Tiger stormed back into the house, slamming the door. He stomped down the hallway to his room and snatched up Dragon Slayer, then headed back out towards the front door. Jake, who had come out of his room to see what all the yelling was about, called out to him.
“Tiger? What’s going on? Where are you going?”
Tiger stopped and looked back at Jake sadly. He really had become fond of the boy. It wasn’t his fault his brother was a dick. “I… I just need to get out for a while. See you later Jake.” He walked out the door and closed it quietly.
Meanwhile, out in the patio, Remi just sat there, his mouth handing open, looking stunned. “What did I do?”
TJ sighed and rubbed at his temples. “Dumbass, I tried to warn you. He has anger issues. Never piss off the guy with the Dragon Sword.”
Suddenly, the back door flew open. “Remi! What did you do to Tiger? He just took his katana and left! Whatever you did, you better fix it!”
Jake stood glaring at him and Midnight, who was clutched in his arms, hissed. When he got no answer, he stomped back into the house, slamming the door behind him.
Remi turned back to TJ; eyes narrowed. “Well, do you have anything to add?” he asked. TJ just looked at him, pointed his thumb back toward the door Jake had disappeared through and said “Ditto!”
Chapter 12
Chris sat in his tiny apartment stewing and plotting after that morning’s revelation. To say he was pissed would be like comparing an ocean to a raindrop. He’d lost everything. The damned UCAR team that effeminate sword freak apparently belonged to and the local MP’s were all looking for him and his gang. Just their luck to have gotten into a war with the UCAR.
Short of pissing off the assassins’ guild, the Rangers were the last people on Corvan they needed on their tails. His gang had blown him off once they realized they’d pissed off some people who would not rest till they were all dead or locked up forever.
His name and Shark’s and Ripley’s were the only ones that had been mentioned in front of that guy. No one had a description of Shark and Ripley, so while they were still stumbling around in the dark trying to get leads on the rest of the gang, they had an excellent description of him, and he was feeling the net tightening around him.
He should have killed that guy before he left him hanging there in the alley, but he was such a sweet fuck that he’d really fantasized about having another go at him later. Who would’ve thought he was a Ranger but hey, that guy had been the one to interfere in something that was none of his business.? He’d fantasized different scenarios of all the things he wanted to do to him. Now he just wanted to kill him in the most painful way he could devise, and maybe that kid he was living with too.
He’d followed them home after they left the store, so now he knew where the guy was staying. If he could get to them when those other two weren’t around maybe he still had a chance to have some fun with them before finishing them off.
It was only a matter of time before they caught up with him. Soon…, he needed to make his move soon so he could get out of Aurora for good. The next time he would be prepared. He looked at the handgun on his bedside table.
Standing, he picked it up and stuffed it in the waistband of his pants at his back, pulling his shirt back down to hide it, then he left the apartment and drove to Remi’s neighborhood. Driving around the area to scope things out, he finally decided to park several blocks over from Remi’s and approach the house from the woods that the house backed up to.
He found a tree that he thought would give him a good view of the backyard, so he climbed up and settled in among the thick branches to watch and wait. There would be no moons that night.
*****
Tiger had spent the afternoon in a local park watching the pink ducks paddle around in the lake with their ducklings. His brain was so muddled with all the stuff going on in his life right now, he just needed some time alone to try to sort things out.
The stress made him feel like his head was going to explode. Everything had just gone FUBAR in his life since he took the assignment to hunt down Severen.
First the damn bite, then he was delayed from returning due to his injuries, then more injuries from the attack in the alley and now he had to find a way to deal with Chris before he could safely leave. He didn’t want Chris tailing him into the mountains, but he was afraid to leave Jake unprotected too.
His opinion of Remi was positive for the most part. He’d treated Tiger well during his recuperation, but sometimes he acted like he had his head up his ass. Did he think Chris was just going to sit around waiting to be caught?
It was obvious to Tiger that Chris wasn’t on the run either. He was crazy enough to try to get to Tiger, to kill him or worse, and he’d go through anyone in his way to get to him. Tick, tick, tick. The clock in his head was getting louder every day.
To further complicate things, he was getting attached to Jake and Remi, even if Remi was treating him like he was less. Less than a man, less than a Ranger, less than his equal. Everything in his life had changed so drastically that he was in uncharted territory.
Tiger wouldn’t have a life to plan any future for if he couldn’t find a way to deal with the throwback bite. He knew that needed to be his priority, but all that other stuff kept getting in the way.
He hadn’t been interested in sex or relationships since the rape at the TC. He never planned beyond the next mission. Doing the job and honing his skills with his katana were his focus; everything else was just background noise. The thought of being taken again in that manner terrified him.
He knew that everyone on the team thought that he was asexual, but he just hadn’t found anyone that he was emotionally and sexually attracted to enough to take that chance; to allow himself to be that vulnerable. At least not until Remi walked into his life.
He’d been attracted to Remi since the day he’d first met him. When he’d touched his hand, he’d felt something crack in his armor…. opening a cosmic connection. Remi ticked all of his boxes. He was tall, blond, blue-eyed and muscular, although he didn’t know that last part until he’d held Tiger after one of his nightmares. More than that, he was forthright, shy but charming, a little quirky. Remi was a good man. He loved his brother and even tolerated the annoying TJ. He’d been so kind and supportive to Tiger, especially in dealing with Tiger’s nightmares. Sure, he was a little oblivious and old fashioned but that was part of his charm.
He’d already figured out that Remi was gay. You couldn’t spend all that time with a mostly gay team and not be able to spot the signs. He just hadn’t seen any evidence that Remi was interested in him. Remi didn’t know about the rapes. If he ever found out he’d probably be disgusted or at best pity Tiger. That was a road he didn’t want to travel. He’d rather keep Remi as a friend than see revulsion or condemnation in his eyes.
Once Tiger calmed down, he decided to at least get in some exercise. Finding an area that was somewhat secluded, he did some warmups and then started running through his kata, moving mindlessly, letting muscle-memory guide him. It helped to center him.
After all his years of training, getting rusty was not really an issue. He just needed to recover his strength. He was almost there. Taking that last pill might be slowing him down a little but with the intensive workout he was getting he would burn it off soon and he had meant it when he said no more pills.
Though he was still somewhat irritated with Remi, he was feeling better by the time he got back to Remi’s place. It was getting late and he wasn’t hungry, so he headed towards his room. Jake popped his head over the upstairs bannister and called down “Tiger! You came back! You scared us!”
He came running down the stairs with Midnight hot on his heels and launched himself at Tiger, hugging the stuffing out of him. “I was afraid Remi had ruined everything. I told him to bring you back and apologize. He went out to look for you.”
“Sorry, Jake. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. You guys have been so good to me. I guess the str
ess of some of the things I’ve been dealing with just finally got to me. I’m fine now. I went down to the park and worked off some of my frustration.”
“Are you hungry? Need help with anything? I can help you if you want to take a bath or wash your hair” he offered.
“No. I’m not hungry. All that exercise wore me out. I think I’ll just take a shower and go to bed but thanks for the offer. Can you call Remi and let him know I made it back?”
“Sure. Good night Tiger. I’m glad you came back.” He hugged Tiger again and bounded back up the stairs to his room. Midnight came flying out of the kitchen where he’d disappeared and made it through the door of Jake’s room seconds before it shut.
After his shower, Tiger didn’t feel like sleeping just yet. Knowing that he would probably be leaving soon, he decided to go for a swim. He hadn’t felt up to using the pool since he’d been there, but he wanted to try it out at least once before he left. He loved swimming and it was a large and luxurious pool with a waterfall and a grotto that extended from behind the waterfall around the back of the pool and came out on the other side of a large waterslide.
He used the pool at the fort whenever he could find the time. Thanks to his UCAR training he could hold his breath underwater for at least four minutes. All the team members competed against each other whenever they did water survival exercises to see who could hold their breath the longest.
He didn’t have a swimsuit, so he stripped down and let his hair down. It felt good to let it trail loose in the water. This time of night no one would see him out there anyway. The pool and house lights were off and there were no moons visible. Only the lights from the grotto cast any light into the back yard.
Tiger dove in and did a few laps, then just floated on his back looking up at the stars. There wasn’t much pollution in the area so there were quite a few stars visible. One day he thought maybe he’d like to see Old Earth where his parents were born. He’d never been off Corvan.
He finally flipped over and dove under the water, undulating like the deep ocean mammals and counting off the minutes in his head. He circled the pool, running his laps through the grotto and enjoying the underwater murals and the colored lights and that lit it up. The roof of the grotto looked like the inside of a cave and the murals under the surface of the water depicted bright corals, a variety of fish, and several Corvan dolphins.
After he timed himself at four and a half minutes, he surfaced near the steps, head down and gulping in air, his hands braced on his knees. He waited until his breathing returned to normal, then straightened and started up the steps. Halfway up, he looked up and realized Remi was standing there.
He stopped and waited for Remi to speak, figuring he was in for a lecture about running off and making Remi waste time searching for him. But Remi wasn’t saying anything. He was just staring at Tiger with hunger in his eyes. Suddenly, he remembered he was naked, and his eyes widened.
The last thing on Remi ‘s mind at that moment was chewing Tiger out. Apologizing had been his intention when he came out to the pool. After Jake had told him Tiger was in bed and then not finding him there, he’d made sure Tiger’s stuff was still in his room and started checking out the rest of the house. He’d headed out to the patio to see if he’d fallen asleep on one of the lounge chairs.
The sight of Tiger coming up the pool steps looking like a water nymph, clothed only in silver jewelry, with water cascading down his naked body, long hair hanging loosely around his shoulders… cock and balls hanging heavy between his legs… had him frozen on the spot. Remi had never seen Tiger completely nude. In the bath, at least his nether region had been submerged below the bubbles.
Tiger was seriously hung, and Remi was versatile. While he’d previously fantasized about topping Tiger, seeing him now he decided he’d also be ok with bottoming. His cock was on board with that too apparently, pressing painfully against his zipper.
Maybe it was because of the rapes or Tiger’s size but it had just never occurred to Remi that Tiger might want to top. Didn’t matter who did what. He just needed Tiger, now. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.
Being embarrassed or embarrassing Tiger never entered his mind. He licked his lips. He wanted Tiger and he wasn’t going to try to hide it any longer.
Tiger’s eyes locked on Remi’s as he continued up the steps and stood waiting for an argument. Remi reached out and palmed Tiger’s cheek, running his thumb across Tiger’s bottom lip. Tiger jolted and his eyes widened again in surprise, the silver ring in his eyes growing more prominent, and he gasped.
As his lips parted, Remi pressed his thumb into his mouth, sliding it in and out slowly across Tiger’s lip and tongue, emulating what he wanted to do with another part of his body. He moaned and a shudder ran through him when Tiger’s lips closed around it and he teased it with his tongue while he sucked on it.
He’d already gotten hard as he watched Tiger stalk toward him with feline grace. As Tiger sucked on his thumb, Remi’s hips punched forward reflexively. He wrapped his arms around Tiger’s waist and yanked him close, grinding their hips together.
“Tell me if I’m out of line Tiger. I won’t do anything you don’t want. I’ll never hurt you and I won’t take advantage of your situation but…” He panted, pressing their foreheads together.
“I’ve wanted you since I first saw you in that hospital bed, but if you don’t feel the same way just say so and I’ll walk away.” ‘Or crawl away.’
He leaned his head back so he could look into Remi’s eyes. “You’re not out of line. I… I like you too, but I’m not sure… I suppose I’m gay… maybe. Fuck, I don’t know what I am. I’ve never been sexually attracted to other men, or anyone really.”
“I’m certainly attracted to you, but the only sexual experiences I’ve ever had with men were… traumatic, and I’ve never been with a woman. Sex has never been important to me, especially after…”
“After?”
Tiger looked down, ignoring the question. “Anyway, I’ve never found anyone who interested me in that way… till now. It’s been a long time though and I still have some issues to deal with,” he said. ‘Like possibly turning into a monster or dying.’
“What do you want Tiger? I need you to say it before this goes any further. If it goes any further.”
“I won’t do hook-ups like the other guys do,” Tiger replied cautiously. “It has to mean something. I want you, but do you want me for anything more than just a quick fuck? You don’t really know much about me. You might turn your back on me once you know the real me. I don’t want to be tossed aside.”
“I know all I need to. You’re sexy, intelligent, brave, kind, funny, frustrating, stubborn, hot-headed, beautiful, strong, honorable, sexy….” Remi smirked.
“You already said sexy,” he murmured. “But I get the point.” Those mesmerizing violet eyes looked up.
“I want it all Tiger. I want to know everything about you, but I’ll take what I can get for now with an eye to the future, and I’ll give you whatever you’re ready for until you say you’re ready for more.”
“Um… for the sake of full disclosure, I’m versatile,” he said hesitantly. “I don’t’ know if you know what that means but I’ll top or bottom. Whatever you’re comfortable with. Some men never even do penetration. I’d really miss that,” he pouted “but I just want you by my side… forever.”
“I knew we were connected from the moment I first laid eyes on you. You’re always on my mind and when you’re not near I can’t wait to get back to you. I can’t breathe and my heart aches,” Remi murmured.
Tiger hooked his fingers through Remi’s belt loops, tugging him forward and kissing him passionately. Remi opened to him, their tongues tangling and exploring. They sucked and licked and nipped at each other until their lips were puffy and red.
Tiger’s bare and now fully erect cock kept rubbing against the material of Remi’s pants and the stimulation was driving him crazy. He whimpered. Remi looked down when Tiger sta
rted to grind against him and, seeing the state he was in, he pulled Tiger over to a lounge chair and pressed him down onto it. Kneeling, he gently nudged Tiger’s legs open and started to stroke his cock.
“Is this okay?” he asked Tiger, looking him in the eyes to be sure he was giving permission.
“Fuck yes!” Tiger managed a harsh reply, eyes shut tight. His hands were clamped on the side of the lounge, his head thrown back.
Remi stroked him slowly, swiping his thumb through the leaking precome on each upstroke and using it as lubricant to make his fingers glide smoothly over the hot velvet skin of Tiger’s cock. He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose in Tiger’s pubic hair, inhaling deeply. Tiger always smelled like an exotic spice Remi couldn’t quite place.
He took Tiger into his mouth and sucked hard. Tiger’s eyes shot open and he tried to thrust his hips forward, but Remi pinned him to the lounge. He quickly worked his lips up and down Tiger’s cock, pausing occasionally to run the tip of his tongue around the base of his glans and then dipping it into the slit. Tiger was about to fall apart, trembling and panting, the fingers of one hand now tangled in Remi’s hair.
Suddenly, Remi stopped and swung Tiger around, so he was straddling the lounge chair. “What? No, don’t stop!” he hissed. Remi stood, toeing off his shoes, and yanked his pants and briefs off. He straddled the chair facing Tiger, draping Tiger’s legs over his and pulling him forward so their cocks were flush.
Watching for Tiger’s reaction, he wrapped their leaking cocks together with both hands, stroking harder and faster, panting and whining quietly. “Damn, baby, you feel so good,” he whispered. “So hot!”
Tiger ripped Remi’s shirt open and ran his hands over his shoulders and down his chest. He discovered a six-pack and defined pecs that had been hidden under his uniform all this time.
Sexy Remi was an unexpected treat. The light dusting of hair on his chest and running down to his navel made Tiger moan and he rubbed his fingers over exquisite bronze skin and a trail of silky golden curls. His golden treasure trail extended below his navel down to his neatly manscaped cock.
Tiger Page 11
