“We’re only going out for a couple of hours. Then we’re back here so I can make some phone calls,” Edward said as gruffly as he could manage, but his tone did nothing to dim Daniel’s enthusiasm. Fuck…it made him wish they really were on vacation so he could have taken him on a complete tour of his favorite places around Toulouse and then maybe driven down to the Mediterranean coast for a short stay in the picturesque Marseille.
But that wasn’t going to happen.Daniel felt a little bad about badgering Edward into exploring Toulouse, but he couldn’t stand the idea of coming all the way to France and not at least seeing a little of the country. He hadn’t been lying when he said that his stomach turned at the mention of “vacation.” Bermuda was supposed to be a lot of lounging on the beach, reading a book or two, drinks, and maybe a little hot vacation sex before heading back to work—relaxed and refreshed.
Instead, he’d been shot at, blown up, kidnapped, flown across the ocean to be shot at some more, chased through the mountains, and almost run off a road. He was not relaxed. Okay, maybe he’d had some of the hottest sex of his life with one of the hottest men he’d ever seen. And he did get to explore Barcelona, a place he’d never even thought he’d get to visit in his lifetime. And now he was wandering around the streets of Toulouse, France with this same sexy man.
Fine…it wasn’t all bad.
They walked down the streets of the pink city with the medieval church spires rising up and a wonderful network of cobblestone lanes. The city was tinted pink due to the terracotta bricks used on most of the sixteenth-century medieval buildings. He loved the old architecture and how laid-back and friendly everyone was. On the drive, he’d read online how Toulouse was a popular tourist city, but it was also full of students, thanks to the nearby university. The narrow lanes were filled with people shopping and enjoying their day.
With Edward at his side, they blended in with the crowds, looking at the museums and lots of little fashion boutiques trying to establish their brand before making a splash in Paris. They moseyed over to the Garonne River, where he could see the boats docked and waiting for the evening cruises. He instantly wished that they were staying long enough to cruise along the river and see the city lit up at night.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Edward said after they’d wandered in silence for a while.
“I think you just did,” Daniel replied with a playful smirk. Edward shot him a warning look and Daniel chuckled. For some reason, the man just could not intimidate him, and Daniel really wasn’t sure why. Edward was inches taller and wider than him. He was pretty sure the CIA agent could fold him in half without really trying. But when he looked at Edward, some little voice in the back of his head proclaimed in a loud voice that Edward wouldn’t hurt him. Ever.
“Why’d you join the FBI?”
Daniel chuckled. “I don’t look the type, do I?”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. Most people join with this idea of being a field agent and chasing criminals and aliens.”
“Aliens?”
Edward stepped close, bumping his arm against Daniel’s. “What? You didn’t watch X-Files?”
“Yeah, I watched it and it did not make me want to be an FBI agent.”
“Then why?”
Daniel shrugged. “I never actually planned on joining. I was a math major in college when my dad was accused of fraud and money laundering. It nearly ruined him, and it was all bullshit. I added criminal justice my sophomore year. I wanted to help him as well as anyone else who was getting fucked by the government.”
“And instead you joined the government?”
Daniel groaned. “You make it sound like I joined the dark side.”
“You do know you’re talking to the ultimate dark side right here?”
Daniel bumped Edward’s arm. “Definitely. If the few friends I did make while working in the FBI found out that I’d fall-fucked a spook, they’d never forgive me.” Daniel quickly corrected himself, nearly wanting to smack his hand over his mouth. He was not falling for a freaking CIA spy.
“Lovely,” Edward muttered. “But back to the story.”
“I was in the top of my class in accounting and criminal justice. When I was recruited, they made it sound like I could help people like my dad get justice while catching the real criminal bastards. I thought I could do something useful.”
“You make it sound like you didn’t.”
Daniel stopped in the square in front of the Toulouse city hall with its warm pinkish brick and multiple white columns. Some local vendors had set up booths in the square under broad white umbrellas to protect them from the sun. “It didn’t feel like it. I never saw any happy endings or the bad guy getting locked up. There was always just another stack of files on my desk to work on. And if you weren’t willing to kiss the right asses, then there was no upward movement in your career. I stuck with it for four years before I finally had enough. And you’ll probably laugh, but I was homesick too.”