Page 49 of Dark Obsession

“Good, yeah.”

And that was it. When they’d finished, Demetrius went up to pay the bill while Cody headed out to the truck.

“Something’s up with you two,” Margie said as she ran his credit card.

“We’re just dealing with a tough job today.”

“Seems more than that, but okay.”

A group of people in their twenties came through the door. They all seemed to be talking over each other without hearing what anyone else was saying. Demetrius’s jaw clenched, and he exchanged a glance with Margie.

“No, brah, this is where all of that happened,” a woman wearing a headband with werewolf ears on either side was saying.

“You can sit wherever you like, I’ll be right over,” Margie called to the group, then, in a low voice, “More monster lookie-loos. The money’s nice, but I’d like to see them make it through a werewolf or vampire attack without peeing their pants.” She shook her head as she watched the group squeeze into a booth.

Demetrius grunted in agreement before stepping out in the heat. When he got in the truck, Cody’s attitude was as chill as the air blasting from the vents, and they were silent on the drive back. Five raccoons waited in the traps, and they loaded them in the truck. Cody screwed the vent back into place as Demetrius rang the doorbell to collect payment.

Cody drove them to the usual spot out around Parson’s Pond. They unloaded the cages and watched the furry bandits waddle off among the trees. After they’d returned the cages to the truck, Demetrius boosted himself up onto the lowered tailgate. It was still humid, but cooler in the shade of the trees and around the pond. He removed his gloves and looked at Cody’s profile.

“I’m really sorry,” Demetrius said. “I was short with you at Margie’s, and I know I hurt your feelings.”

“Yeah, you did.” Cody glanced at him and lifted one shoulder in a quick half-shrug. “But I’m tough.”

“That you are.” He hesitated. “But I’m still mad. And I don’t like feeling that way about you.”

Cody threw his arms out to either side and practically shouted, “Neither do I!”

“But you went right out the following night and did the same thing you were mad at me for doing.” Demetrius felt the beat of his pulse in his neck.

“Okay, I know that looked bad. But I did not do it on purpose.”

“You accidentally went paranormal snooping?”

“Well, yeah. I didn’t plan to end up at that place.”

“And yet…”

Cody nodded, closing his eyes. “I know, I know.” He dropped his head and put his hands on hips. After a beat, Cody stood in front of him. He slowly parted Demetrius’s knees and stepped between his legs. His thighs brushed Demetrius’s knees, and the smell of his sweat and deodorant curled around him.

Cody’s hands slid into the legs of Demetrius’s cargo shorts, and he gently squeezed Demetrius’s thighs, his damp touch hot as a brand. “I understand how you ended up going by that abandoned house again, okay? I get it, because obviously I did the same thing last night.” He put a finger under Demetrius’s chin and lifted it to be able to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I hate that I did it, and I shouldn’t have. I’m just so goddamn afraid of losing you. I’ve watched people perform CPR on you twice now, terrified I’d lost you, that you’d gone somewhere I couldn’t go to save you, that we hadn’t had nearly enough time together.” His eyebrows lifted slightly and his eyes filled. “I don’t know if I have a third time in me.”

Demetrius took both of his hands and held them tight. “I don’t want to lose you, either. But if we don’t do anything about these kinds of threats, we run a greater risk of losing each other and the other people we love. We’re so much stronger and so much better when we’re connected and trust each other. We have to allow each other the freedom to assess the danger of a situation and investigate if needed.”

Cody’s voice was rough with emotion. “I want to protect you at all times.”

“You’re not my Secret Service detail, all right? You’re my husband, and we are in this together, equally. We protect each other.”

Cody dropped his gaze. “Yeah.” He pulled free of Demetrius’s grip and pressed his fingers into his eyes. After a moment, he took Demetrius’s hands again as one corner of his mouth curled up slightly. “But it would be pretty hot if I were your Secret Service detail.”

Demetrius grinned. “Yeah, it would.” Then he turned serious again, giving his hands a gentle shake. “I want to make sure we’re in agreement here, crystal clear. We will trust each other to gauge the dangerousness of a situation and investigate as we need to.”

“I agree. But we need to keep in touch.”

“Right, of course.”

“And don’t get mad when the other calls or texts to say they’re doing something a bit higher risk.”

Demetrius squinted a bit. “That applies to both of us, right?”