Page 114 of More than Need

Dawson frowned. “Would your dad really fire you over that?”

“When we’re at work, he’s not my father. Usually. We try to keep the lines drawn clearly. This time he was just my dad. Like Gideon is just my lover, not my detective. Nobody got fired. He wanted to talk to me about it, and what we plan to do.”

“Did he say we should break up?” Gideon couldn’t swallow the lump in his throat. They had other avenues they could try first, surely?

“It’s the easiest option.”

Gideon’s heart seized up. Is that what Riley would do? End it to save their careers? He couldn’t push down the panic clawing its way into his chest, hindering his ability to breathe.No.

“But not the one I want to do. He’s on our side, for now. If someone at the precinct, or someone who shouldn’t know, gets wind of it, then his hands are tied, however.”

“So what do we do?” Gideon asked.

“We transfer. One of us does. I don’t expect you to do it. Dad is looking at options for both of us. I’m not putting it all on you.”

“And give up your team?”

“Yes,” Riley said bluntly.

Gideon’s lips parted in shock. “You would do that for me?” Give up everything he’d worked for? Gideon didn’t know the full extent of it, but he had an idea just what Riley had done to get his own team, and how much he had fought to keep them.

Gideon didn’t want to take orders from another senior sergeant, work cases outside of the Chatswood PAC. He’d spent most of his career at that station, even before he’d made detective. He’d been there even longer than Riley had; Riley and Quinn had transferred over when Riley had been promoted. Gideon had known them briefly before that, some of their cases overlapping, but he hadn’t reallyknownthem until he’d started working for Riley. Had almost forgotten their first meeting, when apparently Riley had developed acrushon him, which he still hadn’t quite wrapped his head around. It made him feelgiddy.

Riley twirled pasta around his fork and took his time chewing it. “If I have to choose between my job and us, I choose us, Gideon.”

Christ. So did Gideon. So fucking much. “So… so we move? One of us moves. Someone moves.” That idea sat as badly in his gut as breaking up did, to be honest. It feltwrong.

“Yes. And until then we be discreet and don’t give anyone a chance to find out. That means no more kissing at the office, no more looks—”

“What looks?”

“You give looks.”

“And you don’t?” Gideon countered. Riley had made eyes at him more than once in the office. It usually resulted in Rileycalling him into his office to make out—under the guise of scolding him for something. Ange and Quinn’s suspicious faces said they totally weren’t being subtle in the least. It probably didn’t help that Gideon came out with swollen lips and walked in a bit of a daze for a little while afterwards. They didn’t understand how good Riley kissed, like a drug that made Gideon ache for so many things. If Riley wanted to fuck him in his office during work hours, Gideon doubted he’d say no. In fact, he’d encourage it.

“Neither of us can be making any more looks. We have to keep everything about our relationship at work strictly platonic. We can’t give anyone a reason to look more closely at us.”

“And outside of work?”

“Outside of work, you belong to me, and we make it work. If that’s what you want.”

If that’s what he wanted? What the fuck did that mean? “You think it’s not?”

“I think that you have a son to think about, and your own career. If you chose to end things to keep your house in order, I can hardly blame you.”

For someone so smart, Riley could be incredibly stupid. “Riley, I love you. And Dawson. And if you’re willing to make this work, then so am I.” It was cathartic to finally return the feelings that Dawson had so beautifully spouted the other night.

Riley looked down at his plate, face conspicuously blank.

“It’s okay,” Gideon said. He didn’t need Riley to say the words to know how he felt. Rileyshowedhis feelings with every gesture. With the way that he'd looked after Gideon when he’d been sick, with the patience he’d shown Dawson as they navigated this strange relationship. With the way that he always put their comfort above his own. Riley’s love might be quieter than theirs, but it was no less intense. In a lot of ways, hisintensity was so much more than theirs. It was fierce protection that wrapped them in warmth.

Riley nodded stiffly. Gideon leaned over pressed his forehead to Riley’s temple. “Discreet, then,” he said. “We can do that.”

Probably.

Chapter 21

Sadie wasn’t there whenDawson pulled up to the kerb in front of the house they’d rented together for years. He couldn’t decide how he felt about it. He needed to see her,talkto her, so that they could get this all out in the open. Lance the wound so they could heal. He missed his best friend. He also wanted to keep the men he’d fallen in love with. And he didn’t want to have to choose between them.

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