Page 176 of Too Close To Home

Harrison exhaled warm breath. “I already know you’re a terrible idea.”

“There you go, then. Halfway there.” Jake drew back. “And if you wanna tell me to fuck off at some point, you can do that too.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever tell you to fuck off.”

“Everyone does eventually. But you can form your own opinion if you like.”

Harrison then rubbed a hand across his forehead. “Alright.”

Jake waited.

“I will. I’ll get to know you.” Harrison met his gaze. “Outside crime scenes and interview rooms. Outside of…” He glanced between them, and the faintest colour touched his cheeks. “Whatever we keep doing when we’re alone together.”

Jake grinned. “Kissing?”

“Among other things.”

“Quite like the other things.”

“Yes. I gathered.” Harrison shook his head, but he smiled. “Let’s get to know each other before we try to make this into something neither of us knows how to handle yet.”

Jake considered him for a second. “Like dating?”

Harrison blinked.

Jake laughed. “Christ, your face.”

“I wasn’t expecting terminology quite so quickly.”

“Alright. No terminology.” Jake held out his hand. “We’ll just… see.”

Harrison looked down at his hand but didn’t take. “Though, there is something else preventing this from being quite as easy as you’re making it.”

“Course there is.”

“This isn’t complicated only because of Chris. I’m asking for your sister’s case to be reopened. If anyone at the station realises there’s something between us…” He shook his head. “It could jeopardise that. At the very least, it would raise questions about my objectivity.”

Jake understood that part. Didn’t particularly like it, but understood it. “So nobody finds out.”

Harrison’s brow furrowed. “Jake—”

“What? We don’t even know what this is yet, remember? Can’t tell people summat we ain’t worked out ourselves.” Jake wiggled his fingers between them. “Thought we were seeing.”

Harrison stared at his hand for another second.

Then he took it.

Except he didn’t shake it.

He closed his fingers firmly around Jake’s and pulled. Jake barely had time to register the movement before Harrison’s other hand caught the side of his neck and his mouth was on Jake’s again.

Oh.

Right.

Apparently, they were seeing.

Jake let him.