Free Colorado Fire - Colorado Heart 2 by Sara York Page B

Seven
     
     
    Grant stepped into the shower and stood under the hot spray, wondering how he'd fucked up so much. Four years ago, he should have chosen Marshal, but Craig had fed his ego. Marshal had been hiding from what he was, and though Grant suspected Marshal really was gay, he didn't want to deal with the drama of Marshal coming out and coming to terms with the truth. The looks Marshal had sent him were sexually charged, but Craig had given him the world, or so he thought.
    He heard Roger through the walls as he entered his own bathroom. Grant froze. He didn't want to mess up with Roger. The man was amazing, sexy as hell, and a great kisser. Grant's dick began to fill out, thickening the more he thought about Roger.
    His mind flashed to Zander and Marshal and his desire fled. He cursed and turned off the shower, rubbing his hair dry with a towel as the rest of him dripped. After he pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, a knock sounded at his door. He opened the door to find Zander standing in the hall. He took a step back and sucked in a quick breath, bracing for a fight. Zander didn't move, but his gaze was filled with menace.
    "I wasn't expecting you," Grant said.
    "You and I need to clear the air."
    "I'm sorry. I didn't—"
    "Don't give me that bullshit. You're a piece of work. You knew Marshal would get hurt if you started playing the nice guy and kissing on him. No matter how good you try to be, you're still only looking out for number one."
    The words hurt, causing his heart to squeeze. He'd been thinking the exact same thing only minutes ago when he contemplated going over to Roger's room to have sex. Loneliness and the sense of not being wanted made his brain short circuit and had him thinking he needed a guy to make him whole. He was on edge, and life had left him more than a little jaded. Jumping into any relationship right now wouldn't help him, and it would most likely hurt whomever he chose to be with. He needed to relax and stop trying so hard.
    "Zander, I know it may be hard to believe but I don't want to hurt Marshal."
    "I know you don't want to hurt him, but you're not trying to make his life better. He needs someone stable in his life, and I'm that guy, not you."
    "Do you really think you can make him happy?"
    Zander bristled. "What do you mean by that?"
    "He's never had a relationship with a guy before. He may have fucked one or two at some point in the past, but he's never had to deal with guy crap."
    "I'm not going to mess this up. He's too good. And yeah, I'm the right person for him. Man or woman, I'm it. I'll do my damnedest to make sure he knows how much I care for him."
    Grant let go of the breath he'd been holding and shook his head. "I can't believe I've fucked up so much."
    "Just make sure you take a hands-off approach with Marshal from here on out. He's a great guy and doesn't need you to make him confused."
    "I've f'd this up."
    "Yeah, but you're going to fix it and you won't keep messing around with his emotions. He's too good for that crap. Marshal is one of the best men I've ever known."
    Grant nodded and focused on the floor, wishing things were different. He wasn't sure what he really wanted, but this wasn't it. "Yeah, I know that."
    "So don't play with his emotions. He needs to know how much he's loved and he doesn't need any shit. Give him some space. Let him figure out when he's good with talking to you."
    "Is he really that upset?"
    "He's not happy with the way things went down."
    "You two going to be okay?" Grant didn't want to mess up their relationship, not really. He'd made a huge mistake with Marshal. If he had it all to do over again he might have chosen Marshal over Craig, but he wouldn't have been good for Marshal. He didn't have the patience to put up with a guy who wasn't totally out. Hell, he probably didn't have the patience to put up with much after dealing with Craig.
    "I'm really sorry."
    "It's okay. So any clue where Craig really went?"
    Grant swiped his had