Ian (Unbreakable Bonds 4.5)

Ian couldn’t resist him. His heart picked up rhythm as he got up and slid onto Hollis’s lap. Strong arms pulled him close and wrapped around his waist. Ian faced the monitors and leaned to the side so his boyfriend could still see. “Can you tell me more about what we’re looking for at this house?”

“Not for a perp.” Hollis squeezed him close as he chuckled. “And I suppose I can share because you’re helping me tonight.”

“I’m not really helping.” He was just there for the company.

“You are.” He tightened his arms. “Just having you near makes me feel better. But a second pair of eyes is very helpful. Especially with this rain. We’re working for a man who is desperate to find his daughter, and he thinks she’ll show up here because her grandmother, who recently passed, owned this house. The girl got involved with a bad crowd, started taking drugs, then ran away when he grounded her. She’s only fifteen.”

“Another kid, huh?” Missing teens were right up Hollis’s alley. Ian turned to the side so he could wrap one arm around Hollis’s neck and kiss his jaw. “I’m not staying on your lap, then. We’ll get distracted and we might miss her.” He kissed him quickly on the lips, forcing himself not to linger though it was harder than hell. He wiggled away from Hollis, who was obviously reluctant to let him go by how tightly he held on, then plopped back down in the comfortable, big chair. “Why didn’t the father just let us into the house to wait?”

“No electricity, so no heat. Plus, he worried she’d be scared if she saw me. That she’d run and disappear into the streets again. This way if she shows up, we can call him and give him time to get here.” He sighed. “This was more fun with you on my lap.”

“We’re both off all day tomorrow. I’ll sit there all you want.”

“Naked?”

He snorted. “Of course. Now talk about something else to take my mind off this uncomfortable hard-on.”

Blue eyes narrowed as his gaze dropped to Ian’s lap.

“Looking at me like that is not helping.” He glanced at the monitor and froze. “We’ve got movement.”

Hollis immediately zoomed in on a dark blurb at the side of the house.

Ian leaned closer and squinted at the small figure. “She looks so cold.” The shivering, soaked girl went from one boarded window to another, then to the front door, her frustration obvious when she kicked it.

“We got her.” Hollis picked up his cell phone, called the client, then set his phone back down on the shelf under the monitor. “This is good. She’s alone. He should be here in about fifteen minutes.”

“Her lips are blue. Damn. The poor thing is freezing.” He watched her sink down and huddle into the corner of the porch. “Do we have a blanket or something?”

“She’ll run if either of us approaches her. Don’t worry, her father was already racing to his car before we hung up. He’ll get here soon. The best thing for us to do is keep watch and make sure she doesn’t leave.”

“Have you given more thought into doing this full-time?”

“Surveillance? Hell no. I’d end up tunneling through these soundproofed walls to freedom.”

“I’m sure there’s more to the jobs than just sitting in this van. I bet there are a lot of parents out there looking for their kids. I know you did that before, but think of all the rules you could break now.”

Hollis frowned at him. “Your friends have been a terrible influence on you.”

Ian beamed. “Nah. It’s because of them I’m the together, incredibly hot man you live with today.”

“True. Get back onto my lap.”

“Nope.”

“Then we’re not waiting until tomorrow. You, naked, on my also naked lap the moment we get home.” He rubbed his hands together. “I love a good plan.”

Warmth spilled into Ian’s chest. “I love that you call it home so easily already, and I’m glad you decided not to move back into your place even when all the repairs are done.” Hollis’s house had been vandalized the month before, and he hadn’t done a lot to fix it yet because he was waiting until he was back at work full-time. And also because the investigation and insurance crap had slowed progress to a crawl.

Despite Hollis’s effort to lure Ian back onto his legs, he hardly took his gaze off the girl on the screen. This time, his glance was short but pointed. “I told you—you’re my home, Ian Pierce.”

“Yeah, but you like it there, too, right? Because if you don’t, we could start looking for a place together.”

“I know exactly what that house means to you, and I have no intention of moving you anywhere else. I’m happy there. We’ll figure out the rest.”

Ian knew he was worried about starting over completely, and he wished he had the right words to set the man’s mind at ease. Hollis, who must have felt his stare, gave him a long look that had so much affection, Ian immediately moved back to his lap. He draped his legs over one of the chair arms and hugged Hollis tightly, making sure to stay to the side so they could still watch the girl.