The Merger – 35

 

As promised, Josh returned to the agency by ten to pick up what he needed. He also filled Mike in on how Stanton was doing.

"Sounds like me when I ended up in the hospital," Mike said.

"You?"

"Yeah, way back when. I got a concussion when a guy I was investigating for insurance fraud took exception to the fact that I caught him doing things he'd claimed his injury wouldn't allow. He hit me with a baseball bat." Mike chuckled. "That sort of proved my point and he lost his case big-time. I spent a couple of days in the hospital while they made certain I didn't have any real brain damage."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, big ouch." Mike leaned back, looking up at Josh. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"As far as I'm concerned we are. What do we want to do?"

"Go bowling."

"Are you serious?"

"Isn't that a date night thing?" Mike replied without blinking an eye.

"Actually, that sounds like fun." Josh bit back a grin at the look of surprise on Mike's face. "What time and where?"

They decided to meet at a bowling alley close to Mike's apartment at seven. Then Josh took off and Mike got back to work.

*****

"You'll never make that," Josh said. They'd already bowled two games, each of them winning one. Now they were at the last frame in their third game. Mike had made his first roll, putting his score one point behind Josh's. If he picked up the Seven-ten split, he'd win, meaning Josh would have to pay off their bet—getting take-out from Merker's that they'd eat at his place. If Mike only took out one pin, they'd be tied. In that case, they'd split the cost of dinner and toss for whose apartment they'd eat at.

Mike stepped up to the line, hefting his ball as he eyed the pins. He knew he wouldn't make it, but damned if he wasn't going to try. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his arm back, swung it forward, released the ball with all the force he could, then watched as it sped down the alley, aiming for the seven pin. It hit the pin on the gutter side, sending it spinning toward the ten.

Moments later, Mike said, "If this was a movie, I'd have made it."

"But it's not." Josh grinned, taking a quarter from his pocket. "Call it." Mike did, Josh flipped the coin, and said, "We eat at your place."

Mike had no problem with that. He'd been itching to get Josh alone to pursue their growing attraction for each other. They might not end up in bed tonight because Josh had to be up early in the morning for his bodyguard job. But for sure we're going to do more than just kiss, if I have my way.

By the time they'd picked up dinner and arrived at Mike's apartment, it was just after ten. Mike went into the galley kitchen to make coffee and get plates and silverware, while Josh wandered around the rest of the place, checking it out.

"Nice digs," Josh said when Mike came back into the living room. "If I had two bedrooms, I'd do what you did and turn the second one into a home office."

"It was that or a study," Mike replied as he set the table in one corner of the living room then opened the bags of food and poured them coffee. "And I don't have enough books to rate a study."

"You're not hurting, though," Josh commented, checking out the two bookshelves between the windows that faced the street.

When Josh started to pull a book from one of the shelves, Mike chuckled. "Dinner's ready. You can peruse my reading material later."

Josh joined him, saying, "I don't think so. There's something else I want to peruse, to use your word, when dinner's over." He rubbed his knuckles along Mike's jaw, sending a frisson of desire through Mike's body.

"Really?" Mike's gaze locked with Josh's. "And what would that be?"

"I think you know." Josh wrapped him in a tight embrace before kissing him. Pulling back a moment later, he said, "But right now, let's eat."

Mike grinned as they sat down. "Because you're starving?"

"Yep. Bowling can do that to a guy." Josh winked then began eating.

"Uh-huh." Mike ate, too, but his mind wasn't on the food. When they finished, he cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher, waving off Josh's offer of help.