Page 166 of Should the Sky Fall

Referring to Ellis as his brother doesn’t feel natural, but he hopes that in time, it will.

“It’s strange to think about him like that. He’s so…”

“Put-together? Serious? Responsible?”

“Mature,” Cal says, a little annoyed. Why does hearing Dawson name Ellis’ character qualities suddenly bother him?

“Same thing,” Dawson says with an eye roll and goes to the dresser. “What about the office? What did you think? Did it, you know, feel familiar?” There’s something strange in the way he says it.

“No. Not at all. Not even when I met my assistant.”

Dawson seems to relax, and he rummages through the drawer until he pulls out a pair of black joggers. Cal tries to enjoy the unrestrained view of his exposed skin while it lasts.

“Amanda? Is she Ellis’ PA now?”

“You know her?”

“We’ve met a couple of times. She’s nice.”

“Yeah. A little intimidating, though.”

Dawson laughs. “Yeah, she’s got the vibe.”

“Is it true that she was the first one notified about my accident?”

“Uh, yeah,” Dawson says, eyes on the floor. “She called Ellis, and he called me.”

A surge of anger fills Cal’s chest. Not at Dawson, never at Dawson, but at himself. His expression must give him away, because Dawson puts away the clothes he picked and starts towards him.

“Let it go, Cal. Or it will eat you up.”

Yeah, that ship has sailed.“I hate him,” he bites out. “The guy who did all those things.”

Dawson watches him, his eyes getting a little glassy. He sticks out his hand, palm up. “Give me your phone.”

Cal does, a little confused. He watches Dawson’s thumbs fly over the screen, doing who knows what. He hands it to Cal when he’s done. “There. Now if anything were to happen, I’ll be the first to know.”

Cal’s heart flutters, overflowing with the love he has for this man. His husband.

“Thank you.”

Dawson smiles. “You’re welcome. You can’t have Amanda sorting that stuff out anyway, if you’re not going back.”

“I’m not,” he confirms, just in case Dawson is still wondering about it.

“You’ll have a lot of free time now. Maybe you can finally kick-start your career as a future best-selling author.”

“Very funny.”

“I’m serious! One step at a time, and before you know it, it’s there.”

“One step at a time and you’re having an exhibition of your art,” Cal shoots back.

“Ouch. Guess I walked into that one.”

“Yup.”

They both chuckle, and the conversation stagnates after that. Cal finds himself greedily taking in Dawson’s body now that there’s nothing to distract him. The memories of last night suck him under, making it difficult to refrain from pulling Dawson into his lap and ravishing him right there.