Pas de Deux

by Jamie Craig

  Chapter 9

  Scott’s alarm was set to go off in exactly four hours. He didn’t even have time to go to the gym before heading to his office. His plan was to shower, get dressed, pick up some coffee and a bagel on the way, and be in his office no later than six. He couldn’t do much for Hector at that early hour, but he could work on clearing his workload so he could devote more time to Hector’s case. Normally, he would not have any trouble falling asleep.

  But normally, Owen Duke wasn’t sleeping in his guest room.

  For the second night in a row, one of the most gorgeous, intelligent, intriguing men he had ever met was sitting in his apartment, and Scott could do absolutely nothing about it. When he closed his eyes, he saw Duke. Naked. In his bed. Both of them agreeing to leave the world outside and take a few hours for themselves. It was a pleasant fantasy, but it would never be anything else except that. It was best not to dwell on it at all, but Scott couldn’t think of anything else.

  With a sigh of disgust, Scott kicked the sheet from his legs and reached for his pajama bottoms. He wished he could believe that he was only focusing on Duke to distract himself from Hector Young. The poor young man had been terrified. He disguised it well, but there was no missing the fear in his eyes, the tension in his shoulders, the lines around his mouth. He was being held in solitary confinement, and there was a certain despair behind every word. Scott had heard it before. It was the sound of a beaten man. He never said as much, but Scott knew that Hector had already resigned himself to a guilty conviction, a short life in jail, and the lethal injection.

  Scott wasn’t quite so pessimistic, but nothing he said could convince Hector that he still had a chance. A good chance. Especially since they had Duke on their side.

  Duke. His thoughts always circled back to the taciturn detective—like a bird returning to roost. A drink would probably help. Or at least it would give him something to focus on that wasn’t Hector or Duke. It was hard to believe that just forty-eight hours earlier, he could fall asleep within seconds of hitting the bed.

  Scott stepped out of his bedroom and stopped short. Duke wasn’t safely ensconced in the guest bedroom at all. He was sitting in the same chair Scott had found him in the night before.

  “I thought you said you would get some sleep,” Scott said lightly.

  “I tried.” His voice came from the shadows, luring Scott closer. The outline firmed and became something new, something different from the night before. No stiff shirt and holster this time. Duke wore a T-shirt stretched tissue-thin over his sculpted upper body, his long legs mostly visible within a pair of cut-off sweats. In his hand was a tumbler of the whiskey Scott was going to pour for himself. “I failed.”

  “You’re not the only one.” Scott perched on the arm of the sofa, leaning toward Duke. “I’d ask what’s on your mind, but I’m pretty sure I can guess.”

  “I can’t even focus on the details of the case. I’m too tired to stop my brain from getting off track.” He swirled the whiskey around in the glass, stray light from the open window catching the amber fluid and scattering glints across the Duke’s skin. “I even thought getting drunk would help, but I can’t bring myself to drink it.”

  “Getting drunk usually isn’t the right solution, anyway. At least, in my case, nothing good has ever come of it.” Scott nodded at the untouched glass. “May I?”

  Duke held it out, dropping his hand back onto the arm after Scott took the drink. “I was hoping it would put me to sleep like it usually does.”

  Scott took a long swallow, closing his eyes in appreciation as the whiskey burned the back of his tongue. The burn spread through his chest, sending fire to his stomach and smoke to his brain. But it wouldn’t be enough to get him to sleep. Not while Duke was brooding in his living room.

  “When your brain goes off track from the details of the case, where does it go? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Right now? To Sager.” Dark lashes lifted, darker eyes locking on Scott. “He’s the reason I became a cop in the first place.”

  A weight settled in Scott’s stomach, like a stone coming to rest at the bottom of a lake. “Oh. Duke…there’s no real evidence that Sager is behind this. He could be like you. Just…acting on orders.”

  “If he was anything like me, he wouldn’t be trying to bury the truth,” Duke lashed out. “I acted on orders blindly. He’s seen all the evidence, so whatever choice he’s made, he’s doing it with the full knowledge that he’s sending an innocent man to a death sentence. I don’t care if someone else is pulling his strings. The man I thought he was would never let this happen.”

  For the first time in Scott’s life, he was at a loss for words. He couldn’t offer any comforting words. He couldn’t offer any justifications or rationales. He couldn’t walk away and leave Duke alone in the dark, with only his thoughts to keep him company.

  “You’re right,” Scott finally agreed. “He’s nothing like you. Is there anything…I think we should try to find something to take your mind off everything.”

  Duke laughed, or at least Scott thought it was a laugh. It scoured the air between them, dry and harsh like a desert wind. “Good luck with that. I’m stuck between wondering where I went wrong, and wishing the son of a bitch who tried to kill you yesterday would walk through the door so I could shoot him. I don’t know what else there even is.”

  Without thinking, he reached over and covered Duke’s fingers with his own. His skin was cold, but it began to warm against Scott’s. “Don’t do that, Owen. You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t take responsibility for this clusterfuck, when you’re one of the few who are actually blameless.”

  “Until Young’s back on the street, none of us are blameless.” His hand twitched beneath Scott’s, but he didn’t pull it away. Instead, he turned it a fraction to give his fingertips room to caress the inside of Scott’s wrist. “If you didn’t think that, too, at least a little bit, you’d be asleep right now.”

  At first, Scott thought the small caress had to be a mistake. Except, Duke didn’t stop. An ant could skitter across his skin with more pressure, but it was still enough to make Scott’s entire arm tingle. Duke wasn’t even looking at the point where they touched, but Scott could barely force himself to glance away.

  “Maybe. Maybe I should have gotten him out of that cell before things progressed so far. Maybe I would have been justified in pulling a few strings and getting him released first thing. There were things I could have done that might have saved at least one life. But there are still things I can do to save Hector’s.”

  “We, you mean.”

  “Yes, still things we can do.” His finger twitched, moving against Duke’s skin in the same pattern. Too deliberate to be a mistake. “Not to sound immodest, but I think the two of us could make a pretty formidable team.”

  Duke’s gaze softened, some of the tension around his mouth disappearing. “And not to sound rude, but modest is never a word I’d associate with you.”

  “Are you calling me arrogant?”

  “Confident.”

  Scott smiled. “Confident? If I were confident, I wouldn’t need to work up my nerve just to touch your hand.”

  “Yet, you did.”

  “Only after I worked up a lot of nerve. Of course, the fact that you haven’t stopped me has only helped my confidence level.”

  “You said it yourself.” Duke turned his hand completely around, entwining their fingers. “If we’re a team, we’re now on the same side. The fact that you chose now to do it just means you finally figured out your timing.”

  “I usually have pretty good timing.”

  Scott set his glass aside and stood without releasing Duke’s hand. Their legs touched and Duke parted his knees, giving Scott room to stand between his thighs. His throat felt tight, and a cloud of butterflies seemed to be lodged permanently in his chest. Scott bent toward him as Duke tilted his head back, and there were absolutely no obstacles between them. No reason why he shouldn’t press his li
ps to Duke’s.

  The kiss betrayed Scott’s nerves. It must have, because there was nothing forceful, nothing hard about it. His tongue gently traced Duke’s bottom lip, asking for permission to continue.

  Duke exhaled softly, his mouth quivering. Quivering. Duke. The hand in Scott’s trembled, too, for long seconds while he tried to process the fact that this hard man, one of the most intrepid men he had ever met, now seemed as wracked by insecurity as Scott was. He might have laid the vague invitation out for Scott to try, but he wasn’t necessarily as prepared to accept it, which in and of itself was something else to marvel over.

  But then his lips parted, and Duke took another breath, stealing the touch of tongue to tip of tongue. The hand that held Scott’s tightened. A moan escaped. It rattled Scott to realize it came from Duke’s throat and not his own.

  Scott didn’t know who taught Duke how to kiss, but he thought he would like to shake that man’s hand. Once Duke became accustomed to the shape and pressure of Scott’s lips, he wasn’t happy to simply follow Scott’s lead. They fell into a pattern of give and take, each kiss nearly spinning out of control until one of them reeled it back. Scott’s legs felt weak, and he wanted to hit his knees and spend the rest of the night tasting Duke’s mouth.

  But there was a better place for that sort of thing than the middle of his living room.

  “Owen…” It took some effort, but Scott straightened and gently pulled on Duke’s hand in a silent invitation.

  When Duke rose, the evidence of his arousal tented the front of his shorts, and for a moment, Scott considered a change of plans, especially when Duke caught the back of his neck and pressed their fronts together. He held Scott still, dipping his head to skim warm lips along his jaw.

  “This wasn’t why I agreed to spend the night,” Duke murmured. “But I’m glad I did.”

  “This isn’t exactly why I invited you to spend the night here,” Scott responded, though he couldn’t quite be sure that was the truth. Especially since so many of his stray thoughts had been directed toward Duke, and Duke’s body against his, and Duke’s mouth, and the light scent of Duke’s cologne.

  Normally, it wouldn’t take any more than a handful of seconds to get from his couch to his bed, but this was not a normal situation. For one thing, his cock was so hard that it made walking uncomfortable. For another thing, they could barely take two steps before they were seeking each other’s mouths again. Scott’s head was buzzing, like he had downed an entire bottle of whiskey.

  They stopped again at the doorway, Duke cupping Scott’s ass when Scott held him against the jamb to steal another kiss. This one was slower, deeper, matching the long rolls of Duke’s hips as he rubbed their erections together. The silk tortured Scott’s oversensitive shaft, almost as much as Duke did, and his bare arms stippled in gooseflesh, hunger replacing his earlier exhaustion. The hints of how well their bodies already fit together were enough to make his head spin.

  Especially when Duke slipped his fingers beneath the waistband to stroke his heated flesh.

  Scott moaned, his hand shooting out to push the bedroom door open. It crashed against the wall, but that didn’t distract either one of them from the kiss. Scott cupped Duke’s ass, his fingers digging into the firm flesh while Duke’s nails scraped across Scott’s throbbing cock. He took a small step backward, into the bedroom, and Duke followed. They remained locked together, tongues entwined, hands seeking more heated skin, until the edge of the bed hit his legs.

  He didn’t know how they managed to land on their sides. Duke might have pushed him. He might have pulled. The end result was the same, and everything Scott had been fantasizing about since first saying good night to the man earlier.

  Duke broke away from his mouth, his breath ragged, the hand he dragged up Scott’s side shaking. “See, it’s confidence that made you pick your room instead of mine. I rest my case.”

  “And it’s what you find most attractive about me,” Scott murmured, dragging his lips along the line of Duke’s jaw.

  Duke bent his head, burying his face more in Scott’s neck to give him better room to taste. “I would have called it infuriating.”

  “What else do you find infuriating?” Scott pushed his hand down the front of Duke’s shorts, seeking out his heavy balls. “What about this?”

  The muffled grunt vibrated through him, adding to the throb already taking over his body. “I’d call that typical Scott nerve.” His warm tongue traced along the tight sinew, ending with a small bite at the curve of his shoulder. “Whatever else you say, you’re fearless. And that’s what I find most attractive.”

  Fearless. Scott didn’t feel particularly fearless around Duke. For one thing, he was thrilled that Duke had admitted he was attracted to him—even though Duke was currently sucking on his neck. For another thing, he wouldn’t have been so tentative with any other man. Without releasing Duke’s balls, he rolled Duke to his back, pressing him to the bed. Their eyes caught for a moment, and something hot zapped down Scott’s spine. He had never seen eyes like Duke’s. They were warm, like melting chocolate.

  “We should continue this conversation later. You can tell me the other things you find attractive about me.”

  Duke lifted a brow. “And give you an even bigger head? I don’t think so.”

  Scott flashed a quick smile before returning to the task at hand—covering as much of Duke as he could with his mouth. He pushed the tight T-shirt up as he moved down Duke’s body, dragging his lips over his chest. His skin was warm and he smelled unbelievable. Like something spicy-sweet and delicious. With a soft groan, he traced Duke’s nipple with his tongue. He was already imagining what Duke’s cock would taste like—already aching to know—but he didn’t want to act too fast.

  “James…” His name was more of a breath than an uttered word, not nearly as strong as the hand that smoothed over Scott’s shoulder. “As good—fuck!” He swore when Scott nibbled at the hard tip of his dark nipple, his fingers digging in almost painfully as if that would help him bear the pleasure. “Wait. Just…wait.”

  Scott lifted his head. “What am I waiting for?”

  “I can’t think when you do that.”

  “Well, that’s sort of the point, Owen.”

  “Exactly. I don’t want you doing this because my head’s in a bad place. I want to be able to enjoy it.”

  Scott frowned. “You’re…not enjoying this?”

  “No, I am, I’m just…” He sighed, dropping his head heavily onto the pillow and scrubbing at his face. “Damn it. I’m not explaining this well.”

  “No…no…it’s okay. I think I understand.” He did understand, but he couldn’t resist kissing Duke’s throat. And once he did that, he had to kiss the skin just below his ear. “Tell me what you do want.”

  Duke’s arms came around him at the first contact of Scott’s mouth to his skin again, crushing their bodies together. He groaned at the continued kisses, and in spite of his protestation, turned his head just like he had before to give Scott all the room he needed or could ever want.

  “It helps that you’re just here,” Duke said quietly. “To know…I don’t have to fight this on my own.”

  The words were like a fist closing around his chest. He could keeping kissing Duke until the other man simply gave in and allowed Scott to do everything else on the long—and growing—list of things Scott longed to do with Duke. But now that didn’t seem like a good idea. Much to Scott’s disappointment, sex was not the answer to this particular problem.

  Scott rolled off Duke’s body, but he couldn’t quite give up the soft kisses against Duke’s throat. He also didn’t allow an inch between them. “That’s not the only reason you let me kiss you, is it?” he asked lightly.

  “No.” The muscles twitched at the corner of Duke’s mouth, fighting back a smile. “You owe me for not trying to kiss me last night.”

  “Why didn’t you try to kiss me last night?”

  “Because I had a job to do.” Duke surprise
d him by running a hand down to his ass and giving it a quick squeeze. “You wouldn’t have wanted me distracted from that more than I already was, would you?”

  “God…” Just thinking of everything that happened since the night before exhausted Scott. He rested his head on Duke’s shoulder, unable to support the weight anymore. “I hope you don’t think I’m going to be too much of a distraction now.”

  “No, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” Something brushed across his temple. A moment later, he realized it had been Duke’s lips. “Do you mind if I stay in here tonight?”

  “Are you kidding? I have no intention of even letting you move.”

  “Good.” It actually sounded like Duke was relieved, though how he could doubt Scott’s desire to keep him in his bed, Scott had no idea. With a sigh, Duke tightened his arm around Scott’s back and drew him even closer. “I’m glad you couldn’t sleep.”

  Scott couldn’t quite believe it, but it seemed like Duke had no intention of releasing him for the rest of the night. Which was only going to be another three and a half hours. Was Duke always like this? Not that cuddling was a problem for Scott. He hated sleeping in an empty bed.

  “I’m glad I found you before you had a completely sleepless night.”

  “Are you going to be able to sleep like this?” His voice was distinctly softer. “You need to rest, too.”

  “I’m fine.” As soon as Scott spoke, Hector’s face drifted into the front of his mind. Scott focused on Duke’s breathing, and the warmth of Duke’s skin against his cheek, until Duke was the only person he thought about at all. “Are you?”

  “I’m great. I like your bed.” His body was completely still except for the slowing rise and fall of his chest, and the infinitesimal strokes of his fingertips at the small of Scott’s back. “I like you, too, James.”