Page 40 of Last Resort

“Too much strange stuff is going on,” Erik said. “Indulge my protective streak.”

“Go have dinner with your boy,” she told him as she opened the door. “And don’t talk shop all night!”

Erik checked the lock and the security system on Trinkets as he walked past, then headed up the steps. Shorter off-season hours now meant that he left and got home from work earlier than Ben, which gave him some extra time for research or to cook dinner.

Tonight, the aroma of braised beef short ribs in red wine rose from the slow cooker. Erik’s stomach rumbled. He put the mashed potatoes he had made the night before in the microwave to heat. A bagged salad with shaved cheese and crunchies would make a good side, and he pulled items from the fridge as well as a take-and-bake baguette for crunchy bread. He had already set out one of their favorite cabernet sauvignons before work so he didn’t forget.

Needing a break from the day, Erik turned on music, loud enough to keep his thoughts from going over the case. Before he knew it, Ben’s key jingled in the lock.

“That smells amazing.” Ben took in a deep breath and released it with a pornographic moan.

“Keep that up and we’ll be eating dinner cold,” Erik joked.

Ben came up behind him at the counter and wrapped his arms around Erik’s waist, pressing a kiss to his neck. “Hmm. You smell great too. I think I’ll have you for dessert.”

“With a cherry on top?”

“I think we both lost our cherries a long time ago.”

“Each time we do something new it counts as a whole new cherry.” Erik turned to take Ben in his arms and kiss him properly. He felt them both chub.

“That so?”

“I was thinking we could take a bath tonight after dinner, like in that video we watched.” Erik kissed him again lightly before turning back to finish the salad.

“The one in New Orleans?”

“Uh-huh.”

“That was really hot—but I think their tub was bigger.”

“Ours is big enough.”

“Any chance of having dessert first?”

Erik shot him a lascivious grin. “Not when the short ribs are done. Go wash up while I get dinner on the table.”

Ben gave him a swat on the ass in passing, but went to change out of his work clothes as Erik put salad and dressing at their places, took the bread out of the oven and sliced it, poured water and wine, and then plated the beef and potatoes. On a whim, he used fancier plates than usual, a matched Noritake set he had kept from an auction because he thought they were pretty.

“Is it date night? What’s the occasion?” Ben came into the room wearing a T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants that made no secret of his arousal.

“Just felt like it,” Erik said. “Sit. Eat. Then we can get to dessert.”

“A few updates, and then no more business talk,” Ben said as he poured dressing on his salad. “I told Cole about the car break-in, and he said he’s still waiting on the official autopsy and doing a records search. I guess Raines did a good job of scrubbing his footprints when he went dark.”

Erik filled him in on Carr’s visit, Jaxon’s warning, and Susan’s reaction.

“Yeah, you saw that he came to see me, sniffing around,” Ben replied. He filled Erik in on everything else he had learned while they were apart. “I agree that there’s something about Carr that doesn’t sit right. Tomorrow, I’m going to see what my PI resources can pull up and maybe get Teag and Vic involved.”

Teag Logan was an expert hacker, while Vic D’Amato was a Myrtle Beach police detective and had access to law enforcement databases that Ben couldn’t access legally.

“Susan suggested having Monty take a look at the poker chips,” Erik said after a few sips of wine. “Not dissing your ability, but?—”

“But you’re right. I might see a ghost, if there is one, but if the spirit isn’t strong enough to communicate, I don’t have the power to help them show themselves. I can call Monty tomorrow and set something up.”

Erik nodded. “The sooner the better. I think everything’s connected, but we’re missing some pieces, and I’m afraid that’s going to come back to haunt us.”

“I see what you did there.” Ben grinned.

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