Page 24 of Red, White, and BearCat Blue

My heart had begun to hurt. I wish they could see the real me.

Vegas had more than its share of the criminal element because tourists were usually pretty gullible, and the economy here was driven by tourism. But it didn’t feel good to know that Mars thought I was just one more crook.

I was, however, starting to warm to this job now that I knew he and his friend were in the business of taking down really bad guys like Josiah. It didn’t even really bother me to know that once Josiah was out of business—probably in jail—I’d pretty much be out of a job. Well…I still had Gary, but really, I’d be forced to get a real job. Shit, I wasn’t good at anything else.

I sighed to myself, knowing that meeting these two FBI agents was going to really change my life.

At my direction, Mars drove us to a little mom-and-pop Mexican place that I’d always loved. The cooks worked really hard to make all the family recipes the restaurant served. I liked supporting small businesses in town, figuring that everyone deserved a chance to make a better life for their families. We found a booth near the back and I slid into it, inhaling the sights and smells of the familiar place. When Amber came over with a pad and pen in her hand, I looked up, cursing under my breath.

“Hi, Cam!” Her perky tone and long, dark hair had once been very attractive to me. These days, her curves and wide hips held little appeal. Even the way she made her dark ponytail bounce when she talked or walked kinda bugged me. It had once endlessly fascinated me. She eyed up Mars and Mickey. “Who’re your friends?”

“This is Mars and that’s Mickey,” I grumbled, pointing to them.

She handed me a menu and then the guys. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Amber. Coffee anyone?”

I nodded, sliding down in the booth and holding the menu up so I wouldn’t have to look at the agents. For some reason, I didn’t want to see Mars staring at her boobs. I dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come.

“Thanks. I’ll ‘ave a cuppa tea. Can I ‘ave proper boiling water, please,” Mars said. He sounded really friendly, but he’d sounded the same way when he’d talked to my mom earlier. I figured he really was a nice guy under all those sexy muscles.

“Coffee for me, thanks,” Mickey said, joining in. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Be right back,” Amber singsonged, bouncing as she walked away.

A throat cleared, and I lowered my menu. Mars was looking at me. “So, ‘oo’s Amber?”

I sighed. “She used to be my girlfriend. Her folks own this place, but I forgot she worked this shift until it was like, too late.”

Mars lifted an eyebrow. “She used to be ya girlfriend?” When I nodded, so did he. “She’s cute.”

I rolled my eyes. “She’s a pain in the ass.”

Mickey snorted and the corners of his mouth turned up. Since he hardly ever smiled and I’d started to consider him to be a lot more serious than Mars, the expression caught me off guard. “It’s not nice to call women a pain in the ass.”

I rolled my eyes again. “Except that I’ve known her since she was like ten. And ever since I decided I only like dating guys, when she’s all flirtatious like that, it just bugs the crap out of me.” I shut up fast, not meaning to say all that. What the hell is wrong with me?

Mars’ eyebrow rose again. “Ya only date guys now?”

I stared at him, thinking how nice it would be to date a guy as hot as Mars was. The more I got to know him, the stronger my attraction grew. When he cocked his head to the side, I realized I hadn’t answered him. “Um…yeah.”

“So, you decided you were bi or something?” Mickey asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I hate labels and I don’t put them on myself. It just happened once I turned twenty-six.”

“What ‘appened?”

“I think guys are less caring about how you manhandle them, you know?”

“Manhandle them?” Mickey asked. The way he stared at me with a raised eyebrow was sort of intimidating.

I shrugged. “I don’t know…you know.” I waved my hand. “You don’t have to be too delicate with them. You can really screw them into the mattress and not worry about whether you’re gonna hurt them or something.”

Mars smirked and the way his eyes lit with interest made me want to swallow my tongue for some damned reason. Why the hell I was spilling my guts to them, I had no idea. “Interesting,” he said. “That’s why I prefer men too.”

Holy shit. This big, tall, gorgeous guy was gay? “You date guys? I never would’ve guessed.”

Mars nodded, glancing at Mickey. They exchanged an odd look before turning back to me. “We both date men exclusively,” Mars said.

I squirmed as the image of a naked Mars pinning me down in bed suddenly popped into my head. When I felt myself getting hard, I cleared my throat, knowing this conversation was super dangerous. I was pissed at myself for even bringing it up. “Oh, wow. Like I said, I never would’ve guessed.”