“At everything.”
And then there was that last time. When he tried to beat the odds for the sake of love. And lost.
“I’m sorry,” Lee said, moving back in his chair. “I didn’t want to cause you pain. It was selfish to ask too much. I should have thought.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll just….”
Joshua reached out and touched Lee’s forearm to stop him from getting up. The skin was slick and gnarled under his fingertips. “No, please. Stay. I’d like to tell you about him, if you still want to hear.”
“Of course I do,” Lee replied, and he settled back in his seat. “That’s why I’m here.”
Joshua nodded and then waved at a waitress. “First, let’s get you some coffee.”
“That’d be nice. Thank you.”
October 2010—Nashville, Tennessee
The pounding onthe door didn’t stop.
Joshua wrapped the towel around his hips and dashed into the living room of the apartment he shared with Paul. He grabbed Magic by the scruff of her neck and jerked the door open, out of breath and still wet all over.
Joshua had noticed before that their neighbor was handsome, in an uptight, professorial sort of way. That is, if a skinny, uptight professor with short, dark curls could also be a hot, sexy all-black-wearing dominant type with a perma-scowl. And given the sharp glare and set jaw Joshua was greeted with when he jerked the door open, this guy was proof positive that a professor could embody both those vibes.
His entire body rang with an electric buzz as he stammered a greeting. But the man’s grimace and grunt of anger as Magic broke free of Joshua’s grip and leapt up against his firm chest quickly wiped away any imagined charm.
“Your dog is a nuisance!” the man exclaimed, under assault from Magic’s eager tongue and paws. On her hind legs, Magic was nearly as tall as he was, which put the man at somewhere close to five-nine, and probably a hundred and sixty pounds soaking wet. Just a few more pounds than Magic herself.
Joshua tried to grab at her, but failed to get more than a handful of shedding fur. “I’m sorry. Let me just…. Magic! Down! Come on, girl! Inside!” He lunged, catching hold of his dumb dog, and tried to wrestle her off the man. But, in the process, he lost his towel. With cold air on his dangly bits, and a writhing, happy dog rubbing all over him, trying to get back to her new friend, he managed to get his apartment door open again, and shoved Magic back inside, slamming the door on her.
“Nice ass,” the guy said, dusting dog hair off his black shirt and jeans.
Joshua scrambled to grab the towel from the floor. His wet skin tingling with hot embarrassment, he wrapped the towel around his body, and opened his mouth to stammer another apology. Magic barked sharply. Once. Twice. Three times.
“And that’s what I’m talking about,” the man snarled. “That bark.”
Joshua tied his towel around his waist again, panting and sweating from the effort he’d expended trying to get his idiot dog off the neighbor and back through the door. Worse, his damp skin was now covered in short, dark, dog hair, so his efforts in the shower were completely undone. He’d probably be late to work now, too. He groaned, humiliation stinging his cheeks, and he raked a hand through his hair. “Sorry. So sorry. About my dog and…and about my ass.”
“The ass was no hardship,” the man said. “The dog, though…”
Joshua ignored that, wiped a hand over his sweaty upper lip, and went on, “She’s just a big puppy. Not even a year old yet. I adopted her last month and—”
“I know damn well when you adopted her because that’s when my quiet evenings at home turned into a nightmare symphony of dog whines, barks, and outright howls.” The man glared at him so hard, Joshua was afraid his already tight-feeling skin might peel off.
“Oh. I, uh, well.” Joshua held his towel tighter. “My roommate and I work most nights and—”
“And from what Mrs. Saunders across the way told me at the mailboxes this morning, your dog barks all damn day, too.” The man raised a harsh brow.
“She does?”
The man crossed his arms over his chest. “Where are you all day that you don’t know?”
“School?”
“You’re in college?”
“Yes.”
“And your muscle-bound roommate I see going in and out? Where’s he during the day?”
“Also school.”
