“You live in Louisiana?” Aaron asked.
“Yeah, I guess. My shit’s there, at least,” Kreed replied.
“That’s quite a ways from me,” Aaron mumbled. Kreed lifted one eyelid, glancing over to Aaron.
“All you have to do is say you want to move in. Camp Beauregard’s a vacay destination. Always full, but I can manage room for you.”
“Ha!” Aaron barked out a laugh. “When we get to that point, we need to move to someplace a little more happening. I bet Camp Beauregard isn’t much past dial-up.”
“Is that a Louisiana-might-not-be-progressive-enough joke? Don’t worry. I’ll keep you busy. You won’t have time to miss the new millennium that much.”
“You’re funny. You should turn over.”
Mitch’s shrill ringtone interrupted the moment. It took a couple of pats under his lounger, but Kreed finally found his phone in the sand, lifted it, and swiped his thumb across the screen by the fourth ring.
“Yo, princess, how’s it hanging?”
“You busy?” Mitch asked.
“Yep,” Kreed replied and winked at Aaron.
“Good. Makes it better that I interrupted you. Listen, I just left Masters’s office. They regretted to inform me that I was now on desk duty. Some field office in Utah had an opening, and they were moving me into administration, so I quit. I wanted you to know before anyone else.”
“What?” Kreed sat up in shock. He’d figured Mitch had called about the case and hadn’t really been listening closely, but Mitch captured his full attention with those words. “Start over.”
“I quit. I wanted you to hear it from me. I’ve got about a million vacation hours, so I’m on leave right now. Once they’re used, I won’t be employed by the Marshals Service any longer.”
“And you’re good with that?” Kreed’s brow narrowed as he asked the question. As long as he’d known Mitch, being a deputy marshal was all he’d ever wanted to do.
“Nah, I guess not. But I don’t wanna be tied to a desk, and Utah’s not good for Cody. He’d have to leave his family, his job, and his dream of becoming a ranger, or he’d stay behind for all that and I wouldn’t be living with him. So, yeah.”
“What’s your plan?” Kreed asked.
“I haven’t gotten that far,” Mitch replied.
For the first time in this call, that cocky tone Knox always used faltered. His partner’s voice cracked. Clearly Mitch wasn’t good with any of this. Oh, man.
Kreed stayed silent for several long seconds before he spoke again. “I got an idea.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Stay in Dallas. We’ll head back now.” Kreed moved off his lounger and stood.
“I don’t want you to…”
“Shut up. I’ll text you the details. Find a place we can talk privately and pick us up at the airport,” he instructed Mitch, not giving him any room to argue.
“All right, I guess.”
“Bring Turner,” Kreed said and hung up the phone.
“What’s going on?” Aaron asked, turning over fully to focus on Kreed.
Damn, he hadn’t considered this would end their vacation. His sexy boyfriend spread out on the lounger, looking up at him like he’d lost his mind. Well, hell, maybe he should have given the plan more thought. He moved closer to Aaron, sat on the side of his lounger, then leaned down to kiss Aaron’s lips.
“We have to go back today. Knox quit.” Those last two words sat heavily in Kreed’s heart.
“What?” Surprise registered on Aaron’s face as he jerked up into a sitting position.
“I know. They wanted to move him to a desk in Utah.”
“Really?” Aaron shook his head.
“But I’ve been playing with an idea for a while now. I need to go back so we can talk. Maybe we can come back here in a few months. I can make this up to you,” Kreed offered, wiping some sand off Aaron’s leg.
“Not necessary. Mitch needs you. I get it.” Aaron started to rise, but Kreed stopped him.
“You’re a good boyfriend.” Kreed leaned in for a kiss, and Aaron gave him a quick peck, making the move almost non-existent. Kreed lifted his hands and held Aaron’s head in place as he kissed that smartass mouth. But Aaron broke off before he got too far along.
“I am. Don’t forget it. Let’s get going. I need to pack my equipment. I can just send it back to my house now.” Aaron was off the lounger, picking up their towels and sunscreen from the sand.
“Now it makes sense why you bring that everywhere,” Kreed said, trailing behind the kid as he took off for the house. He watched that perfect little ass bounce with each step he took.
“And you’re supposed to have all that gut instinct. Thought you would have put that together way before now.” Aaron shot him a sexy little grin over his shoulder. Kreed jogged those few steps separating them then reached out to circle Aaron in his arms and draw him back against his chest.
“I really enjoy watching you walk.”
“No. One thing will lead to another, and we’ll be in the bedroom—not on the plane.” Aaron pushed away, but Kreed reached out and grabbed his hand. Since Aaron was being open about things, Kreed ventured into another topic he’d wondered about.
“You didn’t meet Mitch by accident, did you?” he asked, tugging open the sliding back door.
“No,” Aaron tried to move forward, but Kreed stopped again.
“That’s why you helped him in this case. You used him, but found out he’s a good guy.” Kreed could tell by the look on Aaron’s face that he’d hit the nail on the head.
“It’s not one of my prouder moments. I liked him more than I realized I would. I was young. I didn’t know there were really good-hearted people in the world. It wasn’t how I was raised. I owed Mitch.” Aaron stayed right there in the doorway, all his focus on Kreed. Every time he ventured into the unknown with Aaron, there was worry reflected back from that handsome face.
“He gave you credibility with the bureau,” Kreed half asked, half stated, the whole picture becoming crystal clear.
Aaron was silent again, staring at him, and all he could do was stare back as the rest of the pieces fell into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle revealing a picture.