THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 1 Read online

  Ethan pushed his nose up against Calvin’s, making him laugh. He pulled Ethan close and let their heads rest together. “You’re the best.” He got up and scratched Ethan behind his ear. Then he picked up Ethan’s clothes and stuck them in his backpack, along with everything else those assholes had spilled. He slipped it on and with a big grin motioned down the street.

  “Race you home.”

  Ethan took off, and Calvin ran after him, laughing as Ethan hopped and ran circles around him.

  “Show-off!”

  He grabbed Ethan’s tail and gave it a gentle tug. Ethan slowed, and they walked together, his best friend’s tail in his hand. Yeah, they were going to be just fine.

  Prompt #11: Any of the Felid guys having a “Kitty-cat” moment when they are shifted—playing with a ball, a piece of string, or chasing a feather—just because they can’t help it.

  TONY FINISHED checking the inventory of Destructive Delta’s latest shipment of uniforms and training equipment before signing off on it and turning to the team. “All right. Get this stuff unpacked and put away.” He motioned toward their Felid team members. “You four. No funny business.”

  Sloane, Ash, Cael, and Hobbs all nodded their understanding. Dex had no idea what the hell his dad was going on about. Usually any warnings of funny business were directed at him. As soon as his dad was gone, Dex helped his team unpack everything from the huge-ass boxes. Man, he and Cael used to have such a blast with boxes like these once upon a time. The thought made him laugh.

  “Hey, Cael. Remember when we moved to the new house and Dad got all those brand new kitchen appliances? We had like four of these boxes and put them together to make that castle.” They’d even painstakingly drawn every stone of their castle’s walls.

  Cael laughed. “Oh yeah! And Dad made us a flag out of a mop handle and kitchen towel. We pretended to be knights. Slaying dragons with our toy swords.”

  “Aw, I bet you two made adorable knights,” Letty said with a smile.

  “I was an adorable knight.” Cael sniffed. “Dex of course wasn’t content to be a regular knight. He was an astronaut knight.”

  Dex grinned at his unamused brother. “Hey, someone had to defend the realm from space dragons.”

  They finished removing everything from the boxes, and Dex followed Rosa and Letty out with an armload of equipment as they headed for Sparta when Calvin caught his arm. “Whoa there, Space-knight. Where do you think you’re going?”

  Dex blinked at him. “To put stuff away.”

  Calvin shook his head. “Rookie has to break up the boxes.”

  “Oh. No prob. I’ll do it when I get back.”

  Calvin’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? You have to do it now or your dad’s going to have a fit.”

  “Why? They’re just boxes.” Huge boxes. But boxes. Felids loved boxes. He had a box-loving cheetah Therian brother after all. But this was different. They were on duty. He doubted their teammates would concern themselves with boxes while at work.

  “That’s not it. If you leave them in there—”

  There was a symphony of roars coming from the loading dock they’d just been in, and Calvin cursed under his breath. “Shit! We shouldn’t have left them in there.”

  Calvin ran back in, and Dex followed, his mouth hanging open at the sight of their Felid teammates sitting in the boxes in their Therian forms.

  “That’s why you can’t leave them alone with the boxes!”

  Dex burst into laughter. He was laughing so hard he had to put the equipment on the floor before he dropped it. Each one of their Felid teammates sat in his own box. Cael was rolling around in his, chirping his little head off. Hobbs was fucking hilarious. He was nestled in a box that was clearly too small for him and about to burst at the seams. Sloane was lazily dozing in his box, while Ash was trying to tear his to pieces.

  “Come on, man.” Dex playfully smacked Calvin in the arm. “You gotta admit this shit is funny.”

  Calvin turned to him with a deep frown. “Yeah? All right, then. Go get your partner out of his box.”

  “Pff, easy.” Dex sauntered over to Sloane and tapped the side of his box. “All right, partner. Time to get out.”

  Sloane hissed, fangs bare, and Dex reeled back. “Holy fuck.”

  “Easy, huh? Now go and try get Ash or Hobbs out.” Calvin folded his arms over his chest, his expression smug.

  Determined, Dex decided he’d try Hobbs. After all, Hobbs was a reasonable and chill dude. “Hey, buddy. How about you get out of that box?”

  Hobbs mewled before pulling a paw out from his box and reaching for Dex, smacking him in the face.

  “Ow! What the hell, man? I thought we were cool.” Dex turned to Ash, who stopped his chewing on cardboard and sneered. “Nope.” He headed for his brother instead. “All right, Chirpy. Out.”

  Cael hissed, but Dex didn’t budge. There was nothing Cael could do that Dex hadn’t already experienced with him. Besides, he knew his brother wouldn’t claw or bite him, which was more than he could say for his teammates. He had reached into the box when Cael snagged his uniform and pulled him in. Dex flailed and landed on his face, his ass in the air and half sticking out of the box. With a groan, he slid the rest of the way in and rolled onto his back. Cael came and sat on him.

  With a chuckle, Calvin leaned over the edge to grin at him. “Still planning on doing it when you get back?”

  Dex glared at him, and Calvin gave him a salute.

  “Have fun, rookie. See you at training. First aid kit’s by the exit.”

  Laughing his little blond head off, Calvin walked away and left him there. Dex poked his brother in the butt.

  “Thanks for warning me. Just for that, you have to help me get them out.”

  Cael chirped, got up, and licked Dex’s cheek.

  “Gross. I’m going to take that as a yes.”

  Cael hopped out of his box, trotted over to Ash, and chirped. He gave Ash’s muzzle a lick. Ash’s purr echoed through the cavernous bay. He hopped out of his box and nuzzled Cael. One down, two to go. Dex climbed out of Cael’s box and approached Hobbs.

  “Hey, buddy. I know you love your box. It’s a very nice box. You know what else is nice?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. With a grin, he clicked the red laser pointer on and shone it on the floor outside Hobbs’s box. “What’s that? You better catch it before it gets away!”

  He moved the pointer back and forth, watching Hobbs’s head follow it. Hobbs leaped out of the box and scurried after the little red dot. Cael pounced and joined in.

  “Sloane? Don’t you want to join in the fun?” Dex said. Sloane gave him a huff. Hm. Okay. Different tactic. He backed up near Sloane, making sure to keep the others busy with his laser pointer now that Ash had joined them. He leaned over to Sloane and scratched him behind the ear. “I know your box is fun. You know what else is fun? Me and you in the sleeping bay, not sleeping.”

  Sloane’s ears perked up. His amber eyes met Dex’s before he hopped out of his box and rubbed himself up against Dex’s leg with that chainsaw-like purr of his.

  An hour later, Dex walked into Calvin’s office, Hobbs behind him. The tiger Therian settled into his chair with a big dopey smile. “Here’s your partner, sans box.”

  Calvin gaped at him.

  “That’s right. Rookie got game.” He unclipped his laser pointer and tossed it at Calvin, who caught it. “Keep it. Might come in handy.” He headed out and winked at his partner. “I know you’re impressed.”

  Sloane chuckled. “I have to admit, that was well done. It’s not over, though. You made me a promise.” His pupils dilated, and he whispered in Dex’s ear. “Come on, rookie. Looks like it’s my turn to breach.”

  Dex’s pants just got a little tighter. He was starting to like these delivery days.

  Prompt #12: Can we please have the scene with Dex, Sloane, Ash, and Cael all at Tony’s house for Christmas dinner? It was mentioned at the end of book one, but we never got to act
ually read it. I can only imagine how that dinner went. LOL!

  DEX WAS so excited, he could barely contain himself.

  The house was bursting with the smells of Christmas and all of Dex’s favorite tasty treats, thanks to his dad and Cael’s mad cooking skills. Dex was a good cook—he’d been taught by his dad after all—but Tony and Cael took cooking to a whole other level. Much to Dex’s delight, Cael went on a crazy cookie-baking spree every Christmas. Chocolate chip, oatmeal, chocolate chunk, white chocolate and macadamia nut, sugar, cinnamon, shortbread; you name the cookie, Cael baked it.

  While Cael was in the kitchen buzzing around like a busy little bee, Dex was busy pilfering cookies and waiting patiently for Sloane to arrive. Unfortunately Ash would be with him, but that was a sacrifice Dex was willing to make. Besides, it made his brother freakishly happy. He still didn’t understand how those two were so close. It was like inviting an F-bomb-crazed Grinch over for Christmas.

  After his brother threatened him with grievous bodily harm if he touched another cookie, Dex went upstairs to his old bedroom. It was just as he’d left it when he went off to college, with framed movie posters of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, along with bookshelves containing books, CDs, and some of his toys from when he was a kid.

  He stopped in front of the mirror, unable to keep the dopey grin off his face. He was wearing the ridiculously awesome robot Christmas sweater Sloane had gifted him. He also couldn’t wait to try out the laser tag set. He was so going to kick Sloane’s sexy butt. It sucked that he and Sloane had to keep things between them on the down low, but he was excited about where things might go. It was scary as hell, but he couldn’t deny he was kind of crazy about the guy.

  The doorbell rang, and Dex bolted for the door, then told himself to keep it cool. He went downstairs at a normal non-teenage-girl pace and opened the front door, smiling widely.

  “Hey.”

  Sloane’s smile took his breath away. “Merry Christmas.” He looked around and was leaning in for a kiss when Cael darted in behind Dex, almost bumping into him.

  “Hey, Sloane! Merry Christmas.”

  Sloane pulled back and chuckled at Cael’s sugar-induced enthusiasm. “Merry Christmas.” He handed Cael a bag with presents. “For you and your dad. I already gave Dex his.”

  “Thanks. Yours is under the tree.” Cael looked past Sloane, his smile dimming. “Where’s Ash?”

  “He got caught up at work, but he promised he’d get here as soon as he could.”

  “Okay. I’m going to put these under the tree.”

  Cael was off, and Sloane came inside, closing the door behind him, a duffel bag hanging off one shoulder.

  “Your dad really wants us to stay the night?” He removed his scarf, coat, and hat and hung them on the rack by the door.

  “Oh yeah. See, Dad’s making his special eggnog. There’s no walking out of here after a few cups of that.”

  Sloane chuckled and followed him into the living room, patting Dex’s backside when there was no one around. Dex jumped in surprise, his face going red, and Sloane leaned in to whisper in his ear.

  “The eggnog won’t be the only thing stopping you from walking anywhere. First chance I get, your ass is mine.”

  Dex gasped, then covered his mouth with his hands before whispering hoarsely, “Dude, we’re in my dad’s house.” Like he’d never made out with anyone under his dad’s roof. Of course this was different. There was no way he could get away with hiding Sloane under his bed. Would he fit? It was full-sized. No, Sloane would never fit.

  “You’ll just have to find a way to stay quiet, won’t you?” Sloane’s smile grew wicked. “What’s the matter, Agent Daley? Not up to it?”

  “Pfft.” Dex quickly checked the area was secure before cupping Sloane through his jeans and squeezing, relishing Sloane’s deep groan. “We’ll see who’s up for what soon enough.” He heard Cael approaching and released Sloane, holding back a smile when he heard Sloane let out a little whine at the loss.

  “I’ve got cookies,” Cael declared, setting the tray on the coffee table. “Dad’s just downstairs brewing his secret eggnog. I swear he guards that recipe like it was the first eggnog recipe ever invented.”

  They all got comfy—with Sloane sitting on the couch next to Dex—when Sloane seemed to remember something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small present.

  “Letty sent you this.” Sloane handed Dex the small box. It was wrapped in red and green hearts. “Rosa said she’ll give you your present at work.”

  Dex made quick work of the wrapping paper and opened the box. “Aw, it’s a Christmas pin.” Dex pinned the leafy flower to his sweater without thinking.

  “Not just any pin. It’s mistletoe,” Cael declared with a smug grin.

  Dex’s eyes widened. “It’s what now?”

  “Mistletoe.” Cael wriggled his eyebrows. “You have to kiss whoever’s standing closest to you. So that would be Sloane. And you gotta do it. It’s Christmas.” His brother had clearly gotten into the sugar cookies. He had that wild look about him.

  Dex swallowed hard, his eyes meeting Sloane’s startled gaze. “Um. Right.” He reached for the pin to take it off, when Sloane stopped him.

  “It’s fine. It’s just a kiss, right? No big deal.” Sloane jutted a finger at Cael. “Not a word of this, or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

  Cael put a hand up in promise. “You got it.”

  Dex’s heart skipped a beat, and he stood. Sloane stepped up to him. Wait a second. Was that… amusement in his partner’s eyes? The bastard. He was enjoying Dex’s discomfort.

  “Okay, how do you want to do this?” Dex asked, his eyes narrowed at Sloane. No big deal, huh? We’ll see about that.

  Sloane shrugged. “I’m not picky. Just kiss me.”

  “I can arrange that. You could use a good kiss.”

  The Star Wars reference wasn’t lost on his geeky partner, and Sloane arched an eyebrow at him. Sloane wanted a kiss? Dex would give him a kiss.

  Dex kicked off his shoes, climbed up on the couch cushions, and jumped on Sloane, forcing Sloane to catch him, his expression one of stunned disbelief. Dex threw his arms around Sloane’s neck and kissed him with everything he had. It was hard and hot as hell, with teeth, tongue, and nipping.

  When Dex was out of breath, he pulled back with a shaky laugh and jumped down before throwing his arms up. “Yeah! Now that’s a mistletoe kiss, bitches!”

  Sloane stared at him, his mouth hanging open.

  “I think I short-circuited his brain,” Dex said with a smug grin.

  There was a knock at the door, and Cael jumped to his feet. “I’ll get it!”

  Dex shook his head in shame. “I can’t believe he’s actually happy to see Ash.”

  Sloane shrugged. His pupils were dilated, and a sinful expression came onto his face. “Your dad’s busy downstairs and Cael’s going to be busy with Ash. How about you show me your room?”

  Dex motioned toward the stairs, and Sloane followed. Halfway up, Sloane grabbed Dex’s ass, and he laughed. They ran the rest of the way to the bedroom. Dex locked his door behind them with only seconds to spare before Sloane had lifted him off his feet, tossed him on the bed, and pinned Dex beneath his heavier frame.

  He nibbled on Dex’s earlobe before murmuring, “How about we jingle each other’s bells?”

  Ooh. He didn’t know what that entailed, but he was all over it. “Jingle away, sexy-pants.” Sloane sucked, licked, and nipped at his neck before delivering a searing kiss that had Dex’s toes curling.

  Well, Merry Christmas to me.

  This was going to be the best Christmas ever!

  CAEL OPENED the door, a big smile on his face. “Ash! You made it.”

  “Hey, trouble. Of course I did. Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Ash stepped inside, and Cael closed the door behind him before helping him with his coat, hat, and scarf. Ash looked around.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “Dad’s
downstairs making eggnog, or as he calls it, ‘unfurling the secrets of the universe,’ and Dex took Sloane upstairs to show him his Star Wars action figures or something equally nerdy. Just you and me at the moment.”

  “Good.”

  Ash ushered Cael into the living room and over to the couch. He sat down beside him. Cael watched curiously as Ash opened the large red gift bag in his hand and removed a small present.

  “I got you something else as well, but I was hoping you’d open this one while the others weren’t around,” Ash continued, looking embarrassed.

  “Sure.” Cael took the carefully wrapped package and opened it, letting out a gasp when he saw the adorable gift. His face could barely contain his smile. They were blue-striped socks with koala bears wearing glasses on them.

  “Do you like them? I know how much you love quirky socks.”

  “Ash, I love them!” Cael threw his arms around Ash and hugged him. His stomach fluttered when Ash returned his embrace, giving him a squeeze. Cheeks flushed, Cael pulled back. “I know it’s weird, but I love socks. These are my absolute favorite, though. Thank you.”

  Ash winked at him and gave his cheek a playful nudge. “It’s not weird. They’re adorable. Just like you.”

  “Have you been into Dad’s eggnog?” Cael teased, removing his current candy cane socks to put on his new koala ones.

  “Not yet.” Ash wriggled his eyebrows, and Cael laughed. “How about some cheesy Christmas movies?”

  “Awesome!” Cael grabbed the remote as Ash settled down on the couch. With a bright smile, Cael snuggled up against him, and Ash put his arm around Cael. “Cookie? I made your favorite. White and milk chocolate chunk cookies.”

  “You bet. Your cookies are the best.”

  “Aw, thanks.” Cael reached out and grabbed the plate before sitting back and drawing his legs up onto the couch. Together they ate cookies and watched Christmas movies. When they’d had their fill, Cael returned the plate to the coffee table and went back to snuggling against Ash. He let his head rest against Ash’s chest. “I’m glad you’re here.”