by Tatum Throne
“I just hate this,” Cedar said.
“I know, babe. It’s not going to be forever. We’ll get through this together.”
“You won’t lose your job, will you?”
“I won’t. Promise.”
She shook her head. “Just straighten the fuck out, okay? I hate getting these damn calls from the people I work with. It’s embarrassing.”
From Bray’s vantage point, he couldn’t see the woman’s tears, but he knew from the quiet sniffling that they were falling. Levi ran his hand through Cedar’s hair, pushing it away from her face. He whispered something quietly that only she could hear. She pulled away, shaking her head. She obviously disagreed with whatever he had said.
Disappointment spiraled through Bray when he realized that Cedar was probably his girlfriend. He let out an unsteady breath. It wasn’t easy working all day long with some of the hottest guys on the planet who had girlfriends and wives. Bray had accepted a really long time ago that he probably wouldn’t find a lover working in law enforcement. Cedar walked away, grabbing her purse off one of the benches. Her heels were sharp on the hardwood around the mats. Levi watched her slam out the side door on the opposite side of the training center. Levi threw his towel across the room, cursing as he did.
With the reflection and angle of the mirrors, Bray could see Levi but he couldn’t see Bray. Bray let his gaze move over Levi’s chest. He hadn’t seen that tattoo in the video. Maybe there were more worth seeing. Levi glanced over his shoulder. Bray came further inside the training center.
Their eyes locked. Levi sneered irreverently and glared, looking up under his long, dark eyelashes, daring Bray to take control of him. Levi looked absolutely mouth-watering when he looked at Bray that way. It kind of reminded Bray of a sub behaving badly. Bray gave Levi an easy nod.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Bray said. “Girlfriend?”
Defiance flared through Levi’s eyes. Normally, Bray would’ve let the glare go unchecked, but seeing how he was retraining Levi, he couldn’t let it go. Bray needed to set clear boundaries before things went further.
“What are you doing here?”
Bray set aside his coffee and crossed his arms easily. He didn’t like his questions being ignored. “You stood me up. So I thought I’d take a walk.”
“You found me. Good for you. You’ve earned your girl scout badge for tracking.”
Oh, nice. Bray loved the way he defied authority. It actually turned him on. Levi took up shop on the bar above his head again. He did another set of pull-ups that put a really nice emphasis on his muscles. Levi rubbed his hand down his goatee. “You ready to talk to me?”
Up. Down. Up. Down. “I don’t need to be retrained.”
“It was the chief’s call, not mine.”
“Man, this is bullshit.”
“The faster we get through this, the faster you’ll get back to your job.”
Levi jumped down again, shaking out his arms. Man, he was pumped up and edgy, Bray thought. Bray knew he was going to have to do something drastic to get Levi’s attention. Defiance lingered in his eyes. Levi crossed his arms.
“Fine. Retrain me. Mold me into a perfect soldier.”
Bray lifted the corner of his mouth. He came in close. “I’ve been watching the video of the incident on the ice. I’m impressed. Not many would be willing to do what you did.”
“It’s part of the job.”
“You were off duty.”
“You never stop or turn off being a cop.”
Levi didn’t look comfortable with the praise. “No, you don’t.” Bray paced the gym, picking up a staff, twirling it around. “Let’s fight for it. What do you say?”
“Excuse me?”
“If you win, I write up your report by the end of the day and your retraining is over. If I win, you play by my rules for as long as it takes. So what do you say?”
“I’m game.”
Bray picked up another staff, tossing it through the air to Levi who caught it easily. He indicated the mats in the middle of the room. A flash of heat sparked within Levi’s eyes. They circled each other. Bray gave Levi lots of room to show off his skills with the staff, flipping it around. Bray was ready for the battle, but he wasn’t so sure he was prepared to deal with the fallout. They fought, dodging, blocking, and hitting with the wooden staffs. Bray flipped his staff up under Levi’s legs, taking him down to the ground.
Surprise and chagrin moved over Levi’s face. It was clear that no one had ever gotten the better of him on the mats. Bray flipped the staff out of Levi’s hand, disarming him. Bray held out his hand to Levi, offering to help him up off the mat. Levi took his hand, yanking Bray across the mat, mounting him with a mixed martial arts move. They fought hard. The sound of Bray’s shirt ripping echoed within the training center. Shock bitch slapped Bray, distracting him. Oh, it was so on, he thought. Buttons flew across the mat and into the air. Several hit the mirrors, flying back onto the mats like glass raining down. Bray’s hands slipped off of Levi’s bare skin. Levi had an advantage, being shirtless.
Bray flipped around, getting Levi in a hold from behind in three easy moves. Bray’s legs were wrapped around Levi’s waist and his arms were worked up around Levi’s arms and neck.
Heat moved through Bray’s body when his lips brushed across Levi’s ear. Bray knew it was wrong when he pressed his mouth to Levi’s ear but he couldn’t resist temptation. He liked the feel of their bodies pressed so tightly together. “This is where you submit to me.”
“Is that what you want?”
“You’re not backing out of our agreement, are you?” Bray asked.
They were skin to skin. Bray’s chest pressed against Levi’s back. The heat of his breath blew across Levi’s ear. A shiver vibrated through Bray’s body. Bray could feel Levi’s heart hammering away with his. Levi reluctantly tapped out. Bray released him. It was over, and he won big.
* * * *
This was complete bullshit. Levi couldn’t believe he lost the match with Temple. He’d been distracted by Temple’s muscled body pressed up against his. No, that wasn’t completely true. The first distraction had come after Levi had ripped open his shirt. Nor, could he shake the feel of his ass pressed up against Bray’s cock, making his rim tingle. Levi rushed toward the locker room to shower. Bray followed him to deal with the cut on his brow. Out of the corner of Levi’s eye, he caught Bray wiping his brow as he leaned onto the skin and looked into the mirror.
Maybe Levi needed to be retrained with a few more kicks to his ass for his inability to think before he acted. Humble pie tasted best served warm. Levi glanced at Brayden. He felt bad about hurting Bray and tearing his shirt. Not to mention he ruined his smooth, perfect and ruggedly beautiful face. A shiver vibrated through his body as the memory of Brayden’s goatee brushing over his ear played like smooth jazz through his mind. He really liked the way those silky hairs teased. Levi loved the way it felt so exotic on his skin. He’d never dated anyone with facial hair before. Levi let his gaze dance over Brayden’s face one last time. Levi wondered if he went by Bray or did he prefer Brayden? He liked the sound of it in his head. An apology tap-danced on the tip of his tongue. Levi leaned onto the sink. He wasn’t sure why this was so hard. The words sounded easy to say in his head. Through the break in Bray’s shirt, Levi saw a well-defined abdomen covered in dark chest hair. Levi’s breath caught. A deep muscled line cut the center of his six-pack. A thin dark happy trail started at his navel and took a slow dive south.
Levi cleared his throat and looked away. He had to stop looking at what he couldn’t have and had no right to want or fantasize about. “I think I owe you a shirt.”
“We’ll call this one collateral damage.”
There was kindness in Bray’s eyes as the corners of his mouth turned up. He was charming and reasonable, too. Hot water rushed over Levi’s hand as he wet a paper towel. He turned toward Bray, wiping his brow and cheek where blood had dripped.
“Here. You missed a spot.�
� Levi was surprised Bray actually let him wipe his brow. “I thought I had you there.”
“You had the advantage without a shirt. You should’ve had me.”
Levi came in closer. Bray was a stoic, stubborn man. He was all alpha. Levi sensed that these still waters ran very deep. “You’re quiet when you’re not discussing work.”
Their eyes met.
Something seductively dangerous passed through Brayden’s eyes. It was the same look Levi saw in Brayden when they’d got onto the mats to fight. Levi wondered what it would be like to have that look for other reasons. Temptation had Levi letting his gaze fall to Brayden’s full lips. He loved the way they were outlined by that dark goatee. When Levi raised his eyes back to Brayden’s, he knew that the slip in composure had just outed him. There was honest surprise in Brayden’s face. Levi knew that he’d just crossed the line and there was no going back. Brayden pulled away, taking off his shirt. He went to his locker where he switched out his shirt for another one.
“I think we’re done for the day,” Temple said.
Yes, they were. Levi had royally fucked things up with that one forbidden look. How the hell could he be so foolish and so naïve? The truth was Levi was embarrassed for wanting someone he couldn’t have. It was the fucking story of his life, living in the most conservative town in the Midwest.
Levi grabbed his shower kit, towel, and a change of clothes. He needed to put some distance between them, but he needed a shower more. Hopefully, by the time he was finished, Temple would be gone and that slip in composure forgotten.
“Have a nice night, Lieutenant.”
“You, too.”
It didn’t go unnoticed by Levi that Brayden didn’t bother looking up from his locker as he walked by. Yep, Levi had fucked this situation up. Big time. He headed for the privacy of one of the shower stalls and undressed. He pulled the heavy duty vanilla shaded curtain closed and turned on the spray. Levi hung his head under the hot water, leaning a palm up against the wall. Hot water rushed down over his body, grabbing at his hard cock.
He closed his eyes and pictured Temple in his mind. A rush of heat flooded his cock, causing his dick to grow hard. Levi groaned inwardly as he smoothed his hand down over his cockhead, giving it a punishing squeeze. It’d been a really long time since he took care of business, but he was not about to take care of it at work. Levi washed up quickly. He wanted to pick up dinner before he headed home and forget all about his encounter with Brayden Temple tonight.
Levi shut off the water, dried off, and dressed quickly. He grabbed his duffle out of his locker and yanked back on his work boots.
He cut through the back stairwell into the employee parking lot, hoping to avoid Temple if he was still working. He opened up the outer doors, getting slapped in the face with an uppercut of cold air.
Piles of snow were all over the street. Levi felt as though he lost not only the match, but part of his heart, too. He’d always been attracted to the strong, silent type. Levi caught sight of Brayden crossing the parking lot. They were leaving work at the same time. Levi still felt bad about going so hard on Temple. He didn’t deserve the dirt. Levi caught up with him in the lot.
“Lt. Temple.”
“Call me Brayden.”
A chill raced down Levi’s spine. Anticipation heated his blood. “Brayden.” Levi repeated his name, testing the taste of it on his lips. He liked the sweet sound as it rushed like sweet nectar over his tongue. “About the fight…”
“It’s not a big deal.”
The snow was starting to fall in big heavy clumps on the ice-covered street. City streets were always the last to be plowed or salted. Highways were always the first to be done.
“I didn’t mean to take it so far. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
Puffs of white air came from Brayden’s lips. They were full, rosy lips. The kind Levi knew he could sink his teeth into. Brayden’s eyes narrowed slightly as though he’d just picked the thought from Levi’s brain. Or perhaps it was written all over his face. Levi couldn’t hide his feelings about anything.
“You’re passionate about what you do. I get that. So am I.”
“Is that your professional opinion?” Levi asked.
“Yes. It is.”
Levi watched Brayden walk away. He liked the way he moved in long-limbed strides. It was the kind of walk that made a person take notice. Levi headed to his car, starting it up as he cleaned off the several inches of snow that had fallen during the day. Chilled, Levi sat inside the car. Headlights cut across the parking lot as Brayden’s Jeep hit the street. Levi put the car in gear. He was going to follow Brayden. He wanted to know what he did on a Friday night for fun.
* * * *
Traffic was light as Levi pulled out into the street. Several cars up, Brayden was stopped at a traffic light. It was so wrong to follow Brayden that it felt right. There was something secretive about the man. It was impossible to ignore. Stalking a coworker shouldn’t have been on Levi’s to-do list, but he couldn’t resist the temptation. Levi followed him to Clifton, where he parked his car down one of the side streets. Levi circled around, looking for an open spot. He found the last one. Slush splashed up over Levi’s boots as he stepped out of the car. He reached for his pack of cigarettes in his black leather jacket when he remembered he quit a month ago.
A block down, Brayden was walking along the sidewalk. He cut around the corner. Levi followed him, all the while wondering where he was going. They passed by the movie theater and several restaurants. He headed down another side street. By the time Levi got up to the corner to look for Bray, he lost him. Levi had no choice but to head back to his car and go home.
Levi reversed his steps along the sidewalk to his car. It was fucking cold out. He was hungry. Not to mention, he probably shouldn’t have followed his coworker after they left work. Levi dug his keys out of his car and reached for the handle. There was still ice stuck to it.
All of a sudden, Levi was shoved up against the side of his car.
“Why are you following me?”
Bray’s voice was dangerously low. Heat seared through Levi’s clothing as Bray’s thick muscles pressed against his chest. Brayden’s hands were anchored on the roof of his car.
“Who says I’m following you?”
“I know you are.”
Levi knew when it wasn’t a good idea to smile at Brayden. Now was the time to play things cool. “Maybe I want to know more about the man that’s retraining me.”
“You don’t need to know anything about me.”
“Afraid of what I might find out?”
“Maybe there are things I don’t want you to know about me,” Brayden said. “Go home, Levi. That’s an order.”
The slap of Brayden’s heated words were like a stroke along the underside of Levi’s cock. Levi’s breath caught deep in his chest as his cock flooded with heat. He couldn’t deny the pull of attraction. The need to kiss Bray was overpowering. He wasn’t supposed to be suddenly infatuated with the man who was supposed to be retraining him, but damn him he was.
“You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do after hours, Sir.”
“The fuck I can’t. Go. Home.”
“No, Sir.”
There was something dangerous about the way he was getting the blow off. There was something even more deadly about the way Levi was challenging Brayden to another fight. Levi knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to get beneath Brayden’s skin the same way he had gotten under his. Levi’s eyes dropped to Bray’s full lips. They were so close that Levi could practically lick out and taste them.
“What the fuck are you doing, Levi?”
A flash of heat spiraled through Brayden’s eyes every time Levi used the word sir. He wanted to see that spark again. “Admiring the view, Sir.”
He chuckled, a dark and dangerous sound. “We are not going to do this.”
“Do what, Sir?”
“We’re not going to cr
oss this boundary.”
“What boundary, Sir?”
Brayden edged in closer. “The one you’re trying to cross.”
Levi searched his face, but couldn’t read him. “I’m not the one crossing the boundary, Sir. You’re the one that followed me back to my car.”
“Stop calling me sir.”
“Just keeping those boundaries, Sir.”
“I don’t want to hear that word coming from your mouth.”
“Why?”
Brayden shook his head. “Why did you follow me? Is there something you want from me?”
Levi lowered his voice to a submissive crawl. He looked up from beneath his dark lashes, all the while knowing how his eyes turned sexy. He couldn’t deny the pull of attraction he had for Brayden. “Yes, Sir.”
“What?”
The lone word snapped hard between them, causing Levi’s cock to tighten painfully. Levi couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to put what he wanted out there. His heart raced as his mouth went dry. This wasn’t something Levi ever did. “You, Sir.”
There was a long pause. Brayden frowned. His gaze moved over Levi’s face.
“You can’t have me. I’m retraining you.”
The cold car chilled Levi’s back. Heat seared from the break in Brayden’s North Face jacket. Levi wanted to run his tongue down the hard line of muscle that rippled over Brayden’s abdomen. “I’m not asking, Sir.”
“You want me?” Brayden asked.
“God, yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just do.”
They stared at each other in the cold, twenty-degree air. Brayden looked as though no one had ever laid it on the line for him so openly before.
Brayden leaned so far in that his lips whispered along Levi’s ear. “We shouldn’t do this.”
“We won’t get caught.”
“Stop making such a persuasive argument.”
“Trust me,” Levi whispered.
“You’re the one who shouldn’t trust me.”