Page 66 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

One Year Later

Oscar leaned forward to make sure he was reading the text on the screen right.

Grunting, he moved the cursor and double-checked the rest of the schedule.

There was no way in hell he was going to manage not only half a dozen meetings but two training exercises as well.

He wasn’t sure how the hell that had happened.

Sighing, he looked over the rest of the schedule to see if there were any spaces where he could mix things around a bit. Being in charge of Operations had started feeling like trying to hold water in his hand. Whenever he thought he had a handle on things, something slipped through his grip.

Yet the more he looked over the names and dates, the more everything blurred. He glanced at the clock, groaning when he saw he should have been out of the office over an hour ago. To add to everything, the light on his office phone was blinking, signaling Christian was trying to get hold of him.

Grunting, he hit the button and the speaker as well. “Please tell me you are not about to add something to my list of things to do.”

Christian’s chuckle came clearly through the speaker. “Sorry to say, but your eight o’clock is here.”

Oscar frowned. “I don’t have an appointment at eight.”

“Seems you do now.”

Oscar repressed the urge to groan aloud.

Christian was good about not putting his calls on speaker, so Oscar would have been safe to express his disdain.

But he’d learned a long time ago to be careful.

There could always be that one time when Christian forgot, and it would be just Oscar’s luck that General Winter would hear him groan in annoyance.

“Alright, send them in, I guess. Do me a favor while you’re at it. Monday looks like absolute chaos, and I don’t think anyone could humanly keep to that schedule. Could you look it over for me and fix it with your magic?” Oscar asked a little pleading in his voice.

“I think I can do that.”

“And get your ass out of here once you’ve done that. There’s no need for you to be stuck here on Friday night too. Go see your sister.”

“Will do. Have a good night, sir.”

Oscar planted what he hoped was a pleasant expression on his face as the door to the office swung open. It immediately dropped into a look of confusion as the man who came through the door was, in fact, not an impromptu visiting team leader or even a general, but Troy.

Troy winked. “Well, aren’t you looking nice and unhappy tonight?”

“What are you doing here?” Oscar asked.

“Coming to visit you, of course,” Troy said, sitting on the edge of the desk.

Oscar glanced at the door, making sure it was closed. He had long since adjusted to people knowing he and Troy were together, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be seen doing anything he shouldn’t while on the clock. When the coast was clear, he reached up and pulled Troy down for a soft kiss.

“Aren’t you supposed to be pulling a double shift tonight?” Oscar asked with a smile.

Troy hummed happily. “Guess who read the schedule wrong and doesn’t have to work a double but just has to come in early tomorrow?”

“I’m going to take a stab and say you,” Oscar said.

“Damn right.”

“And you decided to rub it in by coming by here.”

“Mmm, Christian told me you and General Winter don’t have a reason to be here after he leaves. So I’m guessing you should probably listen to the man who does your schedules and guards your door,” Troy told him.

Oscar frowned. “Why is it, everywhere I go since I got here, I find myself bullied by people a foot shorter than me?”

“I’m hardly a foot shorter than you.”

“Eh, close enough.”

Troy snorted, swatting Oscar. “Don’t you start.”

“Or what?”

“Or I might have to bend over this desk and see if I can’t get a rise out of you like the last time I visited.”

Oscar’s stomach tightened at the reminder, and he didn’t care if Troy could see the flicker of interest in Oscar’s eyes either.

As much as Oscar was careful to ensure they weren’t seen kissing or anything else when Oscar was on the clock, that didn’t mean he was immune to Troy’s specific charms. If there was anyone who could successfully drive Oscar past his limits and into something else entirely, it was Troy.

And that threat was starting to sound a little too tempting.

Oscar grunted, pushing out of his seat. “Alright, you both win, I’ll go home.”

“Yeah?” Troy asked with a wide grin.

“Everything was starting to look the same anyway, which is never a good sign. So I’m going to take you home, make you some dinner, and somewhere in there, you’re going to end up sweaty and naked,” Oscar promised.

“I love it when you plan our Friday nights with such skill and expertise. It’s almost like you’re in charge of Operations or something,” Troy said as he hopped off the desk to follow Oscar.

Oscar snorted, walking out of the office and waving to Christian as they passed. “Imagine that.”

To Troy’s credit, he waited for another kiss until after the elevator doors closed.

Oscar knew a camera was in the elevator, but he wasn’t too worried about someone peeping on them while he pulled Troy closer.

It wasn’t like the lazy bastards in security actually paid attention unless there was a problem.

“Have I ever told you I love you?” Troy asked softly.

Oh yes, he most certainly had. Oscar’s chest tightened at the gentle look of warmth in Troy’s eyes as he gazed up at him.

The same warmth Oscar found in Troy’s eyes when they woke up on lazy mornings or when Troy was watching Oscar cook, clean, or do everyday things and didn’t think Oscar could see him.

The same emotion reminded Oscar he’d made the right choice by sticking with Troy no matter how much he wanted to run, and it always made him feel whole.

Oscar smiled. “You have, but don’t stop.”

Troy grinned. “I can do that.”

And with that, Oscar kissed him again, sinking into the warmth and vowing he would never let it go.