I’d walked into the kitchen hoping for a moment of silence to think after what happened outside, but I heard the footsteps following so I knew what would be coming.

“Lan Davis,” Oliver hissed.

Groaning, I faced him with a frown. “Ollie—”

He shook his finger at me. “No, don’t you Ollie me. When did you find out? How do you feel about it? Lan Davis, the love of your life, lives next door.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not the love of my life.”

Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and rose his brows.

I glared. “He’s not.”

He sighed and waved his hands up, then dropped them. “Fine. Okay, he used to be… but he could be again. I didn’t miss the way he eyed Simon like he wanted to rip his head off.”

“He also listened from the door,” Chris called from the living area.

Groaning again, I went into the next room. I should have guessed they would be able to hear us with the open-planned living area and that Oliver would listen at the front door.

Stopping at the end of the couch where a smirking Chris and a calm-looking Simon sat, I said, “I’m so sorry about what happened. Can we please just drop what occurred out there”—I pointed towards the front door—“and go on to enjoy our meal together?”

Oliver snorted from behind me. “Sure, but I still want answers.”

I spun his way. “Did you not invite Simon here as a blind date? Don’t you think it a little rude to talk about this in front of him?”

When Simon cleared his throat, I gave him my attention. “Don’t mind me. Oliver already said there was a fat chance you’d want to go out again.”

Suddenly, I was picturing the best way to murder someone named Oliver.

“He did, did he?” I bit out. Oliver rolled his eyes.

“Easton,” Simon called. “Seriously, don’t worry. They just wanted me out of my house so I would stop pining over my ex. It wasn’t until on the way here they told me to check you out and see if I liked you.”

Closing my eyes, I shook my head slowly. Opening them, I caught Simon’s soft smile. I told him, “I don’t know if I should kick them out without food or make them stay and eat it all in front of them.”

Chris huffed. “Now, come on. It’s never me doing this.”

I pondered it for a second. “True.”

Oliver snorted. “Like you’d let me starve.” He walked around the couch and snatched up the takeaway bags. “Besides, I’m too cute to make suffer. Let’s dish up while you dish out the goods.”

“Oliver,” Chris sighed.

“What?” he called over his shoulder on the way back into the kitchen.

“Leave him alone.”

He laughed. “Why would I do that?”

I shook my head at him again and then told Chris, “Don’t worry, I’ll have a quick chat and then get him to back off or I’ll threaten the Pink tickets I organised.”

“You wouldn’t,” he screamed.

“I would,” I shouted back, and then left Simon and Chris chuckling to help Oliver. It wasn’t like I didn’t and wouldn’t talk about Lan to Oliver. He was my best friend, but I didn’t understand myself what the hell Lan’s actions were about outside. It felt as if he were staking his claim over me, which seemed stupid because it had been years, and… I didn’t know. I knew nothing when it came to the man next door.

It had to be the medication.

It really had to be.

I wouldn’t let my heart get all melty again, like it had moments ago outside when he was demanding I didn’t touch anyone and no one was allowed to touch me.

Seriously, what was that about and why did I like it?

I shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t like it because it would all lead to me being hurt.

“You don’t look happy,” Oliver commented quietly while taking out some plates. “Did I push too far?”

“No. You know I can handle you playing around, and if you did go too far, I’d let you know.”

He rested his butt against the counter. “So what is it?” A smile tugged at his lips. He knew what it was. Not what, but who.

With a sigh, I ran a hand across the back of my neck. “He lives next door.”

“Yep.”

“How am I going to cope?”

“Two options. Steer clear of him, though I have a feeling he won’t allow it. Or you can get it over with.”

My eyes shot to slits. “What?”

“Do him and see if there’s anything between you two still. Although, anyone with eyes can see he’s eating you up as a delicious meal every time he looks at you. At first, I thought they were being pricks, but as soon as I saw him look at you, I knew I was wrong. What I don’t get is who that other guy is, and did I imagine the bandages on Lan Davis or not?”

“I think I’ll pick the first option. It’ll be the safest.”

Oliver scoffed. “Safe is boring.”

“Safe is calming.”

“Safe is turning into an old man who lives with his stray dogs and no one else.” He looked around the room. “Wait, you’re already there.”

I chuckled. “Fuck you.”

“Been there, done that, no thanks.”

“Let’s get the food out there before it’s completely cold. Also, to answer your other queries, the other guy—”

“Is to die for.”

I snorted out a laugh. “He’s not bad. But he’s also straight and Lan’s detective partner.”

“Boo.”

“Not at all. He’s also an arsehole.”

“Forget him then and tell me what happened to your hunk.”

“He’s not my hunk.”

He waved a fork around. “Semantics.”

“He was attacked in his own home, I helped out and—”

“You helped out?” he screeched.

“Everything okay?” Chris called.

“Fine,” Oliver yelled, then cleared his throat. “We’re good. Tops in fact. One more moment is all we need, and then we can eat.” He moved closer and hissed, “What do you mean you helped him out?”

“Nero heard something. We went to investigate and I ended up saving his life.”

“Oh God. Oh my God. You could have died yourself, you fucking idiot.”

“Ollie.”

“Nope. Do not talk to me for the rest of the night.” He huffed. “Well, until I’m over the fact I could have lost my best friend. I don’t care how hot he is. You do not risk your own life.”

“We risk it every time we go out on a call.”

He glared. He wasn’t ready to hear any truth, which was fine by me. I was over talking about it all and I didn’t need to defend my actions. A lot of people would have done the same as me in that situation. What mattered most was being in the right place at the right time, or else Lan wouldn’t be breathing. To me, excluding my fears of feelings, I knew that losing Lan from the world wasn’t an option I could cope with.

Of course, a quiet night of takeout never turned out that way when Oliver was concerned. When he begged to have just one shot, it turned into twenty. It was about the tenth when somehow Simon and I had started dribbling on about our problems. Maybe that had been Oliver’s evil plan after all. Therapy of some sort. I just wished it didn’t involve a headache when I woke and the dogs were barking up a storm.

What also didn’t help was the pounding on the front door. I rolled, peeked, and saw it was seven in the morning.

Shit.

Whoever banged on my front door would get an earful from me. I slowly stood, my head throbbing and my stomach threatening to bring up last night’s dinner. I gently rubbed at it as I stumbled down the hall to the front door. “Quiet,” I clipped. The dogs heard me through the back door and stopped, going back to whatever they’d been doing. I wouldn’t open the dog door until I got rid of the visitor or some of my mutts would go bananas over the new person.

Just as another bang sounded on the front door, I swung it open ready to curse the person standing there, only to snap my mouth shut and straighten.

Lan’s eyes slowly slid over my body. “Did they stay the night?” Lan scowled. “The car’s still here, so they must have. I swear to fuckin’ God, East, no one had better be in your room.”

He went to push past me, but I stopped him with a hand to his chest. He glanced down at me. “What are you doing over here?” I asked.

“Car. Still here. What did I tell you?”

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. “Wait, what?”

He shifted to the side and pointed to Chris’s car still in my drive. My head jerked back in shock. They were still there? Had I…? No, I would have known if someone was next to me in bed.

I licked my dry lips, and told him, “We had a few too many last night, that’s all.” At least I was pretty sure that was all.

Lan frowned down at me. Bugger him for being tall. He leaned in and bit out roughly, “Do you forget I can read you?”

I gulped, not because I was afraid of him. Instead, it was his low voice doing things to me; it always had. “I-I’m not lying.”

He straightened. “No, you’re not, but you’re also not sure. Let me help find out for you.” His hand came to my stomach. I gasped and looked down, then realised I was only wearing boxers. Lan’s cool hand flattened against my stomach, which clenched under his touch. I couldn’t take my eyes off his pale hand against my darker skin. Then, as he slid it to my side, I bit my lip to refrain from sighing, but I couldn’t stop my body trembling from his touch.

“East,” Lan whispered.

I slammed my eyes closed and shook my head. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”

His fingers rubbed gently up and down my waist. “Should I be in yours?”

My head snapped up, my harsh gaze colliding with his amused one. “Don’t.”

“East, you don’t know how—”

“Morning.” Oliver appeared at my side like some knight in shining armour. Lan dropped his hand to cross his arms over his chest and he glowered at Ollie. I didn’t miss his flinch though. He was standing there dressed in track pants, a loose tee, and flip-flops, but he was doing it in pain.

That just pissed me off.

“Go home, Lan, and take better care of yourself. Have you even had your morning meds?” I ignored how I wished his hand was still on me.

His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“You don’t look it,” Oliver put in.

Lan ignored me and shifted his eyes to Oliver. The injured one seemed a little better and was slightly open. “So you all stayed the night?”

“Sure did.”

“The three of you?”

“Yes,” Oliver drew out.

“Where did you sleep?”

Oliver grinned wide. “If you’re wondering if any of us touched Easton, we didn’t. He went to bed on his own. Chris and I stayed in the spare room and then Simon came in early to say he was catching a taxi home. He slept on the couch.”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” I added.

“It is,” he clipped back at me.

“It’s. Not.”

Again, he leaned in. “You know it is.”

“Oh, this is fun,” Oliver commented.

We all straightened and turned when we heard a car coming down our dirt road. It drove into Lan’s driveway and stopped. A buff man in a biker vest stepped out first, and then a gorgeous woman. The back door flew open, and another man stepped out, only he was taller and leaner.

“Shit,” Lan muttered.