Page 5 of The Barn: Frost and Q
“Yes, I did.” Frost sat, those golden hazel eyes flashing with a little temper. “You need to eat.”
“Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow, because he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t treating himself well. “Let me see your hands.”
“Huh?” Frost curled his fingers up, hiding the insides of his hands altogether. “Why?”
“Did you at least wash them?” he asked, poking the bear. The born-in-Alaska bear, no less.
“I took a shower. Of course I did.”
“Let me. See your. Hands.” He drew it out, making it offensive.
“Dammit, Q. Can we eat first? I’m starving, and it’s still nice and hot right now.”
“Yeah. Yeah, sure.” It really did smell good, and Frost had gone to a lot of trouble to do this for him.
Damn Boone and his wagging tongue anyway. Telling tales on him.
“You’re scowling,” Frost told him.
“Yeah. I’m pissed at Boone. I don’t need his mothering.”
“He’s a good friend.” Frost grinned a little, those stunning eye lines crinkling up. “Well, to you. Me, he just asks for money.”
“Well, if the foo shits.”
The smile faded, and Frost sighed, his gaze dropping to his plate. “You want me to take mine and go?”
No. I want you to tell me what you want instead of hating me for still being here.
He didn’t say it, though. He just shrugged. “I’m not in the best mood, Frost.”
“Yeah, I got that part. I wanted to sit and eat with you. If I didn’t, I would have had something sent up for you.” Frost was just tracing a pattern around the edge of the table, those beat-up hands raw.
“I know.” He understood. Through it all, Frost still loved him. That wasn’t in question. There was just all this rage (his), and guilt (Frost’s), and fear of what might happen in the future (both of them). And they hadn’t been able to get past it.
At all.
Frost’s lips firmed and he looked up. “Eat your pancakes, baby boy.”
A chill raised bumps on his arms, and his nipples went hard. That was just like old times, that tone of command, the pet name. So Q picked up his fork automatically and cut a bite, raising it to his lips. He met that bright green-gold gaze, saying, “Yes, Sir,” before he took a bite.
And damned if Frost wasn’t smiling when he popped the bite into his mouth.
Three
Hey, are you awake?
Frost started to alertness, staring down at his phone.
Yeah.
At least he was now. He kinda thought he’d been sleeping, dreaming about Q, who he seemed to have conjured up.
What was Q doing texting him at five in the morning?
No one else is answering me, and there’s something weird going on.
He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, and he just called rather than texting, sliding his earpiece in so he was hands free. “What the hell is going on? And why did you try other people before me?”
