This time Justin rolled his eyes. The job hadn’t been a total disaster, but it hadn’t been easy keeping four fluffy monsters quiet and occupied while Gabriel attempted to crack a safe that held the key to an innocent man’s freedom. He’d never run into cats who were quite so vocal before. Most ran and silently hid somewhere when an intruder was about. Of course, the Persians had just been the tip of the iceberg. It had felt like everything wanted to go wrong on that job, and Justin was glad they’d managed to get out of there alive.
Reaching into his back pocket, Justin pulled out his phone as he entered the room. He quickly snapped a picture of the bloated man covered in blood and bullet holes while Gabriel stood guard.
“Got it,” Justin announced, shoving his phone into his pocket.
“Ready to head home?”
Justin grinned at Gabriel. “Well, we are in Miami. You want to spend a little time on the beach? Get some Cuban food?”
Gabriel slid his arm around Justin’s waist and pulled him close. He pressed his forehead against Justin’s. “Home, my darling. We need to go home.” His voice had dropped to a husky whisper that held so many dark and delicious promises.
Justin couldn’t stop himself from melting into Gabriel’s long, hard body. “Mmmm…that sounds nice.” Something warmed deep inside of him. Home.
It had taken them several months to find a place deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and to get it into shape. They needed to feel safe in their home. Now they were fixing the house so it had all the things they wanted, like a massive tub and a giant open kitchen. Justin might have also picked up a couple of dogs to go with the two Norwegian Forest cats that prowled the house like a pair of fluffy lions.
For the first time in his life, Justin felt like he had a home. A place where he belonged and was loved.
Chapter 2
Gabriel smiled when Francis jumped up onto the windowsill and bumped Gabriel’s arm with his head. Justin liked to call him Fierce Frankie with his fluffy black-and-white fur. Fierce Frankie preferred to accompany Gabriel on his rounds each night before going to bed, while his brother, Lucian, was likely stretched out across the center of Gabriel’s bed, waiting for his evening belly rubs.
He reached up and touched the lock on the window even though he could already tell it was secure. It was the only way he could ensure that he’d be able to fall asleep and stay asleep. He walked the entire house, checking windows and doors, before giving one last glance at the security system Justin had installed. He had a feeling that he’d never shake the need to check over the house each night. It came from too many years as a spy and then an assassin. Maybe even longer. Possibly from growing up in a household where he never actually felt safe. At least not after the death of his mother.
Maryska.
Against his wishes, her name drifted across Gabriel’s mind.
His father had been dead for months, and he’d hoped that if his mother’s death had been a fake, she would have reached out to his sister by now. Done something to prove that she was still alive and simply in hiding.
But there had been nothing, and Gabriel wished he could finally give up hope that it was otherwise.
Sighing softly, Gabriel scratched the top of Frankie’s head, smiling when the purring increased so that the large cat sounded like a jet engine starting to warm up. He stroked down the cat’s soft fur, letting the motion soothe him.
The important thing was that his father was dead. Much of his murderous family was now dead. He was safe and free to live the life he wanted. His sister and nephew were also safe and free. Alexei had sent Gabriel and Justin a picture of him and his mother at the Eiffel Tower. They both looked so happy and carefree in the image, and it warmed Gabriel in a way he hadn’t expected. There was still a lot of bad blood and emotional baggage between him and his sister, but he felt like the rift might be slowly healing with the help of her son.
Thoughts of his effervescent nephew chased away the ghost of his mother, and Gabriel could finish his rounds. He paused in the kitchen, checking to make sure the dogs had full bowls of water. The nightly routine helped to settle his mind, and he was grateful beyond words that Justin didn’t tease him about it. Of course, his lover had his own routine of checking the computers and taking the dogs out into the yard for their last romp of the night.
But as he stood there in the kitchen, listening to creaks in the house, the low rumble of Frankie’s purring, and Justin’s distant shouts for the dogs to return to the house, Gabriel couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It was like an itch between his shoulder blades he couldn’t quite reach, no matter how he contorted himself. They’d completed their last contract with zero problems and were promptly paid. The flight to Colorado was uneventful. On their way home, they stopped off at the grocery for some food and then at a neighbor’s to pick up the dogs. No one followed them. No one shot at them or tried to blow them up.
They’d been back from Miami almost a week…and still the feeling lingered that something was coming for them. It was slowly driving him crazy.
Was he just looking for trouble?
Before meeting Justin, Gabriel’s life had been one on the run. He was a world-class assassin, but he always had a target on his back, thanks to his family and any enemies he made in his chosen profession. Now, his enemies were gone. Dead, buried, and forgotten for the most part.
What about Justin?
He hated to admit it, but that was where he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. At the start of the year, they rushed around Eastern Europe, taking care of his family so they could have a life together. Then, it was all about packing Gabriel’s things, searching for a house that would suit their needs, packing up Justin’s things, and moving. There had been no massive showdown where they hunted down the people who wanted Justin dead.
Were there none?
Gabriel couldn’t convince himself that no one was hunting for Justin. The guy was damn friendly and personable, but there had to be someone who wanted the man’s head on a pike. What about his family? Other assassins? His life in the military?
They were all blank slates for Gabriel. Justin told him little to nothing about his past. He had a name now. Chase Miller. But he didn’t know where Chase—or rather, Justin—had grown up. He still couldn’t think of Justin as Chase. He would always be Justin to him. The same way he would always be Gabriel to Justin. Or actually, G Love.
The thunder of almost two hundred pounds of German shepherds racing up the stairs drew Gabriel from his thoughts. He smiled as Fierce Frankie easily jumped onto one of the pub chairs that lined the breakfast bar, his ears pushed back in annoyance. The dogs quickly learned to steer clear of Francis and Lucian as they prowled like a pair of fluffy princes around the house, but both cats learned the hard way to move to higher ground when the dogs came in for the night. In their excitement, the goofy dogs tended to plow into anything not bigger than them.
“Locked up?” Justin asked when he strolled across the living room and into the kitchen.
“Yep. Everything good on the perimeter?” Gabriel asked teasingly, though only partially so.
“The boys chased two squirrels and a rabbit off the property,” Justin reported. “They also found this amazing stick they refused to share with me.”
Gabriel brushed a kiss across Justin’s jaw as he walked past. “Can’t share everything with you.” He continued to the master bedroom, where he stripped to his briefs before sliding into bed. He was tired down to the bone. They’d spent the day making plans for the spare bathroom, taking measurements, and then pulling stuff out of the storage closet that was about to cease to exist.
He really did like Justin’s suggestion of making the shower bigger, and he was curious if they could actually work together in such a tight space without killing each other. They worked well when someone was shooting at them. Gabriel was sure they could work well together over hammers, drywall, and plumbing—not that he knew a damn thing about plumbing.
M
aybe he should start looking up contractors in the morning…just in case.
With a tired groan, Justin climbed into the bed next to him, releasing a slow sigh. The dogs were settled around them on the floor. The cats would prowl the house for a few more hours before jumping up onto the bed and finding warm spots to curl up next to them.
“How long before someone comes for us?” The words were out of Gabriel’s mouth before he could even think of stopping them. He couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t wait any longer. They’d been living together for months and it had been heaven, but he couldn’t stand the unknown. Couldn’t simply trust that Justin would tell him when things were going to get bad. Gabriel had survived by having as much information at his fingertips as possible. He survived by being prepared. But he couldn’t be prepared if he didn’t know what he was up against.
“What are you talking about?” Justin asked, sounding utterly confused.
Heavy darkness blanketed them and for once, Gabriel was glad that Justin couldn’t read the worry on his face. He felt like he was betraying his lover. No, he didn’t know a damn thing about Justin’s past, but he felt like he knew the man lying next to him. He knew him, knew his soul, and loved him with every fiber of his being.
“My slate is clear. The people who would want me dead or put contracts on my head are dead,” Gabriel started in a low voice. “Can you say the same?”
Justin was silent for a couple of seconds before rolling onto his side to look at Gabriel, but Gabriel remained flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Are you expecting someone to kick in our front door and gun us down?”
“This isn’t a joke.”
“Well, if they’re coming to kill me, I’d hope they show a little more finesse than the front door,” Justin muttered, seeming to talk to himself.
Growling, Gabriel turned onto his side so that he was facing Justin. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that he could see a shadowy outline of his lover, but he couldn’t quite make out his expression. He could sense the smug smirk twisting his lips, though.
“Are you telling me that no one wants you dead?”
“Yep, that’s what I’m saying.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Justin made a gasping sound like he was insulted. “Do you really think the world is out to get me? That there’s this huge mob of people who are gunning for my head?”
“You mean like me and the Krestyanov family? Yes, I do.”
Justin reached over and slid his hand up Gabriel’s chest. “I know this is hard to believe, but I managed to not upset all of the Russian KGB while I was working with the CIA.”
“SVR,” Gabriel corrected out of habit in a low grumble. The KGB had ceased to exist with the fall of the USSR and became the SVR, but everyone knew it was still the old KGB—no matter what anyone in the government said.
“No one is coming for us, G Love.”
“How can I believe that?” Gabriel finally snapped, brushing Justin’s questing hand away. He wasn’t going to let the man distract him with sex, no matter how much he wanted to believe Justin. He wanted to pull him close and believe that this life they were building was real. That it wasn’t balanced on the edge of a knife, waiting to be sliced apart when they dropped their guard.
“What do you mean—”
“I know nothing about you! It’s been months since you gave me your birth name. I thought that was going to be the start of something. That you would give me more information, but you’ve told me nothing else.”
Justin flopped onto his back and gave a vague shrug. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Bullshit. You can’t be you and have nothing to tell. There has to be something.”
“Why?”
Gabriel jerked away from where he’d been leaning over Justin, his mouth falling open and then closing again without a sound slipping out. Why? “Because you’re insane and talented and resourceful. I don’t believe you could have achieved all that without having survived numerous dangerous situations. Those situations breed enemies. People who would love to see us dead.”
“No one is going to—”
“How am I supposed to keep you safe if you won’t tell me who is coming after you?” Gabriel yelled. He hadn’t meant to shout at Justin, but the man had a way of pushing his every goddamn button and driving him insane.
At the foot of the bed, one of the dogs whined and shifted, upset that their daddies were arguing, but Gabriel couldn’t let himself think about that. His entire body was painfully tense, and his breath was coming in jagged pants. He wasn’t going to let Justin risk his life on stupid stubbornness. He was going to keep him safe at any cost.
Justin lay still for a moment before he lunged upward, his mouth crashing onto Gabriel’s in a hard, demanding kiss. Gabriel immediately opened, allowing Justin to dominate him. He moaned into Justin’s lips. Perfect. His kiss. He fell back onto the mattress, loving how Justin wordlessly shoved away the blankets as he crawled between Gabriel’s long legs. Their cotton-covered cocks brushed against each other and Gabriel broke off the kiss. He instinctively thrust upward, seeking more friction and pressure, while at the same time his brain scrambled to grab the threads of their conversation.
“This isn’t over,” he gasped.
“Nope. This is just beginning.” Justin’s low voice was little more than a guttural growl that sent goose bumps out across his body.
Gabriel wanted to argue, but he couldn’t find the words. Something had set Justin off, and now he was on a high-speed course to make them both come in the most spectacular fashion. He knew Justin would stop with a single word, but Gabriel didn’t want him to stop. His body was on fire and so damn empty. He knew he’d only feel complete when Justin was buried balls deep in his ass, his strong hands pinning him down.
Reaching between them, Gabriel fumbled with the edge of Justin’s boxer briefs twice before he could finally jerk them lower, freeing Justin’s cock. His lover pulled back enough to get Gabriel out of his own, leaving Gabriel to wonder not for the first time why they bothered to wear anything to bed in the first place.
“Where’s the lube?” Justin demanded. But while his voice was rough, the hand closing around Gabriel’s cock was firm and gentle, stroking him slowly so that he could barely comprehend the question.
“N-n-nightstand,” he stammered.
“Get it now or I’m pushing inside of you with just spit.”
Gabriel twisted onto his side, trying to ignore the hand still stroking his cock while he dug around in the drawer. They’d fucked that morning and he was sure he’d tossed the bottle back into his drawer. There was another one in the nightstand on Justin’s side of the bed, but it was too far away. He wanted to tell Justin to fuck him without it. The burn and stretch would be so wonderful. His body was shaking and his dick was getting slicker with each pass of Justin’s hand, he was leaking so bad.
A cry of relief broke from his throat when his fingers brushed across the bottle. He stretched, finally grabbing it. But before he could hand it over to Justin, his lover was pulling away and flipping him onto his stomach. Justin pushed forward, rubbing his cock in Gabriel’s crease, wringing moans from both of them.
The sound of the plastic cap snapping open had to be the best sound in the world. Gabriel wrapped his arms around the pillow pressed against his chest, trying to slow his breathing as he waited for Justin to prep himself. Within a month of officially moving in together, they’d gotten tested and tossed condoms to the curb. Gabriel didn’t want anyone else. Never again. It was just the two of them.
A lube-slicked finger circled his hole once and pressed inside. Gabriel barely had time to react. It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, and now it was the blunt head of Justin’s cock pushing into him in one long, slow stroke. Gabriel nearly swallowed his own tongue, gasping and pressing back, wanting all of him.
Justin retreated just as slowly until only the head stretched the muscles. Then he slammed home hard and fast. Ga
briel groaned, loving every movement. There were times when they made love, sweet and tender, taking their time. And there were times when Justin fucked him hard, used his body brutally, and Gabriel loved every fucking second of it. He wanted everything Justin gave him and more.
Tonight was going to be hard and fast. He’d be bruised and sore when it was over, but so wonderfully sated.
But even as Gabriel let everything go, handing himself over body and mind, Justin stopped. Buried to the hilt, he pressed his front against Gabriel’s back and wrapped one hand around his throat, forcing him to tilt his head up toward Justin.
“Do you honestly think you’re not capable of keeping me safe?” Justin whispered in his ear. He shifted his hips, giving little thrusts that left Gabriel whimpering for more. “No one is as incredible as you. No one can get past you. No one will touch me…ever.”
“But…” His voice was broken and gave out before he could continue. Justin had him so strung out and desperate to come. And then his soft forceful words were winding their way around his heart, choking him.
“I love you.”
“Justin!” Gabriel cried, his body shaking with desperate need.
He swore he heard a low growl before Justin’s teeth sank into his shoulder. Justin slammed into him again, fucking him in earnest, as they both chased the orgasms that were building. Gabriel snaked one hand down and jacked his cock, finally throwing himself over the edge. With a wonderful shout, he felt Justin tumble after him. Muscles tensed, pleasure burned in every nerve ending, and Justin’s hot cum filled his channel, marking him. Claiming him.
They collapsed on the bed with Justin on top of Gabriel’s back, his dick still buried inside of him, their loud gasps for air the only sound in the room for several seconds as they drifted down to earth. Gabriel just wanted to lie there, their bodies intimately bound, and let sleep take them. But they couldn’t. He was a fucking mess. The bed was a mess. Falling asleep now would mean waking up grumpy and irritable. But he didn’t want to get up.
The Exit Strategy Bundle Page 48