AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Makes a kind of unhinged, crazy, old rich man sense.”
“Unfortunately, it does. It also seems to align with data I intercepted and was analyzing before you—before we—became distracted.”
“Well, since shit is kinda hitting the fan now, I’m glad we had a little fun first.” I reach out to massage the tension out of his neck and shoulders, but he jerks back in a way he hasn’t done since before we became lovers.
“Hey,” I say, unable to keep the hurt from sneaking into my voice.
“I have a lot of things to do,” he says in a clipped voice. “And so do you. This plan started with you and now we will be executing its end point in less than forty-eight hours. We both need to be ready.”
“You’re right,” I tell him because he is, but I can’t stand him pulling away from me. “But when we finish burying Patriots Now, you and I are having a date that I won’t let you back out on.”
“A date?” Eli asks, his voice high and a little flustered.
“Yep. Be prepared. We have some talking to do.” I wink at him. “Along with some other things.”
Eli takes a step toward me, but then his computer goes off with one of his high priority alerts, and with one last puzzled look at me, he returns to his computer to once again save the world.
Chapter30
Eli
Kentucky
It seems strange to be back in my ‘Bat Cave’, as Johnny likes to call it. Other than a thin layer of dust covering the computer covers, nothing has changed since the last time I enacted the security protocols to lock it up tight.
The only thing that has changed is me. The Eli who’d last stood in this building hadn’t experienced a host of life-changing adventures. He hadn’t, with Jeb’s help, begun to face the loss of his family, and start trying to live, despite his guilt and grief. That Eli hadn’t known what it felt like to be touched by someone who made him lose himself completely to passion.
That Eli hadn’t yet fallen totally in love with Jebediah Ezekiel Jones.
I don’t know whether to pity that Eli or envy him.
That’s wrong. I wouldn’t trade the last four months for anything. Each moment with Jeb is treasured, even the one I’m going to have to say goodbye to him in.
Does it really have to be a goodbye?
I try to stifle the hope Jeb’s mention of a ‘date’ gave me. He probably just wants one more night of farewell sex before we part as friends. I have to be okay with that.
But do I? He said he wanted to talk. What if I could have more time with Jeb?
“Stop,” I yell out loud in an attempt to try and quiet my inner monologue. I don’t have time for its relentless distraction.
“If you tell me what I was doing to piss you off, I’ll stop immediately,” Johnny says, one eyebrow arched cockily at me.
That’s how off balance I am. I’d all but forgotten Johnny was here tohelpme restore my network to fully operational again.
“You’re uncovering the computers wrong,” I lie to cover for my outburst. “Fold then lift them.”
“You’ve been spending way too much time with Jebediah.” Johnny pointedly removes the computer covers and drops them to the floor with a flourish. “That sounded just like his bullshit, right there, all mixed in with your fussy snark.” He narrows his eyes at me. “I don’t like it.”
I ignore him and start running diagnostics to make sure everything is running at peak performance. I finally lose myself to the comforting monotony of the task.
“Well?”
I look up from my work. Johnny has given up all pretense of ‘helping’ and is standing above me, studying me like a bug on a slide.
“Well, what?”
“Did you and Jeb fuck around while you two were out causing mayhem this summer?”
