Page 1 of F Is for Honey Bee

Chapter One

Jonah seriously needed to stop dating men with a ton of insecurities. They were the worst.

That was the main reason he’d ended things with Arlo four months ago, and now it was the reason he was breaking up with Flint. If he was going to keep dating shitty guys, he needed to find ones with better… There weren’t better qualities when it came to crappy boyfriends.

“I saw you and Arlo chatting outside of the building! Are you seriously going to stand there and lie to me?”

Jonah was so over the constant repetition of this argument. “Arlo and I work together, Flint. What do you want me to do, quit my job?”

“That doesn’t mean you two have to look all cozy together,” Flint said, as if he’d just made a point that won the argument.

Not again. Nope. Jonah was tired of repeating himself and trying to convince Flint otherwise. No matter what he said, Flint was determined to believe what he wanted. Jonah had no desire to reignite any flames with Arlo.

Not when Arlo had the same negative traits as Flint. It would be like trading in a constantly barking dog for one that never stopped whining. Flint’s bark was a little snarlier, but ultimately, they were both annoying damn men.

But since Arlo had shown a willingness to put their past behind them and spend their work hours together in a cordial manner, Jonah had also made an effort to do the same. After all, who in their right mind wanted to work in a hostile environment?

Or live in one.

“We weren’t being cozy,” Jonah said calmly and slowly, hoping to defuse the situation. “He was telling me about his mom being on dialysis.”

Although Jonah hadn’t been over Arlo since the day they’d broken up, he’d always liked the guy’s mom. It sucked that Winona’s diabetes had caused complications with her kidneys. Jonah wanted to stop by and visit with her, but Flint might accuse him of using it as an excuse to see Arlo.

“Why do you care about her?” Flint’s nostrils flared as he shouted loud enough for the people on the next block to hear. “You’re not dating that dipshit anymore! Why do you care what’s going on in his personal life?”

There wasn’t even a trace of compassion in Flint’s eyes for someone else’s health struggles. Jonah couldn’t even recall why he’d agreed to go on a date with him in the first place, let alone start a relationship.

“I think you need to leave.” Jonah had already worked a full shift today, and he wasn’t about to waste his evening with this bullshit. If Flint wanted to keep arguing, he could go home and yell in the mirror.

When he walked to the front door to open it, Flint grabbed his upper arm in a bruising hold. Jonah sucked in a sharp and swift breath, stunned the guy had laid a hand on him.

“I’m not going anywhere until we settle this. There’s something off about that guy, Jonah. You need to cut ties with him.”

“Are you serious right now?” Jonah struggled against Flint’s grip but couldn’t break free. The only person who had something off about them was Flint. “Let me go, you asshole!”

“You’re playing me for a fool. I just know it.” He shook Jonah around by his arm. “Tell me the truth! You’re still seeing him.”

“I’m not creeping behind your back!” He slugged at Flint’s hand to no avail. “Let go of me. In fact, I’m not seeing anyone. We’re done. Get out of my goddamn house!”

Flint shoved him against the wall, pinning him in place. His eyebrows were nothing more than angry slashes, his lips so thin they were almost non-existent. “You’re dumping me so you can get back with him.”

“This is exactly why I can’t do this anymore.” Jonah breathed heavily as he stared up into a fiery gaze. This was the first time Flint had become physically aggressive toward him. He was a large guy, and even though he wasn’t overly muscular, he was capable of inflicting serious damage if he wanted to.

“Let go of my fucking arm,” Jonah gritted out, doing his best to slow his breathing.

One finger at a time, Flint released him. Jonah took a slow, cautious step back, eyeing the lamp on the end table as a potential weapon if Flint decided to grab him again.

“Stop looking at me like I’m the bad guy.” His voice was calm, but simmering.

Because you are.

“Get. Out.” Jonah fought to hide his trembling, unwilling to show just how badly he was shaken. Flint simply stood there clenching his jaw, nostrils flaring as though he was deciding his next move.

Suddenly, Flint deflated like a popped balloon. His tense shoulders sagged, and his features, previously set in hard lines, relaxed, but his eyes still held their icy glare. He took a small step closer to Jonah, palms raised in a peaceful gesture. “Let’s talk about this.”

“There’s nothing left to talk about. It’s over, Flint. Please leave,” Jonah said quietly, but his heart hammered, the rush of blood thrashing in his ears. He wanted to glance at the lamp behind him to gauge how far away he was, but Jonah couldn’t risk taking his eyes off of him.

“Try to put yourself in my shoes.” Flint sounded as if he was trying to be reasonable, but there was still an edge to his voice. “How would you feel if I worked with one of my exes? You would have the same reaction, wouldn’t you?”

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