Page 25 of Missing Pieces (Brantley Walker: Off the Books #12)

“How long did we sleep?” Brantley asked as he came awake slowly, drifting out of a deep, dreamless sleep.

“Almost five hours.”

“So, it’s what? Thirteen hundred?”

“Ten after.”

Brantley breathed in deeply, enjoying the warmth of the man pressed up against his back. He could easily drift off for another hour, but it would accomplish nothing.

“If we get up now, we can get some shit done today,” he grumbled.

“We could,” Reese agreed from behind him.

Neither of them moved.

Brantley wasn’t sure he wanted to. He was comfortable right where he was, Reese’s arm draped over him, his hard body warm along his back.

“We could even meet up with Simon,” Brantley suggested. “Find out if he knows anything worth lookin’ into.”

“We could,” Reese said again, sounding as unenthusiastic as he had the first time.

Brantley sighed when Reese kissed the back of his neck. He tipped his head forward, encouraging more. Reese placed another kiss on his neck and another on his shoulder.

“Or we could stay right here,” he mumbled, moaning softly when Reese’s hand glided down his stomach, lower.

“Or we could stay right here,” Reese echoed, his touch feather-light as he began stroking him.

“God, that feels good.”

“It’s meant to,” Reese whispered.

When Reese shifted, Brantley took the opportunity to roll to his back. Before Reese could get any ideas of going anywhere, Brantley cupped the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

“You brushed your teeth,” he said, grinning against Reese’s mouth. “You cheated.”

“Mmm.” Reese didn’t respond, his tongue sliding into Brantley’s mouth. He could feel the eagerness in Reese’s kiss, in the way his hands moved over him. He wasn’t rushing, he was savoring, and it was perfect.

He let Reese lead, his hands sliding over Reese’s warm skin as he shifted until he was draped over Brantley. Banding his arms around Reese, he held him tight as their tongues glided in a heated mating of mouths. He would never get enough of this man.

He loved moments like this. When they could slow down enough to simply be together, neither of them in a hurry to finish.

Sure, his blood was pumping faster, thickening as lust consumed him.

He wanted to feel Reese. It was an addiction that had to be fed, a need that couldn’t be ignored.

Whenever he was with Reese, everything felt right.

“I want you inside me,” he whispered against Reese’s lips.

Reese didn’t break the kiss, but he shifted, a clear sign that he’d heard him.

Brantley moved with him, lifting his knee, making room for the man he loved.

Long minutes passed, and the kiss continued as Brantley reached for the lubricant, prepared Reese’s cock.

When he was hanging by a frayed thread, Reese finally pushed inside him.

Brantley groaned, shifting, moving so Reese could slide in deeper.

“Fuck,” he grunted, grabbing Reese’s ass, pulling him closer, taking him to the hilt. “Yes. Just like that.”

Reese continued to move inside him, his cock tunneling deep with slow, sensual strokes while their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling.

“I love you,” Brantley told him because he’d promised himself he would always ensure Reese knew how he felt. Well, that and because it was so easy to say when it was true.

“God, Brantley,” Reese hissed. “You feel…”

Brantley cut him off with a kiss, letting himself feel everything.

Seconds turned to minutes, and the slow and leisurely pace picked up speed, morphing into a frantic need for release. They chased it together, Reese fucking him with rough thrusts.

When he knew Reese was close, Brantley reached between them and stroked his cock, wanting to come when Reese did.

“Now, baby,” Brantley urged. “Come inside me.”

“Oh, fuck … oh, fuck…”

Reese grabbed Brantley’s free hand, pinning it to the bed as he slammed into him one final time.

They came together in a cacophony of grunts and moans.

And when it was over, Brantley savored the lingering completion that allowed him to float for a little while. It was a feeling he’d only ever felt with Reese. It was a release so much more powerful than merely his body.

“I love you, too,” Reese said as he dropped to his side of the bed, panting like he’d run five miles.

Brantley chuckled. “What do you say we get up, figure out what the team’s up to, then grab some food. Maybe run by the hospital? We can check on JJ, and when we’re done, we’ll meet up with Simon and Holt.”

“Need a shower first,” Reese said, his breath still labored.

“Me, too. We’ll do that first, then take care of the rest.”

And maybe, if he were lucky, they’d linger in the shower for a little while. Just because they could.

The lingering didn’t last nearly as long as Brantley would’ve liked. Two minutes. Maybe five.

That was the point when Reese turned to face him, sliding his hand over his head to push the water back. “You need to talk to Atticus about the missing statue. And you need to do it before he leaves for the day.”

Brantley traded places, stepping beneath the water. “I thought you would’ve done that already.”

“And when would I’ve had time?”

He shrugged. “You did brush your teeth without wakin’ me up. You’re a multi-tasker.”

“Not this time. This is all you.” Reese reached for a towel. “You told Rose we’d look into it. You get to deal with Atticus when he freaks the fuck out.”

“If I recall correctly, it was your idea to assign him to it.”

“Only because you took the case.”

Brantley smiled. It was hard not to when he thought about how Atticus might react when he learned he was going to have to look into a missing statue.

The kid hadn’t been on the team long, and he was already going stir-crazy without any cases to work.

Brantley figured they should pass some along, but he didn’t want Atticus to get used to working alone.

He’d done enough of that during his time as a bounty hunter.

Luckily for him, they’d found him a partner—assuming Archer intended to accept the job.

As soon as they could get Archer onboarded and acclimated, they’d start shoving bigger things their way.

Until then…

“Fine,” he told Reese. “We’ll tell him.”

“ You’ll tell him.”

Laughing, Brantley acquiesced. “ I’ll tell him.”

“By yourself.”

Brantley’s eyebrows hopped toward his hairline. “Yeah? And what’re you gonna do?”

With the towel wrapped around his hips, Reese crossed the bathroom toward the door. “First, I’ll start by checking my email and ensuring we haven’t missed anything.”

“That’ll take five minutes, tops,” Brantley called after him.

“It’ll take as long as it takes you to tell Atticus,” Reese shouted back. “Good luck.”

Ten minutes later, dressed and ready for the rest of the day, Brantley stepped out onto the back patio, a cup of coffee in his hands.

Thankfully, his husband had been gracious enough to start a pot before he went upstairs to hide in his office.

It was needed if he was expected to deal with Atticus first thing.

Because it was roughly lunchtime for most of the team, he took the time to check the parking area to see if Atticus’s truck was there.

He located the big gray Chevy, and his grin amped up a few watts at the thought of witnessing Atticus’s reaction when he learned he was going to be the lead investigator for the first time since he started working for the task force.

Since he wasn’t going to get out of it, he sucked it up and made his way to the barn. He was keying in his passcode when Tesha came racing out of the dog door, hauling ass across the yard to join him.

“Don’t even act like you haven’t been over here all day,” he told her as he opened the door and she rushed inside.

“Afternoon, boss,” Slade called from his desk. “Didn’t think we were gonna see you today.”

“Can’t take a day off. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you and Atticus.”

Atticus spoke as he hen-pecked the keyboard with his fingertips. “What did I do?”

“Nothin’. And that’s the problem.”

Atticus frowned at his computer screen. “Thanks.”

“Since you look bored, I’ve got a case I need you to work on.”

The way the man slowly lifted his head was comical. As though he was rerunning the words again and again, trying to ensure he heard correctly.

“I thought you wanted me to be partnered up before? Is Archer startin’ already?”

Ignoring the man’s questions, he said, “Do you want the case or not?”

Atticus eyed him suspiciously. “Maybe I should know what it is first.”

“Not the deal. You either want it or you don’t.”

“Yeah,” Atticus blurted. “Of course I do.”

“Good. And no, Archer’s not startin’ yet, so I’ll let you pick a partner this time around.”

“Can you give me some of the details first?”

“It’s local,” Brantley told him. “Missing for about forty-eight hours or so.”

That seemed to get his attention. “Who is it?”

“Not a who. A what .”

Atticus frowned. Slade and Evan snickered.

“I change my mind. I don’t want it.”

“Too late. It’s yours.”

Atticus glared at him. “You play dirty, boss.”

Brantley laughed. “I play to win.”

“Fine. It’s my case. What am I finding?”

“The bronze mustang statue at Coyote Ridge High School went missin’ in the last coupla days. They want it back.”

Atticus’s lips parted, his eyes widening. It was obvious he was waiting for the punchline.

“Unless you can’t handle it.”

The laughter grew louder, with Luca and Jay chiming in.

“I can handle it,” Atticus said firmly. “Just not sure I want to.”

“Good thing you don’t have a choice.”

Slade doubled over, his laughter echoing in the barn.

Atticus’s glare alternated with pinpoint accuracy, shifting from Brantley to Slade and then back.

Brantley had to give the kid credit. Back when he first came on board, Atticus would’ve lost his shit if he thought he was going to have to deal with something like this. He was holding it together pretty well.

Atticus stood. “Fine. I need to know who to talk to.”

“I’ll write it down for you,” Brantley assured him. “You also need a partner.”