Ignite (Unbreakable Bonds 7)

Rowe nodded, lines cutting around his brow as he frowned. He looked up at JB. “Do you remember him?”

“Nope. I popped by the supply tent with Paul. We were low on some field dressings, and I needed a new first aid kit. We hit some minor trouble and had to restock if we could.”

“What about Chris?”

This time, it was Noah’s turn to shrug. “He could have. Of our team, he was the more personable one. He liked to talk to the other teams and get the gossip. He usually got more interesting dirt than the official intel I could pull out of the officers.”

“He didn’t trust that we were getting the full scoop when Noah got the latest report.” JB straightened and shifted to his other foot. “Liked to chat up the other men. It’s very likely that he could have talked to this dead guy. I don’t recall him mentioning anyone in particular when we met up again.”

Groaning, Rowe stood and looked around for a second before flopping back down on the edge of the bed with a frustrated huff. “Looks like there’s not much we can do until Gidget gets her hands on the official report of the attack or at least the lowdown on this Clayborne Security.”

“You know, I gotta say that I’m kind of surprised.” JB paused and scratched his jaw. “When I heard that Noah had taken a job with a security company, I thought it was just some protection gigs. Keeping celebrities and rich people safe. This…this strikes me as a little more than protection, and you guys don’t seem to have missed a step.”

“We’ve…” Noah started and then paused, looking over at Rowe who was grinning at him like a fool. Yeah, there were way too many things Ward Security did that were outside of the norm for a security company and a whole mess of it wasn’t legal, but it was their way of making sure the clients stayed safe and the good guys won.

“We’ve got a team dedicated to making sure our family, friends, and clients remain safe,” Rowe filled in, and Noah was happy to leave it at that. It wasn’t that he thought JB would have a problem with them bending the rules. He just didn’t want to get into a discussion about where that line was, because even Noah wasn’t one hundred percent sure any longer.

“Well, I guess we’re probably not going to get a lot more done tonight.” JB stretched his arms over his head and Noah was quick to glance down at the ground. There was no denying that JB was a handsome man with his hard, lean body, but he didn’t need to give Rowe any more reasons to be uneasy about his friend or to question where Noah’s interest lay. For now he was willing to give Rowe some room and be understanding of his insecurity. The trip to the museum and the arcade the night before made him think that Rowe was at least trying to pull his head out of his ass.

“Get some sleep. We’ll knock if we hear from Gidget,” Rowe said.

“Night,” JB called, waving at Rowe and then Noah.

With a grunt and a nod, Noah watched as JB pulled the door between their rooms closed, but there was no click of the lock sliding into place. That would allow them to easily get into his room if there was a problem.

When they checked in, Noah had been the one to ask Rowe to get adjoining rooms. There was no way in hell Rowe was going to sleep soundly with JB in their room and Noah didn’t like the idea of not being able to hear if there was a problem should someone attack JB in the night.

“Does he snore?” Rowe asked out of the blue in a low voice.

“What?”

“Does he piss on the seat and never clean it up? Does he pick his nose and wipe it on his clothes? Does he—”

“What are you going on about?” Noah walked over to stand right in front of his lover.

Rowe sat up and turned his head so he could comfortably meet Noah’s eyes. “I can’t believe it, but I’m starting to like the guy and I really need you to give me a reason not to. Anything, Noah. Is he a fucking slob?”

Grinning, Noah placed his left knee next to Rowe’s hip and crawled into his lap so that he was straddling the man. “No more than the man that I’m currently living with.”

Rowe pulled him in tighter. “I’m only a slob when it comes to laundry.” He paused and gave a little groan. “And the dishes.”

Leaning down, Noah nipped at Rowe’s lips until they softened from their frown and he opened, letting Noah slip his tongue inside. They kissed slowly, each kiss becoming deeper than the last until Rowe dug his fingers into Noah’s back and moaned. That wonderful sound reverberated through Noah’s chest and he lived for that feeling. The knowledge that he created that bone-deep pleasure in Rowe.