EMS Heat 10 - In His Hero's Shadow by Stephani Hecht Read Free Book Online Page A

crazy. What kind of person hates inanimate objects?”
Chauncey ran his palm up and down Brody’s arm. “One who went through a huge loss.”
    They fell silent for a moment before Chauncey asked, “How come I never heard about all this before? You and Kiefer have been partners for a while now and he never mentioned anything to me.”
    “Because I never told anyone all the gritty details, I just told them how my dad died. I didn’t want to go any deeper into the subject with another person. That is until tonight.”
    It humbled Chauncey to know that Brody trusted him, and him alone with such an emotional confidence. Brody tilted his head to look up at Chauncey. “I just thought that maybe I should explain why I was such a shit to you earlier at the bar.”
“Since when do you apologize for being a brat?” Chauncey teased gently.
     
Brody started to pull away. “I should get going.”
    Chauncey dragged Brody back into place. “What’s the rush? I thought tomorrow was your day off?”
    “It is.”
“Then why are you trying to rabbit on me?”
    A blush covered Brody’s cheeks. While that kind of reaction usually was uncharacteristic for the in-your-face medic, he’d done it a few times that evening. Chauncey found the new trait very endearing.
“I just didn’t want to overstay my welcome. I know how you feel about me.”
     
“If I didn’t want you here I never would have invited you in the first place.”
    Brody rolled his eyes, some of his normal spunk peeking through. “You were horny at the time and not exactly thinking with the right head.”
“That still doesn’t mean I don’t want you here now.”
     
“I don’t need your pity,” Brody snapped as he tried to get up again.
    Once more, Chauncey pulled him back in, earning an aggravated glare from Chauncey. “Stop being such an ass.”
“Stop being a brat.”
     
“Can’t you think of any other insults? I think you’ve used that word a thousand times already tonight.”
    “I can think of plenty of things to call you, but none of them are more fitting than brat. Now snuggle in and go to sleep already.”
Brody snorted in disgust. “You did not just order me to cuddle.”
     
“I sure did. Now shut up and go to sleep.”
    When Brody obeyed, Chauncey hid his grin. Brody still grumbled about the situation, though. “This is so ridiculous. We can’t stand to be in the same room with each other for more than ten minutes without driving one another crazy. We’ll be lucky if we don’t make it through the night without strangling each other.”
“So long as you clamp your yap and go to sleep, we’ll do just fine.”
     
Brody gaped at him a moment. “Why would you ever believe that?”
    Chauncey captured Brody’s lips in a sweet, sensual kiss that left both of them breathless. Pressing their foreheads together, Chauncey said, “Because when we do that, it feels so right.”
“You’re just desperate for a good lay,” Brody fired back.
    Chauncey didn’t allow himself to get insulted by the comment. Instead, he continued to press, “You know you can’t deny it. You like being held by me.”
Brody narrowed his eyes. “Maybe I just like your excellent fucking skills.”
     
“If that’s the case, then I’m going to have to make sure to fuck you on a regular basis.” “What makes you think that I’m going to let you back in?”
    Chauncey ran his fingers down Brody’s side, eliciting a shiver from the younger man. “The way you react to my touch is a pretty good tell.”
    “Seriously, we both know this is never going to happen again. Come morning, we’ll be back to hating each other. A couple of blowjobs and good fucks aren’t going to change that.”
    While he knew Brody probably had a valid point, Chauncey didn’t want to dwell on it at the moment. He just wanted to take what he could and savor what little time they may have together.
“Let’s worry about that tomorrow. Tonight, let’s just enjoy each other.”
    Brody finally