After parking, Liam allowed him to repeat the same process he went through at Gerald’s. There was no sign of anyone watching them, and Seth led the way into Liam’s, which was completely untouched.
The two-bedroom apartment was nicely furnished, and the appliances looked newer than what they’d found in Gerald’s. Unfortunately, Liam’s place was on the first floor. Great if they needed to make a quick escape through a window or the patio door, but it was also bad because it made his home dangerous in terms of someone trying to sneak inside.
After quickly shutting the blinds and confirming the sliding patio door was locked, Seth started his check of the space. The living room, dining room, and kitchen were all open, leaving no area for a person to hide. While the walls might have been white, Liam had filled the rooms with color, from the rugs covering the floor to the abstract paintings on the walls. And on nearly every flat surface were pictures of his family—four brothers of roughly the same height and size, and one beautiful sister who stood among them like a warrior princess. There were several others containing an older couple who were likely Liam’s parents.
“Whoa,” Seth said on an exhale when he flicked on the light in what turned out to be the spare bedroom. It was almost completely filled with boxes.
“Yeah,” Liam muttered. “It’s mostly books and some random stuff. My house in Michigan was much bigger, and I’m still working on downsizing. And with trying to get the shop up and running, I really haven’t bothered with this stuff.”
“I understand.” He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Liam. “I’ve lived in Cincy for at least three years, and I think I’ve still got a closet full of boxes I never bothered to unpack.”
Liam didn’t say anything, and Seth continued on to poke his head into the bathroom. At the master bedroom, he stopped cold at the sight of the massive king-sized bed that dominated the open area. Black sheets were twisted from where Liam had slept there the night before. Images of his large body stretched out across the mattress, his pale skin seeming to glow in the darkness, danced through Seth’s brain. Memories from their one night together jumped into the party, and Seth nearly groaned against the rush of blood to his dick.
Yes, he wanted to feel Liam under him, on top of him, inside of him all over again. He craved it more than air, but it was not fucking happening.
No repeats.
No drama.
No complications.
He stuck to the plan.
The same damn plan that had ruled his life since he’d been a kid.
But for the first time, instead of giving him a sense of freedom, it felt like a chain holding him trapped. Instead of being able to breathe free, he felt choked.
Something had changed, but Seth shoved the thought down with his tempting daydreams of Liam. Now wasn’t the time. Liam was in danger, and his one and only priority was keeping him safe.
With his mind set, Seth checked the closet and under the bed before returning to the main room. Liam was standing at the kitchen counter, a bottle of whiskey and two glasses in front of him. He poured a healthy swallow into one and then held the bottle over the second glass. “I understand if you can’t. Being on the job and all.” Liam paused, licking his lips. “But I hate to drink alone.”
“I can handle one,” Seth said. “A small one.” It wasn’t just a matter of staying clearheaded to keep Liam safe, but he really didn’t want to risk lowering his defenses around Liam when he was looking so hurt and vulnerable.
Liam splashed some whiskey into the glass and put the bottle on the counter with a loud thud in the silence of the room. He lifted the glass to his lips and swallowed its entire contents in one long drink as Seth reached for his. The man didn’t even wince at the burn. He picked up the bottle and refilled his glass. This one he at least sipped.
Seth could understand needing a few to help process what they’d learned, or didn’t learn, at Gerald’s apartment, but he was not about to let Liam get totally smashed.
“I…I don’t know whether to feel betrayed or hurt or worried about him,” Liam said when he was halfway through his second glass.
“I think you’re allowed to feel all that and more,” Seth murmured as he sipped his drink. While not the smoothest whiskey he’d ever enjoyed, the burn was good, and it helped to ease some of his own worries for the time being. Right now, it was nice just being there for Liam.
“If he walked through my door right now, I-I think I’d punch him. I-I’d break his fucking nose!” Liam stammered. “We talked about the flower shop for years. I sold my house. Leveraged everything for this place. I always understood the risks of starting a new business, and I made my peace with it. If it failed because of marketing or poor location or poor stock management, yeah, I get it. But…this? Borrowing money from a loan shark. It never entered my imagination.”
“I don’t think it would for most people.”
“And then he leaves! He fucking leaves me holding the bag!”
“Did you ever notice him being particularly self-centered before this?”
Liam shook his head and finished his drink. When he spoke again, his voice was low and rough from the whiskey. “No. He could be a little flighty and was definitely a risk taker, but we laughed about it. Said that we balanced each other out perfectly because I had to plan everything out and hated taking risks. The business would work because we had to run all big decisions past each other.”
Except for where Gerald’s money came from.
But Seth kept that thought to himself.
Liam reached for the bottle again, but Seth beat him to it. He held it behind him and out of Liam’s reach. The taller man glared at him, but Seth was undeterred by it. “This is your last one—”
“I don’t even have a buzz,” Liam interrupted.
“This is your last one because we have to get up at what time tomorrow?”
“Four.”
Seth shuddered and narrowed his eyes on Liam. “You’re not even kidding a little bit, are you?”
Liam’s grin was downright evil. “Four a.m. That’s enough time to shower, coffee, breakfast, and yoga before getting to the shop at five.”
“Yoga?” That was not at all the kind of workout he’d expected from Liam. He’d had his hands all over the man’s spectacular body, felt the incredible muscle definition.
“Yoga keeps me limber and flexible. I prefer to do the weights and cardio in the evening after the shop is closed.”
Seth’s brain heard all of that, but it was stuck on the “limber and flexible” part like a needle skipping on a record groove. Liam’s room wasn’t more than a couple dozen steps away. They could so easily fall into that bed and thoroughly explore exactly how flexible Liam was.
Blinking, Seth looked up at Liam and glared when he took in the older man’s knowing stare. It was like he could guess exactly what was running through Seth’s brain, and that was so very bad. Yes, they both wanted each other, but Liam was also hurting after being betrayed by his friend, and Seth…Seth couldn’t offer Liam more than just hot sex. And he was pretty sure Liam needed so much more.
“Give me the booze,” Liam commanded in a low voice that sent tingles screaming along every one of Seth’s nerve endings. He’d used that same tone when holding Seth down, when fucking him through the goddamn mattress, when making Seth lose his mind out the end of his dick. Oh yeah, his body remembered that voice.