Tied to Trouble(8)

He was the kind of guy Owen shouldn’t like, but yet just the thought of Chad lit up his body like fireworks. He’d gotten a little hard this morning when he’d smelled the leather of his car seat, remembering the way Chad’s jacket felt under his palms. What the fuck was up with that? What was next, going to biker bars to get his leather smell fix?

He needed sex. Or…something.

Marley had been bugging him to make a Grindr account, but the thought of that nearly gave him hives. He’d never been big into the hookup culture. Although, now that he’d discovered this new side to him, maybe he should consider putting himself out there more. Except he couldn’t imagine any man other than Chad at the moment.

From what Marley had mentioned offhand about Chad, the guy didn’t have a problem with hookups at all—with men or women. Not that it mattered, because Chad clearly thought Owen was uptight. And despite Owen’s big talk, he was a little uptight.

Maybe not uptight so much as he liked things neat and orderly. And should they ever meet again, Chad would be anything but orderly, coming at him with that cocky grin and great ass, exuding that sexy confidence that all but dripped off his fine-smelling skin.

The bastard.

Owen shook his head, trying to rid it of the mental image of those sinful lips twisted into a smirk. He picked up his favorite red pen and stared down at the proof pages in front of him. He spent the next hour or so copyediting reviews for the latest Xbox releases, which was his happy place, really. Editing was systematic—commas here, change a word to house style there—and it calmed his nerves. Better yet, he was good at it. Great at it, in fact. So much so that he’d been promoted to Marley’s position as head of the copyediting team after she moved up to the assistant editor position.

He had a team to run, and he was efficient at delegating. Work was important to him, because he didn’t really have much else. He had an apartment lined with bookshelves full of mystery books and graphic novels. Oh, and he had a fish tank. He didn’t entertain or go out, because everything about social activities made him anxious.

He’d had boyfriends, of course, but only one serious relationship that ended over a year ago when he hadn’t been ready to take the next step. Tyler had wanted Owen to move in with him, which immediately sent Owen into a nervous sweat. Moving and getting used to a new place? Oh, hell no. And the thought of Tyler in his space was unsettling. So that was it. Tyler was done. Moving on with his personal trainer from his gym. Which was fine. Life was simple now.

Or at least, it had been, until Chad weaseled his way under his skin with nothing but a two-minute conversation.

How was that even possible?

Owen rolled the red pen between his fingers. He should have walked away the moment those hazel eyes began their perusal. Because while he’d gotten the last word, he sure didn’t have the upper hand. Not when he was still this affected by their meeting days later.

He hadn’t worn a bow tie today because just a glance at his collection had made him think about Chad’s words. But he brushed his fingers over his neck, wishing now he had the comfortable feeling of that fabric at his throat.

What are you like once the bow tie and glasses come off?

Owen didn’t know the answer to that question, and it scared the hell out of him.





Chapter Three


Chad ran his fingers over the spines of the books, tilting his head to the side to read the titles. It was Tuesday, his day off, and he’d woken up thinking about a new design program he wanted to try. He preferred physical books when he wanted to really absorb something, so here he was. At the bookstore.

A mother was pulling her two kids from the children’s section, telling them it was nap time, while they dug in their heels to try to stay. The other week he’d told Marley to get on the baby making, because he’d make a great uncle. She’d rolled her eyes at him. As the family disappeared behind some tall shelves, Chad turned his attention back to the books.

He pulled one out and frowned at it. Quark for Dummies. That sure fit how he felt right about now. A little over his head, but if he couldn’t figure out how to learn from a textbook, there was no way he was going to go back to school to get his graphic design degree.

He shuddered, unable to believe he was actually considering it.

But art. And design. And a career. And maybe a little bit of respect.

With the book clutched in one hand, Chad made his way toward the front of the bookstore. His head was down as he flipped through the beginning pages of the book. Soft footsteps sounded on the thin carpet of the bookstore, and Chad stopped walking to look up.

About ten feet away, browsing the mysteries section, was Bow Tie.