by M. Tasia
“Well, we’ll see how happy you are when he gets back with the squid, and you’re eating calamari for a week.”
“Ewww,” Ross grumbled while thinking of those inky bastards squiggling around in his stomach. “Does our grocery store even carry that?”
“Nope,” Jac answered with a cheeky grin. “That was the point.”
Okay, he’d shove down a few pieces if he had to. “Not complaining here, but I wish James would pull back a little on the hovering, that’s all. It’s like he’s expecting something horrible to happen, or some shit.”
“Of course. He’s scared. So am I. We almost lost you.”
“I get that, really, but I’m better now and healing here at home,” Ross stated.
“It’s hard to get the vision of you covered in blood out of our minds. I never want to go through that again,” Jac told him as she sat straighter and then trembled as if she’d felt a chill.
“Neither do I,” Ross admitted before taking his sister’s hand.
“But I have to admit,” Jac shook her head, “James has left me in the dust with his worrying. Hell, he wouldn’t leave the hospital, even after they kicked him out of your room so that he would go home and get some rest. Instead he went to sit in one of the chairs down the hall.”
Ross remembered James never being too far away, but he’d had no idea the guy had never left. The guy had to be exhausted and running on fumes. This had to stop. “I wish I had known.”
“James wouldn’t have listened to you. He’s a man on a mission, and that mission is assuring you had and have the best care possible to heal,” Jac explained.
“I have a plan to make James rest whether he likes it or not,” Ross announced.
Jac got that shifty look in her eyes. “What do you need me to do?”
***
James juggled the grocery bags in his arms in search of his key to Ross’s house. It had taken a hell of a lot longer then he imagined finding all the stuff on Jac’s list. He had no idea what she intended to do with the slimy eight legged monster he’d been forced to go to three stores to find, but he was sure he wouldn’t be hungry that day.
Thankfully, before he set the bags down on the deck, Jac opened the door. “There you are. I was getting worried.”
“Your list was a minefield of shit I’ve never heard of before. What the hell are you going to be making?”
“Oh, I saw some amazing recipes online that I wanted to give a try.”
“Can you try them when I’m not around? I’m not sure my stomach could take it.” He set the bags down on the kitchen table.
“I thought you Army boys had steel stomachs.”
“There’s not enough steel to take on board whatever you’re planning on cooking up. Meat and potatoes, that’s the good stuff.”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head, you’ll love it,” Jac assured, but he doubted he would be able to even withstand the smell. “Ross is lying down in his bedroom and wanted to see you when you got back.”
Warning bells went off in his head. “Is he okay? Did something happen while I was gone?” If so, he’d never forgive himself.
“No, no, he’s fine. I’ll take care of the groceries while you go and see what he wants,” Jac said as she pulled the bag holding those slippery suckers from the larger grocery bag. A look of disgust crossed her face making James wonder why she even had him pick it up.
There was no time to puzzle that out. He had to go help Ross. James turned and headed down the short hallway to the master suite. When he opened the door he found Ross resting on the bed, his eyes open.
“Hey, babe. Jac said you wanted to see me. Anything I can get you?” Even though he’d been running around the city for the past couple of hours, he would go out again if Ross wanted something they didn’t have.
Ross patted the mattress. “Come lay down with me for a minute. We need to talk.”
There weren’t many other words that could strike fear into a person quite like, “We need to talk.” “Okay.” His mind was racing with possibilities. Was Ross getting sicker? Did he need James to do more to help?
Carefully, he slid onto the bed beside Ross, cautious of jostling his wounds. Once he got settled he asked,” What’s going on?”
“Close your eyes,” Ross ordered. James closed his eyes, and in a split second he felt the pull of sleep. He refused to give in. There was too much to do.
He could feel Ross moving around but it wasn’t until he heard that familiar click that he opened his eyes. James looked down at the handcuff around his right wrist and found the other side connected to Ross’s left wrist.
What the hell?
Ross smiled with that cocky grin before saying, “Now you’ll have to rest.”
“What? I’m fine. This is crazy.” James tugged lightly at the cuff. It wasn’t as if he was being restrained. No reason to freak, but what was Ross playing at?
“You’re not fine. You haven’t been sleeping and you’ve been waiting on me since the hospital,” Ross told him. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful, but you need to slow down before you fall down.”
“I rest.” James tried his best to sound convincing.
“Yeah? When? Was it during the time at the hospital when you wouldn’t leave the building, or was it when you were helping me all day every day? Shit, you’re out of bed before I even wake up.”
“So? I want to take care of you.”
Ross looked at him far too closely for James to hide what he’d been thinking and feeling. “None of this is your fault. Without you, I would have lost Jac and Becca. You’ve been right by my side through all of this.”
“But if I hadn’t dropped my gun–”
“If you hadn’t dropped your gun there would have been a bullet in my head instead of my stomach. There’s no way to come back from that. I got off lucky.”
“Lucky? You almost died.”
“Yes, almost. But I didn’t, and it’s time for you to move on from that. I’m not going anywhere.” Ross reached for James’s hand. “I plan to be around chasing your fine ass for many years.
James couldn’t think of anything to say to that. Had he been living in fear of Ross dying, instead of rejoicing in the fact that he was still alive? Damn, he was tired. Maybe his sexy detective had a point.
“Okay. I admit, I might have been overly cautious.”
“Cautious, hell, you would have wrapped me in bubble wrap if you could have gotten away with it.”
“You can order them by the case online,” James shared.
“Of course you would know that,” Ross shot back before smiling. “I love you. Now lay down and get some sleep because I’m not planning on moving.”
James couldn’t help but grin back. “I love you too, Detective.” Then he lay down beside the man who came out of nowhere and changed James’s entire life for the better. “I still can’t believe you cuffed me.”
“Hey, I told you from the beginning, I’d use them if I had too.” The memory of that night in the bar seemed to be so long ago. “I’ve gotta admit, I had imagined using them in more pleasurable pursuits, but this will do…for now.”
James closed his eyes for what felt like the first time in weeks and drifted off to sleep to the sound of his lover breathing.
Which was perfect.
TAKE A Sneak Peek from Book Four in the Gates of Heaven series: Joey
Joey wiped down the bar as he watched the party get under way. Detective Ross was still recovering from his gunshot wound but it had been over a month since he had been released from the hospital. Every time Joey had seen him he had looked better then the time before.
Joey had been working at The Gates as a bartender for the last six months and he loved his job. The bosses were honest and fair. The rest of the staff seemed to be working out fine, and Marian had taken Joey under her wing.
“Hey, can I have that bottle of champagne for Ross, please?” Finn asked from the other end of the bar.
“Sure, boss. I can b
ring it over to the table along with glasses if you’d like. And I’ll bring some sparkling apple juice for Becca.” Joey had to look up at almost everyone who worked at The Gates, what with him being five foot five.
“You’re an angel. You think of everything. Thank you,” Finn praised before walking back to his group of friends.
There were people in suits, police officers popping in and out to give their best wishes, and a group that looked better suited to the country then the city. Everyone was so happy to have Ross still living in the world beside them. Joey couldn’t blame anyone of them. Ross had always been a straight-up guy. Treated people with respect and had always said hello to Joey when he came to The Gates.
Joey couldn’t help but be a little bit jealous, and he felt horrible for it. He couldn’t think of a single person that would do the same for him. Especially, if they found out who he really was. That was why he began bartending. It was the perfect job. No one really noticed the person slinging drinks. Customers would talk about their lives and their woes to their hearts content, and not one had asked Joey about himself. Well, maybe the bosses, but they were running the place and needed the information when he was hired. They never pried though, but they’d made it clear they were there for him if he needed.
He’d changed his name for that exact reason, anonymity. Joey was not part of the life his family had forged. Never had been and never would be. He had sworn on his mother’s deathbed and he would die before breaking that oath.
Joey wrapped the bottle of Dom Perignon with a starched white napkin then placed it in the standing ice bucket. On a tray, he put sparkling apple juice and half a dozen champagne flutes, and then headed over to the tables. He never uncorked the champagne. Typically, one of the guests wanted to do it, and frequently not right away.
The restaurant had been shut down for the occasion, which Joey didn’t mind. It would be a quiet shift before he had to go home. He pushed down that sick feeling he often got at the thought of returning to his empty apartment.
“Ah, he we go. It’s not a celebration without champagne,” Saint announced as Joey set the bucket alongside the table, then took off the glasses and apple juice and placed them on the table.
“Do you mind opening that for us, Joey?” his other boss, Saint, asked.
“I thought you might like the honor, boss,” Joey suggested.
“You’re a part of The Gates crew. Did you bring yourself a glass?” Saint was always so generous.
“No sir.” Joey could feel the warmth of acceptance seeping into his cold bones.
“Well, let’s open that up and then you go grab yourself a glass,” Finn ordered. The smallest boss was amazing. He never gave out orders unless it was for your own good. Joey liked and respected him, and worked twice as hard to please him.
“Yes, sir,” Joey agreed. The bosses used to try to get him to call them by their first names, but he refused and thankfully they stopped trying. His mother taught him to respect those who worked hard and made a good life for themselves.
He removed the foil and muselet from around the top of the bottle and cork. He wrapped a cloth around the top of the bottle and began pulling as he turned the cork. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, which made him shake a little. It must have been enough to lose control of the cork, sending it about ten feet across the room and into the head of one of Ross’s fellow police officers.
Joey stood frozen to the spot, his heart beating frantically. “I’m so sorry.” Holy shit. He’d ruined the party. Now the cops would look into him.
After a few long moments, Ross broke out laughing. “That’ll teach you to keep your eyes open, Webb.”
Officer Webb laughed and so did everyone else. Thank God. Joey quickly set the bottle down. “I’ll get you some ice for your head.”
He raced back to the safety of his bar, grabbed a plastic bag and filled it with crushed ice. When he turned around, he saw that Officer Webb had followed him and he was now standing on the other side of the bar with a glass of champagne in his hand.
Joey wrapped the bag of ice in a clean towel and handed it to his victim. “I am truly sorry. I don’t know what happened.” Of course he knew what happened. He had been the center of attention and lost his shit, once again.
The Officer smiled, which seemed to light up his face. “Call me Sam, and don’t worry about it, accidents happen. This is for you.” Webb handed him the glass of champagne
“I was nervous.” Why did I say that?
“I could tell. I’m guessing you don’t like having all eyes on you.”
Was he that obvious? “No. I’d rather stay in the background.”
“Someone as handsome as you in the background, that might be near impossible and a damned shame,” Officer Webb said. “Thanks to your shot, I found a reason to talk to you.”
Joey could feel his cheeks warming and he knew he was blushing. I am such a child. His birth certificate might say he was twenty-eight, but his behavior led people to believe he had barely broke eighteen.
Sam took the ice pack and held it to the side of his head before reaching into his shirt pocket.
“I’ll let you make it up to me,” he said as he placed his business card on the bar top. “Let me take you out for coffee sometime and we will call it even.”
“How is that making it up to you if you’re the one paying for the coffee?” Joey asked.
Sam smiled and Joey could feel his heart speeding up.
“Because you will save me from drinking coffee all alone. Think about it.” Sam winked and turned to rejoin the party.
Did Officer Webb just ask him out on a date? Wouldn’t that send dear old granddad over the edge. Joey tucked the card into the pocket of his pants and went back to cleaning the bar.
He sure as certain was interested, but that coffee rendezvous could never happen. Joey had to keep his secret safe and dating a cop was the absolute wrong thing to assure that continued to happen.
But, there was no harm in dreaming.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M. Tasia lives in a small town in Ontario, Canada. She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America, and its Rainbow Romance Writers and Toronto Romance Writers chapters. Michelle is a dedicated people-watcher, lover of romance novels, ‘80s rock, and happy endings. Also, she’s the mother of two wonderful girls, wife to a great husband, and new grandmother, as well as servant to two spoiled furry children who don’t seem to realize that they’re actually cats.
Michelle writes contemporary and paranormal romance, and she believes love should be celebrated. After all, everybody needs a little romance, excitement, intrigue, and passion in their lives.
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