Royce and Sawyer: Sabbatical on South Bass Island

**This bonus scene occurs between the Zero Hour and Matrimony and Mayhem trilogies.

Royce lazily trailed his finger down Sawyer’s spine. The two of them lay naked in the upstairs master bedroom of the rental house on South Bass Island. A thunderstorm had rolled in over Lake Erie, and they’d thrown open the French doors to enjoy the sights and sounds of Mother Nature in all her magnificent glory. Royce had taken it upon himself to ensure the energy inside their temporary bedroom matched the fury raging outside. He knew he’d done his job when Sawyer sprawled face down in a boneless heap in the center of the bed.

They’d spent their last vacation morning biking all over the island before the sun fully rose, and the tourists flooded Put-in-Bay and terrorized islanders with their rented golf carts. As the hours lazily ticked by, the conversation they’d tabled before vacation weighed heavier on Royce’s mind. 

Sawyer turned his head toward him. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead, and the longest strands slanted over one of Sawyer’s beautiful brown eyes. Royce didn’t like it, so he brushed his hair back and reveled in the happy expression that greeted him.

“I love you,” Royce said. The declaration had become easier every time he said it until it rolled off his tongue without thought or hesitation.

Sawyer smiled dopily. “I love you.” He took a deep breath. “Which is why you need to stop thinking about the cryptic conversation we had with Mendoza before we left for vacation.”

Their chief had called them in toward the end of their final shift to have a meeting—just them and no one else in the unit. Royce and Sawyer had braced themselves for the inevitable since their chief discovered their relationship. Until ten days ago, Mendoza hadn’t hinted at wanting to split them up. He’d expected his detectives to act professionally and keep their personal relationship away from the job. To the best of Royce’s knowledge, they’d complied beautifully. There were a few times when he’d climbed into Sawyer’s shower stall in the locker room in the guise of conserving water and ended up doing things that weren’t suitable for work. Unless there were hidden cameras in the showers, their trysts were their little secret. If hidden cameras existed, Mendoza had bigger fish to fry.

“Chief just said he wanted to discuss something important with us when we returned from vacation,” Sawyer said. “Important doesn’t equal bad.”

Royce stilled his roaming fingers at the small of Sawyer’s back and settled his palm there. “Is that why we hashed out every possibility during the thirteen-hour drive to Port Clinton, Ohio?”

Sawyer chuckled and scooted even closer. “It’s why we left the questions on the dock when we boarded the ferry for our island getaway.” He took a deep breath. “We both know he will split us up, and we can’t blame him.”

“Can’t we?” Royce asked, not liking the petulance in his voice. “I love being partnered with you at work and home.”

Sawyer pushed onto his elbows and leaned over for a quick kiss. “And I feel the same, but if forced to choose, I’ll take coming home to you every night over working with you during the day.”

Royce showed his agreement by deepening the kiss. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Sawyer Key. He pulled back from the kiss after several moments. “You’re the love of my life, you know.”

A flush spread over Sawyer’s cheeks. And Royce braced himself not to hear the same declaration. Sawyer had loved another before him and would still be married to Vic had he not died of cancer. Royce felt petty and small for expressing sentiments Sawyer might not want to return. Then is partner in all things smiled, and Royce saw the truth without him having to say anything at all.

 “And you’re mine,” Sawyer said huskily. “That won’t change when Diego becomes your partner on the job.”

“Diego?” Royce scoffed. “How do you figure?”

Sawyer flopped back down as if his arms were suddenly unable to support his body. He pushed his forearms under the pillow and smiled at Royce. “Just a hunch. You know how accurate those are.”

Royce rolled his eyes because Sawyer was rarely wrong. “You think the chief will partner you with Topher?”

Sawyer nodded. “I don’t think he’s going to have all four of us working homicides, though.”

“What then?”

“That is the million-dollar question,” Sawyer said. “And one I don’t have an answer for.” He arched his back, and his dewy skin made Royce’s hand slide lower to his ass. “But I suppose we’ll find out Monday.”

Royce dipped the tip of his finger into the crease between Sawyer’s cheeks and trailed it down. “We could always apply for jobs here. Maybe the owner of his house would be willing to sell it to us.” 

Sawyer chuckled. “Maybe they would. So, what? We’d drive police-issued golf carts and hand out tickets to drunk and disorderly tourists and golf carts illegally parked on the sidewalks?”

“Less stressful than solving homicides,” Royce said.

“You’d be bored to death in a week.”

Royce leaned over and kissed Sawyer’s shoulder while his fingers teased and towed lower. “True.”

Sawyer rolled onto his back and stretched, putting his delicious body on full display. He grabbed Royce’s hand and placed it where they both wanted it. “But you’re not bored now.”

Royce couldn’t find fault with Sawyer’s distraction technique.

He loved the house on South Bass Island and wouldn’t mind returning frequently. It would make a perfect honeymoon getaway. But first, he had to work up the courage to ask the love of his life the all-important question.