“If that’s a joke, it’s in poor taste. Hobbs is awesome.”
“No, I’m not kidding. I know it looks like he doesn’t talk, but he talks to Calvin all the time. I mean, you never hear him, but you can see him talking. After Gabe died, Hobbs didn’t even do that much. It really got to Calvin. Ash was even more unbearable, and your brother? He stopped smiling, stopped being playful, and holed himself up in his office, hiding behind his computers. At first, I thought they were grieving. I had no idea how bad it really was. Before you came, I was losing my team, Dex. You changed that. You, with your amazing smile. Even when I tried to push you out, you never stopped being you. You showed them it was okay to keep on living.”
“What about you?” Dex asked murmured.
“You showed me that too. I know it’s been… difficult with me in particular, but I promise you, I’m trying.” He ran his thumb over Dex’s bottom lip and leaned in for a kiss, tasting the alcohol on Dex’s tongue. Dex shivered beneath him and when Sloane pulled away, he received a warm smile.
“Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you. And you’re a great agent, trust me.”
“You’re just saying that to be nice.”
“Think about that for a moment. When do I ever say anything to be nice?”
Dex chuckled. “True. Grumpy pants.”
Sloane let his head fall against Dex’s and sighed. “I didn’t know you were so worried about your position. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you’re my Team Leader. You got real shit to deal with. I wasn’t going to bother you with my pathetic whining.”
“It’s not pathetic whining, and if you’re going through a rough patch, I want to know about it, as your Team Leader, your partner, and… more.”
Dex pulled back, his gaze searching Sloane’s. “Really?”
“Yes, really. And please don’t let Ash get to you.”
“That guy,” Dex let out a frustrated groan. “I really want to shoot him. Next time we’re at the firing range, if I promise you a blowjob, can I shoot him? Just a nick. He’ll barely feel it.”
With a laugh, Sloane helped Dex to his feet. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”
“We can pretend it was an accident. A ricochet.”
“I’ll think about it.” Sloane walked Dex to his door and waited until he had it open. He paused before going in, and Sloane held his breath. Despite how many nights he’d spent at Dex’s, he still got butterflies in his stomach when Dex said that one word.
“Stay?”
Sloane nodded and followed Dex inside. He couldn’t find it in him to say no to Dex, and what’s more, he didn’t want to.
Dex locked up, and they walked in companionable silence upstairs to get ready for bed. In no time at all, they were huddled close under the sheets. Sloane wrapped Dex in his arms, softly stroking his back as Dex’s warm breath hit Sloane’s shoulder. This night hadn’t turned out as disastrous as he thought. Dex was out within seconds, and Sloane shouldn’t have been far behind, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Dex.
Lou had confessed to Sloane his regrets on hurting Dex as he had and walking out on him. He’d been certain things wouldn’t have worked out, and Dex had agreed, but the longer he spent away from Dex, the more he realized the mistake he’d made. Lou admitted he had taken Dex for granted. He’d gotten scared and instead of turning to Dex, he bailed. He warned Sloane not to make the same mistake.
It was easy to get caught up in the job, in the past, in life, and without realizing it, end up putting everything before those you cared about, until one day you looked around to find yourself alone. Sloane had spent a good deal of his life alone, and he’d grown accustomed to it. He had been fine being alone. Then he’d met Gabe, and he’d stopped being alone. He’d taken Gabe for granted, believing he’d always be there, but then Gabe had done the same. How much had they missed out on? Sometimes they’d been so scared of being discovered, so scared to take the most minimal of risks, that at times, Sloane worried about their future. He’d convinced himself everything would turn out fine. They’d worry about it later. And then there was no later.
Dex let out a soft huff and mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep, his brow creasing with worry. It wasn’t like Dex to have unpleasant dreams, and Sloane was certain he was partially responsible. He ran his fingers through Dex’s hair and kissed his head, hushing him tenderly.
“It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
Dex hummed and snuggled closer, his bare leg slipping between Sloane’s so he was all but wrapped around Sloane, pressed against him from head to toe. It made Sloane smile. He’d never been much of a snuggler, but Dex had a way of bringing it out in him, and he happily surrendered. Giving in to the feel of Dex in his arms, for the first time in a long time he drifted to a sleep devoid of nightmares.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be facing a different kind of nightmare in the morning.
“Oh shit!” Sloane bolted upright, cringing at the loud thud that followed, accompanied by a slew of sleepy groaning. He leaned over the side of the bed, wishing he had more time to soothe his groggy, dazed partner. “Sorry, but you need to get your ass up. We’re going to be late!” They’d both forgotten to set their alarms, and although Sloane was usually pretty good with waking up before it went off, today he hadn’t. Luckily, they weren’t already late, but they definitely had no time for their usual morning routine, and if he didn’t rush his partner out the door, they wouldn’t make it. “We’re going to have to shower at work. Brush your—Oh my God, are you sleeping?”
Scrambling out of bed and nearly tripping over himself when his leg got caught in the sheets, he stomped over to Dex and grabbed him by the waist
to haul him to his feet. Dex was fast asleep. “Unbelievable.” He dragged Dex over to the bathroom, held him in front of the sink with one arm and with his free hand filled a cup with cold water, and splashed it in Dex’s face. His partner gasped and flailed, sputtering water.