Chapter 1

“Oh, fuck me, that hurts!”

Alexi Summerville snorted. “I bet it does. Your face is swollen, your arms are swollen.” He stepped back and stared hard at Roach Haines, who sat straddling a kitchen chair while Alexi applied first aid. “In fact, you look like Violet from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”

Roach frowned in confusion. “Who the hell is Violet?”

“The one that blows up like a big blueberry.”

He gasped. “Wait, what? I’m blue?”

Alexi laughed. “Well, no. But you know what I mean. How many times did the wasps sting you?”

Sighing dramatically, Roach winced when he realized even thathurt. In all the time Lonnie “Roach” Haines had been working as an exterminator, five years to be exact, he’d been in a few mishaps. Once a rat had chomped his finger—he’d needed shots for that—and once, in the beginning, he’d accidentally sprayed poison on himself. He’d gone to the hospital for that. But this one, being stung by numerous wasps and swelling up like…well, a blueberry, he guessed, had to be the worst. Felt like it anyway.

“I lost count. Had to be twenty or so. I ran inside Mrs. Cortez’s house and she slammed the door shut on the bastards.” Roach shuddered.

Alexi’s adorable pixie face appeared directly in his vision, close enough for him to make out the pores in his roommate’s nose. “Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”

Roach shrugged. “Mrs. Cortez wanted to call the paramedics, but it seemed a bit silly for some stings. I’m not allergic.”

“Well, maybe, but you are swollen up.” Alexi applied a cold compress to Roach’s forehead. “Maybe I should call my coach and cancel practice to stay with you.”

Alexi practiced ice skating several hours a day in preparation for the World Championships coming up in a few months. He’s already won the silver medal in the United States Championships.

Roach and Alexi had been friends for several years, meeting in high school, and they weren’t alike at all, really, other than both having a preference for men. Alexi was slender, graceful, athletic, and beautiful in a pixie sort of way. He had a pert little nose and full pouty lips, as well as the most intensely blue eyes Roach had ever seen. That and soft, gorgeous light brown hair that fell in waves just above his shoulders.

By contrast, Roach, who had been given the nickname when he had first decided to become an exterminator and who hardly answered to anything else anymore, had piercings in his eyebrow, nose, lip, and nipples. Tattoos covered his arms and chest, and he wore his brown hair cut short in a sort of military style.

“No, Roger would kill me if I made you miss practice. He’s already wanting you to move out of this place,” Roach said. The truth was, he hated Alexi’s coach. The man thought Roach a terrible influence on his precious Alexi. Maybe Roach liked to party a bit, but he wouldn’t hurt Alexi for anything.

“Yes, but it’s my choice, not his.” Alexi straightened. “Should I call the doctor?”

“No, no, Lex. It’s not quite as painful. I think it’s getting better.”

“Are you sure?” he asked doubtfully.

Roach smiled, even though it hurt. “Yeah.”

At that moment Roach’s business cell phone rang. It was across the room on the coffee table. Alexi fetched it and brought it to him.

“This is Roach.”

“Hello, this is Lou Cortez. I’m the son of Mrs. Cortez,” a smooth, deep, sexy voice said over the line.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Cortez, how are you?” He remembered the tall, gorgeous man who’d hired him on behalf of his mother for her exterminating needs. Up until that day it had been just spraying for ants. When he’d arrived for his usual appointment, Mrs. Cortez had pointed out the wasp’s nest.

“Lou, please. I’m good, but wanted to ask you about yourself. My mother told me about what happened and that you refused to go to the hospital. How are you?”

“I’m doing much better, Lou. I’m just sorry I couldn’t get rid of the nest. I’ve called another exterminator company that specializes in bees and wasps.” Roach withheld his sigh with effort. “I’m not really qualified for their extermination.”

“Understandable. My mother didn’t realize. She said the other exterminator has already contacted her, so thank you for that.”

“Anyway, I appreciate your concern, but I’ll live,” Roach said jokingly.

“I’m glad.” Lou hesitated, the silence lagging between them. Just as Roach went to say something, Lou spoke again. “I was wondering, when you’re feeling better, if you might like to go to dinner with me?”

“Dinner?” Roach frowned when he heard something clatter from the direction of the kitchen.