Traffic was a nightmare, and it seemed to take forever to get back to HQ. Maddock hadn’t even put the BearCat in its parking space before Calvin was jumping out. Ethan was almost grateful he was heading straight to the sarge’s office. Calvin needed time on his own to cool off. Maybe by then he wouldn’t look at Ethan with those big blue eyes filled with anger and disappointment. Ethan hated disappointing Calvin most of all. He’d known there wasn’t enough time to disarm the bomb, yet he’d pushed his luck. It had been a stupid move, and now he had to answer for it. In his position, a few seconds meant the difference between walking away or having his name end up on a plaque on THIRDS headquarters’ wall of fallen agents.
The team headed upstairs, with Dex and Sloane getting off on the fifteenth floor to get some lunch and Dex’s third cappuccino that day. By now he was normally on his fifth. Ethan hoped Dex didn’t find out Sloane had convinced Debbie the barista to make Dex’s every other cappuccino caffeine free. He could imagine the pandemonium it would cause.
Ethan reached Maddock’s office in Unit Alpha. His sergeant had somehow beaten him to it. He was typing away at his desk’s interface. Finishing up, he tapped the surface before raising his head to study Ethan, his lips pursed. Ethan knew that look. It was the Sergeant Maddock “What’s the best way to make you suffer without physically strangling you” expression. Usually Dex was the one at the end of that look.
“I was going to chew you out, but I decided against it.”
Ethan cocked his head to one side.
Oh? Okay. That sounds good to me.
Wait. Ethan narrowed his eyes. There was a catch. He could see it in Maddock’s eyes. Oh boy. Was he going to be on equipment duty for the foreseeable future? Surely what he’d done couldn’t be worse than any of the dozens of harebrained schemes Dex had involved himself in over the last year and a half. Okay, maybe it was a tad worse.
“I’m not going to chew you out because your boyfriend is going to do it for me.” A smug smile spread across Maddock’s face. “And that will be much, much worse.”
Ethan wrinkled his nose. Yeah, it would be. Cal was going to—Wait,
boyfriend?
Ethan’s expression must have said it all, because the sarge sat back in his chair with a sigh. He laced his fingers over his stomach and shook his head.
“Which part are you surprised about more, the word
boyfriend
or the fact I know about you two?”
Ethan held up two fingers together.
Both. Definitely both.
“So, you’re not there yet on the first one, okay. That’s none of my business. But the second one is. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? That I don’t know what goes on with my team?” A deep frown came onto Maddock’s face. “Eight thousand agents in HQ, and you boys gotta date each other. I blame Dex.”
Ethan arched an eyebrow at him.
“If there’s crazy going on, that boy’s never far from it. It spreads. But damn, I love him. Even if he’s turned my team into some big hippie lovefest. Can I offer you some advice? From a guy who’s got two sons with emotionally stunted boyfriends? The longer you try to ignore it, the more you’ll hurt him. Things have changed. You can’t go back to the way things were. And you sure as hell can’t let it impede your performance, or Sparks will have your asses.”
Ethan nodded his agreement. He knew that. He put a hand to his chest and patted it.
“Okay, so you’re trying. Calvin knows you’re trying. He needs more than that. You both do.”
The door to Maddock’s office opened, and Sparks hurried in looking flustered. “Tony, we need to discuss—” Sparks stopped short when she noticed Ethan standing there. “My apologies, I didn’t know you were busy.”
“It’s fine. We’re done here,” Maddock replied with a smile before turning his attention back to Ethan and giving him a pointed look. “Remember what I told you. And don’t forget those reports. I want them ASAP. Close the door behind you.”
Ethan nodded. He gave Sparks a nod in greeting before leaving and closing the door. He’d never seen the lieutenant flustered before. It was a strange sight. When he reached his office, Calvin was nowhere to be found. Where was his partner? Ethan tapped away at his desk and pressed his hand to the security panel, logging him in. Entering his security clearance, he searched for his partner’s earpiece signal. He was in Dex and Sloane’s office. Maybe he should stop by and check on Calvin. He was about to get up when Dex ran in.
“Hide me!” Dex dropped to his knees by Ethan’s feet and crawled under his desk.
Okay.
Just another day at the office. Ethan arched an eyebrow at Dex.
What have you done now?
“I may or may not have Photoshopped Ash’s face onto an image of Aslan and sent it out to the whole of Unit Alpha with this morning’s PR memo. They really should have known better than to give me access to their template, so technically it’s their fault.”
How have I not seen this?
Ethan swiftly tapped his desk and opened the memo sitting unread in his inbox. The moment he saw the photo of Ash’s growly face on the CGI lion body, Ethan burst out into laughter. It was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen.
“Daley, you little sack of shit! Get out here so I can kick your ass!”
Ethan swiped his hand across his desk and got rid of the memo just as Ash stepped into the office. It took everything Ethan had not to laugh in Ash’s reddened face. The guy was practically spitting fire.
“Have you seen Daley?”
Ethan shook his head, his lips pressed tightly together.
Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh.
Ash narrowed his eyes, and Ethan couldn’t hold it in anymore. He held his hands up in apology but couldn’t get himself to stop laughing. It especially didn’t help that Ash had the same expression on his face now that he did in the image.
“Fuck you.” Ash spun on his heels and marched off, bellowing down the corridor as he searched for Dex, leaving casualties in his wake. Poor Herrera. Ash was never going to forget or forgive him for taking a piss on his fern. Ethan held his palm out, and Dex slapped him five. He was so going to print out the memo. Something told him there would be plenty of copies circulating the department. Dex inched closer to Ethan, his voice a whisper.
“Is he gone?”
Ethan listened carefully. From the sounds of it, Ash had left Unit Alpha. He was most likely heading to the canteen. That’s where Ethan would check if he was looking for Dex. He gave Dex a nod and was going to roll away from his desk so he could get out, when the chair got snagged on something. Dex tried to push at Ethan’s knees and seemed to forget how low the desk was. He hit his head, cursing up a storm as he fell forward, his hands gripping hold of Ethan’s thighs and his face landing on the chair between Ethan’s legs.
Sloane and Calvin chose that exact moment to walk in.
“It’s not what it looks like,” Dex said, trying to push Ethan away.
It did
not
look good.
Oh my God, stop moving. You’re making it look worse!
Ethan felt his face going up in flames. Why did every encounter with Dex end up with someone in a compromising position?
“I don’t even have words.” Sloane shook his head, clearly at a loss.
“I fell!” Dex squawked.
Ethan finally got his chair unstuck, and Dex hit the carpet face-first. He scrambled to his feet and ran over to Sloane. With his most charming smile, he took Sloane’s hand in his.
“Babe. Darling. Snookums. I can explain.”
Sloane eyed him dubiously. “You know, if this is your way of saying you want a foursome, I gotta say I’m not really the sharing type.”
“It was an accident.”
“Awful lot of ‘accidents’ lately.”
At Dex’s unimpressed expression, Sloane held his hands up.
“Just saying.”
“Not funny,” Dex muttered.
Sloane smiled and gave Dex’s ear a tug. “It is a little.” He chuckled at his boyfriend’s pout and pulled at his arm. “Come on. Let’s go home before Ash finds you and we have another Running of the Agents on our hands. Your dad’s still pissed about having to replace the water cooler near the archive room. It also didn’t help he was standing there when it exploded. I would have thought the water would have missed him, like the parting of the Red Sea, on account of how pissed he was, but nope. Soaked him completely.”
“Okay, that one wasn’t my fault. How was I supposed to know Ash was having a bad day?”
Calvin took a seat behind his desk with a scoff. “That’s like saying I didn’t know cats had claws.”
“He’s improving,” Sloane replied, just as Herrera whizzed by leaving behind a trail of panicked apologies and promises to buy Ash a truckload of ferns. “Shit. Looks like Ash is back.” Sloane took hold of Dex’s arm and peered out. “Let’s go. It’s your turn to cook dinner, and I’m hungry.”
“Gee, thanks, partner.”
Sloane waited until the coast was clear before he took off with Dex in tow. Ethan watched them go, dodging and ducking through the bullpen like they were on a secret mission. Dex rolled behind a desk as Ash approached to ask one of their coworkers if they’d seen him. As soon as Ash turned, Sloane gave Dex the signal, and they scurried away. Ethan chuckled. Those two. He turned his attention to Calvin, and the smile fell off his face. His best friend was staring down at his blank desk.
“Cal?” Ethan said softly.
“I’m going home.” Calvin stood, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
Fine. Then I’m coming too.
He got up and ignored Calvin’s deep frown. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable. As much as Ethan knew Calvin was telling himself he wouldn’t blow up, he always did. Why did his best friend hold everything in?
As expected, Calvin waited until they got home to explode. He preferred to lose it in private. Unfortunately it meant he got to stew over it all day until he was ready to burst. He paced the living room before rounding on Ethan.
“I can’t believe you!”
“I was doing my job,” Ethan replied calmly. He sat on the couch as Calvin paced.
“No, you were taking a stupid risk. Getting hurt to save Dex was one thing, but what you did back there was—” Calvin let out a frustrated growl before he spun on his heels and threw his arms up. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking about defusing the bomb.”
“Don’t,” Calvin warned. “My God, Ethan.”
His eyes grew glassy, and Ethan deflated. He knew Calvin would be mad, but he hadn’t expected this.
“When you got caught in the explosion at the Therian Youth Center, I’d never been more terrified in my life. I thought I’d lost my best friend. Then I realized you were more than that. Everything changed for me during that Fourth of July party when I saw you fucking that guy, and I know it took me a while to figure it all out, but seeing you lying in that hospital bed…. All I could think about was that I’d never get the chance to tell you how I felt about you. I love you, Ethan. I know you might not be ready to accept it, but it doesn’t change how I feel. And for you to disregard your safety like that….” Calvin walked off down the hall, the sound of his slamming bedroom door making Ethan flinch. There was no point in arguing or trying to talk to Calvin when he was pissed off like this.
Ethan spent the next few hours attempting to keep himself occupied. He tried napping, watching TV, listening to music, reading. Nothing helped. He felt miserable for hurting Calvin. It had been happening too often lately. For a moment he thought they’d been making progress, but every time they took one step forward, they ended up taking two steps back. How long could they keep this up?
After a cool shower, he dressed in loose pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. He headed for his bedroom. Calvin’s door was closed. Ethan didn’t like seeing it closed. It was only ever like that when Calvin was really mad at him about something. Ethan stepped in front of it, his frown deepening. The closed door was a stark reminder of the pain he’d caused. Calvin would be fine come morning. He always was.
Then why was he still standing there?
What if Calvin wasn’t all right in the morning? What if he’d had enough?
He shouldn’t go in. Calvin wanted to be on his own. He needed time. When Calvin got mad, he walked away. That’s how it had always been. It occurred to Ethan that not once in all their years of knowing each other had he tried to stop Calvin from walking away. He’d never gone after him either, thinking it’s what Calvin wanted. What if his best friend walked away in the hopes Ethan would follow? The thought hurt his heart.
Following his gut, Ethan opened the door with care. Inside, the room was dimly lit, not that it was a problem for him. The curtains were parted on the window across the room, the moonlight filtering in and landing on the bed where Calvin was asleep. He was on his stomach, one arm under his pillow, the other at his side, and his hair sticking up all over. Ethan stood by the bed watching him sleep. His black T-shirt had ridden up, and the waistband of his pajama bottoms sat low on his hips. The soft cotton jersey accentuated the curve of his ass, and it caused a stirring in Ethan’s abdomen. When had he gone from seeing Calvin as his cute best friend to his sexy lover? His thoughts went back to that night in the utility closet at Dekatria. The way Calvin had tasted on his tongue, the soft moans and sweet gasps.
As much as he wanted to feel Calvin’s skin, setting things right and making sure Calvin was okay was more important. He climbed onto the Therian-sized bed, mindful not to jostle his partner too much. Calvin was a heavy sleeper, so he barely stirred when the bed dipped under Ethan’s weight. Ethan snuggled close, allowing himself a moment to study Calvin’s face. His jaw was stubbly from having skipped a shave, yet his face remained boyish. Ethan had teased him when Bradley carded him their first time at Dekatria. His blond eyebrows and lashes only added to his sweetness.
Ethan could see it now, that whole “boy next door” vibe Austen kept going on about. Calvin could pull off an innocence he’d never been allowed to have. They’d both been forced to grow up pretty quick in their neighborhood. It seemed like a lifetime ago. The two of them huddled together, hiding from the gangs and bigger kids out to recruit them, use them, or beat them. For a long time making it to school and back in one piece had been a struggle. Once they got to school, a different kind of battle began. Yet throughout all that, Calvin never stopped fighting. The majority of his battles he could have avoided by simply not being friends with a messed-up tiger Therian kid who couldn’t talk.