Chapter 11 #2
They were close enough on the sofa that Ford barely had to lean to nudge him. “I’ll tell you a secret, Andrew. You were right about all of them.”
Andrew laughed again. If only he’d gotten that confession two years ago. But then, he was glad he hadn’t. Ford would still be in jail if he’d gone away for more counts of burglary. He wouldn’t know about Dalton, and they wouldn’t be here.
“When do you think we can expect this classifieds ad?” Andrew asked.
“Too short a turnaround for tomorrow, but definitely the day after. Jericho’s probably getting restless. I should have sent someone with Dalton.” He sat up quickly. “Jericho might make a move—”
“I already did,” Andrew assured him. “When I told Steve about the break-in, I asked him to send a uniform to watch Dalton’s apartment. He didn’t even ask for details, but I’ll explain the rest to him after I leave here.”
“Thank you.” Ford leaned back, and they sat quietly for a while, each of them in their own heads.
Being like that, on Ford’s sofa, alone, felt strangely intimate with the adrenaline fading. Andrew wasn’t quite sure what to do with his hands. Usually, they’d be pawing at Ford’s clothes, but that didn’t seem right tonight.
When Ford turned his head, and their eyes locked, Andrew wanted to say… something, but he had no idea what. Comfort. Encouragement. A request for permission to breach the scant inches between their hands and lace their fingers together…
But that would be intimate too. He wanted intimate, but he wasn’t sure Ford agreed.
“Something else, Andrew?” Ford asked, their gazes drifting between each other’s eyes and their lips.
“No. Just stay safe.” He hefted onto his feet before he kissed Ford and asked to stay. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Andrew met up with Steven back at the scene of the crime and explained everything they’d discovered—about Jericho, the classifieds, and their suspicions about the identity of the thief.
Steven only asked once, “Are you sure Ford himself isn’t involved?”
“I’m sure. But his people might be. We just need your help, and we can finally end this.”
Maybe it was because of family dinner, or just that the plan was the best one they had, but Steven agreed, and Andrew went home to get some rest.
Not one foot into the lobby of his offices the next morning, Kevin asked him, “So, when did you and Ford start sucking each other’s dicks?”
Andrew blanched, looking around frantically for Candace.
“She’s not in yet.”
Thank God.
“But what the hell, man?” Kevin pushed forward to crowd him. “How long has this been going on? And who all knows? And why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s just sex! Just really… awesome sex.”
“Dude.”
“And not many know, okay? Just Luke and Kathleen. And Riley.”
“Ford’s whole team?!”
“They all found out! It hasn’t been going on that long. Only since this case. Technically.”
“Technically?”
Andrew was really putting his foot in it this morning. “The first time may have been Christmas.”
“Christmas?!” Kevin leaned back to keep from mauling Andrew like he seemed to want. “Okay, even if you claim temporary insanity, why is it still going on now?”
Honestly, Andrew hadn’t been able to say the answer out loud yet, but Kevin sighed dramatically and said the answer for him.
“Because it’s not just sex.”
“It’s not just sex. But it’s not not just sex? It’s complicated. I mean, it's Ford, he doesn’t… he’s really… We haven’t talked about this pretty much at all. He wouldn’t be interested in more.”
“But you like him. And not only because of… awesome sex.”
“Really awesome sex.”
Kevin choked.
“I do like him. I’ve always liked him. But I don’t know if that’s going to matter after we catch the thief, or if it’ll just be Olivia all over again.”
That sobered Kevin and made the anxiety in Andrew’s gut tighten into a bow. “Is that what you think?”
“I don’t… want to think that.”
“Harder question. Do you trust Ford?”
Andrew reminded himself that right now he couldn’t be 100% certain that he trusted Kevin, which was an awful thing to think of his friend who was being so understanding right now, but there were too many unknowns. What he was certain about—somehow, amazingly—was that he did trust Ford.
“Thanks, Kev.” Andrew pivoted on the spot.
“Thanks? You didn’t answer me!”
“When this is over, I will.”
With no outstanding client work to attend to and not much else to do until they found their lead, Andrew stopped home before heading to his final destination, swift but careful as he melted chocolate with 2% milk, cinnamon, and some Jameson thrown in for good measure.
This was much better than buying Ford coffee.
Andrew knew Ford’s offices well by now, even the living quarters, including that the alley where they’d had one of the hottest encounters of Andrew’s life had a back door.
He might be a pillar of law and order most days, but he knew how to pick a lock, and there was something endlessly amusing about picking Ford’s.
Once inside, making sure there was no one immediately visible, Andrew headed for Ford’s office, only to pass a conference room where he saw Ford pouring over schematics. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ford called out first.
“You tripped an alarm that sent camera footage to my phone. I’m still debating clicking the ‘unauthorized entry’ button to alert the police.” He flicked his eyes up with a grin.
“I didn’t actually think I wouldn’t get caught.”
“Or you just don’t want to admit that I’m better than you.” Ford reclined in his chair at the head of a long conference table as Andrew came in with a thermos and his Santa mug. “What’s the occasion?”
“It’s chilly out.” Andrew shrugged, setting the mug down at the edge of the table, away from the spread-out blueprints.
“And I hate having to sit on my laurels. This is what’s supposed to go in this mug, by the way, though I did add a little booze to it.
” He hopped up next to the mug and poured out some of the steaming cocoa from the thermos.
“Everything is squared with Steve, and I talked to Kevin.”
“About what he saw?”
“He won’t tell anyone. He thinks I’m crazy, but…”
“Are you?” Ford pressed when Andrew trailed off.
“Hm, I might need some reminders for why crazy isn’t all bad.” Looking right at Ford, he ran his tongue over his teeth. “Thought about sucking your cock after taking a drink of the cocoa to warm my mouth, see how much it can make you squirm.”
“Never tried that before,” Ford said, eyeing the cocoa and then Andrew’s lips.
Andrew reached for the blueprints, but Ford slammed his hand down on top of them. “Just moving them aside so we don’t make a mess.” Andrew made a point of looking away as he reached for them again. “I don’t need to peek at what you’re working on for another job.”
Ford hesitated, but eventually pulled back, watching Andrew push everything into the center of the table.
Andrew handed him the mug and took the thermos for himself, shifting until he sat centered, facing Ford’s chair.
He spread his legs, coaxing Ford to stand, and pulled him in close between them.
They shared their first drink of the hot, creamy beverage.
“Now this is cocoa.” Ford hummed approval. “You spoil me.”
“And you owe me. I expect to discover all the other baked goods you can make as delicious as those brownies.”
Ford chuckled. “Who’s swindling who here?”
“The way I remember it, depends on our mood.” Andrew took another slow sip without breaking eye contact.
“So…” Ford made a point of squaring his stance to spread his legs too. He held the mug in one hand and ran the other up Andrew’s thigh. “About that trick you mentioned?”
“Do I need to warm you up first?”
“I think I’m warmed. See for yourself.”
Andrew pulsed hot from the cocoa and Ford’s confidence and reached forward to find him hard in his dress pants. He squeezed, watching a twitch in Ford’s jaw. “I might need more evidence than this. You sure you’re warmed enough to get as hot as I’m planning?”
Setting the thermos aside, Andrew then took the mug from Ford too and knocked him back into his chair, climbing into his lap and straddling him. He rocked his hips forward until he felt Ford’s hardness brush against his.
Hands warm from holding the cocoa, he coiled them around the back of Ford’s head, pressed down into him harder, and latched onto Ford’s mouth.
They kissed hungrily, deep and heated without any preamble of softness or being tentative.
There was no need. They knew what they wanted, had been with each other so many different ways now that they slotted together and drew out the exact sensations each of them desired with barely any effort.
Cloying deeper for Ford’s tongue, Andrew held onto his neck and bucked forward demandingly. Ford moaned into his mouth, so Andrew bucked forward again, feeling constricted with how hard Ford was as he pushed up into him.
“Got a bit… of a time limit.” Ford shuddered beneath Andrew, mouthing feverishly along his jawline.
“We can be fast. Still want that heated blowjob?”
“Definitely, but we have less than an hour. Meeting at 10:00. You understand.”
Andrew paused in his careful tonguing of Ford’s ear. “You mean 11:00?”
“Nice try. 10:00.”
But Andrew wasn’t being cute. He stilled and pulled back to look Ford in the face. “It’s 10:00 now.”
“No, it’s…” Ford looked at his watch, which read 9:05—but the second hand wasn’t moving.
The sound of voices filtered down the hallway and in through the open door. If it had only been Ford’s associates, it wouldn’t matter, but Andrew didn’t know everyone he could hear, and if it was clients…
Ford pushed him from his lap and shoved him underneath the table. The shape and size would easily hide him from anyone coming in or sitting around it, but this felt insane.
“Ford!” he tried hissing, but the Santa mug was pushed into his hands—a little more difficult to explain than a thermos—just as the clamor of people reached them.