Free No Place That Far by L.A. Witt Page B

be hungover. Or at least walking with a hitch in his step, as it were.
    Timur moved in closer, enough to be heard, but didn’t fold his arms or lean on the bar the way all men did. Everyone had some way of leaning—either the drunken slump, the flirty swagger or just oh my God it’s one in the morning and I’m tired of holding up my own weight . Not Timur. He stood ramrod straight as if he were in uniform or still playing the role of best man.
    â€œHere for a month,” he said over the music. “In Julien’s place.”
    Oh. Right. Chris and Julien had adopted a couple of cats a few weeks ago, and neither of them could stand the thought of leaving the poor creatures alone for more than five minutes. It hadn’t occurred to Marcus that they might bring in the goddamned French Foreign Legion to pet sit, but knowing those two…
    â€œWow. So…” Marcus folded his arms on the bar. “…you’re here for a while, then.” Duh. He just said that. “What brings you in”—he gestured around them—“here?”
    He fully expected a shrug, a sweeping glance and “I thought I’d check the place out”. Then he remembered whom he was talking to, and somehow wasn’t surprised—and yet was still fucking blown away—by the direct, unflinching eye contact and “came to see you”.
    Marcus straightened. “Oh. I… Well, it’s good to see you.”
    â€œAre you…” Timur quirked his lips and furrowed his brow the way he seemed to whenever he was searching for an English word. Gesturing at the bar, he asked, “You’re here until when?”
    â€œThree.” Marcus glanced at his watch. Three more hours. Christ. “Have to close up after everyone goes home.”
    Timur’s huge shoulders dipped slightly. “Oh.”
    â€œI do have a break coming up. In fact…” Marcus looked over his shoulder. The office door was open, and the light was on, so Liam was probably in there. Turning back to Timur, he said, “Wait right here.”
    Timur nodded sharply.
    Marcus stepped away from his station and poked his head into Liam’s office. The shift manager was hunched over the desk, poring over schedules and time-off requests.
    â€œHey, boss?”
    Liam looked up, and Marcus jumped—he’d known Liam for a while now, but had never noticed just how green his eyes were. He’d never really noticed green eyes in the first place, uncommon as they were, but suddenly they were on his radar.
    Gee. I wonder why.
    â€œI’m, uh, going to step out on my break.”
    Liam nodded. “How’s the crowd out there? Do I need to fill in while you’re out?”
    Marcus looked back, scanning the room briefly. “Nah, I think it’s under control. Starting to die down a bit, actually.”
    â€œOkay. Sure, go ahead. Just let Kieran know to grab me if he needs backup.”
    â€œWill do.” Marcus returned to the lounge area, passed the message along to Kieran and then went around the bar to join Timur. “I’ve got fifteen minutes. Step outside with me?”
    Timur followed him, and Marcus sought the quietest area he could find—leading them right out to the parking lot and up to his car. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of being seen with Timur, but he did want a bit of privacy. “Nice of you to come visit.”
    Timur took a step forward, and Marcus had barely realized he’d stepped back when his own car came up behind him. Oops. Timur hesitated. “Not going to hurt you.”
    â€œJust surprised.” Marcus felt his heart race, but that wasn’t fear. It wasn’t even Timur’s insistence—just the proximity. Forces at work that felt like a kind of turbocharged, dizzying attraction ever since he’d ogled the best man at Chris’s wedding. And nothing Timur did or said, and nothing that happened, had diminished