Chapter 11

“I want you to tell me something I don’t know about you,” he said and Paul rolled his eyes.

“I have no idea what you already know about me. It’s significantly more than I know about you though,” he complained and he shushed him.

“It doesn’t have to be anything deeply personal. Just something…personal,” he murmured and Paul sighed in frustration as a window popped up on the screen and he shifted restlessly on a bed in another hotel room. He was naked and hard and Paul shook his head as he shut the window and returned to his report.

“I can’t think of anything personal but personal you wouldn’t already know and I told you, I have to finish this first,” he scolded.

“Finish me first,” he insisted and the window opened again. Paul did his best not to look as his hands roamed his body then twisted around his erection and sack. “And tell me something harmless, if that makes you more comfortable,” he said.

“Why don’t you tell me what you already know while I finish this and I’ll tell you if anything comes to mind,” Paul said. He was curious to know how much he knew about him.

“I like when you test me,” he purred. He was so fucking smart. Paul loved that.

“I’ve seen the results of your work but I still find it hard to believe you’re competent at anything,” Paul teased.

“I’m the very best at everything I do,” he said drowsily as his thumb collected a drop of pre-cum then sucked it clean. Paul pushed a hand through his hair and his fingers twisted tight. He needed him from the depths of his soul. It wasn’t just a thing that throbbed and ached in his groin and his ass, it came from deep down in his core. It was mostly lust but there was a longing just for him. Paul wanted him to be skin and bone and sweat and breath, not a sound in the air or a faceless fantasy in a box on his computer screen.

“I’d love to hear about the other things you do,” Paul said and he clicked his teeth.

“You’ve never taken a day off, have you, Paul?” He asked.

“Give me a reason to,” he said and he laughed softly.

“You get that from both of your parents,” he said and Paul suppressed a shiver and kept his voice relaxed.

“Do I?”

“Your mother came to America from Japan, as an infant, and is almost militantly patriotic. She was devoted to you and waited until you went to college then opened a rather stylish little dress boutique. She’s a gifted seamstress and has a very devoted clientele. Your father was born and raised in St. Louis. He was a police officer and was promoted fast and often and became chief. His people are Irish and you were brought up in the Catholic Church but you only go when your grandmother makes you these days.”

“You do what grandma tells you, it’s easier for everyone,” Paul murmured as he stared blankly at his report.

“With your fanatically American mother and police chief father, you were born to be the perfect civil servant. You went to the Academy and were the perfect cadet. Your name’s all over Quantico. It’s in the record books, in footnotes, on plaques and in articles. You’re a legend in the bureau. You were promoted fast and often and your superiors describe you as a gifted investigator and effective leader. You’re cool-headed and highly intelligent. You could have played baseball in college but you were too busy preparing for the academy. Your range scores and field times were staggering. You were described as a super soldier and you’ve been unstoppable in your career,” he said and Paul shook his head. He was thorough and Paul was becoming uncomfortable.

“It’s easy to be unstoppable when you only have one thing, little things like relationships and hobbies don’t get in the way,” he said.

“You learn, Paul. That’s so much more valuable than a hobby,” he insisted and Paul tightened his hand to keep from reaching for the screen and shutting it.

“What?”

“You could have been an academic but you were so singularly focused on being an agent. You read about everything and take online courses in your spare time. Your papers are rather good. You write quite expressively for an investigator.” This is why he’s so good. He can take a person’s records, purchases, emails and accounts and see their entire lives and see all of their secrets. Paul didn’t want to know anymore.

“I think I’m ready to try having a cat again,” he said.

“Try?” He laughed and Paul hissed as he tossed the report aside and fell back on the bed.

“I got my first place in D.C. and it was the first time I didn’t have a roommate, it was a little lonely. I found a kitten on the way home one night and I scooped him up and brought him in. I was excited to take him to the vet and get him fixed and all of his shots until I found a tick on him. I burned my clothes,” he admitted then scrubbed his hands over his face. “I don’t know why I’m such a fucking baby about that. It broke my heart, I gave him to one of the secretaries. He got really fat and has the life I wished I could have given him. But I’d love to have a cat.”

“A cat?” He asked in disbelief and Paul nodded as he found constellations in the plaster on the ceiling.

“I’ve always wanted a cat that looked like the ones you see in Japanese paintings sitting by koi ponds. I like when they’re fat and fluffy and mostly white but with spots. I don’t know a lot about cats but I’d love one, as long as it stayed indoors and didn’t bring in any bugs or have any parasites,” he explained and he made a slightly forlorn, breathless sound.

“I love that you’re so brave and strong but also terrified of the tiniest of God’s creatures. And you’re finally ready to open your home and your heart to some poor stray.”

“I’ve got a lot of love to give,” Paul said flatly. It was like getting lost in a maze, talking to him. No matter where Paul turned, he ran into himself.

“That wasn’t harmless,” he whispered and Paul’s brows fell.

“What do you mean?” There was a long pause before he cleared his throat softly.

“Your secret wasn’t harmless and I can’t seem to stop inflicting these little wounds upon myself,” he admitted. “I’ll tell you something very personal and it will be the only thing I could tell you that would be the truth or really matter,” he added and Paul didn’t want him to say another word or blink. Paul could almost feel him, he could feel inside him, beneath the urbane, cocky charm and the sex. He was vulnerable and giving Paul something precious and slightly dangerous. Paul didn’t want to lose him, he didn’t want the moment to end. “You’re all I think about. Well, I think about my employer quite a bit but that’s work and habit. But even then, I can’t put you out of my thoughts completely and I’m even more irritable if I can’t see you. This is becoming a bit of a problem for me,” he said and Paul swore as he fisted his hands in his hair.

“Stop torturing me like this!” He begged.

“This is agony for me too. You won’t do anything and it’s been days since we got off,” he pouted. “I miss you and my body hurts,” he added and Paul groaned as his hand reached down and gripped his hard-on through the front of his trousers. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Pressure and heat swirled in his groin as his voice hypnotized Paul and made him dizzy and weak. You need him. Make him come to you.

“Fuck!” Paul whispered as he rolled onto his stomach and hugged a pillow under his cheek. He stared at the hotel across the street and let his eyes become unfocused. “I’d like to have a girl cat and name her Tofu,” he said and there was a hard sigh.

“I don’t know what makes me angrier right now. You’re a bitter, hard man for holding out on me and Tofu is an absurd name for a cat,” he declared angrily and Paul smiled.

“If I had two, I’d name the other one Snow Pea,” he said.

“Fine. That is adorable.”