BAB 1

"What do you mean they're not coming?" Zaki tried hard to sound like the badass navy SEAL he was now. He'd passed all sorts of interrogation training there was no reason he couldn't hide that he didn't particularly like this guy. Or this fancy bar where he and his nontrendy clothes and military haircut were out of place. He'd agreed to go out for drinks with a group. His friend Rino had promised him a drink for finishing his SEAL qualification training and getting his trident, and Zaki had figured dealing with the rest of Rino crowd wouldn't be horrible. But tolerable was a far cry from being stranded alone with Pino freaking Aldo without Rino as a buffer.

"They blew two tires getting out of Santa Monica and are waiting on a repair truck now. Rino said to have fun without them." Pino looked harmless enough shorter than Zaki with a lean build and bright red hair and freckles that made him look too young to drink, but Zaki knew from experience he was anything but benign. Pino was the type of guy who would flirt with wallpaper, but he seemed to have singled Zaki out for special attention ever since their first meeting at a Lan party.

Which was all well and good, but unlike a lot of Rino's crowd, Zaki wasn't openly gay. And what Zaki hated was that Pino seemed to see through all his "no, really I'm straight" protests and see things Zaki refused to even think about. And a whole night with Pino? Torture. And that was coming from someone who'd been tossed into frigid water with his arms and legs bound. Repeatedly.

But he'd happily endure another round of drownproof training if it meant an easy out of this situation.

"Is Brandon coming?" Please say it's not just us. Surely, Pino omnipresent sidekick would be there to bail Zaki out.

"Nope. He's doing research at the Hadron Collider for the next few months. Just us, I think." Pino grinned at him. "Alone at last, right?"

Zaki guessed that the Hadron was one of those supersmart things Pino crowd just assumed everyone else knew about. He certainly wasn't about to appear dumb and ask. "You don't have to stick around on my account," he said instead.

"Dude." Pino smacked him on the shoulder. "I've had a shit week. Another three interviews for jobs for the fall, another three fuckups on my part. Don't make me drink alone."

"I guess I could do a beer."

"On me, right? We're all super stoked that you passed SQT." Pino gave him another of those disarming smiles.

Ba-deep-deep. Zaki phone chimed. Sure enough, there was a message from Rino apologizing for bailing. Have fun with Pino, Rino ended. But whatever you do, don't let him talk you into shots. He looks scrawny, but he can drink you under the table. Trust me.

Zaki shoved his phone away. Nope, no way was he doing shots with Pino. Last thing he needed was to get drunk and forget himself around the guy.

"So what'll it be? They have a whole selection of craft beers here." Pino offered him one of the little bar menus artfully strewn around on the huge antique wood bar.

"A Bud's fine," Zaki said. He'd never developed a taste for the fancy stuff. This whole place was fancier than he was used to, what with the exposed hardwoods everywhere, the prettified bar food emerging from the kitchen, and the painted inspirational quotes behind the bar. Even the name, Mellow, was a far cry from the hole-in-the-wall places he'd drunk at in college or even Big Ted, the little sports bar right off base that his fellow SEAL favored.

Pino signaled the burly bartender, who frowned at them after Pino gave their order for a Bud and some fancy-ass beer Zaki had never heard of. "Hand stamps, please. Both of you."

Zaki stuck his hand out, showing that the bouncer had indeed checked his ID. Pino put his arm right next to Zaki way too close for comfort. "See, look at us, finding things in common."

"Getting carded is hardly something to be proud of," Zaki mumbled as he pulled his arm away. Back in Las Vegas, when he went to the bars with his friends, they never got carded anymore. And he liked that he was twenty three now, for crying out loud.

"Of course it's not for you, Muscles." Pino did that whole standing too close thing again, moving over so others could get to the bar.

Zaki really shouldn't like that Pino noticed what the past few months of training had done for his physique. He'd always been lean, but days of log and boat carry drills had carved out muscles he hadn't even been aware he had. Zaki accepted his beer from the bartender, then followed Pino to one of the little high top tables ringing the bar area.

"Seriously, you are jacked now." Pino winked at him, giving him the sort of once over Zaki buddies gave girls in bikinis. "Look at those shoulders. It even makes you look taller."

Flattery was not going to work on Zaki. Not even a bit. Besides, Pino was the short one, probably five seven or so. But Zaki was a perfectly respectable five ten. In your boots.

"Truth, man. I just call it like I see it." Pino shrugged. And that right there was the whole problem with Pino he had absolutely no filter and a way too keen sense of observation.

Zaki had to look away before Pino turned that sense on him again and saw how much he liked all the compliments. He looked around the bar, but instead of that calming him down, his tension ratcheted way the hell back up. Next to them, two guys were snuggled up all cozy, chairs touching, arms around each other's shoulders. Across the room, two women held hands, and he counted a few more pairings that could be guy or girl couples.