Full Domain (Nice Guys 3)

He leaned in, nipping at Aaron’s ear. “You’ve made me happy. Sure, there’s shit left to deal with, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly happy.”

Aaron’s fingers tangled into Kreed’s hair, keeping him there. “Keep talking like that and I’ll let you help me dye my hair before you get me drunk and do me on the beach again.”

“Promises, promises.” Kreed reluctantly moved out from Aaron’s hold, opening the cabinets and looking for the boiling pot and spices. The sooner he fed Aaron, the sooner he could test that theory.

Chapter 28

With his mind filled with coding possibilities, Aaron came out of the bedroom he’d designated as a small office, digging his thumb and forefinger into his tired eyes. A yawn slipped out as he went in search of Kreed. He checked the kitchen then turned toward the living room. The curtains were wide open, and he was surprised to find it was actually dark outside. Time had gotten away from him again, and it was later than he’d originally thought.

The frown he wore turned to a grin as he got closer to the sliding glass door. Kreed clearly had no problem being left to his own devices. After they’d come home from the grocery store and a small clothing store, Aaron had forced himself to the back room to work. Only about an hour into catching up did he really see how far he’d let things go. He hadn’t stood a chance, though. Both the church and Kreed Sinacola had turned out to be monumental concentration zappers and the sheer volume of his uncompleted workload was a little overwhelming. That was hours ago, and true to his word, Kreed hadn’t bothered him one time since he’d closed himself up inside the bedroom.

Based on what he saw as he stood at the back door, he knew why he hadn’t been interrupted this evening. Kreed was sitting outside, close to the edge of the water in a low reclining beach chair facing a dark churning ocean. The moon was bright and lit up the ocean just enough that he could see the white of the wave break rolling along the top of the surf.

A blazing fire wasn’t more than a few feet away in the fire pit he’d spotted earlier. Kreed had positioned himself close enough between the wood pile and the fire to easily reach over and pitch a fresh log on when needed. That made Aaron smile.

There were so many things about Kreed that made him smile.

Kreed had anchored a large beer cooler in the sand between himself and an empty chair. He supposed that was there for him, and his heart leapt as it connected with that thought. He’d really like to always be the one Kreed wanted to join him.

Aaron slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the deck. The wind blew softly, fragrant with the smell of salt, tropical flowers, and campfire. Aaron sank barefoot into the cool sand. A row of lit tiki torches had been strategically placed in the sand and lined his path down to the chairs. Kreed had to have filled and lit each one of those, which must have taken some time. Aaron paused to take in the sweet gesture.

All the little things the guy did made Aaron feel cared for and wanted. They happened all the time with Kreed. From remembering his deep dislike of having cheese on his burger and returning his lunch today without a second thought, to stopping at the FedEx store without being asked in order to gather his computer equipment—something that Kreed clearly didn’t understand, but that didn’t matter. He did those things without being asked, just for him. And Kreed held his hand.

How long had it been since anyone had held his hand?

After allowing himself a minute of reflection, Aaron pushed those thoughts aside in a desperate attempt to keep perspective, reminding himself the man he was sharing his bed with was a well-trained, special teams deputy US marshal. Those type men didn’t knowingly hang with criminals. They arrested them.

No matter what happened between him and Kreed, no matter where all this emotion stemmed from or how genuine this felt, there was no way they could continue past this vacation. He couldn’t risk it. And what would crush him more would be the disappointment in Kreed’s eyes if he ever found out the truth.

Mitch’s case was closed. The adrenaline had already started to ebb and life was slowly settling back to normal. The key reasons he kept people at a distance were back in play. He’d made those decisions a long time ago. Too many people depended on him. Aaron closed his eyes at the pressure building in his heart. Guy’s like Kreed didn’t just stumble into your life every day. They were a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

The irony of a deputy marshal being the first person in his life to stir all these feelings hadn’t gone unnoticed. Life was a cruel bitch. Pain gripped his heart at the thought of having to say goodbye to Kreed and never being able to see him again. Aaron reached up and held his chest. No matter how badly he hurt, he would do what must be done when the time came. But right now he could focus on the here and now and enjoy his time with Kreed. Build memories to last a lifetime. Aaron took a deep breath and headed to Kreed.

“It’s paradise,” Kreed called out, looking over his shoulder as Aaron got closer. It was a little chilly out tonight, but the closer he got to the fire, or perhaps Kreed, the warmer he became.

“Sure beats Midlothian, Texas,” Aaron quipped, trying to be cheeky. Kreed had the music up as he walked toward the beach. “Call Me” by Shinedown was playing on the radio. Just fucking perfect. The sadness started to settle back in his chest as the verse played loudly in the background. How could he ever give Kreed up? How was he going to just walk away and go back to his life and pretend Kreed hadn’t changed him? He took a deep breath and forced those thoughts from his head. It wasn’t the time to worry about saying goodbye.