On the Edge Read online

  Mothers did not make the best matchmakers. Besides, Joe was only thirty-two. He had plenty of time to find a life partner. He wasn’t in any rush.

  Not after the bad breakup he’d gone through a year ago. Just thinking about Lange left a rancid taste in his mouth. He still couldn’t believe that Lange had left him for some younger guy who looked as though he was barely out of his teens, although Joe had learned that Davis was in his twenties.

  Never again would he trust anyone with his heart. Fuck that. Having it ripped out once was enough.

  “Don’t start, Mark.” Joe popped the lid on his bottle before chucking the lid into the trash. “I already have to hear Mom talk about how I need to find a nice guy and settle down. I don’t need to hear it from you, too. Besides, you’re still single, and I don’t see Mom pressuring you.”

  Mark held up his hands, still grinning. “Mom made me promise I’d bring it up to you. I’m done. How are those steaks coming?”

  “Shit.” Joe ran outside and lifted the lid to the grill, glad they hadn’t burned. He flipped them over as Mark joined him outside, his laptop glued to one hand, his beer in the other.

  “Megan wanted me to invite you over for dinner Sunday.” Mark dropped into one of the lounge chairs, his legs on either side of the chair, and set the opened laptop between his parted legs.

  They looked at each other and shivered. Their sister wasn’t the best cook, but she never gave up trying new recipes. Joe wasn’t sure how she hadn’t poisoned her husband yet with her lack of culinary skills.

  “Tell her I have to work.” Joe flipped the steaks.

  “I’ll tell her I have to help you.” Mark grinned. “I blame Mom for not getting her into the kitchen when we were growing up.” He took a drink from his bottle. “Megan better be damn glad she’s so pretty, or Jason might’ve left her by now.”

  They both knew Jason wasn’t going anywhere. As far as their brother-in-law was concerned, Megan hung the moon and the stars. She could serve him roadkill, and he’d eat it with a goofy smile on his face.

  “What’s up with your new neighbors?” Mark set his beer on the grass and tapped on the laptop keyboard. “Have you met them yet?”

  Joe thought about how he’d walked into the house next door, thinking it was still vacant, only to find two naked men in there. He still couldn’t believe he’d done that. He was also still puzzled why the sheriff’s boyfriend had been there when Joe had taken a peace offering over there. Did they really have a wolf as a pet?

  “Yep, I met them,” he said. “I think they’re out of town, because I haven’t seen them in over a week.”

  Which made Joe wonder if they’d really bought the place. He’d seen them one night, and then they were gone. Could they really have been squatters? If they had been, he was calling the cops the next time he spotted people next door.

  Maple Grove was a nice town to live in, but they weren’t impervious to crime. Joe loved the street he lived on and didn’t want it to go downhill. He just prayed that Ben and Jericho were really the new owners.

  He’d just taken the steaks off the grill when he heard the roar of a motorcycle. It sounded close by, so he looked toward his neighbors’. A white car pulled into the driveway, followed by the loud bike.

  But it wasn’t Ben straddling it.

  Mark joined Joe at his side. “Are those your neighbors?”

  The sound of the garage opening told him the white sedan was pulling inside, so he couldn’t tell if Ben and Jericho were in it. But the guy on the bike? Holy fucking smokes. The dark-haired man was sexy as shit, with a thin beard lining his jaw, and hot enough to set Joe’s blood on fire.

  “We shouldn’t be spying on them.” Joe turned back around.

  “Why the hell not?” Mark gave a low whistle. “Tell me you don’t find that stranger good-looking.”

  Joe shoved at Mark’s shoulder. “Go sit back down and stop creeping on him.”

  Besides, Joe had seen him first. Not that he planned on going over there and introducing himself, but maybe tomorrow he’d take another dish next door just to have an excuse to check out the hot guy.

  Before Joe could stop Mark, his brother jetted past him and hurried down the driveway, acting as though he was getting something out of his car. The bastard waved at Mr. Sexy and said something Joe couldn’t hear.

  The guy didn’t smile. He said something to Mark and then dismounted his bike and moved out of view. Joe was gonna choke the shit out of his brother. He was also jealous he hadn’t had a chance to hear the man’s voice.

  Joe looked toward Ben’s backyard. There was a wall of shrubbery in the way, which enabled him to be just as creepy as he looked toward the patio doors. He saw movement inside, but it was just Jericho.

  Clearing his throat and looking away, Joe told himself to stop acting like he’d never seen a hot guy before.

  “Fuck, if you think he’s sexy, you should hear him talk,” Mark said when he returned with his phone charger. “I introduced myself, and he did the same.”

  When Mark didn’t elaborate, Joe spun his hands in front of him. “Well, are you going to keep me in suspense or tell me who he is?”

  “I don’t know who he is, but his name is Milo.” Mark winked as he bumped shoulders with Joe. “I’m moving in with you so I can spy on him.”

  “The hell you are.” Joe grabbed the plate with both steaks on it. “Get your ass inside so we can have our dinner. After that, you’re taking your ass home.”

  “You suck the fun out of life,” Mark grumbled as he grabbed his beer and laptop and headed inside.

  Joe looked over his shoulder, gazing at the shrubbery that separated their properties. No, shit. He wasn’t going to spy on anyone. He’d already made a fool out of himself. Twice. He wasn’t going for the trifecta of humiliation.

  He would mind his own damn business, and slowly, he would get to know his neighbors, not spy on them through the damn bushes. Joe was determined not to perv on the hot man next door.

  * * * *

  What. The. Fuck.

  Joe cracked his eyes open to the sound of a motorcycle revving. He tried to settle back into sleep, but the noise wouldn’t stop. Joe shoved a pillow over his head, hoping it drowned out the sound, but no such luck.

  Was this what he had to look forward to every morning? Were his neighbors that damn inconsiderate? He’d thought he’d lucked out with a gay couple moving in next door since Maple Grove wasn’t exactly a progressive town.

  But his happiness seemed to be a premature celebration. Joe was surprised their wolf wasn’t out there howling next to the motorcycle with as much racket that was going on.

  Joe looked through bleary eyes at the clock on the nightstand. It was just a little after ten. He hadn’t gotten to sleep until four in the morning. He worked for a small website design firm that was based out of Dallas. Joe did most of his work from home on his computer, but there were times when he had to fly to Dallas, or other parts of the country, to help out clients.

  In fact, Joe had to fly out next week because Tillman Tech was hosting a tech convention in Alabama, and Joe had to make sure everything was up and running smoothly before the convention began.

  He flipped the covers back and got up, scrubbing a hand through his hair before he shoved his robe on and stormed to the front door and flung it open. The revving intensified.

  “Are you kidding me?” Joe shouted as he stepped onto his front porch in nothing but his robe and boxers.

  Milo had his back to Joe and didn’t turn around to acknowledge him. He was seated on a box, a few tools on the ground beside him. The hot stud reached up and twisted one of the handles, the revving sound piercing Joe’s sleepy brain.

  This was unreal. “Hello?” he shouted to no avail.

  Joe stormed down the steps and crossed his lawn. There was a patch of grass that separated their driveways. He approached Mr. Sexy and tapped him on the shoulder.

  The guy grabbed Joe’s wrist so fast that Joe didn’t have a
chance to react. Milo stood and spun around, his brown eyes narrowed.

  Joe used the other hand to point to the bike. “Are you always this noisy in the morning?”

  Milo released him and slid his gaze over Joe, and not in a friendly way. “Never sneak up on me again. Consider yourself lucky I’m in a good mood this morning, or you might’ve lost that hand.”

  What an arrogant jackass. That went to show that good looks weren’t everything, especially if the personality didn’t match. “I didn’t sneak up on you,” Joe argued. “I shouted from my porch, but you were revving your death trap. It isn’t even noon yet!”

  And Joe hadn’t even had a cup of coffee in his system. He was ready to murder Milo if the guy didn’t shut his damn bike off.

  Milo shrugged and sat back down. “My bike needing some maintenance. Ten is a decent hour. I can’t help it your lazy ass sleeps in so late.”

  Joe sputtered, but no retort came to mind. He wanted to kick Milo in his thick skull. But the guy was too damn tall and muscled. Joe had no doubt that if he assaulted Milo, he’d get his ass kicked. He wasn’t a violent man, either. He believed in working problems out like an adult, with words instead of fists.

  His gaze dropped to Milo’s strong back, and for a split second, Joe wanted to whimper at the way his black T-shirt hugged his muscled form. Then his brain snapped into focus, and he remembered Milo was an asshole.

  You’re an adult. Try to reason with him. Joe cleared his throat, deciding to change tactics. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you,” he said. “My name is Joseph Zelko. I live next door.”

  “Yeah, I got that already.” The jackass didn’t even turn around.

  “I work late nights and don’t get to bed until the wee hours of the morning. Is there any way you can put off your work until later?” Joe had used his syrupy-sweet voice.

  Milo reached up and twisted the handle, the bike roaring loudly. “Sorry, can’t hear you.”

  Joe’s fists convulsed at his sides as he gritted his teeth. He had an overwhelming urge to punch Milo in his dumb head. Instead, he stormed to Ben’s front door and pounded his fist against it.

  “What the fuck’re you doing?” Milo stood and glared at Joe.

  “If I can’t get you to give me some leeway, I’m gonna ask the owner of this house,” Joe snapped. His eyes widened when Milo stormed his way. Fuck, the guy was super tall compared to Milo’s five feet six inches. He was ready to bolt until the front door opened.

  “Hey, Joe,” Ben said. “What’s going on?”

  Joe braced himself to get pummeled by Milo’s fists as he said, “I was trying to reason with your friend, but he has a damn stick up his ass.”

  His very gorgeous ass.

  “Milo?” Ben said.

  Milo stopped a foot from Joe. The guy’s nostrils were flaring, and if looks could kill, Joe would’ve exploded where he stood. “Your neighbor is bitching me out for working on my bike.”

  “That’s not true,” Joe argued. “I’m complaining about the noise this early in the morning. If you want to cut your motorcycle off and work on it, that’s completely fine.”

  “Is he for real?” Milo asked Ben. “Tell me our neighbors aren’t this fucking uptight.”

  Our neighbors? Joe wanted to shout at the injustice. He’d been hoping Milo was just staying for a visit once he’d discovered what a jerk the guy was. Did he have this bullshit to look forward to every morning?

  His ears perked up when he heard a baby laughing. A baby? What on earth was going on in Ben’s house? He didn’t remember seeing a child when he’d come over before.

  “Milo, work on your bike later.” Ben waved as though to tell Milo to come inside.

  “Are you kidding me?” Milo barked. “You’re taking his side?”

  Ben gave Joe an apologetic smile. “You look like shit.”

  Joe bristled. “Gee, thanks. You can have Jericho bring my casserole dish over later. Right now I’m going back to sleep.”

  Joe spun, nearly colliding with Milo’s sexy body. But Joe was too pissed to drool over the guy. As far as he was concerned, Milo could hop on his death trap and ride right back out of town.

  * * * *

  “You have no finesse,” Mark said when he stopped by later that day. Joe knew exactly why his brother had stopped by. To ogle Milo. “You should have flirted with him instead of arguing.”

  Joe grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter. “I think his idea of flirting would be a street brawl.”

  He bit into his apple, thinking about how Milo’s biceps had strained the sleeves of his T-shirt. Too bad the guy was an asshole, because Joe wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of him.

  Mark snorted. “Dude, I know that look.”

  Joe swallowed his bite. “What look?”

  His brother wiggled his finger around. “That love-struck look. You’re in lust with him.”

  “I am not!” Joe glared at Mark. “He’s an arrogant asshole who has no consideration for anyone but himself.”

  “You’re so fucking hot for him.” Mark’s grin blossomed even further. “Should I tell Mom you found someone?”

  Joe threw the hand towel on the counter at Mark. “Don’t even joke like that. Can you imagine Mom’s reaction if I showed up with him?” Joe laughed. “She’d faint, and Dad would kick my ass for bringing a biker to dinner.”

  That wasn’t true. Their parents were the most down-to-earth people Joe knew. His mom was a doctor, and his dad had been an airplane pilot before he’d retired. Joe and his siblings had never wanted for anything growing up, but their parents hadn’t spoiled them. They made their kids work for what they wanted, instilling the concepts of hard work and responsibility in them.

  Joe made a nice living off what he did. Mark owned the bakery in town, which was a successful business. Not only did he have the shop but a website where he shipped out cakes to people all over the country.

  Megan was a doctor at the hospital where their mother worked in the nearby city. The commute wasn’t bad, and Megan loved what she did.

  “You know they wouldn’t treat Milo that way.” Mark snagged an apple from the bowl. “I mean you’re neighbors, so you might as well find a way to break the ice with him. If for nothing else but peace of mind and no feuding.”

  “I tried,” Joe said. “He snarled harder when I used my nice and reasonable voice.”

  Mark laughed. “Please don’t tell me you used your mother voice,” he said. “That grates on everyone’s nerves. You’re no good at it. You end up sounding like a condescending prick.”

  “I do not.” Joe took another bite of his apple. Did he sound like that when he used his…damn, it was his mothering voice. Joe couldn’t help it. Whenever Mark and Megan had gotten into an argument growing up, and their mom hadn’t been home, Joe, being the oldest, had tried to reason with them.

  That had only made them turn their anger on him. “I really sound like a condescending prick?”

  Mark arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, you do. Be thankful Milo didn’t try and run you over.”

  Joe looked toward the entryway when his doorbell rang.

  “Maybe Mr. Sexy is coming over to apologize. You should suck his dick to show your appreciation that he’s willing to put up with your ass.”

  Joe’s jaw dropped. “First off, don’t ever say that shit again. You just made me imagine you sucking dick, and now I want to scrub my brain with a scouring pad. Second, I’m the nicest guy you know.”

  Mark laughed as Joe answered his door. Jericho stood on the other side with a long, rectangular box in his hand. Joe still thought the guy was gorgeous as hell, but now that he knew Jericho was married, he simply appreciated the guy’s good looks.

  “What’s that?” Joe asked.

  Jericho blushed. “Your casserole dish had an accident, so I bought you a new one.”

  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what kind of accident. “That was so thoughtful, but you didn’t have to buy me a new one.”

 
From the picture on the box, this dish looked ten times better than his old one, which had scratches and stains on it. This one even came with a plastic lid and a carrying case.

  “If you borrow something, you should return it how it was given to you. And since I couldn’t, I replaced it.” Jericho held the box up.

  “Come on in.” Joe took the box and stepped aside. “That’s my brother Mark in the kitchen.”

  “Damn, please tell me you’re single.” Mark got off his stool and slid his eyes over Jericho.

  “Sorry, taken.” Jericho looked around the kitchen. “You have a nice home, Joe.”

  He noticed the way Jericho gave Mark his back, as if discouraging him from flirting any further.

  “Thanks.” He set the box on the counter. “Have you and Ben gotten any furniture yet?”

  Jericho nodded. “It’s being delivered this evening. I’m sorry about Milo. I heard what happened. He’s uh…he’s not used to being in one place for too long. So the concept of being friendly with his neighbors is new to him.”

  Even so, that didn’t excuse the guy’s snarling attitude. “Forgiven. I just work god-awful hours and sometimes sleep in late.”

  “Ben already talked to him about working on his bike in the afternoon.” Jericho leaned against the counter.

  Joe didn’t want to be too nosy, but he was dying to know what a baby was doing next door. “I didn’t know you and Ben had a child. I heard him or her laughing when I was over there.”

  “Nosy much?” Mark said as he grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the fridge and offered it to Jericho. “I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Thanks,” Jericho said when he took the bottle. “It’s Jericho, and my husband is Ben.”

  Joe hid his smile at the way Jericho had stressed the word husband. He was drawing a line in the sand as far as Mark was concerned. His brother had always been the flirtatious type. Joe suspected Mark would flirt with corpse if he thought he could get a date with it.