“Cousin!” I yell, unsuccessfully trying to get away from his fingers while simultaneously trying to snuggle in closer to his warmth.
He stops, looking at me with a head tilt. “Cousin?”
I hold up my hands. “Whatever the word is that means I give in!”
“Uncle?” he asks, laughing so hard he nearly rolls off the bed.
“Yes—uncle. Please, uncle.”
His laugh is big and brash like he is, and he rolls me up into his arms to kiss me again and again and again. “Fuck, dude, I—”
He bites off his words, but his expression, full of sweetness, is easy to read. The reality of it hits me like a blow to the chest, and I push my face into his neck, letting his arms encircle me as our legs tangle. It strikes me as curious, and slightly magical, that his warmth feels protective.
I mean, this is Anders Fucking Bash we’re talking about.
He kisses the top of my head, and my eyes suddenly feel quite heavy. We settle back in together, my head resting on his solid chest as I drift off, a weird little smile on my face.
* * *
I wake up sometime later to an irritating buzz. I blink several times and realize my face is in Anders’ armpit and that I find his deodorant…alluring. The annoying buzz stops and immediately starts up again, followed by my phone clattering to the floor.
Anders stirs as I nose his cock while reaching to pick up the rude phone.
Well, shit.
“I’ve got seventeen missed calls,” I say, blinking rapidly to try and clear my vision.
Anders scratches his chest, grabbing his phone from under the pillow. “Twenty-three for me. Fuck, how long were we out?”
“Little under two hours,” I say as both phones light up again.
We look at each other, and Anders points to his phone, hitting the green button and putting it on speaker. “I’m here with Omar. What’s happening?”
Thane’s voice is muffled. “Got ’em, Cap.”
“Where the hell have you two been?” DB asks, his voice cutting across the line despite a fair amount of background noise.
Anders’ eyes light up, and I clamp my hand over his mouth.
“Got in late, got the job done early, so we took a nap, DB,” I answer, lacing my answer with the practiced coolness I’d set aside over the last twelve hours.
“Together?” someone asks in the background. Anders, looking sleepy and thoroughly sexed, raises his eyebrow at me and licks my hand. I take my hand away and wipe it on his naked chest, then point at the tent he’s created in my lap. We remain silent and wait for DB’s next instruction.
“Gentlemen, we’ve got a potentially serious situation brewing.”
I don’t think either of us has ever heard this tone from him. He almost sounds…afraid.
“DB—what’s going on?” Anders asks, sitting up straight, the sheets pooling around his hips. Not to discount the seriousness of whatever is to come next, but Anders locked and ready to go is a sight to behold.
“The Wimberley team went in on Tremaine, thought they had the element of surprise. Things went a little sideways in Shreveport, and I’m going to need you to pack up your parents and get the hell out of Lufkin.”
“What the hell, boss? And what is that noise in the background? Are you on a plane?”
“Yeah. Hedy’s flying us out on her father’s jet. We just landed at the airfield in Lufkin.”
My eyes go big as I take in Anders’ worried expression. “Seriously, what happened?”
“They knew the Wimberley crew was coming. It was a bloodbath. Wimberley lost two people.”
