Nice Guys Collection With Added Bonus Material

by Kindle Alexander

  “How about some lunch? We can sit and talk. I have a feeling you’ll be assigned as my temporary partner in this deal. We need to get on the same page. There’re a few things we need to go over. Just for the record, I’m not any fonder of working with the suits than you are. I’m good with gettin’ in there, gettin’ the job done, and gettin’ the hell out as soon as humanly possible.”

  “Sure, whatever.” Aaron dismissed him and continued staring out the passenger side window. Kreed could feel the frustration rolling off Aaron in waves. Whether it was the FBI assignment or the sexual tension sitting between them, he couldn’t tell yet. Secretly he hoped for the latter, especially since he’d been so solidly turned down.

  Kreed pulled into the first restaurant he saw. Aaron Stuart was on his radar and Kreed wasn’t about to let this kid out of his sight.

  Chapter 3

  Aaron stepped out of the SUV and immediately adjusted himself. His ever growing hard-on pressing against the tight new Levi’s hurt and annoyed the shit out of him. Unfortunately, the slight adjustment hadn’t been enough, but he couldn’t very well stick his hands down his pants and rectify the situation in front of the very man who caused all this discomfort.

  Kreed Sinacola hadn’t minced words.

  Damn, if it wasn’t such a turn-on to be hit on. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made their intentions so undeniably clear. The heat in Kreed’s eyes had cemented the suggestion they go back to the hotel and fuck like bunnies. And his traitorous dick jumped right on board that train wreck of an idea.

  As he contemplated the advantages and the complications of the notion, his brow furrowed. Aaron couldn’t really remember the last time he’d had sex. Well…other than with his palm. Yeah, he did what he needed to do to get his rocks off, but he really didn’t consider jacking off anywhere in the vicinity of having sex. It was quick, perfunctory, and got the job done. A means to an end.

  The whole going out to get laid lifestyle grew old about the same time life had become so serious. Between work and the changing culture of today’s gay community, it seemed every guy he met wanted a committed relationship. It was their right. But commitments took work, and that was something he didn’t have time for. Sex for the sake of sex wasn’t that easy to find anymore. Somehow strings were always attached, no matter what was agreed on before the deed.

  Yet, his dumb ass had just been offered that very thing by the handsome guy standing in front of this rental car and he’d turned him down flat. Aaron glanced Kreed’s way. Any doubt that he’d gotten it wrong and Kreed wasn’t as hot as he’d originally thought vanished. Honestly, Kreed might be the sexiest man he’d ever seen.

  Aaron had a gut feeling that sex with Kreed Sinacola would fall somewhere in that gray area between black and white. If Aaron couldn’t untangle himself from this case, Kreed would be there pushing his way in, which would make the deputy marshal one of the biggest complications of all. Aaron absolutely didn’t need anyone looking over his shoulder right now.

  Dammit to hell! He hadn’t expected all these contradictions and desires warring inside him. Aaron reached out to slam the passenger door shut before opening the back door of the SUV to retrieve his coat. Out of nowhere, the image of Kreed taking him from behind on the SUV’s soft leather seat flashed in his head. His ass clenched and his knees buckled. Fuck! Aaron shook his head to push the thought away. He had to finish this case ASAP and get the hell out of Dodge. Aaron shivered involuntarily as the cold wind blew against his now-heated skin. He quickly regained his composure and grabbed his coat. He shrugged the thing on, zipping everything completely up to ward off the wind.

  All bundled up, Aaron ran his fingers through his already-disheveled hair. He released the pent up breath he’d been holding. Kreed was dangerous—too sexy, too hot, too direct, and too smart. He’d known before he ever got on that plane that he needed to watch this guy. Aaron had thought he had it under control. He hadn’t felt any sort of attraction for the deputy marshal until he’d actually set eyes on the hot-ass guy propped against the wall in the baggage claim area…then everything changed. This wasn’t the time in his life to be playing around with a senior deputy US marshal. The man had a classified military past that was so tightly secured Aaron had had a tough time breaking into that file. Deputy Marshal Sinacola was one intelligence badass—no question there.

  “Get a hold of yourself, Aaron. Kreed’s one of them and an arrogant ass to boot,” he mumbled quietly to himself. That was all he needed to remember to have the pressure in his overeager cock begin to ease.

  Feeling a little more on solid ground, Aaron moved and shut the door behind him. He looked over at Kreed as he rounded the bumper of the Tahoe and their eyes locked again. Aaron knew the guy was trying hard to get a read on him as their gazes held. After all, that was what Deputy Marshal Kreed Sinacola was known for. That bit of information had shown up in Kreed’s files over and over again—from the very start of his military career. Kreed had a well-documented innate ability to read a situation and come up with the correct assessment. He was sought out by many agencies and had been for years because of his reputation for closing the cases he worked.

  Kreed was a force and Aaron didn’t want him looking too closely at him for any reason during their time together. That was the true reason he hadn’t shed his clothing and taken the guy up on his offer right there in the front seat of the SUV.

  He absolutely couldn’t allow himself to get caught up in the aspirations of his hard dick.

  Aaron’s entire strategic plan had been to stay aloof and completely disagreeable to keep both the bureau and Kreed’s intuition at arm’s length. He needed to always remember himself around Kreed, especially now. He had too much at risk.

  “Did you lock the door?” Aaron asked, his voice may have been an octave or two deeper, but he doubted Kreed would notice. He still cleared his throat to keep himself even. Aaron couldn’t let on how much the guy actually affected him. Kreed lifted his hand, held the key fob in front of his face while looking him straight in the eyes, and pressed the button, that damn smirk making another appearance. Fucker!

  Aaron took a deep breath to calm himself as he heard the door locks click into place and the horn beep once, reassuring him the car was secure. Lord, Kreed could hold a stare without flinching. Aaron tried to return the gaze, fought not to look away, but damn, it was hard. Kreed’s intensity disconcerted him and intrigued him in equal measure. In the end, Aaron forced his eyes away, cutting them toward the mom-and-pop restaurant across the parking lot.

  “Are we eating?” Aaron asked, sounding a little overly disgruntled, even to himself.

  “Beauty before age,” Kreed said on a chuckle and stuck his hand out to direct him. Aaron eyed him again as he passed by and headed for the front door, ready to get out of the fucking cold-ass weather.

  “Clothes new? Didn’t have any cold weather clothing?” Kreed questioned, trailing behind.

  “I had plenty until they were scattered all over the ice at Atlanta International.” Aaron looked back over his shoulder. He caught Kreed’s gaze lingering on his ass while he walked. Aaron rolled his eyes. Out of all the scenarios that had played out in his head about this man and this trip, none of them had included Kreed having the sexual maturity of a horny teenage boy. “Dude, seriously. It’s not gonna happen, so stop.”

  “I’ve got a couple of hours before you become my colleague. I can look all I want right now. Just so you know, from where I’m standing, the view’s magnificent. Bet it’s even better without all your new, shiny threads in the way.”

  Aaron spun around in the middle of the parking lot, the icy wind stinging his cheeks as he faced off with Kreed. He had to get a hold of this situation. Aaron dropped his fingers to where he thought Kreed’s gaze was and held them much like an inverted peace sign then lifted his wrist, directing Kreed’s stare up to meet his. He used those two fingers to gesture between their eyes, keeping an intense look of irritation on his face as he spoke
the words.

  “My eyes are up here. Now, listen to me. Whatever fantasy you have bouncing around in that oversized head of yours… Not. Gonna. Happen. I’m here until I can convince them to send me home. That’s it. End of story!” The amused look Kreed gave made him wonder if the man had heard anything he’d said. Aaron threw his hands in the air and growled in frustration, such a better emotion to hang on to.

  Aaron tossed out the next words just to get a dig in. “So, you better get over it, old man.”

  Kreed barked out a laugh and started moving forward again, passing Aaron. “Say what you want, but I know what I saw in your eyes when you walked up to me at the airport. You can fight it all you want, kid. But I know you want a piece of this.”

  Aaron sighed, letting his head drop back between his shoulders, and just stared up at the dark, cloud-covered sky in total disbelief. Dammit to hell, he was in so much trouble here. Yeah, Kreed was absolutely right about wanting him, but it didn’t matter, because he wasn’t going there. The horn that blasted behind him startled the fuck out of him and had him jerking around to find he’d come to a stop right in the middle of the parking lot, blocking traffic.

  Kreed seriously got under his skin.

  The annoyingly loud bark of laughter coming from the front door of the restaurant brought him back to reality. Aaron lifted his hand, sending a quick wave of apology to the people in the car. After pulling himself back together, he took a deep breath then jogged toward the door where Kreed was now doubled over in amusement—all that jovial attitude directed straight at him. Aaron definitely wasn’t laughing. The deputy marshal had him so wound up. He was almost certain that with just one click of Kreed’s fingers his resolve would snap and his whole world would spin completely out of control. Aaron felt the scowl settle into place as he walked past his handsome tormentor, feigning disinterest as he went inside to get a table.

  Kreed’s brow furrowed as he listened to Aaron rattle off his extensive food order to the waitress—two large appetizers, an entrée with extra sides, and a dessert. Was this kid serious? The server finally looked over at him for his order. Before he got a chance to speak, Aaron called her attention back to him. He had her repeat the order back to him, stopping her every other word to change or add something. She wrote quickly on her pad before she turned her somewhat dazed expression toward him.

  “Cheeseburger. Medium.” He stared at Aaron as he spoke the words. He only broke eye contact to hand the waitress his menu. To be nothing more than a good-natured smartass, he grinned at Aaron before he spoke. “Can you repeat that for me?”

  She started to turn away and stopped abruptly, turning back, a little startled. “Umm, yeah. You wanted a cheeseburger cooked medium.”

  Kreed nodded slowly, pretending to contemplate her words. “Yes… A cheeseburger…” He stared at Stuart when he said those words and laughed out loud at his own joke. Aaron didn’t seem to find the humor in his action. He waved a hand toward the waitress and gave her a wink. “I’m messing with him. Ignore me.”

  She looked almost relieved before quickly turning away and leaving them alone again.

  “You seriously gonna eat all that?”

  “Every bite. I have a very fast metabolism and I haven’t eaten today,” Aaron replied, linking his fingers together on the table.

  “Not the first time you’ve been asked that question?”

  “Nope, it’s not.” Aaron stared back at him, holding eye contact. This time Kreed was less affected by all that hot, sexy, edgy hipster thing Aaron had going on, which was a good thing. Kreed had started them off all wrong. He shouldn’t have gone there so quickly, but there was something about that adorable nerdy thing that did it for him. Kreed knew he could come across a little strong when he wanted something—clearly not the right approach to take with Aaron. If he could make Aaron comfortable, then he’d open up more, and that would greatly help in connecting some of the missing dots in the questions circulating through Kreed’s overactive brain. Based on all the attitude in the stare he was getting right now, Aaron had resurrected the walls Kreed had managed to dislodge with his earlier innuendos.

  “You gonna share any of those appetizers?” he asked, trying for friendly.

  “Umm…I guess, but you should’ve ordered something more for yourself.”

  Kreed couldn’t help but bark out a laugh at the pained look he received. Mental note made: Aaron didn’t share or play with his food. Got it.

  “I’m good. I can’t eat all that crap anymore. I’m too old. It’s gettin’ harder to work it off.” Kreed reached down and patted his belly. Aaron’s gaze followed his hand before skittishly darting back up to meet his eyes.

  “You aren’t ready for social security. You can’t be that old,” Aaron finally replied.

  “You know my age,” Kreed said. There was no way Aaron hadn’t come prepared, with intel on everything and everyone involved. The kid was too smart for that.

  A slow smile parted Aaron’s lips. “It makes people uncomfortable when I rattle off personal details. For the record, I wasn’t just searching you, so don’t get a big head. I can tell you Connors’s and Brown’s ages too.”

  “A foursome. I could be into that…” Kreed murmured, leaning back against the booth seat. The stern expression on Aaron’s handsome face fractured, and to his delight, the kid even laughed a little at the joke. Interestingly enough, Aaron had a funny way of easing his heart. The banter between them left him feeling lighter than he had in months. For the first time since the awful news, his brother’s death wasn’t the most pressing thought on his mind.

  “Is it brains or some sort of photographic memory?” Kreed asked. Aaron studied him for a full minute before the corners of his mouth curled, turning the smile into a challenging you-tell-me grin. Kreed watched Aaron’s face lighten, smoothing out his features, making him look even younger and more handsome. Kreed was slightly mesmerized for a brief moment.

  “You know my IQ,” Aaron challenged.

  “I know what the bureau profile says. I’m guessing it’s probably higher,” Kreed reasoned.

  “Why would I lie?”

  “Not sure. You would have to answer that.” The smile faded and Kreed hated he’d caused its loss. He was supposed to be drawing the guy out, not closing him up tighter. “I didn’t think you were truly twenty-nine. I’ve been twenty-nine for nine years, but you look young. Are you?”

  Kreed leaned back as a heaping mound of nachos and a plate of potato skins were placed in front of Aaron. The waitress sat a small empty plate next to the cute computer guy. The question he’d just asked was forgotten as the look of delight on Aaron’s face morphed into confusion when Kreed had an identical plate placed in front of him.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not mooching in on your grub.” Kreed lifted two hands high, making sure Aaron knew he wasn’t going to hone in on his food. Aaron eyed him closely before digging in, filling his plate to capacity. When done, he took one nacho and placed it on Kreed’s plate with a little you’re-welcome smirk. They both laughed at the move. “So I’m guessing you’re the youngest in your family?”

  “Why do you say that?” Aaron asked after swallowing his first bite.

  “Experience. The youngest in the family’s least likely to share. And that’s magnified by the number of siblings. I’m thinking you’re probably the youngest of a big group of kids—like four or five.”

  Aaron nodded, swallowing another bite before taking a big drink of the ice water. “Very observant, Deputy Marshal. I make number five.”

  Before he spoke, Aaron lifted the napkin from his lap and wiped his mouth. He used utensils to eat his nachos and potato skins, chewed with his mouth closed, and frequently wiped with a napkin. No matter the rebel-meets-hipster style Aaron donned, he had an ingrained sense of manners that usually came from wealth, which just intensified the questions already forming in Kreed’s brain.

  Kreed understood that in order to solve a puzzle, you had to start by placing the first pie
ce, then the second, and over time the whole picture would slowly be revealed, making the game more time-consuming than complicated. Good thing Kreed had time.

  “We should be going over the facts…” Aaron suggested, leaning back to make room as some pasta dish was placed in front of him. “That’s the reason I’m here.”

  Kreed moved the plate in front of him to let the waitress place his there. He unwrapped the napkin, listening to Aaron ask for more butter, salsa, and ranch dressing. For Kreed, he was good with a Jumbo Jack from Jack in the Box for dinner. Somehow he didn’t see Aaron as a fast-food junkie. He’d probably reject that idea in such a way that it would be fun to taunt him with the stops. He made that mental note to remember to do that and gave a simple, “I’m good,” to the waitress when she asked if he needed anything more.

  “So you and me, plus Connors and Brown, are the new team?” Aaron questioned. Kreed built his burger, adding mustard to the bun.

  “I don’t think anyone else got called in from vacation.”

  “What about the assistant who helped Mitch?”

  “Anne? I don’t know. We’ll have to see. We have a two o’clock report time.” Kreed lifted his burger to his mouth and took a big bite. He’d found this little hole-in-the-wall place last time he was in town. His memory of the food didn’t disappoint.

  “So I’m probably not getting out of this?” Aaron asked. The honesty of the question intrigued Kreed, since he’d assumed the surly disposition had been an act. Aaron had always been ready to help, day or night.

  “Probably not,” Kreed stated, giving Aaron a truthful answer.

  “Dammit,” Aaron mumbled between bites. Kreed cocked his brow, watching the kid.