Page 60 of Breathe
If the situation hadn’t been so tragic, it might have been funny.
But Azrael wasn’t laughing.
“Why do you think I slept with you?”
A muscle twitched in the man’s jaw, and Real glanced away from him and stood up from the bed. Real walked over to yank on the clothes that were lying discarded on the floor.
Was Real going to run out of here before taking a shower and dressing in clean clothes?
But then again, Real could take refuge in the other hotel with Crow and Rebel.
Whatever.
Azrael would get this conversation over with because he had other shit that needed taken care of.
But this right here needed to be addressed, and then he could concentrate on killing Micky.
As far as he knew, Genesis and Erebus were tracking the guy.
And it wouldn’t take him long to get the information on Micky’s next location. He was a master at that.
Real stayed quiet and continued pulling on his clothes, and sat in a chair to pull on his socks and boots.
“Answer me,” Azrael snapped, running out of patience. “Why do you think I slept with you twice?”
Real finished tying his boots and then stood up. The warrior moved a few steps away, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck as if unsure of how to answer.
It was enduring and irritating at the same time.
“Because I saved you.”
The blunt words created a lump in Azrael’s throat, and he swallowed hard.
Realhadsaved him, but that wasn’t the reason he liked him, nor the reason he’d slept with him.
“If you think it’s hero worship, then you need to get your head checked.”
“You can’t say that it’s not,” Real rasped, glaring at him.
“You think the reason I want to go out with you or the fact that I slept with you is because of fucking gratitude?” Azrael scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“What?” Real looked confused, and yes, finally, a bit hurt.
It was nice to see something other than the cold, steely resolve that was normal in the man’s cool gray eyes. Or at the moment, the color was a mixture…like blue gray.
Azrael was honestly incredulous, and he knew that came out in his voice when he next spoke.
“I’m grateful to Dave. I’m also grateful to Crow and Fisher, Justice, Ice, and Echo. But do you seriously think I want to fuck them?”
Real jerked back as if he’d been slapped.
“I…” the man mumbled, taking several steps away from him.
Good!
Real should step back because he was about ready to clock the guy. Real seriously needed his brain checked.
“I’mgratefulto Dave, but I wouldn’t crawl into hisdamnedbed!” Azrael was pissed and it came out in the snappish way he spat the words.
