SWAT Ed: Fox & Bull (Nothing Special 8)

“I’m sorry it took so long to come back.”

“Four months.”

“Four months too long.” Fox kissed him tenderly for several seconds before it turned ravenous.

They broke apart at the sound of Amelia’s voice hollering from the bottom of the stairs. “Supper’s ready!”

Bull held on to Fox’s trim waist, feeling drunk as Fox’s hands moved up his chest and to his neck, where he began a slow massage that made Bull groan way too loud. Fox’s chuckle was soft and warm.

“Stay with me tonight.”

“I’ll stay with you tonight, and any other night you want.” Bull licked Fox’s bottom lip. “Fuck, you taste so good you make me wanna skip supper and just eat you.”

“Bull. I’m not putting anything on the table just to let it get cold!”

Fox sighed, then pushed against Bull’s stomach. He knew they needed to stop, but… He grabbed Fox’s hands and wrestled with him, wanting more.

“You better go before she comes up here. I need to put on some clothes.” Fox spun around and easily maneuvered out of Bull’s hold.

“Later,” Fox mouthed, then closed his bedroom door.

Fox hurried downstairs after throwing on a loose pair of jeans and a thin sweater. He thought he’d see everyone sitting and waiting for him, but Walker was still in front of the television, hollering at the Raceway Nationals, and Amelia was in the kitchen.

“I’m just adding some pats of butter to the rolls, guys. Go on and start on that garden salad, and I’ll be right in.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Fox called out. His tone was jovial, but his eyes were shooting lasers at Dale, who had the audacity to park his thick ass in his seat… just to the left of Bull. Motherfucker.

Fox rolled his sleeves up, and Dale smugly cocked his eyebrow as if saying you see something you don’t like? Fox walked around the table, running his hand over Bull’s wide shoulders as he passed his chair, his eyes still boring into Dale. “You’re in my seat, asshole.”

Dale sat up higher and unraveled his folded napkin. “Funny. I don’t see your name on it.”

Bull was sitting at the head of the table and watching him and Dale as if they were in a spirited tennis match, appearing more than a little amused.

Fox stood beside Dale, who did nothing but throw a quick glance his way before he commenced to filling his plate with bright green lettuce. “You’re gonna look like an idiot standing next to my elbow while we eat.”

“Move,” Fox growled. No one was sitting at Bull’s side but his father and him. Period.

“We don’t have assigned seats.” Dale grinned. “I think I’ll sit here for a change.”

“My name is on it. I put it there four months ago.” Fox heard Bull inhale a sharp breath, but he didn’t remove his attention from Dale. “It’s on there… look harder and you’ll see it.”

Fox encouraged the foreman to take a peek, and the moment Dale turned and ridiculously checked the side of the chair, Fox yanked his stun gun out of his back pocket and held it near Dale’s ribs. He activated the charge, and the sound of thirty thousand volts of electricity arching between the two prongs made the foreman jump hard enough to rattle the dishes on the table, ice clinking loudly in the water glasses. In a knee-jerk effort to get away from the dangerous weapon, Dale hopped his big ass over onto the next seat, and Fox slid into his usual spot as if nothing had happened.

“Here you go.” Fox eased Dale’s plate over. “Eat up.”

“Are you crazy?” Dale gaped, his green eyes flashing with anger.

Before Fox could tell Dale not to overreact, that he hadn’t even touched him, Bull’s robust laughter cut him off. He wasn’t just chuckling; it was full-on, deep from the gut, folded over, slapping-the-table laughing. Dale stared at his friend as if he’d never seen him before, and even Walker came around the corner in surprise. Bull was wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, but each time he glanced at Dale, who was still looking outraged, it would only send him into another laughing fit.

“What on earth is going on in here?” Amelia set the rolls in the center of the table as she glanced back and forth between the three of them until her sparkling eyes got stuck on Bull. “Good lord.” She placed her hand over her mouth and started to snicker as if Bull’s laugh was contagious.

It was. Fox had never heard it either, and he thought it sounded magical. Bull was still going, but at least he was trying to rein it in. All Fox could do was smile with pride, because he’d done that.

“I didn’t even know you could laugh like that,” Amelia said with shock and awe in her tone. “Did you, Walker?”