by Jaime Reese
“She’s supposed to give you a key today,” Gabriel signed. With the aid of the light from his SUV’s headlamps, Gabriel inserted his own key into the lock.
Ben frowned as he made his way inside and toward the storefront, flipping on the various light switches. It wasn’t like Nat to be late. He returned to the back, finding Gabriel with his phone to his ear. After the various “okays” and “yeahs,” Ben figured deciphering the one-sided conversation would be damn near impossible. He suspected it would be either Natalie with a car issue or a business associate in crisis from a different time zone.
Gabriel clipped his phone back into his case. “Nat thinks she’s coming down with something, so she won’t be in. We can either shut down the shop today or run it ourselves. What do you want to do?”
Ben leaned back against the large table. “Is that really a question?” He bit back a smile as Gabriel scrubbed his face with his large hand.
“Okay.” With Gabriel’s easygoing nature, Ben was pretty sure he could ask Gabriel to do just about anything and would likely get an agreement without much of an argument. “Are you good on your own for an hour or two with all the prep? I’ve got to run a few errands. I figured it’s best to get it out of the way now before the shop opens.”
The prep work was as therapeutic for him as baking. He had been excited to share the work with Gabriel, but now, he was more curious than anything. Lowering his brow, Ben wondered how many places were open this early and what the heck Gabriel had planned for errands at this time. He cocked his head, waiting for Gabriel to continue.
“Home improvement place doesn’t open for another two hours,” Gabriel signed as if reading his mind. “I figured I would try the superstore since they’re open twenty-four hours. I should be back before it’s time to open. I’ll grab us some coffees on the way back.”
He chewed on his lip. “What’s going on?”
Gabriel’s entire body heaved with his sigh. “You’re going to think I’m being careful with you and you’re going to get pissed.”
He couldn’t have fought the rising chuckle if he tried. “Tell me anyways.”
Gabriel watched him carefully, almost as if gauging his temperament before revealing anything. “I want to get a light for the back area. It’s too dark outside this early in the morning. And I want to put up a security mirror so you can actually see behind you while you’re unlocking the door so someone can’t sneak up on you. I’m pissed Nat hasn’t done something about rigging the front door of the shop so you have a light flash back here when someone comes into the store. She can hear that fucking little bell, but you can’t.”
Ben walked up to Gabriel, held his face, and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before taking a step back to sign. “You want to make sure I’m safe. Why would that piss me off?”
Thick arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. He took a deep breath and sighed, enjoying the warmth and safety he always found in Gabriel’s embrace. Resigned, he planted his hands on Gabriel’s chest and pushed, knowing he needed to get to work.
“You’ve got work to do,” Gabriel signed while frowning. “I’ll be back soon. Lock the door behind me.”
For the next two hours, Ben lost himself in prep work. Thankfully, Natalie had texted him, letting him know there were a few batches of pastries in the coolers she had prepared the night before, hoping to get ahead of schedule before his arrival that morning. With a small inventory of her pastries available, he was a little more at ease with his own cake dessert prep, but the pastries on hand weren’t enough for the usual crowd of customers. The lunch rush had become accustomed to the single-serve cake slices, but he wanted to mix things up. Small cupcakes, pound cake, cake balls and pops, were his usual additions with only slight variations to their flavor mix. Hoping to bump up the shop’s offerings to offset Nat’s usual stock, he decided to add in the cake cookies and biscotti he had Natalie taste test this last week. He shot off a quick text to her while he prepped each station. When she responded with a suggested price for each item, his confidence and determination rose.
By the time Gabriel had returned, Ben barely had ten minutes left before the shop opened.
After dumping the bags of supplies in the office and washing his hands, Gabriel quickly tied an apron on. “How can I help?”
He had been fine…sort of. But as he glanced up at the wall clock, reality came crashing in. His hands started shaking. The exhaustion from being out all day in the sun yesterday compounded the tension in every muscle.
A firm grip on his shoulder pulled him back to the moment.
“You’ve got this. You know Nat wouldn’t give you the option to open the shop if she didn’t trust you could do it. You’re officially the boss today, and I know how you love being the one in charge.”
The laugh bubbled to the surface and the smile lingered. Leave it to Gabriel to brighten his spirit. After a quick kiss, he directed Gabriel to take the trays out to the front and prepare the display cases for the new items.
“Yes, boss,” Gabriel said, biting into his bottom lip to hide a smile.
If they had this much faith in his ability to do this, then he needed to get his head in the right space and his ass in gear to make it happen.
He might have learned the power of the word no, but he still couldn’t shake the need to avoid disappointing others.
But most of all, he refused to disappoint himself.
Later that week
“You worked your ass off this week,” Gabriel signed. “You proved you could run the shop on your own.”
He shrugged. Nat had stayed away all week. At first, Ben had thought it had been her way of throwing him into the deep end of the pool to see if he could swim on his own. But after Gabriel had stopped by for a surprise visit, instead of a brotherly reprimand for ghosting Ben on his first full week, Gabriel had ended up taking her to the doctor.
“I wasn’t on my own,” Ben signed. “You were there with me.”
“You know what I mean. I’m damn proud of you.”
Ben wasn’t sure if it was Gabriel’s words or the heat in his eyes that made him melt. Or maybe it was the way Gabriel pulled Ben’s foot out of the warm water and rubbed the ache away just as he had each day that week. There was one thing he knew for sure: this was heaven. Buried neck deep in the warm water of the Roman tub big enough to hold the both of them, he rested his head back against the porcelain edge and groaned. Moving his hands under the water, he felt his way up Gabriel’s thick legs.
He jumped at the unexpected nip at his big toe. Frowning, he aimed a glare at the man sitting across from him with the teasing grin on his face. “Why did you do that?” Ben signed, splattering a little water with his swift hand movements.
“This is about you. Now sit still while I massage your feet. You’ve had a long week and you still have to go in for a while tomorrow.” He scowled as Gabriel narrowed his eyes at him.
Pouting, he rested his head back against the edge of the tub. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the push of Gabriel’s fingers into his tired feet. With each rub of his foot, the tension eased—in his foot, his shoulders, and his hands. Maybe there was some truth to the foot having pressure points directly connected to other parts of the body.
He slowly opened his eyes, enjoying the soft rub of each toe.
“I’ve been meaning to ask…”
He expected Gabriel to strike up a conversation, figuring it was his way of keeping Ben’s hands busy and off him. But the pause was surprising. Gabriel rarely hesitated. “What did you want to ask?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way.” Gabriel looked away for a moment. Ben’s curiosity was definitely piqued. He touched Gabriel’s leg, hoping to gain his attention. That brown gaze slowly returned to him. “How did you…” After frowning and seemingly battling with how to phrase his question, he finally spit it out. “Two years in prison is a long time. How did you get through it without…”
Without losing myself? Withou
t getting my ass kicked every day? He wanted to finish Gabriel’s question and help him along, but if Gabriel demanded Ben stand his ground, then he expected the same in return. He hated when people walked on eggshells around him. And he refused to let Gabriel slip into that zone with him. Whatever Gabriel asked, he would answer. But Gabriel had to ask.
“How did you survive all that time? I know you were in jail for a year, but you mentioned they had you in a separate wing. I’ve seen what prison does to people. Makes them harder. Puts them on guard. Angers them.”
“Lucky,” he signed his reply.
Gabriel’s eyebrows twitched. “Yeah, I guess you were one of the lucky few.”
Ben shook his head. “Charles Zeele. His nickname was Lucky. He was my cellmate.” He remembered sharing the small cell with the older man and how he thought the nickname was funny since he didn’t think Lucky was very lucky at all considering he had obviously been caught. But the other inmates kept their distance. One of them, scared out of his mind, finally told him that Chuck had killed a lot of people. Correction. Tortured, maimed, and butchered his victims before showing some mercy and killing them. Ben hadn’t believed him. He could have easily read the words wrong with the panic and worry speeding the inmate’s lips so much. He chose to not pass judgment, relying instead on his firsthand experience with his cellmate.
The older man had never laid a finger on him. He was quiet, guarded, and kept to himself. Except for that one instance when another inmate had attempted to steal Ben’s food tray. Ben hadn’t been able to read their lips, but whatever Lucky had said had sparked fear in the larger man. Enough so the man had then surrendered his own food tray to Ben before walking away.
The thumb pressing into his foot stilled. “Lucky Chucky?”
“You know him?”
Gabriel stared at him. Intently. “I know of him. He was plastered all over the news years ago. Accused of over a dozen murders but they couldn’t find any evidence to link him to anything. But they managed to arrest him on lesser charges. Did he…ever—”
Hurt me? Ben immediately shook his head. “Never. He made sure everyone kept their distance and told me to tell him if anyone ever bothered me or made me feel uncomfortable.”
Gabriel remained still. Staring. His mind obviously racing. The tension in his shoulders eased as he resumed his massage. “I’m glad you had someone watching over you.”
He carefully observed every tiny twitch of Gabriel’s muscles and shift in expression. It seemed as if he wanted to ask more, but he chose to remain silent, dropping the subject. “Now I get to ask you a question.”
Gabriel’s lips twitched and the dimple appeared. “Ask me anything.”
“You were in the service for a long time.” He paused for a moment, waiting for Gabriel’s confirmation. “Why did you leave?”
And there was that frown again. He hadn’t wanted to bring up a bad memory, but his curiosity always got the better of him.
“It got tough after a while.”
“What part?” The movement of his hands slowed, needing to ask but not really sure he wanted to know the answer.
That damn frown made another appearance. Gabriel’s lips thinned as he looked away and scowled. He blew out a deep breath and returned his gaze to Ben’s. “I knew I was doing a job, but it wears at you. The last mission…was especially tough. And I couldn’t shake what happened.” His scowl deepened. He shook his head as if trying to dispel a memory. “All the death and violence adds up. I lost a lot of friends. And I missed my family.” Gabriel swallowed heavily. “It’s a good thing I came back when I did. I got to spend time with my grandfather and Mom before they died.”
Gabriel stared off to the side, absently kneading Ben’s foot. His gaze was distant, almost lost, as if his mind had been transported back to a memory. Ben wondered why that last mission had stuck with Gabriel more than the others. But there were things Gabriel couldn’t reveal about his time in service.
Ben pulled his foot out of Gabriel’s hold, instantly drawing his attention. Gabriel’s focus was sharp, but he couldn’t disguise the worry screaming from his gaze. Ben wanted that smiling, teasing man with the manipulative dimple to return. “I want you,” he signed.
Three small words. That was all it took.
He fisted his hands at his side when those magical fingers slid up his legs, resisting the urge to touch Gabriel as he neared. Closing his eyes, his head fell back against the cool porcelain. Every warm kiss pressed to his neck and swipe of tongue had him on edge. His eyes sprung open as the water drained from the tub, chilling his skin.
Gabriel gripped his chin and pulled his face. Those brown eyes were intense and filled with heat and need…so much need. “If you don’t put your fucking hands on me, I’m going to lose my shit.”
Ben slung his arms around Gabriel’s neck and wrapped his legs around his waist. He gripped the wet hair at the back of Gabriel’s neck and pulled him close, slamming their mouths together, kissing him deeply as Gabriel rose from the tub, taking Ben with him.
Goose bumps sprouted across his skin when the cool air hit him, sending a shiver rippling through his system. A second later, Gabriel had him wrapped in a towel and sitting on the counter while he rubbed a second towel in Ben’s hair. He reached down and cupped Gabriel’s growing hard-on, teasing, tugging, and squeezing him just the way he knew Gabriel liked. His pulse spiked when he sensed Gabriel’s control slip. He liked the reckless side that took what he wanted, over and over again.
And tonight—especially tonight—he sensed Gabriel needed to lose himself just as much as Ben craved it. He leaned in and swirled his tongue around Gabriel’s nipple, first one, then the other, trapping each between his teeth in a teasing nibble before he moved on. He tightened his fist, pumping Gabriel as he pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the side of his neck, coaxing the greedy side of Gabriel to peek through.
The pulse thumping under his lips matched his own racing heartbeat.
He licked up Gabriel’s neck, savoring the groan vibrating against his tongue. Knowing he could weaken a man as powerful as Gabriel spiked his confidence and challenged him to be selfish. And right now, he wanted Gabriel—inside him, hovering over him, and enveloping him in that cage of strength and security he loved so much.
He barely had a chance to sink his teeth into Gabriel’s jaw when he was swept up off the counter and carried into their bedroom. He hid his smile at the crook of Gabriel’s neck as he held on, thankful Gabriel understood exactly what he wanted without the need for a single word.
= ♥ =
“Are you listening to me?” Anthony asked.
“Yes.”
“Bullshit.”
He scoffed. That joke got old fast. He really needed more creative friends. He raked his fingers through his hair, pushing away the memories of last night.
Ben.
Writhing under him.
Digging his fingers into his chest.
Shit. Just thinking about how feral he had been—they had been—had his entire body hard in one second flat. Their lovemaking was still frenzied, as if neither could release all the pent-up horniness that had built up over the last few months. But something had been different. Last night, he had needed the release almost as badly as he had needed the reminder of his humanity. And Ben had completely surrendered himself, encouraging him to take what he needed, and showing him how much he wanted him in return.
“We can resume this later when you’re paying attention.” Anthony’s voice through the video call jolted him back to the moment.
Bull narrowed his eyes at his coworker. “You were telling me what IT found with their audit of the events logs. Essentially, data was viewed, but not altered, so everyone is resisting your plan for change. Especially since you want to go all balls-to-the-wall and have IT implement a two-factor authentication with physical access controls restricting each user to their local office. And for executive-level employees, you want to add a third, biometric login requirement. You want a ma
ndatory password expiration every thirty days but you and IT are discussing the ramifications of forcing a reset every seven. And…you want my help convincing Rachel this is all a great idea. Did I miss something?”
Anthony smirked. “Smart-ass. How was I supposed to know that glazed-over look meant you were listening?”
“It’s called multitasking.”
“Whatever,” Anthony said, rolling his eyes. “Are you going to help me?”
“Scale of one to ten, how hard is she fighting you?”
“Twelve.”
“Give up.” He raised a finger when Anthony was ready to protest. “For now. She needs a little time. It’s important and she’ll eventually see that. The breach is a violation and we don’t have a full picture of its impact yet, but in her mind, it’s only a breach of her access. If nothing was altered, she thinks it’s not a problem and won’t want to inconvenience everyone. This much change is going to cause an uprising and it will make her feel as if she’s losing control.”
“And that always scares the shit out of her,” Anthony absently added, almost in a whisper when he finally connected the dots in the logic.
“Lock it down as much as you can. Her account is the one compromised. She’s got teams of people to do things for her, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“I’ve already removed her admin account access in sensitive areas just in case there’s an attempt to make a system change. That should keep things under control for now.”
“Did you tell her you did that?”
“No. She’ll get pissed off—”
“At first, but she’ll see it as a compromise. If you don’t tell her and she finds out, she’ll see it as a betrayal. And you know she always finds out.”
Anthony blew out an exasperated breath. “If there’s another breach, I’m putting my foot down and demanding she let me do my damn job.”
“And I’ll be right there, by your side, pushing to make that happen.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Anthony sat back in his chair, narrowing his stare. “So…I heard your boyfriend moved in last week.”