Page 22 of His Every Move

“Oh no, Benji.” I swallowed, heart heavy. I never would have guessed someone this calm and put together had gone through such heavy struggles.

He gave a small shrug, but it was the kind of shrug that carried too much behind it. “It’s been a long time. But, yeah. That’s part of my story.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The noise of the city filled in the space—distant honking, the low hum of random conversations, Lucky’s little paws clicking on the pavement.

Then Benji smirked as we slowed to a stop. He nudged my elbow with his. “And now that we’ve successfully trauma-bonded, maybe we should get back to business.”

I huffed a laugh, the tension cracking like brittle ice. “Right. Let’s do it.”

He held the door open as we stepped into the electronics store. The smell of plastic and artificial air-conditioning washed over me, the overhead fluorescents making everything feel just a little too sharp. There was a mom and son checking out a large DSLR camera, the clerk standing in front of cluttered shelves of all different kinds of cameras and electronics.

“Alright,” Benji said, scanning the wall. “We need something discreet. Good quality, night vision if possible.” I let him walk ahead of me so I could check out the way his broad back filled out the blue T-shirt he wore.

Fuck.

Focus, Elijah.

We picked out a set of cameras—small, barely noticeable, but good-quality recording. Benji handled the purchase while I scrolled through my messages. No new ones from Nomad.

For now.

I hated that I was scared to even open my messages anymore. I used to find that to be the best part of the job. I loved connecting with people, talking and chatting and sexting. It was fulfilling for me. But now? I was nervous every time I logged on to any of my social media platforms, not just my adult ones. It sapped every ounce of fun I used to have from my job.

And now, I was at a camera store, about to set up hidden cameras inside my own home. All because this person wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone. The weight of the past few days started pressing down on me again. The threats. The messages. The not knowing, the anxiety, the fear.

I started to rub my earlobe, tugging it hard.

Benji must have noticed. “You need a distraction.”

I let out a dry laugh. “I need a lot of things. And yes, a distraction is one of them.”

He opened his mouth, then hesitated. “Well, how about spending the rest of the afternoon with me while I help you set these up?”

I glanced down at the bag in my hand. Installing these cameras likely wasn’t too difficult of a task. I was sure a few quick videos online could walk me through any steps that I didn’t quite understand.

But…

I cocked my head, examined his expression. Those full, pink lips that edged into a smirk. The strong brows that framed his broody dark eyes. That swoosh of black hair that nearly fell down onto his forehead, inviting someone to come along and fix it for him. He seemed so nonchalant. Soeasyabout everything.

How could I say no to an opportunity for more of this?

Chapter9

Benji Morrison

Beinginside of Eli’s apartment felt equal parts right and wrong.

I’d been fantasizing about this since I started watching him. Wondered how the rest of his place looked. How he lived. Where he cooked breakfast, where he lounged during a lazy day, where he entertained friends and lovers.

It was pretty much just as I expected. Clean, modern, with some clear signs a gay guy lived there, considering the framed photo of a famous pop singer wearing only a jockstrap hanging in the living room. It smelled like fresh laundry, which let me know he was one of the rare few who could say they had a washer and dryer inside their NYC apartment. He mentioned his roommate, Fran, who was likely running errands or hanging out with her bingo club.

“Have you ever tried the drag queen bingo nights over at the Green Lounge?” Eli asked.

“I haven’t. Sounds like a good time, though.”

“Oh, it is. Every time someone wins, they have to get up and run around the bar while everyone else gets to toss their balled-up bingo sheets at them.”

I laughed at that. “Have you ever won?”

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