Page 14 of Grave Danger

Cody headed back to the bathroom and Demetrius watched him go. He wore a black T-shirt from a long ago Cult concert, the color faded from so many washings and the material stretched across his shoulders and upper back. Demetrius’s eyes automatically dropped to the firm, round swell of Cody’s ass, covered by equally faded jeans.

Even as he ogled his husband until he disappeared from sight into the bathroom, Demetrius worried. Cody had been very clear how he felt about these unusual cases they seemed to stumble into. But what could they do about it? Demetrius wasn’t about to let some dangerous monster run loose around Parson’s Hollow, or any town for that matter. And that included zombies, which apparently were now a thing they had to deal with.

The bathroom door opened, bringing Demetrius out of his thoughts. Cody went into the break room out of sight. There were things to do, and Demetrius couldn’t stand there and mentally argue with himself about the situation. Two calls had come in during the morning. He checked the voicemails, making notes about customer information and the critter needing to be caught. Once they’d finished at Amelia’s, he would return the calls.

“You want anything from back here?” Cody called.

“No, I’m good.”

“Yeah you are,” Cody said, still out of sight. “But you’re better when you’re bad.”

“Sweet talker.”

“You know it. Nothing but sweetness and light.”

Demetrius fake coughed as he leaned over his desk and leafed through some papers he’d left there.

Cody poked his head out the door. “What was that for?”

“What?” Demetrius tried for an innocent look.

“That cough was fake.”

“Well…” Demetrius shrugged. “I don’t know if I’d say you were only made up of sweetness and light.”

Cody stepped into the hall and crossed his arms. “Oh? What else am I made up of?”

Demetrius approached and looked up into Cody’s face as he uncrossed Cody’s arms. “There is sweetness and light inside you, yes. But there’s also grit, and steel, and a fierce sense of loyalty.”

When Cody wrapped his arms around Demetrius, they felt like twin bands of hot iron. Cody’s expression had shifted to what Demetrius thought of as naughty Cody mode, and he started to harden.

“Grit and steel and fierce loyalty?” Cody’s voice had deepened, and he tightened his arms around Demetrius, bringing him in close. “I like that. Makes me sound butch and strong.”

“That’s because you are.”

The kiss was slow and deep, Cody’s lips soft within the scruff that rasped against Demetrius’s skin.

“This is how you conduct yourselves in your office?”

Demetrius pulled back and turned. Lucia Durant stood just inside the door. In her sheriff’s uniform, she looked tough and formidable, especially with the expression of distaste directed at them.

“We really need to add a bell to that door,” Cody grumbled. His hands felt like branding irons where they rested on Demetrius’s hips.

“Sorry to interrupt your canoodle—”

“Canoodle?” Cody said.

“But I wanted to make sure you understood how serious I was when I told you not to mention anything about the mayor’s grave to anyone.” She looked between them, her blue eyes hard. “That means anyone, including your part-timer and Demetrius’s aunt.”

“Jugs is full-time,” Demetrius said, unable to help it. He felt Cody’s approval of his sass in the tightening of his hands on his hips. When angry slashes of red colored Lucia’s cheeks, he quickly added, “Sorry, that’s not important.”

“It is to Jugs,” Cody said. “Means he gets health benefits.”

Lucia stepped closer, and Demetrius backed up against Cody’s tall, strong frame. She pointed, her gaze fixed on Demetrius. “Say nothing to anyone. Got it?”

“If I didn’t know better,” Cody said. “I’d say you were scared.”

“Then I guess you don’t know better, Bower.”