Jake pinched the bridge of his nose, dog-eared the page, and checked where he stopped: he had a few more chapters to go. He heard Xavier snoring in the bedroom. Since the fight at the diner, he had chosen the small living room couch to sleep. Neither of them wanted to capitulate. Neither wanted to say that the other was right or partly right. And so here they were—two stubborn men, talking yet not talking. It had been days since they were intimate. At this point, it seemed the issue was more about whose ego was stronger. They communicated only with each other only when they really had to. Jake wanted to break this mental and physical impasse with Xavier but he had to admit he was wrong. He knew he couldn’t. He knew Xavier loved the Bureau more than he loved Jake. That fact of life would ne
