Page 88 of Walking Wounded

“What’s so exciting about it? It’s a pain in the ass job.”

“Yes, well.” She sighs. “Eat your breakfast please.”

Luke glances down at his own plate, spears a hunk of grapefruit with his fork. It glistens, a perfect deep pink, dusted with sugar granules. But he winces as he puts it in his mouth, feels his stomach grab. He’s nervous, he realizes. He’sverynervous.

“You okay, sweetie?” Sandy asks, because she can tell, of course she can.

He sets his fork down, chews slowly and carefully so he doesn’t have to spit the grapefruit into his napkin. “Apparently, I’m freaking out a little.”

She smiles. “Understandable. But just remember: you could introduce yourself as Prince William and still be the most honest person there.”

It doesn’t help with the stomach ache, but it makes him smile.

~*~

Hal and Matt return to the house in their usual sweaty disarray, chugging Gatorade and mopping damp foreheads with towels. But this time, Luke catches himself as he starts to avert his eyes. He doesn’t have to look away, duck his head, pretend he isn’t ogling.

He looks his fill, eyes tracking from the damp hair at Hal’s temples, to the strong, elegant line of his throat, to the thick pads of his pecs, shirt clinging to his sweaty chest. He’s beautiful, Greek god gorgeous, and he loves Luke, and Luke can’t believe this is actually happening. He pinches his own thigh under the table, just to be sure.

Hal catches him looking, and his returning smile flashes warm, and a little shy.

Sandy says, without looking up from her plate, “So you two finally got things sorted.”

“Honey,” Matt says, smile threatening. “Don’t bother them.”

“I’m not.” She shoots Luke the kind of smile that makes him want to slither under the table and die of his own bashfulness.

“Oh, these two?” Will asks, grunting as he twists to look at first Hal, and then Luke. Hal’s cheeks pink up the color of the grapefruit on their plates, and Luke feels his own face doing something similar. “Good. ‘Bout damn time.” Will nods as if to saywell now that’s taken care of.

“This whole thing was just some sort of elaborate matchmakings scheme, wasn’t it?” Luke says.

Sandy gives him an innocent look. “Of course not, sweetie.”

Heaven help the senate if Matt Maddox’s wife were the one holding office.

~*~

When they were seventeen, Hal worked at Blockbuster – back in the days of video rental. He had to wear a blue store polo and khakis, and he only complained a little about nobody ever rewinding the tapes. Luke would stop by on his way home from class, hands smudged with ink, glasses sliding down his nose; buy a box of Sno-Caps and lean against the register, making fun of customers in whispers while Hal tried not to laugh and told him to shut up with a smile on his face.

That was the last time Luke actually saw Hal in action at work, considering he hadn’t followed his best friend into the deserts of Afghanistan. So he has no reference for Adult Hal the Security Specialist. But he realizes, the moment Hal reappears in the Maddox kitchen in his suit and sunglasses, that his friend doesn’t take his job lightly. This is a US Senator with political enemies, and Hal looks ready to tackle anyone who so much as breathes too loudly in Matt’s direction.

“Ready?” he asks Luke, still with a smile, still close and warm and in love with him, but now one-hundred percent focused and lethal.

It’s intense.

It’s also hot as hell.

“Yeah.” Luke ducks into the strap of his messenger bag. “I’m ready.”

The three of them troop down the steps to the finished basement and underground garage that opens out onto the street in front of the house. Luke is surprised to find evidence of a workshop: wooden tables, tool chests, hand saws and hammers hung up on pegboard. A small stack of fresh lumber rests against the wall. There’s also a Mercedes E350 and a Tahoe.

Matt walks to the rear door of the Tahoe and Hal makes a move for the driver’s side.

“Dude.” Luke leans into Hal’s side and stage whispers, “You didn’t tell me you were just a chauffeur.”

Hal rolls his eyes.

Matt laughs and says, “Believe me, it took some getting used to. I’ve driven an old truck my whole life, and suddenly I’ve got this” – he gestures to the SUV – “and Hal taking me back and forth.” His voice gets soft. “I know it makes Sandy feel better, though.”

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