Page 7 of Out of Nowhere

Startled, Dex sat up. “What? What is it?”

“Your foot is fucking freezing!” Seo-jun curled up protectively under the covers.

“Oh. Sorry. I can’t seem to warm up after that cold shower.”

Sitting up, Seo-jun took the extra blanket at the bottom of the bed and doubled it over Dex.

“Thanks,” Dex said, head half-buried beneath it.

“Next time, you can shower first and I’ll get doused with freezing water,” Seo-jun told him.

Seo-jun had slept with members of the team before, the most recent a case two months ago where he and Hawk had to share a bed in a motel room for two weeks. It was always awkward. Seo-jun had been very careful not to let any part of his body stray to the other side of the bed where it might encounter Hawk. When he’d shared a bed with Colt for two nights, he’d awakened to the other man spooning him and had gotten up and moved to the other side of the bed. The following morning, Colt hadn’t even noticed they’d traded places. Seo-jun realized that having Dexnext to him in bed didn’t make him uncomfortable as it did with the others.

As he was drifting into sleep, he thought he heard Dex whisper, “Sleep well, Seo-jun,” before moving slightly closer to his body heat.

Seo-jun didn’t mind that at all.

Chapter Five: Dex

The following morning Dex, Seo-jun, and Brand arrived at Summit bright and early. Well, notbright—the sun was barely peaking above the horizon—but definitely early. Brand’s co-manager, Kaitlyn, was already there, bustling about, opening blinds and cleaning equipment. Dex had met her before, but Brand stopped and introduced her to Seo-jun. She was around forty with shoulder-length blond hair laced with strands of silver that she kept tied up in a ponytail, and a short, sturdy physique. As had been discussed on the way to the gym, Brand told her that Dex had agreed to help out while Brand looked for someone to hire to assist with the influx of new climbers. Kaitlyn had never met Seo-jun, so no explanation was needed there.

As Brand was unlocking his office door, another employee arrived.

“Chet!” Brand called out to the tall redhead who was relocking the front door behind himself.

He jogged over. “Yeah, boss?”

“This is Seo-jun Do, and Dex Price, two new employees. Guys, this is Chet Masters. He works the day shift. Seo-jun, Chet will show you everything you need to know about running the juice bar.”

When Seo-jun and Chet headed that way, Brand turned to Dex. “You can just walk around and help people today. I have some paperwork to get done this morning at my desk. I’ll be out in time for us to close for lunch.”

Brand went inside his office.

Looking around, Dex yawned. The night before, as he’d lain beside a softly snoring Seo-jun, he’d finally given up on sleeping and worked for hours on his laptop to get the file encrypted for Jase. He’d wound up getting fewer than three hours of sleep. Seo-jun, however, had slept like the dead, which explained why he seemed so alert every time Dex passed him at the juice bar, making smoothies like a pro. Dex strolled over to a group of obvious beginners and showed them some tips on bouldering, then demonstrated a moderately difficult boulder route for an intermediate group.

Around noon, Brand came out of his office and made the rounds. At two, the place closed for two hours for lunch. Kaitlyn made the announcement over the loudspeaker, but most of the members were accustomed to the routine and were already heading out the door by that time.

“When we reopen, people will start trickling in after work,” Brand told Dex and Seo-jun as Kaitlyn and Chet began cleaning in preparation to leave, as their shifts were over.

In the employee break room, the three men loaded their plates with the various dishes Brand had ordered from Panda Express.

“Tell us about Matt,” Seo-jun said.

They’d gone through Brand’s ex’s social media pages before they’d started the job. They were full of shirtless selfies, and he hadn’t posted anything at all in the past three weeks or so.

Brand shook his head. “Matt’s a red flag. I know I should have realized it sooner, but he bowled me over with compliments and gifts, like he was utterly smitten with me. I was overwhelmed and even kind of flattered when he got jealous when other guys or even girls—who he knows I’m not attracted to—noticed me. He immediately wanted to date exclusively, and it wasn’t long after that when he convinced me to move in with him. He monopolized my time, and some of my friends noticed it. But I thought it was normal to want to spend all your free time with your boyfriend, you know? I never had one before him. He was seven years older than I was, and I let him run the show. And he loved it.”

“What happened?” Dex asked, more than just curious as Brand’s bodyguard. As someone who had lived his life completely in the closet until recently, he found Brand’s account of his love life eye-opening, even if it was an example of whatnotto do.

“Matt succeeded in almost entirely cutting me off from my family and friends. Suddenly, my life was all about work and him. He wanted to know where I was at all times. Back then, I worked as a mountain climbing guide at Mount Rainier National Park, taking groups for climbs six days a week. Matt suddenly became unhappy with that, saying I worked too much. He didn’t climb, and he didn’t like me spending that much time away from him.”

“How did you two meet?” Seo-jun asked.

“At my cousin’s gym where I went a couple of times a week to do cardio. Matt lifted weights there every day. I started to notice him there every time I went, even when I changed up the times. He told me later he’d been trying to get the nerve up to ask me out, which, now that I know him, I find hard to believe. He’s a very confident person.”

“How did your relationship end?” Dex inquired.

“I literally left in the middle of the night. I packed when Matt wasn’t home and snuck my bags into a utility closet on the same floor as Matt’s apartment. As soon as I was sure he was asleep, I got out of there. I stayed with my uncle, who helped me to move here and start my business. I’m careful not to be on social media or let my face get into the news, but I have a feeling Matt knows where I am.”

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