##~~##
Lita never remembered his drug addled mind’s promise to himself. All he did remember was seeing Randy at his bedside in the hospital. He couldn’t recall if they spoke or not. However, the look of pain-filled regret on Randy’s face before the Marshal left his hospital room haunted Lita’s dreams. Like having the Marshal in his waking thoughts wasn’t enough that he had to dream about the man, as well.
Several times over the last three months, Hunt had not so subtly offered to give him information on what US Marshal Randall Connor was up to. Lita blew him off every time as if he didn’t care. He didn’t want to care, but he wasn’t going to stalk a guy he’d spent less than a week with on an assignment to protect some CIA bitch.
CIA Agent Burke was returned back into CIA custody in D.C. well before she should have been. As far as Lita was concerned, the CIA should have buried her in their bullshit to begin with instead of trying to follow the ‘not on US soil’ rule which ended up getting the Marshals involved. The case surrounding Burke more than likely didn’t exist anymore, but Lita wasn’t surprised. 99% of INET cases didn’t exist, either.
“Hey, Lita,” Hunt leaned back in his chair. “Marshal…”
Lita cut off whatever the hell Hunt was about to say by standing. “I don’t want to hear it,” Lita declared and didn’t wait for Hunt to say another word before he stormed off to the elevators.
Hunt had been trying to give him updates on Randy for too fucking long as far as Lita was concerned. If Randy wanted to reconnect, the man knew how to do it. Randy didn’t need his number when all he had to do was talk to his boss who could in turn let Fish know the Marshal wanted to speak with him.
The elevator door barely dinged and the doors slid open before Lita stepped inside and jabbed an angry finger to light up the floor where the gym was located. He needed an outlet and right now, a punching bag had his name on it.
##~~##
Randy stood outside the headquarters of the Southeastern Division of the International Narcotics Enforcement and Tracking Agency and wondered what the hell he was doing. He had no reason to be standing in the Florida heat and looking up at the daunting building aside from not being able to get one particular agent out of his mind. He hadn’t laid eyes on INET Agent Eddie Hypolita since he walked out of the man’s hospital room. Not that he hadn’t wanted to only lay eyes on his sexy Thor-like previous partner and so much more. No, it’d just taken three months to get his head out of his ass and do something about how he felt.
There was a high chance his feelings were one-sided, but Randy would suffer the consequences if that was the case after he confronted the man. He would never know for sure if his obsession and the ache he felt in his heart was only a one way feeling until he saw Lita again. Saw the man outside of the protective detail where they became so intimate or the hospital room he had no choice but to leave after the detail ended.
Randy took another deep breath. He ignored the sweat he could feel running down between his shoulder blades. It was caused by the Florida heat, after all, right? He steeled himself and entered the building that housed the INET Agency.
Less than twenty minutes later, Randy walked through a bullpen-like area that looked more like the floor of some corporate office. He recognized several of the agents who leaned back in their chairs to watch him walk through the space. All of them smiled or gave him a grin as if they knew something he didn’t. Once his escort abandoned him in front of an office door, Randy became suddenly convinced the agents’ grins had nothing to do with what they knew that he didn’t and everything to do with whatever the hell was about to happen once he crossed over the threshold to the office belonging to one Jonathan Chadwick Fisher, Junior.
“Get your ass in here and sit down.”
An angry voice bellowed from within the office before Randy had a chance to do anything other than meet the gazes of the few agents he’d seen in the field. The looks shot his way weren’t reassuring, but didn’t stop him from entering the office which obviously belonged to the Director of the Southeastern Division of INET. The office did belong to the man he’d scheduled a meeting with, after all, so Randy stepped over the threshold as if he had every right to be there because he did.
The man who stood behind the desk was huge. A brute and Randy hated his instinctual reaction to put distance between him and the larger threat. The man was a threat, too, if for no other reason than his huge size and angry demeanor. Jonathan Chadwick Fisher Junior was as tall as his previous partner. But, where Lita exuded a laid-back vibe, his boss sent out waves of a spring waiting for the slightest tweak to be sprung.
Randy didn’t let the director’s vibe cause him any hesitation even if his gut instinct was screaming for him to run as far away as possible. Randy fought that urge and closed the door behind him after he stepped into the office. He faced the angry man before him and didn’t falter beneath the man’s glare.
##~~##
Lita had just finished getting changed into his workout clothes when Slade entered the locker room. Slade leaned against the lockers at the end of the row. Lita had known and worked with Slade for over ten years. That was reason enough not to trust the mischievous gleam in the man’s deep blue eyes. Slade was up to something, but the question boiled down to what side of his teammate’s latest prank Lita would land on. The asshole had exploded a printer toner cartridge in his face the year before, after all.
“What are you plotting now?” Lita stood up from the bench.
“Me?” Slade raised his brows in feigned surprise. “Not a damn thing.” Slade’s grin told another story.
“Un huh,” Lita grunted.
“Fish wants you in his office, now,” Slade informed and still looked too amused for Lita’s liking when he walked out of the locker room.
“Damn it,” Lita cursed and started stripping out of his workout clothes so he could don his suit again.
##~~##
Randy was grateful the blinds in the conference room he was placed in to wait were closed. The last thing he wanted was for the INET agents in the office to see him pacing nervously while he waited for Lita.
His meeting with the Director hadn’t gone as expected. Well, he wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but he didn’t think he’d be greeted by a pissed off Director of the international agency. He sure as hell hadn’t expected the man to ask him what the hell took him so long to get his ass here. Randy hadn’t even known he was coming to see Lita until he spontaneously decided two days ago.
The door to the conference room started to open and Randy immediately stopped pacing. His mouth went dry and everything he ran through his mind to say to Lita flew right out the proverbial window because he was stunned speechless at the sight of the man.
Randy had seen the other agents wearing suits, but was somehow caught off guard by seeing Lita dressed the same. He was mouthwateringly sexy as hell in his jeans and T-shirts while they were protecting Burke. Now, he was downright fucking gorgeous in a suit. His suit was tailored which wasn’t really a surprise since he was so fucking huge and it fit him like a glove.
Lita’s long hair was tied back in a ponytail and he looked strange not having it falling over his shoulders. Randy’s first impulse was to rip the hair tie out and use his fingers to spread Lita’s long blonde locks back over his shoulders. Instead, he was frozen to the spot.
Lita hadn’t even stepped two feet into Fish’s office before his boss angrily pointed a finger at him and ordered him to the conference room. He had no idea what the hell was going on and his teammates’ grins and smirks didn’t give him any clue, either. So, he braced himself for whatever he was about to walk into when he opened the conference room door.
To say he was floored when he opened the door and saw US Marshal Randy Connor standing on the other side of the conference table was an understatement. He never thought he’d see the man again and certainly not standing in HQ looking so damn sexy.
Randy was wearing black jeans and a navy polo that stretche
d over his muscular chest bearing the Marshal’s logo. His hazel eyes bore into him and Lita struggled to identify the flickering emotions he could see being leveled on him. Trepidation and caution were prominent, but Lita would swear he caught a glimpse of the want and desire he’d seen leveled on him at the safe house. Then again, that could just be his wishful thinking.
Lita only spared a glance at the conference table. There wasn’t a case file, but the lack of a folder didn’t mean Randy wasn’t there in strictly a professional capacity. So, he closed the conference room door behind him and approached Randy.
“What are you…”
“How have you…”
They both spoke at the same time and Randy smiled. Damn if Lita didn’t miss that smile and damn if it didn’t tug on his heartstrings.
“You first,” Lita said when he stopped in front of Randy.
“How have you been?”
Lita raised a curious brow. “Good.” He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t expected the question. “You?”
Randy ran a hand over his head and grasped the back of his neck. “Not so good to be honest.”
Lita watched Randy’s gaze dart away before his hazel eyes shifted back to look at him.
“Is there a problem with Burke’s case?” Lita couldn’t think of anything else that could be giving Randy issues to the point he would seek him out.
“Not with the case. That doesn’t even exist anymore as I am sure you already know,” Randy replied and dropped his hand from the nape of his neck. “But I do have a problem,” Randy paused. “One I think only you can help me with.”
Randy looked uncertain and Lita didn’t like seeing the confident man suddenly unsure of himself. If Randy needed his help with something, Lita was more than willing to give it to him especially since it would allow him to spend time with the man. Not to mention give him the chance to see if Randy felt the same as he did; if Randy wanted to explore whatever the hell sparked between them while they were protecting Burke.
“Okay,” Lita said with a smile. “What’s the problem?”
Randy took a step closer to Lita and didn’t look away from his stunning green eyes. He was within arm’s reach and returned Lita’s smile before he gambled and said, “You.”
“Me?” Lita raised a brow. He was truly confused.
“Yes, you.” Randy closed the remaining few inches between them until they stood almost chest to chest. “I can’t get you out of my head. I know we were just blowing off steam and it likely didn’t mean anything, shouldn’t have meant anything, but…”
Lita didn’t give Randy a chance to finish. He grabbed the man’s hips with his hands and pulled him harshly against his body before devouring Randy’s mouth. He felt Randy’s hands land on his chest, fist his dress shirt, and pull on him just as roughly. Their kiss was hungry, their touch almost desperate and Lita would have sighed in relief that his feelings weren’t one sided if he wasn’t so intent to drown in Randy’s taste.
Randy knew he had been missing Lita, but he had no idea how achingly bad until he felt the man’s hands move to his ass and tasted his intoxicating kiss again. His want for the man, hell his need, was like a living, breathing thing that singed every nerve in his body raw with desire. Randy’s hands were undoing Lita’s belt and he was on his knees before he even realized his intention.
One second Lita had a mouthful of Randy and the next he was kissing nothing but air and Randy had a totally different mouthful of him. He had been so absorbed by Randy’s taste that he never realized the man freed him from his slacks. Lita sure as hell realized that now since Randy didn’t even pause before swallowing him down to the root.
“Fuck,” Lita groaned and rested his hands on the sides of Randy’s head. Randy’s reply was to swallow around his cock and it pulled another long drawn out moan from Lita’s lips.
Randy pulled back only long enough to take a breath before he buried Lita’s cock deep in his throat again. He swallowed several times before he repeated the action. His own cock was achingly hard and painfully pressing against the zipper of his jeans, but he didn’t care. He was too absorbed by Lita’s taste and the feel of Lita’s girth pressing against the sides of his throat.
“Randy,” Lita hissed and tugged gently on Randy’s hair that was longer on the top than the sides.
He was so close to the edge, he barely managed to give that much warning. Randy’s throat stroking his cock was too much and it was taking every ounce of his control not to explode. Randy gave the barest shake of his head and that small movement that was indicative of permission was all it took for Lita’s orgasm to barrel up from his balls. He came so hard it was painful as was the sound that escaped his lips.
Randy swallowed, swallowed, and swallowed. He would’ve continued to do so if Lita had anything left to give him and he didn’t need to breathe. Slowly, he pulled off Lita’s cock and looked up at the man. Brilliant clover green eyes gazed down at him. Lita’s pupils were blown wide and his eyes were glazed in a way that could only be caused by orgasm. Randy would do anything to see that look for the rest of his life. His rational mind knew it was too soon to have such strong feelings for a man he hardly knew at all. He wasn’t in love, that much he knew, but he easily knew it wouldn’t take much to fall head over heels for Lita.
Lita tugged on Randy’s arms to get the man to stand. The kiss he gave him this time was soft and gentle while he felt Randy tucking him away. Lita barely detected any taste of himself on Randy’s lips or in his mouth and it made him smile knowing it was because Randy swallowed every drop of him down.
“I’ve missed you,” Randy whispered against Lita’s lips.
“I could tell,” Lita replied with a smile and just as softly.
“I know it’s too soon,” Randy started after he pulled back to meet Lita’s gaze.
Once again, Lita didn’t give Randy a chance to finish. He kissed him instead before replying, “It’s never too soon to see where this is going.”
“Yeah?” Randy smiled so wide he felt how sore his lips were from being wrapped around Lita’s sizable girth.
“Yeah.” Lita returned Randy’s smile.
“What time are you done for the day?”
“Right fucking now.”
“Thank God because I still have a problem.”
“Oh yeah?” Lita grinned. He could feel exactly what type of problem Randy currently had since it was pressing into his thigh.
“Yeah. Only one you can help with.”
“Then we should get started on finding a solution.” Lita stepped away, took Randy’s hand, and started for the door. “But.” Lita smirked. “We might have to try a few different solutions before we find the right one.”
Randy grinned. “Many, many solutions.”
“Many, many solutions,” Lita agreed and led Randy from the conference room.
If they were lucky it would be a long, long time before their problem was ever solved and both men were more than okay if that turned out to be the case.
##~~##
About the Author
Brenda is an International best-selling author for multiple titles and her love for reading fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary erotic romance has allowed the voices she hears to come out and play (according to her shrink, this is healthy!).
Brenda resides in Tampa, FL with her husband, six cats, a dog, a turtle named Tammy, and a bunny named Alice (only the cats are hers) when not attending conventions or leather/kink events. She is active in the Tampa Bay GLBT & leather community. Brenda is Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2016, the founder of Tampa Bay's Leather Social in 2015, and the owner and producer (Jan. 2016 – Jan. 2020) of the Florida Leather & Fetish Pride weekend event that had been held every November in Clearwater, Florida.
She would love to hear from you! Visit her on the following:
Website: www.bcothernbooks.com
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For signed digital autograph, please send her a request through Authorgraph!
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Brenda would like to acknowledge and thank MLR Press (www.mlrbooks.com) for compiling the below information on the various support groups.
THE TREVOR PROJECT
The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves lives though it’s free and confidential helpline, its website and its educational services. If you or a friend is feeling lost or alone, call The Trevor Helpline. If you or a friend are feeling lost, alone, confused or in crisis, please call The Trevor Helpline.
You’ll be able to speak confidentially with a trained counselor 24/7.
The Trevor Helpline: 866-488-7386
On the Web : http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
THE GAY MEN’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT
Founded in 1994, The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project is a grassroots, non-profit organization founded by a gay male survivor of domestic violence and developed through the strength, contributions and participation of the community. The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project supports victims and survivors through education, advocacy and direct services. Understanding that the serious public health issue of domestic violence is not gender specific, we serve men in relationships with men, regardless of how they identify, and stand ready to assist them in navigating through abusive relationships.
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