place.
There was no way out now and, from the looks of things, no way in.
Styx and Law carried in the rest of the stuff in silence, and by the time the food was in the fridge and the other supplies laid out, Paulo had a nice fire going.
It was just in time, too, because the lights sputtered and died. Styx grabbed a few lanterns from the closet, put them in the kitchen and the living room.
“This couch pulls out,” he said. “I’ve got a sleeping bag for the floor.”
“I’m going to shower before we lose the hot water.” Paulo took one of the lanterns and found his way to a bathroom. He hadn’t stopped to grab any clothing but there were plenty of towels.
Paulo had saved them both, but he was still freaked—and pissed, no doubt, at the way Law continued to ignore him.
“He’s pissed.”
“So am I.” Law was pulling out the sofa bed, putting on sheets. “He should never have dug around my past like that.”
“He loves you,” Styx said, like that explained everything, and it probably did, but Law never wanted anyone to know his vulnerabilities. “Would you have ever told him?”
“I don’t know…it was all so new.”
“Not really—for you, it’s a relationship, whether you want to admit it or not. But I guess the less you admit, the less you’ll have to take responsibility for your fuck-ups.”
Law sighed. “I’m too fucking tired to fight anymore.”
“Too tired to thank Paulo for saving your life?”
Law didn’t answer that and just got into the bed he’d made, turning his back on Styx. Styx, in turn, put a throwaway phone next to him. “At least call Damon and check in—he won’t be suspicious if you’re a prick.”
He walked into the kitchen, ignoring Law’s muttered curses as he went.
Law was still muttering every curse he knew at Styx—mainly pissed at himself the entire time—while he dialed Damon.
Damon picked up after a few rings, sounding more relaxed than Law had ever heard him. For Tanner to get the leave had been tough, but Damon had called in some favors and yes, the men needed that time away together.
Tanner would go back out with Delta and be gone on secret missions that both Damon and Law knew far too much about—which was really the main problem for Damon, who’d already lost a lover to military action—but they’d finally come to an understanding.
Tanner would do his job and Damon would stay behind and be a miserable son of a bitch to everyone in his path—including and especially Law—until Tanner returned.
To see Damon happy, Law was more than okay with that trade.
“We’ve been eating and drinking and sightseeing,” Damon was telling him.
“I’m sure that’s not all,” Law said, and Damon snorted and Tanner said hi in the background. And he thought things were going to go smoothly until Damon demanded, “What’s wrong?” and fuck it all, the man was better than a lie detector.
Law would have to make this work by telling some half-truths and pretending something other than what was wrong was actually wrong. Because if he couldn’t throw Damon off the scent completely, he’d just confuse the shit out of him instead. “Nothing.”
“It’s Paulo, isn’t it?”
Well goddamn, that was a big part of it. He sighed in spite of himself and Damon muttered something under his breath.
“It’s Paulo.”
“I know you went to see him the night Tanner and I left.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Still pushing him away?”
“I don’t know what to do, Damon,” he said honestly. “If I’m not pushing him, he’s pushing me.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“You and Tanner got past it way more quickly than me and Paulo—we haven’t gotten past anything.” He tried not to think about how pissed he’d been—how he’d walked out on both him and Styx.
How he still hadn’t said he was sorry to either man.
“Go to him. What’s stopping you?” Damon paused. “You can’t still be thinking about him.”
He looked toward the kitchen,
There was no way out now and, from the looks of things, no way in.
Styx and Law carried in the rest of the stuff in silence, and by the time the food was in the fridge and the other supplies laid out, Paulo had a nice fire going.
It was just in time, too, because the lights sputtered and died. Styx grabbed a few lanterns from the closet, put them in the kitchen and the living room.
“This couch pulls out,” he said. “I’ve got a sleeping bag for the floor.”
“I’m going to shower before we lose the hot water.” Paulo took one of the lanterns and found his way to a bathroom. He hadn’t stopped to grab any clothing but there were plenty of towels.
Paulo had saved them both, but he was still freaked—and pissed, no doubt, at the way Law continued to ignore him.
“He’s pissed.”
“So am I.” Law was pulling out the sofa bed, putting on sheets. “He should never have dug around my past like that.”
“He loves you,” Styx said, like that explained everything, and it probably did, but Law never wanted anyone to know his vulnerabilities. “Would you have ever told him?”
“I don’t know…it was all so new.”
“Not really—for you, it’s a relationship, whether you want to admit it or not. But I guess the less you admit, the less you’ll have to take responsibility for your fuck-ups.”
Law sighed. “I’m too fucking tired to fight anymore.”
“Too tired to thank Paulo for saving your life?”
Law didn’t answer that and just got into the bed he’d made, turning his back on Styx. Styx, in turn, put a throwaway phone next to him. “At least call Damon and check in—he won’t be suspicious if you’re a prick.”
He walked into the kitchen, ignoring Law’s muttered curses as he went.
Law was still muttering every curse he knew at Styx—mainly pissed at himself the entire time—while he dialed Damon.
Damon picked up after a few rings, sounding more relaxed than Law had ever heard him. For Tanner to get the leave had been tough, but Damon had called in some favors and yes, the men needed that time away together.
Tanner would go back out with Delta and be gone on secret missions that both Damon and Law knew far too much about—which was really the main problem for Damon, who’d already lost a lover to military action—but they’d finally come to an understanding.
Tanner would do his job and Damon would stay behind and be a miserable son of a bitch to everyone in his path—including and especially Law—until Tanner returned.
To see Damon happy, Law was more than okay with that trade.
“We’ve been eating and drinking and sightseeing,” Damon was telling him.
“I’m sure that’s not all,” Law said, and Damon snorted and Tanner said hi in the background. And he thought things were going to go smoothly until Damon demanded, “What’s wrong?” and fuck it all, the man was better than a lie detector.
Law would have to make this work by telling some half-truths and pretending something other than what was wrong was actually wrong. Because if he couldn’t throw Damon off the scent completely, he’d just confuse the shit out of him instead. “Nothing.”
“It’s Paulo, isn’t it?”
Well goddamn, that was a big part of it. He sighed in spite of himself and Damon muttered something under his breath.
“It’s Paulo.”
“I know you went to see him the night Tanner and I left.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Still pushing him away?”
“I don’t know what to do, Damon,” he said honestly. “If I’m not pushing him, he’s pushing me.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“You and Tanner got past it way more quickly than me and Paulo—we haven’t gotten past anything.” He tried not to think about how pissed he’d been—how he’d walked out on both him and Styx.
How he still hadn’t said he was sorry to either man.
“Go to him. What’s stopping you?” Damon paused. “You can’t still be thinking about him.”
He looked toward the kitchen,
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