held it up, before putting it in the center console. “Remember this? It’s our ace in the hole. So stop worrying. Duncan can’t get into the computer, can he?”
“Only AJ and I know the password.” Unhooking his seat belt, Micah shook his head and turned his body toward Tucker. Micah took a deep breath and visibly tried to calm himself. “Not a chance in hell would AJ give that pendejo the password.”
“Good. Relax. We’ll let him visit with Granddad for a few hours and send him on his way.” Tucker’s gaze darted past Micah for a second, spotting AJ, his dad and Juan coming their way. One side of Tucker’s mouth hitched up and an odd feeling swamped him. It took him a second, but he finally realized what it was. It was contentment. God, it was good to be home.
He glanced back at Micah, noting once again the dark circles under his eyes. Tucker’s chest tightened. No way was he letting Duncan stay. Micah didn’t need the stress. “Come here, baby.”
Micah’s brows scrunched together and he glared at Tucker. “What did you call me?”
Tucker got an insane urge to kiss that glare away. He shouldn’t. It would only complicate things. Fuck that, he wanted and he was going to have. He leaned forward and touched Micah under the chin to urge him closer. As he slanted his mouth over Micah’s in an easy caress, he tried not to knock Micah’s glasses off.
A sound caught somewhere between a protest and a plea left Micah’s throat before he finally kissed Tucker back. Micah reached for his glasses with one hand and clenched and unclenched the other in the fabric of Tucker’s shirt.
Tucker wanted the kiss to last, yet at the same time he knew he shouldn’t. This could become an obsession. He couldn’t afford to get addicted to Micah’s kisses. Micah may be old enough now, but their worlds moved in different directions. It was already going to tear a piece of Tucker’s heart out when he had to leave The Bar D again and go back to Dallas. And something told him it was going to hurt a lot worse this time than it did the first. Damn Micah. Why did he have to be so tempting?
Tucker pulled back, hoping Micah would think the kiss was for their audience’s benefit.
“What in the holy hell do you think you’re—?”
“Shh…” Tucker dipped his head a little, indicating the others.
His family had moved toward them, and now on the porch was a man in an expensive-looking gray suit. Duncan. Tucker hadn’t remembered him looking that much like Dad, but then Tucker had been four years old the last time he saw Duncan. There was no denying Duncan was Jeff’s older brother. It made Tucker’s blood boil.
The passenger side door opened. “Well lookie here, the prodigal son has returned.” Juan smiled. “Welcome back, young’un.”
“And he brought Tucker,” AJ said in a surprised whisper. “Well, I’ll be damned. Hi there, big brother.”
“Juan was talking about Tucker, not Micah.” Dad laughed. Leaning down, he caught Tucker’s gaze. “Get out here, boy!”
After taking off his seat belt, Tucker opened his own door and smiled so big his face hurt. By the time he made it around the car, AJ and Juan had gathered around Micah, fussing over him.
Micah brushed them off, telling them he was fine.
Dad met Tucker in front of the car and squeezed him so tight he couldn’t breathe. He stepped back and studied his father. Dad looked older. There was more gray in his hair and more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but he looked good. He looked like home. Tucker hugged him again. “Hi, Dad.”
“Glad you’re home, son. You take care of our boy?” Dad pulled back, his focus cutting to where AJ and Juan stood with Micah.
Micah caught Tucker’s gaze and his eyes fairly sparkled with happiness for a brief moment, then he looked away and said something to AJ.
Nodding, Tucker smiled. “I’ve tried. He’s been fighting me the whole way though.”
AJ laughed. “Sounds like him.” He patted
Learning to Kill: Stories