Chapter 21

Josh stretchedand flicked his pad off. He checked the time on the microwave. He blinked and checked it again.

No way.

It had to be wrong. It couldn't possibly be almost eight at night. That set his mind off on a tangent about time and space anomalies, something that had fascinated him since he'd been a kid, but now wasn't the time to slide into that particular rabbit hole. He needed to know if Dixon was okay. They'd been working ever since the meeting with Gary and Michael. It had only taken one glance at Dixon to let Josh know his bodyguard's mind was not focused on the files.

Except he's way more than that now, isn't he?

Josh had nudged his elbow. "You know, if you want to go, you can."

"No, I'm fine," Dixon replied in a strained voice.

Josh frowned. He might not be the master of social cues, but even he knew Dixon wasn't being fully honest. "Hey, we had a rough day. You deserve a little downtime to decompress, and you did say you wanted to hit the gym. So go for it. I'm not leaving the room, so I'll be here when you get back."

"No, I'm not going out while you sit here and continue working."

Josh had snorted. "I wasn't intending on it. My brain needs to decompress too. I've got a book I've been trying to read for six months, except I keep getting to parts that make me think of other things, which pulls me away from getting it finished. If you go, maybe I can get through two or three more pages." He chuckled. "Go. I'll be fine."

"You're absolutely sure?"

He loved that Dixon worried about him first. It was time Josh returned the favor. "Yes, go."

Dixon had given him a gentle kiss, then headed out the door. That had been an hour ago, and yeah, Josh was a little nervous about where Dixon might have gotten to.

I'm allowed to be nervous. This was his first relationship, so he didn't have all the rules and cues down. Maybe he's waiting to see if I go looking for him. Yeah, that had to be it. It wasn't until he put the pad in the charger that he realized he had no idea where the gym was. Truth be told, he hadn't even known CrossBow had a gym, though it shouldn't have been a surprise, considering they had everything else. He checked the building map on his phone, then set out to find his destination.

Two agents jerked their heads in his direction as he stepped outside the door.

"Dr. Malone, can we help you?" one of them asked politely.

"Why are you out here?" he asked, even though he knew the reason.

"Mr. Meeks called to say he was headed out for a short while and needed us to cover the door until his return."

Of course he did. Never mind the fact that Josh was safe in Dixon's apartment. Josh wanted to be annoyed—he didn't need coddling—but the thought made him warm inside. "I'm going to go find him," he told them in a decisive tone.

A tone he hoped spoke of intent, not a request.

"He's in the gym. We'd be happy to escort you there." The agent smiled. "And for the record, he did tell us you'd be coming out to look for him eventually. We didn't think you would, so he asked if we wanted to bet." He glanced at his fellow agent. "Guess we each owe him ten bucks."

That man. He was so damned infuriating.

Be honest. That's what you like about him, isn't it?

"Sure. I'd appreciate that." Josh bit his lip. "I haven't been there myself."

"Mr. Meeks goes there quite often," the other agent said as they strolled through the hallways. "He normally works out with some of the younger bodyguards in the morning." He grinned. "Always puts them to shame. For an older guy, he's got an impressive workout routine. I doubt most of us could keep up with him."

Josh had seen firsthand the results of Dixon's efforts, an image he brought up frequently in quieter moments.

They said nothing else as they led Josh to the east side of the building on the first floor. The workout facility wasn't at all what Josh had expected. He was thinking a few basic bits of equipment, but what he got was a far cry from that. Machines lined the far wall. When Josh thought of exercise machines, he expected small and compact. The metal monstrosity in the center of the room looked complicated, equipped with weights, bars, pulleys, a bench…. There were also compact treadmills and elliptical machines. On the opposite wall were free weights. Staff wandered around, checking with the people who were working out. It was a damned impressive setup, and Josh felt a flush of pride that he'd been part of it.

Then he spotted Dixon, and his body reacted. Dixon had taken off his shirt, and his body glistened under the bright lights. Josh licked his lips as he recalled Michael talking about licking the moisture from Gary's body. Would Dixon let me do that? Lord, the urge to use his tongue to follow the thin, silvery trail that rolled down his chest to his stomach and finally to his shorts….

Josh turned to thank his guides, but they'd already disappeared.

Great. I can lust in peace.

He'd never thought sweat could be erotic, but seeing Dixon working out was revising that opinion. Dixon's muscles strained as he worked on a set of rings secured to the ceiling. His arms bulged as he lowered himself, then trembled as he pulled himself back up. The guy hadn't lied. Dixon was impressive as hell. No way Josh could keep up with that.

The sight was enough to send his mind drifting. Josh could picture it. An empty gym, Dixon hanging upside down from the rings, his mouth the perfect height to take Josh's dick. Dixon's crotch level with Josh's mouth, ready for him to return the favor.

Sixty-nine, Dixon called it. Josh wanted to try that, even though he might have to choose a less dangerous position. He had visions of Dixon tumbling, crashing to the floor. Then the thought of teeth that might catch on delicate areas? Oh, hell no.

Besides, how on earth could I tell Michael what happened with a straight face?

His cock seemed to like the idea, however. He was hard.

"Doc!"

Josh jerked his head up. Dixon swiped his gray T-shirt over his chest and stomach, smiling at him. Josh waved, acutely aware of his erection.

"Well, don't just stand there. You can come closer. I don't bite." Dixon's eyes glittered. "Not unless you want me to."

Josh walked over to him, willing his aching dick to subside. "You said you were only going to be gone a while. I thought maybe you might have gotten lost, so I came to find out."

Dixon laughed. "Sorry. After that meeting, I had to do a hard workout."

Did you have to say hard?

"You okay, Doc?" Dixon's smile hadn't wavered. "You're flushed."

"I'm… I'm fine." It was an effort to choke the words out.

Dixon swiped a hand over his bare chest and abs, the motion slow, sensuous, and teasing. What made it worse? That damn smile never left his face. "Whatcha lookin' at, Doc?"

Smug bastard.

Josh knew he needed to move the conversation to a safer place before he ended up embarrassing himself. Has it only been a week? Seven days to take him from knowing nothing of sex, to aching to feel that stretch, relish the burn, peer into Dixon's eyes as he pumped in and out….

Yeah, that was not helping.

Josh cleared his throat. "I was hoping we could talk. I have a question I'd like to ask."

Dixon shrugged into his shirt, and Josh lamented losing sight of that beautiful body.

"Sure, let me shower quick and?—"

"No!" The word came out a lot louder than Josh had intended, and he noted a few people glanced in their direction. "I mean, you can shower in your room, right?"

Dixon's soft chuckle told Josh he was busted. "Sure, let's do that. Keep in mind, though, my muscles are sore, so you might need to wash my back."

Yup, definitely busted.

They made it to the room without Josh dropping to his knees in the elevator, which he thought was pretty damned impressive. Inside the enclosed space, Dixon's musky smell filled Josh's nostrils, and far from the odor grossing him out, he found himself perpetually hard.

The hard wants what the hard wants.

He grinned over the joke.

As soon as they entered, Dixon went and grabbed a towel. He scrubbed it over his head, then took his shirt off and mopped up a little more perspiration.

"Need a shower," he announced, heading into the bathroom. Josh followed, and Dixon glanced at him over his shoulder. "Coming to scrub my back, Doc?"

"If you want."

Dixon chuckled. "Nah, I'm okay. Go sit down and I'll be out in a minute."

Josh got out of there before Dixon could spot his pout.

When Dixon came out, his skin all bright and pink, he dropped onto the couch and blew out a breath. "I think I pushed myself a bit too much today. I did a double set of reps because I was so pissed. Need to keep in mind I'm not that young anymore."

Josh snorted. "That's crap. The two guys you left up here said you routinely impress the others with your workout and they're all like five years younger than you."

Dixon laughed. "Five years? Doc, do you know how old I am? Next birthday I'm going to be thirty-eight. Hardly a spring chicken, as my mama used to say." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "What did you want to talk about?"

Josh's mind raced, trying to come up with a topic.

"Can you tell me how you came to work at CrossBow?" Dixon winced, and Josh worried he'd overstepped. "Hey, never mind."

Dixon smiled. "No, it's fine. It's just that my history isn't common knowledge, mostly because I don't talk about it. Gary and Michael know, of course." He sat back. "I'd been in the army for about five years, working my way up the ranks, with a boatload of medals and citations to show for it. Then came the day I was delivering a parcel to the infirmary we used off base."

He paused, and Josh's skin prickled.

"I heard a small voice saying ‘no.' Then they repeated it, only louder, and finally they called out ‘Mama.' I stepped into the doctor's office, and what I saw had me seeing red." Dixon's face reddened. "The doctor had his zipper open, his cock pointing straight out—at a little girl. He tried to move her hand to it, and she screamed. He slapped her, and she dropped to the floor." He grimaced. "Everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye."

"What did you do?"

Dixon stilled. "It was like I wasn't me anymore. I watched myself grab the kid and push her out the door before locking it."

Oh, crap."You didn't kill him, did you?"

He winced. "No, but I really wanted to. I did beat the crap out of him, however. When I reported the incident to my superiors, they were of the opinion that I should have just called the police and not used my fists. I asked, ‘What about the kid?' They expected me to hear her crying for her mommy after that fucker put hands on her, and just walk away?"

"What happened after?"

Dixon gave a rueful smile. "A whole clusterfuck of things. The doctor went to the emergency room, and I got arrested. Then his trial came up. They gave him a lawyer because he was a civilian. Fortunately, the prosecution had taken photographic evidence from his computer of him with this kid and at least a dozen others. There was no way he'd walk. Then it was my turn. The brass pulled me aside and said I had a choice. Based on the evidence, the prosecution would most likely prove me guilty of excessive force and attacking a civilian, even if the latter was with provocation. So they offered me a plea deal. I could fight it, but if I lost, there would be a dishonorable discharge and the record that went with it. Or I could resign, and the records would be sealed."

Josh had a feeling he knew which way Dixon had gone. "You resigned?"

He sighed. "Couldn't face my mama if I'd been kicked out. Anyway, about a month after, Gary contacted me and told me about CrossBow. He asked if I wanted a job, so I told him what I'd done." He chuckled. "He said that pervert got off easy, and even if I'd gone soft, there was still a place for me. I took the job and I've never regretted it."

"I think you're a hero." Josh couldn't keep the awe from his voice.

Dixon huffed. "Nah, I'm a man who couldn't control his temper. I signed myself up for anger management therapy after that. I still go on occasion. It helps, especially when I'm dealing with stupidity all day. And before you ask, I'm referring to calls from clients who claimed they were dissatisfied because their bodyguard wouldn't let them go off alone with some hot guy or girl. It was as if they didn't understand what ‘bodyguard' meant."

"Don't sell yourself short," Josh insisted. "To that little girl—to me—you are a hero. You risked everything for her."

Dixon squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, and then he leveled a molten gaze at Josh. "Does that mean you're gonna reward me?"

Josh grinned. "I am."

Dixon reached for Josh's hand. "You know, if you wanted to top me, I'd be down for that."

Josh.exe has stopped working.

The lookon Doc's face was priceless. Dix snickered. "You okay there, Doc?"

"You'd…. I mean, you…. I don't understand."

Fuck, the guy was adorable.

"What is it that you're having problems with? Is it because I said you could top me?"

"Yes. I mean, I never figured you'd want anything like that."

Dix grinned. "I think the better question is, why wouldn't I?"

"Because you're so…. Well, strong and manly."

Dix regarded him in silence for a moment. "The problem here is there are too many people who take one look at me and think I'm this big guy who would be more at home slamming someone into the mattress, that no way in hell would I ever want to be the slammee." He smiled. "Now, I'll admit, I wouldn't do it for just anyone. They have to be someone I can trust."

Doc's breathing caught. "And you trust me?"

How could he even ask that? "Of course I do." Then he coughed. "Well, I'll be honest. I haven't bottomed in a while, so you're going to need to be patient when you use that baton between your legs."

"Baton?"

Dix leaned in and kissed him. "That's a pretty formidable weapon you have there, Doc." He grinned. "Now, do you think it's something you might want to try?"

Doc's lips twitched, then broke into a big, salacious smile, filled with heat and passion. Yeah, Doc had considered it all right.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." He leaned in and brushed his lips over Doc's, who opened immediately for him. Tongues dueled, and moans slid from both of them. Dix might not have bottomed in years, but he was more than willing to do it with Doc.

"Let's take this to the bedroom," Doc whispered, his voice huskier than Dix had ever heard.

He couldn't be absolutely certain yet, but Dix was afraid he might have just created a monster.