Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 132962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“Stuart, you staying or going?” Mitch asked, sitting Connors back down on his seat.
“I’m going. I’m already in enough hot water for not being at my brother’s wedding breakfast. I mean, seriously, who has a breakfast on the day of their wedding? Ring if you need me,” Stuart offered and clicked off the screen.
“I’ll get Kreed to come back and join this team, too. I’ll request him officially on Monday. We can do this, guys. There’s enough intelligence and tenacity right here to get this job done. We need to think outside the box. Think like competent, well-trained serial killers. These guys need us.” Mitch used Cody’s words from earlier as he pointed to the photo wall. He took his seat, draining the last of his coffee before taking a big bite of the donut. They had this. “All right, guys, let’s start from the beginning.”
Chapter 28
“No, I can hangout and pick you up,” Mitch said into the phone as he ran buck-naked across the hotel bedroom to grab their beer bottles left in the living room. He and Cody had gone out, but made an early night, opting for a twelve-pack and the privacy of Mitch’s hotel room for Cody’s second and final night in DC.
“I can grab a rental,” Kreed started, but Mitch cut him off, diving under the covers Cody held open. They had turned the heat off and the AC down low, needing human contact to stay warm.
“No, it’s not a problem. I’ll be there anyway,” Mitch tried to explain again.
“Why will you be at the airport?” Kreed sounded confused.
“I’ll tell you later. Text me your arrival info. Bye,” Mitch hung up the phone, tossing the cell somewhere on the bedside table. When he heard the thump, he realized he must have missed the table all together and the phone fell to the floor. He immediately descended on Cody’s perfect, smiling lips. When he decided he needed more of that instead of the beer break they’d decided on, a loud shrill scream had him looking around the room to see what had happened.
“My sister’s ringtone. Hand me my phone or she’ll just keep sending me texts.” Cody scowled, looking in the direction of the phone, and as if on command, the scream sounded again.
“She thinks she’s funny,” Cody explained, extending a hand for the phone he couldn’t quite reach.
Mitch rose, gave Cody the phone, and turned around on the bed. Screaming sisters sounded drama-filled, but he smiled and kissed the top of Cody’s head as he rested his back against Mitch. It was funny how comfortable they’d gotten. That stiff, uptight Cody he’d first met was long gone, except for sometimes in public Mitch could feel him pulling away. When Cody did turn shy, Mitch refused to let him. He was quickly learning how to handle his man.
They had about fifteen more hours together, and he sure as hell didn’t want Cody to close up on him now. He’d been intrigued with Cody Turner since the night they’d met, and now he was just plain taken with the man.
“The room gets seriously cold,” Cody said and Mitch wrapped him tighter in his arms, drawing the covers up around them as Cody worked his phone. Another scream filled the cold hotel room. That one had Mitch smiling, and he made the mistake of looking down at the cell phone as a guy’s picture filled the screen. The smile fled and Mitch’s brow narrowed.
“Who’s that?” he asked. He shouldn’t have. He shouldn’t have even looked at the phone, but, too late, he had.
“I’m not sure,” Cody answered vaguely and the phone screamed again. “Damn she can be a pain in the ass.”
Cody worked his phone until he brought up a box. Mitch’s eyes stayed glued to the screen—he shouldn’t be snooping, but he couldn’t keep himself from reading the series of messages that Cody and his sister sent back and forth. Cody shot off a quick ‘that’s enough. I’m busy and I’ll call you tomorrow’ text message.
Once he hit send, he started to put the phone away, but Mitch stopped him. “Who’s Jonathan Klive Barlett, age twenty-seven, five-eight with okay looking blue eyes?” The text screamed again before he got his answer.
“She’s such a pain in the ass,” Cody repeated, ignoring the incoming text. He silenced his phone.
“Answer the question,” Mitch pushed. He really needed to know the answer. He didn’t think Cody had a boyfriend, but had he ever asked that question? Maybe he didn’t want to know the answer after all. Cody turned in his arms, lying on his chest, then he tossed the phone on the nightstand and sighed. Mitch pulled the blankets up around them.
“Someone my sister suggested I meet,” Cody answered, his piercing blue eyes were back on Mitch, right where they should be. He liked that.
“Are you going to meet him?” Mitch asked. Please say no…please say no! He didn’t want Cody hooking up with this Klive guy or any other dude for that matter.
“I don’t know. Probably not. She has terrible taste in men,” Cody said and shrugged.
“Are those the kinds of guys you usually date?” Mitch nodded toward the phone.
“Yeah, I mean, sure, sometimes. Yes. And I usually prefer to date guys more than just having a quick fuck. I mean it’s not like serious dating, but someone to hang out with until the next one comes along. I honestly haven’t dated all that much, since I’ve been focused on my career,” Cody said, reaching for the Bud Light bottle on the nightstand. “I bet you’re a fuck ’em and leave ’em kind of guy, aren’t you?”
“Quit changing the subject.” Mitch’s gaze stayed trained on Cody.
“I didn’t know we were on a subject,” Cody replied after a long swallow. “Is this like an interrogation thing?” Cody asked and reached up to kiss Mitch. Cody sucked his lip in his mouth and kissed him a little longer than a standard kiss. Cody tasted like beer and pure hot sexed-up male, and that stirred Mitch’s body. Who was he kidding? His body came to life the minute Cody walked into baggage claim and hadn’t stopped since.