by Cameron Dane
Shawn’s face twisted and he cocked his head to the side. “But then how will we get in?”
Garrick stifled a laugh and tousled the kid’s hair instead. “We have new keys to go with the new double locks, Shawnee. We can all get in just fine.”
Chloe rushed across the kitchen to join them. “You too?” she asked. Her voice and body language seemed almost ... hopeful, and Garrick slumped into the doorframe a bit. Chloe had always been more subdued around Garrick--which Garrick now understood better--and the main concern of Grace and Garrick’s when discussing his accepting a key earlier had been Chloe’s reaction more than Shawn’s.
“Me too.” Garrick tried to keep his voice even and smooth when in fact her acceptance of him had his throat clogging tightly. “I’ll still live over the garage, but your mom and I talked about it, and she thought it would be a good idea for me to have keys. That way I can get in to check on you, or just hang out with you guys, whenever I need to.”
Shawn threw his arms around Garrick’s leg and gave him a quick squeeze. “Cool.”
“You sure you don’t want to go to the movies with us?” Chloe asked. “You can, you know.”
“Thank you for the invitation, sweetheart, but I’m going to stay here and finish this project.” He hammered another nail into the frame, then let Shawn do one when the kid grabbed the hammer the second Garrick put it on the floor. “After doing this--” Garrick stopped as Chloe pushed her way in too. He lined up a nail in its proper place and let her slam one into the wood as well. Maybe it would make them feel safer in their home. “After this, I’m going to stay close by so there’s someone here when the repair guy comes to replace the window in the bathroom.”
Grace appeared in the arch that led to the dining room. “The window guy said he would be here between two and three.” As she walked into the kitchen, she pulled an elastic band off her wrist, moved in behind Chloe, and pulled her daughter’s hair back into a ponytail. “But the kids and I really can come straight home from the movie and beat him here. You don’t have to hang around. We can go to the park another time.”
“Absolutely not,” Garrick replied. The kids had remained close to Grace’s side all morning, and Garrick knew they needed this time together, just the three of them. “You won’t get a more beautiful day to take advantage of being outdoors. And the puppet show won’t be there next week.”
An exasperated tsking noise escaped Chloe. “Puppet shows are lame. They’re for little kids.”
“I don’t know.” Garrick pretended to shield his mouth from Chloe and fake whispered to Grace, “One of the guys at work told me they have it every year, and that it’s good stuff. There are pyrotechnics involved.”
Chloe perked right up straight. “Really?”
Shawn pulled a comical frown. “What’s pyrotetnis?”
“Pyrotechnics, nimrod.” Chloe rolled her eyes at her brother. “It means there are special effects that could have fireworks, or smoke, or maybe even fire in them.”
Garrick once again marveled at Chloe’s vocabulary and intelligence.
Shawn started doing his little happy dance. “Awesome,” the kid said. “We need to get in the front row.”
“Please don’t call your brother a nimrod.” Grace spoke to her daughter over her son’s enthusiasm. “I don’t like that word.”
“Sorry, Mom.” Chloe all of a sudden looked like she wanted to cry.
Grace pulled Chloe to her side and kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay, sweetie. I just don’t like you calling your brother names any more than I like him doing it to you.” She shifted her focus up to Garrick. “Thank you for taking care of the door.”
“I’m the one who broke it down.”
“That’s neither here nor there. But I swear to everything holy that if you pay the window repair guy yourself, I will,” she snapped her lips shut, and Garrick watched her mentally rework her threat for the ears of children, “twist something until it hurts. Do you hear me? Have the man send me the bill.”
“Will do.” Garrick had no interest in taking over Grace’s life or trying to strip her of her independence. She was far too strong now to let any man, romantic interest or not, do that to her ever again. “Go.” He shooed them out of the kitchen. “You don’t want to be late and miss the previews. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.” Chloe waved.
“See you later, Garrick!” Everyone winced as Shawn lost control of his “indoor” voice again.
Grace mouthed Thank you, and Garrick shared an understanding smile with the woman. He took a moment to watch them as Grace put an arm around each child and steered them out of the kitchen. A heartbeat later, he heard the front door click closed and then the sound of metal against metal as the bolt slid into place.
As soon as a car engine started and he knew Grace and the kids had gone, Garrick fell to his knees and put his face in his hands.
I love them already. Garrick had spent the entire morning running around and fixing things, as if he had some great right to belong here. What if I’m not doing the right thing?
“I wasn’t sure you’d be here when I got back.” A voice that had grabbed Garrick’s heart from word-one drifted to him on a perfect warm breeze. Garrick spun to find Devlin leaning his shoulder against the back corner of the house; Devlin stared, and Garrick suddenly found breathing a challenge.
Devlin looked stunning in jeans that appeared as if he’d lived in them forever; a Redemption Fire Department T-shirt pulled oh-so-sexily across his chest, shoulders, and upper arms. The man looked beautiful, but it was the silver taking over the gray in his eyes that held Garrick riveted in place.
Not moving an inch from his position a dozen feet away, Devlin added, “When you didn’t want me to help you, I half figured you might make a run for the home improvement store and just keep driving.”
Garrick’s stomach leapt right up into his throat, and he thought he might throw up.
I don’t know if I like someone knowing me so well.
Devlin wouldn’t look away. When it felt like Garrick might collapse if he stared into those knowing eyes another second, he spun and put his full attention on the door.
“I won’t let you walk away like I did last time,” Devlin said. He moved closer; Garrick could fucking feel his heat without looking and he started to sweat. “And I won’t buy that you’re not freaking out on the inside, right this second, so it might be a good idea to eliminate any bullshit you’re thinking about telling me and start getting the truth off your chest.”
Garrick squeezed his eyes shut, but the rawness swirling around inside him would not be shoved down anymore. “I thought about leaving,” he said softly without facing Devlin. “Still thinking about it, if you want the full truth.”
He palmed the new keys out of his pocket and tested the strength of his work, all the while fully attuned to the man now standing next to him. “Grace and the kids don’t have to worry about Randy being a threat to them anymore but that doesn’t do them a damned bit of good against anyone who might come for me.” The frame and new bolt held up well against Garrick’s attempts to force the door open after locking it.
With nothing else to do until the window guy showed in a few hours, Garrick forced himself to make eye contact with Devlin. He stared, and so much love hit him at once, it almost buckled him where he stood.
“Jesus, beautiful.” Garrick cupped Devlin’s cheek, needing to feel his warmth and life. “It doesn’t put you out of danger either.”
Taking a step closer, Devlin held Garrick’s stare while covering his hand. “I’m not scared.”
Fire burned through Garrick, and he ripped his hand out from under Devlin’s. “Then I don’t know if you’re still painfully naive or just stupid.” He pushed past the man and flew down the back steps, heading for his apartment.
Devlin caught up in a flash and strode step-for-step at Garrick’s side. “Don’t throw insults at me. I know you don’t mean them; they won’t make me leave.” H
e stomped up the steps behind Garrick; Garrick could feel him on his heels. “Saying I’m not scared doesn’t mean I’m not aware or cognizant of what could happen if someone finds you. It just means that I’m trying to apply reason and assessing that I don’t see any real threat right now that should send you reeling in this way.”
Garrick spun around on the landing and found himself right in Devlin’s face. “You don’t think someone could find me tomorrow?” Escaping panic raised his voice. “How are you all of a sudden the expert when I’m the one who has been working law enforcement since I was twenty years old?”
Devlin smacked his hands into Garrick’s chest and shoved him into the railing. “Because I’m taking my cues from you!”
Garrick reared at the storm brewing in Devlin’s eyes. “What?”
“I’m sorry.” Devlin immediately stepped back and held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to shove you.” He straightened Garrick’s T-shirt and then his own. Taking two steps down on the stairs, he made room for Garrick to open the door. “All I’m saying is that I’m using the fact that you’re still here to tell me there isn’t an immediate threat.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” After letting them inside, Garrick pulled the curtain wide open. “Obviously, I think there is a danger or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Devlin’s sigh encapsulated the entire room. “Stop looking out the window, Garrick. This conversation deserves your full attention.”
With his hand clutched around the curtain, and his heart racing with Devlin’s proximity, Garrick pinpointed his focus on his truck in the drive. “I promised I’d keep an eye out for the repair guy.”
“Who I overheard Grace telling you isn’t scheduled to arrive for a couple of hours,” Devlin shot back quickly.
Shit.
Garrick commanded his hand to let go of the fabric, and moved to pace the short length of his kitchen. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” He walked and walked like a caged animal, unable to remain still. “I ripped myself open for you last night. Isn’t that enough?”
On Garrick’s third attempt to circle the tiny kitchen table, Devlin grabbed his arm. He eased Garrick into one of the two kitchen chairs and then kneeled down in front of him, filling Garrick with his presence. “Baby, I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult this all is for you.” Devlin smiled, something soft and welcoming, and the sight of it started stripping away protective layers Garrick hadn’t even realized he had anymore.
Devlin pushed in between Garrick’s spread legs, took his hands, and looked up, right into his eyes. Garrick started to shake. He had never felt so naked--but also completely safe--in his life. Devlin dipped down and pressed his lips to the backs of Garrick’s hands, lingering for a moment. As if Devlin’s touch was a special sedative, Garrick settled inside and stopped trembling.
“You’ve already essentially lost one family,” Devlin began as he made eye contact again. “I get that you’re scared about losing another, which is why you’re all over the map with what you think is the right thing to do right now. But you’re also still alive,” passion infused Devlin’s every word, “so I know you must have been good at your job. I am sure a sixth sense kept you alive more than once while you were undercover.”
“That’s not the same as this.” Garrick tried to pull away, but Devlin wouldn’t let him go. “That was just me on the line, not,” his voice broke, “you.”
Devlin tunneled his fingers through the thick mess of Garrick’s hair and pushed away the fall hiding his eyes. “Look past the fear of losing me, and Grace, and the kids that is ruling you right now, and answer me this: would you really still be here if you truly sensed the new identity Joe had created for you had been compromised?”
Garrick’s chest heaved and banded tight. “But--”
Devlin clamped his hand over Garrick’s mouth. “But, nothing.” He immediately soothed away the force of his hold with a brush of his fingers over Garrick’s lips. “Tell me again how long after you went into the witness protection program it took for that assassin to find you?”
“Less than two weeks.”
“And how long have you been in Redemption?”
“Five weeks today.”
With a nod, Devlin nudged Garrick with a squeeze around his waist. “So what does that tell you?”
Devlin’s line of questioning clicked into place for Garrick. “That Joe picked the right person to trust with creating this new Garrick Langley identity, and that’s why right now I’m still safe. Or, Joe found the mole and the threat to undercover and witness protected agents is gone, which also means I’m safe now.” Garrick spoke the logical words that made sense, even though it frightened him to death to believe it.
“So why aren’t you trusting your ability to assess risk?” Devlin grabbed Garrick’s forearms and tugged him to the edge of the seat. “Tell me why you don’t trust your gut anymore.”
“Because my gut told me someone was watching us.” Garrick jolted up and rushed to the window, needing to check the perimeter. “I was right, but something held me back, and look what happened.”
“That’s because you didn’t have full information.” Devlin ran to Garrick and spun him around. “You didn’t know that Grace was hiding too.” He jammed his finger into the windowpane. “You sensed that something wasn’t right, but on some deeper level--that gut of yours--you knew it wasn’t a hired killer contracted to find you. That’s why you stayed.”
A hitch grabbed Garrick’s heart and choked his voice. “No. I stayed because of you, beautiful. And because of them.”
“No.” Devlin shook his head. “You stayed because something inside you knew it was safe for you here. You wouldn’t have risked yourself, and us, if you really thought someone was gunning for you.”
“Even if you’re right about that, what about the newspaper now?” Horrible scenarios spun in Garrick’s head, as they had been doing since seeing Randy breaking into Grace’s home. “Wyn said there’s a chance someone might come poking into Grace’s life when they learn Randy’s identity. What if they somehow get interested in me?”
“Baby,” sympathy filled that one word from Devlin, “I think you’re over-thinking this because you know you have something to hide. No one else does.” Devlin took Garrick’s hand, tugged him away from the window, and pushed him down onto the couch. “But if one day down the line, that happens, or your gut starts talking to you again, and you know you’ve been made and it’s time to run, all you have to do is say the word and I will run with you.”
“What if I can’t?” Garrick shot back to his feet and took Devlin’s face in his hands, his fingers digging in hard. “What if I feel it too late and someone dies because of me?”
Devlin matched Garrick’s hold and pulled him in until their foreheads touched. “You won’t, Garrick. I believe in you. I trust in your training and I have faith in that extra sense you have that cannot be taught. Do you think Grace will feel any different than I do? I can tell you right now, just from being with you guys, she won’t. She and those kids love you just as much as you love them. Last night, when you and Grace agreed together not to run in your own directions, that was tantamount to making a commitment to being a family. When she trusted me to help her that made me a part of it too.”
He brushed kisses against the slashes of Garrick’s cheeks, and his eyes shone bright. “We’re in this together now. All of us. Even if the two ‘dads’,” Devlin made a funny face that actually drew a rough chuckle out of Garrick, “share a bed in the room above the garage.” He pushed his hands into Garrick’s hair and brought him in for a scraping of their mouths. His lips clung to Garrick’s, and Garrick whimpered at the intimacy swirling around them. “A family, Garrick.” Devlin put the words--a vow--right into Garrick’s being. “A real one again. For you. Can you promise me you’ll stay and believe in yourself the way we already believe in you?”
Garrick cracked inside, opening another gap, wider even than the one Devlin ha
d chiseled in him last night. Unconditional love and acceptance rushed into him through the break, filling in all the tiny chinks and fissures, making Garrick a whole person again.
He clung to Devlin, raw and exposed, everywhere. “I promise.” Garrick whispered it again, needing Devlin to know he was in for good.
Devlin held Garrick’s head back with a fistful of hair. “Good choice.” He winked as he said it, and Garrick fell for this sweet, clever man all over again.
“I love you.” Garrick attacked Devlin, raining kisses all over his perfect face. “I love everything about you.”
Devlin pulled a frown as redness rushed to his cheeks. “You haven’t been around me when the Red Sox or the Patriots lose.”
Something between a laugh and a sob escaped Garrick. “I’ll still love you anyway.” He suddenly became very aware of their bodies rubbing against one another, and desperation took over his voice. “Make love to me.” He ripped at Devlin’s shirt and then dove for his belt with one hand and his cock with the other. “I need to feel you.” Garrick rubbed at the bulge already hardening behind Devlin’s jeans as he tore the belt out of its loops.
Devlin gasped and jerked into Garrick’s hand. “Yeah.” His prick thickened, and he ground himself into Garrick’s touch. “I want inside you again too.”
Garrick shoved his hand into Devlin’s jeans, unable to wait the extra few seconds to tear them down Devlin’s legs. He curled his fingers around scorching hot flesh and tugged hard on the velvety-smooth length. Devlin winced and covered Garrick’s hand, stilling his hand job. Garrick murmured an apology against Devlin’s lips, sipping at the tense line of the man’s mouth while forcing his hand to release the death grip it had on Devlin’s prick.
Keep it cool and steady, Langley. You have the rest of your life to mate with this man.
Garrick breathed and slowed everything down. He grazed whisper-soft kisses back and forth across Devlin’s mouth and teased him with barely-there darting licks in between. Devlin flicked his tongue out to meet Garrick’s, tormenting Garrick with hints of something deeper, and adrenaline pumped into Garrick’s bloodstream again with dizzying speed. Everything inside Garrick ached. He wanted to shove his way into Devlin’s mouth and devour, and his fingers itched to own the thick cock burning a stamp into his hand, but Garrick exerted will over his body and forced his impulses back under his control.