by Taylor Rylan
“Well then, I see that we can go home. See you Monday,” Adrian said before he pulled a protesting Cody away. I shook my head and sent Bishop a questioning glance.
“Yeah, it’s a long story. It’s also a somewhat embarrassing one, so please don’t ask,” Bishop told me.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling, but it didn’t work. I gave Bishop’s hand a tug and led him toward my truck that was in the back of the lot. Maybe if I was lucky, I’d get a kiss if nothing else. I opened Bishop’s door, and he sent me a weird look.
“Hey, if nothing else, I am a gentleman,” I told him as I gestured for him to climb in. Once Bishop finally climbed in, I closed the door and hurried around the front to my side. I climbed in behind the wheel and started the truck. “Do you need to stop anywhere on the way?”
“No. I’ll do my shopping on Sunday morning, but I’m good until then.”
I nodded before putting the truck in gear and pulling out of the parking lot. It was even busier now than it had been an hour ago when I’d arrived.
“Thanks for inviting me to join you. It was interesting to talk to Cody and Adrian again.”
“Those two. Cody had such an issue with their age difference, and Adrian drove me crazy about it. He saw him at a club, and it was an instant thing for him. But it took a while and a game of paintball for Cody to come around. They’ve been together ever since.”
I sent several quick looks in Bishop’s direction but made sure to keep an eye on the road. The streets were busy, and not only were the tourists out in force, the locals were as well. But that was par for the course in Jackson. The area, and many of the smaller surrounding towns, relied on the income from the tourists. Thankfully, I didn’t.
In no time at all, I pulled up in front of Bishop’s townhouse.
“Just park in the drive, in front of the garage door.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. The street can get crazy on Friday and Saturday nights,” he told me. I did as instructed and put the truck in park but kept it running.
“Did you want to come in? You mentioned seeing Oreo. She’s feeling a lot better.”
“I know. She was running around my office like crazy today. She had toys everywhere, and I had to watch where I stepped.”
“She’s not in daycare?”
Shit. Yeah. So he was expecting her to be in daycare. “She was. But I had her in my office during my lunch break. Everyone else was gone, but I had to stay behind and—”
“It’s okay, Xander. You can have her in your office if you want. I was just giving you a hard time. Hell, you took her home with you while we were working that bust. So, you coming in or not?”
I answered by turning off the truck and pocketing the keys. “I’m all yours until you kick me out,” I said before opening my door. We walked up the shoveled path, and I thought to lock the truck when we reached the front door. It beeped as Bishop opened the door to his place. We were greeted by a very happy and excited Oreo. She didn’t know who to greet first, so she simply plopped down in front of the two of us and rolled over onto her back, waiting for belly rubs.
“Hey, girl, how are you?” I asked as I bent down to greet her. Bishop did the same, and when our hands met, my eyes flew to his. Bishop’s eyes were still icy blue, but they were smiling now, the crinkles around the edges letting me know the smile was genuine.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Sure. Water is fine.”
Bishop bit his lip and looked down at Oreo before he looked back at me. His lips glistened, and I wanted so bad to know what they felt like on mine.
“Umm, you sure you don’t want a beer? You seem much less inhibited when you have a few.”
“Well, I still have to drive home tonight, so unless you plan on having an unexpected guest, I’ll stick to water. Up to you.”
I watched as Bishop nodded and stood up. He hung his coat on the peg by the door and took off into the house. Oreo followed and I heard a door slide open and then close as I took off my coat and hung it beside his. He hadn’t taken off his boots, but I saw several pairs beside the door, so I pulled off mine and followed. Time to see what he was serving to drink.
Bishop — 15
Shit. Shit. Shit. Xander was in my house, and I was seriously wondering if I should grab him a beer or a bottle of water like he’d asked for. He’d implied that he would take a beer, but he had to drive home. Did I want him to drive home? No. I wanted him to stay but…damn. I opened the fridge and pulled out two beers. I had no idea what type of beer Xander drank, but this one wasn’t bad and I’d found that most people weren’t too picky. Some were, but hopefully Xander wasn’t one of them.
I heard the door slide open, and then Xander was talking to Oreo. I smiled, turned, and there he was. He was standing in the doorway to my kitchen, Oreo dancing at his feet. He’d taken his boots off, something I hadn’t done yet.
“I see you chose beer. That works. And that one is a good one.”
“I didn’t know which kind you drank. This is all I have right now.”
“It’s good. Can we sit down and talk?” Xander asked as he pointed over his shoulder. I smiled as I got the opener out of the drawer. I opened both bottles, and Xander tossed the caps into the trash before we walked into the living room and sat on opposite ends of the couch. Yep, that’s how awkward we were being. Oreo joined us, but she plopped down on her bed over by the fireplace.
“Did you want me to start a fire?”
“Depends,” Xander said as he took a drink.
“On?”
“On how long we’re going to be in the living room. If you want to go upstairs soon, then no. If you want to stay down here and talk, which is perfectly fine with me, then by all means. I light mine every night. There’s just something calming about it.”
I nodded and got up. I set my beer down on the mantle before I opened the grate and lit the pre-staged wood. After it caught, I closed the grate and rejoined Xander on the couch with my beer.
“So, talking. Talking is good. It’s always good to get to know someone. Especially if you’re interested in them,” Xander said.
“True. Aside from my cases, I’m pretty much an open book. I can’t really talk about work too much, but other than that, I’m an open book.”
“Okay. I have to know. Your accent. It’s from Texas, but did you always live there?” Xander asked and took another swig of his beer. With as far up as he tipped the bottle, his was almost gone and I was way behind.
“Yeah. My dad was tenured so he had a stable job. I lived in the same house until I joined the Marines after graduation.”
Xander closed his eyes and looked like he was counting, but I wasn’t sure. I stared at him, and when his eyes finally reopened, he sent a heated look my way.
“Okay, you’re a US Marshal now, but you’re telling me you were a Marine before that?”
“Yeah. I did three tours with them before I got out. I joined the Marshals in hopes of being closer to Dad, but I got assigned here in Jackson.”
“What did you do?”
I took a drink of beer and smiled at Xander. “I was an MP. So same line of work, only I’m always stateside now.”
“How did your parents take that? You mentioned your dad but not your mom.”
“Yeah, she died of breast cancer when I was five. As bad as it sounds, I don’t remember her really.” I looked down at my beer and picked at the label before I turned it up and drained the rest of the bottle and got up. “You want another one?”
“Bishop…” Xander said as I walked into the kitchen. I tossed the bottle into the recycle bin under the sink, and I suddenly found myself boxed in against the counter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know, and if I had, I wouldn’t have brought it up.” Xander buried his face in the back of my neck, and I placed my hands on top of his on the counter.
“It’s okay. Like you said, you didn’t know. When Dad passed last month, I was given what was left of his belongings, and he had
this big plastic tote full of letters between him and her. I guess they wrote a bunch of letters to each other because there’s hundreds of them. I haven’t been able to bring myself to read them yet though.”
I felt Xander’s lips on my neck, and then he wrapped his arms around my waist, taking mine with his.
“I’m sorry. Do you want to talk? It has to be difficult to have lost both of them. Is that why you have Oreo?” Xander gave my neck another quick kiss before he nuzzled near my ear again. It felt so damn good, and in that moment, I knew I’d let him do anything he wanted, but I also knew that both of us would probably regret it tomorrow morning.
“A little over eighteen months ago, he asked me to come down and visit. I had just gotten my assignment here, and I didn’t know when I’d get time off to visit again, so I went. He told me he’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and he was going into a home there in Austin.”
Xander gasped behind me, and I felt his arms tighten around my waist. It was comforting but it also felt like a relief.
“Go on. If you want to, that is.” Xander rested his chin on my shoulder, and I leaned my head toward his. It felt comforting and right. How could that be?
“Six months after he went in, he got worse and I got a call that I had to come and get Oreo. Dad hadn’t been taking care of her because he couldn’t anymore. That’s why she was so matted when I brought her to the clinic that first time.”
“I remember. She was so sweet and such a mess. I was pissed when I saw her.”
“She’d never been like that before. Dad doted on her,” I chuckled, remembering when he told me about his new puppy. I was in Baghdad at the time and had about ten minutes to talk, and he’d gone on and on about his new puppy and how he named her after his favorite cookies. It fit though, and she was sweet, just like the treat.
“No, you’ve taken good care of her since. Do you want to go sit back down?” Xander asked. Did I? I was rather enjoying his arms wrapped around me. I turned and looked at him; we were so close I could feel his breath on my lips. I glanced from his mouth to his eyes and knew then I was a goner. It didn’t matter how much I fought it. I’d eventually belong to the man with his arms wrapped around me.
I cleared my throat and stepped to the side, effectively breaking the spell we were both under. “Yeah, we can sit down. Did you want another beer?”
“No. I’ll take a water, though, if the offer is still there.”
“Of course,” I said as I opened the fridge again and pulled out two water bottles. We took them to the living room and sat back down with them.
“You know you don’t have to talk about any of this if you don’t want to.”
I nodded, but he needed to know, needed to hear. “I do. But it’s important, so I want to tell you,” I said. Xander nodded and it took me a moment to remember where I was.
“You had just gotten Oreo.” At her name, she came over and jumped up on the couch and crawled into my lap. She sighed before she plopped down. We both chuckled at her antics, but they worked. She had lightened the mood.
“The day I picked up Oreo was the day I lost him. He didn’t know who I was that day. He mentioned he had a son, but that was the last time he seemed to remember me. I got crazy busy at work, and it was a few months before I could get back down to Texas. He didn’t remember he even had a son the next time.”
“I’m sorry, Bishop. I don’t know what it’s like to go through that but I imagine it was incredibly difficult.” Xander moved to the center of the couch and rubbed first my shoulder and then my knee. It was comforting, and I appreciated that.
“Thanks. It was difficult and I feel terrible, but it was a relief when he finally passed. He’d suffered for so long, and it wasn’t until late into it that I found out he’d been diagnosed almost five years ago. He knew for a long time before he even said anything to me. I understand why, but it still hurt.”
“I know I’ve already said it, but I am sorry. And don’t feel bad. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to see those you love suffer. I have to tell clients that all the time.”
I looked at Xander and realized that yeah, he probably had. People got attached to their pets, and he saw them lose them. That had to be difficult.
“Is that why you don’t have a pet? You don’t want to lose it?” I asked as I stroked Oreo’s coat. She was groaning, and I chuckled. I looked down and realized that Xander was rubbing her ear. I shook my head at my dog and looked back at the man sitting next to me.
“I’m too busy. I work crazy long hours in the summer, and it wouldn’t be fair.”
“I work crazy long hours year-round but…” I pointed to my lap. It was true—I was too busy for a dog, but I couldn’t part with her. Not only was she my dad’s dog, but she truly was a great companion and brightened my days.
“Valid point, but in the summer, I sometimes don’t get home until ten or later. Granted, Mom would gladly feed it and let it out, but she’d also spoil it rotten and then I’d have other issues.”
“I can relate to that. I know this one is spoiled something awful. And I’d like to say that it’s dad’s fault, but it’s not. I take full responsibility. I couldn’t part with her, and I know I spoil her because I feel bad about my hours at times.” I gazed down at Oreo and saw that she’d gone to sleep, so I looked back at Xander.
“Don’t feel bad. She’s healthy. She’s loved. But I do owe you another apology. I did think you were a shitty pet owner, and I’m sorry. I judged you without having the facts, and I’m sorry,” Xander said before he ran his fingers through my hair. “Okay, your hair feels like there’s nothing in it.”
I chuckled and moved Oreo off my lap and onto the floor. “That’s because there isn’t. I pull it up and blow dry it, making it stand up. Sometimes I put wax in it, but most mornings I don’t have time. I truly show up at the clinic with Oreo and bed head.”
“Can you be any more perfect?” Xander asked as he smiled at me.
I scoffed at that. “I’m far from perfect, Doc.”
“Will you ever call me Xander?”
“I’ve called you Xander before. Do you prefer that over Alex or Alexander?”
“You have, but it’s usually Doc. And I’m not actually named Alexander. My mom wanted to be difficult. My name is actually Xander.” Xander shrugged and looked at Oreo, who had plopped down in front of the fireplace.
“Wow. I thought it was Alexander. How about this. I’ll always call you by your name in the bedroom. Deal?”
Xander’s eyes flew to mine, and they’d turned so dark they looked black. “Bishop…I do want to, but I don’t think tonight is the best night.”
“It’s okay. I agree. But you’re still welcome to stay. I do have a spare bedroom. It’s only a full-size bed, but I do have one.”
“I’ll stay, and if you want, I’ll even sleep in the spare bedroom. But I’m also good with talking and getting to know you better. I can control myself and sleep in the same bed as you without expecting anything sexual.”
I nodded. If I had my way, Xander would definitely be in my bed tonight. Even if we did nothing more than sleep. It was a relief to know that he was possibly interested in more than just getting off. And if nothing else, maybe we’d just be friends, but who knew. Maybe we’d be more.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” I asked.
“Is that your way of suggesting that we Netflix and chill?”
“It wasn’t, no.”
Xander nodded and completely took me by surprise when he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me on top of him as he leaned back on the couch. “No, I don’t want to watch a movie. I’ll behave, but can I have a kiss?”
I looked down at the man below me before I pushed up on my arms and knees. “Only if you get your leg out from under me,” I told him. when Xander stretched his leg out and opened them slightly, I positioned myself between his legs and relaxed on top of him.
“Are you sure? You said tonight wasn’t a good night, and I have to agr
ee.”
“It’s just a kiss.”
“I don’t think it’ll ever be just a kiss with you, Xander,” I said as I lowered my mouth to his. Xander opened immediately and his fingers went directly into my hair as our lips met for the first time. I gently bit his lower lip while his tongue swiped my upper lip. I released his lip and opened for him. When our tongues hesitantly met for the first time, we both moaned into the kiss.
We both tasted of pizza and beer, but neither seemed to care. As we explored and learned each other’s mouths, our hands roamed and hips pushed against each other. Yep, definitely not just a kiss.
When I started to get dizzy from lack of air, I pulled my lips from his, both of us panting. I gently ran my thumb over Xander’s wet lower lip before I moved back in for another kiss.
Xander somehow managed to roll us so we were both on our sides, my upper leg between his. This allowed me the freedom to explore Xander’s side, shoulder, and back with one hand, but it wasn’t enough. I knew at some point in the future I’d get a chance to explore him all I wanted, but right now I needed to stop or I’d push for things we said we weren’t going to do just yet.
“Xander…please,” I said as I buried my face in his neck. He smelled good, so I gave his neck a little lick and he moaned loudly into the room.
“Okay. We’ll stop, but damn, you were right. It’s so much more than just a kiss,” Xander said as he gently pushed me away and looked directly into my eyes. If our chemistry was any indication, I couldn’t wait to see where this could go.
Xander — 16
Damn, Bishop could kiss. And I wanted to kick myself for saying that nothing should happen because I was ready to explode. But I didn’t want to fuck this up. I had a feeling that things could become serious with him. Yeah, he was about ten years younger than me but I knew I was ready for more than just hookups in the back room of a club, which was why I hadn’t gotten laid in so long.
