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SLOANE

Sloane wasn’t surprised that Dean didn’t rise until late morning. By the time Dean stumbled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen for his daily dose of caffeine, it was nearly noon. Sloane smiled as Dean lurched in, dark hair sticking up and the look of the living dead on his face.

Sloane, who had heard Dean thump out of bed, slid the fresh cup of coffee across the counter toward him. Dean grunted, giving what might have passed for a smile in his groggy state, and took the coffee. Slumping onto one of the stools, Dean brought the coffee close, sipping it as quickly as the temperature allowed.

It took nearly a dozen sips before Dean spoke, voice rough and heavy. “Where is everyone?”

Sloane smiled, sitting across from him. “They are currently running errands in town.”

Dean wrinkled his nose. “It’s Christmas Eve. Going out is like...asking for trouble.”

Sloane chuckled. “They always go shopping on Christmas Eve. It’s been a tradition in the family for years, as far back as I can remember, actually.”

Dean blinked owlishly at him. “Then why aren’t you with them?”

“Because you weren’t awake yet, so I stayed here,” Sloane answered simply.

Dean gave him a beleaguered smile, almost forced, but Sloane knew better. He’d been dealing with Dean for years, and he knew the man couldn’t summon a genuine expression on his face in the first half-hour of being awake unless his life was on the line, something huge and momentous had happened, or one other exception.

“Sap,” Dean mumbled into his cup as he went for another drink.

“I’ve been known to be, from time to time,” Sloane said casually.

The buzz of Sloane’s phone ended their conversation. Excitement shot through him as he read the message. His heart thumped as he responded, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible because he could sense Dean’s eyes on him. The last thing he needed was for Dean to see his excitement and start asking about it.

“Interesting pen pal?” Dean asked, voice still thick.

“No one interesting,” Sloane lied.

He quickly replied and then switched over to texting his mother. “Just telling Mom you’re awake, and she can take as long as she wants with the shopping.”

“How giving of you,” Dean grunted.

Sloane looked up, unable to help the smile and the warm feeling at the grumpy expression on Dean’s face. The man was so impossibly out of sorts when he woke up naturally, and Sloane had always found it endearing. Dean could snap to wakefulness at the drop of a hat, but given a normal, calm morning, Dean was as grumpy and impatient with life, people, and everything as everyone always said Sloane was.

However, one change since their relationship had shifted gears was that Sloane found Dean’s sleep-ruffled and grumpy state cute. Oh, he’d always found it cute, but now it wascute. His hair sticking up in all directions was reminiscent of when Sloane fucked him into the mattress. The half-lidded gaze he would cast around the room darkened his already dark eyes, and Sloane’s heart always thumped a little harder when he thought of it.

Dean caught him staring, frowning. “What?”

“Well,” Sloane said, standing up from his stool and rounding the counter. “Just taking a look.”

“At what?” Dean asked.

“You.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I’m a sight to see.”

“You are.”

His voice, utilizing a tone Sloane had never paid much attention to until he’d started dating Dean, certainly got the other man’s attention. Dean looked up from his mug of steaming coffee, brow furrowing as he watched Sloane approach.

“I look like a mess,” Dean said gruffly. “Like I do every morning.”

Sloane hummed as he reached him, laying a hand on Dean’s hip and squeezing. “You also happen to look like a mess after I’ve fucked you into a mattress.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “What kind of morning have you been having?”

Sloane stepped closer, pressing his bulk against Dean’s side and hovering there. Dean was in control of his destiny and life and wasn’t afraid to stand alone. But he also happened to be a man who gained no small thrill at having Sloane, a man he trusted and who happened to be physically taller and stronger than him, taking control.