The Sunset Job (The Rainbow's Seven 1)

He considered just continuing on his walk back to the room, drinking his beer as he went over the plans for tomorrow’s heist. But it had been so long since he and Wyatt had talked…

He knocked on the door, opened it, and smiled at a surprised Wyatt. “Hey, boys, mind if I join?”

Bang Bang stood up, coming over and slapping a hand on Roman’s shoulder. “I was just about to head out. Doc wanted to watch a movie with me tonight.”

“I’m sure she did,” Roman said, smirking at Bang Bang. He knew his best friend understood the risks that came with dating within the crew, which made it all the more surprising when he and Doc started getting close. Nothing official was announced between the two of them, but Roman didn’t expect it to take much longer.

Bang Bang gave a bearlike growl meant to be a chuckle as he left, closing the door behind him. The room became suffocatingly silent. Roman blinked, shuffled a couple of feet, looked around at the bare white-bricked walls.

“Want to go for a walk?” Roman asked, deciding that a stroll under the stars was exactly what this moment called for.

“No, I think I’m good.” Wyatt started to untie his sneakers. Roman contained his surprise and cleared his throat before trying again.

“It’s a nice night. I can show you around the aquarium.”

“I’m fine.”

Damn. That felt like a bucket of ice getting poured over Roman’s head. Wyatt still had a strong hold to what had happened in the past, and he couldn’t be blamed for that. Roman considered calling it a night and leaving him alone, but a spark of their old chemistry lit somewhere in his chest, bringing back that butterfly-field feeling he had nearly forgotten existed. He’d gotten so used to being icy-cold and distant, keeping lovers as far as he kept his enemies, none of them ever getting as close to him as Wyatt had.

And for good reason. Wyatt was incomparable, unmatchable. He stood on his own pedestal, with a smile that lured Roman in as if he’d been hooked on a fishing line. And not only was he attractive, but Wyatt was intelligent, too. One of the smartest people Roman had ever had in his life, and that list included Roman himself. He was quick-witted and stubborn and loved all the same jokes Roman did and made the perfect little spoon and had the perfect rock to his hips when he was rid—

Roman wasn’t going back to his room just yet. He decided to take the blunt approach. “I’m going to try one more time: let’s go for a walk around the dolphin deck and talk about all the shit that we need to talk about. Sound good?”

Wyatt arched a brow, chewed on his cheek. He was going to say no, Roman could see it in his eyes. Fuck. This wasn’t how he wanted to start off the first leg of their heist.

“Fine, let’s go.” Wyatt got up, grabbing his drink. “I’ve always wanted a private aquarium tour anyway, and this is free. Usually that’s about a thousand dollars… which is still cheaper than the parking.”

Roman laughed as he followed Wyatt out of the room. “Do you usually have trouble sleeping the night before a big job?” Wyatt asked, looking down at the ground as they walked.

“Nah, I usually sleep like a baby.”

“Really? Something different about this one, then?”

“Everything’s different.” Roman looked at Wyatt, a large part of him unable to believe this was real. That he could actually reach out and touch him.

Completely fucking wild.

They left the living space and walked out into the warm Miami night, a couple of thick clouds drifting slowly across a sky devoid of stars. There were lights that shone down on the path, illuminating signs that pointed toward the shark tunnel. Palm trees gently swayed in the breeze, the same breeze that carried over Wyatt’s intoxicating scent. It reminded Roman of the nights he’d fall asleep with his nose buried in Wyatt’s hair, the warmth from their naked bodies working better than any blanket ever could. An ember formed at the base of Roman’s spine, flickering up and outward, the jockstrap he still wore feeling tighter. From somewhere in the distance, a couple of loud splashes and a sequence of barking sounds could be heard.

“That’s Bert and Ernie, the sea lions. They like to stay up late and fuck around with everyone else trying to sleep.”

Wyatt chuckled, looking around with a small grin on his face, as if he was working to hold back the rest of it. “So, are we really the only people here right now?”

“Nah, there are a couple of night keepers and security guards that walk around. They all know the deal, though. No questions are ever asked.”

“That’s pretty incredible, the way you managed to secure this.”