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It was a stressful situation, to say the least. As we started saying our goodbyes and getting up from the table, I looked around and really realized where I was. Part of me couldn’t believe I was involved in all of this. I had been working as an unarmed security guard to make ends meet only a few months ago, a far cry from sitting inside of a mansion on Star Island, trying to figure out which big drug cartel was behind the spread of this new drug.
And then there was Fox. I hadn’t known who he was until this morning, and now, as we walked back to the car, chatting in the Miami heat about the case, I felt like the morning happened ten years ago. I couldn’t explain what it was about him, but he put me at ease.
That must be why I can’t stop sneaking glances his way. It’s because he makes me comfortable.
That’s it.
That’s the only reason…
7 Gabriel “Fox” Morrison
We were back in my car, the sun was setting, and my heart was beating pretty fucking fast. Why was it doing that? Ever since Jonah dropped into my orbit, my heart rate had been completely out of whack. Was it something I ate? Had to have been.
It couldn’t be because I was finding it hard to stop looking at Jonah. Every time I glanced his way, I spotted something else I liked about him. He was like a damn gemstone, changing every time the light hit him. He reminded me of a rainbow lorikeet, a bird with an array of colorful feathers that seemed to shift and dance with even the slightest movement. Fascinating birds to watch, as Jonah was a fascinating man to observe.
A straight man with a girlfriend.
Reminding myself didn’t exactly stop the thoughts that were revving up in the same way my car was.
During my time in the army, I had encountered a good number of guys who came off as straight but got off as a bottom. In this case, though, Jonah was taken and completely off the market. There was no bending the rules or awakening some suppressed side of himself.
So stop thinking about sucking his dick.
“This is going to be an interesting case, huh? Thanks for bringing me on as your partner. I really appreciate you giving me a shot.” Jonah was buckling his seat belt, and even though his face was turned away from mine, I could still hear the smile on his voice.
“You kidding? I should be thanking you.”
I started back onto the wide roads that led off the island. In my peripheral vision, I could make out Jonah and his spread legs, those big thighs of his that opened and closed to some unknown beat.
A beat I wanted to learn and use and—
Fuck. Stop.
“So do you think Dylan’s behind it?” Jonah looked at me, dead serious in tone and expression.
And then he cracked up. “Joking. Imagine, how crazy would that be?”
“He’d be one stupid drug lord if he hired me to investigate his own shit.”
“Seriously, he’d have to be on Dragon to even think about that.” He looked over at me as we rolled to a stop at a stop sign. “His assistant, though…”
My turn to crack up. Jonah was a ball of fun and a half. That was something my grandpa would always say—“Oh, Shirley from down the street is a ball of fun and a half”; “Zane? He’s a ball of fun and a half”—and I found that whenever he used that term to describe someone, me and that person would get along without a hitch.
The dashboard clock glowed in blue as the sun started to dip. It was six thirty, and I was shocked by how fast the day had gone by. “Want to grab something to eat?” I asked it without having any expectations, but I found myself suddenly hoping for a yes.
Instead, Jonah pulled his phone from his pocket and checked something.
“It’s all right if—”
“Yeah, let’s do it.” He put the phone back in his pocket, clapped his hands. “Want to do Luca’s? It’s a Cuban place down on Seventh Street.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, turning onto the street and pulling up at the security post so they could open the gates that led out of the island. “You know, that way we can talk some more about the case.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what spurred me to qualify this dinner as something—anything—other than a date, but I did. This was more of a friendly business dinner than anything else, something I had to keep in mind because the A/C was carrying Jonah’s cologne over my way and holy fucking shit was it making me hard just imagining what that would smell like with my nose buried in his chest—
I’m such a fucking idiot.
