5. Riley

Chapter 5

Riley

A ll through my shower I was plagued by the same disturbing questions.

Why had I felt such a strong connection to Will? Why had I found myself hesitating before sending him on his way? What if this kept happening? What if I kept having one-night stands and finding myself… liking them? What if I formed an emotional connection without realising it until it was too late?

All of these questions were accompanied by different memories of my mum. Ones that haunted me even after years of therapy and working on my relationship with her.

Sobbing at the bottom of the stairs after Dad left.

Smashing dishes in the kitchen when she caught Mark cheating.

Locking herself in the bathroom and refusing to come out after Steve broke things off. Spending two days when I should've been at school sat outside the door, begging her to unlock it.

The worst one though, that was the one I wished I could forget the most. The one that had cemented my attitude towards love once and for all.

Darren had left the night before after a blazing row filled with screaming and holes in walls. I'd been on tenterhooks, terrified that Mum was going to lock herself away again. The relief I felt when she instead tucked me into bed after reading me a story was enormous. I drifted off to sleep, believing everything was going to be okay.

I should've known better.

She didn't wake me for school the following day as she normally did. Scrubbing at my eyes, I wandered into her bedroom to see what was going on.

My first clue was when something crunched beneath my foot. Frowning, I picked it up. It was an empty medicine packet. Why would Mum have left it on the floor? She was always telling me to tidy up after myself.

That was when I spotted a second.

A third.

A fourth.

Why would Mum have taken so much medicine? Was she sick?

Fear and horror washed through me as I sprinted to her side. I shook her, yelled in her face, pulled back her eyelids. Tried everything I could.

But she wouldn't wake up.

Eventually a neighbour heard my screams and intervened, calling an ambulance and holding me tight until we got the news that she was going to pull through.

I was nine.

That had been the day I'd sworn I'd never fall in love. No amount of therapy could change my beliefs. I'd never let my happiness be dependent on another person. I'd never lose my sense of self because someone had captured my attention. That was fine for other people, but not for me. And, up until last night, I hadn't felt a connection like the one I had with Will.

Well, that wasn't strictly true. The connection I shared with Danny far outstripped anything I felt for Will. That was different though. Neither of us wanted a relationship, so we were able to channel that energy between us into a friendship that we both valued above everything else.

I didn't want to risk that happening again, but equally I didn't want to stop having sex. I loved sex. It was a massive part of my life and I felt zero shame about that.

How could I get my needs met without risking my heart?

I was still pondering this question as I made my way downstairs. I paused at the door of the kitchen, not recognising the cheerful whistle rising over the sound of the kettle.

Stepping into the kitchen, I bit back a sigh as I saw Danny's date from the night before at the stove. Unlike Will, he hadn't taken the hint and left. No, George was scrambling eggs in a frying pan I hadn't even realised Danny owned. Instead of being dressed in his own clothes, he was wearing a T-shirt of Danny's.

I frowned, irritation bubbling up in me. Danny didn't ever let anyone else wear his clothes. I mean, yes, occasionally he'd lend me his jacket if I was cold, but that was different. And the onesie of his that I wore was one I'd bought for him, so that didn't count either. We were friends. It didn't mean anything.

From the way George kept running his hands over the cotton every few seconds, it meant something to him.

It hit me then that I hadn't done my usual job of anti-wingmanning Danny. Was that why he'd been drinking? I glanced at the table, half expecting to see evidence from the night before, but there was nothing.

I'd still let him down though. Danny hated upsetting people, which I knew our friends wouldn't believe, given how much shit he gave them all. But Danny was all bravado. Beneath that lay the biggest heart. It was why we did this little routine. I was able to get the men to realise Danny wasn't the one for them without him having to say a word. It worked perfectly. He never upset anyone and also didn't find himself accidentally in a relationship.

Normally I'd done enough during the date to put the man off wanting anything more than a hookup with Danny. Last night though, I'd been too preoccupied with Will to pay Danny and his date much attention.

It was another reminder of why I needed a new approach. Something different that would keep my heart safe but allow me to get off.

First though, I was going to make it up to Danny by doing what I was supposed to have done the night before. I examined George thoughtfully, considering my approach. Given the speed with which he'd made himself at home, it was going to take something special. This wasn't a man who'd be scared off by stories of how dangerous Danny's job was, or how often he was away on long shifts. His bad habits like leaving his socks on the floor or forgetting to put the toilet seat down probably weren't going to be enough either. George looked like the kind of guy who'd happily tidy up after his partner before presenting him with a home-cooked dinner.

Gag.

Okay, I was making some very sweeping judgements, but my instincts rarely failed me, and right now, they were telling me that George had ‘serious' and ‘devoted' written over his future plans. Good for him, but he could find someone else to fill the role of his husband. He couldn't have Danny. Danny belonged to no one.

Except for me, of course. He was mine, but only in a platonic sense.

I doubted any of my usual tactics would work, but I didn't want to bring out the big guns unless absolutely necessary. I'd start with my normal stuff and hope it would be enough.

I cleared my throat. George twisted around, his one-thousand-watt smile dimming as he saw me. "Oh, I thought you were Danny."

He flicked the heat off the eggs and covered the pan with a lid. I had to bite the inside of my cheek at his obvious message.

No breakfast for you, Riley. Bit fucking cheeky given I was the one who'd bought the sodding eggs in the first place. It had been with Danny's card, but I was the one who traipsed around Tesco every week doing his food shop. I'd started doing it a couple of years ago when I'd realised Danny would rather spend his downtime gaming with me than shopping. Not wanting him to starve, I'd taken it upon myself to get his groceries for him. I'd used my card the first time, but the bollocking Danny had given me afterwards wasn't worth it. Now one of his cards lived in my wallet for this exact purpose.

Danny tried to insist it was also for ‘emergencies,' but it'd be a cold day in hell before I used it for anything other than food for his place.

I took a seat at the table, trying not to frown as George did the same. "Nah, Danny likes to sleep in late. He needs it, what with all the hours he puts in as a firefighter. He's rarely home, so when he is, he sleeps."

"Firefighting is such an important job." George sighed, leaning his chin on his hand. "I imagine his rest is well-earned."

Okay, so him not being around much wasn't going to work. "It is, especially when you consider how dangerous it is, too. Almost every shift Danny comes home to tell me about someone on his crew being injured."

George's brows flew up. "Really?"

Encouraged, I nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah. Danny's been hurt before too. Many times, in fact. Once he had a whole ceiling fall on him."

Technically it had been seven floors, and as a wolf shifter he'd been fully healed within minutes of being rescued. I wasn't going to share that with George though.

"How brave." George practically swooned. "To keep running into danger knowing you could get hurt. I really admire him. Danny is a wonderful man."

Oh for fuck's sake. Okay, round two. "He is. Terrible person to be around for longer than a few hours though. He leaves his clothes literally everywhere , never remembers to put the toilet seat down, and have you seen the inside of his fridge? The only reason it's got any food in it is because I buy it for him. The man's a walking disaster. It's why he doesn't date."

George's eyes narrowed, although his smile stayed in place. "Maybe he just needs some looking after. Must be hard for anyone to do with you being around all the time."

I had to fight not to roll my eyes. If George thought he was saying something I hadn't heard before, he could think again. I wasn't about to make it easy for him though. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying, it's weird. You two aren't together, but you go on double dates? You then hook up at his place and spend the night after? And, on top of that, you do his shopping for him?" George sneered. "If you ask me, you're trying to scare me off so you can have him for yourself. Well that's too bad. I don't scare easily, so you can take your comments elsewhere."

I groaned internally. Not only were the big guns going to be needed, but George had unwittingly set me up perfectly. "Okay, I don't usually admit to this, but Danny is my boyfriend. This is a role-play thing for us, to keep it spicy, you know? It's why I'm here; this is my house too."

The eye-roll George gave was majestic. Seriously, he could have given Sebastian a run for his money. "Please, you think I'm going to believe that bullshit? Admit it. You just want me out of the way."

I leaned back in my seat, smiling condescendingly. "Oh, I do want you out of the way, don't mistake that. But only because your night with Danny is over now. We have plans to go out to the Farmer's Market before going to dinner at our friend's house. So yes, I'd like you to leave."

George bristled, getting to his feet. A glimmer of panic went through me as he stretched to his full height. Fuck, I'd forgotten how big he was. "Now listen here, you little shit, if Danny wants me gone, he can tell me that himself. You're a liar, and not a very good one. It's not like Danny would ever settle down with a man like you."

Ouch. I mean, he wasn't wrong, but only because Danny didn't want to settle down with anyone . Still, I didn't care for the personal attack. "Why not? I'll have you know I'm a fucking catch."

George sneered, one hand going to his hip. "Hmm, where to start? There's the fact that you're an accountant . Hardly the most exciting profession. And that's before we even get started on your?—"

I never did get to hear what George was going to get started on. A low growl cut him off, making both me and George jump. I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to calm my racing heart. "Fuck's sake, Danny. One of these days I'm gonna put a bell on you."

Danny didn't respond. I glanced back to see thunder on his face as he glowered across the table at George. "What were you going to say?"

George swallowed, his eyes darting between us. I could almost see him debating whether to answer Danny or just ignore it and hope for the best. When his face morphed into the coquettish expression he'd worn at dinner last night, I knew he was going for the latter. "Oh, Danny. I was just going to come and wake you. I've made us breakfast."

This time, I didn't bother to hold back my eye-roll. Any sympathy I might've felt for George had evaporated the moment he'd decided to attack me.

George made to move towards the cooker, grabbing the pan he'd covered. He barely made it one step before Danny was barking out an order. "Stop."

George froze. I knew Danny hadn't compelled him, he wouldn't do that, but apparently his tone was enough to have George realising he'd fucked up.

Danny prowled closer, glaring down at his date. He didn't have much height on George, but that didn't stop him from towering over him. "Were you making Riley feel uncomfortable?"

George's eyes flitted to me. I could almost see the cogs turning in his mind. "Actually, Riley was making me feel uncomfortable. You should've heard the lies he was coming out with. He wants me to leave so he can have you all to himself."

I snorted. With his supe hearing, Danny had likely heard every single one of my lies. Usually he didn't interfere, hiding upstairs until I'd persuaded his date to leave. Then again, I hadn't come across one as persistent as George before.

"Riley always has me to himself," Danny said, moving behind me and putting his hands on my shoulders. "Regardless of who I spend my nights with, Riley is my top priority. Always. This is his home as much as it is mine, and if he's asked you to leave, then that's what you need to do."

George wavered. "But…I made us breakfast."

"I didn't ask you to do that," Danny said firmly, his hands not moving from my shoulders. "I'm sorry, George. You're a great bloke, but I made it clear several times that this was a one-night thing. There's only room for one needy man in my life, and Riley locked that spot down long ago."

If it wouldn't have spoiled the ruse, I would've scowled up at Danny for that. We both knew who the needy one was out of the two of us, and it sure as shit wasn't me.

The message seemed to have finally sunk in. George disappeared upstairs with little more than a nod. A few minutes later, the front door opened and slammed shut behind him.

Both Danny and I gave a sigh of relief.

"He was a persistent fucker."

"He was," Danny said, squeezing my shoulders before letting go. "But hey, he made us breakfast. Gonna count that as a win."

I eyed my best friend as he plated up the eggs George had made. His melancholy from the night before seemed long gone as he whistled and shimmied around the kitchen. "That was nice, what you said to George about me. I tried something similar, but he saw it for the bullshit it was."

"Ah, that's the thing," Danny said, sliding a plate in front of me. "What I said wasn't bullshit." He ruffled my hair, chuckling at my open-mouthed expression. "What? I said you always have me to yourself. That you're my top priority. That this is your home as much as it is mine, and as such, your word is to be respected. Where's the lie?"

My cheeks heated as a strange swooping sensation filled my stomach. I eyed the eggs in dismay; there was no way I could eat anything now. Had I eaten something funny at the restaurant last night? "I'm definitely not the needy one."

Danny laughed, hooking his foot around my ankle under the table. "Keep telling yourself that."