Packing Heat (13 page)

hurt. “Aren’t you?”

“Only for you. I like being dirty for you.”

“Mmm.” Brad enjoyed that thought immensely. “As fun as

this is, my wrists hurt. Be useful, go get the fucking keys.”

That seemed to spur Gavin into action. He walked out of the

bedroom, only to come back a few minutes later with the keys and

a warm washcloth. Once he freed Brad’s wrists, Gavin worked at

cleaning him up, running the washcloth over his stomach and then

sweeping it over his dick, bals, and the tender spot between his

bals and ass. Sprawled out and naked, Brad let him do his job,

choosing instead to use the moonlight to inspect his wrists that were

rubbed raw in several places.

“Is it bad?” Gavin asked in concern, lifting his head to watch

Brad rub his wrists. “I was worried you might break the skin when

you were throwing that fit.”

Brad shrugged. “It’l likely scab up. That’s gonna look sweet

at work.”

“They’l think you had a hot date.”

“Probably,” Brad said with a sad laugh. “Can’t realy hide

cuff marks. It’l be pretty fucking obvious what they are.”

“I’m sorry.” Gavin winced. “I didn’t think you’d go insane

like that.”

“It’s fine,” Brad said dismissively, totaly uncaring about work

and what others would think about his damaged wrists. He

wrapped his hands around Gavin’s thick arms to tug him up. When

Gavin’s handsome face was hovering over him, Brad reached up,

smoothing his inky hair off his forehead and admiring his beautiful

eyes. “I realy don’t want you to go.”

“Good thing.” Gavin snorted. “’Cause I ain’t leaving. I’m

forcing you into this relationship, wiling or not. I’ve got a pair of

handcuffs, and I’m not afraid to use them.”

“Yeah, my wrists noticed,” Brad said sardonicaly. “Gav—”

“Nope,” Gavin said dismissively, faling down to lie next to

him. He grabbed the lube and extra condoms and reached over

Brad to toss them on the nightstand; then he tugged at the sheets,

puling them over himself, as if being in Brad’s bed was exactly

where he belonged. “I’m staying, Archer. Get over it.”

Whoever said the Irish were stubborn got it dead-on,

because Brad couldn’t do anything but sigh in defeat. He roled up

next to Gavin, doing the battle with the sheets until the two of them

were curled up together. Then he wrapped his arms around Gavin,

holding him extra close. The future seemed terrifying when he

thought about Gavin’s job, his family and friends. Al the things he

held dear would be put into jeopardy just because of this thing that

blew up between them.

Rather than put up another fight, Brad whispered into the

darkness, “I love you,” and hoped that was enough to give both of

them the strength to weather the storms.

“I know,” Gavin said, his voice heavy with near sleep. “You

already told me.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, you say lots of things when you’re trying to get

some,” Gavin said with a tired laugh. “But it’s nice to hear a second

time. Love you too.”

“Oh.” Brad frowned, trying to remember saying it but finding

most of his words from before were fuzzy in his memory. “You

know I’d do anything for you, right? Anything, Gav. I’d fucking die

for you.”

“I know that too.” Gavin squeezed Brad’s hand in his, puling

him tighter against him. “Ditto.”

“I’l kil anyone who hurts you,” Brad said vehemently.

“Okay, Prince Charming, I appreciate that, but I’m a big guy

with considerably more self-defense training than you. I do a pretty

good job taking care of myself.” Gavin laughed. “Besides, if you kil

’em, I’l have to arrest you. How ’bout you stop worrying about

what could happen and just enjoy what is happening instead?”

“I dunno how,” Brad admitted, stil holding on to Gavin

tightly.

“I’l help you,” Gavin said, seeming undisturbed by Brad’s

admission that he didn’t know how to stop being a paranoid

asshole. “We’l figure it al out. It’l be fine. I promise. Now shut up

and lemme go to sleep. I gotta work in a few hours.”

Remembering what sort of job Gavin did, Brad shut up, not

wanting Gavin to be vulnerable to criminals because he kept him up

al night rambling about his insecurities. Instead he lay there, calmly

holding Gavin until his breathing slipped into the steady rhythm of

deep sleep. He should be more terrified than he was, but somehow

Gavin’s promise of everything being fine rang true, and Brad fel

asleep easier than he should have because he believed him.

“Honey, I’m home.” Gavin kicked the door closed and

tossed his hat on the foyer table. Exhausted and starving, he asked,

“What’s for dinner?”

“Ha ha.” Brad’s annoyed cal came from the kitchen. “I’m

not your bitch.”

Gavin smiled, folowing the smel of something hearty and

delicious into the kitchen. He found Brad, barefoot and shirtless,

wearing only jeans as he stood in front of the stove cooking.

“You sorta look like my bitch. Al you need is an apron,”

Gavin teased, admiring the view from behind.

Brad had a gorgeous back. Broad and powerful, he put

professional bodybuilders to shame. The cut muscles bunched

nicely as Brad used a spatula to push browned meat around in a

pan. Gavin loved watching him cook. More than the nice view, it

reminded him what they were to each other every time Brad

cooked him dinner or packed him a lunch. Brad even started

leaving meals in sectioned microwaveable containers for Gavin to

heat up when he was gone, which eased the pain of separation a

little. It also insured Gavin stopped with the fast-food pity parties he

had on nights when he found himself alone in the apartment.

Gavin smiled. “I missed you.”

Brad looked at him over his shoulder, his scowl turning into a

reluctant grin. Unable to resist, Gavin walked over and wrapped his

arms around him, holding Brad from behind as he placed a kiss in

the soft spot between his shoulder blades. He alowed himself the

luxury of just being with his partner, savoring his scent and the feel

of his big, warm body close to his after two long days apart.

“Is that a gun in your utility belt, or are you just happy to see

me?”

Gavin snorted. “Funny.”

“Why don’t you go shower? Dinner’s nearly done,” Brad

offered, stil cooking. “I’m just making beef stroganoff. Nothing

fancy.”

“Fancier than I could make.” Gavin tightened his hold. Brad’s

work shifts always felt like a lifetime, and he was just so damn glad

to have him home again. Sleeping alone sucked. He nuzzled the

back of Brad’s neck. “Wish you could join me in the shower.”

“Are you okay?” Brad asked in concern, abandoning his

cooking to turn in Gavin’s arms. Brad gripped his chin, forcing his

gaze to his. “You’re clingy tonight. Are they stil giving you shit at

work? After al this time?”

“What? No.” Gavin shook his head before he reconsidered.

“Wel, they are stil giving me a little bit of shit, but that’s not the

reason—”

“What’re they saying?” Brad growled as if tempted to stomp

down to the police station in his defense, which never stopped being

equal parts charming and ridiculous.

Gavin laughed. “I appreciate your protection of my honor,

but I am capable of taking care of myself. It’s simmered down to

the last few truly bigoted assholes. I wish you’d stop worrying

about it. It’s been two years. At some point you’re going to have to

pick something else to worry about.”

Brad scowled. “I hate that you’re going through that because

of me.”

“I’m going through it because of me,” Gavin reminded him.

“I’m the one who wanted to be out. We were roommates for

months before we got together. I could have kept up the pretense,

but I just didn’t want to. I enjoy living my life without worrying

who’s gonna find out. And I shit you not, I hated every single cop

who’s been an asshole long before we happened. I actualy gained

something from coming out at work. Now I can outwardly hate

them and have justification for it. I would’ve outed myself a long

time ago if I’d known this was the benefit.”

“You’re not starting shit?” Brad asked, his voice stil

concerned as he turned back to cooking dinner. “I’ve told you that

leads nowhere fast. Take it from me. It’s amazing I didn’t lose my

job twenty times over. I spent a lot of years with a big, gay chip on

my shoulder, and al of it is pointless.”

“I’m not starting anything. Sometimes I feel like it, but they’re

not worth it. It’s realy just a few guys.” Unable to resist, Gavin

leaned in to nip lightly Brad’s nape and mumbled against his skin, “I

just tel ’em it takes a real man to take it up the ass from a big,

badass firefighter such as yourself.”

Brad was in the process of tasting the stroganoff, but Gavin’s

words made him choke. He turned to him, his dark eyes wide, his

voice wheezing as he held back a cough. “You don’t actualy say

that.”

“Yeah, I talk about taking it up the ass at work,” Gavin said

dryly, unable to help laughing at Brad’s shock. “No, asshole. I just

ignore the bulies like my mama taught me to in first grade.”

“Speaking of your mama. She caled earlier.”

“What’d she say?” Gavin asked, running a hand over Brad’s

shoulders, admiring the muscles and thinking his own delts needed

work. “I swear, my mama talks to you more than she talks to me.”

“She wanted to talk about gay marriage. It’s been weighing

on her since the law passed there. She wants to be horrified, but

part of her is wondering if it’s our salvation. Like maybe we’l burn

in hel a little less if we’re married.”

Gavin snorted, forgetting his admiration and jealously of

Brad’s deltoid muscles. “What?”

“It has to be your sisters giving her the idea, ’cause you and I

both know she’d never come up with that on her own. I told her we

don’t need a wedding to prove we love each other. If we’re going

to hel, so be it. At least we’l be together, and it sounds like that’s

where the party’s at anyway. Of course, me saying that freaked her

out, but she knows I speak my mind.”

Gavin laughed, shaking his head at his mother. She battled

between her strict religion and her love for Gavin and now Brad,

who was presented to her by Gavin as a lost soul that life had been

cruel to. His mother had a thing for strays; most of his family did. It

helped smooth the transition of accepting Gavin and Brad as a

couple.

Some of his family realy loved and approved of Brad; others

were vocal with their disapproval, but that didn’t make Brad and

Gavin’s relationship any different from the rest of his siblings and

their spouses. Hel, if they were keeping score, Brad was far more

popular than Curt’s wife, whom every single one of Gavin’s sisters

claimed was a gold-digging wench. To say nothing of Susan’s

husband who got caught cheating on her last year; everyone

including Gavin hated that bastard. On the gossip chain, Brad and

Gavin had slipped way down to the low hum of yesterday’s news.

Gavin shrugged, stil laughing over the idea of him and Brad

getting married. He couldn’t see the two of them needing that level

of fanfare to solidify a relationship that was already set in stone, but

it was stil nice to have as an option. “My family does live in Boston;

gay marriage is legal there. Wouldn’t that be a fun family Christmas?

You wanna marry me, big man?”

“Buy me a nice ring and I might consider it.”

Gavin laughed harder. “Like you’d realy walk down the aisle

in front of my crazy family just to shut my mother and sisters up.”

“I spend every major holiday with your crazy family. Walking

down the aisle cannot be worse than last Thanksgiving.”

“Last Thanksgiving was pretty epic,” Gavin agreed. He didn’t

see how a gay wedding could top his sister Mary going into labor

while his brother Greg and her husband got into a ful-out fistfight

Gavin got a black eye breaking up. “Getting married is probably

better for my health.”

“And possibly your everlasting soul, at least according to

your mother,” Brad added, obviously immune to Gavin’s mother’s

dramatics as he continued his work on dinner while Gavin hung on

him. “Are you gonna take a shower sometime this century so we

can eat?”

“Sounds good.” Gavin used the extra height his shoes gave

him to lean over and steal a quick kiss. “I’m desperate to get out of

this uniform. Today was a rough and dirty day. I’l tel you about it