Page 80 of Boomer

Boomer ? Sugar:I’m so hard for you, darlin’ I can’t think straight anymore.

Sugar ? Boomer:I can’t think about anything but you. I’ll see you soon. Got to go back to the meeting.

Boomer gritted his teeth, his thumb hovering over the screen like he could will her to materialize through sheer force of lust and longing.

He paced. Five steps, turn. Five steps back. This room had become a cage, and the only thing he wanted was waiting on the other end of a meeting. He spent several hours texting with Ansel, and the images of his progress with the sculpture filled the void for a bit. The kid was just as sweet as his aunt.

“Jesus, Boomer.” Breakneck groaned from his bunk. “You want to go swim or something? You’re going to wear out the floor.”

Boomer paused, fists clenched at his sides, body so tight with need it wasridiculous.He considered Breakneck’s offer, then shook his head. “You need to sleep. I’ll hit the showers.”

“Cold one?” Breakneck asked, voice drowsy but laced with knowing.

Boomer looked over his shoulder, deadpan. “Does that ever actually work?”

Breakneck let out a long sigh. “Maybe for ten minutes. But once the water shuts off…”

“Yeah.” Boomer exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “If only it was just physical.”

Breakneck stilled, and Boomer felt the weight of that sentence slamming down like a hard stop. “What did you say?” he asked, sitting upright. He threw the covers back, swung his legs around, and planted his feet. “What did you do?”

Boomer dragged a hand through his hair. “I didn’t do anything. It’s all her, and…I think I’m a goner.”

Breakneck blinked. “Seriously? That’s huge. How do you feel about that?”

Boomer stopped pacing and sat on the edge of the bed. “Terrified out of my mind.”

Breakneck tilted his head. “What is it? The distance? The job? The age?”

“Those are all factors, sure,” Boomer muttered. “But no.”

Breakneck leaned his forearms on his thighs. “You can tell me, Boom Boom. It won’t leave this room. But I reserve the right to make inside jokes.”

He swallowed and looked away, letting this kid into his life was ten times harder than being his teammate. But all of them…fuck…how did this happen? How could he have gotten so lucky with this team?

“I was kidding about the jokes.”

“No, you weren’t, you a-hole.”

Breakneck laughed. “It keeps you on your toes, and man, she’d be a fool not to get herself a lifetime of Boom Boom. I’ve seen some breachers in my time on the teams, but hands down you make it look like an art form, Carter. I watched her when you breached that door on our last joint op together. Yeah, she was loving your…technique.”

Boomer looked at Break. “What are you talking about?”

“The breaching, man. She’s so into it.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“No way. You’re making that up.”

“I’m not. I swear. Her eyes glaze over. The way you draw your hands down the door…it’s pretty sensual. Taylor’s probably thinking if he’s that gentle with explosives, how will he be with my body?” He smirked. “But we’re getting off topic. What is terrifying you?”

Boomer told him about the lunch, about Ansel, and how he’d handled the art project.

“Wow, man, you’re pushing all her buttons, and you don’t even realize what that does to her.”

“What do you mean?”