Hell and Back

by Dirk Greyson

  “Oh, Jesus,” Gage murmured, pulling away and heaving for air as Forge did the same, then took his lips once again. He tugged at the hem of Gage’s shirt, needing to feel his powerful chest against his body. His memories had mellowed and softened into a warm sepia, but he needed full-on technicolor, with all its bright vividness and intensity. Forge needed to feel alive and unrejected. To be wanted and cared for with the depth and enthusiasm only youth could bring. And regardless of the time that had passed, Gage gave that to him, in nearly overwhelming waves of heat.

  Forge pulled at the fabric, yanking it upward, but instead of Gage’s shirt giving way, the crisp sound of a tear filled the room as the fabric ripped. Gage didn’t pause his kisses, and soon Forge held the remnants of Gage’s shirt, which he tossed away as he arched up against him. That was what he needed.

  Gage tightened his hold, stroking his back. This time, when Gage broke the kiss, Forge lolled his head back, so Gage licked down his throat to the base of his neck, then worried a spot at the base of his shoulder until Forge nearly went to pieces.

  “Dammit.” He clung to Gage, hoping he didn’t explode.

  Gage pulled away, standing back, and Forge blinked up at him, wondering if he’d done something wrong. He blinked again as Gage stood over him, his gaze traveling up Gage’s flat, heaving stomach to his chiseled chest. “Come on. You have about ten seconds to get off the sofa and up to your bed, or I’m going to flip you over and take you right here.” Gage’s voice was deep as hell and getting lower with each and every word. He heaved for breath and took one single step back, pointing. Forge thought about just how much he cared where they were together and realized a bed would be much better. He stood, the blanket falling away, his dick tenting his boxers, and Gage growled.

  Forge hurried out of the room and reached the base of the stairs before heavy footsteps sounded behind him. He took off and got to the bedroom before Gage tackled him onto the mattress. Somehow Forge rolled over, his boxers making it off his legs and onto the floor. Then Gage swallowed him. Forge could have sworn he hovered over the bed in complete, passionate bliss as wet, molten heat surrounded him, gripping and tugging at him. He clutched at Gage, pressing his hips upward, needing all that Gage could give, getting so much more than he ever expected. “Holy hell!”

  “You can say that again.” Gage pulled off and gripped Forge’s cock, stroking hard. “I don’t remember you being this big.”

  Some smart comment about the bigger, the better or something had worked up in his mind, but it flew from his head as Gage took him once more. Nothing else mattered. Forge lay back on the bed, his arms over his head, giving himself to whatever delightful deviltry Gage had in mind. Instinct from deep in his brain said Gage knew what he needed and would give him the greatest joy he could remember. Second by second, each touch and lick only added to that impression. “Gage.” Forge brought the heel of his hand to his teeth and bit down, trying to keep hold of himself. His control cracked, then broke a minute later, and his release surged into Gage with an unstoppable force that left him panting and seeing stars that outnumbered those in the night sky. And in those moments of complete clarity, he realized just how much had been missing from his life and what he wanted going forward forever.

  “Are you still with me?” Gage asked quietly.

  “Oh God.” Forge stretched to tug Gage to where he could kiss him, tasting himself on Gage’s tongue.

  “You are so amazingly hot like this. Laid out on the bed for me.” Gage straightened, stepping back, and Forge stared with rapt attention as Gage toed off his shoes and shucked his pants and boxers. Once he stood very proudly naked in front of him, Forge licked his lips. Gage was as stunning as Forge remembered, maybe more so. When they were together then, Gage hadn’t been at his best, but he certainly was now.

  Forge guided Gage closer to the bed, then rolled over and shifted until he lay on his belly right in front of Gage. He lifted his head, at perfect cock level, and slid his lips around Gage.

  Gage shook as Forge took him deeper, cupping his balls gently as he bobbed his head. Forge loved cock sucking and adored the feel of Gage’s cockhead across his tongue. Gage rocked back and forth slightly, and Forge closed his eyes, letting the sensation roll over him. This was amazing and something he’d waited a long time for.

  When Gage pulled away, Forge opened his eyes, wondering what was happening. Gage climbed onto the bed, guiding Forge to the pillow and settling between his legs. “Are you ready for me?”

  “I’ve been ready for a long time.” Forge swallowed hard and pointed to the bedside table, hoping the supplies were still there. At first Granger had begged to come back, so Forge had gotten condoms in case things progressed down that path. But they never did, and thankfully the supplies were still there.

  Gage pulled out the strip of condoms and a bottle of lube, setting them near the bed before turning his pulse-racing gaze on Forge, who had no idea how he was going to survive what was coming. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he’d wondered in his heart of hearts what it would be like to have Gage back in his life, and now it was happening. Gage lifted Forge’s legs and leaned over him, kissing hard as he slicked his fingers and breached him for the first time. Forge’s hiss turned to a sigh as his body got used to the invasion, then slowly morphed into craving it. He needed more, and Gage seemed all too happy to oblige.

  “I’m ready.”

  “You sure?” Gage’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “I’ve been ready since I met you again, and before that… I think I’ve missed you more than I can put into words.” He braced himself as Gage slid on a condom and then back into position. He pushed into Forge’s body with a stretch and burn that left Forge speechless and made his head spin.

  “Damn, you’re tight around me.” Gage continued slowly pressing forward, and Forge placed his hand on Gage’s hip to stop him. He needed a second to breathe and get used to what was happening. Soon he was aching for more, so he nodded, and Gage sank deeper.

  “So big,” Forge groaned, gripping the bedding He needed something to keep him grounded, because each second his head grew lighter and he was sure he was going to fly away at any minute. Instead, Gage held him, kissing him deeply and stroking his chest and down his belly before gripping his now-reawakened cock. Forge had no idea how much more he was going to be able to take as Gage slowly rocked back and forth, dragging his cock over that electric spot inside him that sent shocks running from head to toe.

  “I’ve been missing you for so long, I think it’s become part of my very being,” Gage admitted, and Forge nodded. He’d lost track of the other half of his soul and now it was back, right here with him.

  “I… know… just… how… you… feel….” Words were too hard, and forming coherent thoughts became harder and harder, so he completely gave up and rode wave upon wave of Gage’s passion. Forge had no choice but to give himself over to what Gage wanted. Somehow he knew it was what he wanted as well.

  “Not going to last….” Gage moaned, and Forge nodded once again, digging his fingers into the bedding to hold on for dear life.

  “I don’t want you to,” Forge said, and he moved right along with Gage. “Just let go and let me watch you.” He needed to see Gage release and watch his face as passion consumed him. Forge managed to hold off his own excitement long enough for Gage to still, his mouth falling open and his eyes widening as he throbbed inside him, coming hard and heaving for breath. He pulled Gage down onto him, holding him tightly, letting him float through the release. “Damn, that was gorgeous.”

  “So are you.”

  Forge closed his eyes and let the adrenaline pump through him. Gage kissed him, gently this time, and he closed his eyes, listening to Gage breathe quietly. He wanted to rest and probably fall asleep, but the hair on his arms stood on end and he strained to hear.

  “What is it?” Gage asked.

  “There’s someone in the house….”

  At that moment Gage’s cell p
hone dinged, and he fished it out of his pants, took a glance at it, and yanked on his jeans. “Go to the bathroom, lock the door, and stay there.” Gage opened the bedroom door and quietly slipped out.

  Forge found his boxers and pulled them on, then did exactly as Gage told him. He hunkered down in the bathroom and listened for any signs of distress even as his nerves ramped up even more.

  A thud vibrated through the house, and Forge stood and had his hand on the knob, ready to leave and find out what was going on. All he could imagine was Gage hurt on the floor. The waiting around was driving him crazy. He cracked the door and listened. He heard a slam and then everything grew quiet once again.

  “Forge,” Gage called.

  Forge left the bathroom and slowly went down the stairs. “What happened?”

  “He didn’t get far,” Gage said, though he stayed by the door, not meeting Forge’s eye. “Picked the lock. The guy was sloppy, and you heard him. My alarm went off when he opened the door, and I met him just as he’d taken a few steps inside.”

  “What did you do?” Forge stayed close to the stairs, ready to run if necessary.

  “Kicked him in the gut, and he took off.” Gage locked the door and reset the alarm. Then he made a call to Coleridge, and Forge listened as he explained what had happened. “Yes, we’re both safe, and I have the house secured. … I see. … Well, thank you. … No, I didn’t see anything. The house was dark and I got a good kick in. I may have cracked some of his ribs before he took off, heading west. … All right….” Gage hung up and finally looked up to where Forge stood. “They’re going to be right over.”

  “Crap,” Forge groaned. He’d had enough of the police and everyone else. “I wish I could find whatever it is these guys want. I’d give it to them just so they’d leave me the hell alone.” He lowered his gaze and turned to go back up the stairs. “Do you think I should put on jeans… or maybe I could slip into a tuxedo to be questioned by the police again.”

  Gage shrugged. “I think anything other than just your boxers will do.” He followed him up, and they dressed quickly. “Coleridge said it’s been a busy night in our neighborhood and asked if I’d made any forays. It seems your neighbor’s house was being used as a lookout post.” Gage winked, and Forge wondered how he could be so cheerful. Gage gave a rueful smile and shrugged again. “Make the best of a bad situation.”

  By the time they returned downstairs, the police had arrived. Forge let Coleridge in, gesturing to the living room, and explained what had happened. Then Gage, who had stayed on the other side of the room, answered questions, both about the break-in, and, of course, Coleridge wondered if Gage had anything to do with an anonymous tip they’d received regarding the house behind Forge’s.

  “Gage didn’t make any phone calls to you as far as I know,” Forge said honestly, without breaking a smile. “Have you made any progress figuring out who shot Granger?” He figured it was time to turn the tables. He was getting tired of answering everyone else’s questions.

  “We’re running down some leads right now. But it’s looking as though multiple people are involved, and we’re centering around his work. But the law firm isn’t providing any information on his clients, and unless we can get more information, we can’t go to a judge to get a search warrant for his office files.” Coleridge was clearly tired, the case taking its toll. Or it could have been that it was nearly midnight and he looked like he’d been working for the entire day and wasn’t done yet.

  “We kept searching here for possible locations for those files they referred to, but haven’t found anything. And I’m guessing they haven’t either if they came back,” Forge said as the rush began to wear off and he yawned broadly. “I found the keys to the safe-deposit box.”

  “Okay. I’ll be over in the morning, and we can go see if there’s anything inside.” There was a hint of passionate expectation in Coleridge’s voice. “I’ll be here at a little before nine.”

  “Just meet us at the bank downtown,” Gage offered. “We’ll bring the keys and see if the account is still open, and if it is, find out what’s inside. Honestly, what we’re afraid of is, if the account is still open and Forge isn’t on the account.”

  “That’s why I’m there. I can call to get a warrant to open it. Legally, since Granger is dead and you’re his beneficiary, what’s inside belongs to you, so your cooperation will mean we can get a warrant quickly.” Now Detective Coleridge sounded excited. The man certainly could go from down to up in a few seconds. “We’ll meet you at the bank at nine.”

  “Perfect,” Forge said. He was willing to do anything necessary to wrap this up. Maybe then he could have his life back. Forge turned to Gage and wondered if, when this was all over, he’d stick around or if Gage would be off on another case, and if it was going to be another seventeen years before he saw him again.

  “All right. Call if anything else happens, and I’ll see you in the morning.” Detective Coleridge left, and Forge leaned back in his chair, his eyes already falling closed.

  “Go on up to bed,” Gage told him. “I’m going to stay down here.” He left the room, and Forge shivered in the air-conditioning. At some point he’d expected to feel alone. After all, Granger had been killed, and even though they’d been in the midst of separating, they’d still been together for over ten years. Up until that moment when Gage walked away, Forge hadn’t been alone—Gage had been there. But his leaving the room left Forge very much alone, like the physical distance between them mirrored the mental distance Forge had seen widening in Gage’s eyes when Forge first reached the bottom of the stairs.

  Forge yawned and went to his room. He was exhausted and needed some sleep. But once he was in bed, Gage’s scent surrounded him and the tang of sex lingered in the room. There was no way Forge was going to be able to sleep. He rolled over and closed his eyes, trying like hell not to fall apart and failing. Everything from the last two days caught up to him, and he couldn’t hold it inside no matter how hard he tried.

  Chapter 4

  GUILT TOTALLY sucked, but that’s where Gage was at, and the damned crap wasn’t going away no matter how many times he tried to give himself a break. He’d let himself be led up to Forge’s room and gotten completely lost in him. His mind and body totally focused on Forge, which had nearly been disastrous for both of them. It couldn’t happen again. Gage was here to do a job. Forge was paying him to protect him, not take him to bed and fuck the living daylights out of him. What the hell had he been thinking, having sex when he was supposed to have been working? To top it off, Forge had been the one to alert him to the intruder before his own equipment and senses had kicked in.

  He got out of the chair and went to the kitchen to pour a huge mug of extrastrong coffee. He carried it through the house, making sure all the doors and windows were secure and peering outside just to check that nothing looked out of the ordinary. Gage was too restless to sit back down, so he wandered from room to room, quietly padding over the carpeting and prowling like a restless tiger. No matter what he did or how he tried to justify what happened, he wasn’t able to forget the fact that his desire for Forge had, in effect, put him in danger. And to top it off, if he’d been on guard, he might have been able to apprehend the guy and they could have gotten something useful out of him.

  “Shit… shit… shit…,” he groaned under his breath. “You’re fucking better than that.” Maybe he’d be better off turning this particular job over to Harv or one of the other guys and stepping back. He was obviously too close to Forge to think and act the way he should.

  After a while, Gage climbed the stairs and went to Forge’s room. The door was open, with just enough light for him to see Forge lying on his side, rolled away from him, hopefully asleep and getting some much-needed rest. That’s how it should be—Forge asleep in his own bed and Gage staying awake to protect him. He turned and went back downstairs to check the house once more before gulping his coffee to stay awake.

  He heard a creak on the stairs and froze
.

  “Are you trying to wear a hole in my carpet?” Forge asked as he joined him in the living room, once again in nothing but a pair of boxers—walking, talking temptation.

  “I just need to stay alert in case they make yet another attempt on you and the house.” Gage yawned, trying his damned best to stop it and failing miserably.

  “You have all the alarms set, and if anyone tried to get in, your phone will set off enough noise to wake the dead, right?” Forge took his hand as Gage nodded. “Then come get some sleep. You dead on your feet isn’t doing anyone any good.” Forge tugged him toward the stairs. When Gage resisted, Forge tugged harder. “Don’t argue.”

  “God, you’re bossy.” Gage smiled crookedly with a glint in his eyes.

  “That’s right, I’m the boss, the one you’re protecting, so I say you need to do that from much closer. I’ve been lying up there listening to you and wondering what the hell happened. Then I heard you pacing like a caged wolf and I figured it out… at least I hope so. If it’s guilt that’s bothering you, stop it now!” Forge halted and glared at him. “It takes two to tango, and if there’s any blame or guilt to go around, then we share it equally.” He smiled. “Just like with Nurse Ratched. Remember her?”

  Gage smirked. “God, yes. Claire Goodwin. That woman had the coldest hands, and she could make a simple injection feel like cutting off a limb. We used to play the best tricks on her.”