Reckless (Pier 70, 1)

by Nicole Edwards

  But that was all part of the job.

  Cam was getting ready to sneak back to his office, hoping for at least an hour to decompress before the day kicked into high gear, when his cell phone chirped.

  Glancing down at the text message, he smiled to himself.

  For some reason, this bed’s not as comfortable as it was last night.

  After grabbing his phone, he typed out a quick response: Really? It was fine when I woke up.

  Less than a minute later, another text came in. Where are you?

  Cam replied, In my office.

  Hmm. Do you have a desk in there?

  Confused, Cam typed, Yeah. Why?

  Think I’ll fit under it?

  Cam barked out a laugh at the same time he heard the ding of the alarm on the front door. He looked up to see Roan watching him, a strange look on his face.

  “What’s funny?”

  “Nothin’,” he lied, dropping his phone into his pocket.

  Roan’s eyes scanned Cam’s face slowly, intently before he said, “If I’m not mistaken, you had company last night.”

  Cam shrugged, not meeting Roan’s eyes. “So?”

  “That company’s still here.”

  Cam wasn’t sure where Roan was going with this, but he waited because he knew his friend would get around to it eventually.

  Roan came to stand in front of him, and when Cam lifted his eyes, he realized Roan wasn’t happy. Not a hint of amusement reflected on his face, and Cam knew instantly that he was going to get lectured. He could already predict where this conversation would lead, so he held up a hand, halting Roan before he could get started.

  “Please don’t.”

  Roan’s dark eyebrow cocked. “Don’t what?”

  “I don’t need a warning. It’s cool,” Cam said. “I’m not rushing.”

  “No?” Roan nodded his head toward the parking lot, frowning.

  “No,” Cam confirmed. “I know what I’m doing.”

  It might not be the complete truth, but it wasn’t a lie. Cam was taking things slow. Mostly. But he understood where Roan was coming from. They’d been best friends since they were kids, and Roan had seen the harsh roller coaster ride Cam had been on for most of his life when it came to love. Not that this was love. He certainly wasn’t jumping the gun where that was concerned.

  Like most people, he’d been hurt a few times, but in his defense, he had survived.

  “Just be careful,” Roan finally said, his tone gentle, his eyes searching. “I don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

  Cam nodded, not sure what to say. There was no guarantee that he would come out on the other side of this unscathed, even if he and Gannon continued to take things slow. Relatively speaking. But he couldn’t deny that he wanted to see where it went.

  It looked as though Roan was gearing up to say something else, but thankfully, Gannon chose that moment to show up, strolling in the front door looking like sex on a stick, his eyes darting between Cam and Roan as they stood nearly face-to-face.

  “I’m cool,” Cam reassured Roan. “No need to worry.”

  Roan’s gaze slid to Gannon, then back before he nodded once and then went to check the wall for the waivers. The sound of rustling paper came from behind him. “What the fuck is this shit? Save the trees?”

  Cam laughed, his eyes perusing Gannon as he continued to watch them.

  “Did Dare do this?” Roan asked, waving the paper around.

  Today obviously wasn’t going to be Roan’s day.

  “What do you think?” Cam tilted his head toward his office. “Come on,” he told Gannon, “I’ll give you a tour.”

  Taking his lukewarm coffee with him, he led the way to his office. The instant he stepped inside, Gannon closed the door behind them, relieved Cam of his coffee cup, and then pushed him up against the wall.

  All those pent up emotions released into his bloodstream when Gannon touched him.

  “Waking up, alone in your bed…” Gannon’s mouth brushed his roughly. “It was hell.”

  Cam smiled against Gannon’s mouth. “But at least you were in my bed.”

  “Yeah? But you weren’t there for me to do this.”

  Gannon cradled Cam’s face in his hands, slanting his mouth over Cam’s and stealing the oxygen from the room with a blazing kiss that had Cam’s legs shaking by the time Gannon pulled back.

  “I’ll remember that next time,” Cam said breathlessly.

  Gannon’s fingers stroked over his cheek, his eyes studying his face briefly. “Mornin’.”

  Cam laughed at the quick turnaround in Gannon’s demeanor. Though he’d been playful, now there was a lightness that was contagious.

  “Mornin’,” Cam replied softly.

  “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Gannon took a step back, his eyes scanning the room.

  Hell, before that kiss, Cam could’ve easily answered that question. But now…

  Now it felt as though all of his brain cells had been obliterated.

  From one simple kiss.

  Though, if he were completely honest with himself, there wasn’t a damn thing simple about it.

  Roan Gregory pretended to be interested in the sheet of paper in his hand as Cam led Gannon down the hall toward his office. The moment the two men were out of sight, Roan leaned against the counter, took a deep breath, and attempted to calm his rapidly beating heart.

  He felt sick. A twisting in his gut that made him nauseous. His legs were weak, his hands clammy, breathing labored. Only he knew he wasn’t coming down with the flu and he didn’t have a summer cold, measles, mumps … etcetera, etcetera. And he didn’t need to go to the doctor.

  Nope, none of that shit.

  Unfortunately.

  No, Roan felt off-kilter because it appeared that Cam and Gannon were actually … in a relationship.

  Roan’s gaze slid to the parking lot, and that fancy Lexus that was parked right next to Cam’s truck. He knew it shouldn’t have bothered him, that he didn’t have any right to worry or be jealous. Only he did and he was.

  A fucking lot.

  But it was his own damn fault since he’d kept his mouth shut all these years, never telling Cam how he truly felt.

  The sad fucking truth was, Roan was in love with his best friend.

  And it sucked hairy donkey balls.

  All these years he’d lived with the knowledge that the one man he loved beyond all else couldn’t be his. Not like that. Cam was his best friend, his confidant, his business partner. The man he’d hoped he would spend the rest of his life with.

  And yes, Roan was the king of all chickenshits. He’d never bothered to tell Cam straight out how he felt because … well, because he didn’t fucking know why.

  Instead of laying all the sappy emotional bullshit on his friend, he’d hoped that Cam would realize on his own.

  Never happened.

  And so Roan had sat by, watching Cam date various men, secretly hoping things wouldn’t work out. Not because he wanted Cam to get hurt. That was the last damn thing he wanted. No, he’d been hoping Cam would wake up one day and realize he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Roan.

  Not that Roan hadn’t dated. He’d been out with plenty of men, experimented, sometimes even tried to convince himself what he felt for Cam was a stupid crush. Only none of his relationships had worked out, and he was pretty sure every failure had been his own fault.

  “Ugghh.”

  Roan crumpled the sheet of paper in his hands and threw it in the direction of the wastebasket.

  Missed.

  Figured.

  Story of his life.

  And now, it looked as though Cam had actually found something good with Gannon. Roan couldn’t remember the last time Cam had had an overnight visitor. Years, definitely. Which meant Gannon was more than just a passing fancy for Cam.

  The worst fucking part about it all, Gannon was good for Cam. They didn’t seem to have much in common, at least not from the outside looking in, but
whatever they did have together had put a smile on Cam’s face. As much as Roan wished Cam would look at him the same way he looked at Gannon, he knew it would never happen.

  No matter how much he’d wanted it to.

  The rumble of laughter coming from Cam’s office made Roan’s stomach lurch.

  No way could he stand here and listen to the two of them. Cam was his best friend, yes. Roan wanted Cam to be happy, yes. But Roan didn’t think watching Cam fall in love with another man was something he could deal with.

  Not today.

  Possibly not ever.

  Gannon hadn’t felt this good in a long damn time. He’d spent a few minutes that morning shadowing Cam at the marina before making the hour drive back to his house to clean up because Cam wanted to take him out on the boat later.

  After he’d shaved, showered, and dressed, Gannon had fought the urge to open his laptop to check to make sure there weren’t any fires that needed his attention. Only the thought of getting back to Cam had kept him from doing so. Which was something he’d never experienced before.

  Not once in his life had a personal relationship come before his work. When he’d been in college, he’d focused on studying. When he’d started out working as a video game tester, he’d focused on work. And when he’d started his own business, he’d never let anyone distract him from the most important thing in his life.

  Until Cam.

  Instead of giving in, probably finding himself in his office for hours on end, attempting to fix something that could’ve waited until later, Gannon had climbed back in his car, made the return trip, and even stopped to pick up food on the way back—making sure to get enough for Roan and Dare, since he’d heard they’d be in the office for a while.

  That meal … well, he wished he could say that it had gone smoothly, but he got the impression Roan wasn’t too happy with him for some reason. His first clue had been that morning when he’d walked into the marina office to find him and Cam in what appeared to be a heated discussion.

  Gannon was pretty sure Cam had no idea that his friend had some deep feelings for him. More than friends. More than business partners.

  He’d seen the way Roan looked at Cam when he didn’t think anyone was watching. And he’d definitely noticed the evil eye Roan had shot his way throughout the day. Not that Gannon knew that for a fact, but it definitely explained why Roan was so standoffish toward him. Gannon wasn’t sure what Roan had against him, if anything, but something was definitely off.

  Had he done something to Roan? Had he inadvertently pissed him off? Was something else going on between Roan and Cam that Gannon didn’t know about? Or was it simply because he was there with Cam?

  Unfortunately, he didn’t have the answers to those questions, but he was fairly astute. It seemed pretty clear to him. Granted, he didn’t know Roan all that well, but if Gannon wasn’t mistaken, Roan was in love with Cam.

  “Gannon.”

  The sound of Cam’s voice pulled Gannon from his thoughts, and he looked around to see that Cam had stopped the boat out in the middle of the lake, far from dry land.

  “Please tell me you’re not gonna make me get in that water again,” he said quickly, his heart rate already soaring from the idea.

  “Not tonight,” Cam replied easily. “I thought we’d just chill for a while.”

  “That I can do.”

  “Then come here,” Cam said as he dropped down onto the sun deck, leaning back on his hands and staring out at the water. The sun was lingering over the horizon, painting the sky pink and purple, which, in turn, made Cam’s already bronzed skin even darker.

  God, the man was beautiful. Every inch of his body was perfection, all the hard planes and angles, the smooth dips and valleys, right down to the scar beneath his jaw and that slightly crooked incisor. Those minor imperfections added character, made Cam all the more real. As far as Gannon was concerned, though, Cam was flawless.

  Gannon joined him, taking a seat and soaking in the peace and quiet. “I can see why you like this.”

  Cam leaned back on his elbows, his head cocked toward him. “It’s quiet. At least when you’re not talking.”

  Gannon looked over to see a mischievous smirk on Cam’s lips.

  “You know the easiest way to shut me up?” Gannon retorted.

  Cam’s eyes blazed with heat, and Gannon realized exactly where Cam’s thoughts had drifted. Gannon had actually been thinking about kissing, but yeah … that would do it, too.

  “Slow,” Gannon said, more to himself than to Cam.

  “Slow is good.”

  Gannon leaned back, placing his hands behind his head as he stared up at the stars beginning to appear through the wispy clouds overhead. Cam mirrored him, lowering himself beside him, their elbows touching. The breeze off the water was warm, and the gentle rocking of the boat nearly lulled him to sleep. Before he allowed himself to be pulled under, he turned his head to look at Cam.

  “Does Roan have an issue with me?”

  Cam’s head snapped toward him, forehead creased. “No. Why?”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s not happy that we’re dating.”

  “Is that what we’re doing?”

  Gannon tried to see if Cam was teasing, but he didn’t see any humor in the firm expression that drew his mouth tight and creased his brow. “That’s what we’re doing.”

  “Exclusively?”

  Gannon rolled to his side, propping his head up with his hand as he stared down at Cam.

  “Exclusively,” he confirmed, trailing his finger over the rock-hard muscle on the underside of Cam’s arm.

  Cam’s attention strayed back to the sky. Curling a finger beneath Cam’s chin, Gannon forced him to meet his gaze again. “Is that not what you want?”

  Cam shrugged. And for the first time since he’d met Cam, it seemed Cam didn’t have anything to say on the matter.

  “I’m not seeing anyone else,” Gannon told him, sliding his palm over Cam’s cheek, his thumb rasping against the shadow of dark hair that lightly lined Cam’s square jaw. “And I don’t want you to, either.”

  Again, Cam didn’t say anything.

  “Do you have something against exclusive?”

  “No,” he answered quickly, then sighed.

  Gannon watched him closely, waiting for the extended version.

  “Do you worry that we live too far apart?” Cam questioned.

  “Not really, no.” Gannon hadn’t thought about it, actually. An hour drive seemed like nothing to him. At least not at this point. Sure, it meant he couldn’t see Cam every day, and some days that bothered him. “It hasn’t stopped us yet.”

  Cam opened his mouth, then closed it. Then, accompanied with a heavy sigh, Cam said, “I don’t want to rush this.”

  “I picked up on that.” Gannon had figured that out from the beginning, and he was okay with taking things slow. “But I plan to spend time with you when I can.”

  “I work every day,” Cam stated, still facing him.

  “I know. Usually I do, too. And a lot of the time, I’m not even here in Austin.”

  Cam’s expression turned to one of question, but he didn’t ask whatever was on his mind.

  “Next week I’ll be in California for a couple of days. And in two weeks, I’ll be off to Singapore for a week. I’m not always here, Cam.”

  “You travel?” Cam pushed up on his elbows, watching him cautiously as though Gannon were going to pounce on him.

  “Quite a bit, yeah,” he admitted, trying to read Cam’s face, to understand what he was really concerned with.

  “To Singapore?”

  “I’ve got a team of developers over there as well as IT support.”

  “So you go … often?”

  “Yeah.” Gannon was in the process of hiring someone he could put in place over there so he didn’t have to travel as much, but he’d yet to find anyone qualified to do what he needed. The couple of candidates he’d had from the US wanted more money than Gannon was willing to
pay, and there was only one candidate in Singapore who had the experience.

  “To Singapore?” Cam repeated, apparently wanting clarification.

  “I’ve got seven offices, three in the US, including the one in Austin.”

  “Where?”

  “One here, two in California, one in Singapore, two in Europe, and we just opened one in Sydney.”

  “Australia?” Cam voice was slightly higher-pitched than before.

  Gannon nodded.

  “Good to know.”

  The way Cam said those words sounded almost final. As though the fact Gannon traveled was going to be a point of contention for them. “Does that bother you?”

  “Nope,” Cam said brusquely, dropping back down, resting his head on his hands once again. The move was meant to be casual, but Gannon could tell Cam was tense.

  Leaning over, Gannon placed his hand flat on the boat beside Cam’s head, staring down at him. “Just so you know, I’m not gonna let you push me away. I get that you’ve probably got valid reasons for wanting to go slow, and I respect that. So, we can either talk about it now or save it for another time. But I’m interested in understanding you better.”

  Cam didn’t look at him.

  “Last night, when I slept in your bed, holding you … I’ve never felt comfortable enough to do that. It’s not easy when sex isn’t on the table. It requires a certain amount of … effort. But with you, it’s easy. I like that.”

  Before Cam could come back with a retort, Gannon lowered his head and pressed his lips gently to Cam’s. He didn’t take it further, just brushed his mouth over Cam’s.

  “I’m serious, Cam,” he whispered. “We’re gonna see where this leads us.”

  And that was a promise.

  Fourteen

  Cam reminded himself that he’d only known Gannon for a week. Exactly one week since Gannon and Milly had stepped foot in the marina, actually, but regardless, it wasn’t enough time for him to develop feelings for the man. So, the fact that Gannon traveled, something Cam had a serious issue with, shouldn’t have bothered him as much as it did. Yet his thoughts had drifted there, and he couldn’t seem to reel them back in.

  There was no way he could explain his concerns to a man he’d just met. Gannon would think he’d lost his mind. But he hadn’t. He had very valid reasons for his concerns, for his fears. And knowing that Gannon traveled, well, that put things into perspective for him. Shit, the traveling thing made the one-hour distance between them nothing, at this point.