“Hey, guys,” Jack said. He’d clearly been sent in for more beer if the empties in the box he was holding was anything to go by. The spare beer was piled in crates in the corner, most of it left over from Robbie and Eli’s housewarming debacle. He set the box down and came to sit next to Riley. Hayley shuffled a little so she could place a hand on Jack’s arm. “What’s up?” he asked carefully.

“Logan has a girlfriend,” she said. At least now she had stopped crying.

“Aww, baby, I’m sorry,” Jack said. He knew she had a crush on his nephew, but Riley guessed his husband didn’t imagine it went as deep as this. Neither of them were experts on girls, not really. They just listened to their hearts and tried for the best. She sniffed one last time, then pushed herself up and away from Riley. She cried very prettily, another thing she got from Lexie and Eden, clearly. Her brown eyes were wide and her lashes wet and spiky, and she didn’t have any of that red-faced blotchiness Riley suffered with whenever he got emotional.

With enough drama to fulfill all of next week’s quota, she suddenly inhaled sharply and flailed off of Riley’s lap clutching at her face.

“I need to find Eden to fix my makeup. Love you, Dad. Love you, Pappa.”

Then the whirlwind that was Hayley left the room. Riley looked at Jack, and Jack returned the look.

“Hayley is wearing makeup?” Jack asked.

“Just some lip gloss and blusher,” Riley answered, “just for tonight. She asked me if it was okay. I tried to make it look like I was cool with it.”

Jack grinned. “I love that you did that.”

Riley couldn’t help sounding defensive. “Eden asked me if it was okay. It can’t hurt, right?”

Jack leaned into Riley and chuckled. “You are so easy.”

Riley smacked him, then pressed a kiss to the same place. “Up and at ’em, cowboy. We have socializing to do.”

“I’m not moving.” Jack settled back on the sofa, and Riley straddled him.

He leaned in and whispered, “You, me, barn, my mouth on you, my cock in you, lube. Now get your ass up.”

“Jack, where’s the be— Jesus, guys… get a room.” Josh stood at the door, arms over his chest. “We have a beer emergency out there.”

Jack ignored his brother and stared into Riley’s eyes. “I’m holding you to that, Riley.”

Riley smirked, then rolled up and off Jack. Whistling, he sauntered past Josh, deliberately patting Josh on the chest. Josh dramatically rubbed at the place Riley touched him.

“Eww, gay cooties. Jack, get your man off me.”

Riley left the brothers laughing. Trouble was, whispering all that in Jack’s ear had him imagining doing those things right the fuck now.

He’d basically screwed himself over.

Way to go, Riley. Idiot.

Chapter 2

Everyone had finally left by two am, kids asleep in cars, the sober parents driving, and silence had never sounded better. Riley was locking up, and Jack snagged empties and threw them into the box for recycling. Between them they had the kitchen pretty tidy, but the major cleanup was a job for the caterers tomorrow.

“It was a good party,” Riley said on a yawn as he passed by with a tray of empty glasses.

Jack relieved him of the glasses and grasped his hand. “Let’s check on the kids,” he said. Together they climbed the stairs to the twins’ room first. Both Connor and Lexie were sleeping through the night now, and Carol was only a door away from them and Max. As for Max, he was a lump inside his quilt, and the soft lighting in the room exposed the litter of Thomas characters around his bed. They knew better than to straighten the covers over him. That was how he liked to sleep, crawling right inside the quilt cover and making a nest. Of course when he woke in the morning, he was a mess of slicked, sticking-up hair and sweaty boy, but he loved his baths, so that was okay.

Hayley had gone off at just after midnight with Eden, which meant Jack had ticked everything off the list he had in his head. Now they had some time. Just the two of them. And he wanted that. Not just to kiss and touch and have the best sex of his life with the man he loved, but just to be them. On their own.

Riley had been blown away by Jack’s fashioning a door for their barn. Add in blankets and a good sorting out of old boxes stored in the corner, and the place was looking less like a barn and more like a separate apartment. Well, one without sofas, a kitchen, or actually anything really. But it had a door and a skylight and it was draft-proof for the most part.

They walked from house to barn, passing the new barn and its second-floor apartment.

“Liam seemed off again tonight,” Jack observed. “Poor kid is overwhelmed.”

“He’s brave giving evidence. And he’ll have Marcus with him.”

Jack realized now was a good time to talk about what he wanted to do. “Thought I’d go down with him,” he said. “Me ’n Robbie both.”

Riley just nodded. He accepted that Jack had thought it through. “It’ll be good for him to have both of you in his corner.”

“Are you here at the end of January?”

“Nothing out of town until mid-February. I’m working with the teams in Nuevo León,” Riley answered after some consideration.

“Still not sure I like the idea of you going over the border for the field.” The idea of Riley being in a place controlled by cartels and fear set him off to worrying. A lot.

Riley nodded, looking thoughtful. Jack was aware that Riley had researched the area. “I’ve been assigned this guy, Bryan, he’s working security and has a team he’s taking, and we’ll have the new police down there with us. They cleared out a lot of the crap from the area, and companies are down there all the time with the fieldwork.”

“You’ll stay safe.”

“Always.”

They were just two married people walking in the dark, sorting out who was going to be there for the kids and how the logistics would work, and that lasted until they turned up at the door to the barn with its shiny new lock. Jack opened the door, and as soon as it was locked again behind them, the game changed.

In this place they were lovers and this was theirs. Riley had been the one to set out what he wanted to do tonight, and Jack was on board for all of it. Riley quickly had Jack up against the wooden wall, his big body pressing Jack back and not giving one inch for Jack to move. They kissed like this was the first time, like they would maybe never kiss again, until they had to separate to breathe. The break lasted only long enough for Riley to slant his head and deepen the kiss even more. This was so much a part of them, taking it slow and getting their fill of everything. They’d been like fire since the first time they ever touched, and sometimes the best way to fan the flames was to be so slow the fire became a conflagration that consumed them both.

Jack made a mewling sound in his throat, and for a second it didn’t even sound like him to his own ears. He wanted everything and he wanted it now and hell, Riley was getting with the plan. Riley pulled back, just holding Jack’s hands tight, then moving them so they were above his head against the wall. Then he looked around, as if considering what to do next. Finally, he released his hold.

“Strip,” he demanded.

Jack didn’t tease, argue, or wait. He pulled off his clothes, boots, jeans, shirt, and his underwear – all a mess of knotted material and leather. He was so hard he couldn’t believe he’d even have a chance to wait for whatever Riley wanted to do to him. Riley was still dressed, but he palmed his cock through denim and he looked at Jack with eyes that were heavy-lidded. Then with a determined smile, he pulled a blanket over and put it down on the floor in front of Jack.

“On your knees,” he ordered.

Jack didn’t hesitate to comply. Riley ordering him around was one of the hottest fantasies he had and one he kept close for any night when Riley wasn’t in their bed. Riley moved closer, and as soon as he was in reach, Jack opened the buttons of Riley’s pants and slid them down a little to expose the black boxers beneath. He felt himself pout a little. He wanted Riley to be going commando, although the extra layer did mean he could take his time. Riley might well be the one who thought he was in charge, but Jack was the one this close to Riley’s cock.