by Ella Frank
“Our final story tonight is one that should put a smile on your face. NASA astronaut Linda Hastings made history today as she came back to earth after spending a total of three hundred and twenty-eight days in space—the most time ever for a female. She was greeted by hundreds of people upon arrival, but there was only one hug, one reaction, she wanted more than any other.”
The broadcast switched to the footage of Linda returning home to her dog, wagging its tail so hard its butt almost flew right off, and after about a million puppy dog kisses and hugs, it was clear her little dog, who had been waiting a year—seven in his mind—hadn’t forgotten its owner.
The footage finished, and when the camera switched back to me, I couldn’t help the smile on my face as I wrapped up the broadcast.
“We could watch that all night. But for now, that’s all from us here at Global News on this lovely Tuesday evening. I’m Alexander Thorne. Thank you for watching, and good night.”
The red light flicked on above the camera, and as Mikey gave me the signal we were clear, I pulled my earpiece free. Jim had been chattering to the graphics producer about tweaking something for tomorrow night’s show, but if he didn’t need me, I was out.
This week was taking forever. It felt like it should be Friday already, and we were only halfway in. It made sense that time would drag though when you were constantly monitoring your every move. But when nothing even remotely alarming or out of place had occurred, I was starting to think that this was all a colossal waste of time.
I pushed out of the studio, unclipped my mic, and handed it off to Ryan as we walked through the desks on the way to my office.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be here for another thirty minutes. Maybe.”
“No problem, boss.”
“And if anyone calls for me and it’s not an emergency—”
“Take a message and tell you tomorrow.”
I nodded and loosened my tie as I walked through my office door, ready to get out of my suit for the day. I tossed the tie toward my desk and someone caught it, and my heart close to flew out of my chest. “Shit.”
Sean was lounging back in my office chair with his feet propped up on a filing cabinet, one ankle over the other. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since he’d dropped me at ENN’s front door, valet style, this morning at around eleven.
“Hey, babe.”
Babe? Okay, that was new, and needed to never be said again by Sean. But in the spirit of keeping up this ridiculous act in front of Ryan, I offered up my biggest smile and responded the best I could.
“Hey yourself. I didn’t know you were going to meet me after work tonight.”
Sean looked over my shoulder to Ryan. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
A surprise? He’d scared the living daylights out of me. “That’s nice.”
Sean’s lips twitched. He’d clearly gotten the message that I thought it was anything but. “You know me, always trying to be nice.”
I couldn’t help but scoff, because of all the words I’d use to describe Sean Bailey, nice was not one of them.
“I’ll be back in a few for your suit,” Ryan cut in, and that was when I realized he thought I’d have no problem stripping in front of my “boyfriend” so my suit could be laundered.
But after Sean’s eyes wandered down over me, and that unwanted sensation I’d managed to bank since last Saturday resurfaced, I turned to Ryan and said, “That’s okay. I didn’t realize Sean was meeting me, so we’ll just head out now for dinner. I’ll send this one off myself.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. You can head home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ryan looked around my shoulder, a wide grin on his face. “Hey, you can come around more often if it means I get to leave early.”
It took all I had not to roll my eyes, as if Sean needed any more encouragement to be here. “Thanks. I just might do that. Have a good one, Ryan.”
“You too.” Ryan waved and then disappeared out the door, and as it slowly shut behind him, I turned on Sean.
“Babe?”
Sean shrugged and sat up. “Eh, I was trying it out. It didn’t really feel right for me either.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, because seriously, the endearment was too soft, too sweet, for someone like Sean.
“Glad that’s settled.”
“How ’bout sweet cheeks? Honey? Silver fox?”
“Silver— How about no, no, and definitely not.” I walked over to take my tie from him, and as I reached out, Sean tightened his grip.
“Everything go smoothly today?” Sean’s voice had gone from light and teasing to serious in seconds, and the direct way he was looking into my eyes made my heart beat a little faster. “There was nothing unusual around the office or in the studio, from what I could see. Anything happen with you I should know about?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m starting to feel like I’m wasting your time.”
Sean’s eyes narrowed, and when he tugged on the tie, I had to brace my hand on the desk to not fall flat on my face.
“Listen to me: you are not wasting my time. First, your company is paying me the equivalent of a year’s salary to be here. That’s a lot of fucking money. Second, this is exactly what I figured would happen. You see, your little stalker friend has probably noticed you’re walking around with a hot new piece of ass these days, and is trying to work out his next move. Don’t become complacent, and never think you’re wasting my time.”
The intensity of Sean’s words made mine get stuck in my throat, and when he let go of the tie and got to his feet, I too straightened.
Sean came out from behind the desk, and I took in the new and improved version of him as he stopped in front of me. Over the last three days, those crumpled suits, tattered jeans, and ripped sports shirts had become a thing of the past, and in their place were fitted black slacks, a navy button-up shirt, and black sports jacket that fit him to perfection.
He seemed like a whole new person—until, of course, he opened his mouth.
“So what’s this about you taking me to dinner?”
“Excuse me?”
“You told Ryan you were taking me to dinner.”
“No. I told him a lie to get him out of here.”
“Oh, well, I’m pretty fucking hungry. Did you eat?”
I hadn’t, actually, now that he mentioned it. “Not yet. But don’t think I’m buying you dinner. You use my hot water each night and sleep under my roof. You can buy me dinner.”
Sean sized me up and then nodded. “Fair enough. But we don’t have to eat sushi or some bullshit meal, right?”
“Let me guess, you want a nice, thick slab of meat to sink your teeth into. Would you like to hunt it down and shoot it too?”
“Do they offer that option in town?”
I rolled my eyes and walked around the desk to grab my keys and wallet from my top drawer.
“Seriously, though,” Sean said. “Do you feel like a steak?
I could go for a steak, but… “As long as it’s not at a sports bar.” When Sean opened his mouth as if to offer up an alternative, I added, “And not some local pub that you and all your police pals go to.”
“If there’s one of those, I don’t know about it.”
“Oh, come on. Bailey had tons of friends on the force. So did your father. Are you trying to tell me you have none? What do you do for fun?”
“Fun?”
“Yes. You know, the activity you do that makes you happy and smile.” As Sean stared blankly at me, I shook my head and checked my email on my phone. “Right, I forgot who I was talking to.”
“Hey, I know how to have fun. I just don’t really have time these days. My life isn’t all rosy and shit, you know. I spend most of my days talking to dead people.”
“Wait…you see ghosts? Are there any in here now?”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But I figure if anyone knows how depressing life can be, it would be you. You see the bad shit almost as m
uch as I do. You even get to tell the country about it.”
“Hence the fun.”
“Yeah, I can see you’re so good at having that.”
I sighed and slipped my phone into my pocket. “Okay, let’s go and get something to eat. I need to get out of these confined quarters, otherwise I can’t be held responsible for what I might do to you in the next five minutes or so.”
Sean pulled open the door with a flourish and gestured for me to go ahead, and as I brushed by him and noticed his cologne, that…unexpected sensation below my belt hit again and made me walk a little bit faster out my office door.
20
Sean
IT WAS BUSY downtown for a Tuesday night. Much busier now than it had been when we’d arrived at McNally’s Steakhouse. Not that that was surprising, considering the extra hours of light and the warm summer nights. But as we stepped out of the restaurant, I wished it was a blizzard and everyone was home. That way it’d be easier to keep an eye on anything unusual happening around us.
As it was, though, Xander was right. It had been quiet since I’d arrived on the scene to watch over him. But I’d expected that, especially if this nutjob was as obsessed with Xander as those messages indicated.
He—or she—was no doubt pissed off right now to see the object of their infatuation out and about with a new somebody. And being on the crowded streets of Chicago with that notion at the forefront in my mind made me extra fucking twitchy.
“You ready to go home now, Prince Charming? I think it might be smart if we get out of here and head somewhere less crowded.”
“Why? Did you see something?” Xander quickly scanned the area directly around him, and I didn’t miss that his eyes were a little wider.
“No. It’s just much busier now than when we arrived. So if there’s nowhere else you’d like to go, I think we should head back to the car.”
Xander looked over to where we’d snagged a parking spot earlier and nodded. “Yes, okay. You’re right. And there’s nowhere I need to go. Although I might hit my treadmill when I get home after the amount I just ate.”
I chuckled. Leave it to Xander to worry about his looks while I was worrying about his damn life.
“I hardly think that tiny filet mignon is going to ruin your body. But if you wanna run it off when we get home, I’m happy to sit in the corner and keep watch. There’s no way you’re getting me on a treadmill after that porterhouse—if anything, I’m gonna hit a food coma.”
Xander scoffed. “Good to know my life will be in the hands of a comatose invalid.”
Speaking of hands… I held mine out, and Xander took it without question.
“You bet your ass it is,” I said, and tugged him into my side. “And I will do everything in my power to keep you alive. No matter how many times you manage to insult me in the space of five minutes.”
Xander looked me in the eye, and the faith and trust I saw made my stomach twist. Because no matter how much we argued, no matter how much we bickered, Xander trusted me to keep him safe. He trusted me with his life. I only hoped that I was able to live up to that trust.
“You ready?”
Xander nodded and squeezed my hand. We walked to the edge of the road and stopped to check both ways. Once I was happy there were no oncoming vehicles, we stepped out and started across.
We made it to the middle and made sure things were all clear, but as we stepped off the divider, I heard it.
The revving of an engine.
The squealing of tires.
The snarl of a motor being pushed to its limit, as headlights flashed on and blinded us.
It only took seconds after that. The vehicle barreled down the road at a hellacious pace, its aim clear, its target in sight, and just when it would’ve hit the two of us, I threw all my weight into Xander, shoving him off the road.
As we fell toward the pavement, I wrapped my arms around him to keep him covered. We hit the ground with a loud thwack, and as the screeching sound of tires filled the night air, I arched up, trying to get a glimpse of the license plate as it disappeared into the night.
G35—something, something, fuck. I didn’t catch the rest.
Xander had my hand in a death grip and clutched my jacket’s lapel, and when I realized there was shit all I could do to go after the motherfucker, I paid attention to what I could do—take care of Xander.
“You all right?” I asked. Xander nodded, but as I went to move away, he gripped me tighter. “Xander?”
“Give me a minute,” he said, his breathing harsh and ragged as he lay sprawled beneath me, and the terror in his eyes matched the fear in my heart. Because never in all my life had I been as scared as when I saw that car coming for him. “I just need a minute.”
I placed a hand on the pavement by his head to try to keep some of my weight off him, and that was when I saw several people crossing the road to come to our aid. “I’m not sure you’re gonna have a minute, Mr. Anchorman. People are headed this way.”
Xander blinked up at me, his eyes dazed. “You…you saved me.”
He sounded so bewildered that I couldn’t help but smile. “Well, that is why you hired me, right? Not for my charming personality.”
Xander took in a shaky breath, and as his body came into full contact with mine, I felt something hard brush up against my thigh, something I’d never felt before.
I looked down between us, and Xander cursed, trying to shift out of my grasp. But I held him still and shook my head.
“It’s okay.”
Xander said nothing, but his cheeks were now a flaming red.
“It’s the adrenaline. That’s all. Nothing to be ashamed about.”
Xander bit down on his lower lip and nodded. “Can you, umm, move now? If you think it’s safe.”
I studied him closely and could see the humiliation stamped all over his face. Not wanting passersby to gawk, I pushed up to my feet and offered a hand.
Xander looked at it, then at me, and, not wanting to cause him any more discomfort this evening, I schooled my expression to serious. He reached up, and as I helped him to his feet, I pushed the key fob for the SUV.
I ushered him inside the car and closed the door behind him, and as I stared through the window at his profile, I couldn’t help but notice a stirring south of my belt.
What the…? Adrenaline? Yeah, that’s all it was. I quickly shoved it aside and rounded the SUV to the driver’s side. I needed to get Xander somewhere safe and secure. The last thing I needed to worry about was something I had no control over.
It was just the moment, the rush. It was a natural reaction. Just like I’d told Xander. But if it was so natural, why had it never happened before?
21
Sean
“GOOD MORNING…”
XANDER’S familiar voice floated across the air and found me where I stood looking out at Lake Michigan. I knew that voice almost as well as my own. As a delicious warmth infused my body, I closed my eyes and thought back to last night. Back to the moment Xander had invited me to his bed.
Damn, he’d been something else. Unlike anyone I’d ever had before. The way his body had fit against mine, the way he’d moved as though he couldn’t get enough of me. Even now, the memory of it made an insatiable hunger claw at my insides, and as I turned to see him walking into the living room, my cock jerked.
Fuck, he was hot. How had I never noticed that before? But in nothing but a pair of silky, low-slung grey pants, I found it difficult to look anywhere but at him.
“You left me,” he said as he came closer, his bare feet just as much a draw for my eyes as his chest, arms, and that famous face of his. “Not having second thoughts, are you?”
“Not one.”
Those full lips, the ones that had demolished all doubt and brought pleasure so intense that my mind was still reeling, curved. “So you want to do it again? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
I reached for him, because there was no way in hell I could stop myself. I tugge
d him forward and took his chin in my hand, then lowered my head to whisper across his lips, “I want do it over and over again.”
Xander groaned and grabbed at my hips. Then he rocked up against me, and his stiff shaft came into contact with mine. The pleasure was unreal, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Then he slipped a hand beneath my sweats to curl his fingers around my—
FUCK.
I JACK-KNIFED up in bed as reality crashed in and woke me from my dream, and as I looked around the room, trying to place myself, I realized that I was in my bed, in Xander’s house, alone. Thank God.
My breathing came in rapid bursts, and I was well aware of the insistent throb between my thighs. And as I thought about the man in the room next door, it increased in intensity.
Holy shit. I pressed the heel of my hand against my confused cock and shut my eyes, but then Xander’s lips and sea-green eyes appeared.
Jesus. What the hell was going on with me? In all the years that I’d known Xander, I’d never thought of him in a sexual manner. Any guy, for that matter. But as I shoved the sheet aside and looked down at my lap, there was no mistaking what was going on there.
Okay, Sean, I told myself. Just breathe and think about something else. Your body is just reacting to everything that happened last night. White-knight syndrome and all that.
But even if that was true, when was the last time I’d gotten a hard-on from doing my goddamn job? How about never?
I leaned back against the headboard and scrubbed my hands over my face. This was crazy. Maybe Xander had been right all along and it was a bad idea mixing our history and…friendship this way. Maybe I was too close to be objective and play the role I needed to. That much was obvious if I was having sex dreams about him now.
I sighed and looked at the time: four a.m. Xander would be up in about an hour, and I needed to get my head in order if I had any hope of acting like everything was okay. The last thing I needed was to be all weird and shit after the scare he’d had last night. He needed me to be strong, professional, and I could do that.