She squeezed his fingers. “Then let’s hope he chose to be all in, but right now you have to focus, my friend. Whatever their relationship, whatever your relationship, he cares about her and you care about him.” She squeezed his hand tighter. “Do your job, Barone. The rest will sort itself out.”
“I guess it will.” He managed a grin, then pulled her in for a sideways hug. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”
“For the record, I think you two are a match. And we both know I’m rarely wrong.”
“No,” Trevor said, “you’ve got good instincts. Let’s hope you’re right on this one.”
* * * *
Ollie stood on the third floor, looking down at the operations center on the first, his eyes on Trevor. The man was competent. Sexy. And damned if Ollie didn’t want him. The realization had been a shock—but only in the sense that it hadn’t been a shock at all. It had simply seemed right.
The miracle, of course, was that Trevor wanted him right back.
And yet here Ollie was—absolutely head over heels, not to mention desperate to finish what they’d started in Trevor’s condo—and he still hadn’t told his best friends. Before, he’d been an idiot not to share his growing feelings with them.
Now, digging in about his love life seemed crass. His attention—all of his attention—needed to be focused on Courtney. Finding her. Helping her. And not just because that was his job even if the kidnapper hadn’t thrust him into the middle of this. No, the truth was that Courtney mattered to him. He loved her, no question about it.
He just didn’t love her in a way that was romantic. Not anymore. It hadn’t been for a long time. For that matter, it hadn’t been even before they’d finally broken up, and it was all on him for dragging that out.
She was a friend, and he was grateful for that. Considering everything he’d put her through, she would have been justified to walk away and never look back.
But she hadn’t. They weren’t close anymore, but they were still friends, and he’d never forgive himself if she’d seen this coming—if she’d been in any way scared or uncomfortable—but hadn’t reached out to him for help because of their past and the shitty way he’d treated her.
He drew in a long, deep breath, wishing he could talk to Trevor about that. About how he’d let down this woman who’d been so special to him. But how could he? Courtney was his ex, and he and Trevor were still navigating their way into what he hoped was a relationship and not just sex.
With a frown, he ordered his brain to settle. To quit showing him mental images of what they could be doing to her.
Of her terrified eyes.
Of her wrists bound with cable ties.
Of Trevor’s delicious smile.
Ollie winced. Yeah, he was a mess all right.
He took a breath and forced his attention back on the buzz of activity two floors below. Jamie was there now, carrying a box of bakery goods that she dumped on the conference table. She headed for the stairs, then looked up and smiled when she saw him.
She started climbing, reaching the landing as Nikki came in from the kitchen.
And wasn’t that convenient?
“Overseeing your domain?” Jamie asked him.
Ollie shook his head, then looked between the two of them, gathering his courage. “Can I talk to you two?”
Nikki and Jamie exchanged a glance. “Of course,” Nikki said.
“Here?” Jamie asked.
Ollie considered. “How about the balcony?”
“Sounds good.” Nikki led the way through the bedroom suite over to the balcony that had the most privacy. There was a chaise lounge and two chairs, and Ollie took one of the chairs while the women sat on the chaise facing him. “So what’s up?” Jamie asked.
He started to speak, then froze.
Then he mentally kicked his own ass and ordered himself to tell them because it was the truth and they wouldn’t care. They’d be happy for him.
“I slept with Trevor.” The words fell out in a rush. “Or, more accurately, I was in the process of sleeping with Trevor when we found out about Courtney. Even with that horrible interruption, best time of my life.”
He sat back, watching their faces as he waited for them to say something. When they didn’t, he squirmed, cleared his throat, and went on. “I, um, I guess I’m falling for him. Actually, I think I’ve already fallen for him.”
The two women exchanged looks, and as Ollie’s stomach started twisting, they both broke out into grins. “About time,” Nikki said.
“We’ve known for ages,” Jamie said. “We weren’t sure you did.”
“You knew? That I was crushing on Trevor?”
“Oh, please. Have you seen the way you two are around each other? It’s great. We like Trevor. I think he’s perfect for you.”
“And in the interest of full disclosure, Sylvia said she’s always wondered if you were gay or bi,” Nikki added, referring to Jackson’s wife and Damien’s former executive assistant. “And that was without even seeing you with Trevor.”
“She did?” He shook his head, amused. “Always good to be the last one to your own party.”
“But it feels good to finally be there, right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it really does. I was keeping a secret from myself, and I don’t even know why. How absurd is that?” He glanced from Jamie to Nikki. “And you two? You’re okay with it?”
“Why wouldn’t we be?”
Nikki raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously asking that? Ollie, it’s us. And what’s the big deal? I’m happy for you. What about Trevor?”
“What do you mean? We’ve always known he’s gay.”
“Yeah. But I meant how does he feel about you—I’m guessing it’s mutual?”
“It sure feels that way. And he says it is.”
“That’s perfect then.” Nikki’s smile was wide. “That’s how it should be.”
“It feels right. You two get that, don’t you. With Damien and Ryan? It was the same, wasn’t it?”
“Very much so,” Nikki said as Jamie nodded and silently mouthed oh, yeah.
Nikki reached out for his hands, then tugged him over to the chaise. She tucked her head onto his shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”
“So Trevor’s the first guy you’ve actually been with,” Jamie began, “but what about that cute roomie you had when you were doing FBI training. Dustin, right? You mentioned him like three times when you were telling us your How Ollie became James Bond story a while back.”
“You’re a hoot,” Ollie said, but he seriously thought about the question. “Nope, not really. I liked him as a friend, but nary a zing. But,” he added, “I think it was during that time that I realized I was bi. I just didn’t tell myself until after I met Trevor. But now I’m...”
He trailed off with a shake of his head.
“What?”
He waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing.”
Nikki shifted to face him. “We need a little more to go on.”
He looked out toward the ocean. For a moment, he just watched the waves crash in, feeling a bit like a piece of flotsam tossed about in the roiling surf.