by Jenna Byrnes
* * * *
The weekend flew and by Sunday, Dix really wished he didn’t have to leave. He and Bryan had got very comfortable, sharing more in common than either of them could have guessed. They went to his townhouse to pack another bigger bag, and ended up making love in the whirlpool tub.
“Damn, this is nice.” Bryan leant back against the edge. “I could enjoy one of these.”
Dix sat between his legs, his back to Bryan’s chest. “You’re welcome to use this one anytime you want.”
Bryan nibbled his earlobe. “Then what are we doing packing your stuff to go to my place?”
Dix grinned. “Yours is closer to work. I guess we figured the shorter commute would give us more time in bed each morning?”
“I guess.” Bryan ran his hands over Dix’s chest. “We may have to rethink that decision at some point. Because this is very nice.” He glanced around. “The whole place is. Did you live here with your wife?”
“No! I bought it after the divorce. She’s never been here.”
Bryan chuckled. “Doesn’t sound like there’s much love lost between you two.”
“Not anymore. We were friendly for a while, but she lost it when she found out I was seeing other men. Got really nasty. It wasn’t pleasant. I think our bickering was part of the reason Jared enlisted in the Marines and moved so far away.”
“Did he take sides, or was he cool?”
“Definitely not cool. He didn’t actually ‘take sides’, but he’s his mother’s son. Let’s put it this way, he calls her once a week and I hear from him regularly—once a year on my birthday.”
“Ouch.” Bryan hugged him. “That hurts.”
Dix shrugged. “It did, but I’m over it. I love him and he knows it. How he chooses to treat me is totally up to him.”
“I know, but still.” Bryan kissed his temple. “Sorry, babe.”
“Thanks. Hey, I just realised the station hasn’t called all weekend.”
“This is a good thing.”
“A very good thing. I hope it keeps up.”
“Me too, for your sake. And for the people of Kansas City, of course. I want everyone to stay safe, but especially you. I have a newly vested interest in you.”
“You do, huh?” Dix rolled over so their stomachs touched. He pressed his lips against Bryan’s, and their kiss was slow and passionate.
Tongue batted against tongue as desire increased. He rubbed his groin against his lover’s and felt both their cocks respond.
“Mmm.” Bryan drew back for air. “So soon? You think we’re up for that?”
“You kidding me? We’re forty-five, not ninety-five. Besides, my sexual appetite has quadrupled since I met you.”
Bryan grinned. “Yeah, me too. Ain’t it great?”
“Very great. So come on. My turn to play.”
They dried off and raced to the bed, flopping on top of the comforter. Dix didn’t bother to pull it back. He crawled between his partner’s legs and eyed the erect cock he found there.
Bryan patted the mattress next to him. “Flip around so I can play too.”
“Good idea.” He did as directed and moaned when the man touched his shaft. “Very good idea.”
Chuckling, Bryan continued to stroke the length before his mouth took over.
Hips thrusting, Dix followed the movements on Bryan’s cock. Rubbing turned to licking then all out sucking. He deep-throated as long as he could then pulled back and sucked the head, running his tongue through the slit.
He nearly exploded when Bryan did the same thing. Before long they were each on their sides, both sucking with all their might. He felt his lover’s balls draw up and knew release was close. When Bryan grunted, “Now” with his mouth full, Dix allowed himself to relax and let go.
Both of them shuddered, shooting at the same time. Intense pleasure soared through him as he came, then he continued sucking to make sure his job was done.
Bryan pulled back. “God, Dix. That was… Words fail me.”
He chuckled. “Me too, babe. All I know is I loved it.”
“Love. Yeah.” Bryan let the word hang there.
Dix knew what he meant. It was too early, but they both felt it. Love.
* * * *
He rose and showered at Bryan’s place the next morning. Bryan didn’t have to go in as early, so he lay in bed and watched Dix dress.
“I was thinking it’s time you met Kayla. I thought this might be a good week to plan something since we won’t be so busy. How about dinner one night? I’d invite Sami too, of course. And maybe that boyfriend of hers.” He made a face.
Dix smiled. They’d talked more about Sami. He knew her father was getting used to the idea of the boyfriend. “Why won’t you be as busy?”
“Spring break for most of the schools. Some of them stagger the schedule, but most are off this week.”
“Spring break?” Dix mulled the thought over in his head.
“Guess you don’t have to think about it when you don’t have kids in school anymore.”
“Yeah.” His mind continued to race as he stood in front of the mirror and adjusted his tie.
“You look swell. I could use that necktie to drag you back to bed and have my way with you.”
Dix leaned over him for a kiss. “That sounds like loads of fun, but I can’t be late for the Monday morning briefing. I promise you can have your way with me tonight, how’s that?”
“I suppose it’ll do. One more kiss.” He parted his lips and the kiss was sensual and passionate.
Dix pulled back regretfully and smiled. “Later, sexy.” He headed out of the room.
“Hey, you never gave me an answer about dinner!”
He called over his shoulder, “Whatever you want is fine with me. You plan it, I’ll be there.”
“You always going to be this agreeable?”
Dix winked and left.
* * * *
The homicide briefing offered little new in his case, or the couple of other cases various detectives worked on. Dix spoke up. “I wonder if there’s anything to the fact that it’s spring break vacation for many of the schools around here, and we haven’t had a new victim since Thursday night.”
“Spring break?” Capt Alvarez mused. “Might be a coincidence, might not. The suspect could be in school, or have ties to one of the local institutions. Problem is, there are too many colleges in the area to go at him from that angle.”
“True,” Dix agreed. “It’s even possible the suspect could be a big high schooler. That opens up the possibilities even more.”
“Something to keep in mind,” Alvarez concurred. “For now, let’s enjoy the break and put our noses to the grindstone. It’d be excellent to catch this whack job before he strikes again.”
They filtered back to their desks and Mac approached Dix. “Interesting thought, tying the suspect to spring break. What triggered that?”
He shrugged. “Bryan happened to mention it. His daughter has the week off from school.”
Mac grinned. “Bryan did, huh? Did you see Bryan this weekend?”
Dix felt the heat of a blush but wasn’t really embarrassed. “Maybe. Probably. Well, yeah. Only when my eyes were open.”
His partner laughed. “Good for you. Seems like a nice guy. The daughter was okay, too.”
“She’s the one who encouraged him to ask me out. Quite a change from my own family dynamic.”
Mac scratched his chin. “Yeah, but once the kids are grown, their opinions shouldn’t matter all that much.”
Dix shot him a look. “Shouldn’t, but they still do. You and I both know that.”
“Maybe so. All I’m saying is, don’t go head over heels for this guy because he’s got a supportive daughter. That’s not the main quality you want in a life partner, all right?”
“Probably not, but it doesn’t hurt. What are you getting at, Mac?”
He held his hands up. “Never mind. None of my business.”
“It is if I asked.”
/> He seemed to think about that, then replied, “Just seems maybe you’re moving kinda fast with this one. You only met him the other day, and now you’re spending twenty-four seven together?”
“No we’re not. We both have to work.” He tried to smile his way out, but Mac wasn’t buying it. Dix understood what his partner was saying, and suddenly, in the harsh light of day, he felt the same way. “You’re probably right. I don’t know much about the guy. Besides the fact that we have a lot in common.”
“Wouldn’t hurt to check him out.”
“I’m not going to do that,” Dix scoffed. “He’s a perfectly decent and respectable guy.”
“That’s what they said about Ted Bundy. ‘What a handsome young man!’ You think serial killers all have swastikas carved into their foreheads?”
“No, I do not, and I don’t think Bryan is a serial killer, either. But I’ll check him out just to make you happy.”
“Thank you.” He returned to his own desk.
Dix sat and fired up his computer, running some searches and printing out whatever he could find about Bryan Scott.
He was relieved to discover there wasn’t much. The only ‘record’ the man had involved a couple of parking tickets years ago. The rest of the info that came up when his name was searched were permits to acquire a liquor licence, and other business-related activities.
Dix read the reports and felt increasingly embarrassed. He’d known Bryan had nothing to hide. He should have trusted his gut. Now he felt like a total shit.
Before he could decide what else to do, he ran his own name and printed out the report on himself. He tucked both sets of paperwork away and tried to put Bryan out of his mind. He found it tough to do when he wasn’t busy.
He went to Mac’s desk and folded his arms.
“Anything?” his partner asked.
“Of course not. I knew there wouldn’t be.”
“Good. I’m going over employee records from the restaurants and bars the women were last seen in. Care to help?”
“Yes. I need something to do.”
Mac smiled. “Have a seat, my friend.”
* * * *
When Dix left work he texted Bryan and they met at the man’s house, arriving at the same time.
“Hey there.” Bryan spoke to him from the garage. “Come in this way.”
Dix followed and closed the doors behind them.
Bryan tossed some mail on the counter and turned to face him. “How was your day?”
Dix shrugged. “I’ve had better.”
“Another murder?”
“No, thankfully.” Dix’s gut churned. He didn’t want to admit what he’d done, but he had to. “This was all my own doing.”
“You don’t look good, buddy. Everything okay?”
“You might have to tell me. I think I screwed up, big time.”
Chapter Five
Bryan eyed him levelly. “Let’s grab a couple beers and go sit down. First, I need to be greeted properly.” He moved in front of Dix and smiled.
Dix didn’t want to kiss him, because once he started, he knew he wouldn’t want to stop. He needed to come clean before anything more happened between them. If Bryan was going to throw him out, it best happened sooner than later. He gave him a quick kiss then pulled away.
“Well, gee. That was sweet.” Bryan went to the fridge and retrieved two bottles, then headed into the front room. He took a seat on the sofa and set one of the bottles on the table next to him. “What’s up?”
Dix sat beside him and tossed the sheaf of papers towards Bryan. “I fucked up. I panicked, and I blew it.” He reached for the beer and twisted it open.
“What’s this?” Bryan started to read. A slow grin spread across his face. “Damn, who knew those parking tickets would hang around so long?” He glanced up. “So does this mean we’re through?”
“I feel like an ass. This weekend was go great, but once I got back to work—to the real world—I started thinking about how fast we were moving and it got to me. Before I knew what was happening, I did a search. I’m sorry, Bryan. It was a shitty thing to do. I’m sorry.”
Bryan continued flipping through the reports. “What else is here? This is about you.”
“Yeah. I printed my own record out of guilt. Figured it was the least I could do.”
“A speeding ticket twenty years ago? Wow, I’m surprised they allowed you on the force. Thought they would have vetted their officers better than that.” He tossed the papers aside.
“Maybe they were desperate.” Dix took a drink from his bottle. The cold liquid burned going down.
“I am surprised that stuff is still on our records from so long ago. I thought minor violations went away after a few years.”
“They do, on your official driving record. Police have access to more information than others.”
“So I suspected.” He leant back and sipped his beer. “Actually, I thought you might check me out. Figured you’d have done it before our first dinner. Guess I thought that was rule number four about being friends with a cop. They’re going check into your background, just to be safe.”
“Let’s call it like it is, shall we? We’re not just friends anymore. We’re dating. Okay, maybe not ‘dating’ as much as fucking, but we’re seeing each other. Right?”
Bryan smiled. “I sure hope so. Look, James, if you thought I was going to be mad, don’t worry. I’m not. I don’t blame you for wanting to be sure. I had more of a clue that your record would be clean since you’re a detective, right? But in this day and age, any sane person with access to that information would be reckless not to look at it.”
Dix breathed a sigh of pure relief. “Thank you. I felt so guilty after I did it. I thought you might not want to see me anymore.”
“Think again. I definitely want to see you. All of you, all the time. You’re the only thing I seem to think about these days. Whether our relationship is right or wrong, too fast or just fucking crazy, I don’t know. But we’re in this thing, man. And I’m not ready for it to be over.”
“I feel the same way. Crazy and reckless, maybe. But it feels good to me. Honestly, nothing has ever felt better.”
Bryan tossed back the last of his beer and set the bottle down. “We’re in total agreement. So what do you say we seal the deal with a quickie before dinner?”
Dix polished off his drink and grinned. “Have I mentioned that I like the way you think?”
Bryan scratched his chin. “Oh, maybe once or twice.”
Standing, Dix reached for his lover’s hand. “Think there’ll ever come a time we decide to eat dinner before we fuck?”
“Probably. But I don’t see that happening for a long time.” They kissed and groped each other, and without separating, made their way slowly to the bedroom.
* * * *
Wednesday evening Bryan put a sign in the front window of the bar which read, ‘Closing early for private party’. He told Dix that Galen had offered to cook for them when he’d found out Bryan was planning a family get-together.
The station had been quiet all week and Dix arrived shortly after five.
“Come in.” Bryan unlocked the door for him. “How was your day?”
“Strangely calm. We all feel it. Kind of like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“Maybe it never will. What if all the murderers in Kansas City packed up and went to Canada? You might have to switch to traffic patrol.”
“I’d do it. It’d be worth the trade-off.” He grinned and they kissed. Dix’s heart soared. He’d never felt happier.
Bryan was a refreshing change of pace from the people he worked with all day. Nice folks, but serious, solemn and focused on the job at hand. Great qualities for cops. Fortunately, Bryan wasn’t a cop. He also wasn’t serious or unsmiling like half the detective force. Bryan knew there was a time for business and a time for pleasure. Lots of time for pleasure. Dix’s cock pulsed pleasantly at the thought.
“So come on over, I
want you to meet Kayla.” He motioned to the tall, slender woman standing next to the bar. Her hair was light brown, not dark like her father’s but nowhere near as blonde as her sister’s. “Kay, this is Dix. James Dixon.” He looked at Dix. “This is my beautiful daughter Kayla.”
Dix extended a hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’ve heard good things.”
“So have I!” She smiled, her greeting genuine. “Sami talks about you all the time. Daddy would too, if she’d let him get a word in edgewise.”
Dix grinned. “Sami’s a good little cheerleader. Not sure what I did to make her like me, but we seemed to hit it off.”
“What’s not to like?” Bryan went behind the bar and poured a mug of beer. He slid it across and winked.
“Right back atcha.” Dix picked up the drink and sipped it.
“It’s awful about those women,” Kayla said. “Do you have any leads, besides Sami’s boyfriend?”
He set his stein down. “No one that looks as good as Adam did. He had circumstantial evidence pointing at him like crazy. Fortunately, the DNA has come back and definitely cleared him. We’re not giving up, though. We’ve got leads coming in through hotline tips every day. One of them is going to pay off. They almost always do.”
“I hope so.” She glanced up. “Hey, there.”
Dix followed her gaze. Sami and Adam entered through the back door.
“Hi, everyone!” Sami breezed in with her ever-present upbeat attitude. She kissed her father’s cheek then gave Kayla a hug. Turning to Dix, she smiled widely. “Hi, James! Good to see you.” She hugged his neck.
He chuckled and patted her back. “Hey, Sami.” When she pulled away he looked behind her. “Hi, Adam. How’s it going?”
Her boyfriend nodded. “Okay. Pretty good, I guess. Still have my job, anyway.”
“Of course you do.” Dix tried to be friendly and supportive, realising he could have had a hand in the kid losing his employment.
Sami went back to Adam’s side and looped an arm through his. “He’s doing great. He may even get a promotion.”
Bryan raised his brows. “Promotion, eh?”
“A bigger route, basically, in the downtown area. I’d make more money on commissions. It’s not a done deal yet, but I’m hopeful.”
