Page 111 of More than Need

“He’s now your boyfriend, and if thatfacttakes precedence, then I couldn’t care less if he was solving every single case that comes across your desk and getting goddamn medals from the prime minister. He moves, end of discussion.”

Riley sat back, biting his tongue. He knew his father was right, and he hated it. “Why is he the one that has to move? I could move.” Why did Gideon have to uproot his entire life because Riley couldn’t keep it in his pants? Riley had jumped at the chance to touch the one man that he never thought he’d be able to, and he would take full responsibility for that.

“It’s quieter, it’s cleaner. But if you want to transfer instead, then fine. You better come up with a plausible reason after you fought so hard to assemble the team you have and how much you go to bat for them when the upper brass tries to poach them—as you so elegantly put it.”

“You’re part of that upper brass.” Riley called it poaching because it accurately described what the brass continuously tried to do after he’d painstakingly turned his team into the best in Sydney. They could go fuck themselves and find other toys to play with.

“I don’t make decisions when it comes to you or your department. The conflict of interest isn’t worth the headache. I can get enough of that from you and your brothers. Case in point.”

Riley wasn’t stupid enough to take that bait. “I want to talk to Gideon first before we make any decisions.”

Simon nodded. “I’ll have a look around, see what openings we have and what options he has. Even if I have to make a new bloody position for him, I’ll do it to make this mess go away.”

Yeah, that would stop the rumours from spreading about preferential treatment.

Riley stood and grasped the back of his chair. “Or me,” he insisted. He’d look himself, see where he could go. He wouldn’t put this all on Gideon and expect that he would be the one to change his career trajectory for this. They were in it together, and that’s how they would navigate it.

“Or you.”

Satisfied, Riley headed for the door.

“Riley.”

Riley paused, twisting his head to look back.

“I’m happy for you, son.”

Chapter 20

Gideon eyed the cookedpasta critically. “No,” he disagreed. “You have to put the pasta into the sauce, mix it, andthenserve it.”

“And I think you need to twirl the pasta in the bowl and put the sauce on top,” Dawson argued.

“Which you are thengoing to mix in. Isn’t the extra step pointless? Might as well do it to start with.”

“It’s about presentation.”

“Are we serving royalty?”

“We’re not good enough to put a little effort in?”

Gideon tugged Dawson closer, sliding his hand into Dawson’s back pocket. “It looks just as nice no matter which way you do it.” He tilted his head up, silently asking for a kiss.

Dawson obliged, their mouths brushing gently and then a little harder. “You’re too tempting,” Dawson murmured. “And that’s a dirty way to end an argument.”

“It means I win.”

“That is not what it means.”

“Get the bowls out for me?”

Dawson kissed him once more, swatted him on the ass, and then did as asked, spreading three bowls over the counter beside the cooked pasta resting in the strainer.

Gideon put the pasta into one of the bowls and spooned the white sauce over the top before dumping the rest of the fettucine into the sauce.

“Did you do that just for me?” Dawson asked playfully, wrapping his arms around Gideon from behind.

“That depends,” Gideon said, turning to chase Dawson’s mouth.

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