“He did. I didn’t.” Eli put a hand on Wade’s forearm as he talked, and his voice softened. “He knows we’re together.”
Wade didn’t pull away, but he wanted to. In that moment, he didn’t want to be touched. “Because Gabe told him.”
“Your point?’
But Eli knew. He was a smart guy, and he could try to fool Wade, but it no longer worked. They’d been together too long, shared too much.
“You didn’t exactly pipe up with the information.” And that’s what had Wade’s chest ache as a roar of frustration fought to get out.
Eli’s hand dropped to his side. “Did you want me to stake a claim? Maybe tongue you in the middle of the meeting?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t hate that. At least it would be some sort of statement about who you are. About what we are together, which I’m hoping like hell is permanent.” It was one sentence more than Wade wanted to say, and he broke off before he coughed up even more stupid shit.
“Wade, listen to me.” Eli’s hands slipped over Wade’s wrists. Traveled up his arms to his shoulders. “I’m with you. Only you. After everything, you have to know that.”
Wade couldn’t find the right words so he just nodded.
“Permanent. Forever. We both want that. It’s what we’re working toward.”
The touching broke down Wade’s defenses and the words took him the rest of the way. The combination was all it took. All it ever took. Why he’d rushed to take Eli back the first time even when the wounds were still fresh. “Right.”
“We went through this. Had a fight, didn’t see each other for weeks. Long, shitty weeks, then agreed we were going to try to make this work.” As Wade ducked his head, Eli dipped his to maintain eye contact. “Any of this sound familiar?”
“The way he looks at you makes me want to kick him in the teeth.” Start there and keep going until the guy dropped or at least looked a little less hot.
Eli let out a harsh laugh that sounded rough with relief. “Let’s not, because Gabe is lethal.”
“So are you.” Wade’s mind bounced to his past and the things he used to do on the streets to survive. “Hell, I’m no cupcake.”
Eli’s hands tightened as he began a soft massage. “Gabe is the toughest guy I know, and that’s saying something. I don’t want you tangling with him.”
“You’re saying he won’t like it if I kill his baby brother.” That seemed fair to Wade, even though the need pulled strong. “Fine, whatever. I’ll keep my gun where it is.”
“It’s a family code thing. You kill his baby brother and he’ll have to attack.”
Since Eli joked, Wade delivered one of his own, even though he was only half kidding. “Just so I know. You sleep with anyone else in this building?”
“I’d have to look around and see.”
“Asshole.” Wade’s muscles unclenched and he didn’t fight the relaxation.
“The jealousy thing is unnecessary, but you being willing to fight for me is pretty fucking hot.” Eli’s hand skimmed over Wade’s shoulder to the back of his neck and started rubbing the last of the tension away. “And just when I thought you couldn’t get hotter.”
They stood only inches apart now. Wade could feel the warmth of Eli’s breath blow over his cheek. The urge to treat them both to a blinding kiss hovered right there.
Wade went for a promise instead. “Remember that when I get you home.”
One of Eli’s eyebrows lifted. “You have something planned?”
Yeah, and it required them both to be naked with Eli’s mouth trailing over his back. Something inside Wade shook at the thought. “You should eat a big lunch, because we won’t be stopping for dinner.”
“You have to work.”
And Wade planned to spend every minute of his shift thinking of new ways to make Eli scream. “Imagine how ready I’ll be when I get to your place after.”
“I doubt I’ll be able to think about anything else.”
Chapter Four
Very early the next morning, after spending all those hours answering questions and viewing files with Gabe, after Wade’s shift at Holton Woods, and after night had fallen and they’d exhausted each other with their hands and bodies, Eli again grabbed fists full of his sheets in his palms and twisted. His hips lifted off the bed as his head pressed deeper into the pillow.
Wade’s mouth proved to be the most tantalizing wake-up call. They didn’t need to be up yet. The sun hadn’t come up yet and they had hours to sleep, but this was not about a schedule. This could only be described as pure pleasure. Even now he took Eli’s cock deep into his mouth. Rimmed him with the tip of his finger.
Eli coughed out a harsh breath as he struggled to hold on to the last wisps of control. Wade’s tongue, the way he sucked and plunged the cock deeper into his mouth, had waves of need crashing over Eli.
He struggled to hold on, but Wade was determined and that wet mouth lured like nothing Eli had ever known.
“I can’t . . .” He couldn’t remember what he wanted to say next.
Didn’t matter, because Wade didn’t stop. He slid a hand over the base of Eli’s cock while his mouth continued its breath-stealing work. The mix of touching and tasting whipped Eli into a frenzy. Heat rolled over him as his hips started to buck without any signal from his brain.
Then all the whirling tightness inside him let go. His breath rushed out in pants. Every rational thought left his brain as the orgasm ripped through him and he gave his body over to the clawing inside him.
His fingers slipped into Wade’s short hair and held him there. Their bodies stayed locked as the last of the pulses shook through Eli. When his energy drained away, he let his arms fall to the mattress on either side of his body.
Eli tried to open his eyes but failed. “Feel free to wake me up like that every day.”
“I would if you were at my house.” Wade kissed his way up Eli’s chest. “I’d have my mouth on you all the time.”
“I am not taking the bait.” But he did smooth his hand over Wade’s shoulder and pull him up higher.
“Your big meeting is today.”
Eli’s eyes opened then. “That sounds like more bait.”
“Maybe.” Up on his elbow, Wade hovered with his chest touching Eli’s.
This argument started a hammering in Eli’s head that knocked through his entire body. The days with Andy were long over. Eli had walked away without looking back. No emotional ties. No tug.
Well, not for him. Andy had wanted more. He’d made that clear with the calls back then. Eli had ended it the way he did in those days—with a cleaver. He shoved Andy away and cut off contact. It was shitty, and seeing Andy now, Eli regretted not handling the situation better, but he didn’t want a second chance. He wanted only Wade.
And Eli needed Wade to let this go and move on. “This meeting is between Andy and Jarrett. Andy asked me to be there. That’s all.”
Wade made a humming sound. “Sure it is.”
He clearly was not ready to let this go, but Eli tried one more time to ratchet down the alert level. “You already made it clear you’d be in the building, ready to pounce. I’m sure Becca will be hovering nearby and answering some questions as well. We all know Natalie.”
“Sounds inconvenient for poor Andy.” Wade’s fingertips traced a lazy pattern on Eli’s chest.
He slipped his hand over Wade’s and held it still. “You could try trusting me.”
The sounds of the city in those moments before it passed from night into early morning, mostly that of the cars driving down the residential Georgetown street outside, faded. Eli lived in Bast’s basement apartment, but Bast and Kyra had taken off, so the usual thumping of footsteps and other signs of life above vanished.
Wade’s head shot up and he pinned Eli with a determined stare. “I do.”
Eli was desperate to believe that. “Are you sure?”
The exhale came right before Wade started shaking his head. “It’s him I worry about. I saw the wa
y that guy looked at you. I know the expression of a guy who loves you, because I wear it every damn day.”
“But you didn’t see me give him the same look back.” Eli turned his head and kissed Wade’s arm. “I only give you that look.”
“That better be the answer.”
He didn’t have to cover or be careful. The harsh kick of lust he felt for Wade didn’t transfer to anyone else. He burned so hot yet slid into a comfort he’d never known. Only Wade gave Eli that, and he was not about to lose the sensation. “If he makes a play I’ll shoot him down. I’ve done it before.”
Wade frowned. “Meaning?”
“I dumped him, Wade.” Rough and with a slice. Broke off all contact and waited for fallout that never came. All of which made him an asshole but that was back then. History he did not think about or dwell on.
“You broke it off.” Wade exhaled. “That probably shouldn’t surprise me.”
They’d circled back to a highlight of his faults. Eli couldn’t handle that right now. He had a spotty past and had thrown away any partner who sought a relationship. He’d been a shit and unworthy of being with anyone, but he’d been trying with Wade. Hell, he’d do anything for him. Except lie there and listen to a list of his failings. Not tonight.
He tried to throw the sheets off and get up. “Okay, forget I even tried to talk this out.”
“Whoa.” Wade rolled over and pinned Eli down. Pressed him into the mattress and held him there with his hands trapped against the bed. “Why?”
He couldn’t keep covering this ground. Every time they did, it ripped open new wounds and pushed them even further apart. This road led them in the extra-wrong direction as far as Eli was concerned. “You won’t listen.”
“I am now.” Wade held his body still and stared.
Something in the expression, the bit of hope that sparked in his eyes, had Eli wanting to try one more time. “Andy was just sex for me. No connection. No craving.”
“Does he suck at it?” Wade smiled then. “If so, you should tell me, because I wouldn’t hate knowing that.”
Eli wanted to laugh, but he wasn’t completely sure Wade was kidding. “I’m not answering that question.”
“So, he was good.” Wade swore under his breath. “The fucker.”
Despite the verbal battles and the exhaustion that followed, Eli tried again. He needed Wade to understand this point. “You are the one I missed. When I lost you it made me fucking sick. I’ve never needed anyone the way I need you.”
Wade nodded. “For me, too.”
Eli felt Wade relax into his side and sensed they’d survived a hiccup that could have blown into a full disaster. “That better be the answer,” he said, handing Wade’s words back to him.
“And I’m better at banging.” The words sounded tough, but a sexy softness played in Wade’s eyes. “You can admit it.”
“You are.” And that was not a line. Wade was the best Eli had ever had, and he hadn’t exactly been celibate. Something in the mix of heat and intimacy took every minute of friction between their naked bodies way past a level of simple physical release.
There was no mistaking Wade’s smile this time. “You should have led with that.”
“Because all you care about is who’s better in the sack?” Eli meant for the question to sound more amused than frustrated but guessed he failed when Wade froze.
“Not even a little.” He brushed his hand over Eli’s cheek. “And you said ‘crave.’ I plan on holding on to that comment and holding you to it.”
That is exactly what Eli wanted. “I can’t stop wanting you. Can’t get enough.”
Wade’s smile came roaring back. “Because you fucking love me.”
Why deny it? “Yeah, I fucking do.”
“Does that still scare the piss out of you?”
Maybe it was the caress of Wade’s hand or the slide of their bodies over each other, but something broke loose in Eli. That hard shell he’d constructed over the years continued to crack and break the more time he spent with Wade. “Every single day.”
“I can live with that, so long as that craving doesn’t die down.”
“It’s only getting stronger.” That was a truth Eli had only recently admitted to himself. Now he put it out there, knowing Wade needed to hear it.
Wade kissed him then. Lowered his head and touched his mouth against Eli’s in a kiss that slammed through him. Rocked every inch and convinced him whatever hope he had about being able to hold something back would fail when it came to this man.
When Wade lifted his head again, there was a gleam in his eye. “You know if you’re alone in a room with this Andy guy, I’ll have to beat him to death.”
That one might be a joke. Eli hoped—because Wade could do it if he wanted to. “That’s totally rational.”
“With you I don’t really have any boundaries.”
Time to shift this conversation around. They’d had enough serious time and more than enough arguing. Eli lifted his hips, pressing his erection against Wade’s thigh. “Me either.”
“You’re ready to go again?” Wade’s hand slipped between them and his fingers found Eli’s tip. “Well, look at that.”
“I’m going to hold you down this time.” Eli rolled Wade over as he said it. Landed on top with Wade tucked underneath him, staring up. “Make it clear just who I want in my bed.”
“You should definitely do that.”
Eli leaned down until only a breath of air separated his mouth from Wade’s. “Turn over on your stomach.”
***
As he stood in Holton Woods hours later and tapped his fingers against the edge of the intricately cut bar, Wade tried to remember every move, every sound Eli made that morning. Seeing that amazing face and breathless expression in his mind might help him forget that Eli and Andy sat in an office a few dozen feet away with the door closed. Sure, the office belonged to Jarrett and he’d stayed in there because the meeting was really with him, but that didn’t matter. The club was his turf and Wade didn’t want Andy on it . . . or anywhere else in the DC metro area.
“Who pissed in your cereal?” Becca asked as she came up beside him.
The woman never changed. She said what was on her mind and didn’t apologize for it. Wade liked that about her. “You’re very eloquent today.”
“And I always carry a gun.” She held out her arms as if daring him to test her. “You might want to remember that.”
Wade couldn’t help it; his gaze traveled. She wore all black, pants and shirt, and both slim fitting. It was a wonder Jarrett got any work done with her around.
No one except a few of the kitchen staff lingered, and they were in the kitchen, so Wade launched a verbal shot of his own. “I used to rough people up for a living.”
He didn’t bother to look around before he said the words. The club hadn’t opened for the day and wouldn’t until closer to the dinner hour. But she was here. She was almost always here. She lived with Jarrett upstairs and took care of the day-to-day running of the club and all membership issues. Having lived her life on the edge for so long, she didn’t stray far from the building or from Jarrett’s side.
Her eyebrow lifted. “Since I used to kill people and not just scare the piss out of them, I win.”
Footsteps sounded the minute before the voice. “A reference to killing and it’s not even three o’clock yet.” Jarrett stopped on the other side of the bar and leaned over to kiss Becca. “Happy to see you two getting along as usual.”
“He’s alive, isn’t he?”
Jarrett winked at her. “Thanks for that.”
She shrugged. “It’s part of the deal. He’s your friend, known him for years and all that, so I can’t shoot him in the alley no matter how much he deserves it.”
He nodded. “Relationships are about compromise.”
It was the way she talked, the smile lingering on her mouth, that had Wade admitting she’d won that round. There would be another. From the beginning, even back when
she was undercover in the club and framing Jarrett on some trumped-up espionage charge, they’d traded barbs. Now the tone stayed sarcastic and mostly joking. Wade had grown to respect her and liked seeing her with one of his oldest friends. Back then, not so much.
But he had a bigger problem at the moment than a woman who might be able to kick his ass. He glared at Jarrett. “Shouldn’t you be in your office?”
Not one to be intimidated, Jarrett just stood there. In fact, it looked as if he barely paid attention to the conversation as he took the glass of club soda Becca poured for him. “Andy wanted to talk with Eli.”
“Yeah, I bet he did.” The words came out before Wade could stop them. Probably had something to do with the frustration kicking around in his gut.
Jarrett stared at Wade over the rim of his glass. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing.” Wade tried to wave the question away, but the other two kept staring at him.
“Andy . . . Hold on here.” Becca was not a woman to be put off. She inched in closer to Wade, taunting him. “Your ragey attitude and the way you’ve been stomping around for the last hour are starting to make sense. This is crazy jealousy on full display.”
Wade did not want to go round and round with either one of them on this topic, and definitely not with Becca. “No.”
“Andy is good looking and . . . oh, yeah.” She smiled as she nodded. “Gay.”
Apparently everyone knew but him. Wasn’t that just fucking fantastic. Wade’s head pounded hard enough to explode. “I guess you missed it but I said no.”
“Andy and Eli?” She made an annoying tsk-tsking sound. “Who knew?”
That struck Wade as odd. Eli and Becca had worked together, close and in dangerous situations. It seemed logical they’d be so up in each other’s faces that their private lives—what little they had during that time—would get tied up together, too. “You didn’t?”
“I knew Andy was gay but—”
Jarrett’s glass clinked against the bar as he set it down. “Wait a second. Those two—”
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