Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

Dex swiftly swiveled his chair around to face the console, hearing the soft groans and Calvin’s whispered pleas for Hobbs to make him come.

Not. Awkward. At. All.

Dex snatched up the two earpieces and stuck one in each ear. He went online and quickly connected to Retro Radio’s online station. His face was red, and he felt relief flood through him when the familiar sounds of electric keyboard drowned out all the sex sounds. Hold up…. Are you fucking kidding me? He dropped his head into his h

ands. In his ears ZZ Top’s “Rough Boy” played with its glorious electric guitar and slow drums, its sensual rhythm and innuendos not what he needed to be hearing right now.

Normally, he would have walked out, but he was afraid to interrupt them during such an intense, intimate moment. This had been a long time coming, and poor Calvin had been on the verge of losing his shit. Dex doubted whatever was going on behind him would solve the pair’s relationship issues. It might have just complicated the shit out of everything. For an explosives technician, Hobbs wasn’t great at handling these kinds of volatile situations, though he seemed pretty damned good at starting them.

Dex hoped the two were getting each other off with a couple of handjobs at most, and considering how long they’d been holding out, he doubted the two would last all that long. Tentatively, he removed one earpiece, relieved to hear soft heavy breathing and kissing rather than the audio file to Raiders of the Lost Arse.

Dex removed the second earpiece and turned around. Thankfully, the two were fully clothed and tucked away. Calvin was on his feet and being held in Hobbs’s arms as he brushed his fingers down the side of Calvin’s face. Dex had no idea what was going through Hobbs’s mind. A series of emotions came across his face before he cupped Calvin’s face, the look on his face heartbreaking.

“What happened?” Hobbs asked quietly.

Probably not the best thing the guy could have said after having done what he’d done. Judging by Calvin’s expression, he thought so too.

“Please.”

Calvin pressed his lips together, and Dex could see how uncertain he was. With a heavy sigh, he gave in. “Nothing happened. We made out, I slipped what Austen gave me into his drink, and got the information I needed out of him. I waited for him to fall asleep before putting him to bed and getting out. Okay?”

Hobbs’s thumb started stroking Calvin’s cheek, his head cocked to one side as he patiently waited for Calvin to say whatever it was he obviously wanted to say.

“Come home with me?”

To Dex’s relief, Hobbs didn’t hesitate. He gave Calvin a nod and pulled him against him, squeezing him tight. Hobbs lifted his head and froze, his eyes meeting Dex’s and widening when realization set in.

Dex waved. “Hey. How’s it going?”

“Holy fuck!” Calvin spun around and stared at Dex. “Oh my God.” The pair turned to each other, their faces turning crimson. “Did we just….”

“Get off in front of one of your teammates?” Dex said, feeling equally mortified by the whole thing. “Yep.”

Calvin gasped, his attention on Dex again. “Did you watch us?”

The nerve of the guy. “Who do you think I am? Austen?” He considered lying, but his team knew how shitty he was as it. “I watched a little.”

“Oh God.” Calvin turned and buried his face against Hobbs’s chest, his voice muffled when he spoke. “We jacked each other off in front of Dex! Someone shoot me.”

“Hey, how do you think I feel? I’m never going to be able to listen to ZZ Top again without thinking of you two playing knuckle shuffle.” And he’d really enjoyed ZZ Top.

“I can’t even look at you right now,” Calvin said holding a hand out to cover Dex’s face as he headed for the back of the van with Hobbs in tow. “Call me when we’re moving out. And I swear if you tell Ash I will snipe you.”

Dex gave them a salute. “Understood.” He held back a smile when Hobbs narrowed his eyes at him and pointed a menacing finger—that really wasn’t so menacing—in his direction. “Yep, I get it. Lips are sealed.” He made like he was zipping his lips, waiting for them to leave before letting out a sigh of relief.

It was nearly 6 a.m. by the time Dex parked the catering van back in its garage. Not wanting to disturb Sloane, Dex decided to crash on the couch in his base, but not before he used his smartphone to find out what time the morning Mass at Collins’s church was and notify the rest of the team. He received a text from Ash simply stating:

Rosa’s in. She’s pissed at you. Good luck with that.

Fuck. He could think of a million reasons why Rosa would be pissed at him, but he didn’t have the energy right now to start listing them or the many ways he was going to have to grovel in order to make it up to her. And Sloane. And whoever else he happened to piss off on any given day. He lay down on the couch, not bothering with his shoes. In three hours he’d have to get up and head out to pick everyone up. Shit. He’d forgotten to text Sloane. Damn it. He thought about what he was going to say and sent a text apologizing for not being there, how Cael had called him with some relationship drama, and Dex had gone off to hang out with him when he’d lost track of time, and he ended up falling asleep at his brother’s. He then texted Cael to let him know. His brother’s response pretty much said it all.

You’re a giant dick.

Chapter 8

“I’VE GOT eyes on Collins. I’m following him down Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.”

Dex made sure to keep his distance as he walked down the street Drew Collins’s church was on. Thanks to Calvin, Collins was exactly where they expected him to be Saturday morning. At least until Collins walked right past the church where he was supposed to be attending Mass. Dex tapped his earpiece. “Collins went straight past the church. He’s heading into the old Renaissance Ballroom.” This couldn’t be good. The ballroom was derelict. It had been abandoned for years and was sealed off to the public.