Page 64 of A Thousand Cuts

Liam gathered King’s harness and his phone, and together they walked out of the building.

Downstairs, they stood next to Fix’s truck, Liam holding King’s leash and scuffing the toe of his shoe against the dirty sidewalk. He was stealing glances at Fix and making no move to leave.

“I wish I could stay with you,” Fix said honestly.

“You have a job to do,” Liam mumbled, the wind making the strands of his hair flutter.

“I do,” Fix said, tucking them back for him. It was quickly becoming his favorite habit. “But I also finally have something more important than my job. If you were serious.”

“Serious?” Liam asked, looking up at him.

“About thinking about us?” Fix said hopefully.

Liam blushed again. “I… Yes. I will think about it.”

“And you’ll call me if there are any more curses, or any strangers hanging around,” Fix said, raising his hand to stop Liam’s protest before he could even voice it. “This isn’t negotiable, Liam. If you need me, I want you to call me right away.”

“Again, you have a job, and a life, and family and friends.”

“And I’ll drop everything if you call me.” Fix unlocked his truck and opened the door. “Promise me, honey.”

“Promise,” he whispered and Fix smiled.

“Good,” Fix said, wishing he could tack ‘boy’ on at the end but knowing it was too soon. “I’ll see you later.”

“Fix!” Liam called before he could climb into the cab. He looked back and found Liam fidgeting with something shiny in his hands.

“Yes?”

Liam mumbled something under his breath, shaking his head once before squaring his shoulders. He reached out and thrust something into Fix’s hands, cold and smooth to the touch.

Fix looked down and sucked in a breath at the sight of a small brass key.

“Liam…”

“It’s for my apartment,” he rushed out. “If you want to maybe stop by after work. Not today if you end up tired from your cases, just…any day. I have a stream tonight and so I thought…if they’re watching I’d feel better with you there, but it’s a lot to askand so…just keep the key. If you ever need it, okay? I’m gonna go now.”

He turned to leave, a flush sitting high on his cheekbones, and Fix grabbed his wrist, making him stop and turn to face him. He reached out and placed his fingers under Liam’s chin, tilting his head up to look into those stunning eyes.

“I’d be honored to keep you safe while you stream,” he said, heat pooling low in his gut at what that meant.

“Yeah?” Liam asked breathlessly.

“Always.”

Liam smiled, looking away. “Okay,” he whispered.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

Fix leaned in and brushed Liam’s cheek with his lips before hopping into his truck and heading out.

He looked in the mirror as he drove and found Liam standing with the tips of his fingers pressed to his cheek, touching the spot Fix had kissed.

Chapter 12

Fix

The ‘urgent’ case turned out to be what Fix had come to name a house call, meaning the curse was quickly identified, broken, and finished within half an hour. The hysterical mother who had called it in was left spluttering in surprise as Fix gave her the invoice and saw himself out.