Tied to Trouble(3)

Gamers was a quarterly magazine specializing in all things gaming. They posted reviews and news and all things gamer geek. Which fit Owen, and was why this job was just about his dream job.

And yet, dream job or not, and despite the fact he was the lead copy editor at Gamers, no one outside his small copy-editing team knew he existed. He needed to somehow find a way to change that if he was going to move up in the company. Except he didn’t know how, and the thought of stepping into the spotlight terrified him. Being invisible in high school and college—especially as a gay man in a conservative area—had been perfectly fine. But as a professional adult? Not so much.

His gaze drifted to the door that led to the kitchen. The same door through which Chad had disappeared—right after undressing Owen with his eyes.

He had immediately recognized Marley’s brother from the photos on her desk. What he hadn’t gleaned from the pictures was that Chad was downright hot. There was a presence to Chad that hadn’t come through in pictures. This effortless swagger, this posture of confidence. Which was just about the opposite of Owen. He could never pull off the tight jeans, the motorcycle boots, and the leather jacket. Those big gaudy earrings and dyed black hair that was a tad too long, brushing along the guy’s infuriatingly long eyelashes.

Marley had told him plenty of stories about her brother—stories that left Owen intrigued but wary. He hadn’t even met the man yet, and he was living up to those stories. When Chad had driven past Owen (illegally!), he’d shot him that sexy grin, all teeth and charm and sex. And no helmet. Which made Owen fucking crazy. What if Chad had gotten in an accident? Sure, it wasn’t illegal in Pennsylvania to ride without a helmet, but it was a damn good idea to wear one. He certainly didn’t want Chad’s head cracked open on the road.

The man in question breezed back into the yard, beer in hand.

Chad was trouble and drama and everything Owen definitely didn’t need in his life.

And now he was staring at Owen like he was formulating a plan.

Owen quickly turned away, heat crawling up his cheeks. Why did Chad have to be the hottest guy he’d ever laid eyes on? And why, when he was practically invisible to everyone, did he have to somehow be visible to him?

He sucked it up and mumbled some awkward excuse to his coworkers, who barely even looked in his direction, then made his way inside the house. He needed to escape the crowd, be by himself, and buy some time before he had to come up with an excuse for why he needed to leave early.

A hand grabbed his arm as he moved through the kitchen. Marley, thankfully. She held a half-full wineglass, which he promptly snatched out of her hands and drained.

“Hey!” She frowned at the empty glass. “Actually, knowing you and social situations, you probably needed that more than me.”

“I would say so.” He set the glass on the counter.

She pointed a finger at him. “Still, I’m writing that up and putting it in your file at work.”

That made him grin. “Oh, yeah? Is that a check box on the employee disciplinary action form? ‘Underling stole my beverage’?”

She huffed. “There’s a write-in option.”

He might be invisible to many of his coworkers, but not Marley. Never Marley. When she was lead copy editor, she had considered him her second in command. Their partnership had always been smooth, probably because their friendship was easy, although ripe with banter. Marley said it kept them sharp.

Owen gestured vaguely to the crowd outside the door. “So, uh, nice party.”

She chuckled. “Wow, that took a lot of effort for you to say, huh?”

“Nice and party don’t really go together in my world.”

Marley’s face brightened, and she held up a finger. “Hey, did you meet my brother yet?”

He didn’t dare say too much, lest he blurt out that her brother was hot as hell. “Um…”

She frowned and glanced outside. “Hmm. He must have left. He came for the beer and free food.” She rolled her eyes, but Owen had to agree with her brother. Free food and beer were really the only reasons to attend parties. Marley shrugged. “Another time, maybe.”

It was time to bail before Marley pushed this whole meeting-her-brother thing. Owen wasn’t in the mood to stammer and fidget in front of the insanely hot Chad Lake, who would probably steamroll him with his leather-and-smirk pheromones. “Yeah, I’m probably going to, uh, head out soon.”

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “I’m just happy you lasted this long. See you on Monday.”

He blew out a breath. As soon as he used the bathroom, he was out of there. Straightening his bow tie, he made his way through the living room and down the hallway. About five feet from the bathroom door, though, he stopped abruptly, because something was blocking his way.