pencil in one hand, adding stuff he'd seen during the bust the day before for the writers. Finally, about one hour after he arrived, the door opened and Xavier walked in. Rajan didn't move.
"Morning."
Rajan looked up and nodded his reply then looked
back to the script before him.
"So you're not going to talk to me this morning?"
Xavier questioned.
"No. And later doesn't look good either."
"Rajan…"
The way Xavier said his name, like a whispered
prayer, caused his breath to catch in his throat. He rubbed his neck self-consciously. "What do you want from me, huh, Xavier? You didn't want me here yesterday and I'm pretty sure you don't want me here today. I've decided to be an adult about it and just do what I'm here to do and life goes on."
"I see…"
Silence reigned over the room interrupted by Xavier yanking his locker open. Rajan watched him from beneath fallen lashes; the way his body moved. He almost lost his mind when Xavier lifted his shirt over his head exposing a hard, muscular back. On his left arm, Xavier had a tattoo of a giant coiled python with the words "Pythons never die"
written in beautiful calligraphy beneath it. Closing his eyes, he turned the script over in his lap, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I want to propose a peace offering," Xavier spoke again.
Rajan fought the urge to roll his eyes but refrained from looking from his script again. Though he wasn't really reading it, he pretended. It was better than the alternative.
He felt it the moment Xavier sat beside him and couldn't help himself. When he looked up, Xavier was sitting, shirtless, astride the bench facing him. His eyes drifted downward to Xavier's chest. A tattoo of the word "Dru"
with "2009 RIP" written beneath it sat over his left breast.
Ink on a man was so damn sexy. Rajan had to hold his breath to keep in the groan that threatened to escape.
"Who's Dru? Was he someone you loved?"
Xavier's body lifted slightly from the seat but he sat down and leveled his eyes on Rajan. Rajan bit his lower lip.
For a moment he thought Xavier wouldn't answer. He saw Xavier's shoulders rise and slumped.
"Yes. He was someone I loved."
"I'm sorry you lost him."
Xavier tilted his head. "You are?"
"Yes. Whether I like you or not, you're human and it's hard losing someone you care about."
"Thanks… I think."
"You're welcome." Rajan looked at him a little bit longer before returning his attention to the script in his lap.
"A peace offering," Xavier repeated, softer. "I would like to give you some hand to hand training."
"Hand to hand training…"
Xavier moaned. "That's what I said. I'm trained to…
Rajan, listen. I don't have anything against you. I just don't like a civilian tailing my team because you're not trained to react like they are and the last time someone shadowed the CT, he ended up shot."
"Let me ask you something." Rajan placed the script beside him. "I have followed all the instructions so far, right?"
"Yes."
"And I'm here on time, right?"
"Right."
"So have I given you any reason to think I'm going to go off half-cocked and catch a bullet to the ass?"
Rajan could tell Xavier wanted to laugh at that. He bowed his head just as the smile broke his lips and Rajan frowned.
"Have I?" Rajan pushed, jabbing him in the shoulder with a finger.
"No—and I'm sorry. So I'm here to offer you some something you wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Do you want it or not?"
Oh baby, I want it all right.
Rajan licked his lips as his eyes drifted once more to Xavier's bare chest then to his eyes. "Fine… I'll take it."
Xavier extended a hand to him and Rajan moved
from where he was sitting to put some distance between them. "I don't think touching you is a good idea right now."
"And why is that?"
"Why are you smirking at me?"
Xavier did laugh then. He stood and walked slowly
toward Rajan. The actor pushed from the seat and stepped back. Then it was as if he just couldn't move anymore. He was frozen in place,
"Morning."
Rajan looked up and nodded his reply then looked
back to the script before him.
"So you're not going to talk to me this morning?"
Xavier questioned.
"No. And later doesn't look good either."
"Rajan…"
The way Xavier said his name, like a whispered
prayer, caused his breath to catch in his throat. He rubbed his neck self-consciously. "What do you want from me, huh, Xavier? You didn't want me here yesterday and I'm pretty sure you don't want me here today. I've decided to be an adult about it and just do what I'm here to do and life goes on."
"I see…"
Silence reigned over the room interrupted by Xavier yanking his locker open. Rajan watched him from beneath fallen lashes; the way his body moved. He almost lost his mind when Xavier lifted his shirt over his head exposing a hard, muscular back. On his left arm, Xavier had a tattoo of a giant coiled python with the words "Pythons never die"
written in beautiful calligraphy beneath it. Closing his eyes, he turned the script over in his lap, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I want to propose a peace offering," Xavier spoke again.
Rajan fought the urge to roll his eyes but refrained from looking from his script again. Though he wasn't really reading it, he pretended. It was better than the alternative.
He felt it the moment Xavier sat beside him and couldn't help himself. When he looked up, Xavier was sitting, shirtless, astride the bench facing him. His eyes drifted downward to Xavier's chest. A tattoo of the word "Dru"
with "2009 RIP" written beneath it sat over his left breast.
Ink on a man was so damn sexy. Rajan had to hold his breath to keep in the groan that threatened to escape.
"Who's Dru? Was he someone you loved?"
Xavier's body lifted slightly from the seat but he sat down and leveled his eyes on Rajan. Rajan bit his lower lip.
For a moment he thought Xavier wouldn't answer. He saw Xavier's shoulders rise and slumped.
"Yes. He was someone I loved."
"I'm sorry you lost him."
Xavier tilted his head. "You are?"
"Yes. Whether I like you or not, you're human and it's hard losing someone you care about."
"Thanks… I think."
"You're welcome." Rajan looked at him a little bit longer before returning his attention to the script in his lap.
"A peace offering," Xavier repeated, softer. "I would like to give you some hand to hand training."
"Hand to hand training…"
Xavier moaned. "That's what I said. I'm trained to…
Rajan, listen. I don't have anything against you. I just don't like a civilian tailing my team because you're not trained to react like they are and the last time someone shadowed the CT, he ended up shot."
"Let me ask you something." Rajan placed the script beside him. "I have followed all the instructions so far, right?"
"Yes."
"And I'm here on time, right?"
"Right."
"So have I given you any reason to think I'm going to go off half-cocked and catch a bullet to the ass?"
Rajan could tell Xavier wanted to laugh at that. He bowed his head just as the smile broke his lips and Rajan frowned.
"Have I?" Rajan pushed, jabbing him in the shoulder with a finger.
"No—and I'm sorry. So I'm here to offer you some something you wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Do you want it or not?"
Oh baby, I want it all right.
Rajan licked his lips as his eyes drifted once more to Xavier's bare chest then to his eyes. "Fine… I'll take it."
Xavier extended a hand to him and Rajan moved
from where he was sitting to put some distance between them. "I don't think touching you is a good idea right now."
"And why is that?"
"Why are you smirking at me?"
Xavier did laugh then. He stood and walked slowly
toward Rajan. The actor pushed from the seat and stepped back. Then it was as if he just couldn't move anymore. He was frozen in place,
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