Page 62 of Point of Contact

“If my buddy ever can’t use his tickets, do you want to go again?”

“Sure.” Trevor had a thought. “If you want to come to my house for dinner sometime, too, I’ll show you how to really grill a steak.” Geez, Trev, what’re you doing? “Bring your date along,” he added hastily, his ears hot with embarrassment.

At that Jesse shot Trevor a disgusted look. “Nah, the date ain’t happenin’.”

“Oh, no. She wouldn’t reschedule?”

When Jesse muttered, “no,” Trevor wanted to feel bad, but honestly, a woman who’d treat Jesse like that over one cancellation wasn’t the type of girl he’d ever want to see him with.

“I’ll just come by myself.”

Trevor was so pleased to hear that, he reached over and gripped Jesse’s thigh in sudden exuberance. “Awesome! When?”

The feel of firm muscle under soft denim shot heat all the way up Trevor’s arm. He wanted to snatch his hand away but did his best to withdraw it casually, his whole face now so hot he wondered if it was casting a glow.

When that muscle ticked in Jesse’s jaw again and he shifted in his seat, Trevor waited miserably for him to make excuses about being busy for the next one hundred years.

“Well, I just got to bid on a new schedule at work,” he finally said, his voice gruff, “so I’m actually free every Friday night from now on. Just let me know when you wanna have dinner, okay? I’m down for that.”

Slumping in relief, Trevor forced out, “Yeah, okay.”

As he drove, Jesse rested his hand on the knob of his gearshift, his fingers so close to Trevor’s knee that if he moved his leg the slightest bit that direction, he’d be touching him.

Don’t do it, Trev. Don’t do it.

He didn’t. But God, he wanted to.

Chapter Seventeen

May 2009—One year after

“Hey, Jesse.”

Jesse swung around to see Trevor sitting a few feet away, his hands folded together on top of the bar.

“Hey.” Jesse walked over and leaned his hip against the counter, looking down at him solemnly. “I had a feeling I’d see you tonight.”

“Any chance you can get out of here?” Trevor asked, a relieved expression flitting over his face when Jesse said, “Absolutely. I told my manager I might have to duck out early today. Be right back.”

Jesse headed to the manager’s office to square things away with Karen, easily the coolest boss on the face of the earth.

“He’s here,” he told her, and she nodded.

“Go ahead and take off, then.”

Jesse thanked her and she added, “I do have you on the schedule for tomorrow evening, but if you can’t make it, just call me in the morning, okay?”

“Will do. You’re the best, K.”

Jesse grabbed his keys and wallet out of his locker and headed back to Jelly’s main restaurant area, seeing Trevor hovering by the door. Taking a deep breath, Jesse headed to join him, noticing that Trevor had a red day pack slung over his shoulder.

“I was thinking, could we maybe go back to that trail?” Trevor asked tentatively, glancing down at Jesse’s work jeans and black sneakers. “We can stop by your apartment first.”

“Nah, I’ve got some gym clothes with me.”

Trevor followed Jesse to his truck and climbed into the passenger seat. They drove north in silence, and it was near dusk when Jesse parked in the same dirt lot as last time. Nobody else was around, and Jesse leaned over to grab his duffel from behind his seat before getting out of the truck and yanking his Jelly’s T-shirt over his head.

“Brrr.” It wasn’t super cold, but the late-spring chill pebbled his nipples and caused goose bumps to spring up on his arms, and he quickly pulled his sweatshirt on. He skimmed his jeans off next, wadding them up and tossing them in the back before stepping into a pair of track pants.