Ethan froze, his body wound tight.
James was kissing him with surprisingly soft lips. A chaste kiss, a simple press of the lips. No other body contact.
An impulse raced through Ethan to cup James’s nape, open his mouth and deepen the caress. To taste and savour, tugging their bodies close until their heart rates matched each other. To fill his lungs with the enticing scent of man and aftershave.
His cock hardened and he suppressed a groan. What was he doing? There were many reasons he shouldn’t entertain such inappropriate thoughts. The most relevant—James was upset and vulnerable. His actions were that of a man looking for ways to cope with distressing events in his life. He didn’t know what he was doing.
Ethan wouldn’t take advantage. He placed his hands on James’s shoulders and applied a little pressure to make the man break away voluntarily.
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.” James jerked away, scratching his arm as his gaze bounced around the room.
“James—” He was going to say, “don’t apologise,” before he was interrupted.
“I know I shouldn’t have done that.” The younger man paced to the other side of his bed, bent over and growled. “Unh. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. I don’t mind the kiss,” Ethan said.
James looked up, eyes narrowed. “You don’t? I thought you’d be angry.”
“Over what? Our lips barely touched.”
“But straight guys...”
“But straight guys are prejudiced against gay guys? Is that what you were going to say?”
“Well, it’s true.”
“Only sometimes.”
“Ha. Have you ever been on Nigerian Twitter? They are brutal and poisonous. Not to talk about the queer folk who set up other queer folks to be raped and assaulted.”
Ethan sighed and closed his eyes. The young man’s words brought back memories he didn’t want to indulge. He scrubbed his hands over his face.
“I can’t speak for social media. But spare a thought for those queer folks who serve in the military and what they have to go through.”
He opened his eyes to find James staring at him with a puzzled expression. So, he filled in the blanks. “For the record, I’m bisexual. So, I understand some of your concerns.”
“Wow.” James sat on the bed abruptly. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”
Ethan chuckled. “It’s not like I have it tattooed on my forehead. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know so you don’t feel awkward about your dates,” he said in a teasing manner, although he felt a twinge in his chest at the thought of James with other men.
“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” James smiled. “I promise I won’t have any more ‘dates’ that involve public gents.”
The twinge in Ethan’s chest intensified. He wanted James, the sweet and troublesome man, every part of him. Fuck.
He got off the bed and headed towards the door before he did something he’d regret. His amusement vanished. He didn’t look back as he crossed the threshold. “Sure.”
James was the assignment. He was in London to have fun, even if it meant sex with random strangers. All Ethan had to worry about was his safety.
Ethan had never crossed professional lines, and had never been this tempted to cross those lines before now.
In the living room, he used deep breathing techniques and body movement to channel his unease away until he calmed. Then he returned to the settee and picked up his discarded novel.
He managed to read a couple of chapters before his phone pinged. He pulled it out of his back pocket.
It was a message from James. He swiped to read.
There’s this guy I’ve been chatting with on a dating app. We’ve arranged to grab a bite and some drinks later. I know you have to come along. But can you kinda stay in the background so you don’t spook him.
Ethan’s gut knotted.
His first impulse was to walk back to James’s room and tell him that he wouldn’t be meeting anyone tonight.
Selfish much, dude, he reprimanded himself.
He couldn't stop the guy from dating other people.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and puffed out a couple of deep breaths before he typed a response.
Sure. Just let me know what time you need to go out. I’ll keep a low profile.
He sent the reply. Before he could put it away, it buzzed again. The man typed fast.
I’m going out in an hour.
He tossed the phone on the low table and tried reading again, but the words wouldn’t sink in. He flicked on the TV and found the pay-per-view movie channel. He scrolled through and clicked on the first action-adventure movie he found.
Taking a deep breath, he relaxed back on the sofa and watched the movie. All the gunfights and explosions provided a mind-numbing distraction from his thoughts.
Occasionally, he glanced at James’s closed door. He imagined the man, first in the shower, then getting dressed in a smart, sophisticated outfit as always, one of the things Ethan liked about him.
James would certainly get attention when he went out tonight.
Last night, Ethan had followed the signal on James’s phone and found him in the gay bar. He’d seen the number of men who had stared at James with lust-filled gazes. James was an attractive man.
Even if he didn’t already have a pre-arranged date, he would pick up tonight.
Ethan’s gut tightened again, and he reminded himself he shouldn’t be thinking about James. He had no claim over the man.
“Ta dah! How do I look?”
The sound of James’s voice made Ethan look up.
Dressed in a stylish grey shirt, navy trousers, and navy shoes, James looked stunning.
“You look great,” Ethan replied as he stood up. “Give me a minute to change my shirt.”
“Thanks. Sure,” James said. He adjusted the platinum links on his cuffs.
Ethan returned to his room and pulled a dark blue shirt from the wardrobe. He swapped it with the T-shirt he’d had on, and also pulled on a pair of black boots. His black trousers were smart and would give him room to manoeuvre if he needed to move fast.
When he came out, James was ending a call. They headed out shortly after that. Downstairs, they got into a taxi James had booked. He said he didn’t want to walk and get there all sweaty, although it was probably quicker to walk due to Saturday night traffic.
Ethan sat in front with the driver because he needed the barrier and distance from James; a reminder of his role as James’s bodyguard, not as his friend.
They got out in front of a French bistro. While James paid the cabbie, Ethan surveyed the busy narrow unidirectional street, projecting a professional exterior, muting the conflict raging inside him. Strolling pedestrians, honking black cabs, blue neon signs and orange streetlights all competed for attention under the dark sky, but nothing signalled danger.
“I’m nervous about going in there.” James stood right next to him, almost shoulder-to-shoulder, arms brushing. “I haven’t been on a date before. I mean, Kezie has always been there. After we got together, I never thought I’d need to date anyone else.”
The vulnerability in James’s voice called to Ethan’s protective instincts, and he shoved aside his mild irritation at the situation. James needed him; his confidence, his sensitivity.
He placed his arm around the younger man’s shoulders and pulled him into a side hug.
“You’ll be alright,” he said in a low voice.
James glanced up, his uncertainty evident in the bite of his lower lip and the crease on his forehead. “You think so?”
Ethan nodded with a smile. “I do. It’s just like riding a bicycle. When you’re new, the wheels wobble until you get the hang of it. All you need to know is that I’ll be here to catch you if you fall.”
Ethan hadn’t entirely meant to come out with such a declaration. Now, he didn’t wish to take back his words.
Regardless of his screwed up emotions, he would be here for James.
James’s gaze flickered with amazement. “You mean that, don’t you?”
Ethan nodded. “Yep. The guy better be nice to you, because if he’s not, then I’m kicking his butt.”
Now he sounded like a big brother, sending his sibling out on their first date. He did a mental face-palm and held onto a grimace.
Surprisingly, James laughed. “Yes. I can just picture that scene.”
Ethan grinned and shrugged. James relied on him for safety. Ethan wouldn’t let him down, even if it meant screening his client’s potential lovers.
“I guess I better get in there. Wish me luck,” James said and strode to the door.
“Good luck,” Ethan said, and waited a couple of heartbeats before following him into the venue.
He approached the reception and requested a table for one. Luckily, he found one where he could see the entrance and James’s table.
He saw James’s date arrive—a white man in a blue T-shirt and smart black trousers. He had brown hair and tanned skin.
Ethan pulled out his phone and took a discreet photo of the man. He did this as part of his investigation into James’s stalker. He’d taken pictures of everyone James had interacted with over the past weeks, as he needed to analyse and rule out the innocent.
He watched their interactions, from the initial almost awkward handshake to their animated conversation.
He couldn't hear what they said from his table.
James smiled for most of it, which meant the date was probably going well.
Ethan didn’t have an appetite, so he ordered just a starter—king prawns in garlic and smoked chilli butter served with a baguette, along with a bottle of cider.
He settled his bill before the food arrived because he needed to be ready to leave in case of an emergency.
He shouldn’t drink on duty. But he could be forgiven for having this one drink, considering the sacrifice he was making by sitting here and watching James with another man.
Nevertheless, he sat through it without driving his fist into a wall or into someone’s face.
James sent him a message to say they would be leaving the restaurant shortly.
He followed James and his date when they left the bistro, always a few paces behind but never interfering.
They entered a music lounge and he went in. He ordered a fizzy soft drink and found a space to stand and watch them.
They drank, chatted, and even danced a few times.
“Hello, sexy.” A guy sidled up next to him. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” Ethan glanced in James’s direction, but the man wasn’t there. “Excuse me.”
He stepped away from the person trying to chat him up. His heart rate picked up and his gaze bounced around the room, searching.
“Hey, you.”
He glanced down and found James standing next to him.
Ethan puffed out a sigh of relief. “Where’s your date?”
James shrugged. “It didn’t work out. Do you mind if we get out of here?”