Tag Team by SJD Peterson Page A

not leaving him alone and calling me. Talk to you soon.”
    The connection went dead, and Rig stared at it, still astonished at what had just taken place. Max was willing to drop everything on a dime and fly to Florida for a stranger? Rig flipped his phone shut and set it back on the bedside table. He’d have to make sure he made the trip worth Max’s time. He doubted Max would allow him to pay for the therapy he’d be doing with Mason; hell, he probably wouldn’t even let him pay for the trip.
    He heaved himself up off the bed and headed in to take a shower and get back to Bobby and Mason. He had some time to come up with something he could do for Max in return. Maybe a trip to see Jonas and his house of custom leather and unusual toys would be in order when he and Bobby returned to New York.
    Rig smiled as he set the taps. Fuck, he and Bobby had the greatest friends. He shucked his clothes and entered the shower, still grinning as he thought about Max and his penchant for unusual toys. No way would he turn down a gift that was custom-made just for him.
     
     
    M ASON was still sleeping when Rig returned from their bungalow. Bobby silently waved him toward the kitchen, not wanting to wake Mason. “Is he going to talk to him?” Bobby asked, keeping his voice low.
    Rig leaned back against the counter and nodded. “Yeah—” The shrill chirping sound of Rig’s cell phone interrupted him, and he scrambled to pull it out of his pocket, cursing low when it got stuck. He finally pulled it free with a huff and flipped it open. “Hello?”
    Bobby peeked around the corner to find Mason shifting on the couch, but he settled back and didn’t open his eyes. Every time he looked at Mason, warmth filled Bobby as the need to protect, comfort, and care for the smaller man kicked in. Mason had been through so much in his life, had so many obstacles ahead of him, Bobby just wanted to be able to remove at least one, or at the very least give him a steadying hand as he climbed over one.
    He continued to stare at the sleeping man, not really paying much attention to the hushed tones behind him until he heard Rig say, “Okay, see you then,” and the click of Rig’s phone being shut.
    Bobby spun around and faced his partner. “What do you mean, see you then?”
    “Max will be here at ten,” Rig said with a wry grin.
    “Are you serious? Jesus, Rig, I just wanted you to ask him to talk to Mason on the phone, not drop his whole life and fly down here.”
    Rig shrugged, still grinning. “That’s what I told him, well, not in those exact words but close. He basically said we were idiots.”
    Bobby frowned. “Why? Did you tell him the whole story?”
    “Of course I did,” Rig grunted and waved him off. “I even told him about Mason’s mistrust of Max’s fellow docs. I’m not a complete fool, ya know?”
    Bobby moved up close and grabbed Rig’s waist, curling his hands in the soft cotton of his T-shirt. Bobby placed a soft kiss to the side of Rig’s neck, taking in the scent of the sandalwood shampoo he’d used in his still-damp hair and on his warm skin beneath Bobby’s lips. “You sure about that?” Bobby asked and kissed him again.
    A shudder went through Rig and he wrapped his arms around Bobby, running his hands down from Bobby’s shoulders to the top of his ass, then smacked it lightly, making Bobby press his face harder into Rig’s neck to muffle the sound of his laughter. “It’s debatable. After all, I have stayed with you all these years.”
    “That’s one of the smarter things you’ve done in your life,” Bobby assured him. “But that still doesn’t answer my question. Why does Max think we are idiots? Did we do the wrong thing?” He laid his head on Rig’s shoulder, needing the contact, to feel the strength Rig represented, to help balance the worry he felt for Mason.
    “No, he actually said we did good, but as wonderful as we think he is, or as cocky as that son of a bitch is, he said even he