“Please, Gabe,” he whispered, voice breaking slightly over his name. He didn’t even care that he was begging. “Please, I need you to make me come.”
Whether it was the words or his tone of voice, Gabe’s already dark eyes practically became black in the dim light of the bedroom, and then he was on Matt, mouth taking him fast and sucking him down deep with no warning whatsoever.
Matt tried to buck up at the onslaught of sensation, but Gabe held his hips pinned down in a bruising grip. He was at the mercy of Gabe’s carnal assault, unable to move, barely able to breathe. He could only ride the burn as Gabe stoked it higher and hotter, mouth and tongue a scorching, wet wickedness wrapped around him, giving him no quarter, no escape, no choice but to succumb.
His awareness had shrunk down to nothing but Gabe, and as the ecstasy engulfed him in a twisting storm of heat, he could only utter the single syllable of Gabe’s name over and over—whether it was a whisper or a shout he didn’t know and didn’t care as he shot into Gabe’s mouth and felt him greedily swallow down every drop.
“Oh fuck,” he heard Gabe whisper hoarsely as he slid up Matt’s body and caught his mouth in a frantic kiss. An aftershock of pleasure stuttered through him when he tasted himself on Gabe’s tongue. He moaned helplessly into Gabe’s mouth as Gabe thrust once, twice, three times against Matt’s still-half-hard cock and then shuddered as his release spurted hotly between them.
Gabe softened the kiss, then stilled, their lips only just brushing as they both tried to catch their breath. Matt could feel himself being dragged into a sated sleep, the secure warm weight of Gabe on top of him even more drugging than the painkillers had been.
“Gabe,” he murmured contentedly, all inhibitions and apprehensions stripped from him, leaving only one truth that carried him into sleep… I think I love you.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
GABE FROZE as Matt’s whispered words washed over him.
I think I love you.
Breath caught in his chest, Gabe pushed up on his forearms to stare down at him, but Matt’s eyes were closed and his breathing had evened out in a way that could only mean he’d fallen asleep. Did he even realize what he’d said? That he’d gone and given Gabe a heart attack and was now sleeping in peaceful innocence?
For half a second, he was tempted to shake Matt awake and demand an explanation. Except the poor guy was clearly exhausted and the need to take care of him overrode the wild joy, apprehension, and confusion surging through Gabe.
It should have been crazy. Things like this didn’t happen in real life. Certainly not to him, when he’d always prided himself on common sense and cool logic. He’d only known Matt a week, but he couldn’t deny his growing feelings.
“I think I love you too,” he murmured, brushing a strand of dark hair from Matt’s forehead before feathering his lips over Matt’s cheek and jawline.
He pushed to his feet, grimacing slightly at the cooling stickiness on his abdomen, and took the risk of padding across the hallway naked into the bathroom. Danny and Jake’s room was at the opposite end of the house—or so Jake had said. Gabe was fairly sure if the two men weren’t already asleep, they’d be otherwise occupied themselves, so he wasn’t too worried about getting caught.
He rummaged through the cupboards until he found a cloth and wet it with warm water. He tidied himself first, then got a fresh cloth and crossed back through the hall to tend to Matt. He didn’t stir the entire time Gabe spent gently and thoroughly cleaning him, and even after Gabe took the cloth back to the bathroom and returned to the bed, Matt hadn’t moved an inch, still lying in the same sated sprawl in the middle of the mattress.
Gabe slid in next to him, pulled up the blankets, and lifted one of Matt’s arms, half rolling him to the side so Gabe could snug up behind him. Matt finally stirred a little, but only enough to cuddle into him, leaving them firmly wrapped together. The lovers Gabe had slept with in the past, he’d never minded snuggling with them after, but it always seemed to be something they wanted more than he had. It’d been nice, but he just as easily could do without it whenever he slept with someone who didn’t want to cuddle after.
With Matt, however, it was a whole other thing. The need for physical contact, the yearning to completely tangle himself up with Matt so their bodies were touching everywhere they possibly could be… he’d never felt that before. It was surprising and gratifying but somehow also terrifying since now the shoe was on the other foot and he was the one hoping Matt felt the same way.
Too many thoughts were colliding in his head for him to drop off right away like Matt had—juggling too many separate elements of this case and his personal life in a way he’d never had to before. He tried over and over again to arrange it all so the situation could be resolved quickly and successfully, but there were too many elements out of his control. He hated the kernel of helplessness burrowed in underneath it all like a burr, especially knowing Matt was in danger. There was no denying his feelings for Matt put Gabe in a vulnerable position he’d never expected to find himself in and didn’t want to ever experience again once this case was wrapped up and Matt was safe at home in San Francisco.
At some point near dawn, Gabe finally went under deep and fell into the kind of boneless sleep he’d needed three hours ago. However, not even two hours later, muted voices coming from the kitchen roused him. Matt was still completely out of it, so he gently untangled himself and hopped into his pants, foregoing his shirt since it was speckled with Yas’s blood and he was planning on tossing it in the trash in the very near future.
He quietly left the room and followed the voices until he found the kitchen. Danny and Jake were standing next to each other at the island bench, coffee and a stack of pancakes between them making Gabe’s stomach growl.
“Morning,” Jake greeted, seeing him first. “Help yourself. Mugs are in the second top cupboard on the right, and there’re plenty of pancakes here.”
“Thanks,” he replied, already searching out a mug and pouring the coffee like a dehydrated athlete on a marathon. He could have groaned in pleasure when the first sip coated his tongue—it was the best brew he’d had since leaving Houston over a week ago.
“Matt still asleep?” Danny asked, forking a couple of pancakes onto a plate and then handing it over.
“Yeah, he was pretty wrecked last night. Didn’t want to wake him.” He shoved half a pancake in his mouth, not bothering with the pretense of manners as he realized he couldn’t remember when he’d eaten last.
“Well, I better go or Old Man Murphy will be on my case for the rest of the day. Keep me posted on how things play out.” Danny put his mug in the sink and crossed the kitchen, pausing to kiss Jake on the way past. “And stay safe out there.”
“Always,” Jake murmured, deepening the kiss, apparently not caring they had an audience.
Danny pulled back with a knowing smile before bidding them both goodbye and leaving through the backdoor.
“How’d you get so damned lucky?” Gabe asked before he’d even realized he was going to say anything.
If Jake thought it was untoward, however, he didn’t say so.
“Purely by chance.” Jake grinned and offered him another couple of pancakes, probably because he’d woofed down the first couple in two minutes flat. “The sheriff called me earlier.”
Gabe had to set down his plate and then wash his last mouthful of food down with a gulp of coffee when it stuck in his throat.
“Did they find anyone fleeing the scene?”
It’d be so easy to wrap this case up if they’d found Ferguson in the vicinity with a gun that ballistics could match to the slugs they pulled out of the drywall in the motel room.
“No, but the sheriff eventually went ’round to Ferguson’s house just before dawn and yanked him out of bed to take him into the station. Swears he was there all night. No alibi, of course.”
Dammit.
It’d been too much to hope things would end so simply.
“Forens
ics will check his hands for gunpowder residue as a matter of due course. We’ll see if he’s fired a weapon in the past twenty-four hours.”
“Still circumstantial,” Jake commented, finishing up his own breakfast and putting his plate in the sink.
Jake was right, as much as admitting that—even silently—galled him. Even if Ferguson happened to be telling the truth and hadn’t fired the gun himself, he could have persuaded or paid someone else to do it for him. Then there was the outside possibility that one of Ferguson’s groupies had taken offense and acted without Ferguson’s knowledge. It would make the case far more complicated than he wanted it to be.
“It’s better than nothing.” Circumstantial, yes. But he could build from there. “And that search warrant for his house should be coming through anytime now.”
Hopefully Ferguson would be dumb enough or arrogant enough to hide the weapon, not dump it. If they found the gun, complete with matched ballistics and Ferguson’s fingerprints, then the guy would find himself with a one-way ticket to Fort Worth in no time.
“I’m heading in to the station.” Jake snagged his keys, wallet, and cell phone off the counter. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything about the warrant. There’s a key on the hall table by the front door. Use it to lock up when you leave and get it back to me later.”
“Thanks, man,” he said as Jake paused to clasp his hand and slap his back before heading for the door Danny had left through a few minutes earlier.
“By the way,” Jake said, pausing as he stepped across the threshold. “I reckon maybe you got lucky yourself. Sometimes it just takes a blind leap of faith.”
His heart stuttered before taking up a pounding against the inside of his chest. “What’s it like, taking that leap? Truthfully.”
“Truthfully?” Jake stared off into space, clearly thinking about his answer for a long moment while Gabe held his breath. “It’s fucking terrifying at first. But if you stick the landing, then it’s worth it. It’s worth everything.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Despite his fledgling plans to feel out a job at the San Francisco FBI offices, there was a small part of him convinced he and Matt wouldn’t work out in the end. And deep down he knew if that happened, it was going to hurt him far worse and far more deeply than any other failed relationship ever had. “All I can think is I’m going to crash and burn instead.”
Jake gave a quick shrug. “Sorry, buddy, can’t help you with that one. All you can do is ball up, make the jump, and hope for the best.”
He gave a dry laugh as Jake sent him a wave before disappearing out into the morning sunshine. It was easy for Jake to say—things had worked out for him.
However, if he had to pick a flaw in his personality, it was that he’d always been a risk taker. He had put himself out there on the line in all kinds of ways over the years. Deciding to start what he’d thought was going to be a fling with Matt had been a risk, even before it’d become complicated as shit with Matt getting involved in the case he’d been assigned on the ALP.
So despite his reservations, he already knew what he was going to do. He finished his coffee, found a second mug and poured a fresh cup, then took the plate with the last of the pancakes. He just hoped he could convince Matt they were a risk worth taking and jumping into this thing feet-first after only knowing each other a week wasn’t the craziest thing he’d ever done in his life.
WHEN GABE stepped into the hallway, Matt was just coming out of the bathroom. He was only wearing a pair of sweats and they were riding almost indecently low on his hips. His dark hair was an adorable mess, and if Gabe’s hands hadn’t been full holding Matt’s breakfast, he would have already had the guy pinned up against the wall, kissing the shit out of him.
“That for me?” Matt was reaching for the plate of pancakes and cup of coffee before he’d even finished asking the question.
“All yours,” he confirmed. “I already ate. Jake and Danny left a few minutes ago.”
He led Matt into the bedroom and sat down next to him on the end of the bed. Matt took a gulp of the coffee, and when he looked for somewhere to put it down, Gabe took it back so Matt could eat his pancakes.
“Did I oversleep?” Matt asked between mouthfuls.
“No, it’s still early. Anyway, considering last night, I doubt anyone would blame you if you had slept late.”
He took in the dark smudges under Matt’s eyes, his fair skin even more pale than it usually was. He looked like he could use a few more hours’ sleep. What were the chances Matt would simply stay in bed for the morning while he went to the station to see if they could finally tie Ferguson to the case and put the guilty culprit behind bars where he belonged? His instincts were still telling him not to leave Matt alone, but no one knew they were staying at Jake and Danny’s house, and even if Ferguson had accomplices helping him, Matt would probably be safe here for a few hours.
“Did they find the shooter?” Matt asked after he finished the first pancake. Instead of starting a second, he used the fork to break it into pieces but didn’t eat any more.
“They didn’t find anyone leaving the scene last night, but the sheriff apprehended Ferguson in his home and took him into the station for questioning early this morning. A warrant to search his house will be coming through this morning, and if we find the evidence we need, he won’t be going anywhere.”
Matt set the plate on the floor near his feet and then shifted to face him. “Then you’ll be done, right? Heading back to Houston?”
Though Matt’s expression remained carefully neutral, Gabe could see a hint of vulnerability in his eyes.
“I’ve got some leave owing,” he said impulsively to test the waters. “I’m thinking San Francisco would be nice at this time of year. Besides, I hear there’s this awesome bakery-coffee-shop in SoMa worth traveling clear across the country for.”
For a moment, Matt stared at him, taking in the words as if he didn’t quite believe what he’d heard. But then his blue eyes lit up as relief and anticipation crossed his features.
“They must have some seriously delicious baked goods.” A reticent smile slipped over Matt’s lips, the expression making Gabe want to kiss the hell out of him. The guy was so cute, he couldn’t stand it. He put the coffee down on the floor next to the plate.
“Wouldn’t have a clue.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over Matt’s. “I just know the place has a seriously delicious owner.”
Matt pulled back slightly, an irreverent glint in his gaze. “Don’t let Sammie hear you say that about him. His ego is big enough as it is.”
“You’re impossible,” he laughed, pushing Matt down on the bed.
Matt wound his arms around his neck as Gabe hovered over him.
“Are you really going to come to San Francisco for me?”
Gabe lowered his head, kissing Matt slow and sensual, putting all the feelings he couldn’t give voice to into worshipping Matt’s lips.
“I want to see what this thing is between us,” he said quietly, mouth lightly brushing Matt’s as he spoke. “I want to see what we are, what we have outside of Everness and the insanity of the past week.”
“I want that too,” Matt whispered in return, fingers feathering through his hair before gripping in a light tug. “God, I want that.”
Matt surged up to capture his mouth, arms tightening around Gabe’s neck, dragging them closer together. Something had shifted between them; he could feel it in the kiss—different from any other kiss they’d shared before now—as if the final barrier had fallen away, leaving nothing between them but the truth that no matter how or why they’d come together, no matter the obstacles, they were both willing to fight for something more.
Gabe shifted across Matt’s body, settling between his thighs when Matt opened his legs, then wrapped one around Gabe’s waist, heel digging into his ass and urging him down tighter until their cocks were pressed together. He dragged his mouth from Matt’s, kissing his way down his neck, taking full adv
antage with his tongue and teeth when Matt tipped his head back to give him better access.
“Gabe.” Matt drew out his name on a ragged exhale. “I need you—all of you.”
His hands tightened reflexively where he held Matt’s hips, lips pausing where he’d been nipping at the pulse throbbing just above his collarbone. The idea of sliding into Matt’s tight warmth almost made him come right then and there.
“Gabe?” Matt tensed beneath him, voice taking on a hint of concern, obviously mistaking his sudden stillness as reluctance. “We don’t have to—”
Gabe pushed up on his forearms so he could stare down at him. “I want to give you everything.”
Everything. Not just in the physical sense, but in all the ways that mattered and more. Once the thought would have terrified him, especially after how his last few relationships had ended. But the way he felt about Matt made it seem all too easy.
“You already have,” Matt murmured, ocean-blue eyes full of awe and longing and passion and so much warm affection it made Gabe’s chest squeeze around his heart.
He didn’t have any words he could say in return—not any he was ready to put out there when things between them were so new and the danger surrounding Matt had left them both feeling so raw. Instead, he took Matt’s mouth in a lavish kiss, hands skimming to the elastic waistband of Matt’s sweatpants so he could tug them down.
Once they were out of the way, Matt kicked them aside, never once breaking the kiss. Gabe found his own pants gone in another few seconds, and then there was nothing between them any longer. Nothing to stop the heavy drag of his hard cock against Matt’s. Nothing to diminish the simple ecstasy of pressing his chest against Matt, enjoying the subtle stretch and shift of Matt’s lean muscles as he moved restlessly beneath him.
He skimmed his hand lightly over Matt’s erection, earning a hoarse string of curses, but didn’t linger, trailing his fingers lower. Matt arched and pressed against his hand, silently begging for more, but Gabe belatedly realized they might have a small problem.
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