Confessions (16 page)

that’s the kid you told me about with PTSD?”

“Yeah. He’s been in therapy several times a week, but

I don’t think it’s helping much. His mood goes to shit at

least once a week. I’ve learned to just keep my mouth shut

unless he initiates conversation. Funny thing is, when he

first started at the station, he seemed better than he is now.

You’d think it would be the opposite.”

“Maybe there’s something else going on in his

personal life that has him on edge,” Deacon suggested.

Luke shook his head. “Not possible. I swear the guy

does nothing but works and sleeps. Aaron takes every shift

that’s offered, sometimes working three and four days at a

stretch. I don’t know how the hel he does it. After twenty-

four hours I’m ready to get the hel away from those people

for a while.”

“Wel , it sounds to me like there’s something going on

with him. Maybe you should bring him by. It might help him

to talk to someone else who’s seen some terrible things.”

Luke didn’t know Deacon’s history or how he came to

head up one of the most powerful and secretive agencies

in the world. “I might do that.”

* * * *

Lying to Luke wasn’t cool, but Priest also knew his

partner wanted to forget the whole experience with Jeffries.

As a matter-of-fact, Luke had made Priest promise not to

mention Jeffries’ name until the man was no longer a threat.

He’d had to bend the truth to get away, but Priest had final y

received the lead he’d been waiting for.

Wiping blood off his knife, Priest stared down at what

was left of Jeffries with a satisfied smile. He’d happily

heard his last confession. With the past soon to be buried

in an unmarked grave, Priest and Luke could get on with

the rest of their lives.

Priest stil had six more days of training to do in DC.

But, with Jeffries taken care of, Priest no longer had to

worry about leaving the man he loved from time to time.

He’d been promised a new career where he could work

from home. Priest prayed that was the case. Just because

he could now leave Luke for short stretches at a time didn’t

mean he wanted to.

It quickly became apparent that Luke was like

sunshine. He brightened Priest’s world, warmed his heart

and was often too damn hot for his own good.

Coming Soon from Total-E-Bound

Publishing:

A Lesson Learned

Carol Lynne

Released 19th December 2011

Excerpt

Dane Jefferson stared at the sheet of paper in front of

him and chewed the skin around his thumbnail. For two

hours he’d contemplated his actions and wasn’t any closer

to reaching a decision.

Giving up, he reached for the phone. Although he was

glad his best friend had final y agreed to move in with Chet,

Dane missed having Bobby in the house.

“Hey,” Bobby answered.

“Busy?” Dane asked.

“Just studying, but I could use a break. What’s up?”

“Wel , you know I need more hours of field

experience…” Dane trailed off.

“Yeah.”

“How wrong would it be if I sponsored something on

my own but didn’t tel Professor Sofokleous the grant was

coming from me?”

“What’re you up to, Dane?” Bobby asked, his voice

thick with suspicion.

“I’m sitting here with a grant request form in my hands

from Professor Sofokleous.”

“He sent that to you?”

“No, he sent it to the James D Barrett Preservation

and Historical Research Institute.”

“So why do you have it?” Bobby asked.

“Because James Barrett was my fourth great-

grandfather on my mother’s side. It’s because of him that I

became interested in anthropology in the first place. After I

found and read Professor Sofokleous’ book, I knew I had to

study under him. Anyway, Mom gave me the request at

Thanksgiving. She said it was something I’d be better

suited to decide.”

“So what’s your dilemma?”

“Professor Sofokleous doesn’t know I’m connected to

the institute, and since I want to be the one to accompany

him on the research project, I’d probably have to tel him.

But wil that make him even more uncomfortable around me

than he already is?” Dane sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“How does the grant application look? Is it something

you would approve even if you didn’t want to sleep with

him?”

“I honestly don’t know. He’s not asking for much

money, but he wants to stay at Barrett House, something to

do with getting answers to an unsolved mystery.” Although

letting visiting researchers stay at the house wasn’t unheard

of, Dane was uneasy. What mystery could possibly

surround Barrett House? His ancestors had never owned

slaves, so it had to be something involving Native

Americans, Professor Sofokleous’ area of study.

“Whatever you do, promise you’l be honest with him.

You had a front row seat to the shit I stirred up with Chet

when I tried to keep the truth from him.”

“Yeah,” Dane agreed. “But only if I approve the grant.”

He tried to imagine spending three weeks alone with

Magnus Sofokleous. Shit. What if Magnus wanted to take

someone else to assist him? “Would I be a complete loser

if I insist he takes me with him as a condition of getting the

grant?”

“Ummm…yes, affirmative on that.” Bobby chuckled.

“Just go in and tel him the truth. If you want to go with him,

state your case. He’s an intel igent man. Surely he’l

understand why you’re interested.”

Dane pushed his glasses up to rest on his short blond

hair before rubbing his eyes. “Even though I know you’re

right, I can’t help but think he’l turn me down. Lately it

seems like he can’t even be in the same room with me for

more than a few minutes. I don’t real y see him voluntarily

spending three weeks alone with me.”

“You may be right, but you’l drive yourself crazy over

this until you man up and ask.”

Dane glanced at the clock. Did he dare bother

Professor Sofokleous at home? He could always wait until

Monday, but with winter break only seven days away,

Magnus would probably appreciate the extra weekend to

prepare for the trip down south. “Okay, I’l talk to him.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks. I’l need it, both with Professor Sofokleous

and with my mother. She has a thing about having us al

home for Christmas.”

“If she knows you like I do, she’l understand.”

Dane snorted. “You don’t know my mother. She’s the

dictator of the family.”

“Then you just have to ask yourself what’s more

important, making her mad or easing yourself into Magnus’

bed.”

“No brainer there.” Dane smiled to himself. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I told you when I moved out I’d always be

here for you.”

“I know. I just wasn’t sure you real y meant it. Other

people have said stuff like that and then wandered away

never to be heard from again.”

“I’m not those people,” Bobby said.

“Yeah, I get that. I’l cal you tomorrow, after I’ve had a

chance to talk to Magnus.” Dane’s stomach churned at the

idea of visiting Magnus at his home.

“I’l be here.”

After Bobby hung up, Dane carried the grant

application into the bedroom with him. After changing his

clothes, Dane cal ed the number listed on the contact

section of the application.

“Yes,” Magnus answered, his voice gruffer than usual.

“Hi, Professor, it’s Dane Jefferson. Sorry to bother

you at home, but I have something I need to talk to you

about. I was wondering if I could drop by your house for a

few minutes.”

“It’s not real y a good time.”

Dane took a deep breath. It was precisely how he’d

envisioned the phone cal going. Magnus was trying to

brush him off like he always did. “It’s about the grant you

applied for.”

“Excuse me?”

Dane’s heart skipped a beat when he heard a male

voice in the background. Of course Magnus would be

entertaining, it was Friday night. “If you have company, I can

talk to you about the grant on Monday,” he offered.

“My guest isn’t important, but I fail to see how you

could know anything about the grant request I submitted.”

“Yes, wel , that’s one of the things I wanted to discuss

with you.” Dane could have told Magnus his connection to

the Institute over the phone, but he knew it would be harder

for his professor to turn him down in person.

“Give me thirty minutes to tie up loose ends,” Magnus

offered.

“Yes, sir,” Dane said automatical y.

A noise came from deep in Magnus’ throat, but Dane

couldn’t tel what it meant. Was the man already irritated

with him? “I real y am sorry for bothering you when you’re

busy.”

“The grant’s what’s important, nothing more.”

“I guess I’l see you in thirty minutes then.”

Magnus hung up without saying anything further. Dane

shoved the phone into the pocket of his jeans, wondering if

he’d ever be able to get a ful conversation out of his

professor.

* * * *

“Session over. Time for you to go,” Magnus told the

submissive he’d been training.

Darrel , the thirty-two-year old who was new to the

lifestyle, stared at Magnus’ obvious erection. “Real y?”

Magnus didn’t bother to tel Darrel the state of his

cock had nothing to do with him. It was Dane’s use of ‘sir’

that had caused an immediate reaction in Magnus’ body.

Although Magnus had asked his teaching assistant to stop

cal ing him sir on several occasions, Dane continued to

address him as such. Magnus seriously doubted Dane was

into the lifestyle, so more than likely the younger man had

been raised in a southern household.

When Darrel continued to stare up at him without

getting out of bed, Magnus began to lose his temper. “Do I

need to repeat myself, boy?”

With a dramatic sigh, Darrel swung his legs over the

side of the bed and stood. Magnus received a measure of

satisfaction by looking at Darrel ’s bright red ass. If he’d

had the time, he would have given Darrel a few more welts

to remind him that insubordination wasn’t tolerated.

Instead, Magnus headed for the bathroom. “Let

yourself out.”

“Yes, sir,” Darrel said, reaching for his suit pants.

It didn’t surprise Magnus that Darrel ’s use of sir didn’t

stir him in the slightest. It had become harder and harder to

find a sub he actual y yearned to dominate. An image of

Dane naked and bent over his desk came to mind as

Magnus stepped into the shower. Fuck.

Magnus reached down and wrapped his hand around

his cock. He couldn’t even be in the same room with Dane

for more than five minutes without the urge to order the man

to his knees.

Magnus released his cock. He hated that thoughts of

Dane could make his control slip. It was the primary reason

he’d given Dane the job as his teaching assistant. Playing

around with col ege men at the club was one thing, but he

had a strict rule about not fucking students he taught.

When he’d discovered Dane’s intention to remain at

the col ege to obtain his postgraduate degree, Magnus

knew he had to put some wal s into place. Although seeing

Dane on a daily basis had become almost unbearable, in

his mind Dane was off-limits.

Magnus finished washing up, before turning off the

water. He opened the glass door and was surprised to find

Darrel standing in the doorway. The anger that had been

building towards himself was unleashed on the accountant.

“I told you to get out,” he growled.

“I know, but we usual y set another time before I

leave,” Darrel explained.

In that moment, Magnus was able to see that Darrel

had just been a poor substitute for the man he real y

wanted. “I think this arrangement has run its course. I’m

sure you won’t have a problem finding someone else to

take up your training.”

“But…I thought we had something special.”

Naked, Magnus took a step forward, towering over

Darrel . “Your mistake. I told you upfront I don’t get

emotional y involved. Yes or no?”

Darrel looked down at the tiled floor. “Sure, but…”

“Nope. Stop right there. I’m a man who means what

he says.” Magnus wasn’t a completely heartless ass. “Sorry

I let it go on between us as long as it did. I should’ve seen it

sooner.”

Darrel turned and walked out of the room, leaving

Magnus to wonder why he bothered having sex at al .