Page 101 of More than Need

Riley’s gut clenched at the possessive sound. Christ,no. He could not be getting turned on by blatant caveman behaviour. He’d never appreciated past partners thinking they had any claim on him. It’s why he kept anything to one night only. Anymore, and they got ideas that Riley wanted nothing to do with.

Dawson exhibiting the same thing had the opposite effect. Quinn needed to get the fuck out so that Riley could fuck him and have his cries of pleasure echo off the walls.

“How did you get up here?” Riley asked, trying to get the conversation to move in a different direction. He hadn’t buzzed Dawson in, and he didn’t have a key. If he asked for one, Riley would give it to him. He couldn’t ignore that things had gotten that far.

“Nice old lady let me in. You’d be surprised what actually smiling for once in your life gets you.”

Riley ignored the noise Quinn made. He’d made enough of a nuisance of himself.

“Go and put your bag near the bed.” Riley resigned himself to having Quinn watch this disaster unfold right before his very eyes.

Quinn didn’t say a word as Dawson moved across the small space, dropping the bag next to the bedside table and sitting on it, revealing a familiarity with the space that Quinn would pick up in a second.

The next knock at his door, seconds later, had Riley questioning the security of the building. Were they just lettingeveryone in? Between tonight and last year, when someone had managed to get in and attempt to kidnap him, he wondered if he needed to move. Find somewhere with electric fences. Barbed wire and a minefield. Maybe even a mounted gun and a safe room.

“Are you planning on staying, or do you have somewhere to be?” Riley muttered to Quinn.

“I don’t have anything pressing right now.”

Riley regretted all their years of friendship immensely. He should have pushed him into the Parramatta River that one time he’d had the opportunity ten years ago, when they’d been chasing a drug-addled idiot heading right for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Could have saved himself so much grief.

“How didyouget up here?” Riley asked Gideon immediately.

“Hello to you too.”

“Did you talk to Pam?” Dawson asked from his position on the bed. He’d removed his shoes while Riley had his back turned and sat cross-legged now.

“Who is Pam?” Riley asked, exasperated by the conversation.

“The lady who let me in,” Dawson said. “I can’t believe you don’t even know your neighbour’s names; where are your manners?”

They were well and truly gone at this particular moment. “There’s no reason to suggest she lives next door. If they live in other apartments, they’re not my neighbours, are they?”

“Your semantics get me so hot.”

Quinn snorted out a laugh.

“I flashed my badge,” Gideon admitted. “The buzzer things are weird.”

“The ‘buzzer things’ are so I don’t get uninvited and unwelcome guests. You’ve used it before, so you can’t claim you don’t know how to.”

“Someone wasn’t at the door last time toshowmy badge to,” Gideon said with a wide smile. “The door doesn’t respond to my commands, unfortunately.”

Riley closed his eyes and counted to five before opening the door wider so Gideon could come in. He slammed it shut in a supremely satisfying way.

Riley had no desire to alleviate the awkward silence as Quinn and Gideon sized each other up.

“I see you’re doing some overtime with the boss.”

Riley pinched the bridge of his nose. If he left them here and went somewhere else, would they notice?

“It pays pretty good,” Gideon said, grinning.

“I bet. Why couldn’t you two find hookups at a club or something?”

“How boring would that be?” Gideon asked. “It’s so much more convenient to pick up at work.”

“Is it?” Riley drawled.

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