by BA Tortuga
“We can put it up in the man cave,” Brant murmured. “The smaller one. The cats will love it.”
“You just want to watch me pump weights.”
“Well, duh.”
Dusty and Nate watched them with fond grins.
“What?” Lex grinned back, knowing it was just a case of the old married couple going awwwww.
Dusty nudged Nate with an elbow, and Nate grunted and rolled his eyes. “Apparently I think we should get to the hotel, man. We both need showers and all. We’ll come over and help unpack tomorrow.”
“I really appreciate all the help.” Lex and Brant stood, Lex holding out his hand. “Take that two-liter with you.”
“Are you sure? There’ll be a Smith’s on the way,” Dusty said, but Nate knew him and just grabbed the Coke.
“Thanks, buddy. Weck’s for breakfast?”
“Sounds great.” He could totally murder a papas bowl.
“I’ll see y’all in the afternoon. I’m going to work half days tomorrow through Wednesday.” Brant grinned and waved. “I’ll bring tacos.”
“Oh, now, a man who knows how to get things done.” The guys hugged and waved, and Dusty had to push Peaches into Brant’s hands.
Lord, Nate was totally going to have to get Dusty a cat.
“I’ll get you in touch with her rescue.” Brant winked at Dusty as Nate moaned.
Dusty nodded. “I’ll need that number for your momma too. Night, guys.”
“Night. Thank you.” Lex closed the door behind the guys, leaving the light on for them.
“Nate is never going to let them visit again,” Brant muttered, then came right to him, pushing into his arms.
“You think so?” He heard gnawing, so he glanced down to find Mouse chewing his leftover crust. “Huh.”
Brant began to laugh, leaning against him, letting him feel the long body. “I need to give you back your key, huh?”
“You do. I need to be able to purchase groceries and go to my interviews.”
“And know that you live here, huh?” Brant kissed the corner of his mouth and pushed away, going to the kitchen and the junk drawer.
“You mean I could have copped a key anytime?” He followed, grabbing the plate away from Mouse before he did.
“Like I didn’t give you one early or I don’t have spares. Oh, FYI. Steve next door has a key, if you get locked out, and there’s a spare under the big pot on the front porch.”
“Nope.” Lex shook his head. “Steve I can see, if you trust him, but no pot keys. Not in any neighborhood.” His cop self just denied that completely. “Tell me which pot.”
“The one with the geranium….”
He marched right out to get it, because if Brant had no sense of self-preservation, he would fix it. He might put in some lights and a camera too. Just because he might be parking a cop car out front, and that could create a target. Silly man. Seriously, Mouse wasn’t a guard dog.
He came back with the key, locking up behind him. “I’ll put this one on my key ring. I can give the guys one too, just so we have a safe extra out there.”
“Okay. No one ever uses it, honey. It’s just there for emergencies.”
“I know. A lot of people do that. Which is why we won’t.” He kissed Brant’s nose. Brant was living with a cop now; the rules were a little different. He knew what people did. Especially in ABQ versus small-town Texas.
Brant looked a little confused, and Lex wondered how long it had been since someone took care of the man. So he stole another kiss, really wanting to let Brant know he was loved.
“You came home. I thought I would be sitting here moping.”
“Yeah? I thought I would be jacking off until my dick was chapped just thinking about you.” He winked when Brant burst out laughing.
“You’re lucky. I packed all your porn, honey, that and your dildo.”
His cheeks heated. Caught. Oops. Not that he was ashamed of liking ass play. “We can put it with yours, Brant.”
It was his lover’s turn to blush. “Yeah, yeah. You ready to go watch TV in bed? My hip is killing me.”
“Shit. Let me put away the food, huh? Then we can have a hot shower and bed.” They could snuggle and chat until Brant fell asleep.
“I’ll help. I like how your dresser fits in the bedroom, by the way.”
“Yeah? I love it. I’m glad you do too.” He’d been worried, but he fit well.
Together, they got everything from his fridge put away, along with the leftover pizza. They headed to the back, his arm around Brant for fun and support.
Even with the mess, it felt amazing, having his things here.
They wandered into the bathroom, and Brant got the water going while Lex got out towels. He was going to have to unpack his ditty bag, put his toothbrush next to Brant’s and his brush in the medicine cabinet.
For now, that hip needed some steam and some massage. His man had done a lot of driving over a very few days. Driving, lifting, carrying. Moving could be hard on a body.
“I love your bathroom, babe.” He eased Brant’s shirt up and off.
“Ours.”
“What?”
“Our bathroom.”
Lex beamed. “I guess so, huh? Wow.”
“It’s a little weird, huh? But cool.” Brant worked his belt open, eased his zipper down.
“It is. I like it so much.” He was trying not to get all het up, as Brant needed to rest.
“The water is going to feel so good.”
Okay, this whole thing had happened fast, but it felt totally right. Lex shut out the cop questions in his head, just closing them down.
“You’re all tense. This’ll make it better, hmm? Some steam.”
“Definitely.” Lex helped Brant strip down too, wanting them in the shower together. He was actually a little nervous—this was a real thing. Not a date, not a booty call. This was him and his lover sharing a shower together.
He adjusted the water, wanting steam. For-real steam. Brant began to touch him, dragging those sure hands over his shoulders, fingertips digging in. He moaned, the massage so yummy, even though he thought he was supposed to be rubbing Brant’s hip. Maybe he could anyway, as soon as he remembered how to move.
“God, you’re built like a brick shithouse. I think I’ll keep you.”
“Okay.” He rubbed his hands over Brant, tracing lean, sharp lines. “I like how you’re put together, baby.”
Brant murmured his thanks, but when Lex found that poor hip, the muscles hard as rocks, his lover groaned.
“I got you, Brant,” Lex promised.
“Sorry. Just tender, you know?”
“I do. You worked hard.” Poor baby. Brant was a stud, never bitching, but Lex hoped soon he would ask for what he needed.
“I’m glad we got your stuff in. We’ll unpack over the week, huh?”
“We will. I promise to make breakfasts too.” Well, after tomorrow.
“Hell, I’d be happy for cinnamon rolls on my day off, honey.”
“Oh, I can definitely promise that. I’m a glutton for them.” Lex was way more into those than doughnuts.
“I’m in.” Brant rested his forehead on one of Lex’s shoulders. “Did you want to meet for lunch tomorrow or just all go together?”
“We can just all go when you get here.” Late lunch would be great if the guys wanted Weck’s for breakfast.
“Good deal. I’ll change h-here.”
Oh, that must be sensitive. He held Brant up with one arm and massaged harder. “That’s it,” Lex murmured. “Let it go. Just like that.”
“Lex.” Brant leaned, muscles shaking as they relaxed, trusting him.
“Mmm. Yeah.” That trust was a treasure, and Lex tucked it in deep, right against his heart. Lex wanted them both melted, both melted and easy in their skins. They swayed together, the water beating down, beginning to do its work on sore muscles.
“Damn, that’s fine, man. Seriously. I’ve never felt so loose.”
“Go
od. We’ll work on it.”
“That sounds like fabulous work.”
“Yeah.” Touching. Lots of touching.
His hands were addicted, fascinated, not even sexually, although that was a big part of it. Mostly it was Brant’s skin, the texture of it, and the way his touch eased. He wanted to make things better for Brant, just by being there. Hell, that was what he felt like he was supposed to be doing, right? Make things better, all around. Not that Brant’s life seemed bad at all. Just without him, and that was important.
“Where are you, honey?” Brant kissed the curve of his jaw, the touch featherlight.
“Arranging your life.” He chuckled. “I was just thinking how miraculous this all is.”
“It’s overwhelming. Wonderful.” Brant chuckled, the sound low and husky. “Miraculous.”
“It is. I love it.” He hugged Brant to him, just pressing them together.
“Come to bed?”
Lex’s phone began to ring, and he frowned. “I wonder who that is?”
“I don’t.” Brant cackled.
“What, is Mouse calling from downstairs wanting tuna?” Lex didn’t go answer. They were in the shower, and he was between jobs. He had the luxury of going to voicemail.
“God, can you imagine? If Mouse could text?” Brant stared at him, blue eyes dramatically wide, water drops on his pale eyelashes.
“We’d be running like servants all the time.”
“Because that would be different than normal.” Brant reached out the shower door and grabbed towels. “You know it’s Travis.”
“Oh.” Oh, right. Trav would be burning with curiosity. Damn.
“We can pretend the phones were off.”
“The….” Sure as shit, Brant’s phone began to ring.
“Good idea, baby. I’ll call him tomorrow.” He would too. Right now was about drops of water on Brant’s eyelashes and the heat of wet skin. Right now was about their first night together in their bed.
Theirs.
He glanced out the shower curtain to see three cats sitting in a row, peering at the bathtub.
“Uh, babe? Are they going to eat us?” Lex asked.
“Nope. They’re fascinated by the fact that we submerge ourselves in water. I get this every morning.”
“Uh-huh.” They were going to attack. He had no doubt. They were going to take them down and devour them for daring to disrupt the house.
“Trust me. They need opposable thumbs to work the can opener.”
“Right.” Mouse would feed on them for weeks. He knew it. Lex turned off the water, mourning the loss of the heat.
Brant wrapped him in one of the towels, rubbing him lazily.
Hello, warmth was back. Yum.
“I will protect you, honey. I promise.”
“That works for me.” Lex would trade off the cat protection for no hidden keys.
Sure enough, it only took a laugh and a shoo and the hunting posse separated in a flash of fur.
“My hero.” Lex slipped into a pair of jammie pants emblazoned with Cookie Monster faces.
Brant flexed playfully and threw on a tissue-paper-thin pair of PT shorts. Oh, yum. That was both hot as hell and endearing.
“I’ll clean out stuff for you over the week.” Brant crawled into the bed and handed him the remotes.
“We have time. Hell, I’ll be around a lot for a few days, at least.” He wasn’t sure when the department up here would want him to start.
See him be all confident that they would take him in at all. There was no guarantee, even if his old boss seemed to think there was a place for him. Plus, he was at a deficit on detective again.
The Duke City was a tough fucking beat, even if you weren’t starting at the bottom again.
He grinned when Brant poked his ribs. “You’re thinking again.”
“Occupational hazard.”
“You want to share or should we just watch Joe Kenda?”
“Work worries. We should watch Kenda.” He rubbed the small of Brant’s back.
“Oh, don’t stress. You got this.”
“I hope so. That’s my one worry with this, that they’ll put me in traffic or something.”
“Doesn’t your seniority from before count for anything?”
“My retirement.” His lips curled in a smile. “My PERA carries, but that’s it, though I know they can use me in better ways.”
“Well, don’t let them sell you short, huh? You’re worth a lot.”
“Thank you, baby.” Pride swelled in his chest. The way Brant believed in him, even though he’d never seen Lex at work, made Lex so damn happy. Hell, he’d only known Brant a handful of days and they were already moving in together. It seemed like an amazing dream.
Lex slid under the covers after he plugged in his phone and laid his watch on the nightstand. “God, this is nice.” Was that super trite?
“Yeah. It’s amazing, for this to be a thing.” Brant reached for him, and he took Brant’s hand, so they lay there watching TV and holding on. Wow.
He sat there, wide-eyed and smiling well after Brant fell asleep.
Lex finally slid his hand free so he could turn down the TV and shift Mouse, who was on him like a ton of bricks, to a better spot. He had to be up at a reasonable hour, at least. The guys wanted breakfast. He would provide.
When the light clicked off, Lex expected his brain to race, to just keep him up all night.
He was asleep in seconds.
Chapter Eighteen
DOCTOR NUNEZ grinned at him in the hallway. “Leaving already?”
“Yeah, I have a ton of leave.” And a new lover.
“Are you going to bring him up? Introduce him?”
“Uh, sure.” He shook his head when he said it.
“Uh-huh.” She pursed her lips and opened the calendar on her phone. “Maybe next Friday? After work?”
She would be relentless until he agreed to bring Lex in. “As long as he doesn’t have an interview, yeah.”
“Good. We’ll all go to the Thai Tip, huh? I can call and make a reservation. What’s he do?”
“He’s a cop.” He waited for her to raise her eyebrows or something.
“Is he? He’ll get work, then. We need more good policemen, no?”
“We do. He’s a good guy.” Hot. Studly. Genuinely decent. Hell, the man loved his cats. Especially Mouse, who was a challenge.
“I’ll look forward to meeting him, then.”
“I’ll make sure he eats Thai.”
Dr. N. was addicted to Tom Kha Gai, so they spent a lot of office meals at the Thai Tip. Who didn’t want soup that came in a giant tureen with Sterno under it?
She nodded and disappeared into her office, and Brant took the opportunity to hit the road, not even bothering to change his Mickey Mouse scrubs before heading home. The drive was easy, the sun beating down. He sang along with the Eagles, then Garth. Life was good.
Brant had a second of panic when he turned down his street and there was a truck in his driveway. Lord, how long would that last?
He hoped it began to turn into a deep pleasure every time he saw Lex was home. He parked and sat there for a second and breathed. His hands were shaking, but that might be hunger. He grinned. He’d had cereal because he’d left Lex sleeping. Nate and Dusty were staying through to tomorrow morning, and they were all supposed to lunch, but he didn’t see their truck. Huh.
Lex met him at the door, sliding both hands around his waist once they got the door shut. “Hey.”
Oh. That was nice. Better than nice. His nerves settled like Lex had lidocaine in his hands. “Hey, honey. How’s it going?”
“Well, no one came to breakfast, but that means I get you for lunch.”
“Oh no! What happened?” He pushed in close and stole a kiss before he let Lex answer.
“Nonanswering of phones leads me to believe a hotel room with phones off happened. I bet they had wild monkey sex and decided to stay in and meet us for supper.”
“That s
ucks for you.” It worked out great for him, though. He was so ready to keep Lex company.
“Nah. They’re both drivers. We’ll see a lot of them. Do you need to change? A drink?” Lex drew him deeper into the house.
“Yes.” They were sharing kisses as they walked, and it was dizzying, heady, and he found himself moaning. Lex hummed, that hand on his hip so warm, relaxing muscles he hadn’t even noticed were tight. He leaned a little harder, the world going soft and easy.
“What do you want for lunch?” Lex asked softly. “We can order, or I can just make sanguiches.”
“Oh, we can invent sandwiches. We’ll go out tonight.” Kiss me more, love.
“Good deal.” Lex did just that, pushing him back against the counter in the kitchen to kiss him deeply.
It was surprisingly hot—the way the edge of the counter pressed into his back, the pressure of Lex’s erection against his thigh. Damn.
He clutched Lex’s shoulders, hanging on for dear life. Brant wasn’t sure what else to do.
Lex broke from the kiss just long enough to strip his scrub top off and let it flutter to the floor. “Pretty baby.” Those long fingers skated over his chest.
Brant’s flush burned from his belly to his cheeks. “Pretty, huh?”
“Que lindo. I could just touch and look for days.” Lex slid one hand up his torso, and it felt like Lex was counting his ribs, naming his muscles.
He shivered, his nipples hard, his cock pushing at his briefs. Then Lex found his nipple, squeezing it with a steady pressure that made his eyes cross. He went up on tiptoe, his body tingling all over. Lord, he could see why Dusty and Nate might have just stayed in.
“Been thinkin’ about you, baby. All morning.”
“Yeah? I was at work—” He was saying dumb shit, his brain so not firing on all cylinders.
“Mm-hmm, but you’re not now.” Lex rested their foreheads together, fingers still plucking at his nipples.
Every little pinch made him jump. “Nope. Now I’m with you.”
Lex’s grin was half-evil, half-pleased as fuck. The man was just so gorgeous and needing him bad. “You okay, baby?”
He answered by bringing their lips together. He was so much better than okay it wasn’t funny. He wanted to scale Lex like a tower and ride him. He was on top of the damn world.