“Ha!” Hudson threw his arms up in victory when Seb took hold of his wrist and pulled him up. Hudson smiled at his husband. “Hello, darling.” He put a hand to Seb’s cheek. “Your face is so red. Didn’t you get any rest?”

  Seb cleared his throat again. “Um, yeah, just, you know, why don’t we hit the showers and meet up for something to eat later?”

  Before Dex could reply, Sloane spoke up. “Great idea.” He helped Dex to his feet, pretending he hadn’t noticed Dex narrowing his eyes at him. They agreed to meet up later, and Sloane took hold of Dex’s hand and quickly led him out of the training bay.

  “Um, Sloane? What’s going on?”

  Sloane shook his head. “Nothing. Just going to hit the showers.”

  “The locker room is the other way.”

  Sloane had no intention of showering anywhere near anyone else.

  “Sloane?”

  Sloane led Dex back to his new private training bay, and more importantly, his office with the fully stocked, brand-new shower. As soon as they got into his office, he put the room in privacy mode, turned, and pounced.

  Dex had no idea what had gotten into Sloane. Not that he was complaining. The moment Sloane put the room into privacy mode, he captured Dex’s lips, his tongue demanding entrance. Dex happily obliged, parting his lips, meeting Sloane’s tongue with his own as they tangled in a searing kiss. Sloane ran his hands over every inch of Dex, groping, caressing, squeezing, as he stripped Dex of his clothes while walking him backward toward the bathroom.

  When they were naked, Sloane trailed kisses down Dex’s jaw to his collarbone, down his chest to a nipple that he tongued then sucked into his mouth. Dex dug his fingers into Sloane’s shoulders, his head back and his eyes closed as Sloane’s tongue drove him crazy. He sucked and teased one nipple before moving on to the other one, his fingers digging into Dex’s skin. He slipped a finger between Dex’s ass cheeks, and Dex bucked his hips when Sloane’s finger teased at his hole.

  “Sloane… please.”

  Sloane pulled away long enough to turn on the shower and check the water’s temperature. The entire bathroom was tiled, so they had plenty of room to maneuver. There was even a padded bench.

  “Sloane? Talk to me.”

  Sloane pulled back, his pupils so wide his amber eyes were almost all black, his feral half lingering beneath the surface.

  “When I saw you on the mat, all sweaty and writhing underneath Hudson, I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t share, and no one is ever laying a finger on you in that way except me, but seeing you move like that, your face flushed, I had to get my hands on you.”

  Dex’s brows shot up. “Are you saying my training session with Hudson turned you on?” No wonder Seb had been in such a hurry to get Hudson to himself. A sinful smile spread across Dex’s face, and he ran a finger down Sloane’s arm. “You like to see me all sweaty and groaning, don’t you?”

  “Only when it’s me causing you to make those noises.” Sloane grabbed the soap and led him under the shower before proceeding to wash Dex. He stood behind Dex, their bodies all but pressed against each other as Sloane soaped him up, his hands running over every inch of Dex, over his arms, down his legs, and between his ass cheeks. He quickly washed himself before rinsing off and turning Dex to face him. Dex shivered at the hunger in Sloane’s molten amber gaze. “I want you on that bench, on your hands and knees so I can fuck your ass with my tongue.”

  Dex almost came right then. He nodded fervently and quickly went over to the bench, where he got on his hands and knees. He lowered his head against the soft padding of the bench, his ass in the air as Sloane stood behind him, his fingers kneading Dex’s cheeks. Dex moaned when he looked back in time to find Sloane getting down on his knees. He parted Dex’s cheeks and licked at Dex’s hole. Dex did his best not to wriggle too much or he might end up falling off the bench, and that was most certainly not sexy. He’d fallen off their bed plenty of times, but here there was no cushy carpet to break his fall. However, it was hard remaining still with Sloane working that sinful tongue over Dex’s hole, spearing Dex, nipping at his skin, and driving Dex out of his mind.

  When Sloane moved away, Dex whimpered. He glanced over his shoulder at Sloane, a shiver going through him as Sloane lined up his beautiful, hard cock with Dex’s entrance. Fuck, that was hot. Dex let out a low groan, his body trembling with need. He couldn’t get enough of Sloane, of his touch, his kisses, the way he set Dex’s body on fire.

  “That’s it, baby. I want to hear how much you like having my dick inside you.”

  “Sloane, please.”

  “Please what?” Sloane growled.

  “Fuck me. Make me come.” Dex was all but vibrating with need. He wanted it hard and rough, wanted to feel Sloane inside him for hours. His muscles already ached from training, but he wanted to feel the burn left behind by Sloane’s fucking him.

  Sloane plunged inside Dex, and Dex cried out. He gripped the edge of the bench until his knuckles were white, holding on with all his strength as Sloane plowed into him over and over. Steam filled the room, along with the sounds of Dex’s loud moans and panting. His wet hair was plastered to his face, and he thrust back as Sloane plunged in deep, making Sloane release a hoarse cry. Dex loved it when Sloane lost himself, when his feral half growled and roared.

  Dex reached under him and took hold of his cock, jerking himself off. “Sloane…”

  “No.”

  “Please.”

  “No.”

  Dex whimpered. He was so painfully hard. Behind him, Sloane’s fingers dug into Dex’s hips as skin slapped against skin. Sloane changed his angle, and Dex saw stars. He screamed Sloane’s name, his muscles tightening around Sloane’s cock as Sloane let out a roar and folded himself over Dex as he filled Dex with his come. Sloane’s body was racked with shivers as he held on to Dex until he’d emptied himself in Dex’s ass.

  “Please, Sloane.” Dex was begging, and he didn’t care. He was so painfully hard and so very close.

  “Sit,” Sloane ordered, his voice low and rough.

  Dex did as asked, turning to sit up on the bench and spreading his knees so Sloane could kneel between them. Sloane kissed Dex before swallowing down Dex’s cock.

  “Oh fuck!”

  Dex slipped his fingers into Sloane’s hair and grabbed fistfuls of it. When Sloane stopped moving, Dex planted one hand on the bench, and with the other braced himself so he could thrust up into Sloane’s mouth. Sloane let out a guttural moan, and Dex could feel his orgasm looming.

  “You like that? You like it when I fuck your mouth, don’t you?”

  Sloane nodded around Dex’s cock, and Dex almost came right then. He grabbed hold of Sloane’s hair again with one hand as he thrust into Sloane’s mouth over and over.

  “You look so fucking hot with your lips around my dick.”

  Sloane’s tongue was sinful as it did dirty things to Dex’s cock, the tip pressing into Dex’s slit, then pushing against the underside of Dex’s cock before once again moving to work Dex’s slit. His cheeks hollowed as he sucked, his free hand fondling Dex’s balls.

  “Oh God, Sloane. I’m gonna come.”

  Sloane picked up his pace, the sweet friction building inside Dex as he watched his cock moving in and out between Sloane’s full lips. A white light burst in front of his eyes, and Dex screamed Sloane’s name, his muscles straining and his body shivering as he emptied himself inside Sloane’s mouth. Sloane swallowed every drop, and when Dex was a boneless mess, Sloane stood and kissed Dex so he could taste himself.

  “Holy fuck, babe,” Dex murmured, his knees a little unsteady as Sloane led him back under the shower to wash them again. “I think training just got a whole lot more interesting.”

  Sloane chuckled as they finished up and turned off the water. As Sloane dried Dex, he nuzzled his hair, his voice soft, yet full of promise. “As long as I’m the one taking you home and getting you all sweaty in bed.”

  Dex turned and slipped his arms around Sloane’s waist. “You’ve got a deal.”

  TWO

  “Twenty minutes,” Dex announced before thrusting a spatula in Sloane’s direction and lip-synching to “Do Ya, Do Ya Want My Love” by Electric Light Orchestra, making Sloane laugh.

  “I already got your love,” Sloane said, giving Dex a quick kiss on the lips before placing the groceries he’d just brought home on the island counter to put away.

  “Damn right you do.” Dex went back to singing into his spatula and bopping around the kitchen in his Peter Venkman Ghostbusters apron Letty gifted him for his birthday. His wearing it usually resulted in Ghostbusters movie quotes or scene reenactments, with his favorite scene to perform being Venkman getting slimed. Dex’s one-man show included him playing the part of Peter, Ray, and Slimer. It made Sloane laugh his ass off every time.

  “Mmm, that smells good. What’s for dinner?” Usually Sloane did the cooking and Dex washed up. Dex was a great cook, but he loved to eat the food more than he liked to make it. He was also very particular about how things should be cleaned and stored, so Sloane didn’t even attempt to do the washing up afterward. Unless it was a lone mug or cereal bowl, he left the cleaning up to Dex. Also, with Sloane doing the cooking, it meant there was always some kind of vegetable on their plate rather than double the carbs.

  “Lemon and herb chicken, baked garlic parmesan potato wedges, and parmesan baby broccoli.”

  Sloane gasped. “You cooked little trees?” Several months ago, Dex decided vegetables were too annoying to be called by their names and therefore renamed every vegetable to cross his plate. As if renaming them would somehow get him out of eating them. Broccoli was now referred to as “little trees.” Carrots were “veggie vampire killers,” sprouts “shrunken cabbages,” and asparagus “pee stinkers.” The list went on.

  Dex rolled his eyes. “Yes, oh love of my loins.” He narrowed his eyes at Sloane, his lips curling into an evil grin. “I baked alive your precious baby trees. Muahaha.”

  “And I bet they’ll taste delicious.”

  “Did you get dessert?”

  “Of course.” Sloane held up a carton of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in each hand. “Cherry Garcia and Phish Food, as requested.”

  “You’re the best,” Dex said, then blew Sloane a kiss before he started washing up the dishes he’d used to prep dinner. Dirty dishes in the sink gave Dex hives. Once all the groceries had been put away, Sloane turned to Dex, momentarily captivated by his beautiful partner. Today’s socks were ninjas leaping and summersaulting—a Christmas gift from Cael. The charcoal gray distressed T-shirt Dex had on with a Nintendo controller on it and the words “Classically Trained” was fitting a little snugger these days, thanks to the muscle he’d put on, and although the black pajama bottoms he wore were loose, they couldn’t hide that delicious ass. The man really was a feast for the eyes.

  Unable to help himself, Sloane slipped his arms around Dex, his chest pressed against Dex’s back and his fingers splayed on Dex’s chest, keeping him close. A sweet love song floated up from the Bluetooth speakers in the living room, and Sloane hummed softly, stopping only long enough to kiss Dex’s cheek. He began to sway, head pressed to Dex’s.

  “Less than two weeks,” Sloane murmured. “In less than two weeks, we’ll be having our first dance as husband and husband.”

  Dex dried his hands on a dish towel before placing them over Sloane’s. He laced their fingers together and joined Sloane, swaying in time to the music. Sloane’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of their upcoming wedding. Part of him was nervous as hell, but the other side of him couldn’t wait to stand with Dex, hand in hand before the whole world, as they exchanged vows. Dex had been prepared to write his own, but Sloane asked if they could keep the traditional wedding vows. There had been no hesitation on Dex’s part when he’d agreed.

  Details like color scheme, type of cake, and venue were all things Sloane left to Dex, and he preferred it that way. It was too much for him. He never thought he’d be lucky enough to find someone who’d love him the way Dex did, much less get married, so he’d never given any thought to what kind of wedding he’d have. Dex, on the other hand, had very specific ideas. For Sloane, making sure Dex was happy was more important than Sloane randomly choosing a certain flavor of cake, which was what would have ended up happening had the choice been his.

  When Sloane asked to keep a few traditions, Dex beamed at him. The fact Sloane was asking was enough for Dex to know it was important to him. After the vows, they discussed what other traditions Sloane wanted to keep. The big ones for him were keeping the ceremony traditional as far as vows, music, wedding party, and attire. Together they’d approved the venue, and Tony had insisted on taking care of the rehearsal dinner, since Dex was paying for the wedding. Tony hadn’t been happy about it at first, and he’d been prepared to argue with Dex, thinking Dex was just trying to save him from a huge bill, but the truth was, Dex intended on following tradition and having his parents pay for his wedding.

  After John and Gina Daley were killed, their life insurance policies had paid out a huge amount of money. When Dex had added Sloane’s name to the house—a house Dex bought with some of his parents’ insurance money, along with his car—he’d disclosed how much money he still had left. It had shocked the shit out of Sloane. Now, not only had Dex found the perfect use for a portion of that money, but he’d also found a way to include his parents in his wedding day. The three of them had sat in Tony’s living room, not one dry eye among them. Tony had smiled through his tears and agreed it was a wonderful idea.

  Sloane closed his eyes, loving the feel of Dex’s warm body pressed to his, how perfectly he fit against Sloane, and the delicious scent that was all Dex. God, how he loved this man. He couldn’t imagine his life without Dex. Without his gorgeous smile, infectious laugh, and his big heart full of so much love. Despite the emotional roller coaster of the last few years, after everything Dex had suffered, he hadn’t lost any of what made him Dex. He still laughed at his own silly jokes, wore crazy socks, rocked out to eighties music, and enjoyed driving Ash crazy.

  Dex turned his head so Sloane could kiss him. “I can’t believe it’ll be four years since we met. Do you remember?”

  “Remember?” Sloane chuckled. “How could I forget? You left me speechless.”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t one of my better moments,” Dex said with a laugh, most likely recalling the instant their lives changed forever.

  “I’ll admit, when you smacked your head against mine, my first thought was that you were an idiot.”

  “I kinda felt like one at the time,” Dex muttered.

  “That wasn’t what left me speechless, though.”

  “Oh?”

  Sloane released Dex and gently turned him so they were face to face. Dex’s beautiful smile stole Sloane’s breath away. What could he possibly have done to be so lucky? “It was your eyes.” Sloane stroked Dex’s eyebrow with his thumb and cupped Dex’s cheek. “Four years. It seems like only yesterday, but at the same time, it’s like I’ve always known you.” He brushed his lips over Dex’s, coaxing his beautiful mate to let him in. Dex parted his lips, and Sloane slipped his tongue inside, savoring the taste of him. Dex stroked Sloane’s right arm where his—as of five months ago—tattoo was. He smiled against Sloane’s lips before pulling back to look down at it.

  “I can’t believe you had this done for me.”

  Sloane smiled, his fingers brushing along Dex’s own half-sleeve tattoo on his left arm. Calvin designed Dex’s first, which meant when Sloane approached him, asking him to design a matching one, Calvin was able to design it so when they stood with their arms together, the images fit. Sloane’s ship faced Dex’s lighthouse, both sharing the same starry night and swirling sea.

  “When you said you were getting one and I saw the design, I knew right away I wanted one too. So you’d always be with me.”

  The oven timer beeped, and Dex kissed Sloane before cheerfully announcing dinner was ready. “Grab a plate, sexy pants.” He removed the trays from the oven, and Sloane went to the fridge.

  “What are you drinking?”

  “Water’s fine.”

  That answer would have surprised him several months ago, but Dex was doing a great job in cutting back on the sugary drinks, especially in the evenings. Sloane grabbed them a couple of bottled waters and placed them on the counter so he could serve himself. Once they’d both filled up their plates, they each grabbed their water, cutlery, and paper towels before heading into the living room. They sat on the couch, and Dex turned on the TV and flipped channels until he got to one of his favorite cop shows. It was the only one they watched, not for the realism, but because it was full of action, great banter, and Sloane agreed with Dex that the bromantic lead couple were pretty damn sexy.

  As they ate and watched TV together, Sloane realized he was stupidly happy. After all the crazy they’d been through, they had six weeks off, three leading up to the wedding and three for their honeymoon. The thought made him smile like a dope.

  “What’s got you all smiley?” Dex asked before chomping down on one of his potato wedges. Potatoes had not been renamed, as they were “awesome and tasty” and therefore not considered true vegetables in Dex’s book—unless Sloane was bugging him to eat more veggies, and then suddenly potatoes transformed into temporary vegetables. Sometimes living with Dex was like living with a Human jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces were the same color.

  “Well?”

  Sloane snapped out of it. “Oh. I was thinking about spending three weeks with you on the sandy beaches of Curaçao.”

  Dex hummed. “You in an itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini.”

  Sloane laughed. “Yeah, no.”

  “You’re right. Mankini is more your style.”

  “Mankini is no one’s style. Just no.”

  “You know, they make tux mankinis with little bow ties. I think we should totally trade our tuxes in for those. What do you say? Walk down the aisle with me, bare assed.”