Shatter (Unbreakable Bonds 2)

He’d never had so much sex in his life.

They’d been like teenagers discovering sex for the first time for weeks now. Then, after being officially released as a suspect in the murder of Wilson Davis, Snow had been called back to work. They still got together as much as possible when their shifts coincided. This morning, Sarah had called to say his house had now been freed. The police had everything they needed, especially after they’d found plenty of photographic evidence that Gratton had killed the man in his home.

Wilson Davis.

It was actually harder knowing his name. Wilson had been a local high school teacher who did not have a reputation as a hot head, so his fight with Snow had been out of character. Seemed Snow had just pissed him off.

It was his gift.

He glanced at Jude, lifting one brow when he saw the man still seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to say. Snow had been staying a lot of nights with Jude and it had nothing to do with feeling like a third wheel with Lucas and Andrei. No, he actually had trouble dragging himself away from Jude. He stared at him all the time, even waking early to watch him sleep like some lovesick fool.

And he was most certainly that. Lovesick. And a fool.

He was practically living with the man in that tiny apartment and when he’d received the call from Sarah, his first gut reaction had been sadness that he didn’t have an excuse to stay there. Of course, his place wouldn’t be livable for some time, but this was a step back into his real world.

If he could even stand to live there. He wasn’t sure he could.

“You won’t be able to live in your place yet,” Jude finally said, echoing his thoughts. “So I was thinking you could just bring more stuff to my place instead of taking it to Lucas’s.”

“You going to make room for my suits in that little closet of yours, Torres?” Snow threw him a wink.

“Yeah, I am. I like sleeping with you, General.” He cleared his throat, his coat rasping against the leather seat as he shifted.

“I like sleeping with you, too.” Snow knew he sounded hesitant and he didn’t mean to. It was just that he could tell what Jude was leading up to and his heart had started to race. He tightened his hands on the wheel, glad a red light was forcing him to stop. He looked straight at Jude. “But, I think it’s too early for us to move in together.”

Jude’s smiled and nodded. “Oh, it’s definitely too soon for that, but I think, no I believe, we’re headed that direction. Don’t you?”

Snow held his breath, then jumped when someone in the car behind them honked. “Shit,” he murmured, glancing in the rearview mirror before pulling through the intersection.

Soft, deep chuckles came from the passenger seat. “Did I fluster you?”

“No.” Snow sighed. “Yes.”

The chuckles turned into laughter, before Jude shook his head. “I’m not asking you to move in with me. For one thing, my place was never meant for more than one person. I only live there so I can save money while still helping out my mother and Jordan. But I can afford to find a bigger place, one that would be more comfortable for two—when you want to stay over.” He paused, took an audible, deep breath. “And for another, what we have is still pretty new. However…it is something. Something big. Can you admit that?”

Snow scowled. “Of course I can admit that. I feel it. I—” He cursed as he realized he’d been about to blurt out his true feelings. In a car. He turned into his driveway and hit the remote on the garage door. Jude had totally distracted him with the conversation and he hadn’t even had time to get nervous about going back into his place. He parked his car, turned it off, and twisted in his seat. He was in love with this man. Completely. But he didn’t want to tell him like this. Not here when there was still another man’s blood soaking his carpet upstairs.

“You?” Jude prompted slowly, dark eyes locked on Snow’s.

“I…want to continue this conversation after we pick up my things.”

Jude smiled. “Coward,” he murmured softly.

Snow’s hands snapped out, grabbed Jude and hauled him close. “I just don’t want to fucking tell you that I love you in the front seat of my car, dammit.”

Jude blinked at him. His mouth fell open, then closed.

Snow’s gut turned into a mass of painful knots, his heart still beat like it had joined a marathon, and he felt heat crawling up his neck and face. He closed his eyes. “Did I ever tell you that I hate being called a coward?”

“Snow.”

Jude’s tone made Snow’s eyes snap open. The man was looking at him with a sort of fierce joy lighting his features.