Page 24 of Winning You

Frankie bowed his head and felt even more shame. “No. They’re from the neighbor. Call me if you need me. Have a good day.”

He grabbed his keys and laptop bag, then slipped his feet into his shoes and headed out, locking the door behind him. He was three steps down the hall when suddenly Lucas’s door opened up, and he opened his mouth to speak but froze.

Lucas turned his head slightly toward Frankie, brow furrowed. “Hello?”

Frankie swallowed, but still no sound came out.

Lucas stood there another minute, and while Frankie was pretty sure he now had the courage to say something, he didn’t. He didn’t want to even think about what Lucas might say if he thought Frankie was standing there just staring at him the whole time. So he held his breath and watched as Lucas set his cane in front of him and made his way to the doors.

It was only when they closed that Frankie hurried after and felt like a complete tool as he hung back and walked slowly so Lucas was getting in his Uber before he made it to the curb. Why was he such a jackass? He was too damn old to be behaving like this.

Like a lust-struck moron who couldn’t unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth.

He watched Lucas sit in the back seat of the black car, settling in. He almost lifted his hand and waved before he remembered that while he didn’t know how much Lucas could see, it wasn’t enough to recognize him in the hall.

He wouldn’t see him wave.

He curled his fingers into fists instead, then hurried to his car the moment the Uber was out of sight.

“Stellar work there,” he told his eyes in the rearview mirror. “What a goddamn catch. Jackass.”

No one was harder on him than he was. But in this moment, he was pretty sure it was well deserved.

CHAPTER SIX

FRANKIE

Frankie skiddedto a halt when he glanced across the street and saw a very familiar food truck. It was bad enough he was running into Lucas left and right at his apartment building, but it seemed like now he was everywhere he turned.

He took a breath, then glanced at the little café he’d been heading toward for his lunch, and without really giving his body permission, he headed for the crosswalk. He came out of his daze when he approached the dwindling line, and his stomach twisted in a knot when he got in behind a broad man with dark brown hair wearing a leather jacket.

“Hey, hot stuff,” the man said as he knocked a little pattern on the side of the truck.

Lucas leaned out. “Oh my god, what are you doing here?”

“I came for an afternoon cuddle. My day has been shit. I had to rescue an actual cat from a tree, but it wasn’t like the movies.”

Lucas grinned. “How torn up are you?”

“Shredded. Do you have first aid? I don’t want to get cat scratch fever.”

“Dude, that is a song my granddad likes.”

“It’s a real thing, fuck you,” the guy said with a sniff. He turned slightly, and Frankie was able to catch his profile. He wasgorgeous because of course he was. He hadn’t thought to ask if Lucas had a boyfriend. “Anyway, nurse me back to health?”

“Aren’t you the EMT?”

“Yes, but someone has to baby me, and my dad refused. He told me I was getting on his nerves, and he made me leave. Kiss my boo-boos.”

“You’re such an asshole. Is there anyone behind you?”

The guy turned, and his eyes widened. “Oh shit. Uh…yeah. There’s a guy. Sorry, man. I don’t mean to be a creep. I swear I know him.”

“He’s lying,” Lucas said. “Stranger danger!”

“Fuck you. One of these days, I’m going to get arrested for harassing a blind man.”

“Help help, I’m a blind man being harassed!”