“I’m sulking?” Drake asked, pulling Clover away from Pyro.
It was a relief to end up under Drake’s arm after that sudden display of aggression. “He doesn’t mean it,” Clover said.
Pyro huffed. “Yes, I do!”
Boar shook his head and stepped closer. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is that if you put your hands on Clover like that again, I’m gonna cuff you to the bed and wait it out. Like last time.”
Drake sneered and tightened his hold on Clover. “He hit you?”
Clover rubbed his face. “No, he’s just hasty and whiny.”
Pyro took a deep inhale and stepped closer but swallowed whatever he wanted to say and only spoke after another few seconds, looking straight into Clover’s eyes. “I… I’m sorry, okay? It’s been a tough time for me.”
Clover felt his shoulders drop, because what was he to say? He knew Pyro wasn’t himself, and he wanted the man he’d fallen in love with back, even if the way there had lots of bumps.
Drake exhaled, staring at Pyro with a severe expression. “You need to get your shit together. Tank’s counting on us to be in shape when it’s time to strike.”
Clover slipped out from under Drake’s arm and got close enough to the rabid wolverine to hug him. This time, Pyro accepted the tenderness and embraced Clover with strong inked arms. He was very hot, as if he were on the verge of a fever.
“It’s going to be okay, but you know there’s no way around it but to wait it out. I love you,” Clover said and kissed Pyro. “Don’t let yourself down.”
Boar snorted. “Clover the Wise has spoken.”
“Shut up,” Clover said in a small voice, but Pyro hugged him even tighter, pushing his face into the crook of Clover’s shoulder and neck.
“Sorry,” he mouthed, but as the embrace continued, Boar’s features relaxed, and he joined the hug.
Clover smiled and stroked Pyro’s back. “It’s okay.”
“You wanna go do some training, Clover, or are you going to sit on the porch with cocoa all day?” Drake asked.
Clover’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t trained with Drake since the… since the torture. Tank had pulled him into doing things once his scars had healed, but Drake hadn’t even talked to him back then, let alone touched him.
Clover yearned for the normalcy of the past. “No! I’m ready,” he said and gave Pyro one more kiss.
Boar offered them a smile and pulled Pyro into his own arms, that looked even more massive than they used to. “How about some waffles? I’ll make the ones with peanut butter you like so much,” he said softly, and Clover was relieved to see Pyro nod.
They returned into the house holding hands, and it created a picture so domestic and sweet Clover’s yearning for Tank bubbled up inside his chest and made his eyes sting. Boar was back, but their family still felt incomplete, with a Tank-sized hole in the very middle.
“You wanna start with a run?” Drake asked.
Clover had to take a deep breath to compose himself. “Only if you actually let me keep up,” he said, but bolted forward before Drake could have given him the start signal.
Drake’s laugh was a pleasure to his ears, even if brief. Moments later, before Clover’s heart could have accelerated to accommodate his new pace, Drake caught up to him, making good use of his long legs.
“Show off,” Clover said with a groan, but he wasn’t really annoyed. Being able to talk like this was such a profound change after seeing Drake drift away from their team for months.
Drake smirked and rushed just enough to provoke Clover rather than outrun him to the point of humiliation. Maybe there was a bit more power left in Clover’s limbs after all?
They raced down the path leading away from the house and toward a picturesque ravine. Drake remained in the lead, which not only motivated Clover but also offered a distracting view of Drake’s ass moving under his jogging bottoms.
He was such a hunk of a man. Nowhere near as big as Tank but so well formed, with wider shoulders and a proportional body packed with toned muscle. His hair had grown longer too, since Drake hadn’t cut it in a while, so the ponytail reached all the way between his shoulder blades.
The run got Clover hot, but the cool autumn wind was the perfect antidote, and the sun peeking down on them through the treetops, which still remained dense, fueled a hunger for exercise Clover hadn’t felt in a while.
He didn’t know how long it took, but when Drake reached the ravine, he stopped in the dense grass on one side of the narrow crack in the hill.
“Feels good, huh?” Drake asked, glancing at Clover with a slight flush.
Clover needed to take his time panting before he could speak. “As long as we don’t meet a bear.”
“Relax. I’m armed,” Drake said before unbuckling his belt and resting it in the grass along with the holster. His black eyes seared into Clover in that creepy way Clover also found kind of hot.
“What made you want to train with me again?” Clover raised his eyebrows, suddenly self-conscious about his lazy outfit consisting of sweatpants and Tank’s T-shirt. Drake appeared so sleek and collected in comparison. Sure, he also wore similar pants, but his were more fitted, and his long-sleeve was skin tight, exposing all his drool-worthy muscles.
“I want to make sure you remember what to do next time Pyro has a fit.”
Clover groaned. “He wouldn’t actually hurt me. If anything, he needs the exercise to feel better about himself.”
Drake chewed on his lip and looked down the shadowy ravine. “Either way, you need to stay in shape. Just in case it’s needed.”
Clover nodded like a good little soldier. “I missed doing this with you. Tank is so much taller than me I need to use special techniques.” He jogged in place, excited for the sparring.
Drake stilled for half a second, then pulled off his top and tossed it at the other items. “I’m sure you’ll train with him again soon enough.”
“Oh? Oh? That’s is how it is?” Clover laughed and took off his T-shirt in challenge.
“It’s too hot,” Drake told him before cracking his knuckles.
It’ll be too hot when you get close, but Clover saved that comment for himself. He made the first move, attempting to land a punch, and he was exhilarated to find that when Drake blocked him and made an attack of his own, Clover was able to instinctively avoid it. His muscle memory was still solid after all this time, and he pirouetted into the next move.
“Not too bad,” Drake said, spinning him around and then locking Clover’s head with one arm. This brought Clover’s back to Drake’s chest in a moment of long-lost intimacy, but he wouldn’t show his weakness and held on to Drake’s arm, attempting to throw him forward.
It only worked halfway, but was enough for Drake to lose some balance, and from there, the sparring continued like a conversation without words. Each punch and block both brought them closer with touch and communicated the stubborn tension that kept them from reconnecting.
Clover’s confidence soared with each well-executed move, and he even managed to land a few punches as well as block most that came his way. For once, Drake didn’t act as if Clover was a puppy with a broken leg, but gave him the treatment he would an equal partner. And as sweat beaded on his body, catching sunlight, Clover found himself increasingly bold in the way he attacked, bringing them into close contact over and over.
Drake’s face expressed pure focus, but when they landed in the grass, Clover went for it all the way and pushed Drake’s wrists down when he saw an opening. Both of them stilled, Drake breathing evenly as he studied Clover in silence.
Clover beamed at Drake, still struggling to catch his breath. “I’m like Nala.”
“Who?”
Clover groaned. “You’ve never seen Lion King? Seriously?”
Drake offered him the tiniest of smiles and shook his head, relaxing in the cool grass, even though Clover was still pinning him down. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Never mind.
Anyway…” Clover dared to lie down on Drake. “Remember how I did this first time we kissed?” he asked, sensing hope twinkle deep in his chest when there was no pushback.
Drake exhaled. “Did what?”
“Pinned you down.”
A dark laugh emerged from Drake’s chest. “You never pinned me down. I let you.”
Clover rolled his eyes, exhilarated by Drake’s touch. “That’s what all losers say.”
“I only lose when I want to,” Drake said, and his fingertips rubbed Clover’s as they stared at one another.
“I guess you didn’t lose, since you got a kiss out of the whole thing.” Clover didn’t even blink as he lowered his face and pressed his mouth to Drake’s. They’d been circling each other since that kiss in balaclavas, and now he was getting another taste of the man whose love he so deeply craved.
Relief relaxed his muscles when Drake opened his lips while their fingers slotted together into a loving hold. As Drake teased Clover’s tongue with his mouth, the sound of Champagne corks popping in his brain had Clover changing position so his cock lay against Drake’s. He groaned in pleasure when he sensed them both stiffening.
He’d worried Drake would never be able to see him as a sexual being again. They might have eventually worked their way up to a platonic kind of love, but something would have remained missing, and that prospect near-broke Clover’s heart. But here they were, lying together like two lovers. Finally.
He closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, exploring the warmth of Drake’s mouth and grinding against him. It was as if they were doing this for the first time, but the illusion of innocence was gone once Drake pulled his hands out of Clover’s hold and grabbed his ass. It was show time.
“Is this okay?” Drake asked, sitting up and pushing Clover with him. His breath danced over Clover’s neck like a warm whirlwind, followed by gentle kisses that felt like no one else’s.
“Yes,” Clover whispered, wrapping his arms around Drake’s neck. “I love sex. I always did. I won’t have it taken away from me.”
Drake captured his lips once again, and in an unusually bold move for him, his hands dove under Clover’s bottoms, kneading naked flesh. “No. This is mine.”
Clover’s breath caught, and he leaned into Drake, wanting to melt into his man. His heart beat faster than it had during the run, and he kissed Drake’s ear in relief. “Yes. Yours.” Clover had to fight the tears clouding his eyes, too exhilarated for words. He wanted his Drake back. The Drake who touched him with so much confidence and had everything under control.
Drake stuffed his hand into his pocket, slowing down to show Clover a tiny tube of lubricant. His dark eyes shone with a question. Now that they’d gotten back together, the wait was frustrating beyond words.
Clover’s hands were frantic when he grabbed the lube. “Give it to me.” He dove in for an intense kiss, moving faster by the second. “I want you to fuck me so bad,” he said, already rising in Drake’s lap to pull his pants lower. This was all he needed. Access to Drake’s cock.
The black eyes were wide, and their heat burned as he followed Clover’s example and lowered his own sweats. His cock bobbed as soon as it was released, inviting Clover with the shape he knew would feel so good inside him.
“Clover. Yes,” Drake rasped, rubbing his hands up and down Clover’s chest as soon as he was done.
Clover smiled at him, still kneeling over his lap, but grabbed Drake’s cock, spreading lube all over it and getting a thrill from touching it once more. “Say my name again.”
Drake’s eyes rolled back in pleasure, his long lashes fluttering so beautifully Clover kissed him before Drake collected himself enough to speak. “Clover. My beautiful Clover. I missed you. So much.”
Clover’s brain was short-circuiting from the mix of arousal and tenderness, but he would let both flow through him at once because sex with Drake wasn’t just about the physical touch. It created a sense of deep connection and was a way to express feelings that were otherwise difficult to communicate.
Clover was sure that despite the lube, the stretch would feel rough at first, but he was done waiting and lowered himself onto Drake’s cock while holding the stiff flesh. He couldn’t wait to have it fill him, to move with Drake as their bodies combined.
Warm arms closed around him, and Drake let out a laborious exhale, spreading loving kisses over the underside of Clover’s jaw. “Feels so good,” he whispered, already thrusting against Clover in short, languid bursts.
“Yes.” Clover pulled the band off Drake’s ponytail and buried his face in the long hair with a gasp of pleasure when he pushed his ass low enough for Drake’s cock to fill him.
As they fucked, Drake’s hands wandered freely, and Clover couldn’t get enough of his touch, embracing every second in Drake’s lap. After months of rejection, he felt wanted. Normal. Himself.
The cool air, meant nothing when their bodies generated so much heat Clover felt he might never be cold again. He stiffened when Drake forced his hand behind his back and held it there, but yet more kisses made him relax, and by the time Drake did the same with Clover’s other hand, he was no longer nervous.
They moved together like clockwork, Drake’s cock stabbing into Clover until his insides were so sensitive he could barely think. Clover was technically on top, yet Drake still held him in place with a steel grip. Nothing like the horror they’d survived, this was how they chose to love each other. Drake’s hold was safety, not bondage.
Clover couldn’t have cared less about the grass and dirt staining his pants. Drake was the only thing that mattered to him—back in the fold. Back with him. His cock bobbed between their bodies, rubbing against Drake’s sweaty stomach again and again, but the sensation wasn’t intense enough to make him climax. Denying Clover orgasm had always been a turn on for Drake, and whether this was intentional or not, Clover just rolled with it, abandoning himself to the continuous pleasure.
Drake, on the other hand, was very close. His nostrils flared as he struggled for breath, pushing into Clover faster and faster, until the delicious sound of his balls slapping Clover’s ass became a frantic staccato.
He pressed his forehead to Clover’s when he came, trembling all over as the heat of his sperm filled Clover’s insides. Finally.
Clover groaned, squeezing his ass on that perfect cock. The trees around them spun as he nipped on Drake’s ear, trembling in his hold. “Yesss… Fill me. I wanna drip with your cum.”
Drake gasped for air, letting go of Clover’s hands to embrace him as their mouths clashed again. Clover’s hard cock was still an insistent presence, but kissing Drake was too intoxicating for him to focus on more basic needs.
“I love you so much, Clover. You have no idea,” Drake said, hiding his face by pressing their cheeks together. The raw nature of that confession had Clover trembling.
“I love you too. I never stopped.” Clover kissed Drake again, rocking his throbbing cock against the flushed chest. He could come on it. That would be a fitting end to this stolen moment of joy.
Drake must have noticed what he was doing, because he replaced his cock with two fingers and drove them into Clover in the same primal rhythm. Their teeth clashed. Clover’s ass tightened around the digits, and then the touch of Drake’s skin on his cock became too much, and he thrashed in his lover’s arms, overwhelmed with bliss.
He grabbed his cock, jerking it a few times to milk his balls completely, and leaned back to watch his spunk drizzle down Drake’s chest. His face was on fire, but he wouldn’t even blink when some of the cum slipped down Drake’s nipple.
“So hot,” he whined, stirring on the fingers. He was a total slut and wasn’t at all ashamed of it.
Drake rolled them over, descending on Clover with the warm cum gluing them together. The grass was cold against bare skin, but Clover didn’t care. He and Drake survived. Apollo had lost. He hadn’t managed to break their bond.
Drake eventually withdrew his fingers, covering Clover with his b
ody while his breathing calmed. Clover welcomed the change in position, and for a while they made out like horny teenagers whose parents were out of town. Clover didn’t mind the ant climbing up his leg. Or the cold. He just didn’t want to part yet.
Drake rolled to his side, watching Clover with a soft smile. He pushed one leg between Clover’s, as if he couldn’t stand being less close than they could physically be. “Is that what happened in that movie you mentioned?”
Clover burst out laughing. “Oh, my God! Drake! Lion King is a kids’ movie.”
Drake shook his head and cupped Clover’s face, watching him as if he’d never seen anything or anyone more beautiful. “This was better than that movie then.”
Clover gave him another kiss, happy when a bright ray of sun shone through parted clouds in approval. “It was better than any movie I’ve ever seen.”
Drake pulled Clover’s hand to his lips and kissed it too, his gaze never leaving Clover’s, as if he were still not sated with his presence. “At least something is as it should be.”
Drake didn’t even need to say it. Clover knew exactly what this was about. “He texted that he’s making good progress, but it’s not the same without him, is it?”
Drake licked his lips and glanced at the sky. He was still touching Clover, but his thoughts diverted. “I’m worried.”
“I know, it’s been a week, but you know Tank. He always gets the job done.”
A slow exhale was the expression of Drake’s frustration. “I know he’s more than capable. But so am I, and so is Boar, and look where it got us. If something happened to him, I would be to blame too, even if indirectly. Everything we used to be got warped because of my stupidity,” he said, swallowing over and over.
Clover grabbed Drake’s face and forced their eyes to meet. He was done listening to the self-pity crap, which had driven them apart in the first place. “No. We all made some bad choices, but shit happened because a woman named Diana decided she could put me in her human zoo, and then her brother got terribly offended that someone killed the bitch.”
Four Mercenaries - The Complete Collection Page 64