Call me Joey.
But he was already nodding.“They don’t make it,” he said, because as romantic as the idea was, the truth was sad and desperate for an animal that had no den and no place to turn.
“You’re going to make it,” Gideon promised, raising his hand to Joey’s face again, presumably to push back his hair in that same sweet gesture Crosby had used.But Gideon’s hand didn’t complete the movement.
It froze.Hefroze.His palm cupping Joey’s cheek.
Joey swallowed and met his eyes again, and he was horrified when Gideon took a deep fortifying breath, swallowed, and moved his hand.
“You’re tired,” he said, his voice gruff.“And you spent the night drunk and crying on my couch.This—this can’t happen when you’re feeling weak, Carlyle.You’ll never forgive me.”
But I want!
It was a mewl, not a howl, and goddamn Gideon for being right anyway.
“You’re probably still sleeping with Dr.Death,” Joey muttered, pulling back and turning his head so as not to assault Gideon with the dead animal he felt crawling out of his mouth.
“I have never slept with Elaine,” Gideon told him primly.“She’s part of my outside-of-work friend circle, that’s all.”
Elaine Aiello was the Medical Examiner for Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and Joey could admit she was hot, blond, and smart.And while Gideon didn’t really care about the blond—or the female, by his own admission—hot and smart seemed to be his candy.
Although Elaine had been the only lollipop Gideon had been eyeing as of late, which was probably why Joey felt that irrational hatred start up again.It had once been aimed at Crosby, but he was much more comfortable now that he could aim it at somebodynotin the unit.
Elaine was a handy target to hate, and he couldn’t even lie to himself anymore about why he hated her.
Which was why the smile snuck up on him so quickly.“You’re not?”he asked, nakedly curious.
“Sleeping with Elaine?”Gideon clarified.“No.”His face grew sober.“And if you have to ask why, maybe I should.”
Joey felt the growl in his stomach, and Gideon’s arched eyebrow indicated he heard it.
“I don’t have to ask,” Joey snarled, and then he swung his legs around and stood.“I’m going to shower.”
He’d started keeping an extra set of clothes in Gideon’s drawer after the first few times he’d fallen asleep on the couch.He knew where his clothes were, where his toothbrush was, even knew where Gideon’s electric razor was and that he was invited to share.
As he stalked to the bathroom, he realized he was scanning the rest of the apartment for other marks that he was there, that he’d already begun to make this place his den.
When he didn’t see any, he found himself asking why.He startedplanningto leave things, to bring them from his own still-sterile apartment.If you have to ask why, maybe I should.The thing in his chest that had lain dormant in the last year, only poking its nose out occasionally, the thing that wanted to bite Gideon on the neck, the shoulder, the hip, the thigh, leave sign, leave scent that Joey owned him—thatthing—was awake now, screaming for release.
Joey’s animal knew the difference now, between packmates andmate,and it was ready to make its needs known.
BUT STILLhe held off.He wasn’t sure why.Part of it was that the next six weeks were a flurry of being stretched thin in an already understaffed unit.Gail was back in two weeks, casted leg elevated, laptop computer seemingly welded to her fingertips, and the understanding was, she’d be their permanent overwatch until she healed, but then Joey and Crosby needed to be up to speed.
They’d been looking forward to Kylie returning, but the day Harding walked into the briefing both pleased and grim, they all knew.Kylie had decidednotto return.
And even though she’d never been a predator, or a warrior, really, or even a solid cop, like Crosby, Joey could admit to himself that he’d miss her.She’d been dry and funny and so super competent it was almost pornographic.
Joey was almost afraid to fill her shoes, but Harding didn’t miss much.
“Since we don’t have any pressing cases at the moment,” Harding intoned, “I’m going to have Chadwick give us all a refresher on overwatch protocol and ways to organize your screen to keep track of your targets.Gideon, spend the day prepping.Everyone else, physical and weapons training today, take your pick.I’m doing paperwork—somebody shoot a paper file for me, right in the face.”
“Can do, sir,” Joey told him.An hour later, he and Crosby were in the basement shooting range, pulling back their targets for small arms practice and comparing shots.
Joey was mortified to realize that Crosby had bested him.
“Damn,” Crosby said, voice loud over their protective gear.“You must be having an off day.”
“Or you’re getting better!”Joey shouted, but he felt his brows draw close.
