by SE Jakes
He wanted to come all over Aleks's chest, to rub it in, make Aleks clean everything up with his tongue. But there was time for that. Now, he needed to come, but he'd do that inside Aleks's ass.
He pulled Aleks off and tugged him up, leading him back to the table. Aleks didn't argue, got on his back as Brogan rolled the condom onto himself. Then he grabbed Aleks's hips and brought him close, put Aleks's legs over his shoulders and probed his hole.
"Yeah," Aleks hissed, his lips definitely swollen. Debauched. It was a damned fine look on him.
He slid inside, meeting some resistance, but Aleks shook his head, yelled, "Come on. Just fuck me. Do it." So Brogan slid in, hard, fast, and Aleks cursed and smiled. "Yeah, that's it, Brogan. Come on."
So Brogan gave him the ride of his life, wondering how Aleks could be held down so tightly, not in control at all, and yet still be so goddamned cocky.
"Come on, Brogan. Faster," Aleks demanded as he somehow managed to rut back against Brogan's cock.
"Christ, I need to tie you down so you can't move a muscle."
"Won't matter," Aleks assured him.
No, Brogan was pretty sure it wouldn't. Nothing did at this moment anyway except Aleks clenching around his cock, determined to milk Brogan to orgasm.
And Brogan was close, but Aleks was going down first. He gripped Aleks's hips more tightly, pulled him slightly off the table and slammed into him, hitting his gland over and over until Aleks's eyes rolled back in his head and he shot, all over his chest. Brogan paused for a second, leaned forward to lick Aleks's come and then kiss him, letting Aleks taste himself.
"Dirty," Aleks murmured. "I like it."
So did Brogan. And it only took a couple more thrusts before he was coming, muttering Aleks's name as he did so.
Aleks was stunned. Lips swollen and sore (worth it), ass equally so for the latter (worth it) but cuddling with the man whose cousin he planned on killing?
Worth it.
Dammit.
Separate the two. Take your pleasure. The cousin deserved the pain. "You're not like any Dom I've known."
"You're not exactly sub material," Brogan pointed out, sounding half drunk, and Aleks felt like he sounded, drowsy and content and still wanting to do it all over again.
They were tangled on the ground. Bruised. And Aleks still told himself he could use this…somehow. Especially if he could get more sex. More of this feeling.
He'd had sex regularly for eight years since the fights ended, but the feeling? That had been the missing component. Why hadn't he realized that until just now?
Because your body feels rested for the first time. Your mind too.
He pushed himself up onto his elbows and Brogan raised his brows. "I've got to go. Early day tomorrow," Aleks told him.
Brogan shifted and got up off the floor easily, putting a hand down to help Aleks too.
Aleks ignored it, because he'd shown too much weakness for one night.
Chapter Four
Brogan strolled into Inked the following afternoon. It was empty at the moment, save for two employees, but Brogan knew the real money in this place wasn't about midday afternoon walk-ins—it was in its night and weekend crowds.
"Can I help you?" Becca, the pretty blonde piercer with the delicate flowered sleeve, asked with a smile. "We've got appointments open for this afternoon."
From the corner, Aleks laughed. "This isn't his thing," he told Becca, making her smile.
"Is he your thing, Aleks?" she shot back.
"Touché," Brogan murmured and she said, "Take your time—I'll be in the back, cleaning up."
Aleks rolled his eyes and walked over to the front desk as she ambled away, glancing over her shoulder a couple of times before disappearing. "Like she thinks we're going to fuck right here."
"I'd be all right with that."
Aleks's cheeks darkened. So did his eyes. "Forget something last night?"
"No. I'd planned on coming here and asking you out to dinner. Tonight."
"Way to give notice."
"I would've asked before you left, but you took off pretty fast. Do you have plans tonight?"
"I don't get it. People usually go to X looking for a fuck, not a dinner date," Aleks said roughly.
"Is that the only reason you tracked me down?" Brogan asked, unaffected by Aleks's words or tone, and hell, did anything throw the fucker?
"You've got some ego there."
"You're not saying I'm wrong." Brogan leaned across the counter. "Dinner? Tonight—eight o'clock. Mario's. Reservation's under my name."
And then he pushed away and left before Aleks could say anything like No or Go fuck yourself or See you tonight.
Brogan had a regular table at Mario's, toward the back of the place in a private corner. He didn't take clients here, just friends, sometimes lovers, but there hadn't been many of those he'd wanted to spend time with outside the bedroom.
The fact that Aleks had remembered him? Brogan could only think of this as meant to be. In his world there were no coincidences, and whatever seemed like one couldn't be ignored. In the military, it could mean the difference between life or death in the field. In business, it was winning or losing a deal.
In life? It could mean finding the guy you'd been thinking about every time you jerked off in the shower.
"I'll have a beer—Stella," he told the server.
"Same." Aleks voice was deep. Dark and dangerous, just like the man himself. He nodded at the waiter and then took a seat across from Brogan.
They'd spent more time fucking than talking, and Brogan didn't know if Aleks would be uncomfortable when they saw each other. Because dinner was usually the prelude for sex. In Brogan's world, it rarely worked that way.
Stopping by the tattoo shop instead of calling assured Brogan that he'd gotten under Aleks's skin enough that he'd be here, if nothing else, to tell Brogan off. And that would be hot too.
"I can see why you're a regular here." Aleks put the cloth napkin on his lap, looking quite at home.
And Brogan definitely needed to find out more. Although Mario's wasn't upscale, it was more formal than most and Brogan tended to forget that, until the men he brought here seemed uncomfortable with the variety of flatware, the formality of the waiters and the like.
Not Aleks. He looked as if he could've been born into this.
"It's a great place," Brogan agreed. "Long day at work?"
"So we're going with small talk?" Aleks asked in what Brogan had come to know in a short time as his typically blunt way. "Yeah, a full day. Back-to-back appointments from nine this morning until about an hour ago."
Aleks's hair was still damp from a recent shower. He wore black leather pants that looked more rocker than fashion, but Brogan bet he got a lot of looks walking in. He planned on appreciating the pants more when they were lying on his floor. "Who taught you?"
"Mostly self-taught. Then I took on an apprenticeship. I had a knack for it."
"I'd say so." Just then, the waiter brought out an array of different dishes. "I hope you don't mind—I usually just trust the chef to send me out a variety of his best."
Aleks nodded. "Definitely a regular. And this works for me."
There was a comfortable semi-silence broken with more small talk about food as they indulged in the pasta and meat dishes, with good, crusty bread dipped in oil. As they ate, David, the chef, came to the table, and Brogan suspected it was because he wanted to meet Aleks.
Not that he could blame him. "David, this is Aleks. Aleks, this is the owner and chef."
Aleks shook David's hand. "Your place is great and the food's phenomenal."
David beamed. "You've got good taste." He glanced over at Brogan and winked. "In food, at least."
Aleks laughed, and damn, it was a nice sound. Brogan rolled his eyes at David. "Thanks for everything."
"Come back any time," David told Aleks. To Brogan, he added, "I'm sure I'll see you here tomorrow."
"No doubt," Brogan answered, then admi
tted to Aleks once they were alone, "I'm a disaster in the kitchen beyond the basics, but I love good food."
Aleks sat back as the plates were collected. When the waiter left them, he said, "I'm a pretty good cook. Not this level but I learned to fend for myself in the kitchen pretty early on."
"Were your parents working?"
Aleks shook his head. "My mom wasn't a good cook."
"Any brothers or sisters?"
Aleks looked into the distance, somewhere over Brogan's shoulder when he said, "I had a younger brother. He's dead."
And then he looked right into Brogan's eyes and he felt a shot of Aleks's raw pain run through him. Whatever happened, whenever it happened, Aleks wasn't over it. Would never be, judging by that reaction. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too." He set down his empty beer bottle. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"I get it."
Aleks's eyes bore into his. "You lost someone too?"
"My parents. I was fifteen."
"Shit. Sorry."
"Yeah, me too," he echoed Aleks's sentiment. "They were good people. It was an accident—rainy night. My dad probably had a glass of wine too many and it was a perfect storm. That's when I moved in with my cousin and his family. Or that's when they sent me away to the same boarding school Harry was in."
At the mention of Harry's name, Aleks went still, but then he said, "Harry's parents didn't like kids?"
"Not at all. We were heirs. But hey, I survived. Went into the military instead of business school, but they couldn't say much about it. I inherited my fortune at eighteen and from there it was up to me."
"But you're part of the family business."
The Montgomery-Johnstone name was very well known, so it wasn't a surprise that Aleks knew about his wealth, his family or the business. He didn't seem impressed by it, but rather, simply making conversation. "To an extent. I branched out into other areas I was more interested in. I'm not a nine-to-five office guy. That's more Harry's gig."
"Right." Aleks stared at him. "I don't want to talk anymore."
"About Harry?"
"About anything." He stood, paid the check in cash, leaving a generous amount for a tip. It was, Brogan figured, his way of demonstrating to Brogan that he didn't appreciate being summoned to dinner. That he wouldn't be bought.
Brogan definitely appreciated the sentiment. "How about a drink at my place?"
Aleks narrowed his eyes. "Is that code for sex?"
"Definitely."
Aleks nodded. "I took a cab."
"Me too. I'm not too far." They began to walk, an easy silence as they enjoyed the early spring weather. Brogan's place was about six long blocks from the restaurant, and they passed several bars along the way. It was a Thursday night, so there were a lot of people stumbling around, having enjoyed happy hour and extending it well into the evening.
A few guys began following them. Brogan made them instantly as being trouble and not just guys walking home. Aleks had gotten the same feeling but they kept their stride the same, not letting on that they knew what was coming. Silently, they made their plan with a glance and a hand motion Brogan recognized instantly.
Stand down.
Why Aleks knew military terminology surprised him fleetingly, but he was more focused on the fact that he was now supposed to stand there and watch Aleks take on three guys? But he wasn't going to argue. He'd be here in case Aleks decided he needed backup.
Turned out, he didn't. As Brogan watched, Aleks stopped two of the men in their tracks as they went to grab both him and Aleks. The third guy took off running when he saw Aleks in action.
Brogan had the opposite reaction, wanted to get as close as possible to Aleks.
"Don't fucking take shit that doesn't belong to you," Aleks told one of them, right in his ear as he held onto the guy's throat in a viselike grip. The other was on the ground, under Aleks's boot. "Got it? You need money, you work for it. Because you've just run into the wrong motherfucker to rob."
The guy looked ready to piss himself, probably had a little already. Brogan stood watch in case either of them pulled a weapon. They were maybe twenty, and could be doing this more for sport than out of need. But they'd been drinking, and hopefully this made them learn their lesson.
Aleks released both men and they scampered away, the poor guy on the ground crawl-walking as fast as he could.
"I guess I was the damsel in distress," Brogan said as they began walking again, Aleks appearing unscathed by the incident, save for the anger radiating off him.
"You need to be coddled tonight?" Aleks asked finally, the usual smirk on his face as they walked through the underground garage as an easy cut-through to the elevator.
The security guard nodded at Brogan, took note of Aleks surreptitiously, no doubt so he could easily recall him again for security purposes. Brogan liked the security but didn't like his guests being harassed—he'd made that clear.
Once in the private elevator, Brogan tugged Aleks against him. "You need to work off more of that steam?"
"Definitely."
At least he was honest.
How about a drink at my place?
When Brogan had invited him home at the restaurant, Aleks told himself that he could think of it as work. Recon.
With your dick.
Still, his uncertainty about agreeing to Brogan's invitation, coupled with the threat of being followed, had Aleks on edge. But he'd decided a long time ago that he'd no longer fight—he would simply put a stop to whoever tried to fight him, quickly and decisively.
He was all kinds of ramped-up adrenaline and need, and by the time they arrived at Brogan's he was ready to get naked in the elevator. Obviously Brogan was ready for he same since he pushed Aleks against the back of the elevator and yanked his shirt off before kissing him. As Brogan's mouth took his, Brogan's hands were opening Aleks's pants and he was more than glad he hadn't bothered with underwear.
It was a few minutes before either of them acknowledged that the elevator door had opened and they did so reluctantly, Brogan groaning before letting go of him.
Aleks took a deep breath and followed him. He knew Brogan had money and it wasn't on display but a private elevator to a penthouse in the sky didn't come cheap.
Did my blood—Brad's blood—pay for this? Aleks shuddered at the thought, the betrayal, and suddenly felt too fucking naked.
Brogan touched his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"
Keep it together, he ordered himself. "Just a chill."
"I'll fix that," Brogan promised.
Aleks wished that could be true but realized that a part of his brain—the part that wasn't inside his cock—had walked into Brogan's place prepared for a trap. An ambush. Even if it didn't happen tonight, this could be a sizing up.
Maybe Harry had grown suspicious after Vann took out the fight's support staff, and they were looking to off the fighters who could ID them.
A long shot, but Aleks's life was built on them. If Brogan had been in on it…
But the hanging between life and death with every orgasm? Infuckingtoxicating.
If Brogan was playing a game, Aleks could play along. "Do you own this building?"
Brogan gave a short laugh. "Not yet. I like to keep personal and business separate. It's easier that way."
"What about that big building downtown with your name on it? I'd imagine they'd let you walk through the halls naked," Aleks said.
"Probably, but I work from home. In there." Brogan pointed to a half-closed door. "I mean, yeah, I have office space in the other building but that's for support staff. I rarely go in there unless I have a meeting about my family's stuff."
"So you mainly do real estate."
"For investment, yes. I started off buying buildings when I came out of the military and found I really enjoyed it. It's competitive. There's always a surprise."
"Aren't the tenants a pain in the ass though?" Aleks asked.
"Your bosses are pretty nice."
"And they pay."
"The ones who don't are outed pretty quickly."
Aleks nodded. "Bet they are."
Brogan wanted to ask what Aleks meant by that, but with Aleks more information typically came from continuing the conversation rather than demanding explanation. But Aleks didn't give him a chance to continue anything before saying, "Look, I've got an early day tomorrow."
Brogan thought about forcing the issue, about shoving Aleks against the wall and holding his hands over his head and fucking him, hard and fast. Aleks would probably allow himself to be convinced, but there was something in his eyes, something dangerous that let Brogan know it wasn't the best idea.
So he nodded instead and pulled out his phone. "Your number?"
Aleks hesitated briefly before giving it. Brogan called it immediately and it rang in Aleks's pocket. "You didn't trust me?" Aleks asked.
Brogan smiled. "Give me a reason to."
Chapter Five
When Aleks walked into Inked the next morning, it was more than obvious Becca had filled everyone in on Brogan's visit and dinner invitation. Because Con was there purely for the show, waiting on one of the couches and calling out to Aleks, "Are you fucking our landlord?"
"Jesus Christ, Con!" Quinn roared, Becca and James, the other tattoo artist, laughed, and Aleks was just grateful the shop wasn't open to customers yet.
"What?" Con shrugged at Quinn in feigned innocence. "It's a simple question." He turned back to Aleks. "You know we pay rent, right? He doesn't have to take it out of your ass."
"God, you're an idiot. I'm marrying an idiot," Quinn groaned.
Con laughed and didn't dispute the idiot comment.
"They're not just fucking. They're dating," Becca chimed in.
"Difference?" Con asked.
"They go to nice dinner places."
Con nodded. "The guy's got bank."
Yes, and so did Aleks. He just buried his trust fund better than most.
"I'm betting they have another date this week," Becca said to everyone in the shop except Aleks, who now leaned against the counter, content to sit back and watch everyone discuss his sex life while he finished his coffee.