Page 26 of Heart of a Hero

“Perfect.” They both sat at the table with a beer and a slice of cold pizza. “I don’t know why, but sometimes I just can’t turn things off, and I have trouble sleeping.”

“I think that’s pretty universal.” Conrad munched on his slice, his head already drooping. Forrest, meanwhile, was wide awake. He ate his pizza and drank the beer, hoping that might help to settle him down. Once they were done, he took care of the pizza box and threw the bottles in the recycling bin before leading Conrad back to bed.

He slipped under the covers, and Conrad snuggled right up next to him and fell asleep in what seemed like seconds. At least Forrest was comfortable now, and after a little while, he must have nodded off because the next thing he knew, light shone through the window. He sighed and closed his eyes, rolled away from the light, and returned to sleep.

“What time is it?’ he asked when he felt cold air on his backside.

“Nearly nine,” Conrad said softly. “Go back to sleep if you want, and I’ll start coffee and breakfast.” He kissed Forrest’s shoulder and left the room.

The scent of coffee and cinnamon drew him out of bed. He dressed and followed the scent to where Conrad took a pan of cinnamon rolls out of the oven. “Before you get too excited, these are the kind you buy in a tube at the store and whack on the counter.”

“They smell good,” Forrest told him. “Thanks for letting me sleep.”

“No problem, sweetheart. You needed it. I barely ate my pizza before I fell asleep at the table. And I’m sorry you weren’t comfortable.” Conrad bit his lower lip. “I’ll check the temperature in the future.”

“It wasn’t that. Just my head running through all the things I need to do. I wish it had an off switch. Most of the time, if I write things down it seems to stop, but I forgot to bring something with me.”

“Sorry,” Conrad whispered and leaned over to kiss him. “Maybe this will help.” He returned with a mug of coffee, which always did the trick in the morning when he just wasn’t quite ready to wake up. Conrad also iced the cinnamon rolls and brought the pan to the table along with plates. They were gooey and warm and perfect. The scent was enticing, so he took a bite and then another, loving the cinnamony sweetness.

“Dang.”

“Yeah, I know. I make these for Lizzie, and she loves them. I can’t really bake well, but all I have to do is whack the tube and put them in a pan to bake. It’s pretty hard to mess them up.” He yawned and sipped some more coffee, slowly pushing the need to sleep away.

“When does Lizzie get back?”

Conrad leaned closer. “Not until after noon. So we have a few hours together before Mom brings her over.” He placed his hand on Forrest’s thigh. “After you’ve had a little nourishment, we could go back to bed.”

A jolt of excitement raced through him, and he set down his roll and met Conrad’s gaze. “That would be amazing.” He was tempted to take Conrad’s lips and carry him back to the bed, but he held his Neanderthal idea in check.

“I can see what you want in your eyes,” Conrad told him.

“Oh yeah?”

“Uh-huh.” Damn, he was sexy.

“And what is that?”

Conrad chuckled. “About now you’re trying to figure out if you could pick me up, put me over your shoulder, and carry me back to the bed. Either that, or you have an unnatural attraction to the pan of cinnamon rolls.”

Forrest didn’t miss a beat. “They are good cinnamon rolls.” He smiled after a few seconds, and Conrad rolled his eyes.

“And you’re a goof,” Conrad told him. “But a sexy one.”

“Well, that’s good to know.” Forrest smiled and ate the last of his roll before picking up another. “I’m going to need my energy.” He also picked up another and handed it to Conrad. “So are you.” He took a bite and waited for Conrad to do the same. “In fact, we may need to eat the entire pan, with all the activity you and I are going to engage in.”

“Oh really? What sort of activity do you have in mind? Did you have a sling or something installed in the bedroom while we’ve been eating?” Conrad’s eyes filled with mischief.

Forrest did his best to look aghast. “Is that the sort of thing you’d like? I could get you one if you want. I even know some people who would install it for you.”

Conrad coughed. “I didn’t say I wanted one. I was just asking what sort of athletic activity we’d be undertaking. I mean, I want to keep up my energy levels throughout the activity. And I was wondering if a third cinnamon roll might be in order.” The mirth in his eyes was almost enough to make Forrest growl.

“Now who’s being the goof?” Forrest asked as he took the final bite of his second roll and washed it down with the last of his coffee. “Are you finished?”

Conrad drank his coffee and set down the mug. He stood up just as his phone rang. He looked at the number and groaned before answering it. “Hello.” Forrest wandered out of the room as Conrad talked, pacing in front of the doorway every few seconds. “Okay. That seems to be the issue.” He continued talking. “It’s running? Excellent. Just watch it for a little bit to make sure it finishes, and you should be good to go.” He hung up the phone and wandered in. “A client needed my help.” He flopped down on the sofa with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

Forrest quit pacing and sat next to him. “No problem.” He waited to see if Conrad wanted to talk about it, but he remained quiet, just staring at the wall. “What’s going on?”

Conrad shook his head. “I was on a tangent. There’s something going on that I can’t quite put my finger on. See, this client had an issue, the same one a few weeks ago. The thing is that it was fixed, and everything ran clean last weekend. Now the issue is back. So something isn’t right. But last week, another client had the issue. Same one… and there’s no reason for it.”