by Rae Marks
“Still, I’m sorry I broke the mood.”
“B, you’re naked in my bed. If you’re still up for it, just spread yourself out and I can get it up.”
Bray’s ears went hot at the compliment. He had to keep in shape because, well, it was literally part of his job, but the husky way Sam had said that made him feel so fucking sexy.
Spreading out on the bed, Bray arched his back and stretched. He was still naked, though his erection had waned. They’d only known each other a few days, yet Bray had never felt as free and as safe as he did in Sam’s bed, in Sam’s arms. It was a heady feeling and something he would really mourn the loss of.
“Besides,” Sam said as he ran his hand from Bray’s chest to his growing erection, “I’m the one who broke the mood.”
Sam gave Bray’s dick a tight squeeze that had him humping up into his hand. When Bray opened his eyes, he found Sam watching his face rather than his cock, and for some reason, that made him even harder.
“I wish we had time so I could edge you. You’re so responsive, and your face is like an open book. It’s fucking gorgeous to watch as everything plays out.”
Bray had to bite down on his bottom lip to keep from offering Sam more time—or his bed whenever Sam was Stateside. It would never work, especially if Bray re-upped for another tour.
Sam squeezed him again then did some sort of twist thing with his hand that had a shout leaving Bray’s lungs before he even realized it. Bray watched in fascination as Sam’s erection stiffened and grew.
“What do you want?” Bray asked.
“A few more hours. But since that’s not possible, I want to lose myself in your sweet ass one more time.”
Bray nodded and pulled his legs up. He was pretty sure Sam would have preferred doggy style, but Bray wanted to watch any play of emotions across Sam’s face and he definitely wanted to see Sam let go.
Luckily, Sam didn’t complain. He simply tore open the packet of lube. Sam rubbed it between his fingers to try to warm it before smoothing it over Bray’s opening. Having Sam slowly and patiently stretch him was its own sweet torture. By the time Sam had two fingers scissoring inside him, Bray was already on edge.
“Not yet,” Sam said when Bray reached for himself. “That cock is mine.”
Those last four words pushed Bray even further toward the edge. How could Sam be so distant then so gentle and thorough— caring even—when they were naked together?
It wasn’t until he heard the tearing of foil and opened his eyes to watch Sam roll the condom on that Bray realized he’d closed his eyes. Sam hadn’t scolded him, but then Sam’s gaze was locked on Bray’s ass.
When the tip of Sam’s cock touched his opening, Bray made an effort to keep his eyes open and on Sam’s face. His nostrils flared. His lids fluttered and his eyes rolled back a little when he breached Bray’s ring of muscle. Sam had prepped him so well that there was barely any sting.
The muscles of Sam’s pecs danced as he slowly inched forward. When his balls finally pressed against Bray’s ass, they both took a breath. Sam looked down to watch where they were joined as he pulled quickly back out then pressed slowly back in.
He used his hands to hold Bray’s legs open. When his thumbs began gently caressing Bray’s inner thighs, Bray lifted his gaze from Sam’s chest to his face. The sweetness in the move had Bray’s heart thumping even harder.
“What are you thinking?” Bray blurted.
Sam looked up at Bray’s face. There was tenderness in his gaze, but he didn’t speak. Sam’s Adam’s apple bobbed then the tenderness was gone.
“You’re so fucking tight,” Sam finally said.
It almost sounded like Sam said, “You’re so fucking right,” but Bray shook that idea out of his head. Bray wouldn’t fool himself into thinking this was more than it was.
Then Sam pulled back and slammed home, scattering all Bray’s maudlin thoughts like a firecracker exploding. All that was left was the feeling of Sam gliding in and out of him at the perfect tempo.
Sam explored Bray’s body, from flicking his nipples to pressing two fingers into that spot just behind his balls. All of it had Bray gritting his teeth to make it last, even as Sam hurtled him toward the edge of ecstasy.
“I’m close,” Sam said between gritted teeth.
Was he trying to make it last as well? That thought had Bray watching him more closely. Sam’s gaze met Bray’s and they both hung there for a moment, watching each other. Without breaking eye contact, Sam reached down and started stroking Bray’s cock in time with his thrusts.
That was all it took…a few hard tugs. Bray did his damndest to keep his eyes open, even as the edges of his vision went dark. His muscles seized and his back arched. The pleasure was so powerful that electricity flowed through his body.
Bray’s vision cleared just in time to watch Sam thrust in to the hilt and growl out his release. He wished in that moment that there weren’t the barrier of the condom between them. He knew his ass would be sore, but he also wished Sam could have left something of himself, something deep inside.
Bray closed his eyes against the thought. It had been four days. No way was he letting himself fall for the surly, loyal man—the man who’d saved him when he could have walked away, twice, the man who even now was closing off from him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sam
By the time Sam had Bray cleaned up, he was snuggling into the blankets like a milk-drunk kitten. The kid was so fucking cute and sweet that it should have made Sam’s teeth ache. All it did was make his balls ache.
Being inside Bray was something he’d remember for years, maybe even for the rest of his life. The kid was so open to experimenting. So many people were afraid to try something new, even if it intrigued them. Bray jumped in with both feet. It was a quality Sam found pretty damn irresistible.
Sam stood with his back against the wall. After a moment, he looked at his watch. He’d been watching Bray sleep for a good thirty minutes. He’d allow himself five more minutes before he had to walk away for good.
He scrubbed his hands over his face. Telling Bray he’d dealt with his past wasn’t an outright lie. He’d talked to a therapist for a few years. She’d specialized in shit like that. She’d been gentle at first, then frank and honest. She’d even offered to refer him to some type of sex surrogate.
For years, Sam had been determined to get every fucking inch of himself back. He’d pushed through college in three years so he could start the next Chapter of his life as quickly as possible.
But it wasn’t like he could be open about his sexuality. Being in the army was worse than ROTC. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell hadn’t ended until 2011, and by then, Sam had already been in the military, keeping his mouth shut, for years.
After boot camp, he hadn’t bothered to find another therapist. He’d thought he’d made peace with the past, even if he couldn’t stand the thought of bottoming anymore.
He’d thought the part of him that had loved ass play had shriveled up and died—until Bray had asked to tongue his hole. Sam’s cock pulsed to life at the memory.
When the surprising and foreign sensation of Bray’s finger had been added to the mix, it had been too much. There had just been a flash of muscle memory, but Sam hadn’t wanted to associate any of that into his memories of this short time with Bray. So he’d run—just for a minute, but he’d run.
Sam made a disgusted noise and looked at his watch again. It had been eight minutes. He’d already stayed too long. He reached out to run his fingers through Bray’s soft hair one more time but curled his hand into a fist and pulled back at the last moment. He didn’t want to risk waking him.
Silently, Sam made his way through the great room to the security post. Ax was working on a laptop. His eyes flicking up to the monitors as he typed.
“I’m heading out,” Sam said.
“I don’t like you doing this alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Bray’s the one who keeps getting kidnapped.”
Ax’s jaw ticked, but he nodded. Sam didn’t like this scenario either, but they couldn’t leave Bray alone, even if he was asleep.
“I’ll text you when it’s done.”
Ax sighed but gave another nod before turning back to his laptop.
Sam turned to go but heard Ax mutter something about Sam needing two ‘bodyguards’ after this shit-fest. If they could spare anyone else, he agreed.
* * * *
Sam saw his breath puff out into the darkness. The clothes available in the safe house that had fit him hadn’t really been made for such cold weather. Then again, it was March not December, so the supplies were meant for spring. Sam had on black tactical pants and a black hoodie. He blended in with the predawn darkness and that was all that mattered.
The sky was just beginning to lighten when he hit pay dirt. Clement was angry as a hissing cat and Sam took plenty of pictures of him interacting with Bagan and all his men. It was clear that Clement was the one in charge there.
The crowning glory was the photo of Clement holding a gun to Fedir’s head before saying something that had the man scurrying like a rat from the building. Sam figured his job was to find Bray or even him. Another few men were dispatched as well, so Sam sent Ax a text letting him know what was happening.
Then, at about five-fifty in the morning, Andreiko showed up with his entourage. The man was clearly pissed, his movements quick and jerky as he got out of the car and barked orders at his men.
Sam kept the camera zoomed in on the space at the back of Bagan’s mansion. He had a perfect vantage point. He could see anyone arriving and also see into the window on the side of the house where all the men were pacing and arguing.
The best part was that Sam was almost impossible to spot. He’d perched up in a tree about twenty-five feet from Bagan’s property line. He’d been watching men patrol the perimeter for over an hour. Every fifteen minutes, like clockwork, an armed guard would pass right below him.
He didn’t know when his moment would come, so he’d put a suppressor along with the scope on his Sig and had it ready to roll. Sam calculated that he was about sixty feet from the window he was aiming at. He was no sniper, but he had always been an excellent marksman.
There was a flurry of activity through the house as Andreiko arrived. Sam kept his gun aimed directly at the room but pulled back to look around. The guard was just passing in front of him. Sam looked down at his watch before leaning into the scope and letting the small camera hang from his neck as soon as he uploaded the photos to the cloud.
Andreiko marched into the room like a king and laid something that looked like a small glass statue on the desk in front of Clement. Clement crouched down to look at it. Sam leaned into his scope. Why would a trinket like that be of any importance? He quickly snapped a picture before moving his eye back to the scope.
The sculpture seemed very valuable to Clement and that gave Sam an idea. His mission was Andreiko and only Andreiko. Now he knew where the man was, but he needed to cull him from the herd. His plan had only one hitch. He’d need to get out of there fast and he had no getaway driver.
With a mental shrug, Sam took aim at the small statue. Slowly, he squeezed the trigger. One small square pane of the window was quietly shattered. There was a faint scream in the distance as Sam silently jumped down from his perch and ran to the car he’d boosted.
He had parked far back from the house but close enough that he could see the front door. The sun was just beginning to light the sky, which gave him the advantage. He wouldn’t need his headlights. Lifting his scope like a telescope, Sam watched the front of the house.
As he expected, everyone burst from the front door. Bagan had his hand wrapped and hugged to his chest. One of Clement’s men was guiding him to one of the cars in the driveway, a white cloth held to the side of his face and soaked with blood. Sam had done a lot more damage than he’d expected, but he couldn’t drum up any regret.
Clement’s driver was already in his car, so he was the first to leave. Andreiko was next. Sam wasn’t sure if Bagan would even leave, considering it was his house. He let Andreiko’s driver round a corner before he followed.
Sam was surprised and wary when Andreiko’s driver drove through the gates of the compound he shared with Kozak. The place looked fairly deserted, though it wasn’t even seven in the morning. When the gate remained open after Andreiko turned a corner, Sam took a chance and pulled in behind him.
There was no guard at the gate and no men around to stop him or question him. Sam was worried he’d driven right into a trap until he heard a gunshot ring out. Not sure what he was running into, Sam surged forward anyway. Mase might be the one in trouble.
Andreiko’s driver was standing guard next to his car. Sam snuck around the side of the building and pistol-whipped him before he even knew there was someone there. Sam zip-tied his hands behind his back and stuffed him into his own trunk for good measure before sneaking into the building.
Yelling rang through the halls, but he couldn’t make out who it was or what was being said. Andreiko’s second man was standing guard outside the door where all the noise was coming from. There was no way for Sam to sneak up on him, so he took aim as he rounded the corner.
The bodyguard reached for his weapon, but Sam shot him in the shoulder before he could get a grip on the butt of his gun. Knowing he had to appear merciless, Sam shot him in the chest then the head, Mozambique-Drill style.
The shouting continued. It was in Ukrainian, and now that he was closer, he knew it was Andreiko and Kozak. Kozak was blazing Andreiko for his betrayal and claiming he had closer ties with ‘the wraith’ than Andreiko ever would. There was a shot. Sam busted through the door, gun drawn.
“Wheeler,” Andreiko said, his eyebrows pulled down in confusion.
“You took him,” Sam said as he shot him in the knee.
Andreiko collapsed to the floor, putting his hand over his leg as he groaned in pain. Sam held his gun and swung it back and forth between Andreiko and Kozak, who was on the floor in the corner. Kozak was in a similar position, but he was holding his hands to his diaphragm as he tried to stop the flow of his own blood.
There was a body in the corner that must have been the first shot he’d heard. Andreiko had killed Kozak’s bodyguard first before drawing out Kozak’s death.
“You took him back,” Andreiko growled.
“That’s right, you fuck. And you’ll never lay a hand on him again.”
Sam quickly squeezed the trigger three more times in another Mozambique, two to the chest and one to the head for good measure. Sam swung around and pointed the gun at Kozak. The man didn’t whimper or beg, but he did set the record straight.
“I didn’t know he had your lover,” Kozak said quietly.
“Looks like we’ve both been betrayed here,” Sam said.
“No honor among thieves,” Kozak said.
“Where are all your men?”
“He knew when to come. Barely anyone is here at night, and those who were disappeared, so they must claim allegiance to him.” Kozak nodded at Andreiko’s body.
“And now that he’s dead?”
“I’m dead too.”
“Don’t you have a doctor on the payroll?”
“Aren’t you…?”
“Going to kill you? Not today. The fact that he shot you tells me that not only were you not in on it, but that he wanted you to die a slow and agonizing death. Maybe we shouldn’t give him that satisfaction. He can watch from Hell as you live on.”
Kozak smiled, but it turned to a grimace.
“There is someone,” Kozak said.
“Tell me where to take you.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Brayden
Bray felt like the lowest of the low. He liked Ax, he really did. Guilt overwhelmed him as he dashed out of the door of the warehouse. He’d been pretending to sleep for over an hour as he’d discreetly been texting back and forth with Max.
At five in th
e morning, Max had texted to let him know that Sam was long gone but Mase had been stationary for over four hours at an apartment building. Apartment 16F was leased to a Drew Mason.
Bray had asked Max what he thought was the safest way to be able to actually talk to Mase. They’d agreed this was his chance. It was practically the middle of the night. The sky was still pitch black.
Max was sending a car to pick him up and deliver him to Mase’s address. He hadn’t known how he was going to get out of the warehouse, but luck had been on his side. Just as Bray was sneaking out of his room, he’d spotted Ax on his way to the bathroom.
Bray had no idea what kind of alarm would go off when he opened the outer door, but Ax’s pants around his ankles had to slow him down enough to allow Bray to make a break for it. As soon as he’d turned the knob, Bray had thrown the door open and run as if his life depended on it.
He hustled down the stairs. His ankles were stiff, but he ignored the throbbing pain as he took the stairs two at a time. When he reached the outer door, he heard Ax’s voice behind him. Bray swallowed all the guilt and flew out of the door, letting it slam behind him.
The car was exactly where Max had said it would be. His friend was tracking his cell signal, sending him periodic thumbs-up emojis letting him know that the driver hadn’t veered off course.
Once he spoke with Mase, they’d order another car to take him back to the warehouse to face the music. Bray would gladly head to the airport with his tail tucked between his legs, but he didn’t have a passport.
Bray had the gun Sam had given him tucked at the small of his back, but he had no wallet and no ID, just a gun and a phone. As he got out of the car, he sent up a prayer to the universe that he wouldn’t die like that, in a place where his mom wouldn’t even know where and how his life had ended.
Shaking off his morbid thoughts, Bray pressed the buzzer for apartment 16F. When there was no answer, he called Max to see if he could somehow get him inside the building.