Page 68 of Habibi: Always and Forever

OUT OF NOWHERE

“T his is a vacation home?” Dex asked as he walked from room to room of the big, modern-contemporary house in Aspen, Colorado. “It’s huge!”

Several of the Falcon Security team who didn’t have plans for the holiday had accepted the gift from a client to spend the week of Christmas there, including Dex, Seo-jun, and their one-year-old son, Sky.

Wes and Logan, Sean, Kasey, and Colt had flown in with them, while Hawk and Jude were taking a later flight.

“This is Billionaire Mountain; what do you expect?” Sean asked, moving past Dex and into the upstairs hall bathroom, closing the door behind him.

The house was nestled on the ridge of Red Mountain, which was often called ‘ Billionaire Mountain ,’ since only the richest people could afford homes there.

“Was that a newspaper in his hand?” Seo-jun asked, coming to stand behind Dex.

Dex leaned back into his husband’s chest. “Yup. I’d avoid this bathroom for the next hour or so if I were you.”

Seo-jun wrinkled his nose and said something in Korean that Dex didn’t understand, but was willing to bet wasn’t complimentary to Sean and his bathroom habits.

“Where’s Sky?” Dex asked.

“Downstairs with Logan and West.”

The first strains of ‘ Baby Shark ’ drifted up the open staircase, followed by thirteen-month-old Sky’s happy squealing.

“I can’t believe Mr. Petrov offered us this house for a week,” Dex said. “What a generous gift.”

“As CEO of Quantum Earth Resources, he can afford it. He probably has numerous vacation homes,” Seo-jun replied.

“He’s a pig!” Colt’s voice rose from one of the bedrooms down the hall, and Dex and Seo-jun followed it to find their friend and colleague sprawled on one of two twin beds. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a blanket of gray sky outside that promised snow.

“Yet you accepted his gift,” Dex said to Colt.

“I deserve it after putting up with him that weekend. I’m sure he has an ulterior motive.”

Colt and Seo-jun had spent a weekend guarding Petrov earlier in the year, and Roman Petrov had rubbed Colt the wrong way.

“I don’t know why he offered it to us, I’m just glad he did,” Dex said.

Dex’s family, who lived in Boulder, had all come down with the flu, causing their Christmas plans to fall through.

They thought they were going to have to turn around and go back to North Carolina, but then West called and told them about Petrov’s offer.

“I am looking forward to skiing,” Colt admitted.

“Just don’t wipe out like you did surfing,” Seo-jun warned. They’d all been worried when Colt had hurt his back last August while engaging in his favorite pastime.

“That was a rogue wave. It came out of nowhere,” Colt defended.

He was a good surfer, Dex knew, but lately he felt Colt was being a little cavalier with his own safety.

He and Seo-jun had discussed it recently, but neither of them could come up with a reason for Colt’s sudden lack of concern for himself.

West appeared in the doorway. “I think I’ve got the sleeping arrangements figured out.

Dex and Seo-jun, you take the primary bedroom with the king-size bed; Logan and I will take the queen; Hawk and Jude will take the room with the double; Colt, you can share this one with Kasey, and Sean said he’d sleep on the couch in the office. That sound all right?”

“The king will be good since Sky will probably end up in bed with us,” Seo-jun said. “He can climb out of the portable crib now.”

“Logan and I have a queen at home and prefer that anyway.” West winked. “We like to snuggle, and a king’s got just a little too much space.”

“No chance of that for us with our little resident cock-blocker,” Seo-jun said.

Dex felt Seo-jun’s pain. It had been a while for them. “I’d better go get Sky from Logan.” He started for the door.

“No need. The moment the music came on and Logan sat down with him on the recliner, Sky was out like a light. It took Logan about a minute longer to conk out.” West looked at Colt. “Sleeping arrangements okay with you, bro?”

“Kasey snores,” Colt grumbled.

“I beg your pardon, I do not snore,” Kasey said as she nudged her way past West and Dex and into the room.

“Like a freight train,” Colt said.

“I’ll give you to the count of five to take that back,” Kasey said, hands on her hips while she looked down at Colt lounging on the bed.

“Count all you want. The truth’s the truth.”

“He really is suicidal,” Dex said in a low voice to Seo-jun, who stood close by.

A former army helicopter pilot and one of only a handful of women on the security team, Kasey could hold her own among the predominantly male security team.

“One. Two. Three. Four…Five!” With a war cry, she tackled him on the bed, sending them both rolling onto the floor.

“Uncle! Uncle!” Colt’s surrender came faster than Dex thought it would. Walking closer, he looked over the bed to see Colt on his stomach with Kasey’s knee in the middle of his back and his arm twisted painfully behind him.

“That’s Aunt , surfer boy,” Kasey said, yanking his arm hard.

“All right, Aunt! Aunt! Aunt! Jesus.”

“Colt, you take the daybed, and Kasey can sleep in the room with Sean. Let him go.”

“Sleep with Kasey?” Sean said, walking into the room. “No way! She snores.”

Releasing Colt’s arm, Kasey stared at Sean in disbelief. “Why the fuck are you guys lying? I do not snore!”

“Yeah, you do,” Sean said, then, with a grin, took off running down the hall when Kasey came after him.

“Sky won’t be asleep for long with that going on,” Dex said as they followed the two down the stairs.

West sighed. “God, I feel like I’m babysitting. What the fuck is wrong with them?”

“That last case left us with a lot of excess energy,” Colt said, getting up from the floor. “It’s tough sitting in front of cameras for hours on end. I hate surveillance jobs.”

Dex, Seo-jun, West, and Colt went downstairs. In the living room, Kasey was chasing Sean around the curved white sofa.

“I do not snore, you little red-headed weasel! Take it back!” Kasey made a grab for Sean, but he was too fast.

“You do so! And your hair is red too, so what the hell?” Sean grinned as he dodged her.

Shockingly, Logan was still asleep in the recliner, but Sky was sitting up, watching the crazy adults, a red mark on his cheek from where he’d been lying on Logan’s chest, and his big hazel eyes wide with interest.

Pointing a chubby finger in the general direction of Sean and Kasey, he looked at his dads and said, “No-no!”

“That’s right, Sky, no running in the house. Did you hear that, Sean and Kasey?” Dex picked Sky up, and Logan jolted awake, making a grab for the baby before realizing what was happening.

West let out a whistle that would have had Dex covering his ears if he had both hands free. Kasey and Sean stopped running, and the room went silent.

“If any of you destroy anything in this house, it’s coming out of your paycheck!” West yelled. “Now, stop acting like grade schoolers and go unpack your bags in your respective rooms!”

Face crumpling pitifully, Sky hid in Dex’s neck and began to sob.

“Aw, come on, little man.” Seo-jun took the baby from Dex. “He needs a diaper change and a better nap. I’ll take him upstairs.”

Dex handed him the diaper bag and watched them climb the floating staircase to the upper floor.

“Sorry,” West said to Dex. “I didn’t mean to scare him.”

“It’s okay. Like Seo-jun said, he needs a diaper change anyway,” Dex said.

West glared at Kasey and Sean.

“We’re sorry, too,” Kasey said. “We’ll play nice.”

“Yeah, I’ll sleep with Kase. I’m a heavier sleeper than Colt is. I can sleep through her snoring like a buffalo,” Sean said.

Kasey shot him a venomous look but stayed where she was.

West’s cell phone rang, and he walked into the kitchen to answer it.

“I. Do. Not. Snore,” Kasey said to Sean through gritted teeth. She looked at Dex. “Tell them, Dex. We’ve shared a room on assignment. Tell the evil leprechaun I don’t snore.”

Dex grimaced. “I’m afraid you do, Kase.”

Kasey stilled, eyes going wide. “ What ? I really snore ? Like, loud?”

“Why do you believe him when he says it and not us?” Colt complained, only to back up a step when Kasey turned on him.

“Because Dex is a nice guy, and you and Sean are not!” Grabbing her suitcase, she trudged up the stairs with it.

“Hey! I’m a nice guy!” Colt called after her. He turned to Sean. “Good luck sleeping in the same room with her, bro.”

“You owe me one, buddy.” Sean patted Colt’s shoulder.

* * *

“I don’t get why she’s still mad,” Sean said later after dinner had been cleaned up.

West and Colt had gone grocery shopping, and when they’d returned, Dex had cooked chicken and rice while Sean had put together a salad.

Kasey had eaten with them, but then claimed she was tired and going to take a bath.

“And what’s wrong with snoring? You’d think I told her she wets the bed. ”

“And she said I wasn’t nice!” Colt chimed in. “You, sure, I could see that. You’re always playing jokes on people. But what have I done?”

“Hate to tell you, buddy, but you’ve been pretty grouchy for the last several months,” Sean said.

Colt frowned and looked at Dex, who wished he didn’t have to be the human lie detector of the group. Solemnly, he nodded.

“We’ve been wondering if something’s wrong,” Logan said. “Something happen you haven’t told us about?”

“I’m good.” Colt flopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV with the remote control.

Dex, Logan, and West shared looks. They all knew that wasn’t true. Colt was normally the nicest guy in the world, but for the past few months, he’d been moody and withdrawn.

As one accord, the three men moved into the kitchen, leaving Colt and Sean watching the news.

“Why don’t you talk to him?” Dex suggested to Logan. “He’s always had a soft spot for you.”

“Yeah, it’s called a crush , and I don’t think so,” West said, moving closer to his boyfriend.

Logan shook his head at him. “I can’t believe you’re still jealous. It’s been forever since he flirted with me.”