Vince leaned inclose. “No, not always,”he grinned.
Keeganbacked away. “Stop that.”
“Stop what?”Vince licked his lips, eyeingKeegan’s naked chest.
“Stop lookingat me like I’ma Happy Meal.”Keeganrolled onto his side, tryingto get comfortable.
“I make a good blanket,”Vince whispered.
“Willyougo to sleep?!”Keegan sighed infrustration.
Vince layback staringat the ceiling; a slow chuckle rose fromhis chest. Thenthe laughter burst free.
“What is it now?”Keeganlooked over the pillow wall.
“I don’t think I’ve ever beeninthis situation- inbed witha man, not havingsex, witha pillow wallkeepingme fromhavingmy way. Damndownfeathers!”Vince laughed hysterically.
Keegansank into his pillow, closing his eyes. “I’mtired, please go to sleep.”
Vince stayed quiet untilhe heard a soft snore comingfromKeegan’s side. He sat up and looked over the pillows, a smile forming onhis lips. Keeganwas ina tight ball, protectinghimself. He closed his eyes and thought about what was coming. He knew he was puttingKeeganindanger inmore ways thanone. He was goingto find out what Dario Nardozziwanted withAgent KeeganRipley, no matter what it took.
Chapter Four
Vince woke up to a rayofsunlight across his eyes. He felt stickyand realized Keeganwas plastered to him. Theywere both sweating, what withbeingso close to one another. Sometime duringthe night the pillow wallhad beendiscarded, leavingspace for Keeganto rollright into Vince’s chest. Vince smiled downinto Keegan’s angelic face. His mouthwas slightlyopenand a soft snore was comingout. Keeganhad perfect lips; they were pink, too. The long, black lashes hid his beautifuleyes. Vince’s cellphone rang, jarring himinto motion. He grabbed it offthe night stand and crawled out ofbed carefully. Checkingto make sure he hadn’t woken
Keegan, Vince slipped out onto the balcony. “Hello?”
“Hey, Dad, I spent allnight hacking
into allkinds ofsites. This guy, whoever he is, is no regular Joe.” “No, he’s FBI. Hangona sec.”Vince opened the door quietlyand snuck back into the room. He aimed the camera at Keegan’s sleepingface and snapped a picture. Vince went back out onto the balcony, sendingthe picture to Nikolai. Whenhe put the phone to his ear, Nikolaiwas stilltalkinga mile a minute. “I said hold on!”Vince laughed softly.
“FBI?”Nikolaialmost shouted. “What the helldoes the FBI want with—Ohh, nice picture. He is hot.”
“I told you,”Vince snickered. “Long storyshort, he’s agreed to work withus to bringNardozzidown.” “I almost got throughthe last firewall last night. Youwant me to keep trying?”
Vince looked over at the bed. “Yeah, I do. There’s somethinghe’s not tellingme.”
“Okay, I’monit.”Nikolailooked at the picture again. “Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Does he like you?”
“I’mnot sure; we got offto a rough start,”Vince chuckled.
“Welldon’t make himmadder than youalreadyhave. I’llkeep youupdated.”
“Thanks, Nik. I love you.”
“Love youtoo, Pops.”
Vince took a longhot shower, thinking about Keeganthe whole damntime. He almost jacked off, but wondered what would happenifKeeganwalked inonhim. He’d alreadymade a foolofhimselfover the guy, he wasn’t about to get caught doingthat. He tipped his head back, lettingthe hot water soothe his sore muscles. God, he needed to get laid. Vince opened his eyes. Did they choose Keeganbecause he reallywasn’t affected byhim? The thought was more thana little disturbing. The more Keeganpushed him away, the more he wanted him. This was a first inhis entire life, wantingsomeone who didn’t want him.
Vince shook his head clear; he had a job to do. BringNardozzidownno matter what. Turningthe water off, Vince grabbed one ofthe large, fluffytowels. Openingthe door to the outer bathroom, he stopped inhis tracks; Keeganwas takinga piss.
“Do youalways watchother people pee?”Keeganshook his dick, and closed the lid ofthe toilet. Turningto washhis hands, he noticed Vince was stilllookingat him. “Well?”
“I was lookingat your dick, not your piss, ifyouwant to get technical.”Vince sauntered over to the mirror, droppinghis towelalongthe way. He heard a slight intake ofbreathand looked over his shoulder. “So, it seems youare not unaffected.”Vince raised a brow.
Keeganstalked out ofthe bathroom mumblingunder his breath. He grabbed the phone and called roomservice. He needed a shitload ofcoffee; he’d gottenhooked onit by James Pruitt. Besides, Rileyhad sent hima coffeemaker for Christmas the year before. Now he couldn’t functionwithout it. His mind wandered back to what he’d just seen:Vince Markov, naked. Keegansighed infrustration; his dick was hard again. Damnbut the man had anincredible ass; youcould bounce a quarter offofit. His arms were huge, and his chest was perfection; sinewymuscles ranthe entire lengthofthe man’s body.
He had the most beautifulwashboard abs and the tattoos that covered himmade him evensexier. Keeganwent out onthe balcony and sat downonone ofthe lounge chairs. For more thana decade he’d watched and listened to Vince Markov. He thought he could handle beingalone withhim. He’d beenwrong. Devin Lyons was immune to Vince; Keegansighed heavily. He wished he was. Vince’s voice scared him.
“So, what do youwant to do today?” Vince asked.
Keeganlooked over his shoulder. “Well, at least youput some clothes on.”
Vince sat downinthe chair opposite Keegan. He clasped his hands together, lookingat him. “Ifwe are goingto work together, I need youto trust me.”
“Whyshould I?”Keeganleaned forward, lookinginto Vince’s eyes.
“Because I’ve alreadysaved your ass once.”Vince took Keegan’s hand gently. “How does it feeltoday?”
Keegantried to take his hand back. “It’s fine. I know what I look like, some fragile, prettylittle boy. I’mactuallytougher thanI look.”
“I cansee that.”Vince ranhis finger over the top ofKeegan’s nails. “Who did this to you?”
Keeganstood up. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I need to know what I’minfor, workingwithyou. I can’t have youfreeze up onme ina bad situation.”
Keeganstood over Vince. “I’ve killed myshare ofmen, Vince. I maynot be like you, goingfor the world record ofhow many menI cankillina month. But I cantake care ofmyself; I’ve beendoingit for a longtime.”
“Just how muchdo youknow about me?”Vince stood up, backingKeeganinto the wall. “Let’s be honest here. Whyare you onthis assignment, Keegan? Tellthe truththis time.”
“I did tellyouthe truth, what more do youwant?”Keeganrealized he was boxed in. Witha wallbehind himand Vince’s hands on either side ofhis body, he had nowhere to go.
“Are youtryingto intimidate me?”
Vince smiled, leaningin. “Now why would I do that?”This time, the urge to palm Keegan’s face was one he couldn’t ignore. He swept his hand across Keegan’s cheek softly. “I didn’t meanto hit youso hard.”
Keegan’s eyes closed as Vince’s soft caress continued across his jaw and downhis neck. “Are youtryingto seduce me?”Keegan whispered.
“Are youseducible?”Vince leaned in closer.
Keeganopened his eyes; Vince was inches fromhis face. “I told you, I’mnot going to be some notchonyour belt. I know how youoperate; you’re basicallya male whore.”
Vince backed away. “I haven’t been like that ina while. Youshouldn’t talk about shit like that. Youhave no idea who I am.”
“Ohyes I do, I know everythingthere is to know about you, Vince Markov.” Keegansnapped his mouthshut. Oh shit.
Vince crossed his arms. “Oh, is that so?”
“Ofcourse, theywouldn’t send me to reelyouinwithout tellingme what I needed to know,”Keegantried to cover his ass.
“That’s need to know, yousaid everything….bigdifference.”Vince looked into Keegan’s eyes. “You’re lying.”
“What?”
“Your pupils are dilating.”Vince leaned incloser. “I think youmigh
t be sweating, too; whyare youlyingto me?” Vince stepped incloser, takingKeegan’s wrist inhis hand. “Do youfind me attractive?”
“What?”Keeganstammered. “N-nno!”
Vince smiled, runninghis thumb over the pulse inKeegan’s wrist. “Lyingagain.”
“Let g-g-go!”Keegantried to get loose, but the sheer size and power ofthe man left Keeganat a disadvantage.
“Youwant me to kiss you, don’t you?”Vince said, leaningincloser.
“Dammit, this is not funny! Let me gg-go V-V-Vince!”
“God, I love it whenyoustutter my name,”Vince chuckled, pullingKeeganinto him.
The knock onthe door ofthe suite had thembothfreezinginplace.
“Roomservice,”Keegansaid.
Vince let go ofKeegan’s wrist. “I’ll get that.”Makinghis wayacross the suite, Vince opened the door to see a roomservice cart accompanied bytwo men. Vince eyed the cart and smiled. Two bottles ofEnsure, along withoatmeal, sat amongst eggs, baconand toast. Vince snickered. “Well, at least he didn’t order up Depends.”Vince went to grab his wallet whenit hit him. Since whendid two people deliver one cart?
Keegancollapsed inthe chair as Vince went to get the food. “Holyshit,” Keeganwhispered.
The sound ofglass breakinghad him up inaninstant. He raninto the mainroomof the suite to see Vince locked inmortalcombat withtwo men.
“Shit!” It was like watchinga Bruce Lee movie, Vince was everywhere at once. Within seconds, Vince had snapped the neck onone ofthemand shot the other withhis owngun. Bothmenlayonthe floor and Vince looked up just then.
“We need to get out ofhere now, grab your shit. I think we have less thana minute.”
Keeganraninto the bedroom, grabbingonlythe essentials, namelyhis gun, phone and wallet. He ranback into the other roomto see Vince inthe doorwaylooking downthe hall. “Come on.”Vince put his hand out.
Keegantook Vince’s hand and they stood inthe doorwayfor severalseconds before Vince went out first, keepinghis body infront ofKeegan’s. “What the hellis going on?”
“It seems as ifNardozziis makinghis move.”Vince continued downthe hall. The elevator doors opened and four menwalked out. Vince hauled Keeganinthe opposite direction, towards the stairwell. Muffled shots were goingoffbehind themas Vince kicked the emergencydoors open. The alarmwent offand Vince pushed Keegandownthe stairs infront ofhim. “Come on!”
Floor after floor went bythem; Vince kicked the door to the third floor open. They came out inanemptyhallwayand Vince walked themto the elevator. Theystood, watchingthe hallas the elevator made its way down.
“Now what?”Keeganheld his hand; it was killinghim, as wellas his head. He noticed the blood onVince’s shirt.
“You’ve beenhit.”
“I was?”Vince looked at his arm. “Oh, guess I was.”The doors opened onthe elevator and Vince put his guninfront ofhim, checkinginside. “Come on.”
“We need to get that looked at.” Keeganpulled the materialup, lookingat the gunshot wound. “It’s not too bad.”
Vince looked downat his shirt; his eyes fellonthe bulge inKeegan’s pants. “Really? This excites you?”
Keegansighed infrustration. “You reallywant to talk about this now?”
As soonas the elevator stopped, Vince pushed Keeganbehind him, waitingfor the doors to open. Theywalked throughthe lobby, tryingto look nonchalant, before headingout the hotelfront doors. Vince hailed a cab, takinghis phone out.
“Who are youcalling?”Keegan looked out the back window ofthe cab, trying to see iftheywere beingfollowed.
“Damon, we need to get out ofRio.” Vince turned inthe seat, keepinghis eye on the road behind them.
“Where are we going?”
Vince sat back as the phone rang. “We need to go somewhere that gives us an advantage.”
“That would be?”Keeganraised a brow.
Vince looked out the cab window. “Can’t go to Russia, Nardozziisn’t stupid enoughto go there twice. Myvilla inAmalfi doesn’t give us muchprotection.”Damon picked up finally. “Damon, we have a problem —”
“Arizona.”Keeganblurted it out.
“Hangona sec.”Vince looked over at Keegan. “Arizona? Funnyyoushould mentionthat, Nikolaisays I should move there.”
“Youshould, you’d feelright at home,”Keegangrinned.
“Hot as hell, right?”Vince arched a brow.
“Yes, let me make a few phone calls. I know just where to go.”
“I’llcallyouback, Damon.”Vince turned inthe seat, to studyKeegan. “Now see, this is where the trust inour relationship comes into play.”
“There is no relationship, Vince. Keep that inmind, I meant what I said.”Keegan pulled his phone out.
Vince looked back out the window, smiling. “Not for long.”
~~ Halfanhour later, theywere boarding DamonSantorno’s private jet. Vince went straight to the galley, lookingfor the first aid kit, withKeeganright onhis heels.
“Youreallyneed to get that cleaned up, Vince. Right now is not the time to drink.”
“I’mgettingthe first aid kit. I maynot feelpain, but I hate infection.”Vince looked throughthe cabinets. “I know it’s here.”
Keeganlooked under one ofthe many shelvingunits. “It’s right here, youknow the white boxwiththe bigred cross onit?” Keeganshook the boxback and forthinfront ofVince. “Sit down.”
Vince raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
Keegantried to pushVince into the seat but was met withresistance. “I need to look at it.”
“Now you’re a doctor, too?”Vince stepped away. “No offense, but I don’t let just anyone touchme.”
“Well, you’ve beentouchingme. Fair is fair, now sit the fuck down.”Keeganfixed Vince witha look.
Vince contemplated Keegan’s request. It wasn’t everydayhe had someone barkingorders at himand comingfrom Keegan, it was downright comical. “You’re sucha pushylittle man,”Vince chuckled.
“I amnot little!”Keeganraised himselfto his fullheight, whichwas seriously smaller inVince’s presence.
“That’s just so adorable.”Vince eyed Keegan’s pants. “Whyare youalways getting hard? I thought it was just for me, youknow? But whenwe were onthe run, youwere sportingwood. So does danger and
excitement turnyouon?”Vince waggled his eyebrows.
“Youare sucha—”
“Dick? Yeah, we’ve covered that. I ama huge asshole; I feelno pain, show no mercyand killwithprecision. I also sleep like a fuckingbaby.”Vince pulled his shirt off. “Have at it, Agent.”
Keeganinspected the wound
carefully; there were quite a few scars on Vince’s bicep. The bullet had just grazed the skin, thankfully. Keegantook cottonballs out ofthe first aid box, alongwithalcoholwipes and butterflybandages. He cleaned the wound out thoroughly, expectingat least a hiss from Vince. There was nothing. Duringhis time investigatingVince, he’d heard the manhad learned to controlpain, effectivelyturningit off. He hadn’t believed it untiljust now.
“Seems like youhave quite a few older scars.”Keeganpeered at Vince’s hip. A scar randownhis hip, disappearingunder Vince’s pants, most likelytoward his groin. Keeganclosed his eyes, takinga deep breath. “What’s this one from?”
Vince looked downat his hip bone. “Nardozzi. I sliced a nice sized hole inhis back. Asshole survived though, obviously. It’s not oftensomeone walks awayfroma fight withme.”Vince’s brows furrowed inthought. “Wait, no one walks away.”
“So, yousliced himwithyour famous eight-inchknife?”Keeganpulled the skin together tightly, placinga bandage over it.
“Yes, it was givento me byMarco whenI was inprison.”
Keeganstopped witha butterfly bandage stuck to his fingers. “I’msorry, I heard about your family.”
“It was a longtime ago. I trynot to think about it too much.”Vince looked towards the front ofthe plane. “So what’s your story?”
“Meaning?”Keeganpositioned the bandage, carefullyplacingit. His fingers brushed the soft skinonVince’s hip, and he wa
s surprised to see little bumps form. Keegansmiled, keepinghis head down.
“What made youdecide to be inthe FBI?”Vince looked downat his bicep. “Good work.”
“Mydad was a Fed,”Keegan shrugged his shoulders. “I wanted to be a doctor, whichobviouslydidn’t happen.”
Vince eyed Keeganclosely. “Your dad wanted youto be manlier, didn’t he?”
Keeganstood up. “Wow, youjust keep going, don’t you? Don’t youthink I’ve heard it all? AllthroughtrainingI was called ‘pretty,’ I was the butt ofjokes, punintended. Just because I look allcute and innocent doesn’t meanI am.”Keeganthrust the first aid boxat Vince. “You’re welcome.”
Vince followed Keeganto the main cabin. “So what’s the dealwiththe boners?” Vince almost raninto Keegan, whenhe abruptlystopped.
Keeganturned to look at Vince. “If youmust know, it’s a nervous condition. WhenI’mnervous or scared I get a hard-on, allright?”
“And youstutter.”Vince felt the anger permeatingfromKeegan. “I’mjust bringingup a fact. Look, I cansee whyyougot your tightie whities ina bunch, allright? But the simple fact ofthe matter is, youare pretty, youget boners and youstutter. So I’m guessingyour childhood wasn’t allrosy. I meanyour skinalone, it’s perfect and unblemished.”Vince eyed Keegan’s bodyin jeans; he had slimhips and the jeans he wore curved nicelyaround his muscular thighs. The woodyhe was sportingat the moment could be seenperfectlyinthe tight denim
surroundingit.
“Ohtrust me, Vince. Myskinis not unblemished.”Keegansat down, witha heavy sigh. “Youhave no idea the shit I have endured.”
“Well, enlightenme then. Maybe I’ll see youina different light.”Vince sat across fromKeegan.
“Youwon’t, you’re Vince Markov, killer. I’mKeeganRipley, FBI agent. We are fromtwo verydifferent worlds.”
“I stillthink you’re hot, evenifyou carrya badge.”Vince sat back, witha grin.
“Youwouldn’t ifyouknew…” Keegantrailed off, lookingout the window.
“IfI knew what?”Vince sat forward takingKeegan’s hand. He ranhis fingertip over Keegan’s nails. “Is it about this? Scars aren’t uglyKeegan, theytella story.”
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