“Hello?” Darren said as he gripped the phone in his hand.

            “Hey, baby, it’s me.”

            “What do you want?”Darren asked when he recognized Graham’s voice on the phone.

            “I thought we were going to spend the night together?” Graham asked.

            “Why don’t you go spend the night with Troy’s brother?” Darren snapped. Graham’s words had quickly brought home the fact that they would never be an item. He would always be Graham’s dirty little secret.

            “Oh, come on, Dar,” Graham said. “You know I didn’t mean it that way. I had to say those things.”

            “No,” Darren snorted, “you didn’t. You really didn’t.”

            Darren heard Graham sigh deeply. He knew what Graham was going to say even before he said it and his heart ached.

            “Darren, you knew how things had to be before we got involved. I explained it all to you and you agreed to it.”

            “Yes, I did.” And it had been the biggest mistake of his life. Darren just wanted to get the man in his bed. He would have agreed to anything. Darren had no idea he would grow to love Graham.

            “Then let me come in,” Graham said softly.

            Darren’s breath caught in his throat. He got up from his bed and walked over to the bedroom window, glancing out the slit in the curtains. He could see Graham sitting in his car, the cell phone held to his ear.

            Darren closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window. He knew what he needed to do, what he should do. He took a deep breath and tried to find the words to send Graham away.

            “Please, Dar?”

            “I’ll unlock the door,” Darren whispered as he pushed himself away from the window and walked out of his bedroom. With each step he took, Darren berated himself for his weakness.

            Graham was bad for him. He knew that. Oh, Graham would never physically hurt him but the emotional whirlpool Darren swam in every time he saw Graham was devastating.

            Darren had been so sure he could handle an emotionless relationship with Graham. They could be friends and just fool around occasionally. In the beginning, it worked but the more time Darren spent with Graham, the more he fell for the man.

            A year later and Darren knew he was head over heels in love with Graham. He’d do anything for the man. He’d even tried to hide his feelings from Graham so they could continue to see each other.

            Graham knew, though. Darren knew he did. Over the last couple of months they spent less and less time together until they barely saw each other at all. Darren saw more of Jamie, Graham’s best friend, than he saw of his occasional lover.

            Darren just didn’t know what to do. He could no more deny Graham’s request to come inside than he could ask for the man to acknowledge him to their friends. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.

            He unlocked the door and opened it a crack before turning away and walking back to his bedroom. He heard the front door close and the lock click into place before he even reached his bedroom doorway.

Graham was here!

            Darren’s heart beat faster when heard Graham’s footsteps behind him. Strong muscular arms encircled him. Darren leaned back against Graham’s chest and closed his eyes. He just stood there, savoring the feel of his lover wrapped around him.

            “We can’t keep doing this, Graham,” he whispered. He didn’t want to say the words but he knew they had to be said, for both of their sakes.

            “I know, baby.”

            Callused fingers stroked the side of Darren’s face. Darren felt tears pool in his eyes and closed them tighter. “Isn’t there—” he whispered.

            “No, Dar,” Graham said. “You know this is the way things have to be.”

            Darren turned in Graham’s arms and opened his eyes to look up into his face. His fingers plucked at the fabric of Graham’s shirt. “Can’t we—”

            His heart sank as he watched Graham’s eyebrows furrow. Darren closed his eyes again and dropped his head forward to rest against Graham’s chest. He took a deep breath then wished he hadn’t. Graham’s rich musky scent filled his nostrils, overwhelming him.

            Darren opened his eyes and tilted his head back to look at Graham again. He tried to smile but knew he failed when Graham frowned. Darren reached up and stroked his fingers over Graham’s lips.

            “Okay, Graham, we’ll do it your way.” Darren’s heart ached as he said the words he knew Graham needed to hear. He imagined he could feel the actual breaking of his heart in his chest.

Darren grabbed Graham’s hand in his and pulled him over to the bed. He stopped and turned to Graham, his fingers reaching for the hem of the man’s shirt. “Make love to me.”