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Testing Arthur
ISBN # 978-1-78184-260-7
©Copyright Amber Kell 2013
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright March 2013
Edited by Stacey Birkel
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination
and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or
places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form,
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of the artwork.
Published in 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL,
United Kingdom.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This
story has a heat rating of Total-e-sizzling and a sexometer of 2.
This story contains 87 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book
containing 6 pages.
Book two in the Mercenary Love series
Sometimes strong men need help too…
When Arthur Turner is injured on the job, he relies on his sometimes lover Patrick Edwards
to see him through. But Patrick is evidently finished being Arthur’s secret lover and tells
Arthur he only came to check on him because he still cares. After almost dying, Arthur has to
re-evaluate his life choices.
Patrick is part owner of his own business, has a solid group of friends…and is utterly in love
with a closeted man. When Arthur offers to give up everything for him, he wonders if
pressuring Arthur was the right thing to do. Would his lover eventually regret choosing
Patrick over his previous life?
Now a killer is on the loose. Fixated on Arthur, the killer is enraged to discover Patrick is part
of Arthur’s life. Determined to have Arthur for himself, he lays a trap hoping to get Arthur
alone and under his control.
Two men torn apart by lies come together to finally have the relationship they always
secretly wanted.
Dedication
For my fans who asked what happened to Arthur and Patrick after Tempting Sin.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following
wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Boy Scout: Boy Scouts of America
Glock: Glock Ges m. b. H.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
6
Chapter One
“Are you sure I can’t do anything else for you?” Addison Stark asked.
Arthur bit back the acid words threatening to spill out of his mouth. He needed peace,
quiet and no more chattering in his ear. Addison hadn’t shut the fuck up for days.
“No, I’ve got it from here. Thanks for the ride.” As much as he appreciated his friend’s
help, Addie had become too possessive over the past few days. Unexpectedly showing up at
the hospital, harassing the staff about Arthur’s care—the man had been relentless. Arthur
almost regretted agreeing to let Addie drive him home after his surgery. Addie had
mentioned several times how he’d be happy to stay and take care of Arthur while he
recovered. It had taken a lot of lying out of his ass to convince Addie that Arthur’s brother,
Callum, would be along soon to take care of him.
Callum would be surprised to hear the news too since he didn’t even know Arthur had
been injured. Arthur might have bent the truth until it screamed, but his instincts told him to
keep Addie at a distance.
“You can set my bag over there.” Arthur nodded towards a spot on the entryway tile.
Addie didn’t need to come any farther inside. If Arthur offered him coffee or anything, he’d
never leave.
The slim redhead gave Arthur an odd look but set his bag down. “How long do you
need to be on those crutches?”
“A couple of weeks to keep the weight off the leg so the wound will heal. I can hobble
around on my own after that. I was lucky—no major nerves were severed and he missed the
artery.” Arthur tried to remember that luck while nightmares played in his head every night.
The memory of his partner scattered about their motel room in bloody, oozing chunks
remained vivid in his mind.
“Poor Dwayne can’t say the same thing,” Addie said. The words were right, but the
tone lacked emotion. Horror should’ve been in his voice like it lived in Arthur’s mind. A
psychopath had sliced Dwayne’s body to pieces. No one deserved that kind of death, even a
screaming homophobe like Dwayne. He knew Addie hadn’t liked Arthur’s partner, but
surely there should be some sympathy for the dead?
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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“Did you go to the ceremony?” Arthur asked.
Addie nodded.
“I’m sorry I missed it. I had wanted to be there for Lisa and Destiny.” They’d still been
stitching him back together when they’d laid Dwayne to rest. It had spared Arthur the
burden of pretending to be broken up over losing his partner, but he would’ve liked to have
helped Lisa through the ordeal. His partner had been a tool, but Arthur had always liked
Dwayne’s wife and daughter.
“It was a nice ceremony. Lisa doesn’t blame you for his death.” Addie dropped that
bombshell casually as if it didn’t have the weight to affect the rest of his life.
“She doesn’t?” A pound of guilt slid off Arthur’s chest—the burden he’d been carrying
since he found his partner butchered under the knife of a serial killer. “But I would’ve been
there to save Dwayne if I hadn’t gone to meet you.”
The fact that he’d returned too late to save his partner weighed on his conscience. If
he’d arrived only a few minutes earlier, Dwayne might still be alive.
Addie nodded. “Yeah.
Did you ever figure out how he found your motel room?”
“No.” It bothered Arthur, that little tingling fact being out of place. He knew he hadn’t
been followed and Dwayne hadn’t taken the car anywhere without him. It was almost like
the killer had had an inside track on their whereabouts. Arthur pushed that thought away.
No one would help a psychopath kill an agent, at least not anyone who had known where
Dwayne and Arthur were staying.
“If you’d returned later than you did, you wouldn’t have caught him and he’d still be
out there carving up who knows who.”
Arthur knew Addie was trying to make him feel better but somehow it didn’t. Pretty
four-year-old Destiny with her big brown eyes and corkscrew curls didn’t have a daddy
anymore because Arthur had sat down and eaten an eggroll with Addie before he left their
meeting. Dwayne might have been a bigoted idiot, but he’d been a caring father and
husband.
“But if I’d been there earlier I might have been able to stop him,” Arthur protested. His
nightmares were filled with the image of his dead partner strewn in pieces across their motel
room floor. The patterns of the blood alone remained vivid in his mind like bloody
watercolours across his memory. He’d been to war zones that had had less blood than that
one crime scene.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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He shook his head as if that could dispel the brutal images burned into his mind.
“Hey, it wasn’t your fault,” Addie said, his brown eyes filled with compassion. Though
he hadn’t shown emotion for Dwayne, he apparently had plenty of it for Arthur.
“I know.” He didn’t have survivor’s guilt like a lot of people thought. He had guilt that
he wasn’t more upset his partner had died. Dwayne Summers had been a waste of a human
being. He might have been a good agent and father, but the man hadn’t met a race, religion
or sexual orientation he didn’t have something derogatory to say about.
Arthur had tried several times to get a new partner, but his requests had been denied.
His boss had claimed that since Arthur was the new guy on the block he had to be shown the
ropes by a more experienced agent. When a murderer killed that same supposedly
experienced agent, he didn’t have the heart to point out the bitch slap irony had dealt out.
It was time to end his association with the FBI. He was tired of hiding who he wanted
to spend his life with. He’d given everything to the agency in the little time he’d been there.
The FBI had cost him Patrick—the love of his life—and almost his leg. He was done.
“I’m leaving,” Arthur announced abruptly.
“What?” Addie’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Arthur.
“I’m quitting the agency. I can’t stay there and hide anymore.”
“You don’t have to hide,” Addie argued. “I’m out. No one bothers me.”
“Yeah, but you’re a computer geek, not an agent. I don’t want to have another partner I
can’t trust. I wasn’t out in the Army or the FBI. I’m getting too old to play pretend. I want to
be able to announce that I want to share my life with a man and not worry about my life
being endangered.”
“Any particular man?” Addie asked. His eyes narrowed as if he were ready to begin
interrogating Arthur.
“Not yet. But some day,” Arthur hedged. Patrick had made it quite clear they were
through. They had parted on bad terms last month when he’d refused to go to Patrick’s
company party as his date.
Arthur had worried someone from work would see him and put things together.
Patrick’s company occasionally coordinated with the FBI, and Arthur couldn’t take the
chance. On a perilous assignment he couldn’t worry about whether his partner had his back
or not. If Dwayne had known Arthur loved a man, he would’ve shoved Arthur in front of a
bullet instead of protecting him.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
9
“There’s always hope,” Addie said, with a wistful expression in his eyes Arthur
pretended not to see. Addie was cute and all, but he wasn’t Arthur’s type. Arthur’s tastes ran
more along the lines of blond ex-mercenaries with melting eyes and big cocks.
“I’ll see you later,” Arthur said. “I’m gonna get some rest.”
He doubted the pain would let him sleep, but he needed to be alone, quietly alone.
“Oh, okay then…if you’re sure you don’t need me to stay. I’ll see you later.”
Addie hesitated on the threshold but, at Arthur’s wave, he reluctantly left. Arthur
quickly locked the door before Addie changed his mind and came back to tell him ‘just one
more thing’.
Arthur’s heart ached. Damn he missed Patrick. He could almost hear one of his ex-
lover’s sarcastic comments about Addie floating in his head. Patrick’s personality appealed
to Arthur even more than his body.
Sighing, he headed for the living room. Maybe he could watch a little television while
he tried to relax enough to sleep.
His mind still on Patrick and not paying attention to his steps, Arthur barely stopped
himself from a bad spill when his right crutch caught on the carpet. The rubber tip made a
loud thud as Arthur stomped it on the floor to prevent his fall. His right leg pulsed in pain,
aching like a sore tooth. He’d probably never walk without a limp…but at least he’d walk
again, which was more than he could say about his partner.
I’m still alive.
He chanted that phrase silently to himself over and over. He should be grateful he’d
survived. The knife stabbed into his thigh hadn’t severed any nerves. However, the infection
that had followed could’ve finished him off, something Millen had been unable to do. After
working as both a soldier and then as an agent Arthur had been put in some sticky
situations. This had been worse than all of them combined. His mind kept returning to the
crime scene. He swallowed rapidly to hold back the bile rising in his throat.
He needed to keep it together. Throwing up on his living room floor would be the icing
on his fucked-up-life cake.
Exhaustion wore him down and his throbbing leg had him gritting his teeth against the
pain. Too close. No more. He was done. His last case had lost him his partner and almost his
life. It was time to re-evaluate what he wanted for his future. It was time to hang up his white
hat and enjoy his time on this earth. Maybe he could enjoy it with Patrick…if he could get the
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
10
man to take his calls. Begging might be involved. If he could manage to get down on his
knees without screaming it would probably help his case.
Patrick had probably found a new man by now. Arthur couldn’t imagine his ex-lover
alone for long. The idea haunted Arthur even as he imagined his replacement. No doubt a
gorgeous, successful man who had no problems escorting his boyfriend to a party. Memories
of how they’d separated threatened to make him queasier than flashbacks of his partner’s
death.
After almost two years of secret meetings, Patrick had had the right to want more.
Arthur might have left the Army for Patrick, but he hadn’t been able to come out completely.
It was too risky. They might say all the right things on the books about acceptance for all, but
everyone knew you couldn’t legislate equality. It might be the law, but people will feel how
they feel and nothing was going to change that.
Depression pressed like a weight on his chest. Everyone from the doctor to his physical
therapist said Arthur would get better with time and therapy, but he knew he’d never be the
same. Nothing could ever bring his leg to function at the same level it did before. There
would be scar tissue build-up and he already had pins in his right knee from previous
damage.
He hobbled over to the fridge for a glass of water, opened the door and found it
completely full. Dozens of containers with clear labels explaining the delicious goodness
inside covered every shelf.
Callum.
His chef brother had obviously come over and made sure Arthur had enough food to
subsist on until the end of time. Someone had spilled the beans about his injury. More than
likely Sinclair, his brother-in-law, had flagged Arthur’s name.
At least Callum hadn’t stayed to hover over him. He was glad his brothers respected his
privacy. Despite their discretion he knew he was living on borrowed time. His older brother
William had his family to take care of, but Callum only had his lovesick mercenary husband,
Sin. The hard-ass soldier would cave like a popped balloon if Callum insisted on coming
over to hover and fuss over Arthur.
Arthur hoped to keep his brother away for a bit until he healed more. He didn’t want
Callum to see the extent of his wounds. After working so hard to keep the ugly parts of his
life from his brothers, he didn’t plan to slip up now. They might have a theoretical
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
11
knowledge about his job as an Army Ranger and then an FBI agent, but they didn’t need to
know of his recent man hunt to find a serial killer. Arthur had no plans to tell them about the
case. To share how he still had nightmares and had almost died.
Millen Brown had murdered six women and Arthur’s partner before Arthur had
stabbed him with his own knife and ended his life. At night, in his dreams, Arthur relived
the gory sight all the way down to the sticky, sweet smell of splattered blood.
Grunting from exertion, Arthur tumbled onto—rather than sat on—his favourite leather
couch as his crutches slipped out from beneath him. Pain flared up his leg like wildfire as his
ungraceful landing jarred his wound.
“Crap!” he cursed. Even as his temper spiked, Arthur knew he’d have to get used to
being off balance. Frankly, he just hoped to eventually walk without too much of a limp.
Exhausted and half asleep from painkillers, it took Arthur longer than usual to realise
the soft sound he’d heard meant he wasn’t alone. Arthur tensed. Damn, he’d hoped to have
more time before his brothers arrived. Hand shaking from stress and exhaustion, Arthur
clicked the table lamp on.
“Hello, Arthur,” a familiar voice spoke in the dim lighting.
Arthur’s heart skipped a beat when he recognised his visitor. Of all the possible
scenarios he’d had about seeing Patrick again, he hadn’t expected his ex-lover to show up in
his living room.
“Patrick? What are you doing here?”
The sound of Patrick’s voice had Arthur’s heart pounding and his cock standing at
attention like a dog offered its favourite treat. Blinking to adjust his vision, he sighed when
the speaker came into focus. Damn Patrick, with his tousled blond hair and tempting mouth.
He looked amazingly good to a tired, injured agent. The dreams he’d had of that mouth
alone had caused enough orgasms while he slept to keep him washing his sheets daily.
Fuck, he’d missed him.
“Sin called me and asked me to check up on you. He said you probably weren’t quite
ready for Callum to come by. I still had a key.” Patrick’s tone didn’t reveal anything except
annoyance as he frowned at Arthur from his spot on the chair across from him.
“No, he’s right. I don’t want Callum to see me until I’ve healed a little more. At least
another week.” Hopefully by then he could walk with a little less of a noticeable hop or at
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
12
least hobble about without crutches. He didn’t want his brother sick with worry when there
wasn’t anything he could do.
Greedily absorbing the sight of his ex-lover, Arthur let out a sigh. “Thank you for
coming. You don’t have to stick around. I can take care of myself.”
Please leave. It hurts to see you.
He’d thought being stabbed by a psycho killer was bad. Seeing Patrick and not being
able to touch made the knife wound seem like a paper cut.
“Don’t be an ass,” Patrick scowled. His stern expression told Arthur he wasn’t going
anywhere.
“I’m not being an ass,” Arthur protested. “You didn’t have to check on me. It’s not like
we’re together anymore.”
The words almost caught in his throat and threatened to choke him.
Patrick leant forward. The sight of the slight bump on Patrick’s nose almost made
Arthur smile. He’d made that break himself. It had been a lovely punch. Unfortunately, right
now he wouldn’t have the energy to overpower a kitten, much less force the man he loved to
leave his apartment.
“I’m here and I’m not leaving until you can get around on your own.” The words
sounded like more of a threat than an offer and the steely expression in Patrick’s eyes had
Arthur wondering if he’d live to see the morning.
“Shit!” Arthur tilted back his head and closed his eyes. Just what he didn’t need—ex-
boyfriend drama on top of his injury. Maybe if he ignored his intruder he would go away.
Curiosity forced him to ask, “What did Sin tell you to do?”
“Watch your place and let him know when you were home. I called the hospital, but
you’d already been released. Don’t worry—I told him you’d given me a key because I house-
sat for you sometimes. Our dirty little secret is safe. How did you get home?” Patrick waved
a hand, indicating Arthur’s leg.
Arthur decided to bypass their usual argument. He didn’t have the energy and Patrick
didn’t always fight fair. “A friend gave me a ride.”
“What kind of friend?” Patrick growled. His jaw tightened as if he was clenching his
teeth.
“The platonic work kind. I was going to take a cab, but he insisted.”
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
13
“I bet he did. Is he also gay? Is he good enough to come out for?” Pain flashed in
Patrick’s eyes.
“Hey, come here.” Arthur held out his hand to Patrick.
For a moment he thought Patrick would refuse. Instead he got off the chair and joined
Arthur on the couch. “Sorry.”
“For what? I’m the idiot who wouldn’t tell anyone about us. I can understand if you’re
upset with me still.” Arthur took a long breath before he said what had been weighing on his
mind ever since he’d last seen Patrick. “If you still want me, I’d like to try.”
Putting his heart out on the line scared him more than a knife-wielding maniac.
“Try what?” Patrick froze beside him.
“Try to have a relationship. I’m leaving the FBI. I don’t know what I’m going to do next,
but I’m not going to hide and pretend to be someone I’m not.” Arthur blinked back tears.
He’d almost died without ever having the chance to admit to everyone that he loved
Patrick. He knew Callum and Sin suspected, but he had refused to tell even them the truth,
as if telling even one person would make their relationship public domain.
“I thought you loved working for the FBI,” Patrick said into the sudden silence.
Arthur laughed, a sad bitter sound even to his own ears. “I used to think that, but then
my partner was hacked up by a psychopath. If I can look a killer in the eyes, I should have
the guts to face down everyone else for the man I love.”
There. He’d said it. The rest was up to Patrick now.
Arthur only hoped Patrick would give him another chance. He needed someone to be
there when he closed his eyes at night and relived the frozen expression of terror on
Dwayne’s dead, sliced-up face. Sometimes the dead could speak and when they did it
usually wasn’t a pleasant bedtime story.
“You love me?” Patrick’s astonished tone had Arthur turning in surprise to face Patrick
instead of staring across the room.
“Of course I love you, idiot,” Arthur said fondly. “How could you not know that?”
The cold, narrowed look shot in his direction conveyed Patrick’s annoyance. “If you
weren’t injured I’d punch you for that half-ass declaration,” Patrick said.
“Sorry,” Arthur sighed. He could barely focus through his exhaustion.
“Let’s get you to bed. You can announce your devotion for me tomorrow,” Patrick said,
dryly. “Your brothers will kill me if I don’t take good care of you.”
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Arthur froze. “Do they know about us?”
Patrick’s fingers tightened on Arthur’s arm. “No. I wouldn’t do that to you. I haven’t
even told Sin because I knew he’d tell Callum.”
“Sorry, reflex,” he apologised. We’ll tell them together.”
The doubt on Patrick’s face cut him to the quick. He’d done this to the man he loved.
Made Patrick hide their relationship to protect Arthur’s career. A job he didn’t give a fuck
about anymore.
Patrick nodded. “Okay.”
Arthur slid his fingers between Patrick’s, clasping his hand tightly. “I want us to have a
future together.”
Please don’t let it be too late for us.
Patrick cleared his throat. Arthur thought he saw a sheen of wetness in Patrick’s eyes,
but he blinked and it vanished. “Are you sure about that? Telling everyone? Even your
brothers?”
“Yes. I’m just not up to dealing with them right now. I’m too fucking tired. We’ll call
them tomorrow,” Arthur said. He closed his eyes, afraid of what he’d see on Patrick’s face.
Pity for the man he’d already moved on from. Sadness that he couldn’t return Arthur’s love.
He felt fingers brush his cheek. He didn’t dare open his eyes. He squeezed his lids
tighter.
“Babe, I’m not going to leave you,” Patrick said, barely above a whisper. “If I couldn’t
dump you when we were hiding, why would I do it when you’re finally willing to come out
of the closet?”
Arthur’s eyes snapped open. “You did dump me,” he reminded his lover.
A wry smile twisted Patrick’s mouth. “I didn’t mean it. I planned on seeing you as soon
as you came home.”
“I almost didn’t,” Arthur confessed.
Patrick paled. “I thought it was just a knife wound.”
Arthur took a long breath and told Patrick everything. About his partner’s death, about
stabbing the killer, about the infection that had almost killed him.
“That’s why you are so willing to tell everyone now, isn’t it?” Patrick demanded.
“Because you almost died.”
Arthur nodded.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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“Fuck,” Patrick said the word like a prayer. Gently, he wrapped his arms around
Arthur, surrounding him with his heat. “I almost lost you.” The words, soft and broken,
made Arthur’s heart ache.
“You can never lose me, Patrick. I belong to you.”
Patrick released him. “When did you become a romantic sap?”
“Since I almost lost you,” Arthur replied. He settled his head on Patrick’s shoulder as
his lover moved closer.
They stayed that way for a while until Arthur’s leg started to hurt and he shifted
uneasily on the couch.
“Why don’t I check out your stitches and make sure you’re healing well?” Patrick
scooted out from beneath Arthur. He touched Arthur’s leg gently with a nervous look in his
eyes, as if Arthur were a wild animal that might strike at any moment.
“Leave my leg alone,” Arthur said crossly. “It hurts enough without you poking at it.”
Even with the pain, the thought of Patrick touching him had Arthur’s erection pressing
against his zipper as if trying to reach his lover. Arthur definitely regretted going commando
under his jeans today. As much as he wished to tuck himself in bed with Patrick, he didn’t
want to expose his ugly injury to his lover.
“Now, don’t be like that. I need to be able to report that I did my part and made sure
you were fine. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.” Patrick’s leer almost took the
edge off Arthur’s bad day. He held on to his attitude with a tight fist, not daring to let a smile
escape his iron control.
“There’s nothing to see that you have any business poking around. A knife went
through my leg multiple times and took out a chunk of my thigh. They had to stitch me back
together. It’s not pretty,” he warned.
“For such a gorgeous man, you’re awfully hostile,” Patrick mused. “Maybe I could
sweeten you up.”
Before he could object or agree, Patrick sank to his knees. Scooting between Arthur’s
legs, he reached for Arthur’s zipper. “Let me suck you off. It’s been weeks since I got to taste
you.”
The hunger in Patrick’s voice had Arthur agreeing quickly. After spending two months
with Dwayne hunting Millen across state lines, he’d missed Patrick. Oddly, it wasn’t just the
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
16
sex he’d missed. Patrick’s smile, his touch and the way he always paid attention when
Arthur talked had stood out in his mind as much as the hot sex.
“Taste away,” Arthur offered. He leant back, giving Patrick room to touch. Sliding his
fingers through Patrick’s hair, he gently cupped his lover’s head, unable to resist touching
him. He’d thought he’d never be able to touch Patrick again.
A low, hungry noise came from Patrick as he removed Arthur’s shoes then pulled his
jeans carefully down his legs. Arthur breathed out as Patrick’s fingers brushed his skin. The
scrape of Patrick’s calluses against his thighs had him sighing like a love-struck idiot.
Patrick leant forward, his warm breath on Arthur’s exposed cock pulling a whimper
from Arthur’s throat. “Damn, I missed you.”
“I missed you too, beautiful,” Patrick murmured against his skin.
“I’m not beautiful,” Arthur protested. His brother Callum had all the beautiful genes.
For all that they looked alike, Arthur definitely wasn’t the pretty one in the family.
“I like my men a little rough around the edges. As far as I’m concerned, you’re as pretty
as they come,” Patrick finished with a smile.
“You do know I can kill you with my pinkie finger,” Arthur mentioned casually as he
wiggled the aforementioned finger of his right hand.
“I’m not too worried,” Patrick said, wrapping a hand around Arthur’s erection. “I have
my own ways of distracting you.”
Evil bastard.
They both knew there was no way Arthur would harm Patrick. Not now, not ever. He’d
stab a knife into his other leg before he caused Patrick any more harm, physical or mental.
Patrick squeezed Arthur’s shaft with a knowing touch.
“Oh,” Arthur sighed. Before Patrick, no one had ever taken the time to learn all his
hotspots. Patrick had not only found all of Arthur’s erotic points from neck to toe, but he
knew how to play him like a finely tuned instrument.
“Don’t tense up. I don’t want you to hurt your leg,” Patrick said. He carefully placed his
hand above Arthur’s bandage.
“I’m fine.”
He wasn’t, but he’d rather endure hours of torture than confess his leg hurt as if he
were roasting over the fires of hell.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
17
“You’re not fine. You’re injured and, from what you told me, an infection almost killed
you. You are not allowed to die on me!” Patrick’s fierce expression melted Arthur’s heart.
He’d never had anyone besides his brothers feel protective of him before.
“I’m here now,” Arthur reassured. Better to pull Patrick’s mind away from his injury.
“Now, are you going to suck my cock or leave the poor thing waving out in the breeze?”
Patrick smiled. “I’d never leave you hanging, babe.”
Before Arthur could complain about Patrick’s interpretation of leaving someone
wanting, Patrick swallowed Arthur down in one fell swoop.
“Oh, fuck,” Arthur whispered. Time away had him forgetting how perfectly his lover
could give a blow job. His fingers gripped Patrick’s short strands, unable to resist. He needed
contact with his lover, more than anything. “I missed this. I missed you.”
The soft confession went unheard beneath the noises Patrick made sucking him off, but
Arthur still felt better having shared his feelings. One day he’d convince Patrick to stay with
him…permanently.
Despite the fiery sensation in his leg, it took little time for Arthur to pour his release
down Patrick’s throat. Patrick took it all like a champ. When he pulled off, he licked his lips
as if he’d just downed the finest drink ever.
“I missed you, too,” Patrick agreed. Apparently, Arthur’s confession hadn’t gone
unheard after all.
Arthur smiled. “It will be different from now on.”
“I hope so.” Patrick’s serious expression revealed how much he was counting on Arthur
to make things right between them.
“It will be,” he promised. “I’ll tell everyone about us. If…if you still want me.”
The words stuck in his throat. He hated even giving Patrick the option, but he needed
to be fair. If Patrick had moved on, Arthur had to know. He barely breathed as he waited for
Patrick’s answer.
Patrick went to his knees and kissed Arthur. “I will always want you, even when I’m
old and can barely get it up anymore.”
Arthur laughed. Unfortunately, that shook his leg, making him groan.
“Let me check out your injury.” Patrick turned Arthur’s injured leg a little to the right to
examine the bandage. “Is there anything I should know?” Patrick frowned in concentration
as he examined Arthur’s leg.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
18
That I want to strip you bare. That I crave your body wrapped around mine?
“That you should leave it alone.” Arthur kept his tone clipped and unfriendly. He
didn’t want to encourage Patrick to mess with his wound. He knew his sharp tone wouldn’t
scare Patrick away, but hopefully it would keep him from his leg.
He’d left the hospital so he could get some sleep. The blow job had only made him
sleepier. He desperately needed rest, a commodity they didn’t believe in during hospital
stays. If one more nurse had shone a light in his eyes in the middle of the night to see if he
was sleeping, they would have needed to expand the morgue to hold all the dead bodies.
Of course, sleeping also meant dreams and none of those had been friendly so far.
Patrick ignored Arthur’s rudeness and examined the bandage that covered most of
Arthur’s right thigh. “You don’t appear to be seeping through. You should be good until
tomorrow. We’ll change it then. Let’s get you to bed. Then maybe you can get some rest.
Fuckers don’t let you sleep in a hospital.”
Arthur blinked, startled at Patrick’s words. They were so close to what he’d been
thinking, except the part where Patrick would be there in the morning. “What do you mean,
we’ll change it tomorrow?”
“What?” Patrick met Arthur’s eyes with a puzzled look of his own. “What part of I’m
here to take care of you don’t you understand?”
Arthur froze as Patrick’s words sank in. He tried to unscramble Patrick’s words with his
sluggish brain.
“You don’t live here,” he enunciated clearly. Arthur’s head hurt and his leg burned,
but, despite his exhaustion, he was pretty sure he’d remember moving another person into
his home. He really didn’t want Patrick to see him at his worst, not when he hoped to coax
him into a real relationship. Maybe he could get Patrick to leave and come back after he’d
had more rest.
“Consider me a temporary resident,” Patrick offered.
Arthur’s pain overcame his ability to concentrate on their conversation. He knew he
wouldn’t win the argument anyway. He never did when Patrick used his stubborn tone.
“Whatever. Could you hand me my crutches? I’m really tired.” Arthur accepted
Patrick’s hand when he held it out. They could fight tomorrow. He didn’t have any energy
left for today.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Arthur followed Patrick to his bedroom, wondering when he’d become a guest in his
own house and needed a guide to make it down the hall. He wouldn’t say anything, though.
As surly as he felt, he might scare Patrick off. The fact that Patrick had willingly entered his
bedroom raised Arthur’s spirits.
Despite his complaining, he longed to fall asleep with his lover in his arms again. The
sight of his bed almost made him weep with joy.
If given the opportunity, he would’ve flung himself gratefully down on the mattress,
but Patrick wrapped an arm around Arthur’s waist and slowed his fall, carefully positioning
him for comfort. Without a word of argument, Arthur let Patrick remove his shirt, exposing
the rest of his body. Patrick is quite good at clothing removal, Arthur mused, half delirious with
pain.
Patrick’s hot gaze sparked across Arthur. He swallowed back a moan at the thought of
being buck naked with this attractive man. Patrick pushed all the buttons Arthur hadn’t even
known he’d had until he’d met the blond before him.
Without his clothing, Arthur couldn’t hide his renewed erection. A blush burned his
cheeks.
Patrick didn’t change his stare from Arthur’s cock. “I think you need to heal a bit more
before we can consider any more active lovemaking.”
“Spoilsport,” Arthur said with little heat as he climbed under the covers. No point in
telling Patrick how badly he wished he felt better, that he’d love to fuck Patrick into the
mattress or against the wall or on the carpet. Of course, his leg would probably give out and
he’d end up screaming in pain, but hell, it was his fantasy and in it he could damn well
sweep Patrick off his feet.
Closing his eyes, he blocked out the gorgeous vision standing beside his bed. Patrick
with his hard muscles and silky skin tempted him like no other.
He’d have to have a whole lot of liquor before he could block out the pain radiating
from his limb or a boatload of painkillers.
“Thanks for coming to check on me.” He was proud he didn’t choke on his words. “You
don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
There—he’d given Patrick an out. A chance to decide that he didn’t want damaged
goods after all. He should get a goddamned medal for self-sacrifice after this. He wanted
Patrick so badly his skin itched with the desire to slide against Patrick’s body.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
20
Patrick’s mouth dropped open. “You actually think I’m going to leave you here alone?
You need someone to watch you and get you to the doctor and to make sure you’re healing
right. I’m certain they asked you at the hospital if you had someone to help you when you
went home.”
Arthur pressed his lips together. No way would he confess he had sworn he’d have a
friend at his apartment to look after him. He would’ve promised anything to get out of the
hospital. A small lie was nothing compared to what he was willing to do.
“I’m not a child. I can get myself where I need to go,” Arthur protested. His argument
sounded weak even to his own ears, but maybe Patrick would tire of Arthur’s attitude soon
and move on to his next charity case of the week. When he’d imagined his reunion with his
ex-lover, it hadn’t involved Patrick taking care of them while Arthur healed.
“Forget it. I’m staying until you can comfortably be on your own two feet. And then I’m
going to stay longer because you’re mine!” Patrick ended the sentence almost shouting in the
silence of the room.
Relief swept through Arthur. If Patrick was willing to fight with him, it meant his lover
really planned to stay.
“I think you just like my apartment,” Arthur teased.
Patrick made a show of looking around Arthur’s bedroom. “It’s a nice place, but I like it
better when its occupant is home. We need to get you healed and back on your feet so we can
revisit all the surfaces on which you can screw me senseless.” His gaze returned to Arthur’s
leg. “How bad is it really? Do they think you’ll be able to walk without assistance
eventually?”
Arthur would’ve told Patrick to fuck off if he’d shown one ounce of pity. He wasn’t
anyone’s pity screw. Instead, Patrick scanned Arthur’s body with a clinical eye, as if trying to
assess his fitness through the layers of sheets and blankets.
“Like I said. Multiple stab wounds. I’ll probably always have a limp.” Arthur looked
away, unable to meet Patrick’s eyes. He didn’t want to see sympathy, or sadness for Arthur’s
condition, or anything less than total lust.
“I’m glad you killed him,” Patrick growled, sounding as if he wanted to hunt down
Arthur’s attacker, dig him up and kill him again.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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“Me too. He was a real sicko. He liked to play with his victims and slice them into
pieces. Sometimes he made pictures with their blood. I found him right after he’d finished
chopping up my partner, Dwayne.”
Body parts scattered about like bloody, broken doll pieces…
“Arthur?”
Patrick’s voice brought Arthur out of his memory. Shaking his head, he gave Patrick his
attention. “What?”
“Are you okay?”
Arthur swallowed back the bile threatening to rise up out of his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll
be fine.”
Bam. The hot splatter of Millen’s blood soaked Arthur’s skin…
“Good.” Patrick climbed up on the bed and slid his fingers through Arthur’s hair.
Patrick’s touch soothed him deep inside and Arthur found himself leaning closer for
more gentle touches.
“How do you feel?” Patrick asked.
Empty. Cold.
He knew a lot of ways to make a man scream that had nothing to do with sex. He
wished he’d had the chance to try every technique out on Millen. How would Patrick
respond if Arthur told him how he really felt? To share the hollowness inside that didn’t go
away no matter how many days had passed? He knew he was probably suffering from post-
traumatic stress, but he didn’t need a psychiatrist to tell him he’d been traumatised by the
serial killer.
“I need some rest,” Arthur deflected. “They gave me some pills, but they only take the
edge off. In order to make it completely stop hurting, I have to take enough medicine to
knock out an elephant, but then I can barely function.”
He hated for his mind to be all fuzzy. Too much time spent watching his back kept him
from enjoying the floaty sensation of pain-free medicated goodness.
“Ahhh, I can see why you might not choose that method,” Patrick agreed.
Relief flooded him at Patrick’s easy understanding. One fighter to another, he could see
Patrick really knew how powerless he felt without the full strength of his body. Arthur
couldn’t stand the vulnerability of his physical condition. If a killer came after him today,
Arthur wouldn’t be able to do more than hope his bullet took care of the intruder, assuming
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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that he could even focus enough to shoot. Tired from the top of his head to the tips of his
toes, for once Arthur didn’t mind someone else dealing with everything.
The mattress moved beside him. Arthur’s eyes snapped open to find Patrick snuggling
in closer on the bed. He hadn’t realised he’d closed his eyes. Damn, he hurt.
“You’re not leaving, are you?” Panic threatened to take away some of the calm he’d
found with Patrick by his side.
Patrick’s smile reassured him. “No.”
“So you’re going to do…what?”
He almost hated to hear the answer.
“I told you—I’m going to stay and sleep here and make sure you’re all right. Even if my
presence here brings out your violent tendencies.”
“I’m the violent one?” Arthur asked. From what he had heard, Patrick’s past didn’t
exactly scream Boy Scout/choirboy.
Patrick slid a finger across the bridge of his nose. “As a gentleman, I don’t normally like
to resort to blackmail, but I’ll have to tell Callum that you’re really not doing well. The poor
man has a right to know his brother’s hurt…” Patrick’s voice trailed off, as if he were
contemplating the horror of having to share the news, however reluctantly.
Arthur wished he felt well enough to kick Patrick.
“Since when did you turn nursemaid?” Arthur snapped, his temper spiking at the
threat. Patrick wasn’t playing the game properly. After looking at Arthur’s bandage and
enduring his temper, Patrick should’ve been running as far away from Arthur as possible,
leaving Arthur to lick his wounds. Arthur had planned to seek Patrick out after he’d healed
as well as possible. Instead, Patrick appeared more than willing to nurse Arthur back to
health. Arthur was torn. On one hand, he wanted to pull Patrick close and never let go. On
the other, he wanted his lover to leave until Arthur was done growling like a bear with a sore
paw and completely healed.
Patrick bared his white teeth in a less than friendly smile. “I earned the right to take
care of you, even if you’re a horrible patient who owes me a blow job. Now we can do this
the easy way, with you agreeing, or we can do this the hard, blackmaily way.”
“Fine. Stay. Bring me soup. Whatever. I’m not ready for Callum yet.” He scowled at
Patrick. “Don’t you have a job or something?”
Please say you’ll stay.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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A lifetime of taking care of others hadn’t prepared Arthur for how badly he needed
Patrick’s attention.
Patrick shrugged. “I’m on vacation for the next few weeks. We take two weeks off every
three months so we don’t burn out. It’s my turn. You should be back on your feet by the time
I need to return to work. If you’re not, I can work from here. After my vacation I’m mostly
doing office work for a few weeks. I can adapt my schedule.”
It sounded as if Patrick had figured the entire thing out. For a man who Arthur
remembered clearly breaking up with him, he had quite the take-care-of-Arthur plan worked
out.
“There’s no way I can talk you out of this?” Pride made him check that he wasn’t a
burden.
“Nope.” Patrick folded his arms across his chest. “Accept my care with good grace or
I’ll call your brothers.”
Arthur bit his bottom lip to hold back the words that wanted to explode from his
mouth. To say he was tired was like saying a tornado might cause a bit of wind. “I don’t have
the energy to fight with you right now. Can we discuss this in the morning?”
The soft snort told Arthur he wasn’t fooling anyone.
“I have a spare room,” Arthur offered.
Ignoring Arthur’s statement, Patrick stood and stripped down to his boxers. Barely
giving Arthur a peek, he turned off the bedroom light then crawled into bed.
“Go to sleep, babe,” Patrick said, snuggling in as close as he could without jarring
Arthur’s leg.
Sighing, Arthur closed his eyes. There didn’t seem much point in arguing. Patrick was
going to do whatever he wanted and Arthur didn’t have the energy to put up a good fight.
And, after all, it wasn’t like he was in any condition to jump Patrick, no matter how delicious
he might look in nothing but his underwear. Sleep overtook Arthur before he’d finished his
vivid idea of what he’d like to do with the man in his bed, whom he’d dreamt about for
months.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Chapter Two
Patrick watched Arthur until his lover’s breathing finally took on the slow sounds of a
person truly asleep. When he had seen Arthur enter the apartment, fumbling with his
crutches, his heart had nearly stopped beating. The vibrant man he’d left a few months ago
had the haunted look of someone trying to escape the shadows hunting him. Patrick wished
Arthur had never been injured, but he couldn’t say he was sad that he had returned home.
He’d missed his Arthur. Despite breaking up with him right before he’d left on his
serial killer hunt, Patrick had ached to take back the words with every minute they’d spent
apart. Despite labelling Arthur a self-obsessed jerk, he hadn’t been able to get Arthur out of
his mind.
To hear Arthur would give up everything to be with him had Patrick’s heart tumbling
in his chest, as if he’d been granted every Christmas wish he’d ever made all at once.
Maybe with a little persuasion he could coax Arthur to come work at the agency Patrick
had with Sin. They could always use people with practical experience. Arthur would make a
good security expert. Not to mention Patrick really wanted him to stick around. The distance
between them, emotional and physical, had almost broken him.
After having watched Sin marry Callum, the idea of finding his own romantic partner
had grown in appeal in Patrick’s mind. Seeing his business partner blissfully happy had
made Patrick examine his own life and what he wanted to achieve. The truth was, there were
only a handful of people who’d miss him if he were killed. Sure, Sin would be upset and
even Callum would probably shed a few tears, but no one would be truly heartbroken. None
of his casual flings would give a fuck if Patrick dropped dead. That insight had led to their
fight, which had ended with Patrick giving Arthur an ultimatum. It had felt good when he’d
issued it, daring Arthur to come out at work. In retrospect, it hadn’t been his finest moment.
Now that Arthur was taking time to re-evaluate his life and decide who he wanted for
his own, Patrick would snatch up this second chance to have the man of his dreams. Even
injured, Arthur was more of a man than any of the picks he could find on the dating circuit.
You didn’t toss such a tempting fish back into the dating pool. You netted him gently and
kept him there until he realised he couldn’t swim away.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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A soft moan pulled Patrick’s attention from his daydreaming. Arthur thrashed about on
the mattress, restless in his discomfort. Pain caused furrows to crease Arthur’s brow.
“Shh, it’ll be okay.” Patrick rubbed a hand across Arthur’s back, since Arthur had
curled up on his side. He couldn’t even imagine the horrible visions going through Arthur’s
head as he tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in.
“Patrick?” Arthur’s voice, rough and sleepy, sounded like liquid sex. Patrick resisted
the urge to rub other body parts besides his hand against Arthur, even if his cock did become
harder as he thought of all the things he’d like to do to the handsome man. Shame burned in
him at the decadent images going through his mind over someone who was injured. Shaking
his head to dispel the visions, he forced himself to answer Arthur.
“What can I get for you? Do you have some painkillers?” Patrick asked.
“I don’t need them,” Arthur protested.
“Yeah, because moaning in agony is so cool,” Patrick teased.
“Hush, I’ll be fine, honey,” Arthur grumbled. He patted the hand Patrick had
unconsciously put on Arthur’s shoulder. Patrick could tell Arthur wasn’t completely lucid.
Between lack of sleep and his injury, it was amazing he even recognised Patrick through his
exhausted haze.
“You’ll be even better once I get your medicine,” Patrick insisted. He’d push until
Arthur agreed to take his pills. He refused to let his lover suffer any more than necessary. If
Patrick had to grind the painkillers into powder and slip them into Arthur’s water, he would.
Arthur rolled over onto his back. Blinking his pain-filled, sea green eyes, he regarded
Patrick in silence for a moment. “Who knew you were such a mother hen?”
Patrick resisted the urge to poke Arthur in the side. If Arthur thought he could be all
suffering and stoic on Patrick’s watch, he had another think coming. He hadn’t pined for the
man for months only to watch him suffer. He needed Arthur healthy again.
“Medicine?” he prompted.
“In my bag by the door,” Arthur confessed. He spoke slowly, as if by dragging out the
words it would alter the reality of needing medication. “Addie insisted I have the
prescription filled.”
“At least someone was smart,” Patrick muttered. He’d find out more about this Addie
character after Arthur had had some rest. No one should be taking care of Arthur except for
him. He didn’t like that Addie had not only brought Arthur home but had made sure he’d
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
26
had his medicine. Tasks that should’ve been Patrick’s job. He slid out of bed and left the
room to fetch Arthur’s bag. After bringing it back to the bedroom, he unzipped the pack.
Bypassing the Glock and the Bowie knife, he pulled out a small, white pharmacy bag tucked
on the top of a neatly folded pile of clothes.
“I’ll be right back with some water.” Setting the pill bottle on the nightstand near
Arthur’s side of the bed, Patrick headed to the kitchen. As he set the glass under the water
dispenser on the refrigerator door, he wondered if Arthur would ever trust him enough to
lean on him. It was one thing to depend on someone when you were forced to, and another
to voluntarily depend on someone else. In order for their relationship to evolve, Arthur
would have to know he could lean on Patrick.
“Baby steps,” Patrick muttered to himself.
When he returned to the bedroom, he stopped short. Arthur had fallen back to sleep.
His dark lashes lay like inky wedges against his high cheekbones. Patrick caught his breath
at the sight. Poor baby. Despite the beauty of Arthur sprawled out for Patrick’s viewing, he
could tell the injured man’s sleep wasn’t a restful one. Arthur did a series of subtle shifts as if
seeking a more comfortable position. Considering the size of the bandage covering his thigh,
Patrick doubted Arthur would sleep well without taking his medication. After all, he had
several holes in his leg stitched together with bits of surgical thread. From what Arthur had
said, he’d probably require a cane for the rest of his life or at least for several months. In the
morning he’d interrogate Arthur about the true extent of his injury and find out exactly what
the doctor had said.
Stepping quietly into the room, he set the glass of the water on the side table next to
Arthur so he would see it when he woke. Arthur wiggled again and the blanket dipped to his
waist, exposing a tempting muscular torso with a collection of interesting scars—an
appendix scar, a possible knife wound and another that looked definitely like a bullet entry
point. A protective compulsion that Patrick would deny to his death gripped him by the
throat. The bullet and knife wounds hadn’t been there a few months ago when he’d last seen
Arthur naked. He could’ve lost Arthur long before this latest killer had hacked up his lover’s
partner. He took a deep breath to calm the panicky racing of his heart.
It didn’t help.
Patrick gritted his teeth to hold back a shout of rage. Anyone who tried to hurt Arthur
now had better hope they were bulletproof.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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A soft groan had Patrick losing his anger and turning his thoughts in a new direction,
imagining all the ways he wanted to make Arthur groan for him and not because his leg
hurt. Lusting after an injured man set Patrick at a new low, but he couldn’t stop the moisture
from pooling in his mouth as the visions built in his mind. He knew for a fact the delicious
flavour of Arthur’s skin and how heat poured off his flesh.
Pressing his lips together, he suppressed the whimper threatening to escape. He held
his breath when Arthur shifted again in his sleep. Unable to resist the silken allure of
Arthur’s bare skin, Patrick lightly traced the knife scar with the tips of his fingers. He
snatched them back when Arthur made a soft snuffling sound.
Pure temptation.
Patrick knew he should go to the guest room—he’d get better sleep without the restless
man beside him. However, the thought of leaving Arthur alone had him quickly crawling
back between the sheets. He didn’t want to be in the other room if Arthur woke and needed
him for something. Everything in him rebelled at the idea of being too far away from Arthur
in his time of need. He knew he’d never rest anyway. Instead, he’d spend the entire night
worrying if Arthur was too cold or hungry or in pain.
Damn, he had it bad!
The heat of Arthur’s skin lulled Patrick into scooting closer. Arthur really was pain-
addled if he thought Patrick was going anywhere. Lying close, but not touching, Patrick shut
his eyes, happy to be beside the man he’d fallen for.
* * * *
Arthur woke to the unusual sensation of being wrapped in a man’s arms. He froze for a
moment as he searched his mind, trying to remember the night before.
Patrick.
Somehow that knowledge didn’t add clarity to the situation. The man had broken into
Arthur’s apartment then had refused to leave. If Arthur had pushed harder he probably
could’ve made Patrick get the hell out, but he hadn’t had the strength to insist. Besides, he
never wanted Patrick to leave him again. Their last break had shattered Arthur’s heart. He’d
only felt half alive when he’d left on his last trip. Without Patrick, he didn’t feel complete.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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It was nice to have someone other than family worry about him for once. He’d never
reached that stage with any of his brief encounters with other men, and he thought he’d lost
that chance with Patrick. The fact that Patrick not only wanted to stay but was giving Arthur
another chance made his heart sing.
Closing his eyes, Arthur absorbed the sensation of being the little spoon. He’d never
had anyone cuddle him before. Sex in an alley or a back room didn’t exactly lead to post-
orgasm snuggling. With Patrick he’d enjoyed the intimacy of their relationship, the quiet
moments between lovemaking that built a connection between two people. He’d thrown it all
away for a job, proving he was the biggest idiot ever born.
Sliding carefully around to face his lover, Arthur examined Patrick’s handsome face up
close. Everything about the man appealed to him. His strong jaw, his uneven nose, the soft
look of his mouth as he breathed while he slept. The urge to bite Patrick’s lips and leave a
mark made Arthur ache. He’d hoped to see Patrick again, but not like this. He had planned
to ask for forgiveness, maybe share a few drinks to soften him up, not have Patrick wait on
him hand and foot because walking on his hurt leg made him want to gnaw it off like a feral
animal caught in an evil hunter’s trap.
As if sensing someone watching him, Patrick’s eyelids fluttered open. The joy in
Patrick’s expression upon catching sight of Arthur made him smile in return.
“Good morning,” Patrick whispered, as if he didn’t want to interrupt the sacred quiet of
the morning.
“Hey,” Arthur replied at the same hushed volume.
“How are you feeling?” Patrick asked. He slid a hand across Arthur’s arm, leaving a
tingling trail behind. If only Patrick’s delicious touch would have the same effect on his
injured limb, Arthur would sign up for Patrick therapy quicker than a heartbeat.
Arthur focused on his wound. The itching pain from the stitches, the deep burn of an
internal tear not completely healed and the aching muscles compensating for the injury all
combined for a full body fuck you.
“If I got hit by a truck I don’t know if I’d even notice,” Arthur replied. No sense in
sugar-coating his pain.
“Then why are you smiling?” The confusion in Patrick’s chocolate brown eyes kept the
grin on Arthur’s face.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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“Because you asked. No one but my brothers ever care about how I’m doing,” Arthur
explained. Patrick didn’t know how special Arthur considered him. The past months had
been hell wishing he could be with Patrick and trying to wrap up his case to return to mend
things with his lover. He’d turned his energy towards locking Millen up and getting back
home. He still wondered how the killer had got the drop on him.
Instead of appearing pleased, Patrick frowned. “No lovers took care of you before?”
Arthur shook his head slowly in case yesterday’s throbbing pain might have returned
in the night. “I rarely did more than casual encounters. I couldn’t risk it. Not in the military.
When I got out and joined the FBI… Well, you know how that went.”
Dwayne had been a homophobe of the highest order. If he’d known of Arthur’s love for
Patrick, Dwayne wouldn’t have watched his partner’s back. Arthur had no doubt he
would’ve ‘accidentally’ been injured on the job or possibly killed. Instead, Dwayne had lost
his life in a way Arthur wouldn’t have wished on anyone.
Arthur blinked back tears. Now Destiny, Dwayne’s pretty little girl with her ink-
coloured pigtails, would never know the man who had brought her into this world. Dwayne
might have been a tool, but he’d really loved his little girl.
“Sounds lonely,” Patrick said. His words pulled Arthur back into the conversation.
Arthur shrugged. “Before you, I didn’t really care. And I couldn’t get myself kicked out
because I had to send money home to my brothers. Now that William and Callum are older,
it’s time I start living for me instead of others.”
He bit back the promises he wanted to give Patrick. He’d already put himself on the
line. He wouldn’t push. They would get there…eventually.
“If you could have, would you have done anything differently?” Patrick scooted closer,
as if he couldn’t hear Arthur if their bodies weren’t touching. Arthur couldn’t find any
problems with that idea.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but watching over my brothers has never been
one of them. The only regret I have is not getting to Millen before he killed my partner. I’m
going to use my time healing to decide what I want to do with my life next.”
Making plans over what to do for the rest of his life was a daunting task, especially
since he wasn’t quite certain how much to include Patrick in his future.
“What do you want to do?” Patrick slid a hand across Arthur’s head as if he couldn’t
resist petting him.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
30
He should object. He really should. He wasn’t a puppy. But the words wouldn’t leave
his mouth. Leaning closer, he had to admit he’d take any attention Patrick wished to give
him.
“I want to be with you, if you’ll have me. Everything else can wait. What do you want?”
Arthur almost forgot to breathe while he waited for Patrick’s response.
“You.” Patrick didn’t hide anything. The naked longing on Patrick’s face gripped
Arthur’s chest like someone had reached in there and grabbed his heart.
“Can we start with a kiss? Generally, if I’m naked in bed with a guy, we’re at least
kissing.” Arthur didn’t admit he had rarely bothered with a bed, and never his own. His past
had more hallways, doorways and alleys than romantic bedroom encounters.
Lust darkened Patrick’s eyes. He licked his lips and took a deep breath as if bracing
himself for warfare. “Keep in mind that I’ve reserved your lips for all future kissing. They
won’t be available to try out on anyone else.”
Patrick’s words were teasing, but his expression promised horrible things if he
discovered Arthur hadn’t followed his dictates.
“You don’t…” Arthur didn’t get to finish his sentence as Patrick slid forward and took
Arthur’s mouth in a full-on assault. Well, if an assault could consist of warm, soft lips and
molten heat.
Arthur forgot what he’d planned to say.
A moan vibrated their mouths. Arthur didn’t know if it came from him or Patrick, but
he needed more. He slid his tongue across Patrick’s lips, trying to breach the soft barrier only
to have him jerk away.
“What?” Arthur demanded. Disappointment speared his chest with more pain than his
injured leg.
“I have morning breath. Let’s go brush our teeth and shower.” Patrick kissed Arthur’s
cheek.
“I don’t mind a shower partner, but I can take care of it myself. I’ve been hurt before.”
This wasn’t his first trip to the injury rodeo. He’d lost count of the various parts of his body
that had been stabbed, shot or broken over the years.
“I promised Sin I wouldn’t let anything else happen to you,” Patrick insisted. “You
don’t get to make a liar out of me.”
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Disappointment shot through Arthur. He didn’t want to be a burden or a chore Patrick
needed to do.
“I promise not to tumble to my death in the shower,” Arthur swore, not bothering to
hide his annoyance.
Patrick shook his head. “Not good enough. I’d best come and scrub your back. You
won’t tell me if you’re in a lot of pain. Besides, I need to make sure every inch of my man
gets clean. You never know what I might want to lick later.”
Arthur bit his lip as the memories of their past encounters had his cock standing at
attention. He began to slide off the bed then froze, gasping for air to get him through the pain
jabbing through his leg.
“I need food with my medicine.” He didn’t want to lose his awareness, but maybe if he
took half a dose he could still function.
“Stay there. I’ll fix you something to eat and you can take your pills before you
shower,” Patrick offered. “You aren’t in any condition to be running around.”
“I wasn’t going to run. I thought I’d stumble a bit,” Arthur replied.
Patrick kissed his forehead, unknowingly sending tendrils of desire snaking down
Arthur’s body. He wished he could lure Patrick back into his bed for some hot makeup sex,
but he didn’t see that happening any time soon.
“How about you wait until you eat something first?” Patrick suggested.
“Don’t forget you promised to join me and make sure I stay upright,” Arthur reminded
him. He should be ashamed for playing the injured warrior card, but the idea of Patrick
naked, wet and sliding his large hands all over Arthur’s body had cheered him up
immensely. He might not be eager to take his painkillers, but he’d happily accept Patrick
playing doctor—dripping, naked doctor, not a check-his-bandage physician.
Patrick’s laugh rolled down Arthur’s spine like audio crack, addictive and making
Arthur eager to hear it again. “I’d be happy to wash you, but you still need to eat
something.”
“You can bring me some cereal or toast. I don’t need anything fancy.”
Please agree. I need you naked.
Arthur desperately craved Patrick’s touch. His gentle caretaking made Arthur harder
than watching porn. Who knew he’d be a sucker for the tough, protective kind of man?
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Callum was going to laugh his ass off after all the crap Arthur had given him over Sin’s
hovering.
Patrick kissed Arthur’s shoulder, sending shivers down his spine. It was sort of an
absentminded embrace, like one that a person would give a long-time lover. Happiness
bubbled up in Arthur, so pleased was he that Patrick really meant to give him another
chance.
“You’re right. You definitely don’t want me to cook. I’d probably burn down your
apartment. Sin dropped off a cooler with Callum’s catering leftovers. Your entire fridge is
filled with samples.”
“That’s right. I remember seeing that last night. Any egg stuff?”
“I think I saw something labelled ‘spinach strata’,” Patrick offered.
“I’ll take it with a cup of coffee if I have some,” Arthur said. He needed the caffeine. He
could feel a tension headache threatening.
“Don’t move,” Patrick ordered.
Arthur would’ve said something sarcastic, but his leg hurt, his head ached and he felt
as if someone had led a stampede of horses over his entire body. Only his cock appeared to
be in good working order and he doubted he’d have the energy to use it, despite his hopeful
erection.
With a soft groan, he lay back down and closed his eyes. Getting out of bed—a
seemingly insurmountable task—could be done later. He must’ve drifted back to sleep
because the sound of dishes clinking together woke him. It took his eyes a few minutes to
focus, but his companion made waking worthwhile.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I figured I could nuke it again if you needed me
to,” Patrick said as he set the tray of food down on the bed.
Arthur forced a smile. “Don’t let Callum ever hear you say those words. He’ll never
cook for you again.”
“Let’s keep my microwaving ways just between us, then.” Patrick winked at him then
tucked an extra pillow behind Arthur’s back when he struggled to sit up.
“Here, drink some juice then take your pills before you eat. It’ll make you feel better.”
Arthur quickly drained the glass of orange juice. The cold liquid relieved the dryness in
his throat, making it easier to swallow the painkiller. Afterward, he took a sip of coffee.
“Thanks. How did you know I like it black?”
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They hadn’t reached the sharing coffee portion of their relationship. Hurried, rushed
encounters that ended with one of them leaving in the middle of the night had always been
their pattern.
Patrick smirked. “You’re military. I didn’t figure you carried creamer everywhere you
went.”
“I did know a guy who used to do that. He kept a sandwich bag of powdered creamer
in his pocket all the time until a packet broke and the captain thought he was doing cocaine.”
Arthur laughed at the memory. Poor Kip had never lived that down. He’d been teased for
the entire two years Arthur had trained with him.
“What did they do to him?” Patrick asked, his mouth curved into a sexy smile that
scrambled Arthur’s train of thought. It took him a moment to gather his conversational skills
from where they’d pooled at his groin.
“They got it straightened out, but he never carried creamer again.” Arthur quickly took
another sip of his coffee, hoping the hot liquid would distract him from wanting to roll
Patrick over and have his wicked way with him. Too bad his body wouldn’t get on board
with that plan.
“Eat slowly then we’ll get your shower,” Patrick said.
“You just want to see me naked,” Arthur teased. He shifted uncomfortably as his body
reacted to the idea of water dripping down Patrick’s bare skin. He’d never be flaccid again
with Patrick hanging around his apartment. The discomfort was a minor inconvenience next
to having Patrick again.
Arthur blinked at the heated look he received, as if Patrick had read his mind. “I
definitely love you naked, but I’d prefer you healthy and able to fuck me through the
mattress first.”
The strata caught in his throat. He gasped to clear his airway. Patrick gently patted
Arthur’s back to help. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that while you were chewing.”
“Definitely not,” Arthur agreed. “I’d like to take a rain check on the mattress offer,
though.” His wound burned and throbbed. The temptation to hack it off with the butter knife
flashed in Arthur’s head. The strength he’d always taken for granted had abandoned him
one psychotic attack ago.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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“Mmm, you have it. Let’s get you healthy first.” Patrick kissed Arthur on the cheek
before picking up his fork and eating some of the eggs on his plate. “Oh damn, these are
good.”
“Mm-hmm,” Arthur agreed.
The pair ate in silence until they were down to scraping their plates with their forks.
Patrick stacked all the used dishware on the tray before setting it carefully on the floor. “I’ll
wash those later. Come on, babe, let’s get you wet.” Patrick gently patted Arthur’s good leg.
With his stomach full and his headache receding, Arthur felt better than he had in a
while. He didn’t even comment when Patrick wrapped an arm around him to help him walk
to the bathroom. The reassuring weight of Patrick’s support had more psychological than
physical assistance. No one had touched him since Patrick had left him and he ached for the
press of another body against his.
That didn’t stop the smart-ass comment from leaving his mouth.
“Are you going to hold my cock while I pee too?” Arthur raised an eyebrow at Patrick’s
behaviour.
“Only if you ask really nicely,” Patrick teased.
Arthur couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. He’d missed talking to Patrick
with an ache he’d never thought would go away.
They made it to the bathroom without incident. Patrick turned to face Arthur, his lips
temptingly close. “Sit on the toilet while I check your bandage.”
Arthur snorted. “Be gentle with me, honey. I’ve never done this before.”
Patrick’s sparkling eyes distracted Arthur from the mess of his damaged leg. The sight
of Patrick dropping to his knees had Arthur’s cock begging for attention. At this rate, he’d
pass out from lack of blood flow to the upper half of his body. It didn’t help when Patrick’s
soft laughter sent warm breath across his erection. His cock hadn’t got the memo that he
couldn’t take the strain of screwing Patrick up against the wall.
“You’re killing me here,” Arthur said through clenched teeth.
“I’d suck you off now but you’d probably fall over. Let me put on a waterproof
dressing and help you get clean. I don’t want to injure you further just because I’m dying to
taste you again.”
Arthur couldn’t stop the groan at the image dancing in his head. He definitely
approved of the Patrick-sucking-him-off plan. “Deal.”
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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He probably would’ve agreed to just about anything at that moment.
Patrick pulled some medical tape and a piece of protective plastic wrap out of the first-
aid kit Arthur kept in his linen closet. With gentle hands, he covered Arthur’s bandage. “I
think a bath would serve you better than a shower,” Patrick decided. “You can prop your leg
up on the side of the tub. It might be awkward, but it will be a lot less strain than hopping
around on one foot where you could slip.”
Arthur had never been a big fan of baths, but Patrick’s advice made sense. He didn’t
want to slip in the shower and crack his head open. “Okay,” he agreed.
“Got any bubbles?” Patrick teased.
“Under the sink.” Arthur nodded towards the cabinet.
“You’re shitting me. I was kidding.” Patrick laughed as he opened the cupboard door
and pulled out a luxury brand of bubble bath. “Nice.”
Arthur shrugged. “My sister-in-law gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago. It’s
supposed to have soothing herbs or some crap like that. She said it would calm me.”
“A good fuck would work better,” Patrick mumbled as he squirted the minty-smelling
stuff into the tub. It bubbled up quickly, filling the air with the scent of peppermint.
“I’m going to smell like a fucking candy cane,” Arthur growled.
Patrick smirked. “Do you even want me to go there?”
“Not if you are going to mention licking in my current condition,” Arthur countered.
Despite the situation that had brought Patrick there, Arthur found he liked having
Patrick in his apartment. In Arthur’s opinion, a good personality outdid a handsome face in
any competition. Luckily, Patrick had both. He probably had to swat away the hordes of
eager men like ill-mannered flies. Arthur frowned over the image in his head. He didn’t like
the idea of other man touching Patrick.
Patrick dipped a hand in the water. He nodded. “It’s a good temperature. Let’s get you
inside.” Wrapping an arm around Arthur’s waist, he helped him to his feet.
“Now what?” Arthur asked. He doubted he could hop into the tub without snapping
his neck in the fall.
“Now you get to pretend you’re a delicate lady like in one of those old movies,” Patrick
said.
Before Arthur could ask what the hell Patrick was talking about, Patrick swept him off
the ground and into his arms. He stifled a shout of surprise and tightened his grip on his
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
36
lover as Patrick lowered him into a tub of warm water. He had just enough presence of mind
to remember to prop his heel on the corner to keep his injured leg out of the bath. It might be
wrapped against water, but Arthur didn’t know how well it would stay on. Overall, the
wound was healing well and didn’t appear to have any more infection. He planned to keep it
that way.
A sigh left him as the heated, foamy water soothed his sore muscles. “Maybe there’s
something to a mint bubble bath after all.” He relaxed against the back of the tub and let the
water splash around him.
Patrick grinned. “I’ll have to try it sometime. Do you need me to wash you?”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “Think I saw that in a porn flick once.”
A snort of disbelief escaped Patrick. “That tells me you need a better quality of porn.”
“Maybe,” Arthur agreed. Truthfully, since Patrick had left him, he hadn’t had anything
besides an Internet connection and his right hand. Masturbating involved fewer trust issues
and he never had to worry about calling himself in the morning.
“Scoot forward a bit and tilt back your head. I’ll wash your hair.” Patrick’s coaxing
words interrupted Arthur’s inner musings.
Despite his reluctance to move from his comfy spot, he did as requested. Patrick’s
talented fingers massaged Arthur’s scalp as he rubbed in the shampoo. Scratching lightly
with his nails, Patrick sent shivers down Arthur’s body. He’d never understood until then
the direct correlation between a scalp massage and his cock.
Arthur groaned. “I don’t know where you learned to do that but I’ll give you about a
million years to stop.”
Patrick’s deep chuckle warmed him to the bone.
“I don’t think I have a million years, but I’m happy to do it while I’m here,” Patrick
replied.
“You’re hired,” Arthur answered. “You can stay if you promise to shampoo my hair.”
“I give a good all-over body rub, too.” Patrick’s rough voice spiked Arthur’s desire.
Visions of Patrick’s hands all over him made Arthur’s temperature rise and the bathroom
spin dizzily like a ceiling fan on high.
“I don’t think I’d survive that,” Arthur confessed.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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“Mmm, you’d survive.” Patrick’s confident tone didn’t help Arthur’s erection problem
at all. He soaped up a wash cloth and began cleaning Arthur in long, delicious strokes. “I
haven’t lost a customer yet.”
Irrational jealousy stabbed through Arthur’s gut like a spike. He grabbed Patrick’s
wrist, freezing his motions. “I’m not your usual customer,” he growled through gritted teeth.
He made sure Patrick met his eyes.
A slow smile curved Patrick’s mouth. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He wiggled his wrist as if
testing Arthur’s hold.
“I might be an invalid, but I’m not weak,” Arthur replied before releasing his grip.
A frown creased Patrick’s forehead. “I’d never consider you weak. You’re one of the
strongest people I know. Callum told me what you did for him as a child.”
Arthur shrugged. “He’s family. You do what you can for family.”
A jagged laugh burst from Patrick’s lips like shattered glass. “You might do what you
can for family. I can guarantee not everyone does.”
Arthur opened his mouth to ask but snapped it closed again. It wasn’t his business. The
flash of pain in Patrick’s warm eyes told him it wasn’t the sort of topic meant for casual
conversation. Something hurtful darkened Patrick’s past and, from his expression, still
haunted him today. They hadn’t delved into Patrick’s background before. Arthur planned to
remedy that.
“I think I’ve steeped enough,” Arthur said to change the subject. There was no point in
trying to hide his erection. He dared any gay man to stay flaccid while a hot male rubbed
anything all over his skin. Despite his body’s excitement, exhaustion pulled at him, causing a
yawn to crack open his mouth. The noise echoed a bit in the bathroom.
“Sit up again and I’ll wash your back off then we’ll tuck you in bed,” Patrick coaxed.
Arthur leant forward the little bit he could and not injure his leg further. He gasped as
pain ripped through his body.
“Shh, I’ve got you.”
Patrick plucked Arthur up out of the tub and set him back on the toilet lid.
“You’re a lot stronger than you look,” Arthur remarked. Although Patrick had muscles,
his lean body had deceived Arthur into thinking he wouldn’t be strong enough to lift him. It
was obviously a mistake to consider Patrick a weak man. He wondered what else he didn’t
know about the man he loved.
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Patrick grabbed a fluffy towel out of the closet and patted Arthur dry. “You’re good,
babe. Let’s go.”
Accepting Patrick’s arm around him, Arthur hobbled his way into the bedroom. A sigh
escaped him as he snuggled back onto the comfortable mattress. “Thanks, man, I appreciate
all your help. I owe you one.”
He would probably owe Patrick a lot more than one favour by the time they were
finished, but debts were for settling another day. Right now he needed rest.
Arthur closed his eyes. A brief brush of lips slid across his forehead and made him
smile. “I’ll collect it from your ass when you’re feeling better,” Patrick promised.
“Hmm, my virtue for a scalp massage and a bath… Sounds fair,” Arthur agreed.
Laughter followed Patrick out of the bedroom. Arthur sighed. Who knew a dip in the
water could be so tiring?
The doorbell rang, preventing Arthur from calling Patrick back. He frowned hoping it
wasn’t either of his brothers. If the choice of caregiver lay between Patrick and Callum, he’d
take the hot lover every time.
A moment later, Patrick appeared in the doorway, a puzzled frown on his face. “There’s
a visitor here. He says you are old friends. His name is Addie? Did you want me to tell him
you’re not up to visitors?”
Arthur looked around his bedroom. No way did he want to talk to Addie from his bed,
especially naked in his bed. “Could you bring me my robe?” Arthur pointed to the garment
hanging from hook on the back of the bedroom door.
“Sure.” A relieved smile crossed Patrick’s face.
Arthur slid out of bed and let Patrick help him into his robe.
“I’ll get you your crutches.” Before Arthur could say anything else, Patrick left then
returned with them.
“Thanks.” Arthur tucked them under his arms. He followed Patrick out, ignoring the
curious glance flashed his way.
“Arthur!” Addie jumped to his feet like his ass was on fire. He examined Arthur from
head to toe as if trying to ascertain whether he needed immediate assistance. The cold,
analytical expression creeped Arthur out a bit. Addie was starting to have a bit of a stalker
vibe. He never wanted to leave Arthur alone for a minute.
“Hey, Addie. Nice of you to come by.”
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He didn’t really think that. He’d rather be lying in bed with the blow job master, but it
would be rather rude to tell Addie that. Arthur knew Addie lived on the other side of town
and had to have gone out of his way to visit.
Addie watched Arthur with an unblinking gaze. When Arthur sat down, Addie rushed
over to sit beside him. “How are you doing?” Addie slid an uncomfortably familiar hand up
Arthur’s thigh.
“He’s doing fine,” Patrick said in short, clipped syllables.
Arthur flicked a glance to Patrick, but his lover’s clenched jaw spoke louder than any
words.
An awkward bit of silence descended when Addie completely ignored Patrick and
focused all his attention on awaiting Arthur’s response.
“I’m doing well. Patrick is taking good care of me,” Arthur said.
“I can come and stay with you if you need someone,” Addie insisted, pushy in his need
to please.
“We don’t need any help,” Patrick growled. “Arthur and I are managing well.”
A shockingly hate-filled glance was sent Patrick’s way. Arthur tried not to let his jaw
drop to the floor. He’d known Addie for two years and he didn’t even know the young man
could make an expression like that, much less so effectively.
Arthur rushed to fill the gap his shocked silence had created. “No, he’s right, Addie. We
don’t need any more help. My brother Callum stocked the fridge and Patrick is making sure I
rest, eat and take my meds. The rest is up to Mother Nature.”
“If you need anything, you call,” Addie insisted. His scowl conveyed his unhappiness
with their arrangement, but Arthur couldn’t make himself care.
“Will do.” Arthur yawned, hoping Addie would get the hint. He really didn’t want the
guy sticking around, but he didn’t want to be rude either. Arthur couldn’t forget Addie had
helped him when Arthur had first been stabbed.
“Right now, Arthur needs his sleep,” Patrick interrupted. “Thanks for dropping by.”
Arthur nodded his agreement. Addie pressed a quick kiss to Arthur’s lips before
standing. “Call me, Arthur.”
With those words, he left the apartment. He didn’t bother to wait for Patrick to show
him out. The sound of the front door slamming shook them from their stupor.
“What the hell was that about?” Patrick asked.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Arthur opened his mouth, snapped it shut again, then opened it. “You would know as
much as me. I didn’t even know he liked me. At least not like that.”
The kiss had felt weird. He didn’t want anyone’s mouth but Patrick’s touching his.
Patrick made a rude noise of disgust. “He more than likes you. I tried to turn him away
at the door. If I hadn’t been here, I think he would’ve tried to see what you have on under
that robe. Did you see where he put his hand?”
The outrage in Patrick’s voice pulled a tired chuckle from Arthur. “I am tired,” he
confessed. “I want to go back to bed.”
Sympathy crept across Patrick’s face. “Come on, babe, let’s get you to sleep. We can
leave our discussion about crazy co-workers for another day.”
“Deal.” Arthur nodded his agreement. Patrick helped him up to his crutches, and
Arthur limped back to bed. Slipping between the sheets, he felt a quick kiss brush his
forehead as he fell back to sleep.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Chapter Three
Patrick smiled at Arthur’s sleeping form. Unobserved, he gave in to his urge to touch
and gently stroked Arthur’s cheek. He wondered if Arthur would ever let him top. Patrick
found he didn’t care if Arthur never bottomed as long as they got to stay together. He’d be
more than happy to receive for the beautiful injured man before him. Arthur might be a
military bad-ass, but Patrick had seen flashes of a softer side.
“I’ll bottom forever if it means I get to keep you,” Patrick confessed. He let out a soft
sigh when Arthur didn’t show any signs of waking.
Damn. Emotions swelled inside Patrick and threatened to spill out. Right now he would
count his blessings. Arthur was back in his life where he belonged and Patrick would keep
him there, no matter the cost.
Patrick’s phone rang, pulling his attention away from his sleeping beauty.
He scrambled to grab the device before the noise woke up Arthur. “Hello?”
“Hey, Pat, how’s Arthur doing?” Sin’s deep voice rumbled in his ear.
“Hi, Sin.” Patrick’s gaze immediately slid back towards Arthur as if the sleeping man
had somehow become Patrick’s gravitational pull. “He’s in a lot of pain and he tires easily. I
think he might have left the hospital a day or two too early.”
Patrick bit his lip, worried he’d said more than he should. He didn’t want to keep
information from Sin, but he also didn’t want to betray Arthur’s confidence.
He was walking a fine ethical line between his best friend and the man he loved.
Neither Sin nor Arthur deserved his lies. He suspected Sin knew more than he’d said about
Arthur and Patrick’s relationship. The man wasn’t an idiot and he knew they’d spent time
together.
“Who wouldn’t escape the hospital if they could? You can never get a good rest in those
places,” Sin growled. “Does he need his brother?”
“No, I’ve got him. Besides, he’s more likely to listen to a friend than his younger
brother. He can share his frustration with me where he wouldn’t tell Callum,” he reasoned, a
weak argument, but probably a true one.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Patrick refused to give up his space at Arthur’s side. There would never be a better time
to get to know Arthur than when his defences were down. It might be a bit underhanded, but
Patrick had to break through the walls protecting Arthur’s heart. The damn things must be
ten feet high and lined with barbed wire. Arthur might have declared himself in love with
Patrick, but he still wasn’t big on sharing important things like his past, his emotions or the
remote control.
Patrick held his breath while waiting for Sin’s response. Arthur had said he wanted
everyone to know about them, but Patrick wouldn’t say anything until his lover had gave
him the green light. If Arthur changed his mind and Patrick had already outed him, it could
ruin their relationship forever. This close to having his every desire, Patrick wouldn’t chance
it.
“Okay, if you’re certain. Let me know if you need anything. If Arthur takes a turn for
the worse, Callum won’t forgive me if he finds out I knew and didn’t tell him,” Sin warned.
Patrick held back a laugh at how easily his tough ex-mercenary friend melted in the
hands of his pretty chef. Good thing Callum didn’t take advantage because Patrick doubted
there was much Sin would say no to.
“From what I can tell his wound is healing well. I didn’t see any seepage in his
bandage. I’ll change it after his nap. If I see any problems, I’ll give you a call,” Patrick said,
hoping to hold Sin back from intruding on his time with Arthur. They had never got around
to changing the bandage, but that could wait until after Arthur had had some more rest.
“Let me know if you need more food or anything. God knows we’ve got enough of
that,” Sin said wryly.
Patrick laughed. “I bet you do. I’m surprised you haven’t gained thirty pounds.”
“I’ve gained five since I married Callum and that’s with logging in extra gym time,” Sin
declared. “I told Callum he needs to consider a low-fat menu.”
“Yeah, what did he say?” Patrick couldn’t imagine the chef taking Sin’s input well.
“I couldn’t hear, I was too busy ducking the rolling pin he threw at me,” Sin replied.
Patrick chuckled at the image forming in his head. Callum had a bit of a temper, but he
needed it to keep Sin in line. The big bodyguard had enough attitude for three people.
Although they seemed like an odd pair—the bodyguard and the chef—the two men’s
personalities meshed beautifully.
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Arthur moaned as he shifted on the bed, probably jolting his injured leg. Patrick
watched him thrust a hand out, patting the area around him as if he were searching for
something—or maybe someone—in his sleep.
“I’ve got to go,” Patrick said, anxious to soothe Arthur’s unease. He hoped Arthur was
seeking him and not some recent lover. He wondered if Arthur had found someone to fill his
bed after Patrick had broken up with him. Patrick’s life had certainly been empty.
“Bye.” Sin disconnected. Years of knowing each other had made long goodbyes
unnecessary. They also made secrets kept more painful.
Patrick set his phone on the side table and stripped off his clothes before crawling back
into bed.
“Shh, I’m here,” he soothed. He did that a lot. Tried to calm Arthur down. Considering
his own quick temper, his friends would laugh to see Patrick being the voice of reason in any
relationship. For Arthur, he’d learn to compromise. Arthur had already given Patrick the one
thing he wanted, a relationship he could tell other people about. He’d give up a hell of a lot
more to keep Arthur in his life.
Arthur slid his hand over Patrick’s skin before slipping an arm around Patrick’s waist
and snuggling in.
Another phone rang.
Patrick cursed quietly and scooted away from Arthur’s light hold even as he hated the
separation. Walking into the living room, he found Arthur’s phone on the couch. It must’ve
tumbled out of his pocket when he fell into the seat after first getting home earlier. He really
needed to silence all phones. They were interfering with his cuddling.
The screen read ‘Addison’.
Tempted but unwilling to chance answering, Patrick clicked the toggle on the side of
the phone to silence the ringing. Now it would only vibrate. Arthur could check it when he
woke later. If the call was important, Addison could call again, preferably when Arthur
wasn’t sleeping. Patrick’s stomach clenched as he remembered the possessive look in Addie’s
eyes. Why would the man need to talk to Patrick a few minutes after Addie had left the
apartment?
Did Addie think he could take Patrick’s spot in Arthur’s life? Well, he could keep on
waiting for eternity because Patrick hadn’t won a sharpshooting award for nothing.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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Too restless to settle down, Patrick puttered around the apartment, gathering Arthur’s
mail and tossing out the junk. He placed the remainder in a neat pile on the side table. He
might as well get started on Arthur’s laundry. It wasn’t like the injured man should be doing
it. Luckily, Arthur had a washer and dryer tucked behind double folding doors in the hall.
For a man who’d sworn he’d never settle down, Patrick had a weird domestic twitch
when it came to Arthur. “I’m getting too fucking old,” he muttered as he gathered Arthur’s
clothes and headed for the washer.
* * * *
Arthur woke. He tensed at the horrible transition from calm sleep to waking in a
whirlwind of pain. For a moment he didn’t recognise his surroundings, then he spotted his
alarm clock, his favourite lamp and the comfort of his own bed. A sigh escaped him. At least
he’d made it home. He was so fucking tired of not feeling well. He’d never take his health for
granted again. Physical therapy would start soon and Arthur planned on acing every session.
He needed to get healthy so he could help out Dwayne’s wife while he figured out what the
hell to do with the rest of his time on earth.
“Oh, you’re awake!”
Arthur turned his head to focus on the speaker. Patrick’s delighted expression chipped
away another chunk of his snarly mood mountain. How could he keep his anger and
frustration alive when a helpful piece of man candy paraded around his apartment? Okay,
maybe paraded was a little bit of an exaggeration, but the man candy part wasn’t.
“How long was I out?” Arthur asked, his voice rough with sleep.
“About five hours. Hungry? How about coming into the living room? I’ve got a
sandwich with your name on it and some hot soup. There’s a football game on.” He said the
last part as if he were offering Arthur a special treat.
The hopeful look in Patrick’s eyes prevented Arthur from sharing his complete
disinterest in football. People always assumed tough guys liked sports, but he’d never been a
big fan of a game where people ran into each other for the fun of it. It occurred to him that in
the time they’d spent together they’d never sat and watched anything on television.
Only a fool would resist the chance to cuddle on the couch and let Patrick take care of
him. Arthur only felt a little guilty for the deception. He could break the news to Patrick later
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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that football bored him. He hoped it wasn’t a deal-breaker. He’d met some men who
wouldn’t even date a guy if they knew he didn’t love watching a bunch of heavily padded
men toss a tiny ball around.
Since Patrick had never mentioned the sport before, Arthur doubted his lover fell into
that category, but he didn’t say anything that might ruin his chances of a good snuggle.
Arthur slid out from beneath the covers.
“Here, I found you some clothes to put on.” Patrick handed over a pair of sweats
Arthur had hacked the legs off after he’d worn a hole in the left knee. The sight of Patrick
standing so close, yet too far to reach, made Arthur’s temper flare.
“Come here,” he demanded, waving Patrick closer.
Patrick took one step towards him. “Why? Is there something I can do for you?”
“I believe you promised me a blow job earlier.”
“Hmm.” Patrick rubbed his chin in contemplation. “I think that offer expired.”
Arthur lay back across the bed, exposing his body to Patrick’s avid stare. “Are you
sure?”
“I really want to watch the game.” A smile hovered at the corner of Patrick’s mouth.
Wrapping a hand around his shaft, Arthur moved his fist slowly up and down until
beads of pre-cum dribbled from the tip. “I suppose I could take care of this myself.” He
waved a hand shooing Patrick away. “Never mind. I’ll make do without you.”
“Oh hell no!” Patrick’s knees thudded against the carpet as he dropped between
Arthur’s spread knees. “That’s mine.”
“Well, if you insist.” Arthur pretended reluctance as he moved his hand away.
They both knew he didn’t mean it. What guy in his right mind would prefer his own
hand to a hot mouth?
Patrick wrapped his right hand around Arthur’s erection, his callused fingers tight and
hot, creating a warm cocoon that further spiked Arthur’s excitement. He steadied Arthur’s
cock and lapped at the tip with his tongue like a cat sipping milk.
“Suck it,” Arthur growled.
“Patience, babe. No topping from the bottom,” Patrick scolded.
“If my leg was healed, I’d be topping from the top,” Arthur said. His words ended in a
gasp as Patrick chose that moment to envelop the tip of Arthur’s erection in his mouth. A
combination of licking, sucking and squeezing had Arthur whimpering his desire and
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clutching the bed sheets for an anchor as his head spun from the sensation. He kept his eyes
open and focused. Not for the world would he want to miss the sight of Patrick’s luscious
lips wrapped around his cock.
Patrick hummed his contentment over his position. Unable to resist touching, Arthur
released his death grip on the bedding with his right hand and plunged it into Patrick’s thick
hair. Careful not to force Patrick down farther than he planned to go, Arthur stroked
Patrick’s head like a lover granting approval, not like a ten-dollar John fucking his whore’s
mouth.
“That’s it. Yes!” Against his will, Arthur’s eyes closed as his orgasm pulled his balls up
tight, ready to release into Patrick’s mouth. “I’m going to come.” Arthur pulled lightly on
Patrick’s hair in warning but without success. Instead Patrick increased his intensity, sucking
harder.
“Oh… Fuck!” Arthur shouted as he poured his seed down Patrick’s throat. A small
corner of his mind worried over how easily he had given Patrick his heart. He sighed in
pleasure. Patrick sucked gently until Arthur went completely flaccid before lifting his head.
A pleased smile crossed his face.
“I’m glad I could help with your tension,” Patrick said.
Arthur smiled. The distraction had helped pull his attention away from the fiery coal
masquerading as his leg. “Thanks.” Arthur’s stomach growled, the sound loud and angry. “I
think I’d better take you up on your offer of food. If I don’t eat something soon, I’m worried
my stomach will stage a rebellion.”
“It’s possible.” Patrick tilted his head as if considering the situation.
He watched with sleepy eyes as Patrick picked up the shorts from where Arthur had
dropped them and slid them over Arthur’s feet and to the top of his thighs.
“You’re going to have to stand up to get these on the rest of the way,” Patrick
commented.
“Yeah? Easier said than done.” Despite his words, Arthur lifted his hips for Patrick.
Before he could say anything else sarcastic, Patrick pulled the shorts to his waist.
“There, now you’re decent.” Patrick wrapped an arm around Arthur and helped him
stand.
Arthur laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I was truly decent.”
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His stint in the military followed by the FBI hadn’t allowed him to pick and choose his
cases. He’d done more things no man should ever have to do in his life than he’d ever care to
recall. Being a decent man had vanished, along with a lot of his other ideals. Now his goal
was to sleep through the night without screaming.
“Let’s get you some food.” Patrick quickly changed the subject as if he could sense
Arthur’s quick tumble into melancholy.
“Sounds good. What kind of sandwich?”
“Potato soup with a turkey and cheddar sandwich. Callum cooked the turkey,” Patrick
offered.
“Of course he did.” Arthur wished sometimes that he’d gone into a less deadly
occupation. One that didn’t involve knife-wielding killers or tramping across war zones. If he
were in a science fiction movie, he’d love to have one of those memory eraser lasers that
always seemed to save the day.
Patrick helped him to his couch where a tray of food already sat waiting for them. Two
sandwiches, two bowls of soup, one beer and a glass of water were placed within easy reach
on the coffee table. The sight of so much domesticity warmed Arthur.
“Thanks,” he managed to say through the lump in his throat.
“No thanks are needed.” Patrick said. “Now hush and watch the game.”
Arthur gave the football match the attention it deserved…barely any. He got greater
enjoyment over watching Patrick shout and yell and insult the players with curses so
inventive Arthur had to admire the variety. After his years spent in the Army Rangers, he
thought he’d heard it all. Patrick had phrases rolling off the tip of his tongue Arthur was
pretty sure would get you stoned to death in some foreign countries.
Smiling, Arthur continued to eat his meal as his dining companion abused the players.
“I’m glad you’re not a coach. Your players would never survive you,” he commented
tugging some of the turkey from between the bread to snack on it.
“I’ll have you know I’ve coached both soccer and little league,” Patrick retorted.
“Did they ask you to leave and never return?” Arthur asked mildly. The flush on
Patrick’s cheeks had him laughing again. “They did, didn’t they?”
“It was one overprotective mother,” Patrick snapped. “I can’t help it if her son had four
left feet.”
“Shouldn’t that be two left feet?” Arthur asked.
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“Trust me, he was clumsy enough it was like he had four. Now finish your sandwich
and stop picking on me.”
Arthur looked at his empty bowl and the destruction he’d wreaked on his food. With a
sigh, he tossed the remaining mess on the plate. “I’m done.” A yawn cracked his mouth wide
open.
“Come here.” Patrick leant back and patted his legs. “You can rest your head on my lap
and we can finish watching the game.”
Put his head on the muscular thighs of the sexiest guy he knew? He’d love to, thanks
for asking.
“Sure,” Arthur said. He slid over and snuggled down. Unable to resist, he tucked his
right hand around Patrick’s thigh, enjoying the solidity of his lover. Patrick’s leg was all hard
muscle and warm skin.
Arthur held his breath as he waited to see what Patrick was going to do. After a minute,
Arthur felt a hand sliding across his short hair.
“Comfy?” Patrick asked.
Arthur nodded his head. He sighed as he nuzzled against Patrick’s thigh. He’d never
been a cuddler before, but Patrick could easily change his non-cuddling ways. Something
about the tough blond had Arthur more than willing to do whatever was necessary to keep
him as close as possible. He wondered if Patrick would notice if he dragged his recovery time
out for a few months. Just long enough for Arthur to move all of his lover’s stuff into his
apartment. After all, once he had Patrick settled, he might not have the willpower to leave.
Smiling against Patrick’s leg, Arthur spun out the fantasy of having Patrick with him
every day. It was sweet for Patrick to come take care of him. Now Arthur had to make sure
he could keep him.
“Do you want something more to eat?” Patrick asked. He continued to stroke Arthur’s
head, sending happy shivers down his spine.
“No, I’m good.” Arthur let a sigh of contentment pass his lips as he lay there. His leg
throbbed. He ignored it. Nothing would interrupt his peaceful moment. He wouldn’t let it.
“What are you going to do now?” Patrick asked, his hand still petting Arthur.
He blinked to focus on Patrick’s voice instead of his touch. He’d planned on having
another nap. He’d used all his energy walking to the living room and eating his lunch. “What
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do you mean?” he asked cautiously, certain Patrick’s question didn’t match the one in his
head.
“Are you returning to your old job once you’re healed?”
“No. I was thinking of leaving before this happened. With my injury, it gives me a good
excuse to look into doing something else.” Arthur had been ready for a change for a while
now. He needed a job where he could publicly have Patrick as his romantic partner. Nothing
else would do.
“So, what were you thinking of doing next?” Patrick pursued. His tone indicated he
really wanted to hear Arthur’s plans for the future.
“I don’t know yet. I’m going to focus on healing a bit first. Next week, I’m supposed to
start rehab. They want to make sure my muscles don’t lose their tone. After I’ve got my
mobility back, then I’ll worry about my career. I’ve got enough money to last me for quite a
while.”
Patrick’s hand continued its soothing motion across Arthur’s skull. Occasionally his
touch slid down to Arthur’s arm, tracing his skin in mesmerising patterns. “I didn’t think the
military paid much.”
A soft snort escaped Arthur. “Depends on what you do. I invested a lot of my money
into Callum’s restaurant, and William’s wife, Georgia, is a financial planner. She’s brilliant
with numbers. She’s done incredible things with my portfolio.”
“Huh, maybe I should talk to her,” Patrick muttered. “Mine could use some help.”
“I’ll give you her number if you’d like. I’ve got a few of her business cards in my desk
by the door. I always keep a couple to help her drum up clients. It’s hard being self-
employed,” Arthur said.
Patrick stroked Arthur’s head in long, soothing touches. Arthur sighed at the petting.
He closed his eyes to better absorb the contact. Patrick probably thought he’d lost his mind,
but he felt as docile as a chubby lap cat.
“You always take care of everyone else, don’t you?” Patrick asked.
“No. I only take care of my family. Isn’t that what men do? Take care of the ones they
love? I don’t have my own partner or kids, so I take care of my brothers. I’d like to take care
of you,” he added in a quieter voice.
“Excuse me, I’ll be right back,” Patrick carefully slid out from beneath Arthur and left
the room. Arthur wondered what he’d done. Had he said something that had upset Patrick?
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Arthur rolled his eyes. When did he turn into such a girl? Patrick probably needed to take a
piss and didn’t feel compelled to share the details with Arthur. He was making too much out
of a guy’s need to stand up.
Without Patrick there as a distraction, the football game held no interest for him, and,
before long, Arthur began to drift back to sleep.
Fingers brushing across his cheek pulled Arthur back to consciousness. Patrick knelt
beside the couch, putting them at even eye level. A strange expression lit his dark eyes that
Arthur couldn’t decipher. “Let’s get you back to bed. Your couch isn’t good for long rests.”
“Yes, Mother,” Arthur teased, trying to pull back from the intensity in Patrick’s gaze.
Patrick scowled at him. “I might be pushy but I’m definitely not your mother.”
“True.” Memories crowded his mind, brief snippets of a better life where his parents
were his entire world and took care of the day-to-day problems. Something he hadn’t
realised until they were gone and no one cared if the utilities were paid, if William had shoes
that fitted or if Callum had enough flour to make tarts. He’d been the one who’d had to step
up—an action he’d never regretted. He thought his brothers had come out great. If he’d had
to, he would’ve made the same choices all over again.
“Come on. I’ll bring you some water and your pills. It’s about time to take them again.”
Arthur wanted to refuse the medicine since the drugs made him groggy, but he
couldn’t deny either that his couch didn’t make for good napping or that his leg hurt as if
someone had jabbed it with a hot poker. He’d never spent enough time at home that it really
mattered whether his furniture was nap-worthy before. However, when he sat up and his
back popped like a string of firecrackers, he silently vowed to invest in new furniture.
“Ow, that sounded painful,” Patrick remarked.
“Not really. My back just needed to be realigned.” Arthur rubbed his leg. It ached from
where the stitches were placed to hold it together.
“Let me see. Lift your leg,” Patrick ordered.
“I’m fine,” Arthur complained even as he propped his leg over Patrick’s lap where he’d
taken a seat beside him. Surely any touch of Patrick’s shouldn’t be turned aside. The more
the man cosseted him, the more Arthur soaked up the care. There was no way to sugar-coat
it…he’d turned into an attention whore.
“I’m trying to get you better. I have all kinds of uses for you.” Patrick’s tone had Arthur
looking up from his leg.
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He sucked in his breath at the heat in Patrick’s eyes. A slow smile crossed Arthur’s face.
“Is one of them fucking you into the mattress?”
Patrick raised an eyebrow at him. “What if I wanted to fuck you?”
There was a hesitancy to Patrick’s tone, as if he were unsure of Arthur’s response.
Even though they’d been dating for almost two years, because of their schedules they
had only seen each other sporadically during that time. They’d never progressed into trying
different positions, much less switching roles.
“I prefer to top, but I can go either way if you want to fuck me,” Arthur admitted.
Although he enjoyed topping more, he had some happy memories of bottoming, too. He’d be
willing to be flexible for his guy…maybe even double-jointed…
“Good to know,” Patrick replied licking his lips as if he could read Arthur’s thoughts.
Exhaustion pulled at him. “I wish I felt up to either right now.” The only thing he had
enough energy for at the moment was bed.
“There are some things we can still do. Let’s get you settled and get your medicine in
you. I want to at least take the edge off your pain so you can rest comfortably.”
Arthur nodded his agreement. Puking in the middle of sex didn’t tend to lead to a
request for a repeat performance. However, the idea of lying down on his soft mattress
appealed to Arthur’s aching muscles. It might have been his leg that had the wound, but his
entire body hurt from the stress of the injury. He accepted Patrick’s help standing up and
leaned on him when he got to his feet.
“I dreamed about you,” he muttered as Patrick helped him back to his room.
“Yeah, about breaking my nose again?” Patrick asked.
Arthur smiled at the memory. “No, that was just fun. About your dark eyes and how
you look with me fucking you.”
Other images from his dream threatened to overwhelm him. Dwayne’s torn body
flashed across his mind in brilliant, bloody colour, like a horror movie in high definition…
“Arthur! Arthur!” The voice sounded far away.
The shake that jostled his damaged leg snapped him out of his horrifying tiptoe
through a haunted memory lane. “Sorry.” Blinking, he focused on the man before him.
“You okay?” The frown marring Patrick’s brow concerned Arthur. Patrick should never
have to worry about him. Unable to resist touching, Arthur brushed his fingers against the
furrow.
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“Arthur?”
The frown deepened.
“Um. Yeah. I’m okay.” Arthur pulled his attention away from Patrick’s forehead and
focused on his eyes. “You have really beautiful eyes.”
“You haven’t had your medication yet. You shouldn’t be delusional.” Patrick’s dry
voice tickled Arthur.
“You should just accept the compliment,” Arthur said wisely. “Say ‘thank you,
Arthur’.”
“Thank you, Arthur. Now sit here.”
Arthur sat.
“Take your pills.”
Arthur held out his hand. Patrick dropped two white pills into his palm.
“Here’s your water.”
A glass of water was thrust into his hand. Arthur tossed the pills down his throat and
chased them with the icy liquid. When he’d finished half the glass, he handed it back.
“Thank you,” Patrick replied, setting the container on the side table.
Before Arthur could say anything else, Patrick climbed in beside him, close enough for
Arthur to feel his body heat, but not touch. Arthur snuggled into the bedding, scooting closer
to his bed companion. Patrick stroked Arthur’s chest in small circles as if trying to relax him.
“Touching me isn’t going to calm me,” Arthur chided.
“Who said I wanted you calm?” Patrick replied. He slid his hand until he wrapped it
around Arthur’s erection and gave a few experimental tugs. “I like you excited.”
Arthur snorted. It would be difficult to lie beside Patrick and not get excited. The other
man’s blond hair, muscular build and dark, tempting eyes lured Arthur into wanting to
explore. He reached to touch, only to draw back with a gasp as pain lanced through his leg.
“Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to do the touching. You relax,” Patrick scolded.
“It’s hard to relax when you’re grabbing my cock,” Arthur said dryly.
“Breathe slowly,” Patrick advised, sliding his hand up and down Arthur’s hard length.
“I’m going to take care of your problem here and you can owe me one.”
The sensation in his leg, like acid eating away at his bones, deflated his erection.
Arthur’s cheeks burned in humiliation. “I’m going to owe you a million blow jobs before I’m
healed.”
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Patrick gave him a regretful smile. “Rain check, handsome. Why don’t you let that
medicine take effect and get some sleep? We can pick this up later.”
“Okay.” Arthur nodded his agreement even as shame rushed through him. He might
still hurl and it would have little to do with the pain ravaging his body.
Damn. He hoped Patrick didn’t think Arthur’s cock had anything against him. Patrick
had a sweet ass and Arthur watched it avidly as he left the room.
“Crap,” Arthur whispered softly. He glared down at his useless leg. “You’d best heal
properly or you’re going to wish I’d amputated you,” he threatened.
Maybe it was stupid to threaten a body part, but it did oddly make him feel a bit better.
The familiar ring of his cell phone from the other room distracted Arthur from his
thoughts. Patrick returned carrying his cell. “It says ‘Addison’. He tried calling earlier, too.”
Patrick handed over the device, a frown marring his handsome face.
Curious as to what his co-worker might want with him, Arthur pressed the connect
button. “Hey, Addie, how are you doing, man?”
“I’m fine. I’m checking up on you. How’s your wound?”
Arthur flinched at Addie’s concerned tone. “It’s doing better.” If he hadn’t gone off to
meet Addie and collect intel Dwayne might still be alive. It didn’t matter that it had been
Dwayne’s idea for Arthur to meet Addie at the Chinese restaurant on the other side of town
so he could bring him back his favourite humbows. No food was worth his partner’s life.
The silence on the phone gave him pause. Addie was many things but quiet wasn’t one
of them.
A trickle of dread went up his spine.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I was just worried about you. Your friend Patrick wasn’t super friendly and I
wanted to make sure he was doing everything he could for you.” Addie’s hard tone didn’t
suit his friend. Arthur could hear the jealousy in his voice.
“Yes, Addie, I’m fine. Patrick is taking good care of me,” he assured Addie. Not for the
first time, he was glad that Patrick was the one there in his house instead of his co-worker.
Addie meant well but no one could take Patrick’s place. Months apart from his man had
taught Arthur that lesson.
Another long stretch of silence on the line, then Addie spoke. “Okay, glad to hear it.
Take care. If you don’t mind, I’ll call and check on you later.”
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Arthur would rather Addie left him alone completely, but he knew it was the pain
talking. Addie was a good guy who’d been an even better friend for the past few years. “That
would be great. I’m going to sleep now. I just took some meds and I’m feeling groggy.”
“Yeah. Okay. Sure. See ya,” Addie said.
“Bye.” Arthur disconnected. He set the phone on his bedside and climbed back under
the covers.
“What did Addie want?” Patrick asked.
Arthur frowned. “You know, I’m not really sure.”
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Chapter Four
“Fuck,” Arthur threw his gym bag onto the entryway floor as if it had committed some
heinous crime. He resisted the urge to kick it, knowing it would hurt him more than the
inanimate object.
“Problem at rehab?” Patrick asked. His eyebrows rose in enquiry as he smiled over
Arthur’s sweaty appearance.
“Yeah, Carter wouldn’t let me cut off my leg.” Arthur’s physical therapist Carter was an
ex-marine and took great delight in pushing Arthur’s limits.
“Bastard,” Patrick agreed. “I’d hate him more if he didn’t get results.”
Arthur growled. “I’m going to take a shower.”
He refused to agree with Patrick. Carter was evil. Pure evil. Maybe demonically
possessed evil. Different improbable scenarios where Arthur defeated the cruel physical
therapist danced through his mind, each one more ridiculous than the last.
Arthur limped to the bathroom, his mood lifted by his imaginary battles. Carter might
have helped him strengthen his leg enough so he didn’t need his crutches anymore, but he
still needed a cane if he walked more than a few blocks.
Three weeks had passed since he’d come home battered and heart sick. Patrick had
watched over him every day, even working from home to make sure Arthur had everything
he needed. There was no way he could pay back that sort of devotion. He’d just have to
make sure Patrick never regretted taking Arthur back.
From the expression on Callum’s face when he’d come over, Arthur hadn’t hidden his
relationship with Patrick well. Callum hadn’t expressed any surprise when Arthur had told
his brother they were dating. Instead, he’d handed over a box of pear and ginger muffins and
had told Arthur it was about time he’d pulled his head out of his ass.
Smiling at the memory, Arthur turned on the shower and stripped down while the
water warmed.
“Want some company?” Patrick asked, his voice deep with desire.
“Always.” Arthur shook his head at the question. Who wouldn’t want a gorgeous, wet
guy keeping him company?
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Patrick chuckled as if he could read Arthur’s mind. “Stupid question, I know, but you
were in a bad mood and I didn’t want to impose if you needed time to yourself.”
“Hmm.” Arthur pretended to consider the idea. “Time alone with my cranky self or
together with a hot, wet stud. It is a tough decision.”
Arthur rolled his eyes as Patrick laughed. He watched with interest as Patrick stripped
down to nothing but bare skin and the little birthmark he had on his right hip. Arthur
fantasised about that birthmark. The only flaw on Patrick’s entire body, it served as a homing
beacon for Arthur’s attentions. He’d kissed, bitten and rubbed his cock against that mark
dozens of times and it still called to him.
“Addie came by today,” Arthur said before he forgot. He dragged his eyes away from
Patrick’s skin to meet his eyes.
“Again?”
Arthur nodded. “He ran into me in the parking lot.”
“Just happened to be there, huh?” Patrick’s dry tone indicated he found it just as
suspicious as Arthur had.
“Yeah. Weird, right?”
“I think he’s becoming obsessed. You should keep an eye out,” Patrick warned. “He’s
turning stalkery.”
Arthur laughed. “I think he’s just lonely. He doesn’t get out much, you know? At work
he’s alone with the computers for most of the day, and he lives alone. I think he likes me
because I’ll listen to him more than anything.”
Patrick wrapped his arms around Arthur, his erection nestling between Arthur’s ass
cheeks. “Just be careful. He makes me nervous with how he watches you. He’s a bit
obsessive. It might be nothing, but you can’t be too careful.”
“True.” Arthur rubbed his ass against Patrick’s erection, ready to change the subject.
“Someone is happy to see me.” Arthur turned around and accepted the kiss offered. Moans
and pants filled the air. Light touches morphed into hard grabs and a simple kiss turned into
a lifeline.
Arthur lifted Patrick up off the floor and set him on the counter. Good thing his
apartment came with one of those long marble vanity things. For the first time, Arthur had a
use for the makeup table.
“I’m going to fuck you,” Arthur whispered into Patrick’s ear.
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“Yes, please,” Patrick gasped.
Keeping Patrick pinned, Arthur reached over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out the
condoms and lube he’d stashed there.
Patrick grinned. “Planning this for a while?”
“You always get frisky in the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. I planted condoms and
lube in all of those places.”
“Good thinking,” Patrick approved.
“I thought so. Now stay still,” Arthur warned. He snapped open the lube top and
coated his fingers.
“Hurry!” Patrick growled.
“Be patient. We have all day.”
“No, we don’t. The water will run out of hot and I refuse to take a cold shower.”
Arthur laughed. For a moment the worries in his life melted away and everything he
needed rested in a pair of melting brown eyes. His entire world lay spread out before him
and damn if it didn’t make him choke up a little.
He planted a hard kiss on Patrick’s mouth. “I love you.”
Patrick smiled. His eyes glowed with emotion as he returned the words. “I love you
too, and if you don’t finish prepping me right this fucking instant, I will find your Glock and
shoot you.”
Arthur pushed two fingers inside Patrick’s ass, knowing his lover enjoyed the burn.
“Yessss,” Patrick hissed.
After making sure Patrick was ready with more lube and another finger, Arthur tore
open a condom and slid it on one-handed. He didn’t dare release his lover because Patrick’s
ass was only halfway on the counter and he could easily fall if Arthur yanked him too far.
Lining Patrick up, he let gravity do the work. Arthur kept one hand on Patrick’s hip
and wrapped the other around the back of Patrick’s neck. He didn’t want Patrick to jerk back
and smash his skull against the mirror.
“Easy, love.”
“Ohh, so good,” Patrick said, his eyes closing in ecstasy. “I need more.”
Patrick curled his fingers around the edge of the counter to support his weight and take
the pressure off Arthur’s leg. Arthur smiled at the consideration even in the midst of their
passion.
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“I’ve got plenty more,” Arthur assured him. Keeping one hand on the back of Patrick’s
head and sliding the other to brace his lover’s back, he proceeded to show Patrick everything
he’d been holding back for the past few weeks.
“Yes. Harder,” Patrick growled.
“Don’t hit the mirror,” Arthur warned as he slid his fingers around Patrick’s cock and
pumped it in time with his hips. The lube still on his fingers combined with Patrick’s pre-
cum smoothed his way, letting him pump and squeeze without worry of chafing.
“Now!” Patrick growled. His hands left the counter to grip Arthur’s shoulders. He had
no doubt tomorrow he’d find fingerprints. The idea of being marked by Patrick sent him
over the edge. His hand tightened, pulling Patrick with him.
Loud grunts filled the bathroom.
Arthur carefully pulled out of his lover. “Shall we see if we still have hot water?”
Patrick nodded. “I really need a shower now.”
The shower consisted of quickly washing the important places and jumping back out.
Arthur turned off the water flow with a flick of his wrist, gasping from the cold.
“Crap. My hot water tank is really small,” Arthur growled.
Patrick laughed breathlessly beside him. “But it was worth it.”
Arthur nodded. “Yes, it was.”
They shared grins as they dried off then went in search of clothes.
A phone call shattered their peace soon after they had dressed.
Arthur frowned when he saw the name on the readout.
“Tell him to stop calling you,” Patrick snapped, looking over Arthur’s shoulder.
Arthur nodded. “Hello, Addie.”
Before he could say anything else, Addie spoke. “Lisa’s in the hospital.” Arthur heard a
sob over the line.
“What happened? Is it serious?”
Patrick pressed a hand to Arthur’s back as if to let him know he was there and ready to
offer support.
“Drunk driver ran a red light. She’s in critical condition at St Andrews.”
“Oh no.” Arthur almost hated to ask. So much tragedy had struck the family already.
“Who’s taking care of Destiny?”
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“She was at the babysitter’s. The accident happened when Lisa was on the way home
from work.”
The idea of poor Destiny losing both of her parents within such a short time of each
other had tears pooling in Arthur’s eyes. “Who’s watching her now?”
“That’s what I’m calling about. They have you listed as Destiny’s guardian if her
parents become incapacitated.”
Arthur closed his eyes. He’d forgotten he’d agreed to take care of Destiny if something
happened to her parents. At the time it had seemed like such a long shot. He’d agreed
without a second thought. Now what the fuck was he going to do? He wasn’t ready to take
care of a child.
He rubbed his forehead as he started planning his next move. “Why are you calling me?
Shouldn’t I be getting a call from a social worker or something?” Arthur didn’t know how
these things worked, but he was almost positive it shouldn’t be Addie giving him the call.
“My sister is the social worker assigned to Destiny’s case. I asked her to let me call,”
Addie explained.
What the hell was he going to do with a four-year-old girl? He only had experience
with boys and everyone told him raising girls was an entirely different thing. “I’ll come get
her. Where do I go?”
“Come to Dwayne’s house. My sister Jolie will meet you there with the paperwork.”
“This is only temporary, right? Lisa is going to be all right.” Arthur hoped it was true.
Destiny was a darling, but she needed her mother. Not to mention Arthur wasn’t in any
condition to be running after a four-year-old. Damn—the timing couldn’t be any worse for
Arthur or Destiny.
Poor girl.
“I don’t know how long you’ll have her, Arthur, but at least she has you to look after
her now. You always said you wanted kids of your own.” Addie always tried to look on the
bright side of things. The kid never seemed to realise that sometimes both sides were dark
and sucky.
“Yeah, I wanted kids but not like this. I’ll see you soon.” He hung up, not able to speak
with his throat closing up with emotion. Flashbacks of his childhood struck him hard. He
wouldn’t let that happen to Destiny. She’d never lack for anything, not if Arthur could help
it.
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“What happened?” Patrick asked.
“My partner, Dwayne—you know, the one who was killed—his wife was in a car
accident. I’m their daughter’s guardian. I’ve got to go and pick her up.” Somehow, he’d
choked out the words. They didn’t feel real. Maybe soon someone would shake him awake
and tell him it had all been a terrible dream instead of the living nightmare his life had
become.
“Oh, babe.” Patrick wrapped his arms around Arthur and hugged him tight for a
moment before releasing him. “Let’s go get the little girl and bring her back here. We can put
her in the guest room. Luckily, you already have a bed in there, and if she’s a tiny thing,
she’ll be fine with a twin mattress.”
“We? You still want to be a we?” If he had to keep Destiny, he needed to know if his
lover was on board. Although Patrick had stayed through Arthur’s injury, they hadn’t talked
long term. They definitely hadn’t discussed children.
Patrick cupped Arthur’s cheek. “You marked me”—he rubbed the bump on his nose—
“now you gotta keep me.”
“Well, if you put it that way…” Arthur slid his fingers into Patrick’s hair and pulled
him close. Not giving Patrick a chance to speak, he kissed him. In the movies, fireworks
would’ve shattered the sky with their brilliance. Instead, explosions of sensation sizzled
through his body, making him hard again.
Patrick broke away, his eyes bright with affection. He squeezed Arthur’s shoulder.
“Maybe Lisa will pull through. And even if she doesn’t, I’ve always wanted kids. I hadn’t
planned on them right now, but I’d love to meet her. What is her name?”
“Destiny. She always wears her hair in these long, curly pigtails and she has the longest
lashes you’ve ever seen.” He might have reservations about becoming a father in less than
ideal circumstances, but he had none as far as Destiny’s appeal.
“She sounds adorable.”
“Yeah, she really is,” Arthur agreed.
“I’ll drive. Let’s go get the little angel,” Patrick said.
“Who said she was an angel? I just said she was cute.” Arthur gave in to Patrick’s
pleading expression. “Fine. You can take me, but that doesn’t automatically make you co-
daddy.”
“Of course not,” Patrick agreed easily. Too easily.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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* * * *
Patrick glanced over at Arthur, worry riding him hard. He didn’t like the silence. It
wrapped around Arthur like an impenetrable shield, not letting Patrick in to know his lover’s
thoughts.
“Are you sure about this?” Patrick asked. Maybe nerves were getting the best of his
lover. He’d never really seen Arthur unable to cope with any situation, but a child was a
whole different ball game.
Arthur transferred his gaze from the window to Patrick with what appeared to be
monumental effort. “About what?”
“Getting this little girl. I can make some calls and see if she has other family if you’d
like.” Part of his protection company was providing research on clients to make sure they
were legit. It would take little effort to phone a few friends and check up on Destiny’s family
options. She might have an estranged relative willing to take a little girl off Arthur’s hands.
“No.” Arthur straightened as if gearing himself up for battle. “She’s mine until her
mother gets better.” Arthur bit his lower lip, mangling it with his teeth. Patrick’s heart went
out to his lover. Arthur had had a rough time of things lately.
Patrick gripped the steering wheel tightly. He needed to keep his hands to himself
while driving. Surely if he chanted it a few more times in his head he’d remember that fact.
He’d rather pull over and cuddle Arthur close, but he doubted that would be welcome right
now.
“Okay.” Patrick didn’t know what else to say. Arthur seemed more than ready to take
on the world all alone. “I just want to help.”
Arthur sighed. “I know, but this might be permanent. You didn’t sign up to deal with a
traumatised little girl.”
The wistful look Arthur sent him made Patrick’s heart hammer in his chest. “You can’t
scare me away that easily. Even if you do end up keeping this child, I will still want you.”
He needed Arthur to know that. No matter if his leg never healed properly or if he
adopted a little girl, Arthur was still the one for Patrick. It would take a lot more than a knife
wound and a child to change his mind.
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Arthur patted Patrick’s thigh, a little too close to the goods for comfort. He wiggled
away from Arthur’s touch.
“Sorry. I…”
It took him a moment to realise Arthur had misinterpreted his movement.
“No. I just didn’t want to get an erection when I’m about to meet Destiny for the first
time. Your hand was getting friendly.” Patrick gave Arthur an apologetic smile.
A soft laugh filled the car. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. I just needed to touch you.”
“Tonight after we get Destiny settled you can touch me all you want. Hell, I’ll probably
touch you so much you’ll have all-over body-burn from my calluses.” Patrick hummed
happily at the thought. Nothing ever felt as wonderful as Arthur, naked, beside him.
“As long as you don’t rub my cock off, I’ll be fine,” Arthur assured him.
Luckily, they pulled up in front of the house right then, otherwise Patrick might have
given in to his urges and stopped the car to ravish Arthur.
The ranch style house had the well-kept look of a home in the suburbs. A rose bush
exploding in a riot of red flowers broke the otherwise boring scenery of green grass and low
hedges.
“Lisa likes roses,” Arthur explained in a soft, sad tone. Patrick barely resisted the urge
to wrap him up and hold him tight. If he could keep Arthur from all the bad things in the
world he would. He’d never been so protective of a lover before. With Arthur it came
naturally, even though Patrick had no doubt Arthur could take care of himself.
Glancing around, Patrick didn’t see anyone, but you never knew who might be peeking
through the curtains. Patrick didn’t want to give anyone a show. He might not be in the
closet, but he didn’t do public exhibitions, either.
He settled with placing a hand on Arthur’s back as they walked up to the house, letting
Arthur know he was there for comfort if needed.
Arthur rang the doorbell. Someone must’ve been on the lookout because the door
whipped open to expose a young man in a pink polo shirt and tight dark denims.
“Addie!”
Addie beamed with joy at catching sight of Arthur. Addie stepped forward and gave
Arthur a hug, which Patrick could tell his lover accepted with a great deal of reluctance.
Patrick didn’t miss the venomous look sent his way over Arthur’s shoulder. Obviously
someone still had the mistaken impression that Arthur might be available. Foolish man.
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Addie released Arthur and examined him carefully as if searching for signs of neglect.
“Come inside, Arthur, you look like you need to sit.” He pointedly glared at Patrick and only
reluctantly let him inside. Patrick could tell from his expression that if Addie had thought he
could get away with it, he would’ve slammed the door in Patrick’s face.
“You remember Patrick, don’t you, Addie?” Arthur said, waving Patrick into the foyer.
“Yes,” Addie said without enthusiasm.
Patrick didn’t offer his hand to shake. He rested it on Arthur’s back instead. He made
sure Addie saw his action. He’d be damned if he let this little suck-ass steal his man.
“Where’s Destiny?” Arthur asked, looking around.
At least one of them had their focus where it was supposed to be.
“In her room playing with her dolls. I don’t think she realises her mother is in the
hospital. I’m not completely certain she knows her father’s dead, either. I mean, she went to
the funeral, but she’s only four.” Addie shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to tell what she’s
thinking.”
“Hi!” They all turned to see a tiny woman in a pantsuit walking rapidly down the hall.
She had the harried look of someone who had a million tasks and only ten minutes to
complete them in. Her honey brown hair was sliding out of a precariously balanced French
twist and a grape juice coloured stain splashed across her right lapel. “I’m Jolie, Destiny’s
case worker.”
“And my sister,” Addie threw in.
She gave him a strained smile. “Yes, and Addie’s sister.” Patrick thought she appeared
unhappy by that fact. Maybe Patrick wasn’t the only person who found Addie less than
charming.
“I’m Arthur Turner, and this is my partner, Patrick Edwards,” Arthur offered.
Patrick glowed at the description. He dared a glance and caught Addie turning pale
then red in pretty, alternating colours. Yes, that had put Addie nicely in his place. The best
part was that Arthur hadn’t even thought about it before introducing Patrick to a stranger.
Patrick couldn’t stop smiling even on such a sombre occasion.
“Nice to meet you, Patrick.” Jolie took Arthur’s introduction in stride before turning her
attention back to Arthur. “Are you prepared to take care of Destiny? If not, I can search
around for a foster home for her. She’s young enough it shouldn’t be too hard to place her
while we wait to hear about her mother’s health.”
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“No!” Arthur protested. “She’s mine. At least until Lisa gets better.”
“And if she doesn’t recover?” Jolie frowned. “You know there’s a good chance she
won’t ever come out of that coma.”
“She’s in a coma?” Arthur paled at the news.
Patrick’s heart sank to his toes. Damn, it was even worse than they’d thought.
Jolie nodded. “Yes. They just called. The doctor said she might never wake up. It’s hard
to tell at this stage and it could be days or weeks before it’s even a possibility.”
“I’ll take her. It’s not fair for Destiny to lose both of her parents. She needs someone.”
Arthur’s mouth tightened and his face took on a stubborn cast. Patrick knew from experience
that nothing would sway Arthur now. When his lover dug in his heels, everyone else might
as well give up.
“And you think you’re the right person to take care of her?” Jolie asked. “You’re
prepared to be a father?”
Patrick couldn’t blame Jolie for her questions. After all, a single man as gorgeous as
Arthur might not want to be saddled with a little girl. Patrick knew differently. No one did a
better job at stepping up to responsibility than Arthur.
“I’d like to be,” Arthur said in a firm voice. “I raised my brothers. I have some
experience.”
“And I’ll be there to help. Not to mention both his brother William and Sinclair’s sister
have kids. We’ll be able to get a lot of advice,” Patrick mentioned. He figured it didn’t hurt to
mention they had backup.
“Can we see her?” Arthur asked.
Patrick could see the nerves beneath the surface. The small twitches in his hands and
the shifting of his feet. To a stranger Arthur appeared perfectly calm, but Patrick knew the
turmoil gripping Arthur over the parentless little girl. He probably couldn’t help relating it to
his own experience.
Jolie nodded. “Sure, she’s in her room. It’s—”
“I know where it is,” Arthur interrupted.
Patrick smiled at Arthur’s abrupt manner. Now that Arthur had decided to take care of
the girl, no one had better get in his way. Even limping, Arthur came across as a man ready
to take on the world.
Arthur spared Patrick a look over his shoulder. “Ready to meet her?”
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“Absolutely.”
Patrick would die before he admitted he had more nerves surging through his body at
the anxiety over meeting a little girl than he’d had when facing a terrorist cell.
Arthur pushed a door open, exposing a room of eye-bleeding pink with white lacy
curtains, a little girl’s dream room. A tiny girl, in a dress the same distressingly bright colour
as her room, sat at a small table. The fixings of a tea party decorated the surface. A stuffed
bunny sat in the chair opposite her with its own cup and saucer.
“Good afternoon, Miss Destiny,” Arthur said. His voice, velvety soft as he addressed
the little girl, took Patrick by surprise. Where had the bad-ass warrior gone?
“Arthur!” Destiny screeched. Jumping up, she threw herself against Arthur’s legs,
clutching him tightly.
Patrick braced his hand against Arthur’s back to help him balance.
“Thank you,” Arthur said over his shoulder to Patrick as he petted Destiny’s head.
“I missed you,” the little girl proclaimed in the loud way small children sometimes do.
“I missed you too.” Arthur detached Destiny from his legs before carefully sitting down
on her flowered bedspread. “I’ve come to take you home with me for a little bit.”
“Mama’s sick,” Destiny said. Her bottom lip puffed out in a tiny pout. Her brown eyes
had a devastated look as if someone had broken her favourite toy. “Daddy’s gone, too.”
The men exchanged glances. That answered their question about how much she knew
about her parents.
“Your mother asked me to take care of you until she gets better,” Arthur said.
Patrick didn’t know where Arthur dredged up a smile from, but he managed it. Patrick
blinked to cover his tears.
“This is my friend Patrick. He’s going to stay with us, too.”
Patrick stood still as Destiny examined him carefully. After a long study, she turned her
attention back to Arthur, her obvious favourite.
“Is everything all right?” Addie popped his head in the door.
Destiny scooted closer to Arthur.
Patrick frowned at the interruption. They didn’t need Addie adding more problems to
an already troubled situation.
Arthur gave Addie a cautious nod. “We’re getting used to the idea of her staying with
me for a while.”
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Addie frowned. “You heard my sister. It might be more than a while.”
Arthur held up a hand, forestalling any more words. “I think we’ll start small and work
our way up if necessary. She already lost one parent.”
“Ah, good thinking.” Addie said. His gaze had that same calculated air Patrick didn’t
trust.
“Is your leg going to be okay? I know some good doctors I can recommend,” Addie
offered.
“I like my doctor,” Arthur said. “He knows what he’s doing.”
“Are you ever going to be back to normal?” Addie asked. He examined Arthur’s leg as
if he could see through the clothing to the man underneath. Or maybe he was just stripping
Arthur with his eyes. Patrick couldn’t tell. Either way, Patrick wanted the man gone and was
considering ways to make it permanent.
Arthur laughed. “I don’t think I know what normal is anymore. I won’t know for sure
how much mobility I can regain until I finish my physical therapy.”
“I’m glad you killed him.” Addie’s face twisted into a feral expression. “He shouldn’t
have stabbed you.”
Arthur cupped his hands over Destiny’s ears. “Can we not discuss this now?”
Addie flushed. “Oh. Sorry, you’re right. I’ll come by your place in a few days and see
how you’re settling in. I’ll call you if anything happens with Lisa.”
“Good.”
“Jolie packed a case for her.” Addie pointed to a pink suitcase with white flowers sitting
in the corner.
Patrick wondered why Addie was doing all the transition work. Shouldn’t the
caseworker be the one in charge?
“Thanks, Addie,” Arthur offered another smile that made Patrick want to punch Mr
Helpful. He didn’t like how pushy the guy was or how he looked at Arthur, or even really
the fact that he breathed. Patrick again contemplated solving that last issue.
Addie turned his head at that moment and met Patrick’s stare. For a brief second,
something mad lurked in Addie’s eyes. The hair on Patrick’s arms rose as a chill swept
through him. Whatever Addie showed to the world, Patrick didn’t think it was the real man
inside.
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He returned his attention to Arthur, but his lover had missed the exchange, his entire
focus on Destiny.
“Ready for a sleepover?” Arthur asked Destiny.
She nodded, her dark eyes solemn as if she knew it would be more than one night but
didn’t know what else to say. “Can I bring Mr Bunny?”
“Of course. We’d love Mr Bunny to come, wouldn’t we, Patrick?” Arthur brought him
into the conversation and Patrick found himself the focus of another stare, this one more
intimidating than Addie’s in its own way.
“I’m sure Mr Bunny would enjoy a car ride,” Patrick said awkwardly. He’d never dealt
with kids before. Not on his own. He’d seen them at parties and get-togethers at friends’
houses, but they’d pretty much remained alien beings, foreign to Patrick’s world.
Destiny plucked Mr Bunny from his seat and tucked him beneath her left arm. She
offered her right hand to help Arthur up. “Can we get some ice cream on the way?” she
asked.
“Of course, pumpkin, we can get whatever you want,” Arthur said. A gentle smile
tilted up Arthur’s lush mouth as he watched the little girl with obvious adoration.
The love in Arthur’s eyes caused a knot to form in Patrick’s throat. Fuck, this was a guy
who was meant to have kids. Patrick blinked back tears. “I-I’ll get the suitcase.” He
swallowed back the lump in his throat as he snatched up the small rolling bag. It weighed
little since it was probably filled with tiny clothes and not much else. If Destiny didn’t work
out, he’d make sure to contact an adoption agency to find out how to adopt a kid, or maybe
find a surrogate. Anything to get Arthur a child of his own.
He followed the odd couple, both suffering from recent loss. Destiny might be a little
girl, but she’d already attended one funeral. Patrick hoped she wouldn’t be attending
another.
Jolie met them in the living room. Patrick thought she appeared paler than when they
had come in.
“Lisa was quite clear that she wanted you to take care of her daughter. The paperwork
we were able to find stated you are Destiny’s temporary guardian in case of emergency and
you will be her permanent one if…” She glanced down at Destiny.
“I understand,” Arthur interrupted.
No one wanted to say the words in front of the serious-eyed girl.
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Jolie handed over her business card. “Call me if you have any questions. I packed her
clothes, a few toys she picked out and there’s a list in there of food she likes to eat.”
“Thank you.” Arthur took the card, tucking it in his pocket for safety.
“You will be staying with them?” Jolie asked Patrick.
“Yes. I’m there to help Arthur during his healing period, and now to help out with
Destiny.” A cold drop of sweat rolled down his spine. He could do this. He’d faced down
maniacs wielding guns in war-torn countries. He could handle one cranky ex-soldier and a
tiny girl.
He wondered how many times he’d have to repeat that fairy tale to make it true.
Jolie gave them Destiny’s spare child seat for the car on their way out of the door. After
quick goodbyes and one unnecessary hug between Addie and Arthur, they left the house.
Patrick tucked the suitcase in his trunk while Arthur put the booster in the back seat.
Once Destiny was all settled, Arthur sat in the back with her.
“Ready for ice cream?” Patrick asked.
The resounding yes was heartfelt and made him smile. No matter the problem, ice
cream had a way of making things better. Smiling, Patrick steered the car towards the local
dive that had the best ice cream in town.
After getting the other two seated in a booth, Patrick got in line for the ice cream.
Apparently, they weren’t the first people to think of ice cream on a hot day. He stared at the
menu board, trying to decide if he wanted a sundae or not. A tingling in the back of his neck
had him turning around to see a handsome man staring at him, and not in the I-find-you-
attractive kind of way.
Patrick lifted an eyebrow at the guy. “Is there a problem?”
“Are you here with Arthur?” the guy asked.
“Not that it’s any of your business but yes.” Patrick frowned at the guy. How many
wackos were interested in his boyfriend? It was becoming a disturbing trend.
“I thought I’d just give you a little friendly warning. Stay away from Arthur. That
friend of his, Addison, will kill you for touching him.” The man pointed to a jagged scar on
his upper arm. “See this?”
Patrick nodded.
“I got this when he came after me with a knife after he saw us out at dinner. The guy’s
crazy,” the stranger said.
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“Did you tell Arthur?”
“Hell no. I swore I’d never talk to him again. Addie watches him. You better be
careful.” Without another word, the guy turned and left, apparently willing to abandon his
wish for ice cream.
Still pondering the man’s warning, Patrick ordered their ice cream and brought the tray
over to their table.
“Everything okay?” Arthur asked. “Did that guy bother you? I dated him before I met
you. After one date he dumped me. Wouldn’t even return my phone calls.”
Patrick glanced at Destiny, her gaze going between the two of them. “We’ll talk later.”
Arthur held his gaze for a moment before shrugging. “Sure.”
The trio turned their attention to the ice cream without another word spoken.
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Chapter Five
He was fucked and not in a good way. Arthur shuffled into the apartment, following
Destiny’s tiny form. He wondered what Steve had told Patrick that had made his lover so
solemn during the rest of their outing. Why couldn’t everyone else just butt out? He finally
had Patrick where he wanted him and the fates were aligning against him.
Patrick set the suitcase by the door as they entered the house. Arthur manfully ignored
the trace of chocolate ice cream he could see painting the corner of Patrick’s mouth. His first
instinct was to pin Patrick to the door and lick him all over until all traces of dessert were
gone, but Destiny was too young to watch two men go at it like wild beasts. In fact, she’d
probably never be old enough for that in Arthur’s mind.
“Let’s show you your room.” He led Destiny and Mr Bunny down the hall and to the
spare room. “I’m afraid it isn’t as pretty as yours at home, but it’ll do for a few days.”
If it turned out her mother didn’t make it, Arthur would be in charge of a little girl. Ice
shivered down his spine as he thought of the responsibility involved. Well, he’d wanted
something different in the next phase of his life. Being a daddy hadn’t been on his list of
things he’d planned to do any time soon, but, like with all things life had dealt him, he’d take
care of his responsibilities. The spare room with its brown comforter and pale green walls
wouldn’t do for the pink-loving little girl, but he’d wait a few days before he redecorated.
As much as Arthur would willingly take Destiny into his home, he wanted her mother
to survive even more. He knew what it was like to lose both of his parents but, unlike
Destiny, he’d had his brothers to help him through everything. He couldn’t even imagine
how hard it would be for her to be alone with no parents.
Destiny entered the room. She set Mr Bunny on the pillow before she sat on the bed.
“Would you like to take a nap?”
Arthur couldn’t remember if four-year-olds still napped.
“Yes, please,” Destiny replied.
“Okay. I’ll be out here if you need anything,” he said. He really wanted to scoop her up
and cuddle her like the lost kitten she resembled, but she needed time and solitude.
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He found Patrick in the kitchen heating up food. “She’s taking a nap,” he said in way of
greeting.
“Willingly?” Patrick said, surprise lacing his voice.
“Is that not normal?” Damn, maybe he should’ve waited around. Talked to her or
something.
Patrick shrugged. “How would I know? I don’t have kids. You’re the one who raised
your brothers.”
“Yeah, but they were older…and boys.”
“You’ll get used to her,” Patrick assured him.
Arthur ran his fingers through his hair. The strands, longer than usual, reminded him
he needed a cut. “I guess. I really want Lisa to get better.”
“I wonder if they found out who crashed into her? I mean, if they know it’s a drunk
driver they must have some leads,” Patrick reasoned.
Arthur frowned as he thought it over. Patrick’s logic was sound. “I don’t know. I
thought I’d go and visit the hospital later, maybe after Destiny falls asleep, if you don’t mind
watching her for a little bit?”
“No problem.”
Arthur stepped closer to Patrick until he had pinned him between the counter and
Arthur’s body. “Did I mention how much I appreciate your help?”
“Maybe you can let me give you a blow job later to prove it,” Patrick offered helpfully.
Arthur laughed. “That would be more like a thank you for me instead of you.”
Not giving Patrick a chance to respond, Arthur kissed him. Not a sweet slide of lips but
a conquering of mouth taking mouth. Arthur explored Patrick’s tongue with his own as if
he’d be given a test later on Patrick’s taste and needed an A to graduate.
Patrick didn’t stay passive. He wrapped his hands around Arthur’s hips and kept him
still as he returned the embrace. The air filled with the sounds of moans and groans as they
rubbed up against each other.
“I want some milk.” The small voice banked their desire like water on a flame.
Arthur pulled away, panting. It took him a moment to focus on the speaker.
“You want what?”
“Milk.” She held his gaze with a steady one of her own. “I can’t sleep.”
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“Okay.” Arthur reached around Patrick and opened the cupboard door where he kept
the glasses. He pulled down a short glass. Moments later, he placed a half-filled glass on the
bar section of his kitchen island. Although he’d never used his kitchen for much, it had a big
slab of concrete with bar stools on the other side. Callum had given it a nod of appreciation
when he’d found the place.
“Thanks.” Destiny picked up the glass then sipped the cold liquid. She clutched Mr
Bunny by one ear, the stuffed creature dangling beside the chair.
“Would you like a cookie to go with that?” Arthur asked.
An enthusiastic nod greeted his question. He’d probably burn in child nutritional hell,
but if she wanted cookies following her ice cream binge, he wouldn’t stop her. Destiny
deserved something good after the rough time she’d had of it lately.
Arthur found a plate and put one of Callum’s chocolate chip wonders on it before
sliding it over to the little girl.
The two men stood on the other side of the island watching her every move. Arthur
rested against the counter to take some weight off his leg.
“You need to sit down?” Patrick asked.
“Don’t go all domestic on me,” Arthur warned. “I won’t know what to do with you.”
“I’m sure I can think of some things.” Patrick grinned, a smile he must’ve borrowed
from Satan himself considering how much wickedness he packed into the expression.
“I’m sure you can,” Arthur purred. He let out a soft groan as his cock hardened. Good
thing he stood on the other side of the counter. Destiny was definitely too young to learn
what men’s bodies did when they were excited.
Arthur’s phone rang, blissfully saving him from his fixation on Patrick. He checked the
screen and sighed when he read the name. “Hi, Addie.”
“Hey, Arthur. I was wondering if you could come to the hospital. Lisa is awake and
asking for you.”
“She’s out of her coma? That’s great news. Sure, Patrick and I will come right now.”
Excitement rushed through Arthur. His gaze rested on Destiny, eating her cookie. He
couldn’t help smiling. She would always have a special place in his heart, but she needed her
mother.
“Well, you can’t bring a child to the room she’s in. You might want Patrick to keep
Destiny at home so she isn’t too traumatised,” Addie said.
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Although his words made sense, Addie’s tone sounded off. Frowning, Arthur tried to
figure out what he was missing. There must be a piece of the puzzle he didn’t understand.
“Okay, if you think so,” Arthur tentatively agreed.
“I do. I can come get you if you’d like,” Addie offered.
“Are you at the hospital?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll come there. I don’t want you to have to go back and forth. I know it isn’t near
your place.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“No. Lisa needs someone there for her. I’ll be along in about thirty minutes depending
on traffic.”
After quick goodbyes, he hung up on Addie.
“What’s going on?” Patrick asked in a low voice.
“We’ll be right back, honey,” Arthur told Destiny. He grabbed Patrick’s arm and pulled
him down the hall.
Closing the door to the bedroom, he turned to face Patrick. “I just got a call from Addie.
He says Lisa is awake from her coma.”
“That’s great news,” Patrick said. “But why didn’t his sister call you?”
Arthur frowned. “The whole thing is weird. You’re right. I’m going to try to call Jolie. It
sounds off.”
Pulling out her card, he dialled the number. It went directly to voicemail.
“She’s not answering.”
Patrick frowned. “What am I missing here? You want Lisa to wake up, right?”
Arthur shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got a weird feeling about Addie’s call. I mean,
Lisa was just in a coma. Could she come out so quickly? And Addie has been acting weird
lately. He’s the one I was meeting with when Dwayne was attacked and he’s been showing
up everywhere since then.”
“That’s not all. I think he might be obsessed with you.” Patrick told Arthur about his ice
cream shop encounter, finishing with, “You think it might be a trap?”
“I don’t know. Why would he want to trap me? Addie’s been my friend since I joined
the Bureau, but I don’t really know anything about him other than he’s a computer genius.
What if he’s the leak? The more I think about it, the more I think someone had to have told
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Mellin about us being at the motel, and I had mentioned to Addie a few months ago that
Dwayne was a homophobe.”
“Addie knew you were gay before the stabbing?” Patrick asked.
Arthur shrugged. “I didn’t come out and say it but…”
“That’s still not a reason to kill someone. I mean, it’s not great, but not necessarily
murder-worthy.”
“Not for a sane person, but Addie’s not acting like a normal person. He’s become really
possessive, even though we’ve never gotten together. You saw how he was with you. I mean,
I like the guy and all, but he’s not my type.”
A slow smile spread across Patrick’s face. “That’s because I’m your dream man,”
Patrick said smugly.
“Yes, you are,” Arthur agreed.
Patrick kissed him.
No hesitation, no pausing to see if he needed a kiss. The ex-mercenary grabbed Arthur’s
face between his beefy hands and yanked him closer.
The flash of pain in his leg as he stumbled was completely worth the press of lips
against lips that caused heat to spike in other parts of Arthur’s body.
When they separated, Arthur stared, fascinated by the sheen of wetness across Patrick’s
bottom lip. “One of your kisses is far better than sex with other guys,” Arthur said.
Patrick’s lush mouth tightened. “I don’t ever want to hear the phrase ‘sex with other
guys’ come from your mouth again. I have a gun and I’ll be more than happy to use it to
scare off the competition.”
Arthur smiled. He knew he should be bothered that a guy planned on shooting other
men he might be interested in, or at least a little scared, but instead warmth shot through him
like a cosy fire. He might be freaked about Addie’s possessiveness, but Patrick’s he found
insanely sexy.
“I love you, too,” he confessed.
“Fucker,” Patrick growled.
The next kiss didn’t have the slow, languorous care of before. This one was all about
Patrick claiming what was his. Possession. When they parted, Arthur had no doubt who he
belonged to. Patrick had staked his claim and Arthur had to respect the boundaries of their
relationship.
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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“I’m yours,” Arthur agreed. “I don’t want anyone else. I haven’t in a while.”
“Good. I’m going to call Sin for backup. He can come watch Destiny. I’m not letting you
go anywhere by yourself if Addie is involved. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you won’t
be working with him anymore.”
Arthur tilted his head. “Wouldn’t Callum be a better choice for a babysitter?”
“If it weren’t lunch rush. Besides, Sin said Callum wants children so he’s gotta get used
to the rugrats sometime.” Patrick’s wicked grin had Arthur returning it with one of his own.
“This should be interesting to see.” Arthur could barely hold back his laughter as he
dialled the phone.
After a quick call resulting in Sin’s agreement to come over, they returned to the kitchen
to find Destiny sitting in front of the television watching that annoying yellow sponge.
Arthur crouched beside her. He patted her knee to get her attention from the screen.
“Hey, Destiny, do you remember Sinclair?”
Destiny nodded.
Lisa and Destiny had spent the afternoon with Callum at a kids’ cooking class. Unlike
her husband, Lisa didn’t have any prejudices against gay men. Or at least she’d liked Callum
enough to have lunch with him, Sin and Arthur a few times.
“He’s coming to watch you for a few hours. Patrick and I have to go do an errand.
You’ll be good for him, right?”
“Is Callum coming?” Her eyes brightened with hope.
“Maybe later. He’s at work right now.”
“Okay.” She turned her attention back to the screen.
Arthur exchanged glances with Patrick. Patrick shrugged.
Maybe the shock of the past few days had been too much for her. He made a mental
note to ask Patrick if he knew any child psychologists. It would probably be a good thing to
find someone for her to talk to.
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Chapter Six
Patrick gave Sin a wary look as he entered the apartment and handed over a duffle bag
to him. “Thanks.”
Sin leant forward. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked in a low
voice.
“I’ve shot a gun before,” Patrick teased.
“You know what I mean.” Sin shot a look over at Arthur, who watched the entire
exchange with a neutral expression.
“He said he’s willing to come out of the closet for me,” Patrick replied.
“If he doesn’t, I’ll shoot him myself. Callum will understand,” Sin growled.
Patrick doubted that but nodded his agreement. Sin probably would only wing Arthur,
which was a lot less damage than Patrick would do if his lover went back on his word.
After making sure Destiny was comfortable in Sin’s presence, they left.
“What’s in the bag?” Arthur asked.
“Guns.”
“Ah. Do you ever worry about being stopped by police?”
Patrick shook his head. “No. They’re all registered. Sin grabbed these from my
apartment. Are you carrying?”
Arthur nodded. “I have my concealed and a smaller pistol in my leg holster.”
“Good. We don’t want a shootout at the hospital, but don’t let him take you off site,
either,” Patrick advised.
Arthur snorted. “This isn’t my first time, you know.”
Biting back words he knew he’d regret, Patrick nodded. “I’m just concerned. I don’t
trust this guy. If he’s been working for the FBI for years without detection, he’s some kind of
sociopath with connections to at least one serial killer. I don’t know what else he’s capable of
and neither do you. Especially if you’ve become his obsession.” That last part was the most
worrisome for Patrick. He didn’t like Arthur being a target.
“I feel like I’m in a really bad TV movie.” Arthur grinned.
“This isn’t funny,” Patrick snapped. “He could hurt you.”
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Arthur nodded. “He could. I wonder why he set Millen on Dwayne and didn’t kill
Dwayne himself?”
“Maybe you can ask him while you’re arresting his ass,” Patrick offered.
“I could be wrong. This could just be a guy helping out a friend. There’s no reason
besides a hunch to think Addie is a killer,” Arthur said. He scratched at the scruff on his
cheek nervously.
Patrick knew Arthur was trying to talk himself out of this confrontation.
“How often are your hunches wrong?” Patrick asked.
Arthur took a long time answering. “I’d love it if it happened at least once,” he replied.
“Me too. If you’re wrong, then we show up at the hospital, talk to Lisa and are on our
merry way.” Patrick hoped to hell Arthur was wrong. He hoped Dwayne had really been the
victim of a serial killer who had no connection to the FBI, and that Lisa would make a full
recovery. While he was wishing, he wanted Santa to bring him Arthur, wearing a big red
bow and nothing else, beneath his Christmas tree.
Either way, after this was all over he was keeping Arthur. Maybe he could coax Arthur
to come work with him and Sin. If nothing else, his new boss in that instance would have no
problem with Arthur’s sexuality. He could guarantee it.
Driving to the hospital, Patrick pulled into the visitors’ parking lot before turning off
the car and opening his bag. Sorting through the weapons, he slid a knife inside his boot and
a pistol at the back of his waistband. He didn’t expect Addie to be armed, but he wouldn’t let
Arthur be kidnapped, either. If he needed to shoot Addie, he would in order to protect his
lover. Arthur wasn’t the only bad-ass on the block.
He shoved the bag under a blanket in the back and set his alarm. If anyone attempted to
steal or break into his car, the agency would track it. Patrick wasn’t entering the hospital
without backup. He’d sent a team over to Addie’s place to investigate.
“Let’s go,” Arthur said, impatience causing him to fidget in his seat.
With a nod to his lover, Patrick followed him into the hospital.
They entered the elevator to go to the fifth floor where Addie had told Arthur to meet
him. “What can he do at a hospital?” Patrick asked.
Arthur bit his lip. “I could kill someone and make it look like an accident. I don’t think
Addison is trained like I am, but then, I’ve already proved I don’t know what the hell he’s
TESTING ARTHUR Amber Kell
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really like inside. I thought the guy was a good friend, but now I hear he’s scared off one of
my ex-lovers and that’s the only one we know about. Who knows what else he’s done?”
Patrick gripped Arthur’s arm. “I can’t fault him for that. I wonder why he didn’t try to
scare me off?”
A world of regret lived in Arthur’s eyes. “Because I kept you a secret from everyone.”
Ignoring the other people in the elevator, Arthur touched Patrick’s cheek with the back of his
hand. “I’m done hiding.”
Patrick swallowed back the emotions threatening to swamp him. “I want a July
wedding.”
Arthur wrinkled his nose. “It’s too fucking hot in July. We’ll have one in October. I love
the fall.”
Turning his head to hide his smile, he caught the gaze of one of the nurses. She gave
him two thumbs up. He winked at her.
They didn’t need fancy negotiations. “We’ll go to City Hall,” he announced.
“Screw that. I want Callum to have to cater it. It’s his fault we ever met in the first
place.”
Patrick laughed. “So you deserve a meal?”
Arthur made a disgusted noise. “I can get a meal anytime. I want the cake.”
The rest of the elevator laughed at Arthur’s announcement.
Still smiling, they exited the elevator. Patrick immediately went back on offence. He
was going to find Addie and arrest the fucker…or kill him. Patrick was flexible.
Following the numbers, they reached Lisa’s room. Arthur stuck his head inside before
motioning to Patrick that the way was all clear. Patrick’s phone rang. He waved for Arthur to
go ahead as he answered it.
Sin’s voice came over the line. “Get out of there. They found Addie’s sister dead in his
apartment. Shot in the head.”
“Crap. Okay, I haven’t seen him yet.” Patrick swept the room with his gaze. He didn’t
spot Addie.
“I called the police for backup. Get out,” Sin ordered.
Patrick hung up and went to get his lover just in time to hear Arthur whisper, “Lisa.”
“She’s drugged,” a new voice said.
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They spun around to find Addie exiting the small bathroom. Addie’s gaze latched onto
Patrick’s. “How did I not know about you before?”
Gone was the slightly goofy computer nerd. In his place was a cold-blooded killer who
had murdered his own family member.
“I introduced you at my apartment,” Arthur reminded him.
“Yes, but not before. I never saw him at your apartment or at the clubs. Where have you
been hiding him?” Addie raked Patrick with his gaze. “He’s attractive enough, I suppose, but
nothing to write home about. Not like me.”
Patrick looked Addie over like any man would a potential lover. Slim body, red hair,
blue eyes…check. “You’re cute, but you lack the one thing Arthur needs in a lover.”
“What’s that?”
“Sanity,” Patrick said.
Addie’s affable expression faded. “He’s mine.” His hard tone could’ve come from a
different speaker, so different was it from the sweet tenor of before. Now he spoke in icy
words chipped from a glacier.
Arthur’s phone rang. With a glance between them, he answered it. Patrick couldn’t hear
what the person on the other end said, but Arthur did a lot of nodding and yes answers. A
quick glance at Addie confirmed Patrick’s belief that it was either someone from his
company or from the FBI. Either way, he knew Addie had been caught.
“I’ll tell him,” Arthur finished before disconnecting. “It’s over, Addie. They know you
were the one who sent Millen to kill my partner. They finally got around to searching his
house and discovered a note on which he wrote down your name and instructions.”
Addie frowned. “But I had to. He didn’t like gays. I couldn’t let him hurt you if he
discovered you liked men. He could’ve harmed your career once we got together. He had to
die.”
Arthur tilted his head like a dog listening to a song only he could hear. “Are you saying
you killed Dwayne for my benefit?”
Addie nodded. “Yes. He wasn’t a nice guy. He would’ve made your life miserable.”
“He might’ve been an asshole, but he didn’t deserve to die. You left a little girl without
her father,” Arthur snapped.
“But she has you,” Addie said as if he’d made it all right by providing a surrogate.
“You’ll make a much better father.”
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“And what about her mother? She could die and leave Destiny parentless,” Arthur
demanded.
Addie shrugged. “Accidents happen.” He didn’t exactly sound broken up about the
fact.
“Did you cause the crash?” Patrick asked, trying to draw Addie’s attention back to him
and away from Arthur.
“Someone had to,” Addie said, madness gleaming in his eyes.
Arthur glanced over at Lisa. She lay still as death. “Why did you tell me she was
awake?”
“Because I wanted to see you alone”—he shot a venomous glare at Patrick—“to tell you
how I feel and how I’ll help you raise our little girl together. Of course, I’m going to have to
kill your boy toy here, but don’t worry. I’ll make it painless,” he said, as if that would make
the action entirely acceptable.
“When you run, you won’t get far,” Patrick promised. “The police are on their way to
arrest you.”
Addie shrugged. “They’ll never find any evidence. I’ll be out in a few days. A note from
a dead man isn’t proof.”
“The dead body in your house is,” Patrick announced.
Addie smiled and madness glowed in his eyes. “Ahh, I see you think you’re the smart
one. I thought I’d get home in time to clean up that little mess. You think you know
everything, don’t you? You might even think you can keep Arthur, but he’s mine. Mine!” he
shrieked.
Addie pulled out a knife from his boot and launched at Patrick. Before his hand had
come halfway down, a bullet pierced his chest. Gasping, Addie clutched the wound,
dropping his weapon.
Patrick grabbed the dagger and turned to Arthur. Arthur held his gun at his side as he
examined his victim.
“I had no idea he was obsessed with me,” Arthur said.
“It’s okay, babe. You didn’t kill him and we know he’ll get good medical care.” A dozen
or so people rushed into the room. Arthur relinquished his weapon as police officers
invaded.
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It would take them some time to straighten everything out, but Patrick had no doubt it
would happen. With Arthur by his side, Patrick knew he could do anything.
* * * *
Hours later, the pair stumbled into Arthur’s apartment. Sin and Callum waited for them
in the living room.
“Everything good now?” Sin asked.
Arthur stepped forward to hug his brother. “Addie’s in the hospital, under arrest. They
don’t know if he’ll survive my shooting him or not.”
“I’m hoping not,” Patrick grumbled.
Sin grinned. “I’m glad you’re both doing well. Callum was worried.” He gave his
husband an affectionate look.
Callum rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I was worried. I’m not the one who called the cavalry,
and hospital security and the FBI…”
A quick glance at the counter showed that dozens of cookies covered every surface.
Callum had worried in his own way. Arthur didn’t comment since his brother had made his
favourite kinds.
“Are those snickerdoodles?” Patrick asked.
“Yes,” Callum replied.
“My favourite.” Patrick snatched up a cookie and took a big bite. The orgasmic sound
he made had Arthur’s cock hardening in response.
“I think that’s our cue to leave them alone with their cookies,” Sin said dryly.
Arthur and Patrick waved goodbye, but didn’t leave the counter.
“Milk or coffee?” Patrick asked.
Arthur nibbled a dark chocolate chunk cookie. “Oh, definitely milk.”
“I’m tempted to steal your brother and keep him chained to your stove. I mean, I love
you and all, but you don’t cook.” Patrick gave an apologetic shrug as if he couldn’t be
responsible for Arthur’s shortcomings.
Arthur took another bite of his cookie. “You could try. I can’t promise to stick around
and treat your wounds after Sin beats the crap out of you, but I’ll take it under
consideration.”
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Patrick laughed. “He so would, too. He adores his little chef.”
“I wouldn’t use that phrase in front of Callum unless you have good reflexes,” Arthur
warned. “Sin’s been teaching him some moves.”
Patrick scooped up another cookie. “What are we going to do with all these cookies?”
“We’ll put some in the freezer and you can take the rest to your office. They’ll be gone
in no time,” Arthur assured him.
“True,” Patrick agreed.
“I’m going to go and peek in on Destiny. I expect to find you naked on our bed and
ready to fuck me when I’m done,” Arthur ordered.
Patrick smiled. “Yes sir. I will report for duty.”
Arthur paused for a moment. “I like that. You can practise your husbandly duties so I
can see if we’re compatible.” His quick reflexes saved Arthur from a cookie in the face. He
snatched it out of the air. “Thanks.” He took a bite then turned to go into the spare bedroom.
Destiny lay in her bed with her eyes closed, snuggled up to Mr Bunny. At some time
that night she’d changed into a pink nightgown with tiny white flowers on it. Arthur
wondered if Destiny or Lisa had picked out the sleepwear. Destiny did appear a little fixated
on pink.
Smiling, Arthur sneaked back out, not wanting to wake her.
After making sure the front door was locked, Arthur headed for his bedroom. The sight
before him had him freezing in his tracks.
“Damn,” he whispered.
Patrick lay on the bed on his stomach. His head was down on a pillow and his ass was
lifted in the air.
“I thought you wanted to fuck me?” Arthur asked.
“I changed my mind. I want you to drive tonight. I’ll screw you blind tomorrow.”
Patrick cast an anxious glance over at Arthur as if checking to make sure he agreed with that
plan.
“If that’s what you want.” Arthur closed and locked the bedroom door. He didn’t know
Destiny’s morning schedule, but he didn’t want to be surprised by a visit.
“Good thinking,” Patrick approved of Arthur’s door locking.
“I thought so.”
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Without another word, Arthur stripped off his clothing. “Have you been tested
recently, Patrick?” Arthur asked gently.
“Last month. And there hasn’t been anyone since you. What about you?”
The vulnerability in Patrick’s eyes revealed his anxiety over Arthur’s answer.
“No one but you, babe,” Arthur promised. “I asked to be tested at the hospital while I
was there. I’m free of disease.”
“Good. No condoms then. There won’t be anyone besides us. I don’t share,” Patrick
said, his expression serious.
“Neither do I. It almost broke me to think you might be in bed with someone else while
I was holed up in a cheap hotel room.” Arthur had hated the thought of Patrick with another
man but he hadn’t been able to do anything about their break-up while he’d been hunting a
killer.
Arthur went to his nightstand and pulled out the lube. Popping the top off, he slicked
up his fingers, making sure to coat them thoroughly. He wouldn’t hurt Patrick for the world.
He circled Patrick’s hole carefully, gently, until Patrick snarled at him.
“I’m not a princess, shove them in.”
Arthur kissed Patrick’s shoulder then lapped a line down his bumpy spine. The slight
flavour of salt slid across Arthur’s tongue. He let Patrick grumble and growl about slow, lazy
lovers, then he pushed Patrick over.
“What?” Patrick’s brown eyes widened with surprise.
“I want to see your face. I’m not some pick-up in a back alley. I love you.”
Patrick’s smile, slow and easy, lit up his face. “Had a lot of those back alley pick-ups,
have you?”
“Shut up and spread ‘em,” Arthur snapped.
“You’re right, you are a fucking romantic,” Patrick agreed before lifting his legs to give
Arthur better access.
Arthur bit Patrick’s ear in retaliation.
Patrick gasped. Arthur knew Patrick was particularly sensitive on his earlobes, and his
neck was such a hotspot it should’ve glowed. He bit down on the bit of skin where Patrick’s
neck met his shoulder. When Patrick bucked from the sensation, Arthur pushed his fingers
inside his lover.
“Oh, right there,” Patrick gasped.
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Arthur curled his fingers, hoping to drive Patrick insane.
“Inside. I need you inside me,” Patrick begged.
Arthur loved it when his tough man fell apart in his hands. He took his time despite his
erection trying to drill a hole in Patrick’s leg. He wanted this time to be special. It symbolised
their commitment, their plan to stick together and be as one.
“You’re mine,” Arthur growled.
“Yours. Fuck me please, Arthur.”
Arthur poured more than a generous amount of lube on his cock. He wanted Patrick to
remember this for all the right reasons, not because he had been hurt. Lining himself up
between Patrick’s thighs, Arthur pressed slowly inside. Patrick pushed down, quickly
seating himself on Arthur’s erection.
A moan ripped through him.
Arthur clamped a firm grip on Patrick’s hips. “No taking over. You’re going to hurt
yourself.”
Patrick glared at Arthur. “I’m going to hurt you if you don’t move soon,” Patrick
threatened.
“Yes, dear.” Slowly, Arthur pulled out and shoved back in. He took his time developing
the perfect rhythm where he pushed against Patrick’s prostate with each snap of his hips.
“Oh, right there. Right there…” Patrick’s voice took on a long-winded babble as he
went on about how perfect Arthur felt.
Arthur smiled and continued to show Patrick how much he’d missed him, missed this.
Longed to return to the intimacy of a lover he knew well. Sex with people you barely knew
could be exciting. However, for Arthur, nothing beat sex with someone who was so familiar
that you knew all his hotspots. The touch of his neck, the greater sensitivity of Patrick’s right
nipple over his left—all of those little things added to the sex for Arthur.
When he felt his balls drawing up, Arthur wrapped a hand around Patrick’s erection. It
took a flatteringly short amount of time before Patrick came, yanking Arthur through his
orgasm with him.
Arthur collapsed on the bed beside Patrick gasping for air.
Patrick greeted him with a sloppy kiss.
“Eww,” Patrick suddenly said.
“What’s wrong?” Arthur frowned at Patrick’s disgusted expression.
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“The beauty of condoms is I don’t have wet junk oozing out of my ass.”
Arthur laughed until he cried. “Come on, princess, let’s take a shower.”
“And change the bedding. That’s just wrong,” Patrick said.
“And change the bedding,” Arthur agreed.
Laughing, they headed to the shower for hot water and kisses.
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Epilogue
The weather, bright and clear, behaved for the entire ceremony as Arthur Turner and
Patrick Edwards tied the knot in a small wedding with their friends in attendance. Destiny
acted as the flower girl, while her mother watched proudly from the sidelines.
Lisa had recovered fully from her accident, and she let Patrick and Arthur take Destiny
to the zoo and on other outings from time to time. Unlike her dead husband, she had no
problem with their relationship.
Arthur admired his spouse as Patrick mingled with their guests.
Callum walked up to his brother and patted him on the back. “Was the cake up to your
standards?”
“Excellent cake,” Arthur praised. “I saw William’s kids eating several pieces.”
Callum laughed. “He’ll have to talk them off the sugar high later.”
Looking over the groups of people milling around, Patrick gave a contented sigh. “It
feels good, doesn’t it?”
“What? Being married?” Callum nodded to his husband. Patrick would willingly bet
money that Sinclair hadn’t taken his eyes off Callum the entire ceremony. It was like having a
particularly large guard dog all the time. From his brother’s blissful expression, he didn’t
mind.
“Not just being married but knowing where you belong in the world and your place in
it.” After leaving the FBI, Arthur had accepted Sin and Patrick’s job offer at their company.
The pay was better and he didn’t have to leave his lover alone for weeks on end while he
pursued a case.
“Yes, it does feel good,” Callum agreed. “Now we just have to find someone for
Jonathan,” he said referring to another of the company’s bodyguards.
Arthur eyed the large man standing alone by the punchbowl. “Hmmm, I’ll give it some
thought and let you know.”
The brothers exchanged scheming smiles. “You do that, bro. Right now, I believe our
husbands want a dance.”
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Arthur doubted the thought had ever crossed Sin’s mind, but he knew Callum would
drag him out to the dance floor anyway. Sin might not be a huge dancing fan, but he never
turned down a chance to hold his husband in his arms.
With the same thought in mind, Arthur walked to his husband’s side.
“May I have this dance?”
They always waxed poetic about how a bride glowed on her wedding day. Arthur
thought that in this case his groom glowed brighter than the stars. “Absolutely. I was waiting
for my handsome prince to come sweep me off my feet.”
“Hmm…well, he’s running late so I’ll have to do.” Arthur wrapped an arm around
Patrick and waltzed him over to the dance floor, where he proceeded to show him how very
well his leg had healed, along with his spirit.
Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:
Thresl Chronicles: Soldier Mine
Amber Kell
Excerpt
Chapter One
“Just who I wanted to see.”
Kreslan Piers didn’t need to turn around to know who had sneaked up behind him in
the hall. Barley Tankis’ voice haunted his dreams. The bastard had made it his mission in life
to bother Kres since basic training. Unfortunately, Barley’s father was an admiral in the fleet,
so complaining about Tankis’ behaviour never produced any results. Kres had learnt that
lesson the hard way and had a scar on his arm to show for his efforts.
“Hello, Barley.” Kres reluctantly turned to meet his nemesis.
“Hello, faggot,” Barley sneered. If his usual expression wasn’t so unpleasant, the tall
blond could have been considered handsome with his wide shoulders and icy blue eyes.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take much digging to find the vast ugliness that lay beneath the
surface.
“What do you want?” Kres had just finished sixteen hours of guard duty after one of his
co-workers had come down with a cold. He could barely keep his eyes open. He didn’t need
to put up with Barley’s crap on top of everything else. He longed for a few hours of sleep
followed by a trip to the bar to grab a willing bedmate for a round of stress-reducing sex.
Hell, at this point he was so desperate he might even be willing to consider a woman.
“I talked to Sergeant Wallace, and he agreed with me that you should guard the
creatures tonight.”
Kres’ stomach churned over Barley’s smug expression.
Shit. So much for stress reduction.
Even though he knew it was pointless, he offered a token protest. “I can’t guard them
tonight. I just got off sixteen hours. I’m going to get some food, then go to sleep.”
Fuck, he needed sleep.
“So I should go back and tell the sergeant you’re ignoring a direct order?” Barley’s cold
eyes glowed with malice.
Anger pulsed through Kres. He knew he was powerless but that didn’t stop him from
issuing a threat that would no doubt go unfulfilled. “One of these days you’re going to get
what’s coming to you.”
He had to believe that. It was the only thing that kept him from punching Barley in the
face and getting court-martialled.
With a final glare at Barley, Kres turned and headed towards the cargo bay.
“Enjoy your shift.” Barley’s mocking laughter followed him down the hall.
Kres wished he could get away with punching the bastard again, but the last time he’d
done that, he had been the one who had ended up in the brig for three days while Barley had
roamed free. Kres had learnt his lesson. He only did things to Barley when he knew he could
get away with them.
Sergeant Wallace gave him a cool look when he arrived. “Took you long enough to get
here.”
“I came as soon as I heard you wanted me on guard duty, Sergeant. I just got off a
double shift.” Kres didn’t bother to hide the annoyance in his voice. His feet hurt, his back
ached and he longed for his hard cot of a bed with a fierce need. At this point, a trip to the
brig would at least allow him to get some sleep.
“Then you shouldn’t have volunteered for this one,” the sergeant barked at him.
“I didn’t, Sergeant,” Kres replied through gritted teeth.
“Are you saying Barley is a liar?”
How he longed to say yes.
“I would never say that, Sergeant. But then, as I didn’t volunteer and Barley said you
insisted I do this watch, I’ll let you make the judgement call.”
The older man gave him a long, considering gaze. “I like Admiral Tankis. Too bad his
son is a prick. Unfortunately, because you were volunteered, I let my other guard go. I’m
going to need you to take this shift, soldier, and then I’ll make sure Barley takes the next
three.”
The thought of Barley watching animals for one evening much less three drained away
most of Kres’ anger. “I’ll do my duty.”
The sergeant slapped Kres on the back, almost knocking the wind out of him. “I knew I
could count on you. You’re a good man, Piers.”
Kres didn’t think a good man would enjoy the thought of his enemy’s punishment, but
he wasn’t going to argue. “What do I need to do?”
“Keep an eye out that no one bothers the animals. Check on them if they make any
noise. There’s been word that someone might be after the Thresl before he makes it to
Callavar.” The sergeant pointed towards the huge cage in the corner.
Kres nodded. “I’ll keep a close watch on him.”
Thresls were rare shape-shifters—cat hybrids—that, once bonded with their owners,
could take any form. However, the beasts were picky about who they bonded with and often
wouldn’t stay with their owner if the Thresl found them unworthy. That fact didn’t stop
black market thieves from snatching the creatures whenever they could. The rich considered
owning a Thresl prestigious and would pay outrageous amounts to have one of their own,
even if they had to keep it in a cage for the rest of its life. Kres felt sorry for the beasts.
After the sergeant had left, Kres walked amongst the rows of cages, peeking through
the grates. Most of the creatures were sleeping. A low growl had him walking towards the
Thresl’s cage, sweeping his flashlight back and forth to see if there was a reason behind the
animal’s noises or if simple restlessness made it pace.
Careful to keep his steps quiet in case an intruder was hidden in the hold, Kres
approached the Thresl’s location. A quick glance around showed no one immediately near
the enormous cage. To be thorough, Kres walked all the way around the container. Unable to
resist, he peeked inside. A pair of gold eyes peered back. Kres respectfully kept his distance.
He’d heard about these creatures mauling people through the bars. The new criss-cross
caging supposedly prevented that, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“I don’t see anything, pretty kitty,” Kres crooned to the animal. As if intrigued by his
voice, the large cat moved closer to the latched door. The beast’s red and black markings
shifted beneath the shadows and limited lighting. Unless there was active loading or
unloading, they kept the lights low in the cargo hold in order to preserve power.
The cat gave another growl.
Kres spread his empty hands to show he meant no harm. “I’m not going to mess with
you. I’ve heard how dangerous you are.” He stepped back from the cage and looked around.
Nothing.
The animal made a low purring noise. Curious, Kres peeked inside again.
“You sure are a pretty thing.”
“Talking to the animals now, are we?”
Kres spun around.
Barley and two of his goons, Stanner and Philson, smiled at him, but the look in their
eyes was anything but friendly.
“What do you want, Barley?” Kres looked back and forth between the three men. He
knew in his gut that this time they meant to do more than just a little harassment. He could
almost feel the antagonism pouring off Barley.
“You told Sergeant Wallace I volunteered you,” Barley accused.
“You did.”
“Why can’t you just take your punishment like a man?”
“Because you aren’t supposed to be fucking punishing anyone. You think you can do
anything you like, but you’re just an asshole with a father who gets you out of trouble.”
It was like an alien had taken over his mouth and was making him blurt out things he
was definitely going to pay for later. Why couldn’t he shut the hell up?
“Grab him,” Barley ordered.
Barley’s goons each took one of Kres’ arms and slammed him against the Thresl’s cage.
Kres wasn’t the type to go down without a fight. Using the goons as leverage, he
jumped up and kicked Barley in the face. A satisfying crunch echoed in the hold. Kres smiled
at the thought of breaking Barley’s nose.
“You bastard! I’m gonna kill you now!” Barley screamed.
Blood poured down Barley’s face as he pulled back his arm. He slammed down his fist,
evidently intent on doing as much damage as possible, but Kres ducked and Barley hit the
metal bars of the cage. Barley screamed with pain as his fingers crashed into the iron rods.
“I said hold him!” Barley shouted.
Stanner and Philson pinned Kres tighter against the Thresl’s cage. Kres knew this time
there was no getting out of it.
Bracing his body to take Barley’s punch, Kres was unprepared for the door at his back
to swing inward. Two clawed hands slashed out, swiping long bloody trails across both of
the men holding Kres. Blood splashed out of their wounds as they screamed in pain.
Barley’s eyes rolled in panic. With a low, savage roar, the Thresl jumped at Kres,
shoving him to one side. For a brief, frightening moment he could feel the beast’s large fangs
at his throat. Turning his head, Kres bared his throat, freezing his movements and hoping the
animal could sense that he meant no harm.
This was it, his last few seconds of life.
Yet, despite Kres’ dire predictions, the Thresl licked a spot on his neck then leapt at
Barley. With vicious precision, the creature lacerated Barley’s face with his claws, leaving
bloody trails in their wake.
Kres raced past the shouting men to reach the intercom. Pressing the button, he yelled
into the receiver, “Emergency on the cargo deck! Emergency!”
A high-pitched scream pierced the air as Barley fell beneath the Thresl’s wrath.
“Shit! No. Don’t kill him,” Kres commanded.
To his surprise, the creature froze. Leaning over Barley, he bared his fangs. Long and
curved, they were razor sharp and dripping with saliva.
Barley let out a whimper as his men cowered in the corner as far from the Thresl as they
could get. The creature was blocking their escape route, and neither of them was in any
condition to battle a Thresl.
Before Kres could think of what to do, a squad of soldiers rushed onto the cargo deck.
Weapons raised, they surrounded the Thresl.
“Don’t shoot him!” Kres shouted. “He was protecting me.”
Instinct had Kres stepping up to the creature. “Come on. See, I’m not hurt. You stopped
the bad men in time.”
The loud snarling dimmed to a low growl.
Sergeant Wallace shoved his way through the sea of soldiers.
“What happened here?” he demanded.
“Barley showed up with his friends and decided to beat me up. The Thresl stopped
them.”
The ship’s captain arrived in time to hear the accusation. “That’s a serious charge,
Lieutenant. Why would Lieutenant Barley want to attack you?” Captain Thomson asked.
“I don’t know, probably because that’s what he does whenever he thinks he can get
away with it,” Kres snapped.
“Don’t listen to him!” Barley screamed. “He sicced that creature on us. I want justice.”
He clutched at his face with one bloody hand.
“You’ll have it,” the sergeant promised. Kres’ heart sank in his chest. He was finally
going to get the prison sentence Barley planned for him. He’d eluded it until now, but Barley
wouldn’t give up until Kres spent the rest of his life in a smaller cage than the Thresl.
The Thresl moved away from Barley and went to sit beside Kres. The animal sat
upright, curling his tail around his body, a low purr vibrating his chest.
A group of four men wearing medic uniforms rushed over to the fallen men. They
sprayed sealant on the open wounds and bound Barley’s face with gauze.
“Take them to the medic ward,” the captain ordered. “We’ll deal with them later.”
As the trio left the area, Wallace turned to the captain. “After we had a few thefts last
year, I added a new camera system to the cargo hold. We can review the recording here.”
Pulling a remote out of his pocket, the sergeant pressed a few buttons. Two wall panels
pulled apart, revealing a large flat screen monitor.
“Now see here, Sergeant. Don’t you think this should be shown in a more private
location?” the captain protested.
“No. I’ve looked at Lieutenant Barley’s record, and for some reason, all the evidence of
whatever he’s accused of always mysteriously disappears. I want there to be witnesses,”
Wallace replied.
About the Author
Amber is one of those quiet people they always tell you to watch out for. She lives in
Seattle with her husband, two sons, two cats and one extremely stupid dog.
Amber loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and
author biography at
Also by Amber Kell
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Total-E-Bound Publishing
www.total-e-bound.com
Take a look at our exciting range of literagasmic™
erotic romance titles and discover pure quality
at Total-E-Bound.
Document Outline
- Email: amberkellwrites@gmail.com
- Also by Amber Kell
- Heart Attack: My Subby Valentine
- Scared Stiff: Protecting His Soul
- Unconventional at Best: Convention Confusion
- With RJ Scott
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