“I’ll wait,” Justin breathed. “Just get your ass back here. I need you.”
Gabriel closed his eyes, soaking in Justin’s rough words. Nothing would keep him from returning to Justin’s side. Nothing.
Lover Calling
An Exit Strategy Novella
By Jocelynn Drake
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LOVER CALLING Copyright ©2019 Jocelynn Drake. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Jocelynn Drake.
Cover art by Stephen Drake of Design by Drake.
Edited and proofed by Flat Earth Editing.
For Amanda.
Thanks for the London adventure!
Chapter 1
Justin paid the driver and climbed out of the black taxicab. Resettling his bag on his shoulder, he stared up at the row of town houses in what appeared to be a rather fashionable part of the city. Not that he’d know—he hadn’t spent a lot of time in London during his travels. Too many of his jobs over the years had taken him to Eastern Europe rather than the UK and the rest of Western Europe.
A cool wind rushed down the street and whipped between the buildings. The sun was hiding behind thick gray clouds, making it a surprisingly brisk September morning after endless days of blistering heat back in Cincinnati.
As the taxi rumbled off to collect its next passenger, Justin allowed a self-mocking laugh. “A fucking four-thousand-mile, transatlantic booty call,” he muttered under his breath.
He might feel a little ridiculous, but his heart was pounding and his palms were sweating at the prospect of getting to see Gabriel Prescott again. The former-spy-turned-mercenary could push every one of his buttons and still leave Justin begging for more.
Only two months had passed since Gabriel had walked out of his home in Cincinnati with the promise that he’d be back so that they could try the whole dating thing. Two months felt more like two fucking years already.
And hearing Gabriel on the phone had only made the longing worse.
“Are you on a job?” Gabriel asked. His voice drifted from the phone into Justin’s ear, and he swore he could feel it swimming through his bloodstream.
“What? No foreplay? No ‘How was your day, dear?’ ” Justin teased. He stretched in his seat in front of his computer, his latest hacking dilemma forgotten.
“If you want foreplay, then you need to come to London.”
Justin jerked upright in his chair. “London, England?”
“Of course,” Gabriel said sharply, as if insulted by the suggestion that he’d invite Justin somewhere uncivilized. “I happen to have a few days free before my next assignment starts. I thought you could visit.…We see some sights…”
“We fuck.”
Gabriel’s low chuckle had Justin adjusting his suddenly swelling cock. “I want you to fuck me against any and every flat surface you find.”
“Text me the address. I’ll be there tomorrow before noon.”
Less than twenty-four hours later, he was standing outside the flat, laughing at himself. But it wasn’t just the sex that had him boarding a stupidly expensive international flight at the last second. He needed to see Gabriel again, to hold him and reassure himself that he was safe. They both undoubtedly had shit in their past that needed to be taken care of, but Justin hated the idea of Gabriel not having anyone there to watch his back. He might be secretly hoping that Gabriel would let him in on his current endeavor.
Before he could climb the pale stone stairs, the front door opened, and Gabriel stepped out. His dark hair was a little longer, and his face seemed thinner since Cincinnati, but Justin was sure he was also the sexiest person he’d ever seen in his life. Gabriel wore a pair of black slacks and a black button-down shirt that was open at the throat, giving just a hint of the tattoos hidden underneath.
“Is there a reason you’re haunting my front step?” Gabriel inquired, lifting one narrow eyebrow.
Justin smirked at him as he slowly climbed the stairs. “Just once again questioning my life choices when I find myself flying four thousand miles for a booty call.”
“Then let me remind you why you just traveled four thousand miles.”
Gabriel reached out and snagged the strap of Justin’s bag, tugging him inside the dimly lit hallway. Shoving Justin’s back against the wall, Gabriel slammed the door shut and seized Justin’s mouth. They came together in a desperate clash of teeth and tongues. There was no getting close enough. Justin opened at the first touch of Gabriel’s lips and welcomed him inside with a long moan. His bag slid off his shoulder and hit the floor with a loud thump. Greedy hands plucked at clothes until they were both shirtless while pants balanced precariously on their hips.
A low groan escaped Justin, and he pulled his mouth free as his hands finally ran over warm, smooth skin. He looked down to see the black tattoos he’d tried to memorize whenever he’d gotten Gabriel naked. A variety of old, white scars were sprinkled across his frame, drawing his fingers one after another. Each scar held a secret, a story, and Justin was looking forward to pulling them out of Gabriel.
Brushing his mouth across Justin’s ear, Gabriel whispered, “Like what you see?”
“Yes, but I’m not seeing enough of it. Where’s the bedroom? We need to be horizontal. Less fighting gravity.”
Gabriel grabbed his hand and led him up the narrow, creaking stairs to the first door. Justin got only a glimpse of the room before Gabriel was pressed against him. They ate at each other’s mouths while shoving pants down to the floor. Justin’s hard cock brushed against Gabriel’s and he moaned.
Justin gave Gabriel a shove. Surprise flashed across the other man’s face for a heartbeat, and then he bounced once on the soft mattress. Bending, Justin quickly shucked the last of his and Gabriel’s clothes. He stared down at Gabriel’s long, lean frame stretched out against the navy comforter. His skin was pale with a nice down of dark hairs. Everything about Gabriel was sexy—from his muscular thighs to his thick cock to the ripple of abs leading to strong pecs, but Justin’s heart skipped a beat at the little smirk on his lips and the hunger burning in his dark eyes.
“You didn’t fly all this way to look,” Gabriel prodded. Reaching down, he wrapped his fingers around his cock and stroked.
Gabriel was so very right.
“Supplies,” Justin growled.
With a smug smile, Gabriel pointed to the nightstand with his free hand. It took considerable effort for Justin to tear his eyes away from the show Gabriel was providing, but he managed it to spot the new bottle of lube and unopened box of condoms. He walked around the bed, snatched up the lube, and tossed it to Gabriel. “Make yourself useful. Open it.”
“I thought I was being useful,” Gabriel teased, but Justin was more interested in the sound of the plastic wrapper being removed from around the cap while he tore open the box and pulled out a condom. He rolled it on and resumed his place between Gabriel’s legs. When Gabriel offered him the bottle, he put it on the bed next to his knee. Later…that was later.
Placing both of his hands behind Gabriel’s calves, he slowly massaged his way up the man’s legs. He paused and leaned down, placing a lingering kiss to the inside of one knee and then the other. He dragged his lips slowly along the inside of Gabriel’s left thigh, skimming up to the soft flesh of his pelvic bone.
“Justin,” Gabriel snarled in warning. He clamped his hand down on
his cock while his other hand clenched the blanket under him. “Let’s save the sweetness for the next round.”
Turning his head, he smiled at the head of Gabriel’s cock, which was inches from his mouth. “You want something in particular?”
“Suck it or fuck me.” The words came out sounding as if Gabriel was grinding his teeth.
Justin stared at the dark red head as a pearl of pre-cum slipped from his slit. He was tempted to lick it away and suck Gabriel until he was coming down his throat, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t what he’d dreamed about during his ten-hour flight.
Pulling back, he grabbed Gabriel’s knees and flipped him over. While Justin poured lube onto his dick and fingers, Gabriel moved to his knees, thrusting his ass up while pressing his cheek to the sheets. Justin ran his lube-covered fingers over Gabriel’s hole before pushing one inside, earning a hiss from Gabriel.
“This time, I’m going to fuck you hard, but later, we’re going slow. I’m going to lie back and let you ride me while you stroke your cock. I’m going to slide inside of you and fuck you slowly when we’re in the shower.” He pulled his finger out and added more lube, pushing two inside of Gabriel, stretching resistant muscles. “In the morning, as we’re making coffee, I’m going to bend you over, press your face against the counter, and fuck you.”
“Justin!” Gabriel shouted, his voice shaking and desperate.
Removing his fingers, he placed both hands on Gabriel’s ass, spreading the cheeks so that he could watch his hard dick push inside, past the tight ring of muscles. He kept going, surging into him in one slow, sure stroke, filling Gabriel completely. A rush of air left both their lungs and Justin paused, remaining completely still while Gabriel’s muscles tightened and spasmed. Gabriel felt so damn perfect around him, he never wanted to leave his body.
Justin bent and brushed kisses up his spine until he reached Gabriel’s shoulder blade. He smelled of sandalwood and soap. Sweat was starting to glisten on his skin, making him slick to the touch. Justin shifted his hips, slowly withdrawing an inch before pushing forward. A desperate, needy sound emanated from Gabriel’s throat while one hand shot back, tightly gripping his thigh.
“More,” he whispered.
Justin was only too happy to oblige. Straightening, he clasped both of Gabriel’s hips, pulled back, and then slammed home again. They both groaned, and Justin proceeded to mercilessly fuck him through the mattress. The only sounds in the room were the slap of sweaty flesh against flesh and Gabriel’s filthy demands for Justin to fuck him harder. Fuck, he felt like heaven and the sound of Gabriel’s voice was the sweetest song. Justin was sliding home each time he plunged inside of his body, and he never wanted it to end.
But his orgasm was fast building, and Gabriel’s wasn’t far behind, judging by the way his demands had changed to a near-endless refrain of Justin’s name tumbling from his lips.
“Justin…please,” Gabriel whimpered.
Gnashing his teeth, Justin gave a feral grin as he realized what Gabriel needed to send him over the edge. “One of these days, I’m going to fuck you without this condom. Fill your ass up. Tell me you want that.” There was only a low moan and whimper. “Then you’re going to stand and I’m going to watch my cum slip out of your ass. You can get in the shower and wash off, but you’ll still feel me, still know a part of me is inside of you. Know that you’re fucking mine.”
Gabriel shouted, his entire body tightening as the orgasm shot through him. Muscles clamped down on Justin’s dick, and he continued to fuck Gabriel through the pleasure before his own orgasm caught up with him. Fire blazed along his nerve endings and burned away the entire world for a couple of heartbeats. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. He could only keep pumping inside of Gabriel’s tight body while wishing they weren’t separated by the thin membrane of latex.
Collapsing on top of Gabriel, Justin wrapped his arms around the man’s chest and rolled them onto their sides so that Justin was still buried deep inside of him. He knew he should get up and deal with the condom, but he wanted just one more minute pressed close like this. His heart hammered against Gabriel’s back, and they were both struggling to catch their breaths.
“Justin,” Gabriel murmured.
“Yeah?”
“Welcome to London,” he replied, a hint of laughter in his voice.
“Thanks. This is already turning out to be one of my top ten trips here.”
Gabriel put his elbow into the mattress and lifted up enough to look over his shoulder at Justin. “Only in the top ten?”
“Well, I’ve only been in the city for a couple of hours, and the cab ride here was really long.”
A wicked grin curled along Gabriel’s lips and narrowed his eyes. “Then I guess I’ll have to see what I can do to earn that number one spot on your list.”
Justin smiled back. He didn’t think it would take much, but he was so happy to let Gabriel try. Fuck yes, this was going to be a very good trip.
Chapter 2
Gabriel could feel the stupid smile on his lips that he couldn’t quite get rid of. Justin had kept his promise and thoroughly fucked him in the bed, shower, and then against the wall as they were trying to get dressed again. It felt like his knees were barely holding him up. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in that slightly lumpy bed with Justin wrapped around him, snoring softly in his ear.
But sex apparently gave Justin his second wind. He was demanding food and some sightseeing before they retreated to the bedroom again.
And to Gabriel’s surprise, he found himself agreeing. When Justin jumped on the chance to see him in London, Gabriel had thought they’d just spend their limited time together in bed, but sightseeing and dining together could be good too. Normal, couple-type things he’d never really tried until now.
For lunch, they found a little pub tucked down a quiet, narrow street. The place was filled with dark woods; each step was greeted with haunting creaks. Gabriel was sure it had been there for a couple of hundred years, serving fish and chips, meat pies, and curries. They ordered pints to go with their food and slipped into easy conversation.
“So…you gonna share what your current assignment is?” Justin asked in a teasing voice. He set his glass down with a heavy thunk on the table and grinned at Gabriel.
“I think it would be best if we didn’t discuss business while you’re in town. We’ve only got a couple of days.”
Justin’s grin dimmed a little, and he nodded as if he wasn’t really surprised by Gabriel’s response. Gabriel didn’t want to think about his current assignment. He’d put it off for years, but if he wanted the kind of life that Justin was dangling in front of him, a life that didn’t include hiding, running, or being ashamed of who he loved, then it was time to finally make those hard decisions.
“Will you at least tell me if you’ve been shot since you left Cincinnati?” Justin prodded.
Gabriel laughed. He’d been about to take a drink of his own beer but returned his glass to the table. “I promise that I haven’t been shot since I left your sight. And I’m trying very hard to make sure I don’t get shot again.”
Justin gave a shrug. His cheeks grew a little pink, and he kept his eyes on the slightly battered tabletop between them. “You’ve got no one watching your back. Heaven only knows what you’ve gotten yourself into. I mean, you spent more than a month working with me. It’s obvious you’ll accept just any contract that crosses your path.”
A low snort left Gabriel. “You should know that after working with you, I’ve become very selective in the contracts I accept.”
Justin lifted both of his eyebrows as he looked up at Gabriel again. “Really, now?”
“Incredibly selective.”
The server suddenly swept over, dropped off their food, and checked to see if they needed anything else before disappearing. Justin happily tucked into his meal, but there was now a self-satisfied smirk on his face. And Gabriel let him have his moment.
The truth was that Jus
tin had been integral in the decision to change his life. Gabriel wasn’t quite sure what would necessarily happen after he made those changes, mostly because there was a dark part of him that wasn’t entirely confident he’d be able to safely escape a second time.
“What about you? Have you been shot since I left?”
“Nope,” Justin said around a mouthful of food. He swallowed the bite of fish and took a quick drink. “I’ve taken some smaller contracts. Just a little hacking and uncovering some hidden info. No real legwork like our last gig.”
Gabriel nodded, trying to not smile. He liked to think that Justin was taking fewer risks because they had a shot at something, a normal relationship that didn’t include car chases, explosions, or contracts on your head.
“You know what actually scares me? You know…about the future,” Justin ventured.
Shaking his head, Gabriel lowered his fork back to his plate and tried to ignore the sudden pounding of his heart. Was Justin having second thoughts about them?
“I’m scared of telling Marilyn I want out of the game,” Justin admitted.
Gabriel groaned and returned to his food. Marilyn was a handler of sorts. A middleman…er…woman who vetted contracts, arranged for payment, and got the right jobs into the hands of the right mercenaries. Gabriel had worked on several contracts for Marilyn over the years, though he didn’t have an exclusive arrangement with her. Apparently Justin had used her for a while as well, since she was the one who put them together on their last contract.
He did have to admit that she was a formidable woman. There was no question in his mind—she definitely knew how to handle herself. He guessed that she was likely former MI6, but he had no real proof. Just a feeling.
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