Dare You by Ella Frank
Bash
“I LIKE THE flow of this one. Nice, open space. Restaurants and public transit nearby. Definitely a contender.” Jackson stopped in the center of the vacant building and looked up to inspect the high ceilings. “Not bad. What do you think?”
When I didn’t answer right away, Jackson turned to face me. “Hello? Earth to Bash.”
“Hmm?” I blinked, focusing back on the business at hand. “Oh, yeah. This one will work, I think.”
Jackson frowned and narrowed his eyes. “You think?”
“We’ve got a few others I’d like you to inspect, so I’m not ready to put an offer down right this second.”
“Uh huh.” Jackson hummed, his hands going into the pockets of his navy slacks.
What did that mean? “You think I’m lying?”
“No, I think you’re distracted and dying to tell me why.”
It was ridiculous the way he could read me, and at the moment, I had to say I wasn’t a fan. I was too busy wanting to slam my head against the beige walls for the way I’d been so off my game with Kieran Saturday night.
I cleared my throat and headed toward the exit. “Why don’t we mosey on over to the next stop? It’s down the street and a few floors up from this one.”
“Aaand now we come to the deflection portion of our program.” Jackson’s lips twisted and he didn’t make a move to leave. “Spill it, Basherton.”
“You know, if I’d known you were going to be a thorn in my side, Davenport, I would’ve left you at the airport this morning.”
“I would’ve worked out a way to find you. Just follow the smoke.”
I rolled my eyes. “I see what you did there. I’m glad you think you’re hilarious.”
“No, hilarious is telling me you went to the fire station in a G-string and heels after all. Please tell me you didn’t actually do that.”
“I’ll have you know I was covered up entirely on my visit. It was horrible.”
“The visit or the—”
“Jeans, Jackson. I spent the whole day searching for a decent pair, and I hardly think the ones I ended up with worked my angles to perfection. No one fainted or even asked me to take them off.”
Jackson chuckled. “There you are. I was wondering where you went.”
“And Saturday night when Kieran was in my suite, I—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jackson’s eyes went wide. “Kieran? Who’s that?”
“The firefighter who saved me—”
“Hold up, stop right there. Are you trying to tell me the firefighter who threw you over his shoulder was in your room Saturday night?”
“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds a bit more delicious than it actually was.”
Jackson rubbed his forehead. “Okay, I’m gonna need you to start from the top, but you’re gonna have to feed me first.”
Knowing better than to haul a hungry Jackson around, we stopped at the café next door, grabbing coffee for me and a wrap for him, and then we settled in by the window while I regaled him with how Kieran had ended up at my hotel.
Well…most of it.
“That doesn’t make sense, Bash,” Jackson said between bites. “What are you not telling me?”
“Whatever are you implying?”
“You say the guy is straight, but then he randomly stopped by your hotel to just…hang out? Yeah, right. What are you leaving out?”
Oh. That. I should’ve known I couldn’t exclude the not-so-good details and get away with it.
I spun my cup in circles on the table, not wanting to let my friend see that I was bothered by what I hadn’t said yet.
“Fine.” I took a sip of the hot brew and then went back to spinning it. “One of the guys Kieran works with decided to show off his micro-dick at the pub, and you know me, I’m better than that trash, so I left.”
Jackson went quiet, but I could feel the intensity of his stare. I looked up to see flames flickering behind those gorgeous mismatched eyes, and I was suddenly glad he hadn’t been there that night. Truthfully, I was glad none of my friends had been there, because I had a feeling that even firefighters wouldn’t have been a match for my friends when driven by hate fuel.
“What did he say?” Jackson asked, his voice dipping lower than usual.
I gave a flippant wave of my hand. “It wasn’t even worth remembering. Kieran probably had no idea he had a homophobic friend and felt bad about it, but there you go. He came to apologize, and all is taken care of, so you can untwist your man panties now.”
Jackson looked away, his jaw clenched, and it was a long time before he spoke again. “You don’t have to go through that alone, you know.”
“I’m not—”
“I mean it, Bash,” he said. “I’m not stupid. Lucas, and Shaw, and Trent…they’re not stupid. We know you hide more than you share, and then you blow it off like it’s no big deal, but come on. It has to hurt when people say things. Do things. You don’t deserve that.”
I sighed and picked a piece of lint off my slacks. “I know my worth, darling, as do my loved ones. Anyone else simply doesn’t matter.” Jackson still looked so distressed that I reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Next time I’ll let Lucas beat that bitch with a bottle, how’s that?”
“I could handle it.”
“You could, but I’d rather you stay your pure, sweet self. We all know Lucas is the batshit demon in this group.”
“Recovered batshit demon,” Jackson said, a smile finally cracking through.
“Ah, yes, all that love stuff has changed him. Perhaps Shaw could step on the guy and then Trent could beat him with his guitar, how’s that?”
His smile growing, Jackson nodded. “I’d approve.”
“Good. Now then, I have a more desperate situation that needs tending to. I’m afraid something about this city has me dreadfully off my game, so to speak, and I might have gotten myself into a pickle.”
“I’m assuming pickle isn’t a euphemism here.”
“Unfortunately not.”
“This about Kaiden? Kamden? What’s his name?”
“Kieran, but if you saw him you’d probably refer to him as HFILTF—hunky firefighter I’d like to f—”
“Got it,” Jackson cut in. “And somehow I doubt I’d call anyone that, but I get your point.”
“You only say that because you haven’t seen him, but I digress.” Scooting forward, I hovered over the table and lowered my voice to a whisper. “You know I’m not one to chase after, well, anyone, and never someone who isn’t accustomed to bending me over a counter and giving it to me r—”
“Got that too,” Jackson said in a rush, glancing around us as his face began to flush a light shade of pink.
“What? I’m whispering.”
“Thank God, but maybe a little less detail and a little more getting to the point.”
“Right. But something about this guy makes me a little…flabbergasted.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
“Weeell, I might’ve asked him out.” I ducked behind my hands.
“What?”
“I know, I know. I asked a straight guy out. What the hell was I thinking?”
“I believe the whole point here is that you weren’t thinking.”
“Oh…right. Yes, well, if you’d seen his face—”
“So you keep saying.”
“—you would’ve asked him too.” I was more than aware I sounded a little pathetic at this stage, but really, Kieran in those black pants and that tight white shirt with all those bulging muscles had made my brain melt out of my ears.
Jackson sat back in his seat and wiped at the corner of his mouth. “So let me get this straight—”
“Please stop saying that word.”
“You started it.”
I rolled my eyes and waved my hand for him to continue.
“You were feeling slightly…we’ll say vulnerable, after your night being harassed by micro-dick, and when your knight in shining armor turned up a second time to save you, you threw yourself at his feet.”
“I did no such thing.”
“Okay, on his sword?”
“I wish.” I smirked and shrugged. “I got a little weak in the knees. So sue me. Actually, don’t—I like my money too much. But I thought the least I could do was take him out to thank him.”
“Uh huh, and does he know you’re taking him on a date?”
“Oh, Jackson.” I batted my lashes at him. “It’s not a date…as far as he knows.”
