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later, when he was ready to admit he wanted it. But he'd never loved a man as deeply as Alex, and the two of them had never gone that far. Maybe the key to getting over Alex was doing it for the first time.
    It was logical enough, on the surface. At least it was a great excuse for falling into bed with his first boyfriend and now least favorite person.
    And this opened up the lines of communication again. It was the first time since he'd invited Alex over in August to tell him – in less abrasive terms – to fuck off. Alex had respected his wishes. It was scary to think how much he'd wanted Alex to call him, just out of the blue.
    This was the permission he sensed Alex had been waiting for.
    “Enough bullshit thinking,” Thomas muttered, hauling himself to his feet. He'd clean the living room, just in case Alex did come over. And if Alex wasn't interested, he'd still have a clean living room. He refused to admit that he was listening over the vacuum cleaner's hum for the chime of his cell phone.

Chapter 6
Alex
    Alex's phone vibrated in his pocket. He didn't drag his eyes off the house for a moment. He fumbled for his phone, swiping his fingers down the screen to get it to read out the text.
    Text message today at 8:02 PM. Thomas.
    Good seeing you. Want to hang out?
    The phone's voice was about the least sexy thing imaginable. It made Alex grin nonetheless. “Fuck, yeah,” he whispered.
    He squinted through the living room window as he pressed the speech button and dictated. “Would love to see you, period. When and where, question mark.” Then, he pressed send.
    Seconds later, he had an answer read out in the same rapid robotic voice. He really needed to change it to some sexy man, at least.
    Text message today at 8:05 PM. Thomas.
    Tonight.
    “Oh, yeah,” Alex smirked. He leaned back in his seat again, raising his camera when he saw motion. It was only a brief flicker, though, so he frowned and lowered it again.
    Since Darren had walked into Anna's house two hours ago, there had been no sign of activity. More importantly, the living room drapes were open. If they weren't socializing in the living room like platonic friends...
    Heh, and Thomas wasn't texting to socialize. He'd cracked that facade with his visit to the bank, he was certain of it. The only question was: did Thomas just want to hook up, or did he want more afterward? Was this flame rekindling, and if so, did Thomas like that idea as much as he did?
    He dictated, “I'm working until late, comma, probably past your bedtime, period. Still OK, question mark?” It came easily to him to dictate texts now when he couldn't take his eyes off the stakeout. It had taken weeks of practice to get used to it, though.
    Text message today at 8:09 PM. Thomas.
    That's fine. Come over to my house when you're done work.
    Alex smirked and dictated, “Great, period. See you soon, period.” He folded his hands behind his head and stretched out. God, he hoped Darren was going to have an early night.
    ***
    Alex got his wish: around nine-thirty, there was a stir of motion in the window. He pressed record , then rolled down his window and watched closely.
    The microphone was aimed in just the right spot. After a few seconds of wind crackling, he picked up on sound.
    “--at the cross-country ski cabin?”
    Anna's voice was unmistakable after having tracked her for days. “The main cabin? Yeah, at noon?”
    Darren murmured his agreement. “Noon's great. We'll figure out the details on Thursday...”
    “Shh,” Anna giggled. Alex rolled his eyes but listened and watched closely. They were standing a bit too close, but there was no physical contact. No real evidence yet.
    But he was positive that Lexy's suspicions had been right. And now he knew when and where to get the video his client and Darren's wife, Lexy, wanted.
    “I'll see you alone, right?”
    “Of course. I'll feign a headache and keep the lights dim and the blinds closed...” Anna's voice was soft now, almost