Closer: Bay City Paranormal Investigation, Book 4

Mobile and I’ll go to the doctor. Okay?”
It wasn’t okay, really, but Sam knew better than to argue. Bo had his mind made up, and nothing short of a catastrophic event would change it. Sam figured it was better to stay here and keep a close eye on Bo than to force the issue and end up spending the next few days with a tight-lipped and angry lover and no real change in the situation.
“All right,” Sam agreed. “But I still don’t think you should keep going to the fort.”
“Whatever is causing me to feel these strange things, Sam, it’s nothing to do with the fort.” Bo’s voice was surprisingly calm, his fingers gentle and soothing in Sam’s hair.
“Maybe not. I don’t know. I just don’t feel good about you being there.” Turning his head, Sam pressed a soft kiss to Bo’s throat. “Please, Bo, don’t go there.”
Bo sighed. Straightening up in Sam’s lap, he cradled Sam’s face in his hands and stared into his eyes. “They need us. Andre won’t say so, but they do. Fort Medina is too big for four people to cover.”
“Andre wouldn’t have accepted the job if he didn’t think they could do it without us. You know that.”
Something hard and desperate flitted through Bo’s eyes and was gone before Sam could grasp it, replaced by a sincerity Sam suspected wasn’t entirely genuine. “I tell you what, Sam. Let’s go tonight, and see what happens. If I keep having those hallucinations, we’ll stay out of the investigation from now on.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. I promise.”
Sam studied Bo’s face. He seemed to mean what he said, but his eyes were shuttered, and Sam had the uneasy feeling Bo would break this promise like he’d broken the one he made to stay out of the case in the first place.
He’s going to go whether you like it or not. Go with him, and watch him. Maybe he’s right, anyway. You have no proof that any of this is caused by potential portals, or anything else out of the ordinary.
“I don’t like it,” Sam told him. “But I don’t really have a choice, do I? You’ll do what you please no matter what I think.”
He hadn’t meant for the words to sound as bitter as they did, but there it was. He was bitter, and a little hurt. Why shouldn’t Bo know that?
To Sam’s surprise, Bo didn’t respond with clipped, angry rebuttals like he usually did. Instead, he leaned down and kissed Sam’s lips, the touch lingering and tender. Sam closed his eyes and let the feeling carry him away.
“I’m so sorry,” Bo murmured as they drew apart. He stroked Sam’s face. “I seem to say that a lot lately, don’t I? But it’s true. I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to make you think I don’t care about your needs, or your opinion. I do care. I wish you could believe that.”
Sam smiled, but there was no joy in it. “So do I.”
For a second, Bo seemed torn between guilt and indignation. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then shook his head. “Okay. I’m going to start dinner. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
Pushing to his feet, Bo dropped a kiss on Sam’s forehead and walked back into the house. Sam didn’t try to stop him.
    At eight thirty that night, the group piled into the SUV for the trip to the fort. Sam sat in the back with Dean, staring at Bo’s profile. Bo was in the front beside Andre, who was driving as he usually did. They were talking. Discussing the case, Sam figured, though he made no attempt to listen. The only reason he’d come tonight was to keep two sharp eyes on Bo. If he’d thought anything short of physical restraint would’ve kept Bo away, neither of them would be here.
    Not that he hadn’t considered it. Watching Bo load equipment into the SUV, eyes gleaming with anticipation, Sam had been sorely tempted to throw Bo over his shoulder, carry him inside and tie him to a chair until the rest of the group returned from the night’s work. The fear of Bo leaving him, for good this time, was the only thing that stopped him.
    Fucking pathetic, Sam, he chided himself, watching Bo’s fingers toy with the tail of his braid. When did you get to be so whipped?
    An elbow nudged his arm. He turned to meet Dean’s worried gaze. “What?” he snapped, and instantly regretted it. After all, Dean had done nothing to deserve being yelled at. “I’m sorry, Dean. What is it?”
    Dean’s eyebrows went up. “I’d ask what’s making you so damn cranky, but I bet I know.”
Sam sighed and leaned back to let his head rest against the back of the