"I need a few minutes." The last time he'd gotten worked up things had been bad and he wasn't willing to repeat anything even close to that. He needed to take a breather, needed to collect his thoughts and hopefully simmer down from the boil he could feel coming. Honestly he could probably use the night, but knew Dempsey wasn't going to leave well enough alone. Dempsey tested his restraint in so many ways, Dean had lost count, and not all of them bad either, but this one was starting to see him fraying at the edges.

This time he did pull his arm away, gently, and he turned to go back down the hall. He really didn't want to argue about it now and so he was planning to make a quick getaway.