Chapter 1

“That’s bad for your health,”a man said as he approached Trevor’s bench.

Trevor countered,“I didn’t know the Surgeon General was in town.”

Not used to company as he stole a quick nicotine fix outside the office where he worked,Trevor didn’t look up immediately.Instead,he took a drag on his cigarette to get it lit,flicked off his lighter,took a deep breath to fill his lungs with acrid smoke,and held it until he felt his body relax.Then he squinted into the sun,but didn’t recognize the guy.Someone in sales,maybe,or one of the ad men upstairs.Trevor worked in customer care and had only been with the firm for a month or so.He could count on one hand the number of people he knew in the whole building,and none of them worked higher than the third floor.“Trevor Pritchett,”he said,holding out a hand to the stranger.“And you are?”

“Zack Jackson,”the man said,taking Trevor’s hand in a firm grip.He had nice eyes,despite the way the skin crinkled in the corners when he smiled.With his pale twill pants,open-toe sandals,and salmon-colored polo shirt unbuttoned to show off a fine gold necklace against smooth,tanned skin,Zack looked more at home on a yacht than in the office.The dark mop of unruly hair on top of his head seemed to have a mind of its own in the faint summer breeze.Zack shook Trevor’s hand as he sat down beside him on the bench.“Nasty habit,”hesaid before letting go.

With a grin,Trevor admitted,“I’m trying to quit.”

“Really?”Zack laughed.“I couldn’t tell.”

He didn’t wave away the smoke from Trevor’s cigarette,and the fact that he even bothered to sit suggested a level of tolerance,so Trevor gestured to the pack of cigarettes between them.“You want a smoke?”

Zack shook his head,then ran a hand through his hair to push it back from his eyes.“I quit afew months ago.”Leaning closer to Trevor,he lowered his voice and added,“I’ll just sit here and breathe you in for a bit,if you don’t mind.”At the look on Trevor’s face,Zack laughed again.“I meant your smoke.Don’t worry,I’m not hitting on you yet.”

That yetsnagged in Trevor’s mind like a thorn.Suddenly he had the overwhelming urge to blow his next puff into Zack’s face,just purse his lips and stare into those dark eyes as the smoke curled from his mouth to waft against that tan skin.Where the hell did thatcome from?With deliberate care,Trevor turned away to exhale.His voice shook slightly as he pointed out,“They say second-hand smoke is worse.”

“Who are you,”Zack wanted to know,“the Surgeon General?”

Trevor threw him a sharp glance,but when Zack raised an eyebrow and grinned,they both started to laugh.“You’re a trip,”Trevor said with a shake of his head.“Where have theybeen hiding you all this time?”

Zack’s reply was coy.“I was wondering the same thing about you.”

“Customer service,”Trevor said.“Third floor.”He would’ve added something flirty,something along the likes of come on up and see me sometime,when Zack brushed the back of hishand against Trevor’s shoulder.It was too much,too soon…Nathan hadn’t been out of his life for three weeks and here he was messing around with someone new.He couldn’t do it.Taking a last long drag on his cigarette,he ground it out beneath his shoe and stood up to distance himself from Zack.When he stretched to play off the movement,he could feel the heat of Zack’s gaze on his body and lowered his arms.“Guess we should head back up,”he suggested.Without waiting for a response,he made for the twin glass doors at the front of the building.

Zack caught up with him,as Trevor worried he would.“Hey,wait.”His reflection in the doors looked puzzled and he reached out again,but his hand stopped inches short of Trevor’sback before it curled into a fist and dropped out of sight.“I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay.”Trevor turned and flashed Zack a winning grin as he held the door.“After you.”

Inside the foyer,one of the elevators opened and a courier stepped out.Like an overzealous puppy eager to please,Zack lunged for the doors before they could shut.“Third floor,right?”

Trevor took one look inside the cramped space and shook his head.“I’ll take the stairs.”

That expression again,confusion mingled with hurt,marring those bright bedroom eyes.Bedroom,heh,Trevor thought,turning away.I so don’t need to go there.Behind him,Zack called out,“Hey…”

But Trevor was already ducking through the fire door into the stairwell.He took the steps two at a time,quickly,trying to leave behind any lingering thoughts about the cute guy in ads or sales or wherever he said he was from.He didn’t say,Trevor thought.I don’t even know what floor he works on so I can avoid it.Nathan was cute,too,and then he left you for someone younger and cuter,so keep that in mind.

Halfway up the second flight of stairs,he remembered the pack of cigarettes he’d left on the bench outside.By then he was too late coming back from lunch to turn around and get them,and when he checked on his way out at quitting time,they were gone.