Chapter Twelve #2
“Colin, my hair,” Devon scolded gently, snapping her fingers to grab his diverted attention. Colin dutifully grabbed another towel and threw it at her, his aim off as he divided his attention between her and Liam.
Liam couldn’t believe his eyes, or his luck.
Of all the people to catch him in illicit behavior, Colin was the worst choice.
Devon could clearly care less as she casually made a towel boy out of his brother.
Amusingly enough, Colin obeyed her without so much as a questioning blink.
Now over his initial surprise, Liam hid a smile and took Devon’s cue for casualness.
“Morning, Colin,” he greeted easily as he reached behind his brother for a second towel as well. He moved to his shaving equipment, drawing the towel through the steam on the mirror. “I’m running a little late, I know,” he said. “Surely you guys can survive without me for a few more minutes?”
“Of course they can,” Devon said as she settled herself on the vanity seat and dried her hair in squeezes and pats, crossing long, shapely legs. “They aren’t children, Liam. And, after all, they functioned for three whole days without you.”
Liam threw her a look over his shoulder, knowing full well she was being a wiseass because he’d thwarted her earlier attempts to seduce him.
“That they did,” he acknowledged. He glanced at Colin as he prepared for a shave.
“Unless something is wrong?” he prompted, wondering when his brother was going to snap out of his speechless shock.
Colin shook his head.
Liam sighed.
Devon snickered through her nose, covering it under a poorly disguised cough. “Well, I have a busy day ahead,” she said breezily. “I’ll see you boys later.”
Devon got up and waltzed out of the room, stifling the urge to giggle as she rounded the door.
However, her amusement ebbed a bit when she thought of what would pass next between the two brothers.
Liam had been so specific about his desires to keep his travels across the line of his ethics quite private.
She had just ruined all their attempts to do so.
Of course, crossing the hall in nothing but a towel, displaying the tracks of her passion on his body, was not exactly the highest form of secrecy on his part.
It made her smile a little. Subconsciously, Liam could give a damn about being discovered as her lover.
But it was a measure of carelessness neither of them could afford.
She sighed and looked at her bedroom door, opting to linger and make use of her excellent Morphate hearing.
“So this is why you didn’t want me staring at her!” Colin blurted out first thing when he heard the door shut behind Devon. “Liam, I can’t believe you’re diddling the client!”
“Keep your voice down,” Liam snapped in warning. “And for that matter, watch what you say. This isn’t an invitation for you to speak about her disrespectfully.”
Colin swallowed, knowing full well how serious Liam was about issues of respect.
Despite the issue at hand, Colin would not disrespect anyone or anything …
least of all his brother’s wishes. “You’re right.
Sorry about that.” Colin shook his head.
“If I hadn’t just seen otherwise, I’d swear that woman has a set of rocks on her the size of bowling balls.
She didn’t bat an eyelash when I walked in and found her—”
“What do you mean ‘seen otherwise’?” Liam demanded, turning around to glare at Colin.
Colin stammered and flushed. “I thought it was you in the shower,” he said in a voice barely above a squeak. He cleared his throat, improving his pitch. “Honest, Liam, I never thought in a million years …”
“No, you didn’t, did you? You never think about my privacy.
You’ve been strolling in on me since the day you learned to walk.
And I’ve gotten used to it.” Liam picked up his razor and sighed.
“In a way, this is my own fault for not making an issue of it sooner. And, obviously, there’s no reason why you’d expect to need caution in this particular venue. ”
“How about we not make this about me?” Colin countered. “Liam, are you out of your mind? Skipping the fact, for the moment, that you look like you’ve played the part of a chew toy, what’s the first tenet of this work that you ever drilled into me?” he demanded.
“Not to get personally involved with your principal. And I don’t need you to remind me of that, Colin,” he retorted sharply. “Besides, it’s not like I’m out to marry the woman.”
“Oh, so it’s just a sex thing?” Colin clarified sarcastically.
“Not that it is any of your business, but yeah.” Liam focused on the path of his razor for a moment. “Look, I’d have switched out with Julian or Kadian before this, the moment I began to realize I was attracted to her, but they are already on assignment.”
“That’s a pile of bullshit. You could have traded assignments. Julian has been established long enough with his principal to make a command switch easy enough.”
“Colin, why don’t you get off my back and just deal with it, okay?
” Liam snapped irritably as he threw down his razor and splashed cool water over his face.
“And I’d appreciate it if you kept your big mouth shut while you’re at it.
I don’t want Devon being treated with disrespect or as a source of troop gossip. ”
“Then I guess you shouldn’t have fucked her, huh?” Colin groused, irritated by his brother’s slap down.
Colin didn’t even hear his own mistake until after the ringing in his head stopped and he found himself up against the wall with Liam’s huge forearm pressed furiously against his throat.
“I swear to God, Colin, brother or no, if I hear you talking about her like she’s some kind of whore I will make a quilt out of your hide. Do you copy?”
“Yes! Jeez, I didn’t mean it like that!” he squawked crossly.
“What I do is my business and no one else’s, not even yours,” Liam growled irritably as he released his baby brother none too gently. “You just watch your step. Genetics will not save your ass if you screw up, Colin.”
“Yeah, well, they won’t save yours either,” Colin grumbled as he followed Liam out of the bathroom. “I’m just concerned. You don’t have to pitch a fit. I’ll be waiting downstairs with the others.”
Liam paused to watch his brother storm off, then cursed low under his breath.
He ran a hand through his damp, spiking hair and glanced across the hall at Devon’s closed bedroom door.
He had half a mind to turn her over his knee as well.
It was really stupid of her to use his rooms like that.
Colin wasn’t the only one who didn’t think twice about using barracks manners while they were on assignment.
It was rather the nature of his position to not expect much in the way of privacy.
The idea of keeping her marks on his body out of sight was, when he thought of it, rather ludicrous.
Well, he wasn’t going to apologize to everyone for his lapse in his own code of ethics. He would have to deal with it on his own terms and the troops would have to cope. They knew him well enough by now to know this wasn’t the norm for him, and that if he broke code it was for a good reason.
Liam just needed some time to figure out what that reason was. He had a hard time believing it had just been about sex, as he had claimed for Colin’s benefit. It wasn’t Colin’s business what his reasoning was.
It was Devon’s, however.
Liam drew on some clean blacks, leaving his feet bare but for socks as he went in search of his boots, knife, belt, and gun holster.
He knocked on the door to Devon’s rooms and let himself in when he didn’t hear anything from within.
He walked over the threshold with a mild amount of caution.
His clothes, boots, and belongings were neatly folded and stacked at the foot of her bed, but he saw not even a glimpse of Devon.
He supposed she had gone to her office already, though he had not seen or felt her departure.
He was very sensitive to the movements in the house, especially hers, and it bothered him that he had been so embroiled in his altercation with his brother that he had not been aware of her exit.
He picked up his knife and spun it between his fingers.
He heard her clear her throat, the sound surprising him as he spun about, wondering how she’d snuck up behind him.
She still wore only her towel, and despite her sexy posture leaning against the bathroom doorframe, her expression was a serious one.
She must have been sitting quietly in the bath.
He raised a brow, curious as to why she hadn’t responded to his entrance before this.
“I’m sorry. I messed up. I wasn’t trying to flaunt this. I just wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s not your fault,” he sighed as he laid down the knife on top of his clothes.
“It’s natural to feel you have the run of your own house.
Also, it’s easy to feel free when it comes to sharing things with a lover.
Actually, I want you to feel free like that.
It’s another form of honesty.” He walked over to her, reaching to frame her face with his hands, his fingertips stroking through her wet strands of hair.
“It’s just a new complication in this job that I’m going to need to find a way to work around.
I’ll find a way to deal with it. I’ve got good people. They’ll adjust.”
“I’m not worried about them,” she said softly, leaning her weight against him and burying her nose against his clean T-shirt.
He nuzzled the top of her head so he could breathe in the scent of his shampoo on her hair.
Something about it excited him and his body responded with long, tense pulses of awareness from head to toe.
He exhaled a rough sigh as her hands slid around his back.
“One day you are going to explain how you do this,” he noted with no little consternation.
“Do … this?” She sounded perplexed.