Ask Me If I Care (SWAT Generation 2.0 4)

“Listen, Chief.” Hayes swallowed when I breached the exit with the finger, dipping just barely past the ring of muscle. “I need to go. But I’ll be there in just a few to sign the paperwork.”

I sank my finger in deeper and ground myself into him.

It felt weird.

Different and something not altogether comfortable.

But it also felt exhilarating, and even more exciting when I knew Hayes was watching my every move.

And my orgasm was right there.

I could feel it just on the edge, seconds away from pulling me under.

“Thanks, bye.”

Hayes practically threw his phone onto the night table beside the bed.

It hit the slick surface, then slid off beside the bed.

But Hayes didn’t even notice.

What he did notice was my orgasm that started to hit right around the time that he took over.

He grunted, slamming up inside of me hard, and then I lost track of time because the orgasm was so intense that I zoned out.

Apparently long enough to come to lying backward on Hayes’ chest with him still deep inside of me, thrusting up inside of me so fast and hard that it ached.

In a good way, though.

And when he followed me over seconds later, he did it with my name as a curse on his lips.

***

“Grandma,” Hayes said. “I didn’t want your ring. You’ve been divorced eight times. It’s cursed.”

“Well,” Hayes’ grandmother said. “That’s just silly. It’s a good ring. And it would’ve been free.”

My lips twitched.

I really liked Hayes’ grandmother.

We were out to dinner with my family and his, as well as Luke, Easton the FBI guy who apparently had become friends with Hayes over the last couple of weeks during their investigation, and Louis.

“I don’t care,” Hayes said. “I wanted to get Ares what I knew that she wanted.”

He’d done a really good job.

I idly wondered when he would’ve found time to get me the ring.

“He’s actually not even asked yet,” I said to his grandmother.

My father and his snorted.

Brows raised, I looked at them. “What?”

“Why would he bother asking you when he knows your answer?” Dad asked. “You just literally ordered his entire meal, and not once did I hear you ask him what he wanted.”

I opened my mouth and then closed it.

“But I knew what he wanted,” I replied lamely.

And only once it was out of my mouth did I realize what I’d said.

I rolled my eyes as there were a round of chuckles at the table.

When my brother smirked at me, I wanted to punch him in the throat.

I flipped him off instead.

Ryan, who’d been very quiet until now, looked at me with sad eyes.

I looked at him, only realizing just then how awkward it would be at family dinners from now on. I’d dated one brother, only to marry the other.

It was weird… wasn’t it?

But I didn’t care.

And neither did Hayes.

Hell, there were times that I didn’t even think they realized they were brothers—or step-brothers.

Ryan and Hayes hadn’t even said much to each other. It was like they were casual acquaintances instead of family.

But, as I noticed, there was an obvious divide. Hayes sat next to his dad, and Ryan next to his mom. Hayes’ grandmother hadn’t even acknowledged Ryan either.

It was a really weird thing that I realized only now meant that they weren’t close at all.

“So tell me everything that happened,” Ryan said. “I feel like I’m completely out of the loop.”

He was.

But Easton didn’t hesitate in telling Ryan about the serial killer and the man that they’d caught.

“He confessed to killing Abilene,” Easton finished explaining. “But though he’s hinting at the others, he hasn’t downright confessed. Even though we’ve found confirmation in a storage space he rented. He kept a little souvenir every time he killed one. It’ll only be a matter of time before we have him confirmed for every one of the murders.”

I blinked. “What kind of confirmation?”

Easton’s eyes turned to me.

“Every time he dumped a body, he stole the mile marker sign.” He murmured. “We found eleven mile markers, each coinciding with a girl’s murder.”

“What a fucking dumbass,” Ryan muttered.

I think that would be the first and last time that Ryan and I agreed on anything.

Hayes wrapped his arm around me and pressed his lips against my temple.

“We’re gonna live happily ever after.”

I blinked and turned, staring straight into Hayes’ gaze.

“I think that was the single most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

He grinned. “What about when I say ‘I love you?’”

My heart nearly stopped. I knew he felt it. Just like I felt it.

But we hadn’t exactly exchanged the words.

And he wanted to do it now, in the middle of our family dinner, when we were talking about serial killers?

I grinned and said, “That’s pretty romantic, too. What has gotten into you?”

He didn’t hesitate to answer. “You.”

My face flushed.

“You forgot to reply.”

I grinned. “Why bother answering when you know my answer?”