Blurring the Lines (Book Two - ManxMan ManxManxWoman)

Epilogue

"I can't believe you thought I was going to have you gang banged," Daniel was polite enough not to laugh at his face but the smile that lingered on the edge of his perfect lips was subtle enough that Blake was pretty clear of its sentiment. "I was trying to save your arse, not ruin it,"

Blake chuckled at his joke but also grew just a little bit pink around his ears.

"Ok.... so maybe sex is something of a go to for me," Blake smiled knowingly glancing up at the Daniel.

Just like the first time he'd laid eyes on him, Blake was really taken by Daniel's sophisticated sexiness. If tall dark and handsome was the description, Daniel Hennessy was the visual representation.

His age didn't detract from this feeling either. It wasn't as if Blake had never been with anyone older. As old went, Daniel's thirty-four wasn't really old, but it seemed that way when you were only twenty-five.

Was he seriously considering something more than friendship with this man?

Melissa wouldn't like it, he knew that much. It had been several months since the fight. He and Melissa has discovered just a few trophy scars he'd keep for the rest of his life, but otherwise everything was looking pretty good. His broken nose even managed to heal without any noticeable bumps or skews.

Tonight he was considering allowing Daniel Hennessy to become more familiar with those trophies. He had enough of them to keep the sexy older man busy discovering them for hours.

The night of the fight had been... interesting.

After Melissa had confiscated the booze from them, he and James had retired to the lounge where a rerun of Big Bang Theory was playing quietly.

Blake found his favourite spot on the couch quickly so he didn't have to be the awkward one to choose to sit too close or too far from James.

James sat two cushions over which was socially acceptable, but even now as Blake pretended to watch Big Bang he could see James' hand resting on the seat cushion right next to him.

He was certain James hadn't even realised he was doing it.

They talked about many things that night, life, work, people.

The conversation always got strained whenever Blake had to listen to James talk about Spence Williams. Blake always felt as if he'd swallowed too much air whenever Spence was mentioned and he took quiet quick little breaths to keep himself alive but was appropriately understanding about everything that was said. He laughed when it seemed James expected him to laugh (well smiled and looked amused because of his broken ribs), and he nodded in serious contemplation when James expected him to nod in serious contemplation.

It was difficult. But he did it.

He could also tell that James' heart was hammering whenever he brought Spence up. This had been a test for both of them about whether they could have a normal friendship. A platonic friendship.

A relationship where one or both of them weren't itching to just touch the another.

They failed the test.

By the time James left they hadn't so much as touched once. Hell, James couldn't even look at him and despite everything else going on and the physical pain and exhaustion that Blake was in from the fight; the exhaustion from being in the room with James for two episodes of Big Bang was enough.

He knew now he'd made the right decision.

It had taken James pointing it out to realise how true the statement had been, "... so long as you have feelings for me, we can't be friends..."