“You got it. Cal?”
“I’m not hungry,” Calvin muttered. Dex twisted to look at Calvin who was staring moodily out his window. Turning back to Hobbs, Dex arched an eyebrow at him, and Hobbs shook his head. He pointed to the regular Human sized menu and held up four fingers.
“Number four it is.” Dex put in the order, Calvin protesting behind him.
“Damn it, Ethan. I said I wasn’t hungry.”
From the corner of his eye, Dex saw Hobbs give Calvin a pointed, no-nonsense look. Come to think of it, Dex couldn’t remember Calvin having had anything when they’d stopped for lunch earlier that day. They’d been called out on a Coalition sighting, but as Austen had remarked, by the time they got there the group was long gone.
“Fine,” Calvin grumbled, then pulled out his iPhone from one of his pockets along with his in-ear headphones and stuck them in his ears. Dex got off Hobbs so the guy could drive up to the next window.
“What’s eating him?” Dex asked Hobbs, his voice lowered. “You two still haven’t worked things out?”
Hobbs shook his head, his expression troubled but he didn’t “say” anything else. He simply pointed forward to let Dex know the line was moving. He clearly wasn’t ready to share.
“Okay, but if you want someone to talk to, you just come find me.” “Talk” being a relative term where Hobbs was concerned, though by now Dex had learned Hobbs could communicate just as easily with little to no words than most people did with whole conversations. Dex enjoyed Hobbs’s company. The silence was never uncomfortable, and although Dex knew he fell into the category of people who talked too much, he appreciated Hobbs’s sedate nature.
After they picked up their food, Hobbs parked the BearCat across a row of empty parking spaces, and they all got busy eating. Dex noticed how Hobbs reached over and plucked the closest ear bud out of Calvin’s ear. That earned him a scowl, but Hobbs smiled widely. It was a sort of crooked schoolboy smile that was hard to stay mad at. Dex was glad Calvin wasn’t immune either, and the blond agent’s frown faltered before he laughed. He affectionately called his friend an asshole before stealing some of his fries.
“So how long has your brother had pre-birthday-party parties?” Sloane asked Cael.
“Since he was a kid.”
“And Maddock went with it?”
“This is Dex we’re talking about. It’s better to surrender and go along for the ride than try and fight him on something he wants. Am I wrong?” Cael gave him a knowing smile.
Sloane hung his head as if in shame. “You’re not wrong.”
“You’re so screwed,” Rosa said, letting out an evil cackle.
“Thank you, Rosa. I appreciate that.”
“Welcome to my world,” Cael added.
Dex waved a hand at them. “You guys realize I’m sitting right here. Still, I enjoy listening to how fabulous you all think I am.”
“More like what a pain in the ass you are,” Cael said with a snort.
“But I’m a cute pain in the ass. Admit it. Look at these dimples.” Dex pointed to his cheeks and grinned.
Sloane laughed before catching himself. “Crap. I am screwed.”
Rosa, Cael, and Letty laughed over Dex’s antics, and Dex leaned over Sloane to defend his honor when he felt Sloane’s hand slip under his ass cheek and squeeze. Dex gave a start and blinked at his partner. With a wicked grin, Sloane leaned over to whisper at him.
“I might be screwed, but tonight you’re going to be fucked.”
Dex sat back and did his best to fight the hard-on Sloane’s growly threat was giving him. The bastard. He knew they still had to get back to HQ, shower, and change before heading home. It’d be at least another couple of hours before Sloane could make good on his threat. Dex told himself that was okay. He’d have two hours to devise a way to get back at his lover. The thought alone had Dex grinning. Yep, Sloane was most certainly screwed.
Chapter 2
“OH YEAH. That’s it, baby.” Dex shimmied over to Sloane, bumping him with his hip. “Dude, come on.”
Sloane shook his head, smiling as he took a sip of his beer. “Nope.” He had to admire his partner’s tenacity. Whether on the job or off, when Dexter J. Daley wanted someth
ing, he went after it until he got it, and he used whatever means necessary. If someone had pointed to Dex that first day they’d met and told Sloane they were going to end up together, Sloane would have ordered an immediate psych eval on them. Now, it was hard to imagine his life without that crooked boyish grin or infectious laugh.
“Can’t or won’t?” Dex pulled some funky disco moves Sloane was certain would make any other guy look like a giant douche, but not his boyfriend. Boyfriend. There’s a word he was still getting used to. His boyfriend was the only guy he knew who had pre-birthday-party parties. Dex leaned into Sloane, talking low. “Come on, man. Everyone’s drunk off their asses. No one’s going to care that we dance together. I’ve danced with half the Defense Department. Even Hobbs danced with me.”