Chapter 11 #2
Sami explored him in turn. His thumb followed Baz’s cheekbone, his jaw.
A simple touch like that had no business making his chest flutter.
None of this did. Baz shouldn’t even know what it felt like to be touched by Sami.
And yet, they had ended up here once more.
Would again. Baz was a realist—Sami had never asked for permission, and he didn’t trust himself to slam the door into Sami’s face the next time any more than he did today.
No, abstinence wasn’t an option, not with someone this intoxicating. The second-best thing he could do was establish ground rules.
“You’re not gonna tell Ian.”
“Oh, no?”
“No. I don’t think you like him.”
Sami’s huff had his beautiful curls trembling. “Well done. Don’t listen to what the others say. You, Baz, are not stupid.”
Nice try. That tease would have worked if there was a chance anyone questioned his intelligence, but there wasn’t.
“No one calls me stupid.”
“Not to your face. But the things I’ve said to your back… and about it.”
“Oh, shut up.” Baz chuckled. He couldn’t remember the last time he had done that this often. Couldn’t remember much of anything with Sami smiling at him this softly.
“Don’t worry. This is our secret.”
Good. Baz pushed aside the calculations of what the odds were that Sami was lying.
Math had never been his strong point, anyway.
Dodgy past aside, as far as Baz knew, Sami had indeed not lied to him yet.
More importantly, he’d had weeks to out them, and he hadn’t.
If this were a trap, what was he waiting for?
“Honestly, I don’t think Ian even knows you’re gay. He didn’t clock me for weeks, and I’m not hiding it.”
The implication that Baz was hiding echoed in the words, which was absurd, except it was also true.
He didn’t want people to know. He didn’t want anyone to assume he was straight either, he just didn’t want his sex life to be a point of discussion, period.
A reasonable request, in his book. Which begged the question:
“How did you know I’m gay?”
“You mean, other than you lusting over me the second I stepped into your office?”
“I wasn’t lusting.” He hadn’t been that undignified. Sami’s attractiveness had caught him off guard, that was all.
“Your eyes were practically heart-shaped.”
“I was tired! I pulled an all-nighter before you barged in, not that you would know what that feels like.”
A cheeky glint lit up the stars in Sami’s eyes. His naked leg wrapped around Baz’s knee. “Hmm. Does that mean if I keep you up all night, you’re gonna look at me like that again?”
Baz couldn’t resist grabbing the back of his thigh. “No. Because now I know who you are.”
“The best lover you’ve ever had?”
Baz wished he could confidently deny that, but intertwined like this, he didn’t dare to attempt it. Last thing Sami needed was an ego boost if he suspected Baz’s dishonesty.
“The most obvious one, that’s for sure. If we’re gonna do this, you gotta be more careful in the office. Aya was not amused to see us joking with each other.”
She’d lose her mind if she saw them together now. She’d be right too. The rational part of Baz’s brain knew this was a terrible idea. So why couldn’t he stay away?
“I gotta be more careful? You’re the one drooling every time you see me.”
“Excuse me? I nearly slipped on the puddle of drool you left in the courthouse’s bathroom.”
“I’m not ashamed of that,” Sami grinned. He sure didn’t look it either. He seemed proud more than anything, loud and unapologetic about wanting Baz. Baz had had his fair share of casual lovers in the past, but no one had ever pursued him like this.
“So? Can you keep this lowkey?” Baz whispered.
Sami grumbled something that sounded vaguely like a sass-mouthed agreement. Good enough.
His gaze wandered to Sami’s kiss-bitten lips, close enough that it would only take a jut of his chin to taste them again…
Sami thankfully, regrettably, detangled their bodies. The cool air hit Baz’s overheating chest.
Sami pulled one leg against his chest, hugged it with both arms, and rested his chin on his knee. Only then did it occur to Baz that they were hanging out butt-naked on his bed. It should have been weird. Why wasn’t it weird?
“Can I ask you something?” Sami’s voice was quiet.
“Can I stop you?”
“Why is this case so important to you?”
“Why do I care about people with cancer?” The answer to that was obvious, wasn’t it?
“Why do you care so much about winning?”
Same thing. Mostly. Except not at all. How had Sami figured out the difference?
“Is it so hard to believe I am just a good, altruistic guy?”
“Yes.” It came out so fast, so assured, it robbed Baz of every argument he had in favor of that theory. He twirled his wrists, traced the top of his nails with his thumb.
“I also don’t like Ian. He can go to hell.”
“Agreed, but this is deeper than that, isn’t it? You just said you worked an all-nighter before you even knew he was on the case.”
Baz sandwiched his lips between his teeth. This strayed dangerously close to work talk, a line he could not cross with Sami. But Sami must have figured out by himself that this case had potential to be a career-maker.
“If I win, it’ll be huge. And…”
“And?”
“A promotion to partner has been put on the horizon,” Baz said before he could rein in his stupid mouth.
“Damn.” Sami’s knee crashed onto his thigh. “That would be bigger than huge, that’s basically unprecedented for someone your age.”
Baz watched his hand wander over Sami’s calf. Several blue and yellow bruises were scattered along his leg, some as small as his thumb, some big as his palm. He couldn’t help but wonder where they came from. Maybe he’d be privileged to find out, someday.
“Go ahead, call me selfish again.”
“Eh.” Sami shrugged like he was bored of the idea. “Two things can be true at once. I don’t blame you for having ambitions. If you were more open about them and didn’t act all high and mighty, it would make you seem less like a stuck-up prick.”
Real nice. Baz was eighty percent sure there was a compliment in there, so… “Thanks?”
“You’re welcome.” Sami grinned, leaning in. Baz could taste the oakmoss of his cologne.
“If I’m such a prick, why are you here?”
“I’ve always been a masochist when it comes to men.”
Their foreheads touched. His breath caressed Baz’s lips, hot and so damn sweet. Baz closed his eyes, waited for Sami’s lips, his hands, anything to initiate a round two.
“I should go,” Sami muttered instead. Oh.
“What about your promise to keep me up all night?”
“And be blamed for you missing your beauty sleep? By the look of those bags under your eyes, you need it.”
What the—hey! Just like that, he was back to being a dick?
“All right. Get the fuck out of my bed, now.”
“Ooh, did I hit a nerve?” Sami shifted to his hands and knees, crawled closer. Baz’s head hit the headboard. “Maybe I should stay. Use this anger productively.”
“Too late.” Baz didn’t mean it. If Sami wanted to stay, he would take pleasure in making him pay for that remark.
“Oh, yeah?” Sami grabbed his chin. Baz opened his mouth the moment Sami kissed him. He licked over Sami’s lips, waited for his move underneath the metaphorical belt—but Sami pulled back with a pleased smirk. The mattress dipped as he swung himself off the bed. That was just rude.
Sami put on his boxers, blue with cartoon pizza slices with faces plastered all over them. Ridiculous.
“Don’t look so disappointed. Have you never heard of leaving them wanting more?”
“I’m more of a ‘why waste an opportunity when it’s already there’ kind of guy.”
Sami pulled his crinkled dress shirt over his shoulders. “Because, Baz, I got a feeling that if you pull a hip or throw out your back or something, your boss might kill me, and I’d rather not deal with that right now.”
“Throw out my back? I’m twenty-nine!” Baz put his robe on; he would not sit around naked while Sami insulted him.
“You spend all day sitting in an office. That ages you.”
“Fuck you, I’m young.”
“Next time.” Sami grinned. “But nice to know you have insecurities like the rest of us. Makes you seem more human.”
As opposed to what, a robot? That didn’t even make sense.
“And what’s your insecurity? Not having an answer to something for once?”
“I think we’re still talking about you. I love learning new things.”
Sami shoved his tie into his pants pocket as he sauntered out of the bedroom. Such a disgrace to fine tailoring everywhere. Though calling that suit fine—or tailored—would be an overstatement. How did Ian let him get away with that?
“Explains why you’re obsessed with me. Hope you’re paying attention,” Baz said.
Sami laughed, again. Baz tried not to preen. Most people didn’t realize how funny he was.
“Yeah, it’s been super educational. What, with your nurturing personality and all.” Sami’s hand hugged the door handle. “Before you ask, no, I don’t need a cab.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.”
“In which case, how rude of you to not care how I get home. Do you treat all your guests this way?”
If it were up to Baz, Sami could stay—no. No, that would only blur the lines. This was nothing but a casual, rage-fueled arrangement between two people who used each other’s bodies for stress relief. Yeah.
“Just the annoying ones,” Baz said.
Sami’s smile widened. Something was seriously wrong with him to enjoy being insulted.
His lower lip slid behind his teeth, got stuck there.
He looked like he was waiting for something.
What, a handshake? A good night kiss? Did he expect Baz to get down on his knees and give him an impromptu blow job?
Whatever it was, he wasn’t sure if Sami had found it when he pressed the handle down. “Good night, Baz.”
“Night, Sami.”
Baz leaned against the doorframe, watching Sami’s hips swing as he strutted down the hall. Such an impeccable ass…
Sami glanced over his shoulder.
Baz slammed the door shut.