Page 83 of Broken Wheels

Josh lifted his mug. “Couldn’t sleep. Wanted some hot chocolate. Thank you for buying it, by the way.”

He smiled. “Anything for you.”

Josh’s heart gave another jolt. Sure, they could have been just words, but to his inexperienced ears, it sounded as though Dixon actually meant them.

Josh waved his phone. “Just got a text from Chalmers. He’s on his way to town to talk to me about Vreeland. He wants to meet tomorrow.”

Dixon scowled. “What the fuck for?” He grabbed his own mug and hot cocoa packet.

He shrugged. “No idea. Guess we’ll find that out tomorrow.” He drew in a breath. “You’re not… you know, interested in him, are you?”

Dixon’s eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. “What?”

“I mean, I could understand it. He’s good-looking and confident and brash and…. You’re not, right?”

Please say you’re not. I don’t think I could stand that.

Dixon widened his eyes. “Interested? In Chalmers? That smug prick? No fucking way.” He walked over to Josh, leaned in, and kissed him. “Besides, I’m a one-guy kinda person.” He smiled. “And I’ve found mine.”

Okay, that went a long way to soothing Josh’s disquiet.

He watched as Dixon made his own mug, then took a seat beside him. “It’s a little distracting, having you next to me in that state.”

Dixon chuckled. “You saying you want me to put some clothes on?” He batted down his rising cock. “Go back to sleep, you. You’ve played enough tonight. Keep going at this rate, and you’re likely to fall off.”

Josh laughed. “I still can’t get used to you talking to your dick. It’s as if it’s a person with its own personality.”

“You mean yours doesn’t have one?” Dixon lapsed into silence for a moment before turning his head toward Josh. “So you know, Chalmers will be coming here. I’m not having you go outside of CrossBow.”

Josh knew Dixon had his best interests at heart, but while the need to be safe was front and center in Josh’s thinking, another need was quietly taking prominence.

“I thought we might meet him in town,” he said in as even a tone as he could manage.

Dixon blinked.

Before he could refuse, Josh plunged even deeper. “There’s this bakery I used to go to. It has the most awesome pastries. There are a couple of tables too. We could meet him over coffee and a bite to eat. And I haven’t seen Adele—the owner—in ages. She’ll be wondering what’s happened to me.” He threw in a bout of puppy dog eyes for good measure.

Dixon cocked his head. “Awesome pastries, huh?”

Josh nodded, hopeful his entreaties had landed on fertile soil. “They do the most amazing eclairs. Chocolate icing, and inside, this delicious coffee custard. Adele says she got the idea from a pastry shop she visited one time in Paris.”

Dixon laughed. “Great. And how do you think I could watch you putting an eclair into your mouth—and sucking the custard out of it—without getting a hard-on?”

“I could just lick off the tip,” Josh suggested. “Slowly.” Dixon opened his mouth, but Josh wasn’t done. “Look, I’m going a little stir-crazy in here, okay? I know I used to spend most of my life either in the lab or at my place, but at least I got to see the outside world. I need a break, Dixon.”

He could do no more.

Dixon regarded him in silence, sipping his cocoa, and with each passing second, Josh felt the probability of his getting to taste Adele’s wonderful pastries slipping through his fingers.

At last, Dixon sighed. “You know I’ll have to run this past Gary and Michael.”

Josh’s heart sank. “They’ll never agree to it.”

Dixon’s eyes twinkled. “Then I’ll have to do as big a snow job on them as you just did on me.” He grinned. “Puppy dog eyes? Really?”

Josh chuckled. “Hey, you work with what you have.”

“And you used it in spades.” Dixon nodded toward Josh’s mug. “Finish your cocoa, Doc, and let’s get you back in bed.” He smiled. “You need to be alert if we’re going to meet Chalmers.”

---