Page 21 of Devil's Hour
Sawyer bought a round of drinks, then asked everyone to raise them for a toast. “To Sergeant Locke,” he said, raising his voice over the happy chatter, “may his promotion not go to his head and make him a bigger dickhead than he already is.”
“Hear, hear,” the unit said together, then knocked back a drink or shot.
Royce traded in his intimate gathering in the corner for making the rounds to accept congratulations and good-natured jabs in equal measures. He’d hoped like hell to wrap up the party early so he and Sawyer could have their private celebration, but the team seemed content to buy him drinks and chat. Royce played pool, threw darts, and drank more than he’d intended, but Sawyer had offered to be his designated driver, so he wasn’t worried about it. The reason Royce switched to drinking water after six beers was because there was something he wanted from Sawyer, and the man would turn him down flat if he thought it was the alcohol doing the talking.
After Amelia Chen beat his ass again in darts, Royce turned to her husband and said, “Ky, I’m feeling hustled right now. You said she had played in the past and was probably a little rusty.”
Ky tipped his head back and laughed, pulling Amelia into his side. “Thatisher playing rusty. She would’ve annihilated you back in college.”
“I went easy on you since it’s your celebration,” Amelia teased, rising on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Congratulations, Ro.” She turned to Ky and said, “As much as I love being away from our precious angels for a bit, the sitter needs to get home early. I can go on home and relieve her if you want to stay.”
“Nah,” Ky said, hooking his arm around Royce’s neck and pulling him in for a hug. “I will see this guy plenty now that he’s back to work.”
The Chens began making the rounds to say goodbye, and Royce headed to the bathroom to relieve himself. When he returned to the bar, he saw that Diego Fuentes and his partner, Bergman, had arrived. Diego, of course, was taking advantage of the noise to lean in closer to speak to Sawyer, who didn’t seem to mind the proximity. A possessive snarl rumbled in his chest. Fuck, Royce had it bad for Sawyer. Love was right there waiting for him to fall into if he’d only release his death grip on fear and let himself take the plunge. Crossing the room to lay claim to Sawyer would be a great start, but he stayed there scowling at Diego Fuentes’s boldness.
“Wipe the damn pout off your face before your boyfriend sees it and gets pissed because you don’t trust him. I doubt Sawyer Key is the kind of man who gets off on possessive beasts.” He loved Holly, but she didn’t know Sawyer the way he did. At his core lived a primal animal who loved to mark and be marked.
Boyfriend.Why did his heart race with excitement over such a juvenile word? Maybe because having one was something Royce had wanted for more than half his life, and he’d hit the jackpot with his first boyfriend at thirty-three years old. God had surely broken the mold when Sawyer was born because he’d never met anyone finer. And somehow, that remarkable man wanted him.
Trust.She reminded Royce of their first fight earlier that day and how they’d both wanted assurance they were okay. Their relationship was still new, and their dynamics untested since they’d existed in an insulated bubble. Royce was going to miss the comfortable existence, but it wasn’t enough to sustain them. Sawyer deserved better, and so did he.
Royce did that breathing thingy Sawyer relied on so much and had to admit he felt calmer. This was it. He was done hiding. “I’m not pouting, Holls. I was planning on when to make my move.” Just then, Diego looked up and locked eyes with Royce. Even from across the room, Royce saw the dare in the younger man’s dark gaze.
Challenge received and accepted, motherfucker.
“Uh-oh,” Holly said. “What are you going to do about him?”
“You’ll see,” Royce said, then kissed her cheek. “You free for pizza at my place tomorrow so we can catch up?”
“Yep. It’s my night off.”
“See you at six, Holls. I’ll call you if we’re running late or something. Right now, I need to set this clown straight.”
“Go get ’em, tiger.”
Royce started across the bar with long, confident strides, never taking his eyes off his man. He paid no attention to Fuentes because he was of no importance. Sensing him, Sawyer turned his head and raked his gaze over Royce’s body. Was he mapping every inch of skin he’d kissed or touched? Sawyer’s eyes widened slightly from the intensity he saw on Royce’s face.
“Hey there,” Sawyer said when Royce reached him.
Royce responded by firmly cupping the back of Sawyer’s neck and kissing him. Sawyer’s lips parted, and he softly gasped into Royce’s mouth. He took advantage and slid just the tip of his tongue inside Sawyer’s mouth to tease him instead of deepening the kiss like he wanted to. The world faded until only the two of them existed. The bar might have erupted in cheers or boos, but Royce wouldn’t have known, and he certainly didn’t care about anything except the man melting into his touch.
Royce gently squeezed Sawyer’s neck, then broke the kiss. Sawyer looked dazed and deliriously happy when he opened his eyes. “Ready to go?”
“Oh, yeah,” Sawyer said breathlessly.
They left without saying goodbye or acknowledging anyone at the bar. Reality returned to Royce in bits and pieces when they stepped outside Joe’s. He heard the bass of a car stereo, the laughter of young ladies walking down the sidewalk, and police sirens a few blocks away. Mostly, he became aware of how hard and loud his heart was knocking in his chest. Could Sawyer hear it too? Did he have the slightest clue how he affected Royce or the lengths he’d go to keep Sawyer in his life? If not, he would. Two more fingers slipped from the ledge, and Royce dangled precariously above the abyss, but it didn’t feel as scary as it once did.
Reaching for Sawyer’s hand, Royce pulled him close. “There’s only one thing that could make this night more perfect.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
Royce pressed his lips to Sawyer’s ear. “I want to feel you inside me and know I’ve held nothing back from you. Don’t ask me if I’m sure. Don’t imply I’ve had too much to drink. Take me home and fuck me.”
Sawyer smiled wickedly. “It’s about fucking time.”
They didn’t run to Sawyer’s car, but they walked briskly, only stopping once in the alley to make out against the exterior brick wall of Joe’s when going another foot without touching and kissing became too much. Hidden in the shadows as they were, it would’ve been easy to let themselves get carried away. So fucking easy. It wouldn’t have been the first time a horny couple found quick release in the alley, but that wasn’t what Royce wanted—needed—with Sawyer. So, he broke the kiss, hooked his finger inside Sawyer’s belt loop, and pulled him away from the wall.
Once inside the car, the air was as thick as Sawyer’s erection Royce was tracing with his finger. “I can’t wait to stretch around you,” Royce said, giving Sawyer’s cock a good squeeze through his jeans. He wasn’t sure if it was his words or touch that made Sawyer moan and fidget, but he loved the reaction and wanted more. “I’ve obsessed about you taking me for weeks—soft and slow while looking into my eyes and hard and furious while bending me over anything that would support us.”