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“Dang it.” Dex smiled, watching Sloane become all bashful. Ooh, that meant it was going to be good. He did his best to rein in his excitement when Sloane reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet bag. Had Sloane gotten him jewelry? Dex was so excited he could barely contain it.
“I thought rather than some flashy gift, you might like this better.” Sloane handed him the bag. It was incredibly light. And flat. He opened the bag and dropped the contents into his hand. It was a silver key and a folded-up piece of paper. Puzzled, Dex opened the piece of paper. It said, “Top right-hand drawer.”
“Um… I don’t get it. Is it like a scavenger hunt?” Dex cocked his head to one side and wondered why Sloane was getting all red in the face.
“That’s a key to my apartment, and that’s the drawer I emptied out so you can put your stuff in it. For when you stay over, which can be whenever you want. You don’t even have to ask.”
Dex’s jaw almost hit the floor. “I have my own drawer?”
“Yeah.” Sloane shrugged and shoved his hands in his pocket. “Is that okay?”
“Okay?” Dex shoved the key and note into his jean pocket and motioned toward the bar. “You better get your ass in that utility closet before I blow our cover.”
A huge smile split Sloane’s face, making his amber eyes sparkle. He gave a nod and quickly went off. Dex lingered a minute or two behind to make sure no one was watching. He headed off after Sloane unable to believe what his partner had done. It wasn’t uncommon for agents to give their partners keys to their apartments in case of emergency, but the only one to have a key to Sloane’s apartment was Ash. Not just that, but Sloane had given Dex his own drawer, which meant he not only liked having Dex around, he was thinking about their future. Dex had wanted to suggest keeping an overnight bag or something similar at Sloane’s, but he hadn’t wanted to push it. His partner had already agreed to no condoms during sex. He really needed to learn to restrain himself and not spring things on Sloane. Maybe if he could ease things in, Sloane wouldn’t feel so jittery over them.
Like a schoolboy on prom night, Dex stood outside the utility room door and took a deep breath. He gave a knock, his heart skipping a beat when Sloane answered, a beautiful smile on his face. Sloane leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded over his chest.
“How can I help you?”
Dex squealed internally. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir. But my car broke down in front of your house. Can I borrow your phone?”
Sloane raked his gaze over Dex, his expression positively sinful. “Sure. You’ll have to use the one in the bedroom. The one in the kitchen isn’t working.” He stepped aside and motioned for Dex to come in. As soon as Dex was inside the room, he heard the click and lock of the door. Sloane stepped up close behind him, practically pressed up against him. He bent his head close to Dex’s.
“Let me show you where it is. It’s a little hard”—Sloane grabbed Dex’s hips and jerked him back so Dex could feel his erection—“to find.”
Dex let out a gas
p, his whole body shivering with anticipation. First a key to Sloane’s apartment, then his own drawer. Now his own porno fantasy.
Best. Birthday. Ever.
“THIS IS so wrong.”
Dex took a sip of his coffee at the kitchen counter beside Sloane. “You have to do something.”
“Like what?” Sloane asked, his gaze on Ash who was sitting on Dex’s couch in the living room just a few feet away.
“I don’t know, but I can’t stand seeing him like this. I’d rather he be cursing at me, threatening to kill me, trying to kick my ass. Anything is better than this. It’s… sad.” Ash had been fast asleep by the time Dex and Sloane stumbled drunkenly into Dex’s house. The sight of beer bottles on the floor around Ash had sobered them up real quick. Sloane had rushed to Ash’s side to check his vitals, waking his friend up. Ash growled at him and told him to fuck off. The two got into an argument with Sloane telling Ash off for drinking alcohol with his medication. Ash had sulked and apologized. This morning when Dex and Sloane had come down to make breakfast, they found Ash wide awake and watching TV. They had no idea how long the guy had been up, but he hadn’t moved since. He refused any breakfast that wasn’t beer.
“I don’t know what you expect me to do,” Sloane said quietly. “He’s like this because of your brother.”
“No, he’s like this because my brother told him he was in love with him, and he couldn’t deal with it. He’s trapped himself in his fucked-up little closet.”
“It’s not that easy for him.”
“Why? People don’t give a shit anymore. Not like they used to back in the day.”
“True. We Therians kinda stole the spotlight on the whole ‘abomination’ thing,” Sloane replied dryly.
That much was true. Back before Therians, being gay was at the top of every bigot’s and zealot’s shit list. There had been riots and protests. Then Therians had come along, and suddenly the Human zealots were singing a different tune. At least most of them. There was a new threat. A new stronger, more resilient, faster, bigger, different race had emerged, knocking Humans off the top of the food chain. The Human race needed to reinforce their numbers, and the scriptures changed. Suddenly Therians were the real threat to morality and the destruction of mankind. Not that there still weren’t some old-school homophobes around. Dex wondered if Humans would ever stop acting so damn self-righteous. He shook those thoughts from his head and concentrated on the huge, unshaven, scruffy, smelly lion Therian on his couch.
“Sloane. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Look, we’ve all got our demons, and that includes Ash. It wouldn’t be my place to tell you.”
“Well he can’t continue like this.” Dex got up and walked over to the living room. He sat down on the coffee table in front of Ash, making sure not to block his view of the TV. “Hey, buddy. You, uh, you planning on putting on some pants today?”
Ash let out a grunt and took a sip of his beer.
