by Tatum Throne
Things suddenly came into sharp focus around Adam as the rain started to slow. Blood pooled in Adam’s mouth. He spit, checking for loose teeth. He couldn’t believe Seth was back. They were worlds apart the last time they saw each other. Seth sat on the muddy and glass-littered embankment. Seth stared up at him. Adam dug his cell phone out of his pocket and shook the water out of it. He tried to turn it on. The phone was dead. Seth hung his hands on his knees like two heavy anchors. Procedure should have had Adam calling in for backup and arresting Seth for assault, but lucky for him his phone was out of commission. Bottom line, he couldn’t call the police. Whatever trouble Seth was in tonight was enough to deal with.
“Are you injured?” Adam asked.
“Not too bad. My leg’s a little sore from hitting the cement barrier.”
Adam looked up at the bridge and the gap Seth went flying through. It was a miracle he didn’t hit one of those beams. He was beyond lucky to be alive.
“What happened?”
“My bike skidded out when I went to brake. It just went over.”
“Sure it did. You weren’t speeding?”
“Nope.”
And Adam had pristine swamp land, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Eiffel Tower he wanted to sell. “Bullshit. Now, tell me what really happened.”
Seth set his chin in that same old obstinate and stubborn way that always had him clamming up. His auburn hair was longer than Adam remembered. His freckles were deeply tan under the light.
“Come on. Let me give you a ride.”
Seth’s brows darted up so fast that his eyes widened. He just sat there as though he couldn’t believe Adam wanted to help him. Adam held out his hand and waited for Seth to come to terms with his offer. Seth finally gave him his hand, and Adam pulled him up. Their eyes locked when they were eye to eye. A spark of heat flashed in Seth’s blue eyes.
Adam didn’t want to let go of his chilled hand. He wanted answers. He was going to do everything in his power to get those answers tonight.
Chapter Two
They were both a muddy mess by the time they got to the top of the hillside. Seth couldn’t believe Adam was a cop. He was sitting shotgun in his car, trying to figure out how he got into this situation normal all fucked up. He couldn’t believe that this night had ended so badly. Tension had every one of Seth’s nerves plucked tight. Adam gave him a hard look.
“Where am I driving to?”
Seth rattled off his address for the high-rise he rented downtown off Columbia Parkway. They didn’t say much to each other as Adam drove. Seth showed him how to get in and out of the parking garage with his code. He did not want to go through the polished front foyer like this. Mud and water dripped from both of them as they walked through the parking garage to the coded door and to the service elevator inside. It was clear Adam wasn’t going away until he got the answers he wanted. Seth wasn’t sure he could trust Adam with the situation. He hit the button for the twenty-fourth floor. It was a slow ride to the top.
“Are you on duty?” Seth asked.
“Off duty. I was on my way home.”
The bell dinged, and they headed through the hallway to his apartment, unlocking the door. Seth didn’t want to think about how incredibly lucky he was that Adam was on his way home and was able to help him. Adam came into the foyer looking around.
“Nice place. Nice view.” He looked around the apartment and then looked at Seth in a funny way. “Your last name is London. You’re related to the Cincinnati Londons?”
Most people Seth worked with didn’t make the connection. They just figured he was a regular guy and not the trust fund baby he actually was.
“Yes. My father owns this building and several more downtown.”
“Wow. What was growing up with all that money like?”
“Boarding schools and etiquette classes. My father expected me to follow his footsteps into business.”
“Was he happy when you became a police officer?”
“He tolerates it. He has this expectation that I’ll one day be police chief.”
Normally, Seth was all about the modesty. Tonight, he didn’t want to ruin the floors. He looked down, remembering that he kicked off his shoes when he was in the river. Seth stripped in the foyer, leaving his soaked boxers on. Adam’s words trailed off. Seth felt Adam’s eyes skip over his exposed skin. He took note of what Adam was seeing. Body modification was something Seth took pride in. There were bar piercings in both nipples. Tattoos were down both arms and ended at his forearms. There was another one on his back. Temptation had Seth playing with the band on his boxers. He thought about dropping those, too, but knew now wasn’t a good time for Adam to see the rest.
“I have some clothes for you, if you want to change,” Seth said.
Adam was slow to bring his gaze back up to his face. “Yeah. I think I have half the Ohio in my boots from dragging you out of the river.”
A minute later, Seth returned with a robe. “You might want to shower all that off, too.”
“So, are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”
“No.”
Adam’s eyes dropped to the burn on the inside of Seth’s leg. “You did get hurt.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
Adam hunched down, looking at Seth’s leg. The tips of Adam’s fingers slid out, stroking up the back of Seth’s leg. A shiver licked up Seth’s back, starting at his anus and skipping up his spine.
“You need to clean it out good or it’s going to get infected.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Seth strode down the hallway to the shower in the master bedroom and flipped it on. The L-shaped walk-in shower had no glass doors or curtain. He didn’t care if Adam followed. He hoped Adam would leave, actually, but he knew he wouldn’t. Seth dropped his boxers to the floor. They were getting trashed next. Seth didn’t want to think about the trouble knocking on his front door or his bike floating down the river. He got under the hot spray, pressing his hands to the tile. He sensed rather than heard Adam come into the bathroom. He also didn’t want to think about the last time he saw Adam so many years ago. What was most shocking was that the heat was still there after all this time. He closed his eyes, trying to forget that searing need that hummed just below the surface. Adam was a really good-looking guy. Seth always had a thing for guys with dark hair.
“Well?” Adam asked.
Seth was sure Adam wanted to know what was going on upstairs in his head. He was not about to say anything to Adam about running into his coworkers at the gay bar. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I’m here. You don’t need to run from me.”
“I know you are.”
He was speeding and running from his problems with a side of death wish sprinkled on top. Seth glanced over his shoulder at Adam, who was playing eye tag with everything else in the bathroom. Seth shut off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. Adam’s gaze moved up over his chest. A tingling sensation started in his body. Seth couldn’t ignore the undercurrent of lust vibrating the air between them.
Seth sighed. “I was speeding. I wasn’t purposely trying to hurt myself.”
“You sure?”
“I was going too fast for the road conditions. I lost control when I turned onto the bridge.” Seth ran a hand through his wet hair. “Towels are in here. I’ll get you something to change into.”
Adam reached out, grabbing Seth by the arm. “Cut the bullshit and tell the truth. I know there’s more going on than what you’re telling me. What’s really going on?”
Heat moved through Seth as Adam’s hand tightened. When Seth looked into Adam’s brown eyes, he wanted to tell him everything, but he couldn’t. Pain slashed through his heart. He couldn’t go there again with Adam. Not for a second time and expect to come out with his heart intact. That one kiss so long ago ruined his life. He was not about to kiss Adam again. Bad things happened when they did. Nor was there any way Seth could explain to Adam that he
felt as though he were losing everything he worked so hard for. It felt as though it was all about to slip through his fingers like water if he didn’t do something to stop it. Life was spinning out of control for him. The last thing he wanted to do was to pull Adam into his life now. They both would drown.
“You can trust me,” Adam said.
“Maybe I can, but can you trust me when I say I have it under control?”
It wasn’t about trust. It was about pulling an old friend into a mess he didn’t deserve to be a part of. Work was stressing him the fuck out, but that was about to change. He hoped.
“Let me help you.”
The plea was too much. Maybe Seth had been dealing with things alone at work for far too long. He’d been lucky Adam was there to pull him out of the river tonight. Maybe he could count on Adam for something more?
“I’ll give you some privacy while you clean up,” Seth said.
Seth left the bath. He heard the sound of the shower click on. He picked up their messed clothes and took them to the laundry room and tossed them into the washing machine. Seth went back to his bedroom where he slipped on a pair of jeans and an old SWAT T-shirt. He dug through his closet to find a pair of sweats and another T-shirt for Adam. Seth was taller than Adam by a few inches, but he didn’t have anything smaller to give to him.
With the clean clothes in hand, he went back to the bath and set the clothes on the counter. Seth hung in the doorway to the bathroom. Adam hummed while he shampooed his hair. It was such a soft sound that Seth was positive that Adam didn’t know he did it. Adam was stocky with thick muscles and even thicker thighs. Seth was sure he worked out or lifted weights. Water clung to the dark hair on Adam’s strong legs. Seth let his gaze move over his tight, athletic ass. His heart started to race as his mouth went dry. He licked his lips. Seth loved ass. He loved rimming. It’d been way too long since he had cock in his mouth or in his ass. Adam turned suddenly, giving Seth a full-frontal view. Seth’s eyes darted to Adam’s face. His eyes were closed as he ducked under the hot spray. Relief moved through Seth’s mind. He did not want to be caught looking, but Seth couldn’t pull his eyes away. There was something really seductive about watching a man shower. Seth let his gaze drop to the thick ridges of muscle on Adam’s chest. There was even more dark hair on his chest.
A thick, dark happy trail led to even darker pubic hair that wrapped around the biggest balls he’d ever seen. Seth started to edge away, but he couldn’t pull his gaze from Adam’s gorgeous body. Adam ran his hands through his hair, rinsing off. Seth felt his cock fill with heat and male appreciation as he smoothed his eyes over Adam’s skin. Adam’s eyes fluttered open and Seth pulled away, going to the bathroom sink to catch his breath.
The mirror was partially fogged, but there was still enough reflection to see Adam go to work cleaning the rest of his body. From his vantage point and the angle of the mirror, Seth could see Adam clearly. Seth’s breath caught in the back of his throat when he saw Adam’s hands dip down to his cock and balls, giving everything a thorough scrub. Seth cleared his throat as he felt his dick grow hard.
“I brought you some clothes.”
“Thanks. I don’t feel like I can get the river off my skin.”
Seth saw Adam’s big hands massage over his testicles, bouncing them around. Adam flipped his shaft up and down as he scrubbed it hard. Seth knew he was stalling, but he couldn’t help it. He loved watching Adam wash. Soap bubbles clung to his heated skin.
Adam’s prick instantly responded to the extra attention, and so did Seth’s. His cock swelled, hanging heavy in his boxers.
“Do you need anything else?” Seth asked.
“I’ll be out in a minute. I may scrub twice.”
Seth’s heart started to hammer hard as he turned away fast. He had to get out of there before he did something stupid like crossing the line with Adam. Seth grabbed his prick as he shut the door behind him, trying to get control of his throbbing cock. There was no way he could erase the vision of Adam standing in his shower, working over his cock in that absentminded way that men do when they are really dirty.
He went to the living room. The chill of the river still clung to Seth’s skin as he looked out over the magnificent view of the city. He never grew tired of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky skyline. Tonight, it wasn’t enough to distract him from the need to have Adam. Seth couldn’t get the image of Adam in his shower out of his head. He looked so good standing there. He looked like he belonged.
Adam’s reflection appeared in the floor-to-ceiling windows. It stole his breath away to see Adam in his clothes, looking so fresh. It turned Seth the fuck on.
Seth didn’t want to involve Adam with his problems at work, but it was clear Adam wasn’t going away until Seth told him everything or at least something that put his mind at ease.
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Adam asked.
“No.”
A deep sigh escaped Adam’s parted lips. “Explain to me why you took a flying leap off the bridge tonight. Were you trying to hurt yourself?”
Was he? No. He thought about his run-in with Trent and Ryan in the gay bar. “I was distracted. Work has been stressful lately. Riding usually helps me blow off steam. I took it too far tonight. I was going too fast.”
“We should report the accident.”
Seth sighed. It would be a public relations nightmare for his family if this made the news. “I’ll take care of it.”
Adam paced closer. The night they kissed so many years ago after the bar closed hung heavily in the air between them. They left things hanging that night with a lot unsaid. A small part of Seth was still angry about how things went down that night, but there was nothing he could do to change things now. There were many nights Seth regretted chasing after James and leaving Adam alone. The kiss Seth shared with Adam broke them up. Their break up was long overdue. They’d been growing apart for months. It was bad timing all the way around.
“I shouldn’t have punched you,” Seth began.
Adam ran his hand through his hair. “It’s no big deal. I probably deserved it. Maybe it will knock some sense into me. I don’t seem to have a lot of it when I’m around you.”
“Thank you for being there for me. I owe you my life. I won’t be able to ever repay you for what you did for me tonight.”
“It’s all good. Just be careful when you’re riding.”
“I think it will be a while before I get on another bike,” Seth said.
“I should go. It’s been a long night.”
There was so much more Seth wanted to say to Adam, but he didn’t know how. He wondered if this was a second chance at something special, or if this was just a glimpse of someone from his past? Whatever it was, Seth knew he wouldn’t be able to get Adam out of his mind for a very long time. Seth walked Adam to the door where he slipped on his wet shoes. This was good-bye.
At the last second, Adam turned and Seth bumped into his chest. Seth felt as though he’d been thrown back in time. The touch of Adam’s body was exactly what Seth needed. Adam’s brown eyes locked with his. Time took a nosedive, and everything else wrong in Seth’s life faded away. He wanted just one kiss.
“I’ve missed you,” Seth said.
The confession seemed to take both of them by surprise and give them permission to rediscover the past.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” Adam said.
Seth pushed Adam up against the door and kissed him hard. He was rewarded with a groan of encouragement that sent Seth’s tongue flicking inside Adam’s sweet mouth. Their tongues fought for what they once felt and could have had together. The kiss was hot and passionate, and it went on forever. Adam’s hands crushed through Seth’s wet hair as he pulled him closer. Seth rubbed their hips together, feeling the heat of Adam’s cock pressing through the cotton sweatpants. Temptation had Seth caressing his hands over Adam’s ass, gripping it tight. He edged the tips of his fingers between the crack of Adam’s ass, spreading his ass c
heeks wide. Adam moaned as the tips of Seth’s fingers rubbed over his anus. With lust burning through his veins, Seth flicked the tips of his fingers over Adam’s rim. There were too many clothes in the way, but Seth knew he couldn’t dip his hands beneath the sweats without losing completely control.
Seth abruptly ended the kiss, but his hands still held Adam’s ass, and his fingers still played on the outside of Adam’s rim. They were both breathing hard. Seth bit his lip, tasting the sweetness of Adam’s tongue lingering there. He pressed his forehead to Adam’s.
“You should go before we do something that we’ll both regret,” Seth said.
Adam worked his hands up the back of Seth’s shirt. “Maybe I want to stay.”
Seth thought of his need to dominate in the bedroom. Not many people understood or wanted the lifestyle. It wasn’t easy handing over control for a submissive. It took complete trust. “I’m not the same man I was all those years ago, Adam.”
Questions formed in Adam’s brown eyes, but Seth couldn’t answer them. Seth eased his hands off of Adam’s ass and pushed away.
“Don’t shut me out,” Adam pleaded.
“You don’t want what I need.” Seth stepped back, opening the front door. “You should go before we do something we’ll both want to forget about in a few hours.”
Disappointment vibrated through Adam’s face. He hesitated as though he were going to argue the point with Seth. To Seth’s relief and utter disbelief, he walked away without saying anything. Seth shut the front door, slumping against it. He knocked his head back against the wood. Tears misted his eyes. He had no idea how to get in touch with Adam. No way of knowing if he would call. It should have been for the best, but it felt wrong. Seth paced away from the door and headed for his bedroom. Why couldn’t he get this shit right?
Chapter Three
“Pay the fuck attention!”
TJ’s voice bounced into the hallway. Seth had cut through the SWAT training center as he headed back to the main offices at headquarters. The chatter coming through the open doors slowly trickled off until everyone stopped talking. Seth didn’t have to look through the windows to see the glares. He could sense them.