Page 20 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

Sloane bent over his desk, squinting at the note. For the life of him, he couldn’t make out the chicken scratch, no matter how much he squinted. He picked the post-it note up, holding it closer to the light to see if that would help, but it was useless.

“Hey, Sloane, your shift is over, man. What the hell are you doing still here?” Simmons asked from the doorway to Sloane’s office.

Sloane rolled his eyes. “Easy for you to say. You weren’t left with paperwork a mile high. Is this your chicken scratch?”

Simmons leaned forward. “Oh, yeah. It was telling you General Winter wanted to speak to you but didn’t say what for. I left it because you’d wandered off again.”

Wandering seemed to be the bulk of his job.

Sloane had been more than happy to shift into the military police if he didn’t have to sit in the guardhouse anymore.

What he hadn’t known was that he was going to eventually get put in the control seat of the damn thing.

He’d gone from being bored in a guardhouse to making sure his soldiers behaved and tossing the drunk ones in the drunk tank for the night.

Sloane looked up in disbelief. “You’re the guy’s assistant or whatever you want to call it. How do you not know what he wanted?”

Simmons scowled. “I’m his liaison first of all, and secondly, I don’t know all his business.”

Sloane didn’t believe it for a minute, though he let it drop.

He wasn’t sure exactly how Simmons had gone from a grunt on constant guard duty to the liaison for the general, but he couldn’t argue with the results of the change.

Simmons was considerably more agreeable than he’d ever been, and despite being quieter than before, he also seemed happier.

Sloane had attempted to broach the subject of Simmons’ dating life, but all he’d got in return so far was a sly smile.

“Is he in right now?” Sloane asked.

Simmons snorted. “No, you’ll have to call him back tomorrow. Which again, means you should probably head out before something else comes up. Plus, your man is waiting for you outside.”

Sloane stood up. “You could have fucking led with that.”

Simmons laughed, backing out of the room and out of Sloane’s reach. “Yeah, but watching big, mean, grumpy Sloane turn into a sap instantly is fun.”

“Get the fuck out of my office,” Sloane growled, slamming the note down on his desk.

Simmons laughed his way out of the office, with Sloane close behind. There was nothing left for him to deal with anyway, not anything that couldn’t be handled the next day.

Irritated, he shoved the door leading outside open, and sure enough, Dean was waiting.

The sight of his boyfriend hunched over on a bench, tapping away on his phone, soothed Sloane’s annoyance.

The tip of Dean’s tongue was sticking out between his lips as he typed, a sure sign he was focused on whatever he was trying to write.

“Howdy, handsome,” Sloane said as he approached.

Dean looked up, face breaking into a smile. “Hey, you’re early.”

Sloane snorted. “Early? I was supposed to get out of here half an hour ago.”

“Yeah, early for you.”

“I don’t like it when you’re right.”

Dean chuckled, pocketing his phone before standing up. “I think you do.”

Sloane reached down, taking hold of Dean’s hip and pulling him close.

The last of his irritation disappeared instantly as Dean’s body folded against his perfectly.

Sloane was never sure if their bodies fit so well naturally or if he and Dean were so in sync that it just happened.

Personally, Sloane didn’t care what it was.

It was one of the best feelings in the world.

Dean leaned up, catching Sloane’s lips with his and kissing him gently.

The press of Dean’s lips was soft at first, but Sloane felt Dean’s body coil up as though preparing to strike.

A moment later, the kiss deepened, and Sloane could practically feel the barely restrained need pouring from Dean’s body as he pushed just a little bit closer.

And there was another one of Sloane’s favorite feelings in the world.

“You sleep?” Sloane asked as he pulled away.

Dean smiled, dropping down to flat feet once more. “I got a couple of hours before I came over.”

Sloane slid his hand down, resting it on Dean’s lower back. “Maybe after I shower, you can have another hour or two while we watch a cheesy movie?”

“Better plan. I help you with that shower, and then we watch an awesome movie.”

“Somehow, I don’t think you’ll be helping me with my shower.”

“No, but I’ll help you with something.”

Before everything had changed for them, Sloane had never thought of Dean as a particularly sexual person.

Sure, Dean had mentioned getting laid occasionally, and Sloane knew he had to have desires.

But it wasn’t until he and Sloane started dating, and Dean grew comfortable, more assured that they would be a couple for a while, that Sloane got to see what Dean had been keeping from him.

To his absolute delight, Sloane had discovered Dean was incredibly sexual.

Then again, Sloane would have found it impossible not to be turned on by someone who was aroused at just the sight of him as Dean seemed to be.

Sloane thought that maybe once the sparkle of being with Sloane had worn off, Dean might ease back considerably.

There had, of course, been a bit of slackening as the months went by, but never enough to make Sloane wonder or worry.

Sloane led Dean away from the bench and back toward their apartment. “Who were you texting?”

Dean snickered. “Your mom.”

“Why is that funny?”

“She’s asking me when I’m going to make an honest man out of you.”

“An honest...she’s trying to get you to propose?”

“I think she’s trying to get me to talk to you about marriage so that one of us proposes.”

Sloane sighed. “I’ll talk to her, good God.”

“Don’t. She’s happy as hell that we’re together, and she’s only saying it to be supportive in her own way. Let her have her fun.”

Sloane eyed him, curious. “ Do you want to get married?”

“To you?”

Sloane scowled. “Yes, to me.”

“You know, in all the times I wondered what it would be like to be with you, I never actually thought about marriage.”

“Really?”

“That surprises you?”

Sloane shrugged. “You’re the romantic one, and hell, I’ve thought about it before, so I figured you had.”

Dean stopped, turning to face Sloane with a smirk. “Wait, me? I’m the romantic one, not you?”

“Yeah, so?” Sloane asked in bewilderment.

“You, the man who makes sure my coffee is brewed and set to go by the time I wake up?”

“You’re a zombie when you wake up.”

“Or when you ordered me some chocolate from Switzerland because I said it sounded delicious?”

“You like chocolate and were being stubborn about ordering some.”

“Remember when I sprained my wrist, and you came over and did my laundry and dishes when I was at the clinic?”

“It’s not like you could do it.”

Dean shook his head. “You’re a sap.”

“It’s practical?”

Dean leaned in, kissing the bottom of Sloane’s chin. “Sap.”

Sloane huffed before kissing the tip of Dean’s nose. “For you.”

If he hadn’t been a sap before, the pure joy in Dean’s sudden smile would have certainly made him one. God, the man was so beautiful it hurt Sloane in the best way possible. How he had somehow missed what was right there between them, he would never know.

Dean reached out, taking Sloane’s hand. “So, marriage, huh?”

Sloane grinned, following happily after Dean, casting his bittersweet thoughts aside. Their time together hadn’t been a waste in Sloane’s mind, only the precursor to something even greater. Now they were together, they had all the time in the world to discover what wonderful things awaited them.

And Sloane was going to love every second of it.