Danny’s cock ached, but he didn’t touch it, choosing instead to let his desire simmer in his blood while he gave all of his effort to making Jordan come. When Jordan was close, his cock pulsing against Danny’s tongue, he pulled off and looked up at his Dom. Jordan stared down at him with his eyes so full of lust Danny nearly came from the heat of his gaze. This was perfect and amazing. There was only one thing he wanted.
“Touch me,” he breathed. “Take control.”
Jordan cupped the back of his head with one big hand. Danny opened his mouth wide, ready when Jordan pushed him down onto his cock. Everything that was submissive in him glowed and shivered with delight as Jordan took over, forcing him to take the thick shaft he fed into his mouth and down his throat. At that moment, Danny wasn’t concerned with superhero fights or electricity or villains, he only wanted to make his man — his Dom — feel good. Jordan’s bicep flexed as he worked Danny up and down on his shaft.
“I’m coming, sweetheart. You want to stop?”
He eased up slightly on his grip, giving Danny space to answer yes or no.
Danny shook his head. There was no way he wasn’t seeing this through to the very end. He breathed through his nose as Jordan pushed him down again.
“Damn, baby. So good. So good. Ahh!”
Jordan shouted when he came on Danny’s tongue. Danny drank him down, fondling his balls, making sure every drop was released.
Once Jordan’s cock stopped pulsing in his mouth and his hand dropped away from the back of his head, Danny pulled away. He’d just wiped his lips when Jordan hauled him up to straddle his lap and straight into a fierce kiss. It was frantic and rough and Danny clung with his arms around Jordan’s broad shoulders, grinding his stiff cock against his abs for relief from his unfulfilled desire.
“Give me that oil,” Jordan said as soon as they parted.
“You don’t have to.”
“Give me the oil, Danny.”
Danny jumped at the firmly voiced command, stretching forward to grab the bottle he’d abandoned earlier. He passed it to Jordan, watching as he poured a good amount into his palm.
When he wrapped his big, calloused hand around Danny’s cock, Danny dropped his head back with a husky moan. Jordan gave him a slow hand job, steadily working him to climax at a deliciously slow pace. When he finally reached it, his hips pumped of their own volition, thrusting his pulsing cock in Jordan’s fist. Then he slumped, sweaty and satisfied, against his Dom’s chest.
Jordan wiped his hand on the sheet, then wrapped his arms around Danny, pulling him into a hug.
“Danny, I-.”
Danny raised back up at the note of deep feeling in Jordan’s voice. He cupped his face, gently running his fingers over the rough stubble of his low beard. As he gazed into Jordan’s eyes, he could see the love in their depths. But it was behind a shadowed veil of other emotions that kept him from speaking the words. Danny wouldn’t force him to say what he already knew. “It’s all right. When you’re ready, okay? When you’re ready.”
Jordan nodded then pulled him close again to tuck his face into the curve of Danny’s neck.
Danny held him tight, letting him breathe and just be. Jordan might be the Dom, but Danny instinctively understood that sometimes Dom’s needed space to recover too.
Eventually they made it under the covers and Jordan switched off the light. Assuming they were going to sleep, Danny settled down against his chest. But Jordan spoke into the darkness, his voice a low rumble beneath Danny’s ear.
“I’ve known Leon since we were kids. We were always together, from elementary all the way through high school. I was the dumb football jock. It was Leon everyone assumed would go on to make something of himself. He was a demon on the basketball court, racking up more points and records than any other point guard in the school’s history. But he was also sharply intelligent and fiercely out and proud. Teachers pointed at him as someone other students should look up to. Neighborhood parents welcomed him into their homes and were thrilled to have him as a friend for their kids.”
Danny lay there quietly, listening to the spontaneous confession. He didn’t want to interrupt and break Jordan’s flow, so he stroked the back of his hand to show he was awake and engaged.
“But I knew the truth. Leon was smug in his intelligence. And when the eyes of the neighborhood elders weren’t on him, he loved the thrill of petty crime. Leon sneered at people behind their backs for not realizing it was him knocking over their mailboxes and slashing their tires. I won’t lie. I thought it was funny and joined in right along with him. So did Travis, my cousin and the third in our group. He was two grades behind me in school. Travis started hanging out with us because he looked up to me. I let him tag along because I liked being admired and showing off.”
“The three of us moved up from knocking over mailboxes to stealing cars so we could race each other. Joyriding and street racing were all fun and games. Until it wasn’t. The fun and games ended the night Travis died.”
Years had passed but the memories were still sharp enough to cut Jordan to the quick. His grieving aunt, slapping him across the face in front of everyone at the funeral. His mother, furious at her sister for striking her child. His father, noticing the electricity sparking on Jordan’s clenched fists and hustling him away from the gravesite before anyone else noticed too.
After the funeral, it was weeks of tense silence and hushed whispers behind his parent’s closed bedroom door. His aunt hated him for his involvement in her son’s death. As a result, the relationship between his mother and her sister was irreparably damaged, which lead to a huge rift in the family. Ashamed of the hurt he’d caused, and grieving his cousin, he’d nearly taken off with plans to disappear for good. But his father had seemed to read his mind and knew what he was planning. He’d taken a hiatus from work in order to help him get through it.
Jordan continued the story, determined to get it all out in one go. “But even after the tragedy, I didn’t clean up my act. I took advantage of my developing skills, using them to do exactly what we’d always done. Leon was there every night, egging me on.”
“Until one night, I was out by myself and saw a couple of punks harassing a homeless guy. That shit didn’t fly with me so I jumped in to help him. The punks took off and the man was grateful. I went home but I didn’t tell anyone what I’d done.”
“I started going out at night, at first patrolling my immediate neighborhood and then branching out. And that’s when I realized. The powers I’d been granted by whatever fluke of nature or unknown deity weren’t meant to aid my petty crimes or as an advantage on the football field. They were given to me to help those that needed saving. So that’s what I did. I slowly learned how to become Blaze.”
I didn’t feel absolved for Travis’s death. But with each person I saved, and every young person I helped turn away from crime, I felt less awful for the role I played in it. I tried to convince Leon to change too.”
Why commit crimes when we can stop them? It’s just as much of a rush.
Man, you’re crazy. I’m not putting my life on the line for people I don’t know.
“Unfortunately, Leon didn’t see it that way. He wanted to continue living his life on his own terms. As our senior year drew to a close, his crimes escalated. It wasn’t just vandalism and joy riding. He got involved with a ring of guys boosting cars to chop up for parts to sell. The summer after we graduated, Leon went too far. He hurt someone while stealing their car.”
“When I stopped him and turned him in to the police, I thought I was helping. In the eyes of the town, he’d always been a good kid. I figured they’d do some scared straight type shit with counseling and community service. But Leon spent several months locked up and ended up losing his college scholarships. The neighborhood turned against me, blaming me not only for Travis’s death, but for leading Leon down the wrong path with a bad crowd. I shouldered that blame, because a few months of good deeds didn’t make up for the previous years of b
eing a punk. And maybe I was responsible for Leon’s trouble. It shouldn’t have taken as much as it did to get me to knock it off with the teenage criminal routine. If I’d spoken up sooner-.”
“No.”
Jordan abruptly stopped as the fierce little voice came at him in the dark.
“You were all teenagers who made some pretty damn horrible decisions. I won’t try to tell you you didn’t do anything wrong. Because obviously you did. But you made a choice to turn your life around and I know you had to work hard to make that happen.”
You’re still haunted by those past actions, which is why you don’t usually interact at the yearly cookout. You think they’re still judging you. And maybe some of them are. But I heard lots of good things about you today, praise for the work you do in the community, the jobs you give, the people you help. And that’s all without any of them knowing that you’re Blaze.”
The sheets rustled as Danny propped himself up on one elbow.
“It’s time you stopped punishing yourself. Leon is responsible for his own choices. He wasn’t given amazing superpowers like you, but there are lots of people in the world who’ve turned their lives around without them. He could have recovered from his mistakes. Instead, he decided to become an even bigger criminal. That’s on him. Not you.”
Jordan stared up at his lover, feeling unbelievably lucky. Danny was able to get him to talk so easily. It was a relief to have unburdened himself and to know that Danny was still willing to stay by his side even after learning of his horrible past.
“Thank you for listening.” He pulled him down into a tender kiss. “Thank you even more for seeing me as a good person.”
“You are a good person, Jordan. Good and worthy and I’m proud to be by your side.”
“And you’re warm and sweet and I’m so damn lucky to have you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
G
eek Fest was coming up soon, and Danny had a sudden idea to customize some of the art prints he planned sell. Since he also needed tablecloths and other supplies for the booth, he made a quick run to the craft store. He’d get what he needed, then head over to Jordan’s to watch the V.P. Fair fireworks from his balcony.
The store had short hours because of the holiday. Danny made it in thirty minutes before closing. He rushed around, getting everything he needed. Once he finished shopping and checked out, Danny ditched the cart and walked out of the store with his hands full of bags. He had a ways to go to get to his car when a young Caucasian man with what looked like an honest to God bowl cut approached him.
“Hey, cutie. Where you going?”
Apprehensive about being approached like this, Danny didn’t make eye contact with the stranger when he responded. “Home,” he said in an even tone.
“Can I come?”
The man asked the question with a flirtatious grin, but Danny still had that nervous feeling of is this guy here to flirt or hurt? in the pit of his stomach. Again, he gave a one-word answer, hoping Bowl Cut would leave him alone and go handle his business in the store. “No.”
“Oh, you’re too good for a little company?”
Danny wanted to snap back with a retort but decided it was best not to engage. He kept walking, increasing the speed of his strides. And he switched the bags in his right hand to his left so he could grab his pepper spray in case the guy tried anything.
“Since I can’t come with you, I guess you’ll have to come with me.”
The guy reached for him but Danny was ready. He raised the pepper spray and blasted him in the face. “I don’t think so, asshole.”
“Fuck, that burns!” the guy yelled, frantically scrubbing his hands over his eyes.
Danny was glad he’d managed to get the upper hand but he didn’t stay to gloat. He took off running for his car. But before he’d made it, someone grabbed him from behind. Damnit! There’d been two of them and he hadn’t even noticed. Dropping his bags, Danny twisted around and raised the spray again, ready to blast this guy too.
“Not happening, buddy.”
The man yanked the keychain out of Danny’s hand and flung it over the row of cars.
Unable to believe that he was being accosted again, Danny fought, grunting and cursing from the effort, his face twisted in a snarl of anger and fear as he struggled to get away. Unfortunately, the man had muscles on top of muscles and hands the size of dinner plates, one of which slapped over his mouth right as he dragged in a breath to scream.
“No superhero here to save you this time, little man,” he said with a cruel, taunting laugh.
Danny’s eyes widened as he recognized that this was the same guy who’d grabbed him in the alley the night he’d learned Jordan’s secret identity. Which meant this assault wasn’t random, and Danny knew exactly who’d sent these lowlifes after him.
The giant brute picked him up, squeezing him in a bear hug until all of the air vacated his lungs and spots danced in front of his eyes. Unable to breathe, Danny stopped fighting and sagged in the big man’s grip. When there was no possibility of him screaming for help, the man tucked Danny under his arm like a football, and hauled him across the parking lot to a shiny black limousine.
Bowl Cut appeared again, his eyes red and streaming tears. He opened the rear passenger door to reveal Leon sitting in the forward facing backseat, dressed in a navy blue Gucci track suit, tennis shoes that were so expensive Danny couldn’t afford to even speak their name, and a haircut with a lining and fade so sharp, it looked as if his barber had used a laser beam to cut his hair.
The brute set Danny on his feet. He staggered for a moment, getting his bearings and sucking much needed air into his lungs.
“Hey, Danny. Come and take a ride with me.”
Leon smiled, his eyes sparkling, but the glimmer was as cold and bright as light reflecting off a machete’s edge. Even if he hadn’t been manhandled to the car by Leon’s goons, Danny wouldn’t have gotten in there with him. This man was scary.
“No, thank you.”
The smile dropped in an instant. “That wasn’t a request.”
The brute shoved Danny hard in the middle of his back, and he went flying forward to land on his knees on the floor of the limo. Danny scrambled up to the seat across from Leon, cringing against the door when the brute got in and sat down next to him. Bowl Cut tried to get in too, but Leon stopped him by raising a manicured hand. In the midst of his terror, Danny noted that Leon’s nails had a sheen of silver glitter. Irrationally, that pissed him off. Evil people shouldn’t be allowed to use pretty glitter polish.
“You’re not bringing the smell of that pepper spray into my ride to make us all choke. Find another way back.”
“Yes, sir.” Bowl Cut glared at Danny before nodding and closing the door.
During Leon and Bowl Cut’s exchange, Danny sneakily tried to open the car door. It was locked of course, and nothing happened when he tried to unlock it. Great. Child lock on one side of him. Big mountain of a man who liked giving painful, spine breaking bear hugs on the other. He wasn’t getting out of this car until they let him out.
The limo pulled out of the parking lot with a smooth, barely noticeable hum, taking Danny on a ride he had no desire to go on. He sat there, arms crossed over his still aching chest, trying to put up a front that he was more pissed than scared. “What do you want with me?”
“I’ve got a problem and I need you to help me solve it.”
“Unless you need an official logo drawn for your gang or whatever, I have no way to help you with your problem.”
“That’s cute. First of all, I run a business, not a gang. Second, my problem is I’m tired of your sparky boyfriend messing up my money.”
Danny managed to pull off a nonchalant shrug. “I can’t help you with that. Blaze does his own thing.”
“I’m aware of that. But when he finds out I have you, he’ll back off and let me run my business in peace.”
“Have you considered running a business that doesn’t involve crimina
l activity? Then you wouldn’t have to resort to kidnapping to get yourself off of Blaze’s radar.”
“You’ve got a smart mouth. And I’m tired of listening to it.” He nodded at the brute.
Before Danny could turn to see what that head nod meant, a thick cloth was pressed over his nose and he inhaled a sickly, sweet scent. Panicked, Danny tugged and scratched at the big hand, trying to get the cloth away from his face. But it was no use. His hands fell to his lap as the strength ran out of his limbs. And soon, his eyes became too heavy to keep open.
“He’ll find me,” Danny managed to get out as the drug started taking effect.
The last thing he saw was Leon’s smug grin and a glittery fingernail tapping his chin. The crime lord’s words came to him through a fog, echoing in his head.
“I’m counting on it.”
***
The garage was quiet today. Jordan gave his team off for the holiday and closed the garage to customers, but a few people came in to work on their own cars. Jordan was there because he rarely took a day off. So was Nina but her reasons for showing up to work on a holiday were family related. His phone dinged as he was putting the paint gun away. He didn’t always answer his personal phone during the work day, but since it was Danny’s ring tone he went ahead and took his phone from his pocket. Danny had sent him a text. Jordan opened it to a picture of Danny, bound and unconscious in the back seat of an unfamiliar car. Jordan frowned. Before his brain had a chance to fully comprehend what he was seeing, his phone beeped again and another message came through. If you want him back in one piece, you’ll meet me at Fair St. Louis at eight o’clock.
Jordan shot to his feet, ripping off his respirator mask. Several light bulbs exploded overhead, popping one after the other in rapid succession.
Nina rushed over; her eyes wide with alarm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Leon has Danny,” he said still staring down at the phone.
“What? Where?”
Blaze Page 25