“Can I stop you?”
“Why is this case so important to you?”
“Why do I care about people with cancer?”The answer to that was obvious, wasn’t it?
“Why do you care so much aboutwinning?”
Same thing.Mostly.Except not at all.How had Sami figured out the difference?
“Is it so hard to believe I am just a good, altruistic guy?”
“Yes.”It came out so fast, so assured, it robbed Baz of every argument he had in favor of that theory.He twirled his wrists, traced the top of his nails with his thumb.
“I also don’t like Ian.He can go to hell.”
“Agreed, but this is deeper than that, isn’t it?You just said you worked an all-nighter before you even knew he was on the case.”
Baz sandwiched his lips between his teeth.This strayed dangerously close to work talk, a line he could not cross with Sami.But Sami must have figured out by himself that this case had potential to be a career-maker.
“If I win, it’ll be huge.And…”
“And?”
“A promotion to partner has been put on the horizon,” Baz said before he could rein in his stupid mouth.
“Damn.”Sami’s knee crashed onto his thigh.“That would be bigger than huge, that’s basically unprecedented for someone your age.”
Baz watched his hand wander over Sami’s calf.Several blue and yellow bruises were scattered along his leg, some as small as his thumb, some big as his palm.He couldn’t help but wonder where they came from.Maybe he’d be privileged to find out, someday.
“Go ahead, call me selfish again.”
“Eh.”Sami shrugged like he was bored of the idea.“Two things can be true at once.I don’t blame you for having ambitions.If you were more open about them and didn’t act all high and mighty, it would make you seem less like a stuck-up prick.”
Real nice.Baz was eighty percent sure there was a compliment in there, so… “Thanks?”
“You’re welcome.”Sami grinned, leaning in.Baz could taste the oakmoss of his cologne.
“If I’m such a prick, why are you here?”
“I’ve always been a masochist when it comes to men.”
Their foreheads touched.His breath caressed Baz’s lips, hot and so damn sweet.Baz closed his eyes, waited for Sami’s lips, his hands, anything to initiate a round two.
“I should go,” Sami muttered instead.Oh.
“What about your promise to keep me up all night?”
“And be blamed for you missing your beauty sleep?By the look of those bags under your eyes, you need it.”
What the—hey!Just like that, he was back to being a dick?
“All right.Get the fuck out of my bed, now.”
“Ooh, did I hit a nerve?”Sami shifted to his hands and knees, crawled closer.Baz’s head hit the headboard.“Maybe I should stay.Use this anger productively.”
“Too late.”Baz didn’t mean it.If Sami wanted to stay, he would take pleasure in making him pay for that remark.
“Oh, yeah?”Sami grabbed his chin.Baz opened his mouth the moment Sami kissed him.He licked over Sami’s lips, waited for his move underneath the metaphorical belt—but Sami pulled back with a pleased smirk.The mattress dipped as he swung himself off the bed.That was just rude.
