As chief medical examiner, Hudson’s lab and office were the largest on the floor, taking up the whole end of the corridor. Although Hudson was part of Destructive Delta, his title and status meant he could oversee and take over any case in Unit Alpha. Sparks often had him working on several cases at once for various teams. They finally reached the last room on the right, Hudson’s private office. Once inside, Hudson hit the security panel, and the door swished closed behind them. He turned to face Seb and folded his arms over his chest, one eyebrow arched before he spoke.

  “Drop your trousers.”

  TWO

  Seb’s eyebrows shot up near his hairline. “Uh… okay.”

  This was starting to sound a lot like one of his fantasies, except in those Hudson didn’t scowl at him. Seb unfastened his belt before pushing his pants down as far as he could—which turned out to be not very far—before he sucked in a sharp breath and straightened, catching Hudson’s narrowed gaze. Seb’s shirt allowed him some modesty by covering his groin and ass, leaving only the ends of his gray boxer briefs peeking out from under the hem.

  Hudson stepped up to him and tapped his shoulder. “Put some of your weight on me.”

  Seb nodded, doing as asked, gritting his teeth as he sat down. The moment his ass hit the padded leather chair, the relief was instant. At least until Hudson kneeled in front of him and took hold of his pants. He carefully pulled them the rest of the way down, unaware of what he was doing to Seb. Hudson was in doctor mode. He gently but clinically undid the straps of Seb’s industrial, Therian-strength knee brace. The familiarity of it, the intimacy, was almost too much. It took Seb back to a time when Hudson had fussed over him, rubbing ointment over Seb’s knee when it was sore and swollen.

  The brace came off, and Seb winced at the fire that filled Hudson’s bright blue eyes. It was less sexy heat and more “you’re lucky you’re hurt right now because I seriously want to kick your arse.”

  “Oh, for the love of—look at your knee! And you’re walking around like it’s a minor inconvenience?”

  “It is a minor inconvenience.”

  Hudson’s head shot up, his expression grim. “Don’t you dare, Sebastian. Or do you forget who you’re talking to?”

  “Never.” How could he? Even when Hudson was indignant, he was beautiful.

  “Then you damn well know better than this, don’t you? Have you taken anything for the swelling?”

  Seb cringed.

  “I could throttle you right now.” Hudson stood, then headed to one of the many secured cabinets around the room.

  Seb could think of plenty of things he’d like Hudson to do to him right now, but knowing what was good for him, he kept his mouth shut. Hudson returned with a familiar-looking black tactical bag and a bottle of water. He handed the water to Seb before kneeling to rummage through the bag. He found the right drugs, popped the top, and tapped it against his hand until two pills tumbled into his palm. After sealing the bottle and tossing it back into the bag, he held up the pills.

  “Take these. For the pain and the inflammation.”

  “Thank you.” Seb smiled at him as he took the pills, then tossed them into his mouth, followed by a swig of water.

  Hudson wasn’t impressed. “Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t decided whether to strangle you or not. The moment I felt it, I told myself, ‘He’s sensible. He’ll look after himself.’ And then Dom called, and look at you. Sensible my arse. I have DBs in my lab with more sense.”

  Seb didn’t know what to say to that. As Hudson removed supplies from the bag, Seb couldn’t help his dopey grin.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Their bond meant they felt the other’s pain if it was significant enough. The love they shared made it so Hudson didn’t have to look at Seb to know Seb was smiling at him. He could sense Seb’s gaze on him, just like Seb could sense Hudson’s. Always. Despite the days, the distance, they were every bit as connected now as they’d been back then, which made being apart so painful. Not calling Hudson every time Seb felt him hurting was torture.

  “You still have it,” Seb said softly.

  Hudson blinked down at the black bag as if noticing it for the first time. Anyone else might have been able to hide their reaction, but Hudson’s fair skin betrayed him, his cheeks blushing furiously.

  “I, um, yes.”

  “Why?” Seb cocked his head as he studied Hudson. Not that he hadn’t mapped out the man’s features years ago. How was it possible to need someone more than air itself?

  “Because I can’t very well trust you to look after yourself, now can I?” Hudson’s lips quirked on one side as he motioned to Seb’s knee.

  Seb leaned forward. “That’s only half the truth, Doctor.”

  Hudson arched a thick black eyebrow at him. “Believe what you will.”

  With a grin, Seb sat back. All the medication in that bag was prescription. Hudson had to order them specifically. He kept them stocked in case Seb needed them. When they’d been together, Hudson had kept a kit at home and another in his office. Years after they’d broken up, he maintained the kit.

  “Don’t look so smug,” Hudson muttered, removing the cap from the ointment.

  Seb wrinkled his nose. “That stuff is rank.”

  Hudson chuckled. “You seem to forget that summer the cooling system and the backup generator at the morgue malfunctioned.”

  “Oh God.” Seb gagged just thinking about it. “You’re right. That was worse. Much worse.” He closed his eyes and put a fist to his mouth. He’d gone in to meet Hudson for lunch and ended up bolting out. Lunch, or any food, didn’t happen for a whole day. The smell had been so potent it burned. He hadn’t been able to ingest anything stronger than vegetable broth, which meant he hadn’t been able to shift into his Therian form because PSTC was impossible. He let out a bark of laughter, making Hudson laugh.

  “What?”

  “Remember when Sloane thought I was fucking with him, so he dragged me and Maddock down there to see for himself?”

  Hudson gasped before laughing again. “That’s right! He threw up on Sergeant Maddock’s boots.”

  “Yes!” Seb held on to his side, he was laughing so hard. He could still see Maddock’s horrified expression. If Seb hadn’t been in danger of losing what little contents he’d had in his stomach as well, he would have snapped a picture with his phone.

  “Poor Sloane.” Hudson shook his head as he squeezed ointment into his hand. “He was mortified. Couldn’t stop apologizing.”

  “Maddock avoided standing next to him for weeks.” Seb wondered if Dex was privy to that little tidbit of information about his future husband. Hmm. He might just keep that ace up his sleeve.

  Seb still couldn’t believe Sloane was engaged. Had someone asked him years ago which member of his team was least likely to end up married, Seb would have said Sloane. His friend and former team leader believed himself too messed-up to make anyone happy for long. Seb understood where Sloane was coming from. When Seb had found out Dex and Sloane were involved, he’d been knocked for a loop. The two couldn’t be more different.

  Seb was happy for them. On the job, public displays of affection between them were understated, but anyone who knew them could see how in love they were. The way they looked at each other, the subtle way Sloane reassured himself and others that Dex was his by keeping physical contact with Dex, whether by placing his hand on Dex’s lower back or shoulder. The way they murmured to each other or whispered in the other’s ear spoke of a tender intimacy and fierce love that was at times too painful for Seb to witness.

  Hudson’s warm hands on him sobered Seb up in a heartbeat. He swallowed hard as heat spread through him. A heat that had nothing to do with the ointment seeping into his skin and everything to do with the man’s searing touch. Hudson worked deftly as he massaged the medicine into Seb’s knee and the muscles around it. It hurt like hell, always did, but Seb was too mesmerized by Hudson to pay attention to the pain.

  Hudson’s beautiful face was a picture of focus as he took care of Seb’s knee. When they’d been together, Hudson had done this for Seb every day at work and at home. No one looked after Seb like Hudson. His care was unexpected, and had it come from anyone else, Seb would have thanked them and continued to do everything for himself, like he always did. But he’d never forget the warm smile or the affection in Hudson’s eyes the first time he’d gone to massage Seb’s knee. Seb would never forget his words either.

  “Let me take care of you, love. I want to do that for you. Will you let me?”

  Seb hadn’t simply let Hudson take care of him—he’d relished it, thrived on it. He’d put himself, his trust, everything he was in Hudson’s hands. Vulnerability was something he could never afford, and he found it hard to give up control, to let down his guard. He missed Hudson so goddamn much it choked him up inside.

  “Have you been sticking to your routine?” Hudson asked.

  “Yeah.” Seb’s voice came out rough, and Hudson turned his gaze up. He never missed a beat, an intake of breath, a look. “It’s not the same,” Seb admitted. “Not like when you do it.”

  “Well, I am a doctor.” Hudson turned his attention back to Seb’s knee.

  “That’s not why.” Seb leaned forward to touch him, and Hudson stilled, his breath hitching. He swallowed visibly before slowly removing a roll of bandages from the kit. Seb’s gut clenched, and he sat back, returning his hand to his knee. He no longer had the right to touch Hudson when the urge struck him. Hudson might bear his mark, but he wasn’t Seb’s.

  Seb averted his gaze while Hudson wrapped his knee. Damn, he hated this. Their relationship had been far from perfect, and they’d argued like any couple, but it never lasted. Seb couldn’t stand having Hudson mad at him, and he couldn’t bear to be away from him for long. All Seb had to do was look into those bright pools of blue, and he was lost, drowning in the love he had in his heart, so he gave in. He was a pushover where Hudson was concerned. Giving in was better than fighting. He couldn’t stand the fighting. It tore at his insides. The subject of their worst arguments never changed—Seb was too protective.

  Seb had given in to Hudson from the beginning, allowing him to take care of Seb like he wanted to, but when Seb tried to do the same with Hudson, he came up against a wall. It was engrained in Hudson. Stiff upper lip and all that. He prided himself on his steadfast composure, his ability to guard against any vulnerability he might feel, and his self-reliance. Just because he let Seb in, allowed Seb to see him like no one else did, did not mean he was vulnerable. He did not need sheltering. However, Seb couldn’t help himself, especially after he’d marked Hudson. He needed to protect what was his. The urge had grown with every passing day until one day he’d fucked it all up.

  Hudson’s hands on his calf had him drawing a sharp breath and brought him back to the present. Despite the anguish in his heart, having Hudson in the same room made him smile. Very few understood Seb’s inability to move on. There was no moving on from Hudson Colbourn.

  In their years apart, Seb had had several sexual encounters, but he wasn’t interested in moving beyond a few nights of sex with any of those guys. None of them were Hudson. Cael had been the first to change things. Seb had let down his guard with the young cheetah Therian, and the two had become good friends since, but in his heart of hearts, Seb had known it wouldn’t work, and not just because Cael was in love with someone else. No one could come close to the man before him.

  With a smile, Seb leaned forward, and this time, he put his fingers under Hudson’s chin. He lifted his face, and their eyes met.

  “Hey.”

  Hudson gave him a bashful smile. “Hey.”

  “Thanks for helping me out.”

  Hudson’s expression softened, and he relaxed. “Of course. Promise me you’ll be more careful.”

  “I promise.” Seb gave him a wink and sat back. He looked down at himself. “Guess I should pull my pants back up, huh?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Unless you don’t want me to.”

  “You cheeky bugger.” Hudson smacked Seb’s flank playfully. “Stop it.” He strapped Seb back into his leg brace before standing up.

  “Admit it, you love that about me.”

  “I do,” Hudson said with a sigh before catching himself. His face flushed, and Seb couldn’t help but tease.

  “Better get dressed, then. Don’t want you distracted for the rest of the day.”

  Hudson’s eyebrows shot up, and he laughed. “Oh, it’s like that, ay?”

  Man, he loved that laugh. Seb pushed to his feet with Hudson’s help, then pulled up his pants, his grin wide. “Yeah. What is it Dex says?” Seb snapped his fingers. “That’s right.” He turned around and lifted his shirt. “Who’s got the booty? I got the booty.”

  Hudson let out a bark of laughter. “Oh good Lord. You’ve been spending far too much time around that man. Next thing you know, you’ll be leaving a trail of gummy bears in your wake.”

  “Hardly. Doesn’t make my statement less true, though,” Seb said, fastening his belt.

  Hudson snickered and shooed him. “Get out of my office, you scoundrel. And no more flashing your arse at me.”

  Seb headed for the door. He looked at Hudson over his shoulder. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

  “Get out,” Hudson ordered, the gravity lost when he chuckled. A thought seemed to occur to him, and he hurried over. “Wait. How’s Julia?”

  Seb was touched by Hudson’s concern, but not at all surprised. Hudson was always asking about his parents, even if he didn’t ask Seb specifically. Usually Hudson sent his love through Ethan, who then passed the message on to Seb to give to his parents. “She’s okay. It’s been a bit of a tough week.”

  “Thomas?”

  Seb nodded. His dad had his good days, not so good days, and days where his mom cried herself to sleep. Those were the hardest for Seb. She tried her best to hide it from him, but he could tell when he spoke to her on the phone or came by to check on her. Most people assumed the Hobbs boys got their strength from their father, and although Thomas Hobbs was stronger than most and had obviously passed the trait on to his tiger Therian sons, they’d inherited their strength of heart from their mother. No matter the hardship or heartache she encountered over the years thanks to her husband’s condition, she never gave up on him, never turned her back on him, and never stopped loving him.

  “Do you think…?” Hudson worried his bottom lip with his teeth. “Do you think it might be all right if I called her?”

  Seb blinked at him. He quickly snapped out of it. “Yeah, I think she’d love that.”

  Hudson’s smile was radiant. “I will, then. Thank you.”

  “Okay.” Seb gave him a wink. “Have a good day, lobito.”

  Hudson shook his head as he walked back inside. “Be safe, Sebastian.”

  Well, at least Hudson hadn’t asked him not to call him that. His knee was still killing him, but it felt less awful. Seb couldn’t keep from grinning as he walked down the hall.

  Back in Unit Alpha, his fellow agents busied themselves as he walked by, doing everything to avoid eye contact in case he had something to say to them.

  When he reached his office, it was his turn to avoid eye contact. He took a seat behind his desk and logged into Themis. Seb didn’t have to see Dom to know he was grinning like a dope. Dom was the kind of guy people noticed when he walked into a room, either because they heard him or because his presence demanded attention. At over six foot two and almost two hundred pounds, Dom had a square jaw, full lips, and hooded, hazel eyes with long, thick lashes. His eyebrows were dark and his brown hair short and tousled, adding to his roguish look, his expression always one of boyish mischief.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Seb grunted. “You’re asking to get that smug look knocked off your face.”

  “Whatever,” Dom said with a snort. “It went well. You were smiling like an idiot.”

  “Only idiot here is the one sitting across from me.”

  Dom gasped in mock hurt. “Ooh, ouch. You wound me, bro.”

  “If only,” Seb muttered, but then his earpiece beeped, and Sparks’s voice came over the line.

  “Seb?”

  “Yes, Lieutenant.”

  “Would you come to my office, please?”

  “Of course.” The line went quiet, and he stood. “I need to go see the lieutenant. Could you check on the team? Lee hasn’t submitted his report yet, and I want to make sure Zoey hasn’t convinced Brianna to lock him out of his desk. Again.”

  Dom gave him a salute, and Seb headed out into the bullpen. Why couldn’t Sparks have called him before he’d made it to his office? All the sitting and standing was doing nothing for his knee. At the end of Unit Alpha, he took a left and found Sparks’s office open. He walked in, surprised when she put the room into privacy mode.

  “That’s new.” Sparks’s office had always been secure with no need for additional security measures. This didn’t bode well.

  “Yes, well, the world was a different place a year ago.” She motioned for Seb to sit in the empty chair across from her desk, and he did. Whatever she wanted to talk to him about, he had a feeling it had nothing to do with his job at the THIRDS.

  “Thank you for coming.”

  “Of course.”

  Sparks took a seat behind her desk, her intense gaze fixed on him. “Can I assume a speech on discretion is unnecessary?”

  “Got it.” Definitely not about the THIRDS.

  “We need to discuss you appointing yourself Dr. Colbourn’s personal security.”

  At the mention of Hudson and his safety, Seb tensed. “Have you heard from Wolf?”

  Six months ago, what they had thought was a routine callout for Destructive Delta regarding a gang execution, turned out to be much more. Wolf had tried contacting Sloane and Dex about something, but the messenger he’d used was killed before he could deliver the message, forcing Wolf to come out of hiding to deliver it himself. No one understood why Wolf would insist they protect Hudson, but no one was taking the warning lightly. Hudson had promised he’d be more careful, but he wasn’t about to go into hiding or allow his life to be interrupted, especially since they had no idea who they were protecting him from. If Hudson’s life was in danger, Seb wasn’t about to let Hudson out of his sight.