In the Requiem (Metahuman Files Book 5)
Page 34
Jamie placed his and Kyle’s bags on the floor near the bed. “It’s fine, Alexei.”
“Tell you call me Lyosha.”
“Lyosha, then,” Jamie replied with a small, quick smile. “I’m going to unpack. You go eat.”
Alexei scoffed. “Unpack later. Eat now.”
It didn’t take much more effort on Alexei’s part to coax Jamie out of the bedroom and back to the kitchen. Kyle was eating straight out of the box while Sean had grabbed himself a plate. Four bottles of beer sat open on the kitchen island. Alexei grabbed one and downed half of it as he flipped open his pizza box.
“So much better than the stuff in Medical,” Kyle said around a mouthful of pizza.
“You guys made good time. Pizza arrived about five minutes before you did,” Sean said.
Jamie picked up a slice with everything on it and took a bite. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Kitchen is full of food, so help yourselves to whatever. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
Alexei nodded. “<
“<
“<
Kyle flipped him off and Alexei returned the gesture, both of them grinning. Alexei was more than happy to share an apartment with his brother again, if only for a little while. Knowing Kyle was alive was easier to believe when he was right in front of him.
Gracie had finally discharged Kyle two days after he woke up in Medical. Alexei had spent as much time as he possibly could with his brother. Between himself, their family, Jamie, and the team, Kyle hadn’t been alone, even when he was asleep.
They’d dropped their family off at the airport on the way home that afternoon. Their parents and sisters were heading back to Boston with a discreet security detail in tow. After everything that had happened, Alexei was more than a little worried about retaliation attacks, but the MDF was handling things on that end.
“They should serve pizza in Medical,” Kyle said, reaching for another slice.
“I’d like to see you bring that up with Gracie,” Jamie said.
Alexei leaned his shoulder against Sean’s and watched Kyle eat. Having his brother here, alive, went a long way toward helping Alexei sleep at night.
Sean reached over and swapped out a slice of Alexei’s pepperoni for his mushroom and sausage. Alexei frowned at him. “Is my slice.”
“Not anymore,” Sean said, taking a large bite.
Alexei stared at his slice of not-pepperoni pizza before sighing mournfully. “Fine.”
Kyle narrowed his eyes at Alexei. “You share your pizza with him? It must be love.”
“I share pizza!”
“Bullshit,” Kyle said with a snort. “When we were kids and got pizza as a treat, he’d stack at least four slices of pepperoni together and say it was all his and wouldn’t share. If we tried to steal one, it was all-out war at the dinner table.”
Sean laughed. “Sounds like it.”
“It’s still all-out war when the team gets together,” Jamie said.
“My brothers and I were probably just as bad growing up,” Sean said.
Alexei settled against the kitchen island, munching on his pizza as everyone started reminiscing about how much trouble they’d caused as kids. Occasionally he and Kyle would go off on a tangent in Russian as they argued about the truth of a memory. It reminded Alexei of Kyle’s amnesia, but he didn’t bring up the subject until hours later, when the pizza was finished, Sean was getting ready for bed, and Jamie had taken a family call in the guest room.
It was just him and Kyle in the living room, beers in hand as they sat together on the couch, when Alexei broached the subject of that night.
“<
“<
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“<>”
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Alexei glared at him. “<
Kyle stared at him in silence for a long minute before he set his beer bottle down on the coffee table. Then he dragged Alexei into a hard hug that reminded him of when they were kids, and English was so damn frustrating to learn, and Kyle would hug him after he blew up about everything that didn’t make sense in America.
Alexei refused to think about what life would’ve been like without his brother by his side, either as a kid growing into a teenager or an adult staring down the rest of his life.
“<
“<
“<>”
Alexei hugged Kyle hard for a few seconds more before letting him go. “<
Kyle rolled his eyes. “<
Alexei knocked his beer bottle against Kyle’s. “<
“<
Alexei scowled. “<
“<
Alexei quashed the flash of anger at the mention of Sean’s old case officer. “<
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Kyle socked him in the shoulder. “<
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Kyle rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “<
“<
“<>” Kyle said with a leer. “<
Alexei groaned and threw the nearest pillow at Kyle, who ducked it easily with a laugh. “<
“<
Kyle wandered off and Alexei took a few minutes to finish his beer and shake off all the bad thoughts that had dogged him since the fight in the Supreme Court Building. When the bottle was empty, he set it on the coffee table and headed for the bedroom.
Sean was in bed but not asleep, lying on top of the covers in a pair of soft sleeping pants and reading a book on his tablet. At least, A
lexei hoped it was a book. If it was another updated report from the MDF, he was going to hide Sean’s tablet. The door slid shut behind him and he activated the soundproofing in case Kyle really did make good on his threat.
Alexei stripped out of his clothes before padding over to the nightstand on his side of the bed. He was pleased to see Sean had stopped reading in favor of watching Alexei move around their bedroom naked.
“I take it you’re done hanging out with Kyle for the night?” Sean asked.
Alexei found what he was looking for and pulled out the small black box. “Da. We talk. Tell him he stupid.”
“Brotherly love at its finest. What’s that?”
Alexei climbed onto the bed and crawled into Sean’s lap. He grabbed Sean’s tablet and tossed it onto the floor, ignoring Sean’s protest. “Have ring for you.”
Sean laughed softly, settling his hands on Alexei’s thighs. “Is this your proposal?”
“Could be.”
“Mm. You’re naked. I’m not complaining.”
Alexei leaned down to kiss the sensitive skin beneath the hinge of Sean’s jaw. “Good.”
Sean sighed a little unsteadily. “You should give me my ring.”
“Am supposed to ask first.”
“Then ask, but you already know my answer.”
Alexei lifted his head, staring down into Sean’s warm brown eyes and the love that filled his gaze. As much as he couldn’t imagine his life without his brother, imagining a future without Sean was impossible, and had been for months now.
He flipped open the box and pulled the platinum and diamond ring out, holding it up for Sean to see. Simple and elegant and exactly what Sean wanted, if Alexei was any judge of the pleased expression that settled on his lover’s face.
He'd thank Kyle for his help in picking it out later.
“Marry me, Senichka?” Alexei asked as he slipped the engagement ring onto Sean’s finger.
Sean lifted his hands to frame Alexei’s face, pulling him down for a kiss. “Yes, Lyosha.”
The kiss went from sweet to scorching in two seconds flat. Sean’s arms twined around Alexei’s neck, keeping him there as they kissed. Alexei wasn’t in any hurry to leave and started grinding down against Sean’s clothed cock. Sean gasped into his mouth and Alexei sucked at his tongue.
“Get my pants off,” Sean said, wriggling beneath Alexei’s weight.
Alexei kissed his way down Sean’s jaw to his throat, sucking at warm skin. Taking off Sean’s pants meant Alexei had to move, and he wasn’t keen on doing that. “Nyet.”
“Lyosha.”
Alexei wormed his left hand between their bodies, slipping it beneath Sean’s pants. He wrapped his fingers against Sean’s rapidly hardening cock, stroking it firmly. “Good here.”
Sean arched into his touch, chasing after his mouth when Alexei leaned back. “Lube is under the pillow.”
Alexei grinned, stretching out his arm to snag it. “Was in nightstand. You take out?”
Sean arched an eyebrow, his hands settling on Alexei’s waist. “Just thinking ahead.”
Alexei pulled at Sean’s pants to work them down far enough to free his cock. He scooted closer until their cocks lined up together, the touch sending a shiver down his spine. Sean bit his lip, staring at Alexei.
“Give me hand,” Alexei said. When Sean offered his right hand, Alexei shook his head. “Other one.”
Sean raised his left hand, the engagement ring glinting in the light. Alexei admired its placement for a few seconds before he poured lube into Sean’s palm and repeated the process with his own left hand. Sean didn’t need to be told what to do, already wrapping his slick hand around both their cocks.
His touch, with the ring, was electric. Alexei groaned deep in his chest before wrapping his left hand around their cocks as well. Their fingers tangled together in a messy slide as they slowly stroked each other off. Alexei stole kisses when he wasn’t mapping what he could reach of Sean’s body with his mouth.
It was a slow, easy slide to climax, holding the man he loved and the promise of a future together shining in their rings. When Sean came first, spilling over their fingers, Alexei hid his smile against Sean’s throat.
“I win,” Alexei couldn’t help but mutter.
Sean’s laughter echoed in their bedroom. When he tangled his fingers in Alexei’s hair, hauling him up into a deep, lazy kiss, Alexei went willingly.
And when he fell over the edge into orgasm at Sean’s touch, Alexei didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Kyle nervously fiddled with his engagement ring as Jamie pulled into the driveway of his parents’ Washington, D.C., mansion and parked the Bentley. He still hadn’t gotten used to wearing his ring where other people could see. Considering their condo was no longer habitable, Kyle was glad he’d been wearing it during the attack.
Even though he couldn’t remember what happened for the majority of the day involving the attack two weeks ago, Kyle had seen the aftermath in the past week with his own eyes. The White House, the Capitol Building, and the National Mall were still zoned for restricted access only. Traffic reroutes had been put in place and the Metro wasn’t stopping at any stops within that area while the recovery process continued.
Rebuilding was already under way within the nation’s capital, but that story was still secondary to the one regarding the now-formally declassified identities of Alpha Team. Kyle was still uneasy about his name being known by the public, and he worried for his family even though he knew the MDF had security details on them. After a lifetime working in the shadows, being recognized didn’t come easy to him.
Jamie reached over and covered Kyle’s hands with his. “Stop it.”
“What if they hate me?” Kyle asked.
“They aren’t going to hate you. Why would they?”
Kyle shrugged, turning his hand over to interlace their fingers together. “I don’t know. Forget I said anything.”
“Leah likes you,” Jamie pointed out.
“Well, yeah. Sisters are awesome.”
“If you’re worried about my father, don’t be.”
Kyle made a face, thinking about Richard’s latest speech they’d watched last night with Alexei and Sean. “Kind of hard not to.”
Richard was riding his son’s revelation as a metahuman higher and higher in the polls, something that surprised literally no one. The few statements he’d handed out—vetted by the MDF—had done wonders for his campaign’s resurgence. Alpha Team had a higher favorability rating than even Richard did at the moment, and his association to the team ensured some of that goodwill rubbed off on him.
Unfortunately, the declassification of their identities wasn’t enough to stop the investigations digging into their lives; it just altered the parameters. Both the Congressional and Special Counsel investigations were retooling their approach now that new evidence had come to light. All Kyle knew was that everyone on the team was going to have to testify, and soon.
People were understandably distressed about the attack on the nation’s capital. Congress and the constituents they served wanted answers and accountability. The MDF was scrambling, along with other agencies in the intelligence community, to declassify what they could. But something like that took time, and in an election year, time could ruin anyone.
Kyle wasn’t looking forward to the headache awaiting them on the investigations front.
“My father won’t start anything. He knows I’ll walk out if he does. Now, come on. Dinner starts at 1900 sharp and my mother hates it when I’m late,” Jamie said as he opened the car door.
Kyle sighed, knowing better than to keep a mother waiting. Getting out of the car, he cased the area, counting off the numerous Secret Service special agents on duty, along with the handful of MDF agents assigned to security as well.
Jamie came around the car, snagging Kyle’s hand in his. Being able to indulge in these small displays of affection out in the open had become more than a little addictive for Kyle. He didn’t
regret hiding their relationship in the past the way they had, even if he did regret the fallout with the MDF, mostly for Jamie’s sake.
Regulations being what they were, both he and Jamie were given a letter of reprimand for their files, though Jamie’s was far harsher seeing as how he was Kyle’s commanding officer. The implicit power imbalance was frowned upon heavily by the MDF and the military. Neither of them honestly gave a fuck, though Kyle knew Jamie felt guilty about dragging the team into their personal mess. Everyone else had been given verbal warnings about their participation in hiding evidence of Jamie and Kyle’s relationship.
Katie had turned around and given Jamie a quiet talking-to the other day during team lunch at her apartment that Kyle hadn’t been privy to. He assumed it amounted to telling Jamie to stop feeling guilty. Whether or not Jamie listened was another matter entirely. Kyle had been telling him the same thing every night they’d lain in bed together, reassuring themselves the other was okay.
Jamie opened the door to his parents’ mansion and they walked inside. Richard had been ordered by Charlotte to conduct all campaign business somewhere else while Jamie had been grieving over the possibility of losing Kyle. That order still held, and the only people in the home tonight were the Callahans and several household workers who were adept at staying out of the way.
“Jamie!”
Kyle peered down the hallway as Leah came toward them, the light fabric of her designer dress from a spring collection swinging around her knees. She hugged Jamie first before hugging Kyle.
“It’s so good to see both of you,” Leah said, smiling.
“Where’s Mother?” Jamie asked.
“Talking with Father in the parlor. They’re watching the news.”
“I thought she instituted a ban on all news during family dinner?”
“Father stipulated the ban would go into effect once everyone arrived. Now that you’re here, we can turn the damn thing off.”
Like Jamie and the rest of them, Leah seemed tired of the twenty-four-hour news cycle, with its constant and varied opinions by talking heads that ran the gamut of political opinions. Kyle had made it a point to only deal with news updates through the intense MDF meetings they’d all been subjected to since being temporarily removed from active duty.