Page 92 of Breathe
Real’s head jerked, and he squinted. What was this about, he wondered.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because none of this shit would’ve happened.”
“What shit, baby?” He cupped the side of Azrael’s neck.
“The delay in…us.” Azrael sat up, the sheet fell to his waist, leaving his chest naked. The younger man was fit and, while not bulky, he had muscle.
“Perhaps. But we’ve learned a lot about each other.” Real brushed a finger over Azrael’s bottom lip.
“I learned that you weren’t cheating on me. Not that we were together, but it still felt awful,” Azrael whispered.
“I’m sorry. That was from my lack of facilitating understanding.” Real’s gut tightened with remorse. “I’m not a big talker, but I promise if you have questions, I will answer them.”
“If I had known you thought I had put you on a pedestal, I would have said something,” Azrael pointed out. “I can’t read your mind.”
Real grimaced, but Azrael was right. There was no possible way for Azrael to know his thoughts and feelings unless he opened his mouth.
“I promise to share more,” he vowed.
It was a bit comical watching Real come to the realization that he needed to build a stronger rapport with him.
After all, Azrael thought, his big, strong warrior was used to being the silent type.
Enough had been said, though, and Azrael let Real off the hook and changed the topic.
“So…HowisPatrick?”
Real had told him about the protection Patrick needed from his abusive ex, and he couldn’t fault the guy for coming to Real. Anyone in their right mind would want a former Navy SEAL protecting them.
“Oh, I assigned one of the Genesis operatives to guard his apartment.”
That’s good,” Azrael said with a cheeky grin. “You know, you’re kind of a hero.”
“Oh no.”
“Yep,” Azrael insisted. “I can call you a hero without hero-worshipping you.”
“True.” Real gave a sheepish grin and chuckled.
Azrael smiled and his eyes filled with laughter.
God, how in the hell did he get so lucky to have Real as his partner in life and on the job?
“Azrael?” Real said huskily.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Azrael had been walking on air from the moment Real had said those three little words.
Of course, he had leaped up and wrapped himself around Real at that moment. It wasn’t until much later that he fell back on the bed, breathing hard, completely sated.
“So…what are we going to do about Titus?” Azrael asked, toying with Real’s fingers.
The morning light continued filtering through the partially closed drapes, the sound of birds in the willow tree outside sang through the air.
