Chapter Nine

Trace

Trace stood inside Keyes’s kitchen, drinking a glass of water. It was always his rule. One beer to one glass of water. He drained the water in three long gulps and placed the glass aside to be reused.

This might be the best holiday party of his life. He swayed on his feet, realizing his thought came from an intoxicated place. His mind shifted to the incoming text messages his sister continued to send even in the late hour.

She sent pictures of his family together. He came from a lively, energetic bunch. As far as Trace was concerned, his grunge style didn’t really fit with his clean-cut family. Sweater sets abounded in the photos she sent. Not a single tattoo in the bunch. The differences didn’t matter. They missed him. Christmas was the one designated holiday they agreed to be together.

Trace swayed again on his feet.

Joe came from the bathroom right off the living room, and Trace’s gaze locked there. Joe had the same vibe as his family. He was tall. At least six feet. A naturally pretty guy. Nerdy. Didn’t spend a lot of time outside, which was Trace’s preferred place to be. Joe had become Trace’s friend. Like friend, friend. Like best friend. Really fast and solid. They got along great. Joe was the only reason Trace hadn’t gone home for the holidays.

Huh . It was weird to think about it. He was hilarious even in such a potentially life-changing moment.

The government was actively breathing down his neck to move from the South Oak Cliff apartment. No doubt, he’d have to go. It’d be better if he slept somewhere in the stockyards of Fort Worth, much closer to work. But he liked living close to Joe. He couldn’t find a way to make himself leave.

Joe took a swipe at his hair, drawing Trace’s closer attention. That was one of two regular moves Joe made. The other was to push his glasses back in place by poking a finger into the nose bridge. Tonight, Joe had gone without his glasses. When the hair moved, he could see Joe’s face. Man, the guy was nice-looking with his perfectly symmetrical face. Strong jaw, pretty pouty lips, engaging eyes. Joe had a way of making a person feel heard. Trace generally liked that person to be him.

If Trace hadn’t already determined his bisexuality, he’d insist he was gay due to his overwhelming attraction to Joe. His cock zeroed in on the guy like a heat-seeking missile. His body tightened, his hard-on a very real thing, even under all the alcohol he’d drunk tonight.

The only reason he kept Joe in the friend zone was his complete inability to read Joe’s preferences. Joe talked about the women he’d dated, but that had been years ago. The only thing that mattered to Joe was his work. He took his job seriously, putting in an untold number of hours to help Diesel and Shanna navigate the rocky terrain of their undercover work.

He was smart. An intelligence badass.

“I’m goin’ to bed,” Joe announced to the partygoers. Alec sat in Keyes’s lap on the sofa closest to the motorcycle. Cash was passed out on the other end. His head lying on the back edge. His mouth wide opened due to the angle. Shanna and Dev were in a card game, neither willing to accept a loss, so it went on forever. Those two were so much alike.

“Don’t get up. I ’member the room you assigned me,” Joe slurred.

Neither Alec nor Keyes had budged a muscle. As far as Trace was concerned, after the bike’s reveal, he wasn’t sure either man realized they had a house full of guests at all.

Joe pivoted around and stumbled during the turn. He caught himself well enough. Trace grinned as he zeroed in on Joe’s backside, his ass in particular. He wore jeans that accented his bubble butt, probably having no idea how good they looked. The standard long-sleeved T-shirt was in place. The weather wasn’t chilly enough for the hoodie underneath a jacket Joe donned and wore well. Both had been removed by the time they got inside Shanna’s car.

Joe’s gaze unexpectedly landed on Trace. He grinned a sloppy smile and kept going up the stairs. The look wasn’t the invitation that Trace wished it were. Not even a little bit, but he found himself following, helpless to do anything else. As much as he hated to admit it, a nerd on his walk was a powerful thing. He trailed more slowly in anticipation, then heard the guest bedroom door shut. His confidence took a hit as he considered this a friendship-destroying move.

Whatever . He’d been into Joe for a year now. His feelings had only grown. Maybe this was how he made the decision to leave the apartment building.

At Joe’s door, he lifted a hand and inhaled deeply. He rapped out a quick couple of knocks on the exhale. The door opened with Joe in mid-motion of removing his T-shirt. He stood in his boxer briefs, feet bare.

“Hey,” Joe said with the same hint of a slur he’d had downstairs. “What’s up?” Joe let the T-shirt fall down his chest.

“I… uh…” Trace’s gaze slid down Joe’s body to the outline of the limp cock in the boxer briefs. Oh yeah, it looked good. Bet it’d even be better hard.

Arousal burned away any lingering buzz as his gaze lifted to Joe’s face. On instinct, he reached for the T-shirt as he took a single step in. He took Joe’s sigh into his mouth, sliding his tongue across Joe’s partially opened mouth.

Whether this was a one-and-done or the beginning of many, his instincts told him there was more to this alluring man than he let on. And most certainly a temptation he wouldn’t be able to overcome.

Trace brushed his lips over Joe’s, his tongue pushing inside, sweeping over Joe’s who hadn’t pushed him away yet. Yep . One taste was all it took.

Fireworks flared behind Trace’s closed lids. He circled his arm around Joe’s waist, drawing him close as he dove deep into that delicious mouth.

Happy, happy holidays.

Xoxo,

Kindle