And then last November happened, and Cyrus opted to take a job in California just so he could skip town without so much as asee ya later. When he did, Trey’d been a little shaken. No. Scratch that. He’d been hurt. That was what he’d been. Hurt by the fact Cyrus could so easily dump his ass like he was yesterday’s news.
Not that he’d been heartbroken or anything. Trey hadn’t fallen in love with the guy, for fuck’s sake. They’d just been having fun. Indulging, like Cyrus had said. And no, Trey hadn’t been ready for it to end, but Cyrus hadn’t given him a say in the matter.
“Pouting doesn’t suit you,” he muttered to himself, heading for the kitchen when he heard the coffeemaker coughing its completion.
He wasn’t pouting, damn it. He was … reflecting. Yes. Reflecting. That was all this was. He no longer thought about Cyrus because he was enjoying his time with Magnus. The guy had come along at a time when he’d needed him. And the sex? Off. The. Fucking charts. That was all it was.
Trey poured a cup of coffee, added one packet of Splenda, then made his way to his desk. He took a sip as he was taking his seat but reversed course immediately and headed back to the kitchen. He grabbed two more Splenda, dumped them in the cup, and prayed no one gave him shit for fucking up the coffee.
Right now, he needed to focus on important things.
Like this cold case he’d been working on for the past couple of months. He hadn’t gotten as far as he would’ve liked, but he wanted to believe he was making progress. Probably would’ve been wise to use the case during the interviews when they’d gone the interactive route, giving their potential new hires a glimpse at their day to day. He could’ve gotten someone else’s perspective on it. Maybe Baz could take a look, see what Trey was missing. After all, he was the novice here. Luckily for him, the others were willing to forgive his idiocy and help him along. He wasn’t sure that would be the case when they were fully staffed.
Movement across the room caught his eye, and he looked up to see the image of Brantley, JJ, and Reese moving across the big screen mounted on the wall. The heads-up allowed him time to pretend he was busy, flipping to his email just as he heard the faint beep of the keypad outside the door. A second later, the lock disengaged.
“Mornin’,” he greeted, reaching for his coffee and hiding his wince when he took another sip. Yep, he’d definitely fucked it up.
“Saw you get here. Why didn’t you come in and grab somethin’ to eat?” Brantley asked.
“Ate at the house,” he lied easily. “Plus, y’all looked mighty cozy.”
Reese’s eyebrows popped, as though telling him that things did appear to be settling down. Good thing, too. Trey was starting to suffocate on the tension. God knows he had enough stress in his personal life. He damn sure didn’t need any help with more.
*
Doing his best to pretend it wasn’ta huge deal that Trey was there before he was, Brantley plastered a smile on his face and accepted a cup of coffee when Reese passed it over.
“What’s got you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this mornin’?” he teased his brother.
“Is that what I am?”
“Looks like it.” He motioned toward Trey’s computer, took a sip of coffee, winced. “What the fuck is this shit?”
The slow smirk that formed on Trey’s mouth told him everything.
“You arenotallowed to make the coffee,” Brantley barked. “Ever.”
Trey laughed, looking up at him as he pushed his own mug away. “It’s horrible, huh?”
“That’s one word for it.”
“I’ll make more,” JJ said, giggling as she watched them.
Brantley handed over his cup when she reached for it. “Besides makin’ shitty coffee, what’re you doin’ up and at ’em before the rest of us?”
“Maybe y’all are just slackin’ this mornin’. Ever think of that?”
A slow smile formed on his mouth as Brantley thought about the ten-mile run, the half-hour shower with Reese. “Nope. Don’t think that’s it.”
Trey held up a hand, blocking him from view. “Nope. I don’t even wanna know what you’re thinkin’ right now, little brother. Keep your perverted-ass thoughts to yourself.”
“I’m not one to kiss and tell. You should know that by now.”
Trey pretended to gag, making Reese laugh.
“Uh-oh,” Charlie said when she stepped into the barn. “What’d I miss?”
“Besides the world’s shittiest cup of coffee?” Brantley joked. “Nothin’.”
