Jack waved a hand. “I enjoy fixing things. It’s fine.”

  “Did you have breakfast?” Fitz figured someone must have dropped stuff off for Jack, since he’d changed from the suit he’d been wearing last night to jeans and a black T-shirt. There was also the laptop on the counter.

  “Joker dropped food and some of my stuff off for me early this morning.”

  “Well, it’s lunchtime. I insist on making you something.” The coffee machine beeped, and Fitz got to work fixing them cappuccinos.

  “Fitz…”

  Fitz gave him a pointed look over his shoulder, then motioned to a counter chair. “Sit. I’m making you lunch.”

  “Okay.”

  “You could have made yourself something. I wouldn’t have minded.” He prepared Jack’s coffee how he said he liked it, one sugar, and then his own with two sugars before he started removing ingredients from the fridge.

  “Oh, um, that’s the one thing I can’t fix. Bad things happen when I try to use kitchen appliances. I can fix them if they break, but I can’t use them to cook food.”

  “Even toast?”

  “Yep. Trust me. You’d think after handling all kinds of surveillance equipment and weaponry in the military I could handle toast, but nope.”

  Fitz eyed him skeptically. “Show me.”

  “I don’t want to break your toaster.”

  “Just press the button.”

  It was almost sweet, Jack’s hesitation before slowly pressing down the lever. The slices of bread disappeared into the toaster, and Jack glanced from the toaster to Fitz and back. What exactly was he expecting it to do? Fitz opened his mouth to ask, but black smoke erupted from inside the toaster.

  “Oh my God!” Fitz yanked the cord out of the socket, waving away the smoke. He glanced over at Jack and tried his hardest not to break into laughter.

  “I told you.”

  The poor guy looked like a puppy who’d just been scolded.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll get you a new toaster.”

  Fitz pressed his lips together, but it was no use. He couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to.”

  “Liar,” Jack teased. “It’s okay. I wasn’t made to cook. I’ve accepted that.”

  “What do you do for food?”

  “Scavenge.”

  The way Jack said it with such a straight face, Fitz wasn’t sure whether he was messing with Fitz or not.

  “I’m kidding. The guys always make extra food when they cook, so Joker and I have freezers filled with meals. Luckily, I can heat stuff up in the microwave without setting it on fire. Most of the time.”

  “You said you and Joker. Does he possess the same talent for destroying kitchen appliances?”

  “No. He’s just lazy.”

  “Ah. Your best friend does seem to have a somewhat… leisurely approach to life.”

  Jack snorted. “That’s probably the politest reference to Joker’s unkempt state I’ve ever heard.”

  “I’m sorry, that was judgy of me.”

  “It’s fine. Really. He’s always been that way. He just rolls out of bed and walks out the door wearing whatever he fell asleep in. He’s the reason King enforces a dress policy at work.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. Otherwise Joker would show up in some threadbare T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.”

  “King would love that.”

  “King would push him off a pier.” Jack went pensive for a moment. “Actually, that’s already happened.”

  “Tell me more.”

  Jack snickered before taking a sip of his drink. “We were working this big fundraiser filled with celebrities, and Joker showed up dressed in his uniform but reeking of whatever club he’d crawled out of at dawn. He made the mistake of trying to talk to King, who was standing on the pier going over some logistics with me. Man, Joker stunk. Like, rank. King took one whiff and just shoved him, one-handed; the rest of him didn’t even move. Sacha went flying.”

  “I had no idea Sacha was Joker’s actual name until recently. He doesn’t seem to react well to it.”

  “He hates it when anyone calls him that, but I knew him as Sacha before I knew him as Joker, so sometimes it slips out.”

  “Got it. Joker goes flying…”

  “Right. Like soars off the pier. Chip looks up at King, then down at Joker, who’s resurfaced sputtering water, his hair plastered to his face, and then he looks back up at King, his tail wagging uncertainly, like should he go after his dad? Maybe he should have done something to stop his dad from hurtling off the pier, but then again it was King, and King’s alpha of his pack, so maybe it was the right move? Anyway, King shakes his head at Chip and says, ‘Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t do it first.’ Because, Jesus, poor Chip. And Chip just barks and lays down, tail wagging happily, like the right decision was made.”

  The imagery had Fitz in tears. It was hard not to get swept up in Jack’s good cheer. The guy clearly smiled a lot, judging by the little creases at the corners of his bright gray eyes. When he laughed, his whole face lit up, but it was his smile that got Fitz’s heart pounding every time. If he didn’t get Jack out of his house right now, mistakes were going to be made. Terrible and possibly delicious mistakes.

  Feeling hungry himself, Fitz made them both BLT sandwiches. He added some chips to their plates, and they sat together at the counter to eat.

  “I love your house. It’s not what I expected.”

  “Oh?” It never was what anyone expected, but Fitz was interested to know what Jack thought.

  “I guess I was expecting something very sleek and chic, with lots of designer labels. Furniture that’s beautiful but not very comfortable or practical. Is that presumptuous?”

  “No. There are plenty of designer labels in this house, believe me. I like quality and luxury, and I’m not ashamed of that, but I also love comfort. After years of traveling, living out of suitcases and renting apartments I barely spent any time in, I was finally ready to settle down with my own place. I wanted something cozy near the beach, and this happened to be available.” He looked around the home that he loved so much and smiled. “The moment I stepped foot in it, I fell in love with it. The high ceilings, all the natural light from the windows and the glass doors to the lanai. I could see myself sitting out there, relaxing, listening to the ocean. It might be cliché, but I wanted the whole house-on-the-beach dream, so I went with the seafoam-green walls, white accenting, and beach theme.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  They ate and chatted some more. Jack was easy to talk to. He was so different from anyone Fitz had dated. There was no posturing with Jack, no attempts to impress or need for ego stroking. He was sweet, funny, and charming. Something about him just hit all of Fitz’s buttons.

  “Thank you for lunch,” Jack said as he washed up their plates after insisting on it.

  “Thank you for… everything.” Fitz’s smile faded when Jack turned around, his expression filled with worry. “What is it?”

  Jack dried his hands on a dish towel and leaned back against the counter. “I need to talk to you about last night.”

  Fitz nodded, his heart in his throat. “Which part?”

  “The part where I came looking for you because I was worried about you. After we danced, King came to let me know Frank needed me. I went to his office, and Frank was having trouble accessing information on his computer. When I scanned his system, a message window popped up. It said, ‘Can you trust him?’ and was followed by photos…”

  Fitz leaned back against the island counter and gripped the edge tight, his stomach threatening to reacquaint him with his lunch. “What kind of photos?”

  “Of you and Sacha sitting on the beach talking. I thought maybe someone was trying to get between me and my best friend, but then I realized someone had purposefully lured me into Frank’s office to show me those pictures. I needed to check on you, and that’s when I found you.”

  “Drugged.”

  Jack nodded. “On some guy’s lap.”

  A cold shiver went through Fitz, and he didn’t hesitate in walking into Jack’s arms when Jack stepped toward him. Jack pulled him into a hug, and Fitz welcomed the embrace. In Jack’s arms, he was safe. It made no sense, feeling like this with a man he barely knew. No, that wasn’t true. He knew plenty about Jack. He’d just learned about him through their friends rather than through Jack himself. He’d have to change that. Jack held him close, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.

  “I’ll find whoever did this. I promise you.”

  Why would someone want Jack to distrust him? Enough for them to drug him. Fitz gasped and pulled away. “This is about you.”

  “What?”

  “They sent you pictures of me and your best friend alone on the beach together at night, then they drug me, and you find me with some other guy all over me. For all they knew, you’d see me and decide that was it. Any other guy would have.”

  Jack frowned but didn’t deny it.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  “I’m not ruling anything out until I have more information. I wish I could say it’s not likely, but I’ve seen all kinds of messed-up stuff in my career, and I’m not talking about my time in SF.”

  “SF?”

  “Special Forces.”

  Fitz lifted a hand to run it through his hair and found it was shaking.

  “Hey.” Jack gently took hold of his wrist and slipped his hand into Fitz’s before bringing their hands to his chest over his heart. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “But something already happened,” Fitz replied, his voice almost a whisper.

  “I know. I wasn’t aware something was going on, and I’m sorry. But I know now. I don’t suppose you’d let me assign you one of our security officers?”

  Fitz blinked at him until he realized what Jack was suggesting. “A bodyguard?” He pulled his hand out of Jack’s and took a quick step back. “You think I need a bodyguard?”

  “I don’t think anything at this point. It would just be a precaution. And might deter any further threats.”

  “Or they’ll double down and take more drastic measures.”

  Jack seemed to think about it. “Whoever did this is good. I had Leo try to find something that could tell us where the photos came from, and we hit a dead end. They were sent from a tiny public library in Madeira Beach with one user interface and no security cameras, but the photos were sent remotely. They were bounced around the world, so there’s no telling where they originated, but judging from the angle, they were shot from the water. Joker mentioned seeing some boats on the water that night. We believe the photos were taken by someone on one of those boats.”

  “Shit. Are you saying Leo can’t find this person?”

  “I’m saying this person is good enough to cover their tracks, but what they did wasn’t hard for someone who’s good at what they do. That doesn’t mean they’ll be able to pull off something bigger as successfully. Every hacker thinks they’re the best, but there’s always someone better.”

  “Better than Leo?”

  Jack shrugged. “It’s possible. I doubt that’s who we’re dealing with. We’re going under the assumption this is someone I’ve had contact with, and I haven’t met anyone who’s better than Leo.”

  Fitz nodded. “What now? I don’t want a bodyguard following me around.”

  “Fitz, I’d really like you to consider—”

  “Absolutely not. I spent the last two years piecing my life back together because some asshole made me second-guess every decision I ever made. Ten years, Jack. Do you know what it’s like to lie awake at night while you go through every conversation you had with someone you believed loved you, questioning whether they were lying through their teeth? Wondering how many of those business trips were bullshit? Worrying that it was you? Maybe you spent too much time working. Maybe you weren’t funny enough or attractive enough or smart enough. There had to be a reason, right?”

  Fitz started to pace, his blood boiling. “Do you know what it’s like to have your confidence and self-worth ripped to shreds? And the more time passes, the more you see things you hadn’t seen before. Like his ‘suggestions’ of what you should wear because ‘you look even more beautiful’ in what he’s picked out, or all the times he paraded you in front of his friends because he was just ‘so proud of you,’ or how he would talk you out of eating certain things because ‘you wouldn’t want to ruin that gorgeous figure.’ You fool yourself into thinking it’s because he loves you. Then one morning you wake up, and you’re, like, holy shit! He never loved you. You were nothing but arm candy, something to impress his buddies and colleagues with. His doll to dress up and show off. You were some asshole’s boy toy.” Fitz spun around to glare at Jack. “I’m not giving anyone that kind of control over my life ever again.”

  “Okay,” Jack said calmly, quietly. “Tell me what I can do.”

  Fitz blinked at him. How was he so calm after everything Fitz had just unloaded on him? Shouldn’t he have been running in the opposite direction? Or at the very least annoyed that Fitz was refusing to do what he wanted? Instead, Jack was a study in patience. He wasn’t trying to force or convince Fitz into agreeing with him.

  “You haven’t lied to me yet, so don’t you dare start now. No omissions, holding on to information, or downplaying. I want to be kept in the loop about whatever you find.”

  “I can do that, but I want the same from you. Any strange phone calls, anyone hanging around that makes you uncomfortable, weird emails, anything, I want to know about it.”

  “Fine. Anything else?”

  “I didn’t think you would remember, and I get it, you were… compromised, but if it was me, I’d want to know.” Jack smoothed down his shirt before lifting his gaze to meet Fitz’s. “You kissed me last night.”

  “Oh.” Well, that certainly wasn’t what Fitz expected to hear.

  “You were, um, sort of cuddled against me in the car on the way to the hospital. You pulled back suddenly, and I thought something was wrong, but before I could ask, you kissed me.”

  “I’m sorry.” He wasn’t. Actually, he was. Sorry he couldn’t remember.

  “Oh no, God no. You don’t need to apologize for that.”

  Fitz stepped closer. “Did you like it?”

  “Very much.” No hesitation whatsoever.

  Fitz held back a smile. “I appreciate your honesty.” He closed the distance between them and kissed Jack. It was quick, but enough to send a delicious jolt through Fitz. He pulled back, his eyes meeting Jack’s stunned gaze.

  “That’s not—I didn’t tell you so you would—”

  “I know,” Fitz said with a smile. “But I’d rather kiss you sober. That way I get to enjoy it.”

  “Oh. And, um, did you?”

  Fitz dropped his gaze to Jack’s mouth, then brushed his lips over Jack’s. “I did.” Unable to resist, he kissed Jack again, slipping his arms around Jack’s neck as he deepened the kiss. He parted his lips, letting Jack’s tongue into his mouth. The taste of him, the feel of his hard body against Fitz’s had him melting in Jack’s arms.

  Jack’s mouth was warm, his lips soft, and his tongue tasted faintly of coffee. His fingers gently dug into Fitz’s waist, their bodies pressed together, and heat flared through Fitz, every inch of him aware of Jack. Jack moaned, and the slow burn that had been sweeping through Fitz flared into a raging inferno. He’d never felt this level of heat with anyone. Everything about Jack captivated him, but all the times he’d thought about kissing Jack, not once did he imagine this kind of erotic charge to come from such an unassuming guy.

  Their panting breaths filled the air as their kisses grew desperate and the heat flooded down south. An image of Jack’s hands all over Fitz’s naked skin invaded his thoughts, and Fitz pulled back abruptly.

  “Wow. I… wow,” Jack said, his voice low and breathy.

  Fitz nodded his agreement, his laugh coming out labored. That had been… pretty fucking amazing.

  “I should… um…” Jack pointed in the direction of the hall that led to the front door. Fitz nodded, and then he was all over Jack again, their mouths coming together as if they’d been long-lost lovers finally reunited.

  Kissing Jack had been a mistake. A huge mistake. He knew better than this. His emotions were all over the place. First finding out about last night, then the photos, followed by the oh-so not pleasant memories of his asshole ex. He wasn’t thinking clearly, or so he kept trying to tell himself. Who was he fooling? Right at this moment with his tongue in Jack’s mouth and his hands on Jack’s delicious ass, he was thinking exceptionally clearly.

  How many times had he thought about kissing Jack? What the hell made him think one kiss would be enough? That he’d be able to walk away? The more Jack kissed him, the hungrier Fitz grew. He couldn’t get enough, his skin was too tight, and a fervent need had him practically vibrating from how much he wanted Jack.

  Fitz wasn’t about to give any thought to how he was practically climbing Jack. So much so that Jack firmly gripped Fitz’s waist and lifted him like he didn’t weigh a thing. He walked them over to the couch and sat down, with Fitz straddling his lap, nothing but the thin cotton of Fitz’s yoga pants and Jack’s jeans between them.

  With his arms wrapped around Jack’s neck, Fitz plastered his body to Jack’s and kissed him greedily. He loved kissing, but he was quickly discovering how much he loved kissing Jack. Despite the fervor, Jack was gentle, which was the first thing Fitz noticed. He was also adorably uncertain and almost shy, which Fitz would never have thought to associate with anyone with as much life experience as Jack. The guy had traveled all over the world serving his country. Fitz couldn’t begin to imagine everything he’d seen and done. And yet he treated Fitz as if he were something precious—not fragile but precious—as if he were afraid Fitz might wake up any moment and realize who he was with, as if that knowledge wasn’t the exact reason Fitz wanted him.

  Jack’s hands gingerly roamed Fitz’s body, his fingers slipping underneath his shirt, tentatively stroking his sides as if waiting for Fitz to stop him. Silly man. Fitz didn’t want to stop him; he wanted more. He rolled his hips, making Jack release a deep rumbling groan filled with so much obvious desire that Fitz shivered. Reaching between them, he moaned into Jack’s mouth at the feel of Jack’s hard erection straining against his pants.