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by Ella Frank
In the rush to get close to each other again, they hadn’t overly thought this through, and now that they were here with no provisions, as such, Henri couldn’t help but tease his needy cop a little.
“Now whatcha gonna do, officer?”
Bailey’s eyes trailed down over Henri, and then he slicked his tongue over his lips and leaned down to plant a hand on either side of Henri’s head.
As he did, Bailey slid his hips back until their erections were in direct contact. “I’m going to wake up the way I wanted to all along.”
Henri’s hands found his waist then, as he craned his head up and said against Bailey’s lips, “Oh yeah? And how’s that?”
Bailey began to roll his hips, then he reached down, wrapped a palm around the two of them, and whispered, “I’m going to come all over you.”
Henri’s hips bucked up at the bold promise; he loved that Bailey was now comfortable enough to let go, as he began to work their erections like a pro. Then all talking ceased, Bailey’s lips were on Henri’s, and as the two of them consumed one another on the kitchen floor, nothing else existed.
Not time. Not space. Not even who they were. All that mattered in that moment was that they were together. That they were chasing after the same thing and nothing was going to get in their way.
“Henri…” Bailey’s raspy sigh made Henri’s fingers dig harder into Bailey’s ass in an effort to get closer. “God… I… Fuck…”
Bailey nuzzled his face into the crook of Henri’s neck as he continued to move above him, and Henri brought his other hand up to massage the back of Bailey’s head.
With both hands, Henri anchored Bailey to him as though he were afraid he might disappear. His orgasm was right there, and he was hanging on by a thread as Bailey gave them that last hard pull—when suddenly, a loud pounding that wasn’t them intruded on their world.
Like a bucket of ice water had been tossed over the top of them, Bailey tensed over Henri and froze in place. But there was no way Henri was letting the outside world intrude now, not when they were this fucking close. So, he rolled them over and took over Bailey’s stroking, crashing their mouths together in a soul-destroying kiss designed to blow the top of Bailey’s head off—and it worked.
Bailey’s hips punched up, his dick gliding along the slick underside of Henri’s, as he tore his mouth free, bit down into his lip, and craned his head back on the tiles underneath him.
His orgasm slammed into him at the same time Henri’s did, the rush of arousal exploding between the two of them in a hot, sticky burst of cum, and still the pounding on the door continued.
Bailey dug his fingers into Henri’s arms and trembled, as he finally opened his eyes and looked up into Henri’s face. But before either of them could say a word, an all-too-familiar voice shouted through the door, “Bailey! Open this fucking door now! I see your car out here, and I know who you have in there!”
Bailey’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned scarlet, as he brought a finger up to press it to Henri’s lips. “Shit. That’s my brother. Shit. Shit. Shit.”
You could say that again, Henri thought, as he began to move off the sexy man who clearly hadn’t heard—or registered—everything that had just been shouted through the door. Because standing outside, on Bailey’s front stoop, was one of the main reasons this thing between them was about to get all kinds of complicated—Detective Dick.
So, now was probably a good time to mention that they already knew each other…right?
Chapter Two
CONFESSION
Nothing like being blindsided by a dick.
SHIT.
THAT WAS the only word registering in Bailey’s brain as the delicious aftershocks that were still racking his body subsided, and the thumping on his front door increased in volume and pace.
Damn Sean. His timing couldn’t be worse. Well, that wasn’t true—it could’ve been way worse, as in midway through one of the hottest encounters of Bailey’s life instead of at the end. But regardless of the timing, Bailey’s oldest brother was the last person on the planet he wanted to deal with right now, especially when Henri was now backing off him and rising to his feet in all his naked glory—because wow. It was difficult to think when someone as phenomenal as that was now standing above you, covered in the proof of your mutual desire.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Bailey! You better open up this door. Right fucking now!”
Jesus. What the hell was the matter with him? At the persistent knocking, Henri glanced across the kitchen in the direction of the front door, then turned his attention back to Bailey and grimaced.
“Uh, he doesn’t seem to be letting up out there.”
No shit, Bailey thought, as he shoved up to his elbow and looked around the end of the island to reassure himself that Sean hadn’t broken down the damn door.
“I’m kinda hoping he doesn’t have a key?”
When all was clear, Bailey shook his head. “No. I took their keys away when I moved in.” He grinned and added, “Changed the locks too.”
Henri chuckled and held his hand out, and Bailey took it and hauled him to his feet.
“Smart man.”
“Mhmm,” Bailey said. “My brothers have no boundaries. After I moved in, they used to come in and out of here like Mom and Dad still lived here.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Bailey startled at the loud banging, and when his phone started ringing out in the living room, he groaned.
“Oh my God. He is not giving up. I’m sorry. He’s not usually this annoying, or…persistent.”
Then again, this was the first time Sean had really had something to interrupt and annoy Bailey about. It wasn’t like Bailey was in the habit of entertaining men at his house on the regular, so it was hardly Sean’s fault he was currently intruding on a very private wake-up call.
Henri winced and reluctantly let Bailey go as he scooped up his jeans and shirt. “Yeah, about that—I might have some idea what his problem is. Here, why don’t you take these? I’ll grab the towel.”
Bailey frowned and reached for the clothes Henri was holding out to him. “What do you mean you might have an idea?” he said, as he quickly pulled on Henri’s jeans and shirt, and when Henri’s cologne swirled around him, Bailey took a deep inhale and knew he’d forever think of this moment on his kitchen floor whenever he smelled it.
“Uh, well, I wasn’t sure at first, but it turns out…I kind of know your brother.”
Nothing Henri could’ve said then would’ve shocked Bailey more than that. His mouth fell open.
“Wait.” As Bailey’s brain tried to play catch-up, Sean began beating on the door again, and he shook his head. “What do you mean you know my brother?”
Henri tucked the edge of the towel in at his hip, and Bailey thought it a testament to just how thrown for a loop he was that he was busy thinking about Sean, instead of the fact that Henri looked smokin’ hot standing in nothing but a towel.
“I, um, work with him sometimes.”
What in the—
“Bailey! Open this damn door, now!” Sean’s shout and his fist on the door finally snapped Bailey out of his momentary shock as he stared in bewilderment at Henri.
“I, uh…” Bailey rubbed his head and down to the back of his neck. “I need to answer the door.”
“Right, yeah,” Henri said as he stepped aside. “I’m gonna go clean up in the bathroom and let you two, you know, talk.”
Henri took a step away, and as he went to leave, Bailey reached out and took hold of his arm.
Henri stopped, and when he looked back, Bailey said, “Is there anything else I should know about this? About the two of you? He seems pretty fired up.”
A flash of something, Bailey wasn’t sure what, flickered in Henri’s eyes. But then he shook his head. “Nope. Ask him whatever you like. I just wasn’t sure of the connection until now.”
Bailey slowly nodded, still trying to wrap his min
d around what he’d just found out, and then let go of Henri’s arm. “Okay. Leave Sean to me. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.”
“I’ll be here.”
As Henri walked out of the kitchen and down the hall, Bailey watched him go and got stuck on those three words for a second—I’ll be here. They were so simple, so everyday, but coming from a man like Henri, a man who, by his own admission, didn’t stay? They were powerful. And even with Sean banging down the door and throwing a wrench in their afternoon, Henri was still sticking around.
That has to mean something, right?
Trying not to read too much into things, Bailey ground his teeth and marched to the front door, bracing himself for what was apparently going to be a showdown of epic proportions. He had no idea why his brother was so fired up over Henri being there if the two of them worked together, but he planned to find out quick-smart and send Sean on his way.
He was an adult, for God’s sake, and this was fucking embarrassing.
Bailey did a final sweep of the living room, making sure Henri was out of sight, before he pulled the door open. Sean whirled around on the front stoop and took two long strides forward, his finger raised as he said, “All right, where is he?”
Bailey braced a hand on the doorframe, blocking entry to his home, and glared his brother down. “Hello to you too, Sean. What the hell is going on with you? I was trying to sleep.”
The lie was out of his mouth before he even meant to say it. But really, what was he going to say? Thanks for interrupting my midafternoon sex on the kitchen floor? It didn’t matter anyway. Sean wasn’t buying it for a second.
“Bullshit you were sleeping,” Sean said as he tried to look over Bailey’s shoulder, and Bailey shifted so he was blocking his sightline. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
Right now, that would be a yes, but Bailey thought it best not to mention that as he continued his standoff with his pigheaded brother. “I think you’re acting like a lunatic and I have no idea why. Is there a reason you’re banging down my door at two in the afternoon?”
“I just told you the reason—Boudreaux. Now where is he?”
It was interesting that even the biting way Sean said Henri’s name made Bailey’s pulse race, but Bailey decided it best not to focus on that if he wanted to get through this one-on-one with his brother. He was the one at a disadvantage here. He had no idea how Henri and Sean knew each other.
“Boudreaux?” Bailey said, deciding to give Sean an opening to see what he would do with it.
“Yeah, Henri Boudreaux. Tall motherfucker who lives in a leather jacket and has a perpetual smirk on his face. Don’t play with me, Bay. Kieran gets away with it still, but not you. I know that’s his fucking car. I’ve been in it.”
Bailey made a show of looking past Sean to the Aston Martin parked in his driveway, and then brought his eyes back to his brother, whose face was close to the color of a tomato. “Why have you been in it?”
That question seemed to trip Sean up for a second. “What?”
“I asked why you’ve been in Henri’s car.” Bailey crossed his arms over his chest. “But let’s take that back one more step, because I’m still trying to work out how you know who that car belongs to, and what you’re even doing here.”
Sean shoved his suit jacket aside and planted his hands on his hips, the frustration all but pouring off him when it became clear Bailey wasn’t budging. “I was coming over to pick your brain about a case, if you must know. But then I saw—”
“Henri’s car, and lost your mind instead.”
Sean’s teeth clicked together as he took a step forward and lowered his voice. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, Bay, or why Boudreaux’s here.”
“He’s here because I invited him over, unlike you. He’s also here because I went on a date with him yesterday, and I’m a grown adult and have a right to see whoever the hell I want. So if, and when, you decide to knock on the door and act like a human being, I will open it and we can talk. Until then…” Bailey took a step back inside the house and reached for the door, ready to close it in his brother’s face. But Sean gathered his wits about him and reached out to put a palm on the wood.
“Bay, this is—”
“What?” Bailey said, the challenge in his voice and stance one hundred percent obvious and totally unlike him. He was usually the peacekeeper out of the three brothers, the levelheaded one. But something about Sean’s contempt for Henri was rubbing Bailey all kinds of wrong, especially considering the two worked together.
“This is not a good idea. Boudreaux, he’s…”
“He’s what?” Bailey said. “He told me you two work together. Is that true?”
Sean looked off to the left, and Bailey could see him chewing the inside of his cheek.
“Sean?”
Sean’s head gave a clipped nod. “Yeah, it’s true.”
“Then what’s the problem? I don’t see you working with someone you don’t trust.”
“The problem is, Bay, he’s bad news. You know how CIs are. We trust them to an extent, but we work with them because they can get into spots we can’t. They have connections due to their…less-than-upstanding pasts, and Boudreaux? He’s no different. Don’t let his charm and bad-boy side fool you. He’s trouble, even if he is packaged nicely.”
Bailey bristled with indignation on Henri’s behalf and shook his head. He might not know Henri all that well, but he prided himself on being able to read a person. His father had always taught him to trust his gut, and one thing he felt all the way to his core was that Henri was a good man. “I think you should leave.”
Sean blinked, the shock on his face evident. Bailey had never shut the door on any of them, had never felt the need to in the past and really never thought he should, since this was where they’d all grown up. But right now he wanted some space, wanted to talk to Henri, and he wanted to do it without his brother breathing down his neck.
“I can meet you tomorrow about the case, if that works? But right now, I need you to leave.”
“Bailey—”
“Sean,” Bailey said in a tone he himself didn’t even recognize, and Sean’s eyebrows slashed down in a V. Then, seeming to realize he had pushed hard enough, Sean muttered something and turned to head off toward his car.
Bailey watched as Sean climbed inside and started up the engine. As his brother pulled away from the curb and punched his foot to the gas, Bailey slowly shut the door and let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
As he shut his eyes, Bailey’s mind reeled at everything he’d just learned even as it tried to piece together all that he was still missing. As he did, the intoxicating scent of Henri’s arousal and cologne swirled around him, reminding Bailey that the man who held the answers to all of his questions was still inside his house. And the only way he was going to make any sense of what the hell had just happened in the last ten minutes would be to go in and start asking questions.
It was time for him and Henri to start talking. It was time to see if Henri had meant what he said, and whether he would want to stay by the end of it.
AFTER QUICKLY WASHING up, Henri snagged a fresh towel from the rack and wrapped it around his hips before exiting Bailey’s en suite and re-entering the bedroom.
With the curtains still drawn and only the bedside lamp flicked on, the rumpled king-sized bed was the main focus of the room and a stark reminder of how he’d spent the last five hours or so, wrapped around a man he was having trouble keeping at arm’s length.
Henri had known all along that getting involved with Bailey was going to be…problematic, when he’d come to the conclusion last night that both the cops in his life were related. But he’d figured he’d have a little more time to work out how exactly to handle that situation before it came banging down Bailey’s front door.
Henri was just plain old out of luck, though, and as he walked over to the bed to take a seat and wait, he spotted his cell phone on the floor where it must
’ve fallen out of his jeans that morning. Grabbing it up, Henri spotted two missed calls, both from Detective Dick. Yeah, okay, that would’ve been helpful, oh, an hour or so ago.
Tossing the phone on the bed, Henri looked to the shut door and wondered how the conversation on the other side of it was going. Bailey had looked caught somewhere between confused and shocked at what had just been revealed to him. But there’d been no anger, no annoyance—he’d just looked completely blindsided, which was exactly how Henri felt when he finally came to the conclusion that the dick and his hot cop were brothers.
Henri could only imagine how thrilled the detective had been to turn up at his childhood home today to find his CI was there. But at the same time, Bailey was an adult, and it was really none of Dick’s business who his brother was or wasn’t dating, was it?
Hold up, Henri thought. Dating…? Shit. Since when had he thought in those kind of terms? How about never. But as he continued to stare at the door, he realized that was exactly what he’d been doing with Bailey—dating him.
In all fairness, they’d only really made it through one of those dates in full. But the fact he had preplanned, decided on a time, and actually shown up and never left told Henri that he was most definitely doing more here than just putting in the time for a one- or two-night stand.
Henri was getting in deeper with every minute, every hour he spent around Bailey, and the side of him he’d thought was forever lost to opening up to another was starting to reemerge. His heart was opening to possibilities that were both thrilling and utterly paralyzing, because him and a cop? Well, he just wasn’t sure how that was gonna work in the long run.
Henri got to his feet and began to pace. There was still no sound beyond the door that he could hear, and while he wanted to give Bailey his privacy to ask Dick the questions he might not feel comfortable asking if Henri was standing there, waiting was getting more difficult with every passing second.