Jarrod and Terrence were great, and I liked them both immediately. The two of them were actually best friends, a bromance if I ever saw one, though physically they couldn’t have been more different. Jarrod was tall, dark-skinned, and rugged sexy with short dreadlocks, and Terrence was shorter but more buff, fair-skinned, and sported a shaved head. Both were incredibly good-looking.

Of course neither was as magnificent as Roy Wolfe, who was now refusing to meet my gaze.

“You’re not taking this seriously, Rock,” Reid said.

“Because I’d like to take a break to eat? For fuck’s sake.”

Terrence chuckled under his breath, nearly making me break into nervous giggles. We quickly got the food set out.

Once we’d all filled plates and returned to our seats, the room became eerily quiet.

“See?” Reid took a drink from his bottle of water. “We should be working.”

“What? We must have conversation during lunch or we have to work?” Rock shook his head. “You’ve gone off the deep end. Enjoy your food, everyone. Don’t talk if you don’t feel like it.”

This first lunch on the job turned out to be the longest meal I’d ever sat through. Or so it seemed, at least. I had to force myself not to look at Roy, though it wouldn’t have mattered if I had. He was still refusing to meet my gaze.

I’d made a huge mistake, though I truly was concerned about the appropriateness of going out with one of the Wolfes when I worked for the company. This was my first day. My first day!

As soon as we were done here, I’d grab Lacey and get her input.

I swallowed a bit of the tikka masala, normally a favorite of mine. It tasted like dirt.

Whether Lacey put my mind at ease no longer mattered.

I’d blown what might have been the best thing to happen to me ever.

4

Roy

I’d fucked up again.

There was a reason I didn’t do this. A reason other than the mindfuck I lived with constantly. I was attracted to Charlie Waters. More attracted than I’d been to a woman in a long time. Enough to let go of the mindfuck for a minute and take a chance.

And still I’d failed. Just because I’d had a hot one-nighter with a server in Montana clearly didn’t mean I’d magically transformed into a man who swept women off their feet.

I’d made a fool of myself.

Yeah. Back to having no luck with women. Great.

I kept my eyes off Charlie. If I looked her way, I wouldn’t be able to drag my gaze away. I’d never get her image out of my mind as it was. Until the day I died, those silver eyes would haunt me.