“Just goes to show, we don’t always know our friends.”
Liam looked up, taking in the frown that was drawing deep lines in Seth’s face. “Thing is, I’m really worried about him, and I’d like to find him before Bill and his men do. There has to be some kind of explanation, because he never once said anything about having to borrow the money. In fact, he always seemed to have extra cash.”
Seth’s eyes dropped to the worktable while his teeth tugged at his bottom lip in thought. Liam knew he should be thinking about Gerald, but his brain was very occupied with Seth’s abused lower lip. He wanted to suggest that Seth let him suck on that perfect piece of flesh while he thought.
But then neither of them would be doing much thinking.
“I can help you try and find him if you’d like.”
Liam nodded and cleared his throat, trying to recall what the hell they’d been talking about just seconds earlier. “Thanks. I’d like that. We can check his apartment after I close the shop for the day.”
A soft sigh left Seth as he straightened. “I probably shouldn’t be taking you there, but we’ll be quick about it.”
Yes, Seth could kick ass and handle a dangerous situation, but Liam wasn’t without a few skills. It was just that his fighting skills were rusty, and he definitely wasn’t used to being outnumbered.
Maybe he should think about taking some of those self-defense classes at Ward. With some new moves, he’d have a better chance of defending himself.
He pulled the bouquet together, loving the way the colors of the different blooms complemented each other. This was where he felt the most like himself. With flowers. And he felt no qualms about it. It was who he was—who he’d always been.
Ferdinand the Bull.
Smiling to himself, he carried the new plants out to the front and placed them in the refrigerators until the customers arrived to pick them up.
“This is a nice shop,” Seth said as they got all the latest orders filled. “I’ve never been in a florist’s place this nice.”
“And how many florists have you visited?”
“Okay, one.” Seth laughed. “Still, it has a great feel to it. You’ve done a good job making it cozy, yet elegant.”
“That was the plan.” Liam walked to one of the tables to move it. He was so glad he’d ordered sturdy tables since none of them had been broken in the fight.
“Here, let me do that.” Seth hurried over to him. “Just tell me where you want it.”
It was on the tip of Liam’s tongue to tell him just where he’d like to have it, but he bit back the words. They’d managed to keep things on a friendly basis, and he didn’t want to make Seth uncomfortable. But as the man wiggled in front of him to grab hold of the table, it was a lot harder to not put his hands on those narrow hips. Seth smelled so damn good, and his ass filled out those jeans so perfectly. Liam knew just how gorgeous that ass was bare.
“Liam?” Seth looked over his shoulder, and Liam’s desire must have been stamped all over his face, because Seth straightened up and stared at him.
“Sorry. You just have a really nice…er, I went tongue-tied there for a second.”
And there went his plan not to make Seth uncomfortable. But they’d had sex. A lot of fantastic sex, so it was hard to dismiss it.
Luckily, Seth grinned and winked. “Tell me where you want the table.”
“Put it about two feet that way.” He pointed.
Seth moved the table, then stood watching him. “I know it’s weird that we’re having to work together after that night. It’s not easy for me either.”
It was hard to work so close to Seth and not touch him. He wanted to run his hands over that fine body so much, the images were on a constant film reel in the back of his mind.
Another customer came into the store, and Liam was soon busy helping the boy pick out a corsage. The whole time, his skin tingled under the weight of Seth’s quiet stare.
Chapter Six
Clearly, he’d been lying to himself when he thought getting out of the flower shop would make being around Liam easier. They were crammed in his Nissan sedan, which had never felt small until now. But now more than six feet of Liam Larsen was shoehorned into the passenger seat, and the distance between the driver and passenger was far narrower than it had ever been before.
It would be so damn easy to just drop his hand on that thick thigh.
But he wasn’t thinking about that.
The same way he wasn’t thinking about how Liam’s broad shoulders stretched the cotton shirt he was wearing. Or that the little green apron he’d tied on as he set to repotting plants made his waist seem adorably narrow while the strings kept bouncing on his perfect ass.
He wasn’t thinking about how he’d found himself staring at Liam’s large hands as they carefully cradled the delicate plants, moving them from small pots to larger ones as if he were handling a newborn. A couple of times he’d even caught Liam whispering encouraging words to the little blooms as he got them settled in the rich dirt.
But if Seth wasn’t thinking about Liam’s great body or his enormous, caring heart, then he was thinking about his face. And that only made Seth’s blood boil.
Who the fuck would dare put their hands on this man?
When he’d stepped into Rowe’s office, the shock of seeing Liam evaporated a second after he registered the injuries to his face. If Rowe hadn’t spoken up so quickly, he would have been grabbing Liam, demanding to know who the fuck hurt him.
And yeah, that flash of temper didn’t make sense for a detached, hookup kind of guy. He wasn’t supposed to be close to losing his shit over Liam’s injuries. He wasn’t supposed to care that Liam was worried about his friend or that he was so worried over his brand-new shop.
This was threatening to get complicated.
He had goals. A plan. And Liam, he was a great guy, but Seth wasn’t interested in dating or relationships.
He was helping out a friend. No, he was helping out the brother of a friend.
At Liam’s direction, he parked his car in an open spot marked with the same number as Gerald’s apartment. He glanced around, taking in the buildings in the fading sunlight. It looked like a nice complex, with neatly manicured shrubs and recently cut grass. There were plenty of streetlights in the parking areas and more lights at the building entrances, giving a sense of security.
“Has Gerald lived here long?” Seth asked. He turned off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt.
“No, he moved to Cincinnati at roughly the same time as I did. A few months ago.”
“From Michigan?”
“Yes.” Liam frowned at him, his hand on the door handle. “Anything wrong?”
“Just double-checking to make sure we’re not being watched,” Seth murmured, his eyes on the rearview mirror.
Another car had followed them into the lot and parked not far away. But the tension that had tightened his muscles drained away when he saw a young woman get out of the car, carrying a gym bag and a yoga mat in one hand and a bag of fast food takeout in the other.
He flashed Liam a reassuring grin. “We’re good, I think. Let’s go check out his apartment.”