SWAT Ed: Fox & Bull (Nothing Special 8)

He was humming and checking Mercy’s shoes when Amelia called him on his walkie-talkie. Reception wasn’t the best where they lived, so the two-way radios were used over cell phones.

“Big Bull.” Amelia’s voice held that motherly scolding tone that he missed now that his mom was gone. “You missed breakfast, and I haven’t seen you come up and eat lunch, yet. It’s almost two-thirty. Don’t make me come down there and drag you back.”

Bull huffed a laugh that he didn’t really feel and plucked his radio from his coat pocket. Before he could come up with a good excuse to continue to avoid his house, his radio chirped again.

“You gonna make me eat alone, cowboy?” Fox’s smooth voice sounded so good to hear that Bull almost took off in a full sprint, until he caught himself.

Jesus. Calm the fuck down. Bull breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. He should not be as worked up as he was, but he couldn’t control how much he wanted Fox. Even if the man came with some challenges and obstacles, Bull would welcome them. He wasn’t interested in merely living a boring life and surviving alone off Highway 74.

Bull counted to five in hopes of sounding casual, then put the radio to his lips. “I’m on my way.”

Fox was surprised at the scowl he was met with as he came through the front door and the wooden spoon that came flying at his head. He was still thanking the lord for his quick reflexes when a spatula hit him in the temple. “Shit,” Fox grunted. “What in the hell is going on? Did I do something?”

“You’re damn right you did.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” Fox rushed out.

“Why didn’t you leave a note?” Amelia asked with her hands on her hip, another weapon cocked and ready to fire.

Fox frowned in confusion because for fuck’s sake, she couldn’t be serious. “Why didn’t I leave a what?”

“You heard me the first time.” She glared. “A note. You know, when you write down on a piece of paper that you’ve left, and perhaps when you may return, so people don’t worry. It’s called being considerate, Fox.”

He stood there dumbfounded for a moment until he realized that she and Walker were dead serious. “I-I’m sorry. I’ve never had anyone give a damn when I came and went. Honestly… I wasn’t sure you’d even notice I was gone.”

“Yeah, boy, we noticed. And so did my son,” Walker said and turned away to go back to his chair.

Fox had to apologize numerous times and make sure Bull was on his way to the house to eat before Amelia was smiling at him again. He went upstairs to drop his things off, his mind still reeling at what’d just happened. Had they been that concerned about him?

He let that foreign feeling sink in as he pulled out some of the new equipment he’d brought back with him. He’d never really had a family growing up. It was only him and his insane father. A father who demanded perfection, a father he’d hated until the day he died.

Fox was rescued from his thoughts by the sound of boot heels moving determinedly in his direction. His bedroom door sounded as if it had been kicked open before strong arms gripped him from behind and pinned him to the wall. Fox allowed the manhandling as Bull pressed himself against his back, his hard chest heaving as if he’d been running. He could feel Bull’s hot breath on his neck, and he tilted his head to the side, wanting Bull to sink his teeth into his skin—to punish him for whatever he’d done to get him this fired up. And before Fox knew it, he was solid in his jeans, his body wanting for more after so long. Bull spun him around, putting them face-to-face, and that was when he saw it. Worry.

He grabbed two handfuls of Bull’s coat and tugged him in tighter. “Next time… I’ll leave a note.”

Bull’s nostrils flared, and the intensity in the fingers digging into his biceps increased. Fox was at the right height to see Bull’s throat work before he spoke in a voice that almost made Fox start leaking in his jeans. “I thought you were at work.”

Fox shook his head slowly. “No. I had Free come pick me up early because I needed a few things from his lab and the rest of the equipment for the surveillance.” He nodded in the direction of the bed where he’d packed another large duffle bag. “I realized I also had the wrong boots with me. I wanted to be ready for my lessons.”

Fox smirked, and he saw a flash of something in Bull’s brown eyes as he cupped him under his chin and smashed his mouth over his. The moment their lips touched, a surge of energy flooded lower, and Bull groaned as he pushed his tongue inside. God, Fox melted into the wall while Bull commanded the kiss, devouring his mouth with an emotional tongue. His work-roughened hands inched down his throat while the other held him tight around his waist.