Chris nodded.
Well, at least they were on the same page with this.
“Callen feels that too. Gene feels that about you. We work because we all know where we stand, and there’s no sugarcoating it. It’s okay to say she’s your core. She’s mine too. Just trust in her like you always have, and if she gets angry about The Hunter thing, we’ll have your back.”
He rested his forehead against Chris’.
It was so nice to have that kind of friendship and relationship with someone he could trust, too.
“Thank you for talking me down,” he offered. “I know how exhausting I can be.”
Chris didn’t mind.
Not.
At.
All.
He just let the man lean so he could regroup. When they got out of this shower, they were going to have to hit the ground running. If Elizabeth was out collecting bodies, the rest of them had to be here doing what they did best.
Profiling.
ME’ing.
Helping.
“EJ, you’re far from exhausting. If you were, did you really think you’d have this many people who loved you? Everyone in this relationship adores you, and that means you’re perfect the way you are. You didn’t catch one person, but four.”
Yeah, he loved this man.
Chris always helped his heart stay intact. He was a good man, and they were damn lucky.
Ethan looked calmer.
“Better?” Chris asked.
He was shocked when Ethan shook his head. He’d really believed he’d gotten through to him.
It was when Ethan kissed him, that Chris knew what the man was asking.
He needed comforting on a completely different level.
Well, so did he.
There was nothing wrong with asking for that when you were scared. They all had moments of weakness and worry.
So, he took care of his mate. He helped navigate that fear with him.
With a kiss, he locked them together. In that steamy shower, Chris led the way, giving Ethan a place to hide until he was ready to stand up for himself again.
No one liked betraying the trust of their loved one, but sometimes, you had to do what you had to do.
There was no sin here as far as Chris was concerned. They would have all done the same thing if it had been up to them. They’d told Ethan that too.
This was a unified front.
Ethan fell into the kiss, taking that moment to forget that he’d been struggling, and instead, find solace in the arms of someone he loved.
