“Because we’re your friends?” Reese asked.
“Yes. When this is over, you two will go back home and, obviously, the sex will stop. But friendship is different.”
Reese smiled, pleased, and kissed David’s cheek. He still didn’t totally understand why he had to stop being paid, but he could accept it. “Okay.”
Mati touched David’s cheek, and he bent so she could kiss him, too. “Okay,” she reiterated. “What do we do now?”
“We’re going to move to my place, if that’s all right with you two.”
“Yes, of course. If you’re sure,” Reese said.
David stroked his hand down Reese’s back. “I’m sure.” His palm wandered farther south, cupping Reese’s left butt cheek and giving it a squeeze. “I have a few things there that we might need, anyway. This will save me another supply run.”
Mati grinned. “Excellent.”
Reese’s cock perked up hopefully, his imagination running wild. He had to clear his throat, twice, before he managed to croak, “Okay.”
David nudged them toward their bags. “I’ll start on the kitchen while you two get your things packed up.”
Reese remained stalled in the middle of the room, trying to figure out what supplies David needed—Lube? condoms? what else could there be?—until Mati grabbed his hand and dragged him with her to their suitcases.
He folded his clothes mechanically until he was left with one last item hanging from his fingertips. How did one pack the pants they ejaculated into? He’d already discarded his briefs as unsalvageable.
Mati smirked and plucked the khakis from his grasp, folding them efficiently into a plastic bag. “I’ll put them with my nightgown.”
Reese was now, apparently, the kind of guy who had to travel with a special bag for come-stained clothes. Awesome.
So much had changed so quickly.
He had a sudden, random, and utterly heart-stopping thought. He spun toward Mati. “You’re not going to quit, are you?”
Mati laughed. “Never.”
Reese slumped with relief and she hugged him, squeaking when he hooked his arm around her waist and crushed her to him, lifting her right off her feet. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, carding her fingers through his hair. “Not as long as you want me.”
“That will be forever,” Reese warned, the truth spilling from his lips before he’d considered the wisdom of his confession.
“Okay,” she whispered back.
He buried his face against her neck and held on for a long time. He smiled when David’s arms wrapped around them and his hand came to rest on Reese’s ass. Again.
“You two are making it very hard to stay focused,” David said. “And we really need to get going.”
Reese laughed. “Says the pot who’s currently snuggling the kettle.”
Eventually, they let go of each other, though the feeling of David’s palm on Reese’s butt remained seared in his brain. They packed a luggage cart high with boxes and suitcases, and left the room behind.
It was alike a breath of fresh air to step into the bright, bustling lobby. Reese would have guessed he’d be better at enforced confinement, given the long stretches he’d spent at home, but it turned out he was more recovered than he’d realized. He was positively giddy to see total strangers rushing around, to smile at the bellhop, to see the world go by as they waited for their car.
David tucked Reese and Mati into a corner, standing between them and the room and making sure he had a clear view of the door. Reese didn’t mind, since it meant having David and Mati pressed close, but he kept his hands to himself so he didn’t prevent David from doing his job.
Or his not-job, as it were.
Reese was surprised to see Marcus reading the paper not ten feet away, pretending he didn’t know them. He did, however, seem to know one of the men loitering across the room, exchanging a nod with him before returning his attention to his paper. Reese assumed the other man also worked for Chance.
Reese felt guilty that they were causing so much trouble, but when he looked at Mati, the feeling vanished. He’d hire a battalion if it kept her safe. Hell, he’d hire a battalion to keep David safe. The idea of David putting himself in danger to keep them safe had become abhorrent.
So, yes. He’d take all the help they could get.
The bellhop announced the arrival of their car. David put his hand at the small of Mati’s back and ushered them forward, his shoulders tight and pace measured.
They stepped through the doors, and the young, handsome valet positively lit up upon seeing David, his grip on the keys lingering and a blatant invitation in his gaze.
Reese frowned at the young man and cleared his throat. Loudly.
The valet took one look at him and took a big step back.
Mati barely contained her laughter at Reese’s behavior and the shock on David’s face. She slid into the back seat and grinned at Reese as soon as he settled beside her.
“It is so hot when you do that,” she said.
Reese looked confused. “What is?”
“When you get all possessive like that.”
Reese stared out the window. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She guffawed. “Okay, then you should probably stop staring daggers at the boy flirting with David. It’s not like David’s going to bend him over the valet stand, is it?”
Reese shifted in his seat.
“Oh.” Her eyebrows went up. “You like that idea.”
“I definitely do not.”
“You’re picturing it.” She ran her hand over Reese’s thigh.
Twin pink splotches appeared on Reese’s cheeks.
She leaned closer. “Do you want him to bend you over the valet stand?”
“No,” Reese said. “I’m not really into exhibitionism,” he added.
She grinned, well-practiced at reading between Reese’s lines. “But you want him to bend you over something.”
Reese’s cheeks went from pink to red.
“A desk, maybe?” she ventured, then considered it. “Somewhere private. Somewhere he—we could take our time.”
Reese primly yanked at the knees of his trousers as if she might not notice the fit of his pants changing before her eyes.
“You do like that. I can picture it, too.”
“Jesus Christ,” Reese muttered, shifting again. He didn’t seem to know where to look.
“Or how about your desk? My desk? God, do you think those fancy legs could hold you both?”
Reese shuddered.
“Or not a desk at all…think of the possibilities.”
It was obvious Reese was doing just that.
“David’s kitchen counter...I bet he’d like that. He’d feed you perfect bites of food while you held onto the edge, and behind you he…what? What exactly are you picturing?”
Reese’s breathing was quick and uneven, his eyes pinned on David standing in front of the car.
“Oh. That’s an idea. Maybe you want to be bent over the hood of this car. All that power beneath you and behind you?”
She shivered right along with Reese. He’d stopped trying to disguise his erection, letting it tent his pants, his fists ruining the crisp creases over his thighs.
They jumped when the driver’s door opened. David popped his head in, studying them. “What are you two up to?”
Mati had to swallow before she could answer. “Reese was just telling me how much he likes this car.”
Reese’s face practically glowed, it was so red.
David ran his eyes over Reese. “You want to drive it?”
The man had a fucking gift for turning a perfectly innocent question into something else altogether. She expected Reese to melt into a puddle at her feet, but the color suddenly drained from his cheeks.
“No, thank you,” he said, voice hollow.
Mati curled a hand over the fist on Reese’s thigh and squeezed
, cursing herself for not thinking ahead. “Reese doesn’t drive,” she explained.
“I do,” Reese said. “I mean, I know how.”
“Right, but you choose not to,” she said matter-of-factly.
David dropped into his seat behind the wheel and started the car, one eye on Reese in the mirror.
Reese didn’t notice, his gaze turned out the window. “I just need to practice. Then I can get back to it. At least when Hodges isn’t around.”
“Has it been a while?” David asked as he merged into the traffic.
“Not since shortly after I was run off the road and chased home.”
Mati watched David do the math on the intervening five years.
David nodded, and Mati wanted to hug him for not making it a big deal.
“I can see why that might put you off driving,” David said. “You should get some practice before you try tackling Boston’s streets. We can do that sometime. Practice, that is, if you want.”
Reese looked at David. “Yeah?”
“Sure. This thing isn’t the easiest to maneuver, but we could get your car and take it for a spin. Find some good places for you to get your feet wet.”
“Don’t say that. I may drive us right into the harbor.”
“I’m sure you won’t, but if it makes you feel better, we can practice somewhere far away from any bodies of water.”
Reese smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Great,” David replied, but his attention was no longer on them. Instead, he had a close eye on the traffic around them.
“Is someone following us?” she asked.
“Not anyone who isn’t supposed to be.”
Reese frowned. “What would you do if there were?”
“It depends,” David said. He pulled up to a red light and twisted in his seat to look at them. “I’d like to be able to hand the wheel over to either of you, if the situation called for it. It’s safer if you can both drive. That goes for today, and ten years from now, when I’m long gone.”
She liked how David was certain she and Reese would be together a decade from now. She felt the same way. Reese had said forever.
The idea of David being long gone sat far less comfortably.
Reese nodded. “I should drive tomorrow, then. Get some practice.”
Mati snapped out of her reverie. “You sure?”
“Yes. If it means you’re safer, then yes.”
A pleased smile crossed David’s face as he turned back to focus on the road. Clever bastard had known just what buttons to push.
David did his job—checking the street for cars and people who shouldn’t be there, who he’d seen before, or who just looked sketchy—but a portion of his brain was reserved for the total freak out he was having about bringing Mati and Reese to his home.
He’d been considering the offer the entire time he’d been struggling with the tiny kitchen and thinking about all the things he wanted to cook in the next few days—and the thought sure as hell had crossed his mind while he’d attempted to sleep on that god-awful pullout couch—but he’d underestimated how intimate it would feel.
He’d bought the place a couple years ago, in the hope that having his own space, a safe-haven he could retreat to, would preserve his tenure with the BPD.
And it had helped, but it hadn’t been nearly enough.
It was still his safe-haven, though. His life had been pretty quiet since he’d bought it, with a lot of his time spent at home. He hadn’t been celibate or anything, but he also hadn’t had anyone spend longer than an evening there, and no one had ever spent the night. Now he’d invited two people to do just that, for an indeterminate length of time.
He tried to picture them in his house, in his space, and what was scary was he could. The issue wasn’t that it would be too intimate. Or that he didn’t feel close enough to them. It was that he did, and that was foolish. No, it was really fucking stupid.
Yet, here he was. With no regrets.
The parking spot in front of his building was available, which had to be a fucking sign because this was the North End of Boston, and there was never parking anywhere.
“This is it,” he said, gesturing up at his windows as they stepped onto the sidewalk. He tried not to rush them but was eager to get off the street. When a car parked at the end of the block, he went on high alert, sliding his hand toward the small of his back.
The tension left him in a rush when Marcus climbed out and waved.
He jogged over. “Chance sent me to help carry stuff.”
“We can do it,” Reese said, turning back toward the car.
“You can step inside the door, please,” David said, guiding Reese and Mati into the lobby that was little more than a place for mailboxes and deliveries from Amazon.
He hated that they look worried. He pressed a quick kiss to each of their lips.
“We want to help,” Reese said.
David smirked. “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll still get a chance to carry stuff. Just wait here.” He popped back out to the sidewalk, pointing at Marcus. “Don’t say a word.”
Marcus, who had clearly seen those kisses through the door, grinned. “Okay.”
Just for that, David handed him the box of Calphalon skillets and leftover wine.
David unpacked the rest of the car and shuttled things to Mati and Reese. After collecting the last two boxes, David herded Marcus through the door.
“Where are we going?” Marcus asked, eyeing the stairs.
“Third floor.”
Marcus’s face was priceless.
When they got to his floor, David unlocked his door and pushed it open. Marcus deposited his boxes on the kitchen counter and left with a wink. If they needed him, he’d be in his car or somewhere else nearby until someone else took over the duty.
Mati and Reese hovered in the entranceway.
“Come in, come in.” David led them down the hallway. “The bedroom is this way, if you want to drop your bags.”
They both seemed relieved. Did they honestly wonder if they would be sleeping anywhere else?
Mati gasped when she saw the open beams and skylights above the bed.
Reese crossed to the windows to admire the view over the rooftops and the harbor just visible in between. “This is amazing.”
David smiled, enjoying how they looked in his space. “Thank you.”
Mati curled her arms around David’s waist and he decided his plans for dinner could wait. Reese smiled, trailing his hand over the soft comforter on his way to them.
David had just pulled Reese in for a long, hard kiss when his phone rang.
Mati closed her eyes and let out a frustrated whimper. “Can we ignore that?”
“I can’t,” David sighed. “My do not disturb is on for everyone except Chance and Hodges.”
Reese slumped. “Fastest boner killer in history.”
Laughing, David answered the phone.
“We may have an issue,” Chance said.
Boner killer was right. “What?”
“Someone was poking around the McCormick garage. Might not mean anything, but I want you three to watch the video and see what you think.”
Fuck. “Okay, send the footage when it’s ready.” He hung up.
Mati buried her face between their chests, her voice muffled. “Again? This sucks.”
Yes, it did.
He explained what was happening as he towed them to the kitchen, grabbing their work bags on the way. He needed to unpack, and they needed to set up. After a brief discussion, the breakfast bar was determined to be the best place for Mati and Reese because it would allow them to watch him work in the kitchen.
He was pleased this was something they might actually like. Most people didn’t get it. Most people thought it was weird his kitchen was the same size as his living room and eating area combined. The first thing he’d done after buying this unit was renovate this space, and he’d had to be talked out of making it bigger.
“You’ll have
plenty to see,” he said as he stored his things and started pulling ingredients out of the fridge. He’d been planning to do some of this after they’d gone to sleep, but if they wanted to watch him cook, they were welcome to.
Also, for the first time in longer than he cared to remember, David didn’t think he needed something to keep him busy all night.
“Are you making dinner? You don’t have to cook for us, you know,” Reese said, smoothing his hand over the warm brown granite counter. David liked the contrast of Reese’s long, pale fingers against the swirls of color ranging from coffee to cream.
“I’ll get to dinner, but first I want to start a big batch of sauce. And at some point, probably tomorrow, I need to make mozzarella.”
Reese blinked. “I’m sorry, but did you say you’re going to make cheese?”
“Yes? I mean, I know it’s a little weird, but it’s fun. You guys will like it.”
“I have no doubt,” Reese said.
Mati leaned over the counter and poked David’s arm. “And it’s not weird.”
Reese didn’t look like he agreed with that assessment.
David bit back a smile. “I like to cook. It settles me.”
He busied himself, embarrassed by his confession, and worried that next he’d blurt out that cooking was how he kept his anxiety at bay.
Reese eyed the large stock pot and mountain of tomatoes. “If we go through that much sauce, we’re going to have to spend a lot more time at the gym.”
David laughed. “You’ll get plenty of this, but it’s not just for us. My friends have a baby and I’m going to send them enough frozen sauce in batches to last them a while, and a lasagna. And my neighbor, Ellie, is having a hard time with her hip in this cold weather, so she’ll get some of the same. I’ll have Chance come and deliver it all.”
“Are we keeping you from plans?” Mati asked.
David waved it off. “It’s okay.”
Reese frowned. “So, we are.”
“I can visit them another night,” David said.
“Anything else?” Reese asked.
“Well, I’m supposed to play hockey,” he admitted.
Matilda perked up. “You are?”
He shrugged. “The guys can manage without me. They get that work stuff comes up. And Chance is the team captain, so he knows the deal.”
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