Page 59 of Out of Control

He sighed. “No. I ought to be loading you on a plane right about now.”

“Don’t think about what you should be doing. Concentrate on doing the right thing. It’ll keep you from having a nervous breakdown.”

“I don’t have nervous breakdowns,” he muttered.

“You do around me.” Dray grinned unapologetically.

“I’ll admit, you have that effect on me.”

“Thanks.”

“It wasn’t a compliment. You make me crazy. Bad crazy.”

“Ahh, but I make you good crazy too.”

“Stop flirting with me, Dray. I already agreed to help you figure out what Hamza’s up to.”

Dray leaned back hard, staring through narrowed eyes. “Is that what you think I’m doing? Trying to trade sex for your help? Give me a little fucking credit.”

Spencer opened his mouth to argue. He closed it again. Was that what he thought? He considered Dray’s accusation for a minute. Then, “I’m sorry. That was an asshole thing to say.”

Dray shrugged. “Can’t blame you. I figure most of the guys you work with are assholes.”

“Hey. Don’t be dissing my guys. They’re family.”

Dray’s gaze went dark. Serious. He also chose his words carefully. “But are they really? I get that whole brotherhood thing. But do they take the place of actual family? Are you sure that’s the best place for you? I can get you good work with my employer. Or I’ll give you a glowing reference for any private firm you want to work for.”

“Why are you suddenly trying to get me to leave my current work?”

Dray shrugged. “I think you can do better.”

“Are you kidding? Do you know how hard it was to become… what I am? How many people try and fail to become like me?”

“I stand by my statement.”

“What’s better than what I do?”

Dray leaned forward and murmured low, “You tell me. It’s not as if you’re happy.”

“Have I ever told you how much I hate it when you’re logical?”

Drago grinned at him. “I know the feeling, Captain Rational.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’ll jack off. With you.”

“Stop,” Spencer bit out.

Dray stared in surprise. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this with you. Not again. We can’t be that anymore. We have to focus on the job at hand and not mess it up this time. I can’t do it. Not like that. Not while we’re working.”

Chapter Eleven

DRAGO DIDN’Tmove. Didn’t change his expression. Didn’t in any way show how much Spencer’s words hurt him. But sonofabitch, they did hurt. Spencer’s rejection was a knife to his gut. A dull, rusty one that tore up everything inside him.

The hell of it was that Spencer wasn’t wrong.