Page 22 of False Catch

"The walls are plenty thick," Eli says calmly.

"Not thick enough when Jackson's trying to fuck you through them," Zane adds. "Very athletic. Very vigorous."

Jackson's face goes stone-still, which is his version of blushing.

"I tried to buy you better soundproofing for Christmas," Tyler offers. "But apparently that's not an appropriate Secret Santa gift."

"Wait," Gray cuts in, looking between them. "So you two are actually—"

"Yes, Gray," Beckett says with exaggerated patience. "Our two quietest teammates have been going at it like particularly repressed wolverines for the past two years. Keep up."

"I knew they were..." Gray makes a vague gesture. "I didn't know it was a thing."

"It's complicated," Eli says.

"No, complicated is whatever the fuck is happening with all nine of us," Zane counters. "You two are just in denial about being in love."

The tank room goes silent. Even the water circulation system seems to pause.

"Moving on," Reese says quickly, but there's something soft in her expression as she looks between Eli and Jackson. "Cameron." She looks at our silent bow seat. "You've been watching me all week. Fighting something."

He nods once, sharp and decisive.

"That's it?" Beckett asks. "Cameron gets a pass while the rest of us get called out?"

"Cameron's too busy being a ghost to fuck up like the rest of us," Zane says.

"Some of us know our limitations," Cameron says quietly, which is practically a speech for him.

"Tyler, Beckett." She addresses them together. "You've both been maintaining distance, but let's not pretend you weren't both very involved during that dinner at the hotel."

"Oh shit," Zane laughs. "That was fucking hot. I didn’t know our resident genius had it in him."

"They were providing... assistance," I say carefully, trying to keep this from devolving further. "Before I took over."

"Assistance?" Beckett grins. "Is that what we're calling it? Me and Tyler had our fingers—"

"We were all responding to heightened pheromones," Tyler interrupts quickly, his face flushing. "It was a biological imperative."

"Right. Biology." Beckett's grin widens. "That's why you were telling me exactly where to—"

"Moving on," Tyler says loudly.

"And Jackson." Reese turns to him, saving Tyler from further embarrassment. "You knew what I was from the beginning. And you stayed anyway."

"I stayed," he confirms, voice rough.

"So we're all attracted to each other," Gray says, trying to regain control. "That doesn't mean—"

"Not each other," Beckett interjects, holding his hands out like he’s stopping a raging bull. "Let's be clear. I'm not trying to get with Tyler's bony ass."

"My ass is perfectly proportioned for my height-to-weight ratio," Tyler protests.

"See? This is why we can't have nice things," Zane laughs.

"But here's the thing," Reese cuts through the banter, her voice steady even as she grins at our stupidity. "We keep pretending this is about my heat. About biological necessity. About managing a problem."

The room goes quiet again.