Page 13 of Cohesion

Riley hesitated, then sighed. “I can’t.”

“I don’t understand.” Greer had something to do with Jericho and his team, Quinn was fucking positive of it. Now all this secrecy with Riley. Quinn didn’t like any of it, liked even less what all of it inferred. He wanted to be wrong. Heneededto be wrong.

“I know.”

Quinn knew when to push Riley and when not to. This felt like a time not to even if everything in him wanted to. Riley was hiding something from him, deliberately, and he couldn’t deny there was a tinge of hurt settling in. They’d met at the academy and kept in touch. When they’d made detective at the same time, fate had put them together as partners and only solidified that lifelong friendship.

What was he hiding that was more important than not just their working relationship, but their friendship as well?

Chapter Three

Peyton drummed his fingerson the side of the door, watching the streets go by as Jericho drove them further and further from the inner city. They hadn’t even gone in, just right around it, through suburbs Peyton had never visited in his entire life living in Sydney.

“This is a trial, right?” He twisted to look at Jericho, who was humming quietly along with the music from the stereo. “If I don’t fit, you’ll send me packing.”

Jericho turned down the music, side-eyeing him. “We’ve seen what you can do, Peyton, and your credentials. We don’t offer a job unless we’re serious, and we haven’t gotten a new member on the team for years. Hunter doesn’t make mistakes like that.”

“Awfully sure of yourselves.”

“We know what we want.” Jericho grinned slyly. He slid a hand on Peyton’s upper thigh. “Seems to me you like that.”

Peyton’s fingers twitched, wanting to put his hand on Jericho’s, move it up further. “Why, does Hunter want to hit me up too?” he asked sarcastically.

Jericho’s hold dug in harder. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” he said, a warning clear in his gaze. Peyton liked seeing it. That hint of possessiveness. It wouldn’t happen like that if it were just sex, if he were only with them to get his rocks off and fulfil some random fantasy about sleeping with multiple people at once.

Will was getting attached to the three men that he and Peyton were sleeping with because his heart was too big for the world. He trusted that Peyton wouldn’t lead him astray. Peyton had acted to Quinn like he was confident in the decision they’d made, but the truth was that Jericho had come into their lives quickly and had made room for himself even quicker than that. And that kind of haste was cause for mistakes to be made. Especially when he couldn’t get a read on what Jericho really wanted from them.

“Are they partnering me with you?” There were fraternisation rules in almost every organisation that existed, especially military or law enforcement-based ones. He didn’t know exactly where this group fit in, but he knew they got their orders from somewhere. It was highly likely it was from a branch of the government, somewhere that didn’t officially exist.

“That’s the plan,” Jericho said, glancing at him as he slowed down at a red light. “But we can find you someone else if you’d prefer.”

“Why would I want that?” Peyton asked. He didn’t know anyone else, not really. Didn’t know what he was going to find, what he was evendoing. What would he find out about himself here? Did he want to know? The not knowing was worse, and the regret would kill him.

He had to know.

“Some people are funny about seeing the people they sleep with at work every day. They do say you shouldn’t work with your family. That’s true for romantic connections as well,” Jericho said, grinning.

“I would still see you at work every day, anyway, so what does that matter?” That explanation didn’t make any sense. Wouldn’t they be working in the same building? He hadn’t been on the same team as a lot of guys in the military, and he still saw them every day because they worked in close proximity.

“Not as much as you’d think,” Jericho answered. “I don’t stay in one location long, depending on the cases I’m working, and we’re all in and out. There’s a nap room in the house, with four beds, and we’ve never had to use all of them at any point. We try to debrief at least once a week and get everyone in the same room, but it’s not always a success.”

“And you?” Peyton asked.

“And me, what?”

“Doyouwant to be partnered with me now that we’re together?”

Jericho’s hand slipped from Peyton’s thigh, taking the wheel. A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Is that what we are? Together?”

“Quinn and the others certainly seem to think so.” They were unsure about a lot of things, including what the hell they were all doing, and how it would all work out. But whether they were going to navigate it together or not wasn’t in question. Except for where Jericho was concerned.

“We said only one night.”

“Then you should have stuck to one night,” Peyton said tersely.Hewas the one who had chosen to join them, accept Quinn’s offer of a kiss, snuggling with Will on the fucking couch. “No one forced you. If you don’t want to be here, then don’t be. But don’t pretend like you do, and then—”

“I’m not someone you bring home to meet your parents, Peyton,” Jericho interrupted. “I’m not that guy.”

Peyton tugged on the strand of hair that had gotten loose from Jericho’s messy topknot. “You don’t know anything about my parents. You could be a saint compared to them.”

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