
His heart ached at the thought of the private detective. They hadn’t exactly agreed to end things, but figuring out he was in love with the man had put Quinn into heart-protect mode and he’d backed off. He hadn’t answered any of his calls or texts and had even ducked out of the office one day when Shane had shown up. Fuck, the man was stubborn. He didn’t plan to avoid him forever—just until he felt he could fake a casual friendship. Right now, he knew his every emotion would play out on his face like a tragedy.
Quinn supposed his brooding had gotten on Rowe’s last nerve, because he’d been shipped off with Royce for the out of town job. He’d never been sent on one of those, but he’d enjoyed the week with his friend.
Royce had become so much more than a coworker over the last weeks. The man might never open up about his past, but he made it clear he considered Quinn a close friend. It made him kind of gushy inside when he really thought about it—about how his life wasn’t nearly as lonely as it had been since his mother had…well, since she’d tried to run from an abusive man in the middle of the night and was hit by a drunk driver. Ruining her life forever.
Quinn didn’t want to think about that, so as Royce’s voice grew louder, Quinn stuck his head under his pillow and tried to drift back off.
Didn’t work.
The strong scent of his favorite coffee crept under the pillow and he turned onto his back and tugged it down to his chest, then held out his hand for the coffee without opening his eyes. “Fuck, I’m beat, Royce. Thanks.”
“I’m not Royce.”
The deep voice made him drag open his heavy eyelids and before he could completely tug his sleepy brain into functioning mode, the delight spreading through him like wildfire made him smile at the man leaning over him.