Chapter 14

When Michael'sname popped up in a call, Josh wasn't all that surprised. He figured Dixon would have kept him and Gary informed about the events in Racine.

What did surprise him was that Michael hadn't called before then.

Dixon glanced at Josh's phone. "You'd better answer that. We've got about ten minutes before take-off anyway."

"He's going to yell, isn't he?"

Dixon chuckled. "I don't see why. You did as you were told, you're in one piece. What would he have to yell about?"

Josh already knew the answer to that question. Michael was going to insist on knowing everything, and Josh didn't think he could do that.

Not if it puts them in danger.

He clicked Answer. Before Michael could get a word in, Josh blurted, "Hey. We're just about to take off, so I haven't got long. What's up?"

"I'm just giving you some advance notice. When you get back here, we're going to have a talk. Except you'll be doing most of the talking."

Josh's mouth dried up. Aw crap.

"I mean it, Josh. We need to see the complete picture here. We have to know what's going on."

He thought fast. "I understand, but?—"

"No buts, Josh," Gary's raspy voice came from the speaker. "This is serious."

"I know, but…. Please, give me a little more time?" Not that he needed it, but he'd do anything to delay the inevitable.

Sharing his knowledge put everyone Josh knew at risk, and a whole lot of people he didn't know.

"And how much is a little?"

"A few days? A week at most." That was asking a lot and he knew it. A pause followed where Josh caught fragments of a whispered conversation.

"Fine," Michael said at last. "We'll all sit down for a meeting next Wednesday, where we'll expect the whole story. You got that?"

"I've got it," Josh said with a sigh. He glanced at Dixon and found him tapping his watch.

Time to fly.

"In the meantime, you and Dix are invited to dinner with us on Sunday," Michael continued.

"Great. Looking forward to it. Sorry, gotta go. We'll see you soon." He clicked End Call, then pocketed his phone.

Dixon gave him a sympathetic glance. "Well, your ass is looking great, so I'm guessing he didn't chew it off." Then he pointed to the plane. "Let's go."

Josh followed him to the steps. It wasn't until he stepped into the interior of the plane that Dixon's words finally hit home.

He was looking at my ass?

Then he shoved the thought aside. It was a figure of speech—a weird one—but whatever.

Once they were airborne, Josh took a moment to reflect on Michael's invitation. That had been a pleasant surprise. Josh hadn't been able to see Michael or Gary much, what with his watchdog at his heel all the time.

But he's such a nice watchdog.

All it took was the thought of asking if he wanted a bone, and Josh's mind was off on new tangents.

Until the previous night, Josh's thoughts had harbored on all the things Dixon had done for him. How Dixon smiled at him. How Dixon was there every morning to meet him.

Josh couldn't get Dixon out of his head.

I'm grateful to him, that's all it is.

Then why did the thought of seeing Dixon naked keep coming back to torment him over and over again?

It was more than gratitude. He wasn't simply appreciative of the effort Dixon had put into being there for him—he'd started to look forward to seeing Dixon, especially when he stopped by the lab. He didn't say much, but Josh took note of his big, solid presence.

He'd started to catalog things about Dixon and add them to a file on his pad. His deep, rich laughter. His eyes that never seemed to miss anything. His hands, big but dexterous. His confident walk, as if he owned the world.

It was those things that had Josh questioning his feelings. Never in his life had he been in love. Always too busy, too scatterbrained, too detached. But after the day he finally realized how Dixon had been helping him, Josh seemed to notice more and more about him. He couldn't explain how much having Dixon around—around him—meant. Josh had been told countless times by many people that he needed to take time to stop and smell the roses, and he'd always frowned at that, because why would he need to sniff some flowers?

Now? He wanted to see what it would be like to walk with Dixon. To have Dixon take his hand and stroll through the fragrant plants Gary had installed when CrossBow was built. To do it at night, when the skies above were awash with stars.

To know what it felt like to get a kiss he actually wanted.

Maybe it was the adrenaline rushes of the last few weeks, but Josh knew he could have died in that mall explosion. That had brought something home to him, a sharp realization that wouldn't leave him.

I don't want to die a virgin.

He'd never cared before about dying a virgin. It was only a word. Then Dixon had come into his life. He'd shown Josh that he was liked and appreciated. More than that, he'd shown Josh he cared, which was more than most people had ever done.

And suddenly Josh's virgin status bothered him. So much so that he wanted his first—and maybe only—encounter to be with Dixon.

Though it was only circumstantial evidence at best, Josh believed Dixon had been watching him with more than bodyguard intensity. And what about last night? He was sure he'd heard Dixon's sharp intake of breath when Josh couldn't bite back the moan of his orgasm.

What shocked him was he'd liked the idea. He'd enjoyed the notion that Dixon had taken pleasure in listening to him.

He likes me. Except it was more than mere liking, if Josh's scientific analysis was correct. There was the way Dixon's nostrils flared when Josh was near him. The widening of his eyes, coupled with the expansion of his pupils. All of those things speak toward Dixon liking me, right?

And all of them reduced Josh to a nervous wreck.

What if he'd read the signs wrong?

What if there hadn't been signs at all, and it was just his own wishful thinking?

What if I'm seeing all this in Dixon because it's what I want to see?

This was so far outside of Josh's comfort zone. Science had gotten him to this point, but what if he was reading the data wrong? Would he lose Dixon as a friend?

That was unacceptable. Josh didn't have many, so he couldn't afford to alienate Dixon. Maybe it would be best to stay quiet.

No. I can't do that. I have to know. There has to be something I can do that will tell me if I'm imagining all this.

When the idea came to him, he dismissed it as a crazy scheme, but it persisted, which kind of bothered him, because Josh didn't do crazy.

Maybe a little bit of crazy is exactly what this situation needs.

"Do I want to know where your head is at right now?" Dixon's voice snapped him back into the present.

Josh snorted. "I was about to ask you the same question. You've been pretty quiet this morning."

"Yeah, well, something is nagging at me."

He chuckled. "Don't you hate it when that happens? What's got your panties bunched?"

It was Dixon's turn to chuckle. "You've been spending way too much time with me. I'm starting to rub off on you."

Oh, the directions Josh could take that conversation in….

"Speaking of rubbing off...." His eyes sparkled with mischief. "You could help me test out a new lube I've been working on. Three times slicker, while needing only half as much."

"I—I—Really?" Dixon sputtered.

Josh waved a hand. "No. Just playing."

Yeah, he wasn't that bold. Josh didn't get a lot of opportunities to explore his sense of humor. He'd been waiting for the right person to bring it out.

Maybe Dixon is that person.

"So what's your nagging question?"

"Why would Tanner buy that crappy building? It makes no sense."

Josh cocked his head. "Actually, looking at it logically, it makes perfect sense. He believed they were after him, so he wanted somewhere remote, but still close enough to the amenities. Plus, as far as he was away from most people, no one would be bugging him, which would allow him to work unimpeded."

"But it was so run-down and drafty. Surely he could have found a better spot."

"Not all scientists are rolling in money. When I checked into the place, Tanner got it for a song."

And thinking about that was infinitely better than laying his plans, especially since those had a direct effect on certain regions of his anatomy.

That nightin the hotel had opened Josh's eyes to the joys of masturbation, and he quickly realized how addictive an act it was, once he'd forced himself to ignore the pangs of residual guilt that still lingered, long after he'd left his teenage years behind him. During the past four nights, he'd taken advantage of every occasion when Dixon had been working late and Josh knew he wouldn't be disturbed. Only now when he tugged on his dick, he thought about Dixon. His appearance, how he smelled, how he was forever looking out for Josh. And each time culminated in yet another mind-blowing orgasm.

I still have to know how he sees me. If I'm right, or if it's just my imagination.

Although he'd reconsidered his plan dozens of times, the notion wouldn't go away, and he realized only action would resolve the situation. There was nothing left to do but grab his pad and leave his comfort zone behind.

Besides, it might even be fun.

Josh placed the pad on the nightstand in Dixon's room, then propped himself on the pillows, completely naked. He took a few test shots, but those were quickly consigned to the trash. Josh hated how nervous and gawky as hell he appeared. He tried a few more, but those joined the earlier shots.

Maybe this is a bad idea.

Then he wondered what would happen if he turned the lights down low. The camera in the pad was good enough to take such pictures without them looking too trashy.

The first ones took his breath away.

I never knew I could look like that.His hair wasn't a mess, his eyes were partially closed, his lips slightly parted. He actually looked…. cute? Josh shuddered. No adult wanted to look cute. Alluring? No—seductive, that was the word. So he took more, but this time he tried to make them tasteful. He held a pillow over his crotch, draped a blanket over his legs, or simply covered his dick with one hand. He didn't want these to be dirty pictures. He needed Dixon to look at them and see Josh was interested in something else.

He thought about saving the best, but there was no way he could choose just one to send. Dixon would be on the receiving end of a photo dump. As for when to utilize them?

He hadn't gotten that far. Maybe it was a case of waiting for the right moment.

For inspiration to strike.

"Thanks for coming,"Michael said, entering the room. "Gary's dressing. He'll be out in a minute. Can I get you a drink?"

"No, but thank you," Josh said. Dixon repeated the same.

Michael gestured to the black-and-red overstuffed couch near the electric fireplace. "Have a seat." Another two-seater couch faced it, a few feet away, and this one was lower.

Josh settled back, relishing the warmth, and Dixon sat next to him, their knees almost touching. Josh placed his pad on the floor beside him, and Michael laughed.

"One day I'll catch you without your pad, and you'll seem naked." He took a seat opposite. "The plan had been to take you both to a nice restaurant, but until we get this whole thing settled, we thought it best to keep it somewhere safe."

"That's sensible," Dixon murmured. He frowned. "Is there a purpose to this evening?"

"There certainly is," Gary announced as he came out of the other room, leaning heavily on his walker. "We have news, and we felt like celebrating." When he reached them, Michael took his hand and led him to the lower sofa. Gary flopped against the cushions and sighed.

"Any pain?" Michael asked with obvious concern.

Gary smiled. "No, I'm just tired, that's all. Physical therapy always takes it out of me."

"I don't mean to be rude," Dixon began, "but are you sure we're not intruding?"

Michael arched his eyebrows. "Are we keeping you from something?"

"No, but…. Well, I figured you'd rather spend the time with Gary."

Michael chuckled. "You're probably the only ones who know we don't live in each other's pockets. They assume we're together all day, every day, but Gary's been tackling the phone stuff, while I…." He smiled at Dixon. "I've been out keeping things going in your absence."

Dixon flashed Josh a glance before proceeding. "Look, if my watching Doc is going to cause problems?—"

Michael waved his hand. "No, that's not it at all, and I think you know that. We want Josh to have a bodyguard, and you're one of the best. It's only right he has you watching him." He leaned back and put his arm around Gary's shoulders. "We invited you here because we have some good news, and we wanted to share it with friends first." He tilted his head toward Gary. "You wanna tell them?"

Gary's smile revealed where he was missing teeth, and Josh winced.

He went through so much. Even once they'd restarted Gary's heart a couple of times, Josh had been a mess during that terrible episode, scared he was about to lose his friend, angry that Gary had gone off on his own, enraged that Porter had proved to be such a traitor, and apoplectic that the government had failed them all—again.

"I talked to the doctor," Gary wheezed, his breath shallow. "I'm not going to lose my eye, and with corrective lenses, I'll retain about eighty percent of the vision."

Dixon threw his hands up in the air. "That's great news! Fuck. I'd been so worried." He stood and moved to hug Gary, albeit very gently. "I'm so happy for you."

"Now you know why we wanted to celebrate." Michael's smile would not quit. Then a timer dinged, and he got up and went into the kitchen, returning with a veritable feast on a rolling cart. Pizza, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, cheesy garlic bread, sushi….

Josh blinked. Sushi? "That's a very eclectic dinner."

Michael gazed fondly at Gary. "It's what we had on our first kinda-sorta date. I guess I was feeling nostalgic." He pushed the cart into the space between the two couches, then handed each of them a plate. "Help yourselves."

Except it was more than fondness that Josh had seen in that gaze. He might never have experienced the emotion, but he knew love when he saw it.

What must it be like to share your life with the person you love?

Love was something he hadn't really thought about until recently.

"Doc? You okay?"

He jerked his head up. "Yeah, fine. I'm sorry. I zoned out for a moment there. What did I miss?"

"You're not eating," Michael said with a smirk.

"Oh. Sorry." Josh put a few things on his plate and nibbled them. He glanced at Dixon and noted his look of concern.

He's always watching, making sure I eat enough, looking out for me….

That right there made up his mind. He waited until Dixon and Gary were deep in conversation before reaching for the pad. He held it surreptitiously under the cart, darting anxious glances at Dixon to make sure his attention was focused elsewhere while Josh composed a message.

Except there were no words, only images. He tried to select a few, but that proved difficult and time-consuming when he fretted over each one. Would Dixon like this one better, or that one? In the end, unable to make a decision, he attached all eighteen. Overkill? Probably. But at least Dixon might find a favorite in there he actually wanted to keep.

Then Josh prayed to whatever powers in the universe protected him not to let him make an ass of himself by misreading the situation, and clicked Send.

"I don't knowhow you can say that with a straight face," Dix retorted with a grin. "Remind me to tell you about the time I?—"

His phone chimed, and he frowned. He'd told them in the office he would be out of touch for an hour or so while he met with Gary and Michael. Whatever this was, it had to be an emergency.

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically to Gary and Michael. "I have to take this and—what the fuck!"

He jerked his head in Doc's direction. Doc's cheeks were on fire. Dix pulled his attention back to the pictures in front of him. They were dark, but crystal clear, and obviously intended to be provocative images. They weren't professional by any means, but Dix had never seen anything to rival them. He scrolled through them until he came to one photo that he opened as wide as he could, wishing he'd grabbed his own pad for the much larger screen. He wondered if anyone would think it was weird if he licked the screen.

Yeah, probably.

In the image, Doc lay on Dixon's bed, his legs spread with a hand over his junk, smiling coquettishly at the camera.

Holy fuck. It was the hottest, sexiest thing he'd seen in his whole fucking life.

"Dixon? Everything okay?" Michael asked.

Dix didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling. He could hear it in Michael's voice. And when he finally raised his chin, that smirk was no surprise either.

"I… uh… I need to go. I have to get back to the office to handle some… stuff."

Some very hard stuff. In fact, it was getting harder by the second.

"Can't the others take care of it?" Gary asked.

"No, definitely not," Dix ground out, his gaze locked on Doc. "This requires my hands-on attention." A tide of red rose up Doc's neck.

Yeah, you'd better blush, mister.

"Oh. Okay. Well, we could come help if you?—"

"I think they have it, Gary," Michael chimed in. He glanced at Doc. "Maybe you should take Josh with you. He looks like he's ready to crawl into bed."

Michael was far too smug, the bastard.

"That sounds good. Doc, I'm sorry, we have to go. Now."

Doc rose, and Dix didn't miss the bulge in his pants. Dix's mouth was watering already. Even hidden behind fabric, it looked way better and more edible than anything Michael and Gary had provided. He wanted to grab Doc, toss him over his shoulder, and bolt for the door. Instead, he wiped his mouth on a napkin and stood as slowly as he could manage, striving to remain calm even though his heartbeat raced. Another glance at Doc found him staring at the floor, his cheeks red as could be. Without saying another word, Dix headed for the door, with Doc close behind him.

"Dix, hang on one second, okay?" Michael hurried across the room to join them. "Josh, he'll be right out." As soon as Doc gave a nod before walking out the door, Michael pulled Dix aside and leaned in close. "Hurt him and I will kill you. Got it?"

Dixon could have bluffed, making out he didn't know what Michael was talking about, but instead he gave a sharp nod. "Understood."

Then he went after Doc.

Tonight's lesson was going to be Show and Tell.