Page 2 of The Paternity Puzzle

Sawyer snapped his eye shut again and pulled another long breath into his lungs.One more day. One more day.“I am feeling in better control now,” he lied.

Royce moved in close enough that his breath ghosted over Sawyer’s neck. Sharp teeth nipped his earlobe and tugged. “Tell that to your dick, Asshole. That bastard is hard enough to drive steel.” Royce’s hand landed on Sawyer’s hip. “Or me.”

Sawyer’s next breath was a shaky exhale that became a whimper when Royce’s fingers grazed over his erection. “Dickhead.”

“I’d planned to work a half day tomorrow, but I’ve changed my mind,” Royce said. Sawyer opened his eyes and locked ontohis husband’s ravenous gaze. “My first load might end up in a sterile cup at the fertility clinic, but the second one is going to land all over you. I’m going to pump the one after that inside you. I need to mark my territory again.”

Sawyer stroked his forefinger over Royce’s tie but stopped before reaching his pants. “We’re not as young as we used to be,” he pointed out. “We could probably finish our workday after the clinic visit before we’re fully recovered for round two.” Sawyer arched a brow. “And I think three rounds is extremely ambitious.”

Royce gripped Sawyer’s chin and jerked him forward for a quick kiss. “Challenge accepted.” He released Sawyer and stepped a few feet away. “Tell me about the crime conference so I can get my mind off our dicks.”

Sawyer chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “I can barely remember my name right now.”

“It will all come flooding back once you start talking,” Royce said. “I bet your presentation on solving cold cases was a big hit with the attendees.”

“They seemed to like it. Cold-case investigations are a popular topic.”

“Did anyone ask for your autograph?” Royce asked.

“What? No. I’m not Jon Bon Jovi.”

“You were probably a rock star to the convention attendees and probably some of the other panelists too,” Royce countered. “They would’ve happily plied you with drinks if you’d gone down to the hotel bar each night instead of hanging out with me on FaceTime.”

“I’d rather buddy watch TV with you than hang out with strangers. You’re my rockstar.”

“God, I’m crazy about you.” Royce looked down at his dick and sighed. “Crisis diverted for now.”

Sawyer’s erection had subsided too, but his balls felt like they weighed five pounds each. They’d only needed to abstain from ejaculating for two to five days before the procedure, but Sawyer’s conference stretched that out longer. And his strive for perfection convinced him that abstaining longer increased their odds of success.

A loud, assertive knock made them both look at the door. “Come on, Ro.” It was Tara, Royce’s fellow Explorer instructor. She’d also married their friend Mel and had become a stepmother to Royce’s godchildren. “The cadets are getting restless. Stop making out with your husband, and let’s get the show on the road.”

“How’d you know Sawyer was in here?”

“He moved through the precinct like a freaking stormtrooper to reach you,” Tara said.

Royce’s eyes softened when they met Sawyer’s. “Aww.”

“I told you I missed you.”

Royce pressed a quick kiss to Sawyer’s lips before striding to the door. He pulled it open and gestured for Sawyer to exit first.

“Thank goodness you’re back,” Tara said to Sawyer, then hooked a thumb in Royce’s direction. “This guy has been a whiny brat since you’ve been gone.”

“Have not.” If a voice could pout, Royce’s would’ve stomped its feet too.

Tara just rolled her eyes before leading them down the corridor. “He constantly checked the convention’s website and social media accounts, looking for photos and videos of you.”

It was Sawyer’s turn to get all warm and gooey inside. “Aww.”

Royce rolled his eyes. “It was only once or twice while you were away.”

“More like once or twice an hour,” Tara argued.

Instead of responding to his partner’s dig, Royce hummed the music that played whenever the stormtroopers entered ascene in theStar Warsmovies. Sawyer looped an arm around Royce’s shoulders, pulled him closer, and whispered, “I have an idea for our next Halloween costumes. You can be Darth Vader, and I’ll be a stormtrooper who drops to his knees and services you on command.”

Royce sucked in a sharp breath and nearly stumbled, but he righted himself and blessed Sawyer with a wicked smile. “Welcome to the dark side.”

They paused outside the community room doors to go their separate ways. Royce’s cadets were waiting for him in the cafeteria so they could file into the room together, and Sawyer needed to find a seat among the family members and supporters in attendance. Sawyer winked at his husband before ducking inside the packed room. It looked like every seat was taken, and he’d resigned himself to standing at the back of the room when a familiar face snagged his attention. Her stunning images had graced magazine covers for five decades, and she used her success and fame to make the world a better place through activism. The world called this paragon of perfection Evangeline O’Neal, one of the first women to put the super in supermodel, but Sawyer called her Mom. She stuck her arm up in the air and waved him over. That’s when he noticed the empty chair beside her and the rest of the occupants in the row. Barron Key, his newly retired father, wasn’t a surprise, and neither were Jace and Holly. When Sawyer first started working for Savannah PD, he’d resented Holly, thinking she and Royce had something romantic going on. Then Sawyer had discovered they were childhood best friends, and Holly was head over heels in love with a different Locke brother. Now, she investigated cold cases with Sawyer and was the one who’d convinced him to give a presentation at the conference.