“How young?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Trading me in for a gold digger, I see.”
Jamie snorted and took a seat on the bed. Kyle blinked at him, wide awake now, the soft lamplight on the nightstand turning his green eyes lighter. He reached for Kyle’s left hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss the ring settled firmly on Kyle’s finger.
“Never,” Jamie promised.
A soft smile curved Kyle’s mouth as he pressed a finger to Jamie’s lips. “I know. Come to bed and get some rest.”
Jamie stripped out of the rest of his clothes, intent on following that order, because any officer worth their salt knew that NCOs always had good ideas.
11
Never Wander the Dark Alone
“>”
Kyle didn’t pause in finishing off his second beer. When the glass was empty, he set it on the bar counter and waved at the bartender for another, flashing two fingers to cover Alexei’s next round as well.
“>” Kyle said, sounding annoyed.
Alexei stared at his brother. “>”
Kyle gave him alookthat plainly stated he thought Alexei was dumb as shit. “>”
Alexei rested his elbows on the bar counter and smirked. “>”
“>”
“>”
“>”
Alexei’s smirk faded a bit, but he refused to feel sad about why Kyle had to change his bet. Things between Alexei and Sean had been alotbetter since their emotional breakthrough in February. Some days, Alexei forgot Boston even happened.
“>”
Kyle lashed out cat-quick and smacked his fist against Alexei’s shoulder. “>”
Alexei winced. “>”
Kyle nodded his thanks at the bartender who set new glasses down in front of them and took away their empties. Alcohol was expensive, but since Kyle was paying using Jamie’s account, Alexei didn’t mind having a third or fourth round, though if their hamburgers didn’t arrive soon, he’d start making a scene. He wasstarving.
“>”
Alexei refused to acknowledge his brother’s statement. “>”
“>”
“>”
Kyle tipped his pint glass in Alexei’s direction. “>”
“>” Alexei grumbled, though there wasn’t any heat to his words.
Kyle laughed at him before moving his tablet out of the way as their lunchfinallyarrived. Both of them had opted for a double-patty hamburger with cheese, bacon, onion rings, and the house special sauce. The hamburgers came with French fries, but they’d ordered two extra baskets of the side dish, along with a plate of hot wings. The meal would hopefully tide them over until dinner. Metahumans had fast metabolisms and eating food like this was far more enjoyable than snacking on high-calorie nutrient bars.
