Page 22 of Rising Storm

Shit.

He slowly sat up and cradled his head in his hands. That’s when he noticed the cup of water on his nightstand. Thinking of that big man caring for him made his stomach flip. He stared at it. Such a small thing to do that meant so much. Helix hadn’t had anyone care for him since his parents had been killed. Funny what a small gesture could mean.

He drank the water, then walked slowly into the bathroom. Staring into the mirror, he took in the dark circles under his eyes and his pinched lips. He certainly looked like he’d tied one on. After using the toilet, he washed his hands and brushed his teeth before staggering back to the room. He didn’t have anything planned for the day, so he could lie there and think about how he’d stuck his foot in his mouth with Gareth. He threw on a pair of sweats and crawled onto the bed.

A knock on his door changed that plan. He slowly got up and answered the door to find Gareth there with two cups of coffee and a bag that smelled of pastries. His stomach lurched, but he stepped aside to let him in. Gareth was in his usual sweats and a white T-shirt and he’d obviously just showered because his hair was wet.

“Barely among the living, I see.” Gareth chuckled as he walked into the room. “It’s nearly noon, so I waited to bring you coffee and a Danish.”

“Doubt I can choke down any food, but thanks.” Helix stood, feeling awkward as he remembered the things he’d said the night before. He knew better than to drink—he always lost all filters when he did. Which was why he didn’t do it often.

Gareth set the sack down and handed Helix one of the coffees. “Head hurting?”

“Yeah. About what I said last night…”

“Don’t worry about it. We all say things when we drink.”

They stared at each other. Gareth looked damn good this morning, a lot more fresh than he did. He looked away, but his gaze snapped right back when Gareth came toward him.

“I didn’t sleep much. Kept thinking about what you said.” Gareth stopped about a foot from him.

“Which part?” Because he’d said a lot he wished he could take back.

“About wanting me to slide inside your body.”

Heat crept up Helix’s neck, but he said nothing. What could he say? He’d made a complete fool of himself last night.

“I want that, too,” Gareth said, voice low and so deep, it sent shivers down Helix’s spine. “I kept thinking about it last night. Had to jerk off in the shower and then again in my bed because it was all I could think about.”

Again, Helix was speechless. But he glanced away from the heat in Gareth’s brown eyes, suddenly uncomfortably aware that he looked like death warmed over.

“I want more than that, though.” Gareth’s voice had deepened.

Startled, he looked back at Gareth to find those eyes still locked on his face. “What do you mean more?”

“I’ve never been one for casual sex and we have something pretty explosive between us. I’d like to get to know you outside of bed, too.”

“Not much to know. I’ve told you everything about me.”

“Oh, I know there’s more to you than what you’ve shared. I didn’t expect to find something like this with you and last night showed me there’s a lot more to you than you let on.” Gareth reached out and ran his thumb over Helix’s jaw. His hand was warm, the movement soft.

“You can’t believe everything I said last night. I was plastered. Didn’t eat before I hit that Jack. I was an idiot.”

Gareth stroked his thumb over Helix’s bottom lip. “Idiot or not, you showed me a side of you I doubt you let others see.”

Helix sighed and narrowed his eyes. “You certainly like to have uncomfortable conversations, don’t you?”

“I don’t like to shy away from the truth. And your truth is a rough past—rougher than most.”

Groaning, Helix pulled away from Gareth and dropped down on the comforter. He buried his pounding head in his hands. “Is there any way to get you to forget about what I said?”

“No. I joined Quincy because I wanted to help the people Letsen hurt.”

“Well, you can’t help me. And I’m just interested in sex.”

“Like I said, I want more than that.”

“What, you want to start dating?” He scoffed. “I’m so not the dating kind.” He stood and had to grab his loose sweats before they slid off his hips. “Gareth, I’m not interested in dating you or anyone else. I just want to get the items back to their original owners. I don’t even plan to stay at that house in Maine much past that. I’m finally free of Hayrick Letsen and I can go out and find a life for myself—one of my choosing. Preferably with my brother. But while we’re here, yeah, I’d like to have sex. That’s it.”

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