Line in the Shadow

by Clancy Nacht

  “Get comfy,” Rex said with a half-smile. “Promise I’ll take good care of you.”

  “Comfy, he says, when he plans on poking me with needles.” Ike laughed awkwardly before settling onto the bed. He lifted his head to push his hair off his neck and spread it over the duvet. “Guess I’m not used to being the one who gets penetrated.”

  “You might enjoy it more than you expect. I did.” Rex gave Ike a sly look as he cleaned first his hands and then the area with alcohol pads and then poked Ike with the small syringe of anesthetic. It hurt for a few moments before fading into numbness. Ike could feel pressure, but the sting was gone.

  “Just two,” Rex reminded Ike. The next thing Ike knew, Rex had a curved needle held deftly between his fingertips with a length of suture thread trailing from it.

  Ike cocked his head so he could watch Rex stringing the thread through his skin. It was eerie to watch but there was something fascinating about seeing himself operated on when he couldn’t really feel it. “I hope you didn’t get in trouble for rescuing me. It was fucking weird how it all went down. He didn’t even ask me for anything. I would’ve given him the money, no problem.”

  Rex finished the sutures and snipped the thread in silence. His nostrils flared as he stared at Ike’s leg, obviously struggling with his reply. After a few more moments, Rex stroked Ike’s thigh, fingers sliding closer to Ike’s crotch, but he seemed more distracted than aroused. Then he looked at Ike and said, “You deserve to know some things, but I’m not permitted to say them.”

  That was curious, but Ike’s sister was cagey at times too. She’d get into a conversation, catch herself being too liberal with information, and shut things down.

  However, those conversations had always been political in nature, never to do with him personally. How disconcerting.

  “Should I be worried, Rex?”

  “No.” Rex’s answer was immediate, confident. “I told you, Ike. I’ll take good care of you.”

  Rex put away his kit, then knelt on the bed beside Ike, looking into his eyes with what seemed like genuine emotion. Rex’s hands came to rest on Ike’s shoulders as he leaned in, his intent obviously a kiss, but he was telegraphing his moves so Ike could stop him.

  A chill had gone through Ike’s body at the idea he needed taking care of, but staring up into Rex’s eyes, he really believed he was safe.

  Ike cupped Rex’s cheeks and pulled him down into a kiss. This was different from before, but still tinged with danger. Before it was because Rex was a stranger, and now it was because Rex had killed a man for him.

  And because Rex was sexy enough to make Ike do crazy things.

  That night, Ike had been so conflicted. Going into the gig, he’d really believed afterward he’d let Nate take him to dinner, and probably fuck. Though Nate always identified as straight, he’d joked he’d “go gay” for Ike.

  That was bullshit, but Ike couldn’t deny that Nate was persistent, persuasive, and very attractive.

  What he wasn’t was predictable or patient. Nate hated sharing Ike’s time with Kaylee. And Ike couldn’t escape the feeling Nate wanted him more for his career than any real affection.

  Ike wanted more than casual dating, but his choices were a stable family man or the type of man he found sexy. It was shallow to go for sexy—to be in bed with Rex again, with his haunted green eyes and perfect bone structure—but Ike was already a good dad on his own. Maybe he deserved some hot sex.

  Nate would be furious when he found out, but he was more trouble than he was worth. That was why Ike fucked Rex in the bathroom, and it was why he was going to do it again. It wouldn’t get him any closer to a real relationship, but Ike wanted it anyway.

  Something needy and alluring about Rex drew Ike, as if the older man had a hunger only Ike could sate. And Rex had confidence in spades to come at Ike as he had. Yet there was something beyond lust between them, wasn’t there? Ike didn’t know what, but it intoxicated him.

  Of course, a field agent needed charisma; Ike wasn’t naïve. Some situations called for cat burglars and high-tech spy equipment, but the rest required agents others found trustworthy. Attractive but non-threatening.

  Competent, confident, and charming.

  Why was Rex here?

  Ike broke their kiss.

  “Rex, would you answer something honestly? You don’t have to tell me everything. I just need to know if you’re here on business.”

  Seeming unsurprised, Rex sat back on his heels and looked Ike in the eye. “I’m here because I couldn’t...” Rex trailed off, seeming agitated, raw. He placed a hand over Ike’s heart, as though drawing strength from him. “I’d never done something like we did that night, and I needed to do it again. Believe it or don’t. You have no reason to trust me.”

  In the silence, Rex’s palm flexed against Ike’s pec, and his mouth turned down. Ike knew isolation well enough to spot it. They were kindred in that if nothing else.

  Then Rex leaned in close enough to kiss again, his smooth, unaccented voice a whisper. “I want this just for me. I’m not doing business, and you don’t owe me anything, but if you want it too...”

  Ike slid his hands down Rex’s back. Elation tickled his stomach. “You don’t have to tell me everything. I know you can’t. I’ll trust what you say until you give me reason not to.” He squeezed Rex’s ass, already thinking about that tight heat surrounding him. How many nights had he lain here picturing it? Flushing, he admitted, “I keep thinking about you, too.”

  Rex closed the distance between their lips to claim Ike’s mouth, kissing him with a thoroughness unlike anything Ike had experienced. Rex flexed his cheeks under Ike’s hands, pushing into his grip, and found Ike’s ear with his soft lips. “I should lock the door. You should take off your clothes.”

  Breathless, Ike bit his lip and looked at the shared wall. Kaylee had promised to put her headphones on, but Ike never had sex at home.

  Rex was already on his way back from locking the door, moving with a silent grace Ike both admired and envied. Surely straight couples had sex with kids in the house, right? Otherwise, there’d be nothing but one-child households.

  Ike stripped out of his shirt, watching Rex with mingled wariness and want. Then he peeled off his briefs with more ease than he had since the stabbing. It probably wasn’t great that he couldn’t feel the wound—the anesthetic hadn’t yet worn off—but it was definitely a relief. “You sure I won’t pop a stitch?”

  “Not if you just lie there.” Rex grinned, lopsided and beyond wicked. “I’ll take good care of you. Promised, didn’t I?” Then he stripped out of his suit layer by layer.

  Finally Ike had a chance to watch, and he didn’t miss the faint hesitation Rex displayed at being naked in front of Ike, the way he seemed to hide his belly. He seemed more real, more readable, like he couldn’t lie to Ike this way.

  Rex rejoined Ike on the bed, stretching beside him with an unexpected gravitas. There was nothing casual about the way Rex slid against Ike’s good side, rubbing their skin together and sighing so softly Ike couldn’t tell if Rex was saying his name or just exhaling. Then Rex’s lips were on his again, and his hand roamed from Ike’s chest down to his cock.

  Ike slid an arm around Rex and returned the favor, relishing the heat and pulse under his fingertips. He liked having more time, liked the way Rex’s breath went unsteady when he was touched.

  Ike had wanted to do something that night, but they had been in such a hurry he never had a chance. Imagining it, he kissed Rex harder, sucking his tongue lightly as he rocked his hips, pushing his stiff cock into Rex’s snug grip. Between kisses, Ike whispered, “I want to suck your cock. Think we can do that with me just lying here?”

  “Not exactly a Mission: Impossible caliber challenge, is it?” Rex laughed, a warm, rich sound that washed over Ike in a wave of approval. Rex’s expression was conflicted, but he moved to straddle Ike’s chest, then reached for pillows to prop up Ike’s head more comfortably. He moved with an air of qui
et efficiency and concern, as though he really did want to take care of Ike.

  Bracing his hands silently against the wall, Rex shifted forward until Ike could smell what was left of Rex’s cologne, expensive and spicy. Rex must have hoped they’d end up in bed together again if he’d dabbed scent between his thighs.

  Satisfaction rushed through Ike at the thought he was so irresistible. Maybe he was in the midst of a booty call, but he’d been given free medical treatment, a great present, and even Kaylee was happy. Best. Booty call. Ever.

  Rex shifted a little closer, cautiously brushing his cock against Ike’s lips, so polite. Stifling a moan, Ike rose on his elbows enough to slide his tongue up the shaft, teasing Rex and gazing up at him to clock the expression on that handsome face. The way Rex bit his lip to stay quiet coaxed a pleasured sigh from Ike, and he balanced on one elbow to encircle Rex’s base with his fingers and suck his tip into his mouth. Rex’s head lolled to one side as he watched Ike through his dark eyelashes. His lips parted, breathing ragged, debauched in a way that forced Ike to accept Rex was really into him.

  Rex moved like a man who was used to seeing to his own pleasure, as though he didn’t often find himself lavished with attention from lovers. It was hard to believe a secret agent with thousand-dollar suits and cheekbones like that didn’t get more sex than he could handle, but Ike enjoyed feeling special.

  The twist of Rex’s lips turned vulnerable, and he reached down with one hand to stroke Ike’s face tenderly. “Will you fuck me again after?”

  Did Rex really need to ask? Ike swirled his tongue over the tip again before lifting his chin and smiling, swollen-lipped and basking in the unaccustomed sense of power. “You going to stay up there and ride me?”

  Rex shifted to kiss Ike, teasing Ike’s lips with his tongue and grinding his cock against Ike’s chest. “If that’s what you want.” Rex lifted his head enough to gaze into Ike’s eyes. The openness in his expression was touching. “I just need to feel you inside me again, to be connected.”

  Ike stroked Rex’s cock, studying him. Ike had long given up romanticizing sex, but he wasn’t dead inside. He craved that. “Think you can come like that, or do you want me to suck you off first?”

  Rex’s cheeks flushed. “I came like that before, but if you want to suck my cock, don’t think I’ll object.” A mischievous light came into Rex’s eyes, and he bit his bottom lip. “Did you like that? Me coming from you fucking me?”

  “It was so hot. Not everyone does.” Ike bit his lip and fondled the tip of Rex’s cock. Then he dropped back against the bed to rifle in his nightstand for the lubricant. All he had were packets, which now struck him as kind of sad.

  He released Rex’s cock long enough to rip one open and smeared the lube on his hands. Wrapping one arm around Rex’s hips, he grazed his fingertips over Rex’s entrance, applying gentle pressure and then easing one fingertip inside. He stroked Rex’s cock with his other hand, not quite in perfect rhythm but enough to make Rex sigh and squirm. He loved how Rex’s eyes rolled back, as if Ike’s worship overwhelmed him. “I’m glad you came back.”

  Rex’s radiant smile crinkled the corners of his eyes and took ten years off his face. “Yeah? I was nervous you’d be angry. Kaylee made me promise to show, but I was certain you’d think I was some overenthusiastic fan trying to stalk you.”

  Rex pushed back onto Ike’s fingers, grinding into the pressure until his hole relaxed and welcomed Ike inside. That got a long, throaty moan Rex tried to hold back by biting his knuckles. His cock jerked in Ike’s grip as if Rex had been waiting for this all night, like he needed nothing more than Ike inside him.

  “No. Hoped I’d see you again.” Ike’s voice shook with arousal. The way Rex wanted him drove Ike crazy. He fished a condom from the drawer but fumbled it with his slippery fingers. “Put it on for me?”

  Rex nodded emphatically as he took the foil from Ike and tore it open. Twisting at the waist, Rex reached back and deftly rolled the latex down Ike’s shaft, stroking him as he smoothed it. Rex reached for Ike’s hand, pulling it back to rub lubricant over the condom, as if he was in too much of a hurry to bother opening another packet of lube.

  Breathing noisily, his chest heaving with excitement, Rex shifted back until Ike’s tip nestled against his opening. Then, grinning wildly, Rex focused on Ike’s face with heavy-lidded eyes and eased onto Ike’s cock. Rex’s brow furrowed, his lips pressing together until they were white as Rex breathed deeply through his nose and slowly allowed Ike inside.

  Ike fisted the sheets as Rex’s muscles rippled around him, slowly giving way. Rex didn’t just want Ike inside of him, Rex wanted to be connected, and that made this so much hotter than Ike knew what to do with. Maybe Ike was hearing what he wanted to hear, taking everything the way that most satisfied him and his ego, but it magnified everything in intensity until Ike could hardly breathe or think or move.

  This man had saved his life. He saved Ike’s life, and now he was here, in his home, in his bed, wanting to be part of him.

  Ike wrapped both arms around Rex and pulled him close. Ike needed the contact of their skin, to hear Rex’s soft, stifled sounds, to smell and taste him. Ike wanted all of him.

  Rex nestled into Ike’s embrace as if made to fit there. As he eased farther onto Ike’s length, he kissed him again, tremors running through Rex’s frame from the strain. The soft stuttering of Rex’s breaths against Ike’s lips seemed both pained, as if it hurt to be so full, and exultant, as if it wouldn’t be as good otherwise.

  “Don’t let go.” Rex slid his hands under Ike’s shoulders to cling to him. “Put your hands all over me. Such sexy hands... Couldn’t stop thinking about them.”

  Ike gripped Rex’s ass, pulled the cheeks apart and massaged them in slow circles as Rex ground his hips forward. Every thrill Rex felt rippled through him too, every vibration of Rex’s shivers pulsing through Ike’s cock. He dragged his nails up Rex’s back, then gripped the back of his neck as he kissed him deeply, wanting to fill the gaps between them.

  This was softer than that night, sweeter, not just by necessity, but because Ike really liked him.

  Not that Ike was going get carried away. Rex was like the wind…or a fistful of sand. If Ike grasped him too hard, he’d slip through his fingers.

  The thought made him tighten his grip on Rex and deepen their kiss. For the moment, at least, Rex wasn’t going anywhere.

  He clung to Ike and rocked against him, his hips sinuous. Rex wasn’t as ripped as Ike was, but he knew how to move. He wouldn’t have lasted long in his line of work if he didn’t.

  Ike still couldn’t believe he was fucking a spy. How cool was that?

  “Please.” Rex gasped, refocusing Ike’s attention, bringing it all to bear on the moment as Rex bucked into Ike’s grip on his cock. Rex’s nails dug into Ike’s shoulder blades, and he bit Ike’s bottom lip, tugging it gently before releasing it. “Feels so good when you touch me like that. No one else has ever touched me like you do. Not ever.”

  Ike grabbed Rex’s ass again, squeezing and pulling to move him faster and harder. Rex’s face slackened with pleasure, mouth open as he gasped for breath, brow furrowed. Sweat beaded at his silver temples and droplets chased down his neck. Ike licked the salty gleam away, then bit Rex’s throat, wanting to leave marks, to return Rex to a world that knew someone else had owned him, at least for a few moments. Rex tipped back his head, seeming to encourage Ike’s greed.

  With his face buried in Rex’s neck, Ike could smell that cologne again, a lingering, heady fragrance that seemed too sensual to be accidental. This had been Rex’s plan, what they were doing right now, and Rex could have gone anywhere in the world, but he’d come here.

  As Ike gripped Rex’s ass and sucked at his skin, Rex reached between them to grip his own cock and jerk it. His knuckles grazed Ike’s belly as he pulled it and moaned into Ike’s ear. Rex said his name as if he didn’t speak English, as if “Ike” was endearment, plea, and instruction with just a c
hange of inflection.

  Rex clenched and pulled his cock faster, head thrown back and mouth open on a silent shout. The intense sensation of it, the way Rex sounded and looked, broke Ike’s will. Spasms of release racked his body, pulling pleasure from his toes to his pulsing cock. His entire being shook as he felt Rex’s tension break into its own helpless climax.

  Ike didn’t realize how hard he was biting him until Rex groaned loud enough for Kaylee to hear. Releasing Rex’s throat, Ike froze and clutched Rex as if Kaylee might rush in any moment and start screaming.

  Rex froze too, then muttered, “Well, fuck, Ike,” and started laughing. Then, gazing into Ike’s eyes, he sighed and gingerly lifted his hips to let Ike pull out of him. After a brief pause spent searching Ike’s face, Rex said, “If you’d like, maybe next time I’m in town, I’ll call you?”

  Ike traced his fingers around Rex’s slick, grasping entrance and gazed up at him. “You’d better do more than call me. I may not have the resources of the US government at my disposal to hunt you down, but I would miss you.”

  Rex’s look of surprise faded quickly, but Ike caught it. The way he was watching Rex, he’d be surprised if he missed a blink.

  “Well, then I’ll give you my email address again. This time don’t leave it in your stabby pants.” Rex smiled and nestled against Ike’s side, getting comfy where a few moments ago he’d seemed ready to bolt. “Don’t know when I’ll be back in New York, but I’ll definitely ah...be in touch.”

  Rex punctuated the sentiment by rubbing his whole body against Ike like a sleepy cat.

  It disappointed Ike that Rex wouldn’t be around much—Ike wanted to get to know him better—but he wasn’t going to pass up phenomenal, no-strings sex. “Great.”

  Ike sat to get his jeans, but Rex beat him to it, passing them to him with a wink and a look at Ike’s stitches. Fishing out his phone, Ike rolled his eyes. He wasn’t an invalid.