“I managed to get a doctor to look you over here, stitch you up.”
“You didn’t…?”
Justin shook his head. “I can do basic stitches, but I wanted the doctor to look you over, make sure there wasn’t something worse that I was missing.”
“Thank you. I want to know how you found me, but later. Right now, you need sleep.”
“And you need food. I managed to get a little chicken broth in you, but that’s about it. How about I make you a sandwich while you go brush your teeth and start that shower? Your bandages are waterproof, so you should be good.”
Food and a shower sounded so damn wonderful to Gabriel. He wanted to remove the days of dirt and grime he could feel clinging to his skin. Wanted to wash away the memory of being held, waiting for his final execution. But he wasn’t going to think about that right now. Justin was standing in front of him looking warm and sleepy and so damn tempting.
“Only if it means you’re climbing into the bed with me,” Gabriel said.
“Deal.”
Justin gave Gabriel a little shove toward the hall he’d just left. Gabriel didn’t need any more prodding than that. He shuffled to the bathroom, where he grabbed the toothbrush still in its wrapper. While he brushed his teeth, he glared at his own reflection. Justin might look like shit from not getting any sleep, but Gabriel looked like death warmed over. His face was covered in more bruises, though the swelling around his eyes was now gone. The split in his lower lip was scabbed over and starting to heal. The only good thing was that the beard would help to hide some of his bruises. Of course, the damn thing itched like a motherfucker, and he was already looking forward to scraping his cheeks clean again.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be back to your beautiful self soon enough,” Justin announced as he walked into the bathroom. Gabriel nearly choked on the toothpaste in his mouth.
He rinsed and set the toothbrush on the counter. “Ass,” he muttered. “You don’t look much better than me right now.”
Justin set the plate with the sandwich on the counter and stared at his reflection. He rubbed his hand over his cheeks. “I thought I’d rock the burly lumberjack look.”
“You’re shaving just like me.”
A half smile tilted up one corner of Justin’s lips while fatigue still weighed heavily in his eyes. “You prefer me in the clean-cut banker look?”
Gabriel stepped closer and leaned his hip against the counter because he was already starting to feel tired. He slipped his hand under the T-shirt Justin was wearing, to skim his fingers over warm skin. “I’ll take you however I can get you, baby.”
Justin chuckled. “You’re not getting anything until you get a shower. We both stink.”
There was no denying that. With a snicker, Gabriel turned toward the shower and started the water. He adjusted it until it was filling the room with steam. When he turned back, Justin was already naked and smiling at him.
“I thought I’d help you get all the hard to reach spots.”
“Right now, I think they’re all hard to reach.”
Putting his hands on the waistband of Gabriel’s briefs, Justin leaned in and gently brushed his lips across the corner of Gabriel’s mouth. He felt that straight down to his core. God, he’d missed Justin’s touch. It had been only four months since they’d last seen each other, but his body claimed it was much longer. An eternity. Nothing felt as right, as perfect, as when Justin touched him.
Hooking his fingers in the waistband, Justin kneeled and lowered Gabriel’s briefs. Pain ached in Gabriel’s knees as he raised each leg to get free. He tried not to wince. There was nothing sexy about being in pain, and he was trying not to ruin the mood as he drew Justin into the shower.
“Relax,” Justin murmured as he stepped into the stall behind Gabriel. “We’re not screwing around in here. You’re still injured and I’m just too damn tired.”
Gabriel placed one hand against the cool, smooth tile and sighed as the hot water pounded down on his back. He closed his eyes and let go for a moment. The pain and fatigue that had started to nip at him retreated just enough to enjoy the feeling of the water sliding down his body. But his eyes snapped open again when he felt a pair of strong, soapy hands slip across his chest.
Justin smiled at him and continued to carefully soap up his frame. Gabriel normally would have preferred something a little rougher that would have removed a layer of skin along with the dirt, but Justin’s tender touch was deliciously soothing.
“You know, I was expecting more…anger when you finally caught up with me.”
A low chuckle filled the stall, rising above the sound of falling water. “Oh, that’s coming. Trust me, that is coming. But it’s no fun beating you senseless when you’re still recovering from your last ass-kicking.”
“Thanks,” Gabriel mumbled. He closed his eyes again, allowing himself to focus on the hands that slipped around his shoulders and down his back.
“Right now, I just want to enjoy knowing that you’re safe.” As Justin spoke, his strong fingers wrapped around Gabriel’s ass cheeks and massaged.
“Oh, fuck.” He groaned low and nearly whimpered when Justin released him to put more soap on his hands. When his fingers returned to work over his ass again, he pulled Gabriel tighter against him. Their hard cocks brushed and rubbed against each other, earning a hiss of pleasure. Justin slid slick fingers along the crack of Gabriel’s ass, and Gabriel roughly grabbed both of Justin’s shoulders to steady himself.
“Put some soap on your hands,” Justin bit out. He shifted his hips, grinding his cock against Gabriel’s until they both moaned.
Gabriel forced his eyes open and grabbed at the bottle of shampoo closest to him. He poured a massive amount into the palm of his shaking right hand. Dropping the bottle somewhere behind Justin, he wrapped his soap-filled palm around their cocks and stroked. He added his other hand, squeezing their dicks together in a slippery vise while relying on Justin to keep him upright.
A finger brushed playfully across his hole once, twice, and Gabriel couldn’t stop the whimper that tumbled past his parted lips. “Yes. Please,” he said between pants. He wanted to feel Justin inside of him, stretching him, filling him so completely. But it would have to wait until they were both up for something more athletic. For now, Gabriel was content to feel Justin’s strong body rubbing against his, his long, thick finger pressing inside of him. That burn eating up conscious thought until there was only tingling nerve endings and the building orgasm preparing to barrel through him.
“Oh fuck,” Justin snarled. “I’m already there. Tighter. Squeeze me tighter.”
Gabriel clamped down on their cocks, speeding up the pace. Justin’s dick was a velvety steel rod pressed against his own. Warm, desperate pants brushed across the shell of his ear. Rough hands gripped his ass almost painfully as they rutted against each other. Justin surrounded him completely. There was no shower or bathroom any longer. There was only Justin. His body, his breathing, the soft cries of need right before he jumped over the edge.
Hot cum splashed across Gabriel’s stomach and hands as Justin shouted his release, adding to the slickness between their dicks. It was all too much. The slowly building orgasm exploded suddenly, catching Gabriel on a gasp as his entire body went rigid. Justin wrapped a hand around both of his and took over stroking him through the wave of bliss that whited out all thought.
When his brain finally started working again, he found himself leaning heavily on Justin, his breathing ragged and uneven. Turning his face into Justin’s neck, he pressed a kiss to the quick beat of his pulse.
“Thank you for that,” he murmured.
Justin huffed a laugh as his hands skimmed up Gabriel’s back. “You weren’t the only one who needed it.”
They finished showering in relative silence, taking turns cleaning off and washing each other’s hair. Gabriel was too damn tired to be on his feet, but he’d never washed anyone’s hair before, and there was something incredibly soothing about ru
nning his fingers through Justin’s soapy strands and the look of peace that filled the other man’s tired features. He found himself looking forward to doing this many more times for Justin in the future.
After drying off, they shuffled into the bedroom Gabriel had woken in, and they each pulled on some boxer briefs before sliding into the bed again. Gabriel couldn’t believe how tired he was. His body demanded more rest. He didn’t even get a bite of the sandwich Justin made him, which was still sitting on the bathroom counter. He could only hope that he’d feel more like himself when he woke the next time.
Justin rolled onto his side next to Gabriel and carefully slid his hand across his stomach while his leg moved over both of his. Gabriel nearly rolled his eyes at the possessive cocoon. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask Justin how in the hell he was going to sleep like this, but the words never crossed his lips. Sleep was already trying to claim him, and he couldn’t deny that he felt safer having Justin wrapped around him.
“Where are we?” Gabriel murmured on a sigh.
“Hamburg.”
“Where was I?”
“Lil’ town northeast of Berlin. Templin.”
“Never heard of it.”
Justin huffed and snuggled closer, his arm tightening. “Not much to see. Wanted to get back to Amsterdam, but the drive was too long.” Justin yawned and Gabriel could hear his jaw pop. “Worried it was too much for you.”
Gabriel wanted to smile at Justin’s comment, but he was too tired. He moved his hand to cover Justin’s. “You saved me.” They would figure out the rest when they woke up again.
Chapter 3
Justin woke to an empty bed and immediately started swearing as he tossed back the covers. He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep. The answer was obviously too long if Gabriel could slip away from him. It wasn’t really a surprise that he’d managed it. Justin had been going for nearly four days on little snatches of sleep. The appearance of a battered Gabriel standing in the middle of the living room had been the first sign that the man was truly on the mend.
But a mobile Gabriel meant that he could sneak away from Justin the same way he sneaked away in London during his all-too-brief visit. Fucking assassin. Couldn’t trust a damn one of them. Justin probably should have found a way to chip the man or just shove a tracking device up his ass. Something so he couldn’t escape.
Stomping through the dark bedroom, Justin stubbed his big toe on the dresser and cursed again, but he kept going. He limped down the hall and into the living room. Everything looked like it was where he left it, but he didn’t stop to check. He continued on to the small kitchen. Gabriel leaned against the counter, wearing a pair of Justin’s sweat pants and a T-shirt. The first hints of freshly brewed coffee were starting to fill the small room.
Gabriel lifted one brow at him in question, but Justin didn’t care if he looked slightly deranged.
“I’m not going to walk away without saying good-bye,” Gabriel said.
“You’ve done it before,” Justin snarled. He narrowed his eyes on the man, daring him to say otherwise. Gabriel had invited him to London for a quick visit. But when a hitman tried to take Gabriel out, the man simply took care of the merc and then disappeared the next morning, so he wouldn’t have to listen to another offer of assistance from Justin.
Well, that disappearing shit was over.
“I’m guessing we’re done with the touchy-feely stuff,” Gabriel said flatly.
“You’re damn right we’re done. This is the part where I get to shout at you for being a fucking dumbass!” Justin’s voice rose as he spoke until he was pointing and yelling at Gabriel.
“Good. We can swap info too.” Gabriel turned and started opening the few cabinets above the sink until he located some plain white dishes. He pulled down two mugs, setting them in front of the coffeemaker. “Do you want to put on clothes first? You’re a bit distracting like that.”
“Well, your face is pretty damn distracting right now too,” Justin snapped back.
The swelling was completely gone now, but there were still lots of bruises that weren’t hidden by his beard. His long, thin nose also looked crooked, as if the bastards had broken it and not properly set it. Just the idea of someone hurting Gabriel got his temper boiling again, but the asshole was right. He needed some clothes if he was going to continue shouting.
Turning around, he headed down the hall to the other bedroom. He’d set himself up in there to sleep while Gabriel was still healing. He’d been afraid of jostling the injured man too much.
But Justin soon discovered that while Gabriel was completely incapacitated, he couldn’t catch more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. The only place he could sleep was in the living room, right next to the front door. He had to be sure he could hear anyone trying to sneak in to kill his lover.
Standing by the bed, he grabbed a black hoodie and jerked it over his head. He shifted some clothes around in the bag. He wasn’t even sure what he’d find in the damn thing. When Marilyn had appeared on his doorstep, Justin’s only thoughts had been about finding Gabriel as quickly as possible. There hadn’t been any planning when it came to what he was stuffing into the bag. After some searching, he located another pair of sweat pants.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he grabbed socks and started to pull them apart from where they’d been folded together but stopped. He stared at them without actually seeing them. His brain was back at that farmhouse basement and that overwhelming sense of panic and horror at seeing a bloody and half-naked Gabriel tied to a chair in the freezing cold. Was he still breathing? He couldn’t tell if his chest was moving.
What if he’d been another hour or two later? Would Gabriel have survived the night? What if Marilyn’s people hadn’t contacted her? Would Gabriel have been able to escape?
He didn’t have answers to those questions. And he couldn’t stand not having those answers. He was accustomed to going on missions and taking contracts where he was the only person whose life was on the line. He wasn’t used to caring about someone so much that the idea of them not making it through the night stole the breath from his lungs. What was he going to do if something happened to Gabriel? Just the thought of Gabriel being killed locked up his entire body.
Was this love?
Oh God, if this was what it meant to be in love, this was absolutely horrible. His heart was racing, and a chill was clinging to his skin, sinking down into his bones. It was as if a Rottweiler had sat on his chest and refused to budge. He couldn’t catch his breath. Couldn’t even think.
Fuck this love thing.
A soft sound jerked Justin’s head up to find Gabriel standing in the open doorway. He’d set a white mug on the nearby dresser. The scent of coffee wafted toward him, dancing around the room with promises of warmth and caffeine, but it did nothing to crush the rising sense of panic.
“Justin?”
“I don’t know if I can do this, G Love,” Justin started and cleared his throat to try to get the roughness out of his voice.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean this.” He waved the hand still holding the socks between himself and Gabriel. “I’ve been worried since you fucking disappeared in London, and then Marilyn shows up on my doorstep with pictures of you beaten and bloody. I spend the next twenty-four hours racing to save you, not knowing if you’re going to die on me even after I’ve gotten you free. And now that you’re up and walking around, I’m terrified that you’re just going to disappear on me.”
Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed next to Justin and placed his hand on Justin’s thigh. “I’m not going anywhere. I swear to you.”
“But that’s not it. I’m pissed at you. You could have asked for my help. Or at least accepted it. I offered. I would happily have had your back. But you couldn’t let me help you!”
“I’ve already lost Ivan to these people. I was afraid of risking your life as well.”
“I hate to say it, but we both know that Ivan let them kill him
.” Gabriel growled and pushed to his feet to pace across the room, then turned. Justin shook his head, sympathy rising for his lover. “I know it hurts to hear, but you told me yourself that he sent you away. He could have fought or denied it, but he didn’t. Maybe he was fucking tired of fighting. I’m not. I will never be tired of fighting for you. I love you.”
Gabriel rocked back at those last three words, bumping against the dresser. He used the edge to catch himself before he lunged at Justin, climbing into his lap. Justin wrapped his arms around his lover, pulling him close. A soft hiss of pain slipped from Gabriel’s lips, and Justin started to loosen his hold, but Gabriel shook his head.
“Don’t let me go.”
“Never.” Justin tilted his head up and Gabriel grabbed it in a hard kiss that melted away some of the anxiety that was tearing at his soul. He didn’t know if the love thing happened fast or slow. If he was honest with himself, it had started to form like a little knot in his chest while Gabriel had been living with him last summer. But it had grown through the hundreds of little messages, jokes, and whispered confessions they’d shared over the past six months apart. He’d never had this with another person. He both hated and reveled in it. And it scared the shit out of him.
But the thing that was most important was that Gabriel was in his arms, safe. They were together. No one was going to separate them again.
“I love you,” Justin repeated when Gabriel broke off the kiss. “I hate you for making me love you. But I love you. I can’t…I can’t lose you. Finding you in that basement…the sight of you…it keeps flashing through my head.”
He sat back, grabbed one of Justin’s hands, and shoved it under the T-shirt he was wearing so that his palm was pressed against Gabriel’s chest. Justin could feel the rapid beating of his heart against his hand. There was something infinitely soothing about that rhythm, feeling it so strongly.
“I’m alive. You made it in time.”
“But the next time—”
The Exit Strategy Bundle Page 28