“Harrison already knows about it.” Dash held his gaze. “Ineedto know what Randall knows.”
Emerson sighed. “Fine. Why not? We can invite all of my brothers and turn it into a party.”
“Just you, me, and Randall is plenty,” Dash said, sarcasm lacing his tone. “We don’t need more brothers here if it goes sideways.”
“Are you implying Randall is dirty?”
“No,” Dash said, but a look crossed his face that hinted he might. “But you didn’t see him this evening. I’m concerned.” Dash shook his head. “He was nervous… and almost seemed scared.”
Emerson frowned. That didn’t sound like Randall, but how well did he know his brother these days? The entire family joked with him about being a traitor. He’d switched sides to work with the Guard instead of completing his Fire Academy training. They’d spent little time together over the last few years. Had his little brother gotten his head turned around while working for the Asshole Brigade?
No—he wasn’t going to doubt a member of his family. Randall was a Walker, through and through. They’d all been raised by the same loving parents.
Yet all Emerson could see was the disappointment in Randall’s eyes the night before.
Dash climbed off his lap. “Mind if I take a shower?”
“Go right ahead,” Emerson said.
“I seriously doubt the food I brought is still warm. We can nuke it after my shower if you’re hungry,” Dash said as he walked bare-assed to the bathroom.
“Yeah, sure,” Emerson said, enjoying the view. “The sweats you wore last night are folded on the corner of my bed, if you want to get comfortable.”
“I just might,” Dash yelled from across the boat.
Emerson heard the water turn on in the shower while his mind returned to its contemplation of Randall’s involvement with potential missing alphas. There was just no way.
“This shower’s pretty big,” Dash yelled from the back. “I wonder if two men can fit in it.”
“They probably can,” Emerson called.
A few seconds passed before Dash yelled, “That was an invitation, by the way. Either I actually suck at seduction or you’re being thickheaded. Which is it?”
Emerson leapt off the couch and raced to the bathroom, thoughts of his brother forgotten.
For the moment.
20
Bright sunlight streamed in through the porthole in Emerson’s cabin as Dash awoke. He rolled over in the small bed and curled up close to the alpha. He’d lost track of how many times they’d fucked over the course of the night, but he figured he was making up for a lot of lost time. Years of denial and refusing to give in to his body’s basic needs had taken its toll. By the time he’d finally fallen into Emerson’s bed, he’d been ravenous for something as simple as touch.
Now, he felt near insatiable, the craving for Emerson as steady as his heartbeat. His body was sore as hell, but he loved it. He’d never felt more alive. Considering he’d been on multiple death-defying missions with the Black Guard, that was saying quite a lot in his opinion.
Dash watched Emerson sleep and smiled to himself. His chest tightened as he looked at the gorgeous alpha. He’d never thought he’d have someone like Emerson in his life. Even if they had to keep their relationship hidden away from the world, it was more than he’d ever thought he’d have.
All-in or nothing, hmm?
He was leaning hard towards all-in, even with all his qualms about the future.
The hidden part? That was feeling less and less feasible. The reporter’s words whispered through his mind. They had all night. Who’d want to live in the shadows with a man as glorious as Emerson Walker at his side?
Dash’s chest tightened, his heart’s beat rocketing a pulse or two. He’d promised himself it was just sex, yet he’d known long before he’d yielded to the need that nothing would ever be simple with Emerson. That instinctual pull refused to quiet. Lifting a hand to caress Emerson’s bearded cheek, he realized he was already losing the battle to remain detached. How he could lose after two nights, he didn’t know. But in reality, itwasmore than two nights. Months apart, yearning and dreaming of an impossible happily ever after, had been torture on the soul. All the while, he’d suspected that fate would drag them back together again.
Perhaps a part of him had even hoped for it.
All-in.That meant coming clean withallof his secrets, he supposed. That thought caused the panic to rise within. What if Emerson hated him for what he’d kept hidden?
If Dash didn’t tell him soon, Emerson might figure it out on his own.
