Battle It Out

me the expense of an Uber.” Jo broke through his desire to continue his mental thrashing.
“No problem,” he said absently.
“Come inside, I’ll relieve your pressure.”
“No thanks, I don’t have any pressure.”
She reached across and palmed his crotch. “Feels like you do.”
“Knock it off.” He knocked her hand away.
“I don’t know what’s up with you. I can’t even tease you anymore,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her ample bosom.
“What do you mean?” He squeezed the steering wheel.
“You’re so angry all the time.”
“Why do you keep hanging out with me then?” he snarled.
“Because even though we broke up, I thought we were friends,” she snapped, grabbing her purse and jacket.
“Look, maybe we should just stop hanging out,” he gritted out between his teeth.
“You can be such an asshole.” Her voice wobbled.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
“Is that what you want? You want me to stop coming around?” She stopped from opening the door and turned back to him with a toss of her long blonde hair.
“I can’t give you what you need.” He avoided her searching gaze.
“You made that very clear a year ago.” She hesitated. “Is there another woman?”
“No.” His hands stung from gripping the wheel.
“I thought there might be.”
“You’re wrong,” he muttered.
“Is it work?”
“Yeah,” he managed to spout the lie through a tight throat. His stomach churned.
“Hey,” she said softly. Getting to her knees on the passenger seat, she reached across the center console to hug him tight. “It’s okay.”
He didn’t realize how much he needed human contact until she’d hugged him.
He gripped her tightly as the feeling of nausea faded.
She drew back, but not far. “Whatever is wrong, I’ll listen if you need an ear. I was your friend before we hooked up and I am still your friend now.”
“I know,” he murmured.
“I’m here for you,” she whispered, and smoothed her fingers through his hair, caressing his scalp. It wasn’t a sexual gesture but more of a motherly comforting, and he took it because he fucking needed it.
“Want to order food and hang out? We can just watch movies and eat until we puke,” she teased him.
He laughed and blinked the sting from his eyes.
“Chinese?”
“Pizza,” she countered with a smile. One of the things he liked best about her was her counter offers with anything food related.
“That actually sounds good,” he laughed.
“Order some of that cinnamon and sugar deep fried bread that you like,” Jo said, putting on a romantic comedy after they entered her apartment.
He placed their order and sprawled on the couch. She joked about the actors in the movie until he laughed out loud.
When the pizza came, he scarfed down a whole pie and extra dessert. Good thing he’d ordered two large so Jo got enough to eat. She really was good company when she wasn’t being a snippy brat.
He untied and pulled off his boots and stretched out his legs. Jo tossed part of a throw blanket over his thighs and went back to watching the movie.
He gazed at the screen, and it worked for a while, but his mind wandered back to Isaac’s birthday party and the hallway.
The fucking hallway.
You’d been doing fine all these years until Isaac. Shit. Don’t go there. He rubbed at his mouth and his stomach churned.
Finding Isaac standing in the kitchen sunlight, it hadn’t been hard to see why other men found him attractive. Isaac was cover model hot. He may have trim hips, but his shoulders and arms were muscled. Zane could tell he’d been working out while on leave.
He reached to rub at the spot where he’d hit the wall. Isaac was one tough son of a bitch. Wrestling around wasn’t new to them, and they’d given each other either shit from the moment they’d first met.
“Excuse me, you’re in my way.” a warm lilting voice said from behind him because he was indeed blocking the doorway to the training room. He turned and squinted down into the blond man’s attractive face and met those bright blue eyes three years prior. Blond hair so light it resembled a halo.
Words left him speechless.
“Cat got your tongue?” the cute blond goaded.
“No,” he growled grumpily and stepped back.
“There you are, Zane. Oh good,” Lieutenant River Seeger said. “I see you’ve met Infinity’s newest recruit.”
“What?” he croaked.
Isaac’s gaze traveled over every inch of him, making it the most unforgettable moment in his life.
“Sergeant Zane Gannon, meet Sergeant Isaac Thorne,” River continued.
“Any questions?” River asked when the silence between them grew.
“Are you busy for dinner, Zane?” Isaac gave him a flirtatious smile.
He squinted, giving the cheery man a warning look. “I’m straight.”
Of course, that hadn’t been the end of it.
Isaac had teased him relentlessly through the years and he’d learned to take it with a grain of salt. In fact, it didn’t take long for him to look forward to the banter.
And when Liam paired them together, they’d moved in sync. They understood each other. Hell, after a while, Isaac would often finish his sentences. While they gave each other shit, they’d hit it off. They argued and fought but always made up, because sometime during the past year, they’d become best friends.
“Okay?”
Jo’s soft inquiry drew his gaze and he nodded.
“Don’t forget your brother and his boyfriend are coming in tomorrow.”
“Shit, is that tomorrow?” He rubbed at the bridge of his nose and the headache starting behind his eyes.
“Yep. That’s what you said last week. They land at one thirty.”
“Thanks.” She really was a good friend.
“No prob.” She winked and went back to the movie.
How the hell had he forgotten Diesel and Triton were coming to town? He rubbed at the knot forming in the back of his neck.
Liar. Fuck you. Isaac’s voice had come out ragged and out of breath. Telling each other to fuck off hadn’t been new, they’d done that for years, but in that darkened hallway, the words had felt different, like a punch to the heart.
He’d stumbled away at the hissed words and his second instinct had been to run. What the hell had he been thinking anyway?
Rubbing