Free Sexual Games [The Heroes of Silver Springs 8] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Tonya Ramagos

either. It just sounded…weird.
    “Are you going to make a play for him?” Forget weird. This was his best friend and he accepted the man for who he was, bisexual or not.
    “I kind of already did.” Cameron didn’t blush. He never did. But if a blush could be heard, Jackson would’ve sworn it was there in his voice. “It wasn’t intentional, but he started flirting—not right out flaming flirting or anything, just nonchalantly coming on to me—and I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t not flirt back.”
    Jackson could relate. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to flirt back with Mallory when she laid on her you-know-you-want-to-fuck-me act. He failed often enough lately, too. “Did you ask him out?”
    “No, I just sort of made it clear I wanted to see him again before he left town.”
    “You should. Maybe it would do you some good.” The advice spilled from Jackson’s mouth before he could think to stop it. Was he crazy? How many times had Mallory suggested he have a fling with someone else? How many times had she told him it would do them both some good?
    From Mallory’s viewpoint, she thought it would help to loosen his tie, make him more apt to go for no-strings sex. Jackson didn’t think that was the case with Cameron. The man was the king of flings. Yet, those flings had become next to nonexistent the last few years. When Jackson did the math, he pretty much settled on the pivotal moment being somewhere shortly after Cameron met Adrien Bingham. Maybe what his buddy needed was a night in another man’s company to make him realize what he truly wanted was the man he ran from in Silver Springs.
    “In other words, get my mind off Adrien for a while.”
    “Something like that.” Jackson nodded. “I’d be careful, though. Thaddeus is from Silver Springs, too. I don’t know if it’s still happening, but when I was there, the DEA office was crossing paths with the SSFD quite frequently.”
    “Think Thaddeus would be one to go home and gossip to the town?”
    “No, but there’s a good chance he and Adrien are acquaintances. Until you decide what it is you truly want, you may not want word getting back to Adrien that you’re moving on.”
    Cameron looked away and Jackson saw a memory move through the man’s expression. “He wouldn’t be surprised.”
    Jackson pushed off the desk and moved to the closed office door. “Then I guess you don’t have anything to worry about.”
    “No, I guess I don’t.” Cameron got to his feet and walked behind his desk. “Where are you headed?”
    “Cooper’s office. I’ll let him know we didn’t get shit from the surveillance disc. Then I’m going to the apartment. I’ve got a list in my head of tenants to talk to, none that actually fit the profile, but ones to check off before I move on.”
    “You should take Mallory with you. These are women you’re going to talk to, and correct me if I’m wrong, but a few of them are married. It might be good to have a female agent at your side.”
    Yeah, it probably would be a good idea. Though spending time alone with Mallory after all that had transpired last night probably wouldn’t be.
     
    * * * *
     
    Mallory looked around Cooper’s office, noted the partially opened door to his private closet, and walked toward it. “Do you mind if I hang this here for now, sir?”
    “Go ahead,” Cooper answered absently, his attention focused on his computer. “Kell hasn’t been able to pick up a morsel on Lexie Stratus, nothing beyond background information anyway.” He sighed, his frustration evident in his tone. “We can trace her from birth through last month and then nothing. She disappeared.”
    “You and I both know that’s not the case.” Mallory moved to one of the two chairs in front of his desk and perched on the edge.
    He flicked his vivid blue eyes her way as she sat. “Of course we do.”
    Mallory studied her boss. Dressed as he always did in a well-tailored dark suit, sans the