The Devil's Breath

by A. Nybo

  Their hands slid together and fingers linked. He moved Birch’s hands up to pin them above his head, and deeply kissed him as Birch bucked up to meet him. Breathless and frantic for more, they worked against each other.

  Henri rose to sit astride Birch and as his hands settled on Birch’s pecs, Birch’s ran up Henri’s legs to his upper thighs. Henri began to roll his hips.

  BIRCH LAY looking up at Henri straddling him. With his cock nestled beneath Henri’s perineum, the head peeked from between Henri’s balls with each of Henri’s backward movements.

  The smattering of hair on Henri’s chest was interrupted by the smooth pink skin of his scar. Muscles in his torso, hidden at rest, punched his fair skin as he undulated on Birch. Henri’s long hair was tied in a knot; stray wisps fell around his face and grew darker as he perspired with his increasing efforts.

  Birch wrapped his hand around Henri’s cock, causing Henri to take a sharp inward breath, and then he began to move faster, thrusting hard into Birch’s hand. Henri grasped Birch’s forearm just above the wrist to increase the pressure. Birch tightened his grip in response, and Henri thrust harder.

  Excitement growing visibly, Henri tilted his head back. Birch relayed the intensifying grip each time Henri’s tightened on his forearm. It had to have hurt, but Henri’s frantic arousal must have been equalizing any pain, and he sped his thrusts, causing sensation to spark richly in Birch’s groin.

  He looked up at Henri, and the vision before him made his breath catch. Muscles were so tight they looked near snapping point, cords in his neck protruded, and veins popped. Sweat dripped from Henri’s jaw and slid down his chest over the scar. Henri’s exertions were battle-worthy as he chased orgasm. An unbidden growl of appreciation escaped Birch, and Henri’s grip tightened again. The pressure he was putting on Birch’s arm was becoming painful, but he transferred it to his grasp.

  Henri adjusted his position slightly, and the extra pressure on his cock caused Birch to buck wildly. The vision of Henri and the physical sensations he was causing coalesced. Birch’s body jerked repeatedly as he came, and he rode through the aftershocks.

  He opened his eyes to find Henri staring at him. His blown pupils constricted and dilated rapidly, sending a potent wave of heat coursing through Birch. He clenched his fist harder on Henri’s cock, and Henri let out a low cry of ecstasy as spasms wracked his body and his release spattered across Birch’s torso.

  Breathless, Henri wavered, and Birch pulled him down against him until Henri panted against his neck. He kissed Henri’s damp temple. “God, you are so gorgeous.”

  Their breathing calmed, and Henri was caressing his cheek when Birch chuckled.

  “What’s funny?” asked Henri.

  “I was just imagining trying to explain to a doctor in emergency how you broke my arm during sex.”

  Henri lifted up to his elbow and swept back the loose strands of hair. “Is that before or after I explain how you pulled my dick off?”

  “Hey, that wasn’t my fault.”

  “No blame, just the facts. My dick in your hand, me bleeding to death. Conclusions will be drawn.”

  “While they’re drawing, they might draw a dick on you if you ask nicely.”

  Henri grunted. “So long as it’s a hard-on and not on the slack.”

  He drew Henri into a slow kiss. “Stay with me?” The flicker of uncertainty in Henri’s eyes was a disappointment. “Don’t if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Just know I’d like you to.”

  Birch reached over and snatched up his shirt. He cleaned them up and settled back in next to Henri. They had been lying for less than a minute when Henri sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his pants on.

  “Do you have to go?” He didn’t want to pressure him, but he couldn’t help himself. He so desperately wanted Henri to stay but tried to hide his disappointment.

  “I… I need to.”

  Even though Henri remained sitting with his back to him, Birch nodded.

  “I feel so awkward. I don’t know what to say. Thank you?”

  “You’re welcome, Hen.”

  A broad smile was gracing Henri’s lips when he glanced over his shoulder.

  “What?” Maybe it was the use of the nickname.

  “Nothing.” Henri retrieved his T-shirt and slipped it on as he stood.

  Birch waited until he was at the door. “I still have a get-out-of-jail-free card that needs to be used.”

  With his hand on the doorknob, Henri looked back with a grin. “I’m aware.”

  IT WAS almost lunchtime when Birch finally made it down to the kitchen. Jason and Nate had made part of the area some kind of command centre. The room was a ridiculous size, probably big enough to accommodate the entire police force. One side housed the dishwasher and fridge, while the adjacent side contained one of the three sinks, and draining boards. Another sink was set into one of two island benches, while the second island bench doubled as a type of breakfast counter that could seat six to eight people comfortably. It was here that Jason and Nate had spread out their gear.

  “Where did all this stuff come from?” asked Birch.

  “Mike and Zan dropped it off,” said Jason.

  “Are they cops?”

  “No, they are not cops.” Nate’s huffiness took Birch by surprise.

  “Mike is our boss, and Zan is a colleague.” Jason’s tone suggested that if Birch dared ask anything else, he might land himself another case of concussion.

  Nate was sitting looking into a large tool box. Moving around behind him, Birch glanced over his shoulder to discover the tool box contained a computer that drove the electronics within. “What is that?”

  “Countersurveillance sweeping system,” said Nate.

  “That explains everything.”

  “For detecting bugs, cameras, and most other surveillance equipment.”

  “Shouldn’t that have been done before we arrived?”

  Nate turned to look at him. “Are you a spy now?”

  Birch grinned at the biting tone. “I have helicopter-riding credentials to prove it. Now I just need the sewn-together pockets, and I’ll be fully certified.”

  “Leave my fucking pants alone,” mumbled Nate.

  “Didn’t touch ’em.”

  “Hang on, Birch,” said Jason, “I’ll just grab my med kit. It’s time to get those stitches out.”

  It was time, but he wondered if Jason’s interruption was meant to thwart Nate’s grumpiness.

  “Everything okay?” Birch asked once Jason had gone to fetch his medic bag.

  “Apart from the fact we’re only getting this shit now?” Nate said as he waved at the gadgetry on the table. “Yeah, fucking fantastic.”

  “Okay, since everything is fantastic, would you like a coffee?” He could sense Nate’s eyes burning into his back as he went and filled the kettle.

  “There’s coffee pods there,” said Nate.

  “Is that a yes, then?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Nate was still tinkering with the electronics when Birch delivered a coffee to him and sat at the bench on a stool that was more like an armchair. Half expecting it to rock, it didn’t surprise him when he discovered it spun in complete circles. “Have you ever been in a place as ludicrously overindulgent before?”

  “Only for work.”

  Little lights flashed on a small square plastic object no bigger than a key ring. “What’s that for?”

  “It’s telling me there are RF waves in here.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “Not necessarily. Could just be interference.”

  “Okay,” said Jason as he entered the room. “Move up here where there’s more natural light.”

  Doing as he was told, Birch moved to the end seat and swung it around to face the light from the window. Jason set the bag on a stool and opened it out. Searching through it, he pulled out the necessary tools: gauze, surgical scissors, and a little bottle of fluid Birch figured was probably alcohol.

&nb
sp; As Jason moved things around in the splayed bag, Birch spied a box of condoms. He thought it a strange thing for a medic bag, but then maybe there was an off-label use for them that Birch was unaware of—or not. The box fell to one side of the bag as Jason pulled out some disposable gloves. He opened the package, and as he was snapping a glove into place, Henri walked in.

  “That is not a good look for the kitchen,” Henri said. “Looks like you’re about to do an internal search.”

  Jason did a double take and watched Henri as he passed them before he answered. “I am, and I’m looking for volunteers.” He snapped the other glove into place but kept his eyes on Henri as he continued to the coffee maker. He gazed at him for a few more seconds before turning his attention to laying out the gauze.

  The first stitch had been removed and set on the gauze when Henri came over to watch while the coffee brewed. Leaning over, Henri examined Jason’s work closely as the second stitch was removed.

  “Getting a good view?” Jason asked.

  Henri ignored the barb. “Is that a bit of infection there?” He pointed to a section of Birch’s forehead.

  Jason leaned in and looked closely. “No. It’s just a bit of discolouration.”

  “Oh,” said Henri and returned to organize his cup.

  With all the stitches removed, Jason picked up the gauze and folded the discarded thread inside. He pulled the gloves off, leaving the gauze tucked into them.

  Hoping to snag a few condoms when Jason went to put things in the rubbish bin, Birch looked into the bag, but the entire box had gone.

  “What’s so funny?” Jason asked when he looked up.

  “What? Nothing,” said Birch.

  Maybe Henri had similar ideas—he could always hope. He visually searched Henri’s pockets for evidence that he had snatched the condoms, but his pockets looked flat and empty. Of course, he’d had all that time while he was ostensibly making coffee to hide them.

  After Jason had packed the medic bag back up, he sat facing towards where Henri was making sandwiches, wearing a quizzical expression. Trying to determine what had Jason so puzzled, Birch watched Henri as well. After two seconds, he was pretty sure Jason wasn’t admiring the way Henri’s ass looked in the jeans we wore, or the broadness of his square shoulders in that T-shirt.

  “You’re in a good mood,” Jason finally said to Henri.

  Henri slapped a slice of bologna on each of the open sandwiches. “Yes, I am.”

  Hoping he had at least a small part in the making of that mood, Birch tried not to smile too much. Although part of his smile was caused by Henri’s irreverent way of putting food together.

  “Any particular reason?”

  “Do I need one?” Even with his back to them, Birch could hear the grin in Henri’s voice.

  “Given the circumstances, I would have thought a good mood was a little hard to come by.”

  Birch marvelled at how easy it had been to judge Henri for moods that seemed incongruent to circumstance, but here he was, in as good a mood as Henri despite being in hiding from a psychopath. He loved being on the same wavelength as Henri.

  Since it was clear Henri had no plans to enlighten Jason, Birch decided to attempt distraction. “What are all these little things for?” he asked Nate as he picked up a contoured piece of plastic.

  “Motion sensors. We’re going to enclose part of the house that we use. We’ll know if anyone breaches it. Just an extra layer of security.”

  “Does that mean we can only go into certain areas of the house?”

  “Yep. We’ll let you know. I’ll need access to each of your rooms once I get this sweeper up and running. I want to make doubly sure nothing was carted in on your gear from the other house.”

  “But what if it was?” asked Birch. “He’ll already know where we are.”

  “In a way it would be good if there was. Then we could send it somewhere and set a trap for him.”

  Chapter 10

  WHILE NATE swept their rooms with the countersurveillance equipment, Birch joined Henri for a swim in the pool. If he could forget there was a psychopath after them, which he seemed quite able to manage with Henri around, Birch could believe they were staying at some private luxury resort. Of course, it was a little disconcerting when a fully armed cop walked around the side of the pool and disappeared into the garden.

  The two of them were down at one end talking, arms propped on the edge, when Nate came out to speak with them.

  “Find anything?” Henri asked.

  “No. All your gear has been cleared, as have the rooms. So you’re free to go back anytime,” said Nate before he disappeared back inside.

  Henri grinned at Birch. “So long as he didn’t find the condoms I stole.”

  “Yeah, how the hell did you do that? I was going to snag a few, but when the opportunity arose, the entire box was gone.”

  A mischievous grin claimed Henri’s mouth. “A magician never reveals how a trick is performed. But since I’m not a magician—Nate had his head stuck in that computer box thing, and while I was asking and pointing at the ‘infected area’ on your forehead, my other hand was sneaking the condoms out. Then I threw them in the cutlery drawer.”

  “I hope they didn’t get pricked with a knife or fork.”

  “Yeah, cutlery wasn’t the kind of prick I wanted in them, that’s for sure,” said Henri. “Still, they were in a box, and they looked unharmed when I retrieved them.” Henri waggled his eyebrows. “They’re the good ones too, ultra-lubed. Trust Jason not to scrimp.”

  “Perhaps we should test a few before we put the rest of the box back. You know, so we don’t accidentally return ones with holes in them,” Birch suggested.

  Henri moved closer to him. “Swing by my room tonight, and I’ll have the testing kit ready. We can perform science.”

  Birch laughed at Henri’s ability to say it so seriously. “Science has never gotten my interest up before.”

  Henri looked down into the water at the front of Birch’s jocks. He scrunched his face. “The water is distorting my view of your interest.”

  “You’ll just have to wait, then, won’t you?”

  BIRCH TRIED to act nonchalant as he knocked on Henri’s door. He ran his hands through his hair and wiped his palms on his jeans. He hadn’t even thought to ask whether Henri was a top or a bottom. He could go either way, but since he hadn’t asked, he’d made sure to go the extra mile when he was showering in case he found himself bottoming.

  “Come in” came Henri’s muffled voice.

  Birch slipped into the room to find it empty, but the bathroom door was ajar and the light was on.

  “I’ll be out in a sec.”

  “Okay.”

  Seeing some maps on the ornate desk in one corner of the room, Birch lifted the top one and found himself looking at Algoma County when he heard a clicking noise.

  He turned to find Henri standing in the bathroom doorway. Their eyes met momentarily before Birch let his gaze drift down to take in the sight before him. It looked like the towel around Henri’s hips was specially designed to show off the tremendous shape of his chest and torso. A handful of hair hung over his left shoulder, a nipple peeking out from between the mix of dry and still-damp strands.

  Birch’s body reacted to the sight before him, Henri’s lust echoing back at him. He focused on the bulge now pushing at the front of the towel.

  They stood staring into each other’s eyes as if any movement would break the magic that had wound around them. Wanting to touch, to feel Henri beneath his fingertips, against his skin, Birch lowered the map to the table and began what seemed a long journey to the other side of the room.

  Henri remained standing in the doorway as if he’d promised to wait. Birch stepped close and leaned in to ghost Henri’s cheek with his own. He inhaled, taking in the fresh soapy scent. Heat radiated from Henri’s skin. Drawing back a little, he watched as, with closed eyes, Henri drew in a slow breath and tilted his head slightly. He moved his cheek in
close to Birch’s.

  Birch pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Henri’s mouth, which Henri accepted unmoving before Henri used his finger to lift Birch’s chin. Henri whispered kisses down his throat, and he raised his head to expose more of his neck to Henri’s attentions. Intoxicated with anticipation, Birch’s breathing became increasingly shallow until he felt breathless.

  Afraid to move and risk breaking this most sensuous of spells, he remained still as Henri dropped feather-soft kisses along his collarbone to the edge of his shirt. Vibrations of need and desire coursed throughout his body as his craving increased.

  When Henri claimed his mouth in a delicate kiss, he surrendered all control to this slow, intimate dance Henri was leading. Henri deepened the kiss not only with his mouth, but by allowing his chest to brush lightly against Birch’s. In subtle increments, the deepening of their connection continued until Birch found himself pinned against the wall by Henri’s kisses and his body.

  Henri moved his hips back a second before loosening the waistband of Birch’s jeans and then unzipping them. Henri freed Birch’s cock and bent at the knees until Birch was towering over him. The sensation of Henri kissing up into his mouth was oddly erotic. The next moment Henri was sliding upwards, their cocks pressed together. Still pressing his lips to Birch’s, Henri moved from beneath to above him until Birch felt he was being devoured.

  A knock at the door ground everything to a halt. Henri leaned his forehead against Birch’s, and they shared each other’s heavy breaths as the magic that had taken hold of them evaporated.

  When the knock came again, Henri stepped away, snatched up the towel, and rewrapped it to present a more modest appearance before going to answer the door.

  Birch was grateful that they were in Henri’s room so it was Henri who had to answer the door. Their bout of intimacy had left him feeling weak-kneed. He hadn’t even been aware they had ended up in the bathroom, but he stood just inside the doorway, leaning his back to the wall. Henri’s dominance left him laid bare, but in a perfectly heady way. He was having trouble bringing himself back down—mainly because he wanted more. So much more.