Our understanding didn’t involve anything more than fulfilling each other’s needs in bed.
But when I’d found him in my office, the thrill of seeing him still in my house far outweighed the stress of him spying on sensitive and confidential information. And he could have cracked the whole case. We had a name, a description, a scar to look for. A last seen location. Yeah, it was eight years prior, but we’d found suspects on less. I was in awe of how much Brax had given me in the last couple of weeks.
Brax suddenly spun around as if he could feel my admiration tickling the back of his neck, and smiled so brightly it hit me in my gut. He was amazing in every way.
“Hot or mild?” He held up two jars of mustard and tilted his head cute, like a cartoon character.
“Mild for me.” I came over and sat at the counter.
He pulled off his headphones and laughed. “Sorry. Did you say mild?”
I nodded and pointed to the jar. “Mild.”
“To each his own, I suppose.” He sniffed haughtily as he opened the jar, then shot me a wink to let me know he was joking. “It makes sense. You’re hot enough as it is.”
I scoffed and shook my head at him, but I was genuinely flattered. For someone as gorgeous as him to find me attractive… I mean, I knew I was handsome, but damn. He was model material.
“Sorry I took so long. I’m glad you stayed.” I took the jar of hot mustard he was struggling to open and popped it open for him.
“Of course. It’s no problem, really. I’m a big boy, I can entertain myself.” He grinned and pointed to the television where the same show from last night was playing. “Constant repeats. It’s great.”
I chuckled and passed him the mustard. “Not everyone can deal with impromptu disappearances and long work calls though, you know.”
“No?” He raised his eyebrows. “Goes with the territory of being a body on the front lines though, doesn’t it?”
“Mm, it does.” I nodded and watched as he slathered exactly the right amount of mustard on my sandwich. “Most people I’ve been with couldn’t handle it though. Too many hours away, and my work responsibilities outweigh the relationship sometimes.”
Brax nodded, slapped the top slices of bread on the sandwiches, and pushed one over to me. “Mild mustard and all the weird fixings I could find in your fridge.”
I laughed and pushed a slice of salami back between the bread. “Thank you. Seriously.”
“Do you love your job?” Brax leaned his elbows against the counter as he ate and glanced at me.
“Mm-hmm, a lot. It makes me tick.”
“Tick? Like a bomb about to explode?” He smirked.
I chuckled and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Like a clock. If I’m not ticking, I’m dead. Work keeps me going, something important to do with my life. I wouldn’t be me without it.”
Brax nodded a few times like he was thinking it over.
“I figured you’d understand. Art seems to be an important part of your identity.” I popped a pickle in my mouth and grimaced at the squishy sourness. The jar had been in my fridge for way too long.
“Oh. Yeah, I suppose it is.” He sounded despondent. “It’s hardly as important as your work, though.”
I almost choked on pickle skin. “Uh, I will lecture you about the underrated importance of art in this society any day of the week. And you know your art knowledge just helped us break a case, right?”
Brax snickered and shook his head at me, then suddenly stopped. “Wait, did it really? The info was really helpful?”
“We’ll see. We’ve got to find a trail from Franklin Square to wherever Will is now. But it’s not as hard as it sounds, now we have somewhere to start.” Thanks to Brax.
“Huh.” He beamed down at his sandwich, then frowned at me. “You must want to be at the office to follow up the case now though, right?”
I grunted. “Yeah.”
“So… What are you doing here?” He seemed genuinely shocked I’d be there with him; genuinely accepting of my work’s demands.
I laughed and shook my head. “Hunter insisted I keep my day off, he’s gone in to follow it up with the team. There’ll be plenty of.”
“Well, all right… What are you going to do today, then?” He took a huge bite of his sandwich and his cheeks punched out like he was a chipmunk.
I could barely focus on what I was saying for how cute