“You do?” Aaron asked, looking back over his shoulder. He wished he had a camera to capture that look. All thoughts of expensive earphones left as his dick plumped.
“What’s your natural hair color?” Kreed asked. The kid was just gorgeous, stunningly handsome. Aaron would look amazing with any color hair.
“Dark. I can keep it like that. Maybe add some purple. Purple looks good with black.” Aaron was looking down all the aisles, passing several before he turned.
“You do this yourself?” Kreed asked, following along.
“You’re gonna help,” Aaron added, looking at the rows and rows of hair color. An overhead announcement interrupted his thought before he had time to answer. Although he loved spa day, the activities of the spa always stayed there. He had no idea how to dye hair.
“Chasity Clover, your car is ready in Automotive,” a woman’s voice drawled over the store’s paging system. Her voice had a deeply Southern accent tinged with a bit of Roz from Monsters, Inc.
Aaron’s face lit up, his excited gaze shooting up to the ceiling, his smile bigger than anything Kreed had seen before. Yes, Aaron Stuart was absolutely beautiful, but Kreed wasn’t entirely sure what had him so excited.
“Chasity Clover, your car is ready in Automotive.” Aaron quietly mimicked her last word. “Oh my God, that’s golden,” Aaron cackled, bending over, grabbing his belly, laughing hysterically.
“What?” Kreed found himself chuckling because Aaron’s laughter was contagious, but he had no idea what was so funny.
“Ootttoomoottiiivvve!” Aaron mimicked her sound. “She was so country. Oh my God. When she said automotive, that was like twenty fucking syllables.”
Kreed did laugh at that. He lived in Louisiana, making him used to that slow Southern twang, but Aaron had a point. That particular woman’s voice had taken the accent to a whole new level. As if on cue, there she came again, saying something new, yet long and drawn out. Aaron went into a second giggling fit. This time he held on to the shelves, trying to keep himself on his feet. He was almost as funny as the woman speaking overhead.
“Quit throwin’ shade,” Kreed said, still laughing, trying hard to mimic her as he spoke. “Grab what you need. We need to get goin’.”
Chapter 27
Aaron sat in first class, looking out the small window with his new earbuds in, but they did little to drown out the noise around him. They were about twenty minutes outside of Kauai, and the fasten-your-seat-belt sign had just flashed on the display screen above his head. Kreed had been up, stretching his legs, before disappearing inside the bathroom. The man was so big and muscular that he didn’t fit well in cramped surroundings, so when he exited the small door and had to twist awkwardly to navigate that part of the cabin, the action captured Aaron’s attention…and Aaron noticed he wasn’t the only one drawn to the sight.
The heat of Kreed’s gaze landed right on him, his dark brow lifted and a knowing smirk curled the corners of his beautiful lips. Since he’d spent the last nine hours dodging the suggestion of joining the mile high club, Kreed must have been checking out the space possibilities for the flight home. What did it mean that he was so in tune with Kreed that he instinctively knew what was on the deputy’s mind?
The weight of that thought made him instantly antsy, so he mentally shoved it aside and concentrated on the new look. Kreed had managed to change his clothes and was now wearing a pair of walking shorts and a T-shirt. He wondered where Kreed might have hidden his weapon under that tight-fitting shirt. He carried his backpack and boots in his hands in front of him as he squeezed down the aisle toward his seat. Kreed’s eyes continued to hold him transfixed with that small grin in place as he lifted his beefy arms to open the overhead bin to place his items inside before taking his seat.
“Seatbelt on, Kreed,” a flight attendant said absently as she passed by on a final sweep through the cabin. It seemed Kreed had close to free rein, able to do just about anything he wanted on any flight he took. The rules barely applied, and by extension, they were easier on Aaron through most of the flight.
“Sure thing,” Kreed mumbled as he leaned over, angling his head until he was in Aaron’s direct line of vision and reached up to tug the earbud free from Aaron’s ear. Kreed had performed that move five or six times during the trip. “Just so you know, we would’ve fit.”
Seriously, the guy had a one-track mind. “No, we wouldn’t. I saw you have to turn those big ole’ muscles to the side to enter the bathroom.” Aaron used that Southern accent, imitating the lady from Walmart to describe the width of his shoulders and making Kreed’s smile grow.
“We would’ve fit. There was enough room. I measured. No more excuses. We’re doing it on the way home,” Kreed declared.
“Pretty sure of yourself,” Aaron replied, placing the earbud back in his ear. Kreed reached up to pull it out again.
“Don’t be tryin’ to get out of it.”
Kreed’s face was right in his, the ever-present, sexy little smirk in place. Aaron actually liked that Kreed didn’t allow him to divert the conversation, and he smiled back.
“I’m fucking you,” Aaron whispered and winked.
“Whatever you want. You know I’m up for anything. Just want to join that club so I can get the T-shirt. Mitch has the hookup, but there’s gotta be some kind of proof.” Kreed finally reached for his seatbelt as the plane began its descent. Aaron had no idea if Kreed was serious or what kind of proof would be necessary. Man, he was in serious trouble with this guy.
~~~
Aaron opted to drive, forcing Kreed to sit idly in the passenger seat of the rental car, watching out the side window, with his cellphone stuck to his ear. Aaron continued to cement his grandma-driver status as Brody Masters efficiently caught Kreed up on everything they’d missed since leaving Dallas nine hours earlier. He gave several muttered yeahs and yeses, but as a whole, he just listened. Four of the five fugitives had been apprehended and a nationwide manhunt was in place to execute that final arrest. They were tying up the pieces with the entire Department of Justice focused on nailing this terrorist cell to eliminate any lingering threat they might pose to American citizens.