“First of all, the color is powder blue not baby blue.”
“Oh, my mistake.”
“And second.” Miguel leaned back to look up at Hector. “I want to keep my apartment.”
“Of course. We’ll move in together when we’re both ready for that. I’m sorry if I made you feel pressured like you had to move in with me.”
“It wasn’t pressure. You caught me by surprise and assumed I’d want that, but you didn’t pressure me. Believe me, I know the difference.”
“Okay, no pressure or assuming that you’ll move back into my place. Anything else?”
“Just one more thing. No saving me,” Miguel said with determination. “Unless I put up the Hector signal.”
Hector raised an eyebrow. “The Hector signal?”
“Yeah. It’s sort of like the Bat Signal, but it’s just me asking you for help.”
“Got it. I am more than happy to let you be your own man. If I ever mess up and start treating you like anything less than that, call me on it and I’ll back off. No questions asked.”
Miguel sighed, melting against him. “You’re the best and I love you. Just Miguel was nice, but I’m looking forward to Miguel with Hector.” He tilted his face up, clearly waiting for a kiss.
Hector leaned down to give his love what he was asking for, but just before their lips met, he had one last thing to say. “You and me, together as equal partners. That’s how it will always be from now on.” Then he pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss.
Chapter 18
Thursday evening, Miguel was at home, preparing dinner. Hector had mentioned the other night that he had a taste for steak, so he was making steak street tacos. He grinned as he remembered that conversation.
They’d been on the couch, Miguel lying with his head in Hector’s lap. Hector had brought up having a taste for steak. Miguel had come back with, I have a taste for getting pounded by my hot cop boyfriend while he’s wearing his sexy black SWAT uniform. Hector had popped the quickest boner Miguel had ever seen in his life. He’d jumped up from the couch and nearly torn down the curtain separating the bedroom in his rush to get Miguel back there and on the bed. They’d ended up having a long night of very enthusiastic lovemaking.
Miguel shook his head at the memory of his boyfriend’s extremely impressive sexual stamina when his phone started blasting his ring tone for the week. He set the knife he was using to cut the steak aside and picked up the phone. The screen showed an unfamiliar number. Miguel almost didn’t answer, but sometimes Hector called him from the police station, and he didn’t usually recognize those numbers. Miguel quickly wiped his hand on a towel and swiped his thumb over the green arrow.
“Hello?”
No answer.
“Hello?” he said a little louder. Miguel could hear music in the background, so the call connected but the person on the other end didn’t say anything. He rolled his eyes and hung up. Maybe someone had butt dialed him by mistake.
He’d tossed the seasoned steak in the skillet and had just started cutting limes when the phone rang again. “Oh my god this better not be another butt dialer!” He checked the phone’s screen, and this time, he saw Hector’s cell number. His annoyance immediately evaporated, and he answered with a smile in his voice. “Hi, papi. Did you just call me and not say anything?”
“Hey, baby. No, that wasn’t me. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. And I’m bringing you a present. Want to know what it is?”
“It won’t be a surprise if you tell me.”
“I never said it was supposed to be.”
“Okay then, what is it?”
“A hairbrush.”
Miguel gave a little confused laugh. “Ummm… Do you even know what kind of brush I use on my hair?”
“It’s not for your hair.”
It only took a second for it to click in Miguel’s head what the brush was for. And when it did, a rush of heat swept through him. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh,” Hector said in a husky voice. “Listen up, because I have very specific instructions for what I want you to do.”
Miguel listened intently to Hector’s directions, nodding even though Hector couldn’t see him.