“Remind me again why we couldn’t just stay in bed?”

Ash nuzzled the side of Cael’s head, his arms wrapped around Cael from behind as they rode the elevator up to Unit Alpha. There was no one in the elevator with them and Ash didn’t really give a shit what the cameras picked up. Their shift didn’t technically start for another fifteen minutes.

“Because we have jobs,” Cael replied with a chuckle.

Ash grunted. He moved a hand up over Cael’s chest, smiling when Cael covered it with his and let his head fall back against Ash’s chest, his face tilted up so he could gaze at Ash with those big silver eyes.

Damn, he was beautiful.

“I think we need to win the lottery so I can keep you in bed as long as I want.” Ash moved his other hand to Cael’s slender neck, caressing Cael’s soft skin with his thumb.

“I’ll get right on that,” Cael hummed.

Ash waggled his eyebrows. “Oh there’s something much better and harder that I’d rather you get right on.”

Cael gasped, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink before he laughed and turned in Ash’s arms, smacking his chest playfully. “You perv. We’re about to start our shift, and you’re trying to give me a boner.”

“Trying?” Ash squeezed one of Cael’s ass cheeks. “I must be losing my touch.”

Cael laughed and squirmed as Ash planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. The elevator doors opened, and Ash followed Cael out. He stepped into Unit Alpha only to reel back, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest.

“Fuck.”

“Ash? What’s wrong?” Cael was at his side, his hand on Ash’s bicep.

Ash’s knees buckled, and he braced himself against the wall out in the corridor. It was like a wave of heartache and anguish was rolling over him, crashing into him over and over.

“Do you feel that?” He asked, breathless.

“Feel what? Ash, you’re scaring me.” Cael cupped Ash’s face, concern and fear in his eyes. “Talk to me.”

It was suffocating. Inescapable. He doubled over, bracing his hands on his knees and breathing deeply. Tears stung at the back of his eyes and he couldn’t explain it. What the hell was wrong with him? It was crushing. Everything sharpened around him, and he rubbed at his chest. It was like his heart was… broken. His eyes widened, and he pushed away from the wall, hurrying through unit Alpha.

“Ash?” Cael trailed after him. “Ash, please say something.”

Ash didn’t stop until he reached the office, but it was empty. The fog of pain was closer, the pulse deeper, rippling through every muscle. Stepping up to the doorway of the small canteen, he found the source of what he was feeling.

Dex sat at a small table at the end of the room nursing a cup of coffee. He looked like shit, his hair a tousled mess, dark circles around his reddened eyes. On top of that, Ash couldn’t smell Sloane on him. Ash grabbed Cael before he could say anything, and dragged him down the hall.

“It’s him.”

Cael’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

“Your brother, Cael.” Ash did his best to explain what he was feeling. Or at least what he had been feeling. Right now it was different. What he’d experienced before dulled, and now… now he had this overwhelming urge to… comfort.

“You want to comfort him?” Cael blinked up at him. “Dex. My brother. The man whose name tape you replaced on his uniform with one that said “Menace”. You want to comfort him?”

“I don’t want to,” Ash growled quietly. “I feel like I need to.” His inner lion was awake inside him, pacing and wailing. “Fuck, it’s annoying. My Therian half is pissed I’m not in there with him. I—” He was cut off when several Therian agents from their unit headed toward them. They were all carrying snacks, or cups of coffee. To Ash’s surprise, they all went into the canteen. Ash darted over to peek inside. The agents all took a seat at the table with Dex. One put a hand on his arm, another his shoulder. One took his hand and spoke gently. Ash couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Holy fuck.

A shadow loomed over him, before a deep gravelly voice said, “Excuse me.”

Ash turned his head up, staring wide-eyed at the huge bear Therian.

“Zach? What are you doing up here?”

Zach brows drew together, concern etched on his usually stern face. He showed Ash the packet of Cheesy Doodles in his large hand.

“I came to give this to Dex. I thought it might make him feel better.”

Ash’s jaw dropped. Without another word, Zach went into the canteen.

“Well that was weird,” Cael said before it occurred to him. “You think Zach and the others are feeling the same thing you are? Like they need to comfort Dex?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Ash gritted his teeth and marched toward his office, grateful Letty was busy doing inventory checks this morning. He really didn’t need his partner asking questions about this madness. He dropped into his chair, and tried to make sense of what he was feeling, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure it out. Why now?

“It’s like that night at the club, but different.”

Cael wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, that wasn’t fun.”

Ash grunted. Feeling Dex’s… heat had been one of the most awkward, uncomfortable things he’d ever felt. Unlike the other Therians in the club who’d wanted to fuck Dex, Ash wanted to protect him. Like his Therian half knew his friend’s mate was vulnerable, needy, and since Dex was the last person on earth Ash wanted to fuck, his instinct had been to make sure nothing and no one came between Dex and his mate, but still, the heat had been almost unbearable, but this? This was so much worse.

Ash stood and started to pace. “This is fucking shit. I don’t wanna,” he moaned. He turned to Cael. God he sounded so whiney! “Why do I have to fucking comfort him? He’s Sloane’s boyfriend. That asshole. He should be here dealing with this shit.”

Cael walked up to him, stood on his toes, and gave his lips a quick but heated kiss. “I’ll keep an eye on Dex, you just… talk to Sloane. And don’t be mean to Dex. He’s feeling shitty as it is.”

“Fine,” Ash muttered, watching Cael go.

Work. Work would take his mind off this bullshit. He took a seat at his desk, logged into Themis, and brought up his emails. There were the usual shit ton. “Fantastic.” He could lose himself in answering stupid people’s stupid questions. Seriously, why did he have to get copied in on all of Sloane’s emails? Yeah, he was backup Team Leader when Sloane wasn’t around, but Jesus, the inane questions Sloane was asked about random shit from PR and HR, and all the fucking ‘Rs’.

His knee bounced as he read the first email, and he couldn’t stop thinking about Dex’s stupid face. He looked so… sad.

“Holy fuck, really? Sad?” Ash growled, and shook his head. “Get your shit together, Keeler.” Sloane’s drama was of his own making. Let him sort that shit out. It wasn’t his job to coddle Dex and tell him it was going to be all right, that Sloane would come around, and why the fuck was he still thinking about this? “Fuck this.” He stood and stormed out of the office to the canteen. Dex was still inside looking like a lost, homeless puppy left out in the rain. The rest of their fellow agents had gone. Ash marched over to Dex to loom over him.

Dex looked up at him, his big blue eyes wide and glassy.

“Fuuuuuck,” Ash growled. He went to the vending machine, swiped his card, jabbed his fingers against the screen’s shiny blue buttons. A packet dropped, and he swiped it up before marching over to Dex. He thrust them out at him. “Here.”

Dex blinked at him. He looked down at the packet of gummy bears then up at Ash. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t fucking know, just take the damned bears.”

“Uh, oookay.” Dex took the bag, his eyes narrowed.

“Fine.” Ash spun around and started to walk out when his inner Felid roared. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He went back to Dex, his jaw clenched. He put a hand to Dex’s shoulder. Dex stared at it. “It’s going to be okay.”

Dex opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. His eyes were huge. “I'm a little terrified right now.”

That made two of them. Now what? Come on, man. I’ve comforted. What more do you fucking want from me? He asked his Therian half. His Therian half didn’t want to leave him on his own. Mother—

A knock got Ash’s attention, and he turned to find Hobbs standing shyly by the door. He smiled, and waved.

“Oh, thank fuck.” Ash jogged over, moved behind Hobbs, and pushed his big tiger Therian ass toward Dex. “Go do that hugging shit you do, and make him feel better.” He didn’t even bother to wait for a reaction from Hobbs, just made like the wind. There. He’d done his part. He’d comforted, and no one other than Dex was the wiser, and if he said anything, Ash would deny it. Who would believe Dex anyway? It was fine. If anyone was stupid enough to believe it, Ash would simply have to destroy them. He was so going to kick Sloane’s ass.

Copyright © 2016 Charlie Cochet. THIRDS published by Dreamspinner Press.

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Prompt: This is kinda a spoiler, but I wouldn’t mind reading about Sloane asking Tony permission to marry his son.

He could do this.

Sloane lifted his fist to knock on the door and froze, panic bubbling up inside him.

Oh, God, I can’t do this.

What if Tony said no? What would he do then? Would Tony say no? Why would he say no? Let’s see, how about we start with you breaking Dex’s heart more times than you can count? Or how about your inability to protect Dex when he was kidnapped and tortured? Or when you went feral and tried to kill him? How about the fact you infected him, and succeeded in killing him?

Okay, he couldn’t think about that last part. He’d fucked up several times, and maybe he hadn’t always been the perfect boyfriend, but he loved Dex, and a number of those events had been out of his control. Maybe not the breaking Dex’s heart part, but he hadn’t meant to. He’d never meant to hurt Dex. Sloane loved him. Needed him. For fuck’s sake, he’d almost lost Dex. He had lost Dex. As long as he lived, he would never forget how Dex looked, fighting for his life. Or the feel of his lifeless body in Sloane’s arms. The memory alone brought tears to his eyes, and a lump to his throat.

Sloane pulled his smartphone out of his pocket, and tapped his pin into the locked screen. His pulse immediately steadied, and he smiled down into the face of the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Dex loved taking selfies with Sloane, and the rest of their team. It drove Ash crazy. Sloane chuckled at the thought. The fact Ash hated it just made Dex more determined, and sneaky. There was no escaping when Dexter J. Daley had you in his sights. Escaping was the last thing Sloane wanted to do. He’d been caught, or rather his heart had been caught, and he’d never been happier. He wouldn’t waste any more time.

“Why are you lingering on my doorstep?”

“Holy shit!” Sloane gave such a start, his phone leaped out of his hands. Lucky for him, his sergeant had amazing reflexes. Tony caught the phone, noticed the photo of Dex and Sloane squished together laughing, but didn’t say a word as he handed it back. In fact, Tony’s expression remained stoic as usual.

“Thanks.” Sloane returned his phone to his pocket, and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. “Um, hi.”

Tony narrowed his eyes. “That bad, huh?”

Crap. Sloane threw his hands up in front of him. “Oh, no, it’s not like that. I swear.”

“Seeing as how Dex isn’t with you, I’m going to hazard a guess and say he doesn’t know you’re here.”

Sergeant Anthony Maddock was intimidating and scary at the best of times. When he was in Father Mode, he was deadly. The man was so still and calm, ready to strike at any moment. Sloane tried to smile. Tony’s frown deepened.

“Can I come in?”

Tony stepped to one side, and motioned for Sloane to enter. Maybe Sloane should have just called? Or, maybe he should suck it up and stop being such a coward. In the living room, Sloane shoved his hands in his pockets as Tony took a seat on the couch.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks.” Maybe he should take his hands out of his pockets. But then where should he put them? He crossed them over his chest. No, that was a defensive pose. He uncrossed them. Oh, God, he was such a dork. “Sarge—”

“You here on official business?”

“What? Oh, um, no. Sorry. Tony.” He was still getting used to that. “I’m here because, well, you know I love Dex. I hope you know. You do know?”

“I would hope so, seeing as you’re living with him.”

“Yeah, I mean, yes. I love him. A lot. He’s… everything. I can’t—and don’t—want to imagine my life without him. When I’m with him, I don’t just feel happy, but at peace. He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever known.” Was he rambling? Shit, he was rambling. Why was he telling Tony how great Dex was? It wasn’t like Tony didn’t know his own son.

“That’s really nice. I’m glad to hear it. You didn’t come all this way to tell me how amazing my son is.”

“No. I um, wow, this is hard,” Sloane said, letting out a shaky laugh. Was he this nervous because of what he was doing? Or because it was Tony? His boyfriend’s dad also being his sergeant didn’t exactly make things easier. He just didn’t want to fuck this up for him or Dex, and he certainly didn’t want to disappoint Tony again.

“Sloane?”

Sloane looked up, surprised by the man’s warm smile. “Yeah?”

“You don’t need my approval.”

“I don’t?” Sloane blinked at him. He released the deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“No. But I really appreciate you asking anyway. If that’s what you were going to ask.”

Sloane rushed over to Tony and dropped down beside him on the couch. “Yes!”

Tony’s brows shot up. “Easy there, son.”

“Sorry. I’m just really excited. Tony, I want to marry your son.”

“I already said yes.”

“You did? Right! I—Wow, okay. Um, thank you.”

“Wait here.” Tony stood and walked off, leaving Sloane sitting there both relieved and a little foolish for having worked himself up. Of course Tony would be okay. He loved Dex and wanted his son to be happy, and although Sloane was still learning, he did make Dex happy.

“Here.” Tony handed Sloane a small black box.

“What’s this?” Sloane opened the box, his eyes going wide at the silver ring tucked into the black foam padding. “Oh my God. Is this…?”

Tony nodded. “It was John’s.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Sloane swallowed hard. He looked up at Tony, his heart squeezing at the sight of unshed tears in Tony’s eyes. The man quickly wiped them away. From what Sloane had come to learn of the man, there were three people in Tony’s life who could get through that armor of his, Dex, Cael, and John Daley.

“Are you sure?” Tony had been guarding this for so long. Did he really want to give up a piece of his best friend?

Tony nodded. “John would have wanted Dex to have it, and I know Dex will take good care of it. Just like I know you’ll take good care of Dex. Make him happy. He deserves it.”

“I will. Thank you.” Sloane stood and threw his arms around Tony, closing his eyes and smiling when Tony hugged him back. They remained that way for a few seconds before Tony pulled back. He gave a sniff and straightened, his armor back in place.

“I don’t do wedding planning, just so you know. I especially don’t do wedding planning when Dex is involved. I would warn Lou ahead of time so he’s prepared. I will, however, offer somewhere for you to hide and have a beer during that time.”

Sloane chuckled. “Thanks, I appreciate that.” For now, he was going to concentrate on asking Dex.

When he reached his car, he sat behind the wheel, looking down at the ring, knowing what it would mean to Dex. Sloane couldn’t help his dopey grin. A part of him couldn’t believe he was going to do this, while his heart wondered what the hell had taken so long.

Hello, all! All Romance eBook sis having a Hot Summer Reads sale, and Smoke & Mirrors is 25% along with a host of other fabulous Dreamspinner Press titles!

Hello all! The Smoke & Mirrors blog tour kicks off today over at the blog of the fabulous Rhys Ford with a character profile of our Cheesy Doodle crunching Dexter J. Daley. We have some fun posts heading your way including Sloane's character profile, the Smoke & Mirrors playlist, an introduction to TIN, the new players in town, and more! plus there's a fabulous giveaway! Check out the stops below.

July 11th - Rhys Ford Blog (Dexter J. Daley character profile) July 12th - The Novel Approach (Sloane Brodie character profile) July 13th - RJ Scott's Blog (Welcome to TIN) July 14th - Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy (Smoke & Mirrors Playlist) July 15th - Badass Book Reviews (THIRDS series Author Interview) July 18th - Man2Mantastic (Wolf A.K.A Fang A.K.A. Reaper) July 19th - Joyfully Jay (Dex and Sloane interview) July 20th - MM Good Books Reviews (Team Sex Quiz)

Hello, all! It's finally here! Smoke & Mirrors, THIRDS Book 7 is out today!! Woohoo! To celebrate we're over at Sinfully Gay Romance Reviews chatting about the THIRDS series. Plus there's a giveaway!

Don't forget the THIRDS Anniversary Giveaway Bonanza going on until July 28th. You can enter the giveaway here.

Looking to catch up on the THIRDS? Dreamspinner Press is having a THIRDS Anniversary sale. Get 30% off books 1 - 6 until 11:59 pm, July 10th. Check out the THIRDS series at DSP here.

July 11th - 20th, we're celebrating the release of Smoke & Mirrors with a blog tour. Posts include everything from Dex and Sloane character profiles, the Smoke & Mirrors playlist, more on TIN, an interview with Dex and Sloane, and more! Check out the blog tour schedule here.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Genre: Paranormal Gay Romance Series: THIRDS Length: Novel Published: July 8th, 2016 Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: L.C. Chase Ebook ISBN-13: 9781634773871 Paperback ISBN-13: 9781634773874

Life for Dexter J. Daley has never been easy, but he’s always found a way to pick himself back up with a smile on his face. Taken from his home, and the arms of his boyfriend and THIRDS partner, Sloane Brodie, Dex finds himself in a situation as mysterious and lethal as the Therian interrogating him. Dex learns what he’s secretly believed all along: his parents’ death wasn’t an accident.

Discovering the whole truth about John and Gina Daley’s homicide sets off a series of events that will change Dex and Sloane’s lives forever. As buried secrets rise to the surface and new truths are revealed, Dex and Sloane’s love for each other is put to the test, with more than their relationship on the line. If traversing the waters of murder and secret government agencies wasn’t enough, something inexplicable has been happening to Dex—and nothing will ever be the same.

PURCHASE LINKS

DREAMSPINNER PRESS EBOOK | DREAMSPINNER PRESS PAPERBACK :: AMAZON :: ARe :: BARNES & NOBLE