Page 64 of More than Need

Dawson swayed when Riley lifted his head, chasing those lips, forgetting completely where they were.

Riley’s mouth tipped up, not quite a smile, but not quitenotone. He rubbed his thumb over Dawson’s bottom lip.

“I’m sorry about Hudson,” Gideon said quietly. “Lucia had a last-minute big meeting she had to go to, and I didn’t want to say no when she asked. I forgot you were coming over. I’m sorry, you don’t have to stay or—”

“Do you want us to go?” Riley asked.

“Do younotwant to?” Gideon said, looking surprised.

Dawson glanced over the milkshake drippings, to the kid humming to himself, and considered the warmth he felt in his bones from being there. “Is there a reason we shouldn’t?” Did he think they would just duck and run because he had his kid here? They both knew that Gideon had a son. “We’re dating, aren’t we?” Had he been the only one thinking that? Hadn’t they already said it was more than sex?

Gideon faltered. He looked to Riley.

“Why are you asking me? I’ve made it perfectly clear where I stand, and I’ve known your son almost his entire life. If you’re having second thoughts, you can just say that.”

“I’m not.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“This feels like a deliberate step,” Gideon said. “You aren’t meeting Hudson as my boss. And Dawson isn’t just my friend.”

Considering that Gideon hadn’t dated since Lucia, his apprehension made sense. Including his kid put a more solid label on their relationship. It should have made Dawson panic. He didn’t meet anyone’s kid. And he certainly shouldn’t be falling for Sadie’sbrother.

He wanted to be here, and slowly but surely, he continued to rack up negative best-friend points, with no way of knowing how he’d get out of the hole he was digging deeper.

“We can leave if that’s not what you want,” Dawson said. He wouldn’t blame Gideon for not wanting to take the step yet. Ithadn’t even been a month since they’d started this. And slowing down didn’t mean stopping.

“I don’t want you to.”

“Daaaaaaad, I’m hungry.”

“Food’s coming,” Gideon told him. He pulled Dawson closer, leaning their foreheads together. “If you’re sure you want to stay, there’s plenty of stir-fry to go around.”

“Where’s your safe?” Riley asked.

Before Dawson could ask why, Gideon pointed to one he hadn’t noticed, under a narrow table near the wall. Riley unclipped his holster and unlocked the safe, stashing it inside before closing it.

“How’d you know the combination?” Dawson asked curiously. He hadn’t even known where it’d been located.

“All my detectives have the same one. For safety reasons.”

Dawson had no idea how that made sense, but he chose to believe him. Riley would know better how to coordinate his men than Dawson.

“What flavour milkshake do you want?” Gideon asked.

Riley surveyed the array of items over the bench with a critical eye. “Vanilla.”

“Colour me shocked,” Dawson said, tugging on one of Riley’s buttons. “Not even mint vanilla.”

“Mintvanilla?”

“The two flavours go well together. Too much for your palette?”

Riley considered the words, and Dawson could practically see the cogs moving in his brain. His emotions were a fascinating juxtaposition. Cold and yet so unbelievably warm at the same time. Nothing like Dawson had originally thought, and he still hadn’t discovered all the layers to him.

The fact that hewantedto was a problem all on its own. The fact that he didn’t dispute that they were more than sex, that they were…something, was a whole other problem.

“What are you having?” Riley asked eventually.

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