Running a palm lightly across Aaron’s bedhead, Kreed decided breakfast would be a necessity after the intensity of last night. He grinned at the thought of the workout they’d had. The kid would no doubt wake up starving this morning. Kreed carefully managed to shift his position and lift his head to stare down at the guy sleeping so soundly on his chest. Aaron looked so much younger than his twenty-nine years. As expected, a small twinge of guilt spiked through Kreed for allowing himself to give in to his desires. He should have been stronger. Business never mixed well with pleasure, and now the stakes were so much higher, if that were even possible.
With the pad of his finger, he brushed over Aaron’s lip and a wave of emotion flooded his heart. He had to protect this beautiful man. If Kreed wasn’t level-headed and diligent, he could end up getting them both hurt—or even killed—not to mention the other four men he cared about across town. He needed to get his head back in the game. But all he could think of at the moment was how sweet those perfect lips tasted.
Fuck! He laid his head back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. He was in so deep, and it had happened so quickly.
He needed to stick to his rules. Kreed placed a soft kiss on the top of Aaron’s head before carefully untangling himself from the sleeping guy. Aaron stirred and turned to his side, allowing for an easier escape.
Rolling out of bed, Kreed walked quietly across the floor toward the door, his muscles protesting the action. Oh yeah, he would be feeling the little reminders of last night’s activities…hopefully for a few days. He smiled to himself as he left the bedroom, softly shutting the door behind him.
Making a pit stop by the hall bathroom, he brushed his teeth and worked at taming the hair sticking up in all directions. He ran a hand over the stubble on his face and decided to leave it, since Aaron had confessed he liked the five-o’clock shadow.
Kreed chose commando as he pulled up his athletic shorts and headed for the kitchen. They’d have to make a store run, meaning Aaron would have to go to the grocery store, but they were good for today. He started the coffee before pulling out the bacon and eggs. Kreed had always liked to cook. He wasn’t Chef Ramsey by any stretch of the imagination, but he liked the idea of cooking and trying out new things. That was another thing that made him the yin to Aaron’s yang. He could prepare food and Aaron could sure put it away.
Thrown off guard at the random thought, Kreed took a giant mental step backward. His only focus needed to be on the here and now. That was it. What was going on today, that was all he could allow. If the kid was interested, he’d give them the next twenty-hours. He craved a new life, but right now, he had a case to solve and people relying on both of them to execute that with precision.
Since both situations—this case and his personal, fucked-up emotional crossroads that had started even before his brother’s death—required his full attention, he had to concentrate on this case first and put the rest on the back burner until they had that wrapped up tightly.
“Hey,” Aaron said from behind him. Kreed looked over his shoulder, and all the internal debate he’d suffered through faded. Aaron was there with him, and he looked amazing. Bed-rumpled, sleepy-eyed, hair sticking up in every direction, and deliciously naked, trying in vain to tug on some jeans. He kept missing the opening with his foot, stumbling several times before he managed to get his foot inside the leg hole. There was no underwear, he’d obviously gotten out of bed and come straight to the kitchen, probably absently grabbing at his jeans on the way out of the bedroom. Kreed would have been fine having him remain naked throughout the day. A twinge of disappointment rippled through him when Aaron gave a small jump, pulling his pants up and tucking his package inside.
“Hey. Coffee’s ready.” Kreed pointed toward the pot. While the bacon sizzled, he went for a bowl to break the eggs. “You hungry?”
“Always,” Aaron said, still standing in the middle of the kitchen. Since he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes to himself, Kreed turned back and caught a look crossing Aaron’s face, some emotion passing quickly over his features. Maybe regret? Uncertainty? That had Kreed’s brow furrowing a bit. He wasn’t entirely sure what that look meant, but something wasn’t right, and he damn sure didn’t want to see regret, especially since he was on board with testing the theory of a possible future for them after this case ended. Kreed left the bowl on the counter and walked across the kitchen.
“Good Morning.” Kreed pulled Aaron to him.
“Good Morning.” The lines on Aaron’s face relaxed as he tilted his head and lifted enough to kiss Kreed’s lips. He liked that move and countered with one of his own, wrapping both his arms around Aaron, drawing him up tightly against his body. They fit well together, and he lowered his head, adding tongue this time. The kiss was swift, and to his surprise, Aaron broke away first.
“The bacon’s burning,” Aaron said, pointing toward the stovetop. Kreed hid his smirk. Of course the kid would notice the food, effectively ending the intimate greeting Kreed had tried to give. Another thought occurred, and Kreed darted around a little panicked. He wanted Aaron secure in what they’d shared, but he also needed to stretch out their rations to make the food they had last another day, and burning breakfast, even for a passionate kiss, wouldn’t help matters. Luckily, their breakfast wasn’t burning, only ready to be turned. “I’ve got to get online. I have something working that I need to take care of. Is that a problem?”
“Nah, I got this. Go ahead,” Kreed said over his shoulder, turning the bacon.
“I’ll do the dishes.” Aaron was beside him, offering him a cup of coffee.
“I don’t mind doing the dishes. I need to wash some clothes today. Anything you need washed, bring it out. I’ll get it started.” Kreed took the offered coffee and brought it to his lips for a long drink. “Thanks, I needed that.”
“No one I know likes cleaning,” Aaron replied, resting a hip against the counter close to Kreed as he took a drink from his mug.
Kreed eyed him as he reached over and began breaking the eggs into a bowl. He didn’t know what it was about this guy, but damn, the kid just drew Kreed in. Absently tossing an egg shell in the sink, Kreed moved, leaning in to kiss Aaron quickly on the lips.
“I’ve been on my own for the last twenty years. I don’t mind doing this. I like to cook, and that requires cleaning afterward,” he said and went back to turning the bacon.
“Yeah, I don’t feel that way at all. I’ll take you up on the laundry.” Aaron left the coffee cup on the counter before leaving him standing there and disappearing from the kitchen. The kid was back by the time the eggs were poured into the skillet with a laundry basket half full of dirty clothes. He’d changed into a loose pair of gray workout shorts.
“Church boys wear lots of clothes,” Aaron teased, dropping the basket on the floor over in a corner of the living room.
“Wanna eat in here or do you need to go work?” Kreed asked, pulling two plates down from the cabinet.
“In here’s good. I sent a message to my team that I’ll be on in about an hour,” Aaron said, going for the drawer that held the silverware.
“What team’s that?” Kreed asked absently, making two plates of food. Aaron seemed to have a group of people he worked with at the NSA, a group of gamer friends, then another group that…well, Kreed didn’t actually understand what they did.
“Just a small group that works together on some things when any of us needs help,” Aaron replied, setting the table. Kreed nodded. Made sense. Still incredibly vague. Admittedly, he wasn’t a techie by any stretch of the imagination, so he had no frame of reference to decipher what the words actually meant.
“Like what kind of things?” Kreed asked and reached for the coffee pot to refresh their cups.
“Nothing really important. Just stuff.” Okay, that was a complete non-answer, and Kreed stopped what he was doing, looked over his shoulder, and waited for an explanation of what ‘just stuff’ really entailed. His chatty partner of th
e last twelve hours had clammed up. Apparently he’d run up against a topic Aaron didn’t discuss. After last night, Kreed learned that was a short list. Aaron didn’t discuss his family or much about his personal life in general and, now, his online community. Since Kreed had his own list of non-negotiable discussion topics, he let it go.
Kreed refilled their cups then put both plates on the table in their usual spots across from one another. Looking down at the distance between the place settings and still riding high on what had to be some of the best sex he’d ever had and the pleasant mood he still carried from last night, Kreed moved his plate to Aaron’s side of the table. He caught the pleasant hint of surprise on Aaron’s face as he went to grab the OJ from the refrigerator.
“My original plan was to make you breakfast in bed,” Kreed confessed, moving closer to Aaron, running a hand down that still-bare chest, grinning at the blush of embarrassment skating across Aaron’s cheeks. “I really enjoyed last night.”
“Me too. I’m a light sleeper most of the time,” Aaron said. Their food was getting cold, but Kreed enjoyed being in Aaron’s personal space, breathing the kid in.
“Not that light of a sleeper,” Kreed teased, remembering how deeply Aaron slept while wrapped around his body. He’d never slept so near anyone in his life, and he liked the intimacy and closeness of that act. A blush flamed across Aaron’s handsome face at Kreed’s words. He grinned again as Aaron ducked away and moved toward his seat.
“Wait. We didn’t cover this last night. Do you have somebody at home?” Kreed asked when jealousy spiked through him at the unexpected thought. It made sense to ask. Aaron had slept so hard in his arms, like a man accustomed to being held. Shit! How had he never thought to ask that question before now, especially after all the possible relationship planning he’d been doing this morning? Maybe that was why Aaron didn’t talk about his personal life.
“No, not at all. Do you?” Aaron asked, infusing those last words with the same defensiveness he suspected had been in his own question.
“No. I’m single.” The surge of tense jealousy then overwhelming relief was a heady mixture. Kreed moved to his seat next to Aaron and his cocky grin slid in place. He liked the confirmation of Aaron’s possessiveness he’d heard in that tone, because he sure as hell felt it too. “Remember, lived alone for twenty years.”
That seemed to settle things. “Good, I don’t need anyone that might look like you gunning for me.”
That had Kreed barking out a laugh. He grabbed the kid’s head, and pulled Aaron in again, kissing his lips as he picked up his fork to eat. The move clearly surprised Aaron as much as it did him, but Kreed let that go. Whatever. This whole deal had amazed him since the very beginning. He promised himself one day with this guy was what he needed to get all this out of his system then it would be back to business as usual until the case ended. It had to be that way. He waited before taking a bite, watching as the napkin went to Aaron’s lap. For some reason, he loved the little moves that telegraphed Aaron’s exquisite manners. He dropped his napkin to his lap too.
~~~
“You’re so fucking sexy with those fuck-me-I’m-so-smart glasses on and that intense look on your face.”
Aaron glanced up and narrowed his eyes as he shoved the glasses off to the top of his head and stretched out his back. There was just something about the big, gorgeous deputy marshal growling those words at him that made his dick want to come out and play. A tired yawn from hours of sitting behind his laptop slipped free as he rubbed his eyes.
“And those noises you make are a complete turn-on.”
“I have a feeling it doesn’t take much to turn you on. A slight gust of wind would probably have you at full mast,” Aaron teased, lowering the lid to his laptop. He’d done as much as he could with this computer. He needed to move to the bedroom, work on his system in there, but he liked being in the living room. It was close to everything Kreed had going on today.
From this vantage point, he’d watched Kreed clean the kitchen and put a pot of New Year’s good luck black-eyed peas on for dinner—something the guy seemed pretty excited to have found in the cupboard. He now stood across the room at the kitchen table—sexy as hell—folding the laundry that had been spread all across the top. Domesticated. Who knew that’d be so hot to watch? The tension of the case they’d been working was gone, not even hanging over their heads. They were totally comfortable with one another. It was incredibly rare to find this level of ease with anyone, especially this man—a deputy US marshal.
“With you it doesn’t take much to get me hot.” Kreed’s voice was deeper now and Aaron moved the laptop to the coffee table. He couldn’t see the front of Kreed’s shorts, but since his own dick had taken notice of the deputy marshal’s tone, he suspected he’d find Kreed’s in the same state of eagerness.
“We could both use some rest.” Aaron had decided he should probably play a little harder to get. He figured guys like Kreed had no shortage of ass at their disposal. He saw it all the time. Hot, good-looking guy needs distraction then moves on to the next distraction, over and over again. And to be honest, that was exactly the kind of man Aaron sought out. Relationships were complicated and always ended messily. But with Kreed, his feelings were all over the place. He couldn’t get a handle on what he really wanted from Sinacola. Actually, on one hand, he wanted it all. On the other hand, he knew without question they would only have the length of this case to fuck each other raw then they would have to go their separate ways. That thought made him a little sad.
Aaron pushed himself off the sofa, not bothering to adjust the erection tenting the tight cotton sweats he had thrown on. He wanted Kreed to get a good look at the condition he’d been working in. “I’ll probably go rest for a little while. You good with that?”
Aaron never looked back as he walked past Kreed. He made it as far as the bedroom door before he heard heavy footsteps following behind him. Aaron lowered his head, smiling to himself. After spending the last few years closed up, dodging relationships, never letting anyone too close, it felt good to be wanted. He always masked his identity and his activities from everyone around him. Surprisingly, being forced into this case hadn’t caused his life to fall apart like he’d originally thought it might. Actually, quite the opposite.
Thinking fast, he moved quickly, stepping into the bedroom and pressing himself against the inside wall. Kreed, as usual, had established rules early on last night that today was it as far as them hooking up while on this case. Aaron wasn’t certain about those boundaries because they fit too well together; their chemistry was off-the-fucking-charts hot.
As Kreed rounded the corner and stepped through the doorway, Aaron jumped out. He got the surprised response he was hoping for as Kreed wrapped him in his arms, pulling him tightly against his body.
“Are you really going to rest, church boy?” Kreed growled in his ear.
“Not at all. I hoped you’d follow.” God, it felt so good to be held in this man’s strong arms. He lifted up on his toes, threaded his fingers in Kreed’s hair, and drew Kreed’s mouth to his for a kiss.
“And why’s that?” Kreed asked, the first to pull back from the kiss.
“Because I’m gonna bury myself in your ass, deputy marshal, and fuck the hell out of you,” he answered confidently. Kreed’s arms tightened, drawing him closer if that were even possible. The deputy marshal’s dick twitched against his, making Aaron’s smile a little broader. Kreed seemed into the possibilities.
“That’s some dirty mouth you’ve got on you, church boy.” Kreed’s grin was predatory and somewhat wicked as he ground against Aaron. “And what makes you think I’ll give you my ass?”
“Because of all the dirty things I can do with my mouth and…” Aaron used Kreed’s words back on him and slid his hand between their bodies, directly into the waistband of Kreed’s athletic shorts, then slowly dragged his fingertips over the deputy marshal’s wet-tipped cock.
“Mmm…and?” Kreed licked at
the seam of Aaron’s lips and slid against him.
“And…because you’re leaking for me.” Aaron pressed his thumb into the moisture collecting on the head of Kreed’s cock and spread it across the crown, then gripped the hard length roughly in his palm. Kreed’s eyes dilated, and his breathing picked up as he pushed into Aaron’s fist.
“Fuck, yes. Anything you want.” Kreed reached up and tweaked a nipple ring, sending sparks of electricity down Aaron’s spine and firing into his balls. With his free arm, Aaron pulled Kreed’s head to his and forced his tongue between Kreed’s lips. Kreed’s body shook and his fingers moved to Aaron’s waist, skimming down to his ass.
“You’re so fucking hot.” Kreed moaned against his lips.
His own dick jerked, the thin material of his sweat shorts amplified the heat of Kreed’s cock rubbing against his own. Kreed’s tongue pushed into his mouth again, and he opened, wanting more. He slid his tongue over Kreed’s teeth, exploring his mouth. They rocked against each other’s bodies. Kreed’s cock slipped in and out of his fist, hard and insistent.
Aaron tore away from Kreed’s mouth. “Wanna suck you, taste you on my tongue.” He pushed at Kreed’s shorts, working them down his muscular legs.
“Bed, now!” Kreed gripped his wrists, spun him around, and swatted his ass. The sting of Kreed’s palm warmed his skin beneath his shorts and made his dick twitch in response.
Kreed moved to the nightstand and placed the supplies within easy reach before he took a seat on the edge of the bed, spreading his legs as he watched Aaron with lust-hooded eyes. Aaron pushed his shorts down his legs, stepped out of them, and left the cotton material abandoned on the floor. He gripped his aching dick and stroked himself for Kreed’s greedy eyes.
“Stop making me wait.” Kreed had his dick in his hand, jacking himself as Aaron closed the distance to the king-size bed.
Full Domain (A Nice Guys Novel Book 3) Page 23