“I knew you’d be here,” Nathan said, and he believed the words after he said them.
“Matt tell you?” Fury asked.
“No.”
“Then how’d you know?”
“Because it’s over. Greg, Laura, my job… Hellabeth, Dennis, Tray, everything. It’s all over. I knew you’d be back when it was.”
Fury tipped his head toward the door. “You changed the locks.”
“You left your stuff here.” Nathan closed half the distance between them. “When you came back to get it, I didn’t want you able to get in, grab it, and run.”
Fury licked his lips, and his eyes glistened. “I couldn’t call.”
“I know. Your phone’s dead. I tried it.”
“No, I mean…” Fury took two long steps closer, his hands coming out of his pockets and making fists instead of reaching for Nathan. “I fucked up. Fucked up bad. You shouldn’t have had to see what you did. Do what you did. It wasn’t… I didn’t keep you safe.”
Need vibrated so violently through Nathan that he shook. “It’s all right.
“No.” Fury made a frustrated sound and grabbed Nathan’s jacket. “I’m sorry. I didn’t wanna be just one more bad thing.”
Nathan covered one of Fury’s hands with his. “I’m sober now, Hale. So I know with all kinds of new clarity that you’re the opposite of bad.”
“It don’t feel that way sometimes.”
“I swear,” Nathan said. “You’re the best thing in my life.”
Fury shook his head, stubborn as always. “Best things wouldn’t do what I did.”
“You didn’t
do
anything.”
“Yeah, I did. I left.”
“You had to. I get it, now. I see it.”
“I’m sorry.”
Fury pushed fingers through Nathan’s hair, and they were so warm and careful that Nathan wanted to cry. “You left, and I got clean. I figured my shit out. And you took care of your business. I…I understand, Hale. I swear to God, I do, but just don’t do it again, all right? I don’t think… I couldn’t…”
“Sh-sh-sh.” Fury pulled Nathan to him. Two-sided forgiveness was in the strength of their arms, and hope was in their soft press of lips.
Fury’s throat clicked when he swallowed. “Nate… What should…?”
“Stay.”
“Okay.”
“Swear we’ll work through the next mess together.”
Fury cupped Nathan’s face. “I swear it.”
Tension drained out of Nathan’s body for the first time since the warehouse had gone up in flames, smoke, and blood. “Kiss me again.”
Fury did, and Nathan got the door unlocked. They left a trail of clothes to the kitchen and didn’t make it any farther. They apologized and promised, and they took turns offering forgiveness, until Fury’s mouth was on Nathan, fingers in him, and Nathan went from chanting, “It’s okay,” to moaning, “God, yeah, please.”
Nathan turned, chest on the table, and Fury worked inside him, murmuring in Nathan’s ear. It was a rough, deep, desperate kind of making love, and Nathan was breathless and witless, lost under the weight of Fury’s body and in the way Fury refused to let go of Nathan’s hand.
“Love you,” Fury whispered.
“Love you,” Nathan said, and once the words were said, it was as though the two of them couldn’t say them enough. They both got off like the first time didn’t count. The second time was slower, somehow even sweeter, and in bed.
Nathan woke up sometime later with Fury behind and holding him, as though Fury had always been, and would always be, right there.
Chapter Fifteen
“This thing is never going to fit,” Nathan moaned, gasping for breath and straining.
Fury grunted, concentrating. “It’s slippin’… Hang on…”
“Fuckin’ awesome,” Nathan wheezed, but he stayed put.
“Now?” Nathan asked.
“No.” Fury adjusted, and Nathan’s world rocked.
“Now?” Nathan wheezed.
“Gotta turn the thing.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Fury chuckled. “You’re the one who wanted the biggest one.”
“Only because there’ll be room for us both!” Nathan complained.
“There will be,” Fury agreed. He bumped open the unlocked door to the apartment with his ass, and he slowly eased the sofa over the threshold. Nathan held up his end of the couch, which was wider and longer than the old one, and together they maneuvered the thing into the empty space in the living room. They set the beast down and tipped it upright.
Nathan clutched his lower back and stretched when the job was done. “Thank God.”
“And the church,” Fury added, getting the cushions for their new furniture and starting to put them in place.
“That was one hell of a yard sale, I’ll give them that.” Nathan shut the door and eyed the stack of crates in the corner. They’d come from the storage unit that Fury had shared with Hellabeth. They were too big to go under the bed, there was no room in the closet, so they’d sat in a dormant tower for the last week. Nathan sighed. “We’ve got to get a bigger place.”
“Yeah.” Fury flopped into the chair.
“Need a job first.” Nathan collapsed on the new sofa.
“You’ll get one,” Fury said.
“Fucking economy.” Nathan leaned back and shut his eyes.
“I still got some cash from the fightin’ gigs,” Fury offered.
“So you’ve said.” Nathan blindly pointed in Fury’s direction. “And I’ll tell you again, you’re keeping it for books and shit.”
“The scholarship’ll cover all that, Nate.”
“You’re still keeping it.”
“If you want a two-bedroom, I could—”
“We’ve had this conversation,” Nathan said firmly. “Laura’s check’s coming.”
Fury’s eyebrows lifted. “So you decided not to donate it, then?”
Nathan had lain in bed every night since he’d last seen Laura, debating whether or not to keep the cash or give it to the church. Every morning, he woke up on a different side of the give-it-away fence. “It could come in handy.”
“It could, yeah.”
“And I think I earned it.”
“You did.” Fury’s knee popped when he stood. “Whatever you want to do, Nate, we’ll make it work.”
“Thanks.”
Fury glanced toward the kitchen. “We need drinks. Gonna run to the station. You want anything?”
“Water and some of that juice stuff.”
“Your mango-tangerine-tango or whatever?”
“Don’t knock it. Shit’s good.”
“Fuck, I love you bossy.” Fury laughed, low and rich, and bent to give Nathan a kiss.
“Damn right you do,” Nathan said, feeling for his phone when it started to vibrate in his pocket. He didn’t recognize the phone number, and for a second, with Fury leaving and the phone buzzing, Nathan was hit with a wave of anxiety that transported him to a smoking parking lot. He breathed, deeply in for a count of four, hold, and out for another count of four. It only took one round for Nathan to return to reality. The therapy was helping, and time was making it easier, but recovery was a work in progress.
“You okay?” Fury asked, hovering.
“Fine. Go. I should take this.”
Fury went to get his keys, and Nathan headed for the bedroom to talk. He slid buttons and put the phone to his ear. “Nathan Hunt.”
“Hey, Nathan, it’s Cal Vaughn.”
“Oh, hey!” Nathan said, genuinely pleased and trying not to imagine Cal bound in rope. With all the playing he and Fury had crammed into a single week, Cal had been on Nathan’s mind more than usual. “How’re things over at InterTek?”
“They’re good. Really good. I’ve been meaning to call you, actually, but I’ve been out of town and had some vacation and all that.”
“Sure, sure. Where’d you go?”
“Cancun,” Cal said, and, after the briefest of hesitations, he added, “With the boyfriend.”
“Nice,” Nathan said, pushing aside a book, a bottle of lube, and a pair of cuffs so he could sit on the side of the bed. “What’s the lucky man’s name?”
“Eric.”
“You two have a good time?”
“We did. Been together for over a year now. He’s on my sales force.”
“And his figures impressed you, huh?”
Cal laughed. Kid had a great laugh. “Yeah, they did. Listen, I bring it up because I heard a few crazy rumors.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nathan asked, only mildly alarmed. “Which ones you hear?”
“Well, that you’re looking for a job, for one.”
“That one’s true,” Nathan said with a pang of regret. “Had a great thing going at Promo Full, but it was time to move on.”
“Yeah, I heard as much from the man himself.”
Nathan gripped the edge of the mattress. “Greg called you?”
“He did.”
Nathan forced himself to ask, “What did he have to say?”
“That you had resigned, but you’d be a catch in any market, and basically that it’d be great if I could pick you up so InterTek and Promo Full could continue their mutually beneficial partnership.”
Nathan rubbed his arm. “Sounds like you’re quoting there.”
“I am, Nate. He said you were like a son to him, and he asked if there was anything I could do.”
“Well…” Nathan pulled the phone away from his ear so he could sniff and sigh. “He’s quite the character, Mr. Moore.”
“Yeah.” Cal sounded like he wanted to ask more questions, but all he said was, “Anyway, turns out I do have need of a sales manager, if you’re interested.”
“I am,” Nathan said at once. “I would love the chance, man.”
“Then you’ve got it. Come by here say, Tuesday around eleven? We’ll do a meeting and go grab a bite?”
“I can do that. Absolutely.”
“Great. It’s been too long since we shot the shit.”
Nathan chuckled. “Anything else you want to shoot before we meet up on Tuesday?”
“Now that you mention it,” Cal said, laughing with Nathan. “I heard this crazy thing about you and this MMA fighter?”
Nathan smiled. “His name’s Hale.”
“Holy shit.”
“I know, I know.”
“Yeah. I’ll go ahead and block off Tuesday. I need to hear this, and I’m betting it’s not a short story.”
“I’ll do you one better,” Nathan said, inspiration striking. “How about the four of us do dinner sometime?”
“Really?” Cal asked.
“Yeah, why not?”
“Is tonight too soon?” Cal asked in the adorably eager way of his that won Nathan over every time.
“Don’t think so.” Nathan could hear Cal’s grin. “Tonight? Seven? That Mexican place on Broadway?”
“I’ll check with Eric and text if it works.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Cool. Nice talking to you, Nate. And for what it’s worth, you sound good.”
“I do?”
“Yeah. Happy. You sound happy. I don’t remember when I’ve heard you happy.”
Nathan smiled at Fury’s pillow, a Fury-shaped dip in the middle. “I am.”
“Cool,” Cal said again, softer. “I’ll text you.”
“See you.”
Nathan hung up, dragged himself away from Fury’s lingering scent, and walked across the bedroom. Fury still needed the main door lock, but they’d not used the bedroom one since Fury had come home for keeps. Nathan touched the bar leaning against the wall, and he opened the door.
“Everything okay?” Fury asked over his shoulder. He was rummaging in the cabinets, and there was a cold, open juice on the counter.
Nathan took the bottle and drank. “Better than.”
“Good.” Fury rubbed his stomach. “What you thinkin’ ’bout for dinner?”
“I made plans, actually.” Nathan filled Fury in on the phone call with Cal.
“Seems like a nice guy,” Fury said.
“He is.” Nathan pulled out his phone when it vibrated, thinking it would be Cal, but it wasn’t.
“Huh,” Nathan said.
“What’s up?”
“E-mail notification from my bank. The engagement fee was just deposited.”
“Good,” Fury said, and he finished putting the drinks in the fridge.
Nathan eyed Fury. “You’re not going to ask, are you?”
“Ask what?”
“How much the check’s for.”
Fury shrugged and sat on one of the kitchen stools. “It’s yours, no matter what it is, ain’t it? ’Sides, money ain’t somethin’ I care a lot about.”
“I know. It’s one of the reasons I love you. Simple living.”
Fury smiled at the counter and sipped his tea. Nathan waited for a couple of seconds and then slid the phone over to Fury with one finger.
“It’s your money,” Fury said stubbornly. Nathan just looked at him, reveling in the ability to turn silence on Fury for once.
Fury snorted. “Fine, fine,” he muttered and picked up the cell. He read it, blinked, and put it on the counter again like it was made of blown glass. He made a sound that was the perfect blend of grunt and curse, took a drink, missed flat surfaces entirely the first two times he tried to set the bottle down, and finally shot Nathan an adorably bewildered look.
“What?” Nathan asked, enjoying Fury’s shock maybe a little too much. “Think I’d sell my ass for cheap?”
Fury shook his head. “Buh…” he tried.
“It should be enough to cover dinner,” Nathan said.
“Two-point-five million dollars!”
Nathan couldn’t stop grinning. “Say it a little louder. I don’t think all the neighbors heard.”
“You never told me it was millions of fuckin’ dollars!”
“Oh, there we go. Everyone knows. Good job.”
Fury stalked over to Nathan. Their noses and foreheads touched. “Don’t change a thing and wouldn’t have. You do whatever you want with this money, you hear me?”
Gears clicked and a decision locked into place. “Well, that settles it. I’ll go see about getting a three-bedroom apartment. You’ll need an office to do your homework, after all, and—”
Fury kissed Nathan, fast and sharp. He studied Nathan for a few seconds and cupped Nathan’s face. “Everything is so…” Fury sighed. “It’s so fuckin’ good, Nate.”
“It is. Going to stay that way, I think.”
“You…you…” Fury picked Nathan up, shook him, and kissed him so hard that Nathan’s teeth ached. Nathan got his arms out of Fury’s grip and wrapped them around Fury’s shoulders, moaning softly into the kiss that was quickly morphing from abject hysteria to serious business.
“Me what?” Nathan murmured.
Fury pushed Nathan against a wall, his kisses turning tender and beginning to drive Nathan crazy. Fury’s fingers dragged through Nathan’s hair. “I love you,” he said.
Warmth spread from Nathan’s chest all the way to his fingers and his toes. Tenderness melted Nathan, and he relaxed, letting Fury hold him, safe and sound. “I know,” Nathan whispered. “Love you too.”