What could possibly go wrong?
***
“What in the world are you upto, husband o’ mine?”
Rex peered over his shoulder when Jack came through the back door. “What ever do you mean?”
“I never thought you to be the meddling kind.”
Grinning, he turned toward Jack. “Meddlin’?”
Jack shrugged. “Yes, meddling. Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“How exactly did I do that?”
“You just sent that sweet girl out with … with…” Jack sighed dramatically. “Well, I don’tknowwhat Holt Callahan is, but surely he’s got an agenda.”
“Because he’s an author?” Rex nodded. “Theyarea mischievous lot.”
“We are not,” Jack said defensively.
Rex knew his husband was the suspicious sort, as was Rex most of the time. However, he decided to play along. “Then why would you possibly think he has an agenda?”
“For starters, he asked about your brother when he called to make the reservation.”
Yes, Rex was rather curious how they knew each other. A guy Rafe used to know shows up almost three years exactly from when Rafe returned. And though Rex hadn’t seen Rafe in years before that, he’d suspected something was different about him. Now he had to wonder whether Holt Callahan played a part in that, and if so, how?
But he wasn’t ready to relay that to his husband quite yet. Rex figured it needed to play out a little more before he connected the dots completely.
“So? They know each other. People know people, Jack. That doesn’t make them bad.”
“I never said he wasbad,” Jack defended.
“I guess he couldn’t be, huh?” Rex picked up the plastic food containers and turned to pass them to his husband. “He’s an author, after all.”
“Exactly.” Jack’s eyes widened. “Wait. How did you know he was an author?”
“Because you told me.”
Jack shook his head. “No, I didn’t. You brought it up first.”
“Fine.” Rex grinned and stepped closer. “I know becausemyauthor likes to doodle on notepads when he’s ponderin’ somethin’.”
“Fuck.” Jack rolled his eyes. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“What? That you’ve got a crush on a hot thriller writer, and you were scribblin’ his name all over your notebook?” Rex teased.
“I do not,” Jack insisted, his expression turning deadly serious. “I swear it, babe. No. I—”
Rex silenced him with a quick kiss. “Trust me. I’m not worried. If I were, you’d be spread eagle on the bed right now, tryin’ to figure out how to get yourself free.”
Jack’s eyebrows jumped. “Would I be naked?”
“Most definitely.”
“I guess he is kinda—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”
