Cold Shadow (Cold Country #2)(46)

"Absolutely not." Nathan wanted to laugh, he really did, but his gut clenched. It might not have been penetration, but it was still sex. And it wasn't with Quinn. "He'll know anyway."

"I know." Drew wouldn't look his way. "Do you want me to tell him I seduced you? Damn, Nathan, I can't do this. I can't be here. I want you again already. I want to be with you. And you want Quinn."

"I want you both. I can't have that. I can't choose between you either."

"I'm not asking you to. I couldn't live with the thought that I broke Quinn's heart. I can't be the one who destroys him. And neither can you."

"I won't destroy him. I love him too much."

"And that's how it should be." Drew dragged his clean shirt over his head and with a nod, he climbed into his SUV and slowly started back down the side of the mountain.

"It's not fucking fair!" Nathan shouted to the lake. "Why now? Why him? Why? Just fucking why?"





Chapter Twelve




The parking lot behind the Sheriff's Department wasn't exactly a parking lot anymore. Cars were parked around the actual lot, tailgates out, several tuned to the same country music station. Tables and chairs had materialized around the lot as well as two roll-away basketball goals. Looking around, Drew saw only SD people and none of his own. Too many SD people to be a break or a casual Saturday after-shift meet-up. 

He heard the rumble of the motorcycle and stepped out of his SUV just as Nathan threw his helmet on the ground and bellowed, "What the fuck is going on here?"

Everything came to a complete standstill; the chatter stopped, the basketball went rolling away as the players came to a halt, even the music died away.

"Why aren't you people doing your jobs?" Nathan stalked into the middle of the parking lot, his anger all-encompassing. The scariest deputy on the force, a big guy named Marcus, hung his head in shame.

"Those feebs won't let us do our jobs." One of the front office clerks, a small woman whose name Drew didn't know was the only one brave enough to stand up to Nathan's ire. "And the things they are saying about you, Nathan, it's not right. So we decided it was best to get out of their way and let them work."

Nathan sighed, he squeezed the bridge of his nose. Drew felt the tension drain from him the moment he stood next to him. "Okay, just tell me we have the basics covered? Dispatch? Who is on patrol?"

"Come on, Nathan, we're not stupid. We've got all that covered, and most of these guys aren't even supposed to be here now anyway. We're making a stand against the alien invasion. No offense, Agent Walker." This from Marcus, who stepped away from the game to shake Drew's hand. "Good to see you back. It's been a long time."

"I just wish it was under better circumstances." Drew smiled to deflect any further questions. God, he couldn't believe what a prick Chad Morgan really was to still be running with this shit. "Hey, can anyone get in on this game? I'm off duty and would love to have a crack at beating you LEOs into the ground."

"Hey, guys, who wants the feeb?" Marcus shouted over the blast of radio. "I'm calling Nathan."

Marcus didn't give Nathan a chance to respond, he just threw the ball into his chest and Nathan caught the ball with an oof of frustration. "Come on, big daddy, let's see what you got."

"What? You think I don't got game?" The gleam that came into Nathan's eyes did more to set the mood for the next few hours than anything else. "Let's go kick some feeb ass."

"Ha, ha. Bite my ass, Captain Desk Jockey," Drew taunted, knocking the ball from Nathan's hands. "Let's go. Who're my guys?"

Ten minutes or so later, Drew knew he was in for trouble. Nathan played like a wild man. His team was already up by ten points. But with him and Marcus towering over everyone else, it stood to reason. Sweat dripped into Nathan's eyes, his long hair lay plastered to his neck. He called time out to the taunts of 'pussy'. "Who's got a hair thingy I can borrow?" he shouted to the women cheering on the sidelines. There was only three: one deputy with her finger in a splint and the two clerks.

The little one who stood up to Nathan pulled a slim black band out of her bag and handed it off with a blush. "Thanks, Sybil."

"Hey, princess, how about we get on with the game?" Drew called out just as Nathan cinched his hair behind his head. His middle finger making an appearance just before he tugged his shirt over his head.

Drew heard the collective gasp of Nathan's coworkers. He saw the moment of hesitation in Nathan's eyes when he realized what he'd done. The moment of raw fear that was quickly squelched when Marcus wolf-whistled. "Damn, that's some serious ink. Shit, Nathan, didn't expect that, man. Okay, let's play."