Page 35 of Love at First Rep

“You’re home.”

The excitement on Rafe’s face surprised him, but he should have known better. Rafe was easily amused. The idea of showing off his cooking skills must have had him preening. Still, a pang of guilt hit Garrett for being late.

“Yeah, sorry I’m later than I thought I’d be. I—”

A wave of dizziness struck Garrett as Lucas appeared behind Rafe.

Fuck. I knew I forgot something—the effects of Hurricane Rafe.

“Hey, bestie. Have there been some life developments you forgot to fill me in on?” Lucas asked. With his hip popped and his signature pout on his face, Garrett couldn’t help the guilt flooding him.

“Oh,” he said, frozen where he stood. “Sorry.”

Lucas snorted and walked forward to greet a panicking Garrett, standing on his tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

“Don’t worry, babe. You can make it up to me with coffee and skin care.” Lucas’ evil laugh followed him back to the kitchen, where he continued teasing Garrett. “Rafe and I cooked dinner, so sit your sweet ass down and be prepared to tell me everything.”

At least Garrett could depend on Lucas forgiving him quickly. He was more understanding than Garrett ever deserved. Lucas knew everything about his feelings toward Rafe and the despair clutching at his throat every time he was reminded of his lost best friend.

Well, that best friend was lost no more. Instead, he stood there with a shit-eating grin aimed at Garrett.

“So,” Rafe drawled after Lucas stated his demands and returned to the kitchen, “I met your Lucas.”

“Yeah, I see that,” Garrett said, his whole body deflating in a long sigh as he accepted he had no way out of this situation. He walked forward, ready to face the onslaught that was Lucas Walker. Garrett had always told Lucas he would have made a hell of an interrogator, his skills at getting to the bottom of something nearly as good as Garrett’s own. Instead, Lucas used his powers against something even more unpredictable than the people Garrett faced: teenagers.

Garrett shuddered at the thought of working with them. Every once in a while he had to arrest a teenager. There was something frightening about a person who had an unlimited wealth of unearned confidence and yet somehow only wanted to fit in and be accepted at the same time. All those hormones and contradicting priorities made for some big messes.

“I might like him more than you,” Rafe said as Garrett walked past him to join them in the kitchen.

Lucas poured a glass of wine and topped off another, then brought the new glass to Garrett. He held it out, a dangerous gleam in his eyes, and Garrett prepared for the worst.

“I see Rafe is alive, huh,” Lucas said more than asked.

“It seems he is,” Garrett said as he grabbed the glass from Lucas’ outstretched hand. “Sorry I didn’t update you. It’s been a whirlwind since he got here.”

“No worries, honey. I can imagine the surprise that was. Likely almost as big as mine when I caught him in your house and he had me pinned to the floor in the next second. Seriously, what kind of training do Navy SEALs go through? I’ve never seen anyone move so fast.”

Garrett’s head snapped to Rafe, who stood there with a sheepish expression.

“I’m sorry!” he cried. “You snuck up behind me, and I wasn’t expecting anyone besides Garrett. I thought it could have been—”

Rafe cut off his own speech and bit his lip, likely unsure how much of their situation Garrett wanted to share with Lucas.

Garrett spun to Lucas. “Did he hurt you?”

“You kidding? It was the most action I’ve gotten in weeks. If he wasn’t all tied up with you I would have ripped my clothes off right there and then. Well, once he got rid of the knife.” Lucas paused. “Actually, the knife is negotiable.”

Rafe guffawed, his laughter filling the kitchen. No one ever expected Lucas’ candor. It was so easy to become his friend. Rafe and Garrett always had each other’s backs, and Lucas fit in among them seamlessly.

“You’ve been reading too much dark romance,” Garrett said, to which Lucas shrugged. Garrett couldn’t help but feel a flicker of jealousy at the thought of Rafe pinning Lucas against a flat surface. He brushed it off, knowing neither of them would betray Garrett in that way.

Garrett must have been magnetically pulled toward people who weren’t who they seemed. Rafe was a chameleon and could pull off so many different aliases while speaking so many different languages. He could fit in almost anywhere in the world.

Lucas was similar in that respect. He had a musical lilt to his voice that led to many men underestimating him. He may have walked with the grace of a dancer and could rock a pair of hot pants when hitting a club, but he was also strong and could take care of himself. His gym-honed body paired with his take-no-shit attitude made him a force to be reckoned with.

At one point, Garrett wondered if Lucas could fill the hole in his heart, but the closer they got, the more he realized they were incompatible. He was glad they never went there, though, because now they had a friendship he wouldn’t throw away for anything.

Garrett decided to ignore Lucas’ comment about being tied up with Rafe. He wasn’t sure what they were, but Garrett didn’t want to get his hopes up just for them to crash and burn again.