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Meeting Will—
“Hey guys,” Don said to David and Megan in the FBI break room. “You want to go out to dinner tonight?”
Both Megan and David looked at him suspiciously.
“What’s the catch?” David asked.
“Can’t I just—” Don grinned and shrugged. “Okay, I want you to meet Will.”
“Finally!” Megan said. “Absolutely!”
“You buying?” David said, with less enthusiasm.
Don eyed David. He had good reason to be reluctant to meet Will. David was on Will’s bad list for many reasons. Still, David was a friend so they were going to have to get past that first meeting sometime.
“I’ll pay,” Don said. “And I promise that Will won’t touch you, ‘though he might send a few nasty comments your way. Colby and Charlie are coming too.”
David grimaced, then nodded. “Okay. But it better be more than hamburgers.”
“How about this,” Don said generously. “How about you and Megan decide where we’re going? No limits.”
Megan whistled. “No limits, eh?”
“I want you guys to like Will,” Don shrugged. “I’ll let you two talk it over, but if it’s a place we need reservations, let me know soon, okay?”
Megan and David exchanged speculative looks and Don went to make sure his paycheck had been deposited.
David had been angling for a fancy steak place, but Megan talked him into Maxine’s, a high quality place with a wide variety of food. She’d pointed out that neither of them knew Will’s taste in food. By the time that the workday was over and they were gathering their things to head to the restaurant, Megan was feeling quite excited. She’d heard so much about Will, and wanted to meet this complex, compelling man for herself.
Don, David, and Megan sat at Maxine’s and waited for Colby, Charlie, and Will to arrive. Don looked nervous and kept checking his watch.
As soon as Don saw Will walk in the door, Don’s face lit up in a way Megan had never seen before. It turned her boss into a younger, softer version of himself.
Megan watched as Will’s eyes scanned the restaurant in a very similar way to how Ian Edgerton looked at a new location – mentally labeling obstacles, threats, escape routes. This was a man used to living dangerously. Only after checking out the restaurant did Will look at Don. But the smile as he did was beautiful to behold.
As Will walked across the restaurant, Megan took the opportunity to study him. He moved like a martial artist, and she remembered Don mentioning Aikido. In return, Will’s eyes were sweeping across their table, evaluating and categorizing each person. Satisfied, his eyes went back to Don. So, cautious and analytical. I knew that.
What she hadn’t appreciated before was that Will was drop-dead gorgeous. Megan gave a sigh for her gender that this man was off-limits to them. The baseball uniform hadn’t done him justice. He was wearing simple jeans and a button-down shirt, and was beautifully muscled. He was tall, but not skinny, with graceful hands. His long black hair was confined to a ponytail that went down his back, except for a few strands which fell around his face, softening it. He had a strong face, with dark eyebrows, prominent cheekbones and surprisingly sensuous lips. Without the smile, he looked intimidating, but the small transformed him into a man you wanted to talk to, get close to.
As he neared the table, Will’s eyes fastened on David. Megan saw Don stiffen and David got to his feet.
“Will …” Don said, a warning in his voice.
“Ah, Agent Sinclair,” Will said coolly. “The firestarter.”
David gave a one-shouldered shrug. “If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here.”
Will raised his eyebrows and their eyes locked. Don moved to stand up. Megan wondered whose defense she would rush to, if they fought.
Suddenly, the corner of Will’s mouth twitched up and he gave a nod of acknowledgement. He broke the staredown and gave Don’s shoulder an apologetic squeeze. David slowly sat back down. Will turned to look at Megan.
Megan had to resist the urge to back away from the intensity of that gaze. After a brief moment, Will’s eyes shuttered, dialing back the fire, until she could return his gaze without tensing.
“You must be Agent Reeves,” Will said. His voice was warm but guarded. A man who’s used to rejection.
“Megan,” Megan said, reaching out her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
There was the slightest twitch of Will’s smile, the slightest stutter in his hand reaching out to hers. Megan castigated herself internally, remembering the extremely secret things she knew about Will, things he’d never told anyone but Don.
Smoothly, Megan continued, “Don turns up his nose at takeout now and raves about your cooking.”
Will’s smile widened and he gripped her hand firmly. “You’d think the man had never had home cooking before.”
“And Don now manages to get us out of the office at a reasonable time most nights. I bet I have you to thank for that.”
Nodding, Will released her hand and sat down across from her, next to Don. “My boss has made similar comments, though his are usually complaints that I don’t work as ‘hard’ as I used to.”
Megan grinned. “The difference in being the boss versus the lowly employee.”
“Lowly?” Will said with raised eyebrows. “Not from what I hear. The way Don talks about you guys, I half-expected to see you wearing superhero capes.”
“Really?” Megan said with surprise. Don was not normally lavish with praise.
“Well,” Will admitted, “You kinda have to read between the lines.”
Megan snorted in laughter.
“Ah-hem,” Don said, clearing his throat.
“Oh, hi, babe,” Will said, pretending to notice Don for the first time. He took Don’s chin in his hand and gave him a quick kiss. Don blushed but smiled.
“Where’s that brother of yours?” Will asked, picking up the drink menu.
“Who knows,” Don said lightly, relief obvious in his voice now that the introductions had been made.
Will flagged down a waitress with the ease of a high roller. “Could I get an Angel City Abbey, please?” The waitress nodded and Will asked, “Anyone else? Agent Sinclair?”
“Just David. Umm,” David said, “Sam Adams Light.”
“Don?”
“I’ve never had Angel City beer,” Don said.
“I think you might like their Lager,” Will responded.
Don nodded at the waitress and she wrote that down. Megan hid a smile. Just like an old married couple already.
“I’ll have a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat,” Megan said.
The waitress nodded and left to get their drinks.
“Okay, guys,” Will said with a disarming grin. “What do you want to know?”
Megan laughed and David cracked a smile.
“C’mon, c’mon,” Will teased. “You’ve got to have questions. Let me start – I’m half Korean half-American, been gay all my life, and my designs on your boss are anything but honorable.”
That made everyone laugh and relax a little more.
“Hi!” Charlie said, arriving at the table. Colby was close behind.
“I had to practically carry him out of his office,” Colby said. “He kept saying, ‘One more equation…’”
Everyone chuckled except Charlie, who looked mildly annoyed. “I lost my train of thought.”
Will said, “Charlie, your train of thought runs on a möbius strip track.”
Charlie gave Will an uncertain glare, obviously not sure if he’d been insulted. Will just grinned at him.
Interesting, Megan thought. Will seems to have already developed some sibling rivalry with Charlie. A protective mode towards Don? Then Megan chastised herself for over-analyzing. Maybe it was just that Charlie was fun to tease.
“Hey, Will,” Colby said with a sort of resigned amusement.
“Hey,” Will responded, his voice welcoming.
They seem to have come to some sort of truce, maybe even mild friendship.
Charlie sat down next to Don, and Colby took the seat across from him, next to David.
“We ordered some beers,” Don said.
“Oh, beer! That sounds good,” Charlie said.
“Oh no,” Don said, “You drove, right, Colby?”
Colby nodded. “I’ve got Mr. Lightweight here.”
“What is this, Harass Charlie Night?” Charlie said grumpily.
“No, that’s Thursdays,” Will said lightly. “Tonight is Harass Don’s New Boyfriend Night.”
Charlie grinned. “That sounds like fun.”
“Bring it on, math boy,” Will laughed.
The waitress brought four bottles of beer and four frosted mugs.
“Two more Sam Adams Light?” Colby asked the waitress and Charlie nodded.
Megan was unable to hide a smile this time. The other married couple at the table.
Will’s beer, as he poured it into the mug, was dark and strong enough to smell across the table. He looked up at Megan and smiled, like he was reading her mind. “I had somebody drop me off. I’m good to drink myself under the table.”
“I’ll cut you off before then,” Don said. “You’re too big to carry out to the car.”
Will rolled his eyes and took a large gulp of his beer. He set the mug down on the table with a thump. “C’mon, guys,” Will said to the table at large. “Ask me something.”
Maybe it was her inside knowledge, but Megan heard the insecurity and defiance in that request.
“Let’s see,” Megan said. “Tell us about your job.”
“An easy one,” Will responded. “I work for the DEA and specialize in short-term, high-risk undercover work.”
“Ouch,” Megan winced. That would be a hard job for a loved one to have. She looked over at Don who gave a resigned shrug.
“Next?” Will said.
“Hmm. What was …” She laughed. “God, this feels like a slumber party question, but what was an embarrassing thing that happened to you lately?”
Will grinned. “Don found out that I had bought one of his Stockton Rangers cards off of eBay.”
Don nodded wryly and Megan laughed.
“I’ve got one,” Charlie said. “What board game are you most likely to lose?”
“Why do I get the feeling that this will come back to bite me?” Will smiled but answered, “Monopoly, or any game that requires luck.”
Megan followed up with, “Most likely to win?”
“Trivial Pursuit or anything that involves bluffing.”
Colby asked, “Are there any sports you won’t play?”
“Boxing and caber tossing.”
The whole table started to get into it, firing questions at Will to see who could make him hesitate to answer. Don just sat back and watched, a smile on his face.
Megan, “Childhood pet?”
“Moxie the turtle.”
David. “Favorite gun?”
“Modified ’92 Beretta.”
Colby, “Farthest away place you’ve visited?”
“South Korea.”
David, “Guilty pleasure TV show?”
“Hercules, the one with Kevin Sorbo.”
Megan, “Guilty pleasure movie?”
“Speed.”
Charlie, “Favorite non-fiction book?”
“Toffler’s Future Shock.”
Colby, “Other jobs you’ve had?”
“EMT, paperboy.”
Megan, “Things you won’t eat?”
“Durian – it’s a smelly, Asian fruit.”
Charlie, “9084 divided by 4128?”
“A number that Charlie already has in his head.”
Colby, “Dodgers or Angels?”
“Dodgers, unless you ask my sister, then it’s Angels.”
Megan, “First kiss?”
“Brian Smart.”
David, “Place you’ve lived the longest?”
“L.A.”
It was Charlie who finally brought Will up short. “Why did you pick Don?”
Will paused, flushed and looked at Don. Don raised his eyebrows, waiting.
Will cleared his throat. “That question implies I had a choice in the matter. I saw Don and that was it. I was hooked. No conscious decision.”
Don smiled and said, “And Will here is a force of nature. It would have been like resisting a tidal wave.”
In the slightly embarrassed silence following these statements, the waitress set Colby and Charlie’s beers on the table and said she’d be back to take their dinner orders.
“Pour your beers, guys,” Megan said. “I have a toast.”
Colby and Charlie quickly poured their beers into the frosted mugs and raised them up. Don, Will and David followed suit.
Megan raised her mug. “To Don and Will, two guys that totally deserve each other. Together may they be slightly less of a menace to the world than they are separately.”
Everyone laughed, clinked mugs, and drank.