Freeing Zane (Barretti Security Series, Book 4)

by Sloane Kennedy

  “Zane, stop, I’m going to come,” Connor bit out as he raised himself up on his elbows. But Zane’s drags became even more ruthless and Connor couldn’t stop himself from thrusting into Zane’s heat. He pushed himself to a sitting position and grabbed Zane’s head to keep him in place as he began fucking Zane’s mouth with slow, deep plunges. Fingers bit into his hips as Zane let him take control and Connor groaned at the sight of his glistening dick shuttling in and out of Zane’s waiting mouth.

  Suddenly it was all too much and as he drew closer to the edge, Connor threaded his fingers through Zane’s silky hair and tightened just enough to force Zane to release him. When Zane lifted his eyes, Connor whispered, “You are so fucking beautiful,” and then leaned down and kissed him. Zane seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before he began kissing him back. By the time Zane finally released his mouth, Connor was flat on his back once more. His pants were quickly worked off his body and he reached down to stroke himself as he watched Zane lift to his feet so he could remove the rest of his clothes. It was his first chance to see Zane completely naked and he wasn’t at all surprised to see that his body was as stunning as Connor had known it would be. Zane’s movements were quick as he rolled a condom on himself and then opened the pack of lube. Connor began turning himself over but felt Zane’s hand close over his upper arm to stop him.

  “Move up a bit,” Zane murmured as he helped Connor slide farther towards the middle of the bed. Connor again tried to roll on his stomach but Zane’s weight settled down on him before he could complete the move. Connor opened his legs to make room for Zane and he moaned at the feel of Zane’s cock brushing his. Zane kissed him slowly as slicked up fingers reached between them and began probing his hole. Connor welcomed the burning sensation that shot through him as Zane’s fingers sank into him but it wasn’t until Zane’s cock replaced his fingers that Connor finally registered something he didn’t think would ever happen. Zane was going to fuck him face to face.

  ***

  Zane used his hand to lift Connor’s leg enough so he could get the angle he wanted and he was pleased that Connor didn’t even seem to notice that it was his prosthetic leg that he had wrapped around Zane’s ass. If he hadn’t been so desperate to get inside of Connor, he would have asked him if he would be more comfortable removing the prosthesis but Connor calling him beautiful had done him in. He’d intended to make Connor come so he could take his time worshipping his body the way he wanted, but Connor had blown that to hell. Zane was still kissing him when Connor’s body gave up the fight and he was able to sink all the way inside. Nails raked down his back as Connor canted his hips to try and take him deeper but Zane knew they were as close as they could be. He withdrew slowly before torturing Connor with another deep thrust and he was rewarded with a harsh curse as Connor’s head pressed back against the bed. It exposed the column of his throat and Zane took advantage and dropped his mouth down to suck on the taut skin.

  When he felt Connor’s other leg lift up and press against him, Zane worked both his arms beneath Connor’s body so that one was wrapped around his back and the other was locked around his ass. The position allowed him to pull Connor against him in such a way that there was no space between them. Lust slammed through him when he felt Connor’s fingers drift down until they were cradling his ass and every time he plunged into Connor, Connor’s hands tightened on his ass as if trying to pull him deeper and hold him there.

  “Show me how you want it,” Zane whispered against Connor’s panting mouth as he let him set the pace. And set the pace Connor did. It was ruthless and desperate and as Zane’s balls drew up tight against his body, he began slamming into Connor so hard that he had to clamp his hand over Connor’s shoulder to keep him from being pushed up the mattress. He sought out Connor’s mouth but his pants were so harsh and guttural that all he could do was hover there and let their breath mix. It wasn’t until Connor screamed his name that Zane smashed his mouth down on Connor’s to drink it down.

  Connor’s body gripped him like a vise and the feel of Connor’s smooth walls rippling around his shaft had Zane shattering into a million pieces. Spurt after spurt of Connor’s hot semen coated his abdomen and he realized he hadn’t even had to touch Connor to give him his release. Zane’s body continued to jerk as he emptied himself into the latex and he heard Connor grunt against his neck every time an aftershock rocked through him. He felt Connor’s grip on his ass ease and travel up his back and then Connor’s lips were searching for his. And as Connor’s tongue slipped into his mouth, Zane surged his hips forward once more so that he was as deep inside of Connor as he could go because he was just too overcome with emotion to leave the safety and warmth that Connor’s body was offering.

  Chapter 6

  Connor looked up when he heard the front door open and he smiled at the sight of Jagger entering with Ren right behind him, their hands intertwined. Never in a million years would he have thought to see his friend so enamored with someone else that he couldn’t bear to not be touching him even for the minute it took to walk from the car into the building.

  “Can she come in?” Ren asked as he tugged Jagger to a halt just inside the door and motioned to the Golden Retriever at his side. He hadn’t met Ren’s new service dog but he’d gotten an earful from Jagger when he’d told him the name the dog had come with.

  “Yeah, sure,” Connor said as he went around the bar. “Can I pet her?” he asked, knowing full well that the beautiful animal was also a working dog and needed to be respected as such. He’d volunteered at the VA long enough to know that the amazing animals’ first duty was always to be watching out for their handler.

  “Absolutely,” Ren responded.

  “Hey there, Mick,” Connor murmured as he ran his hand over the dog’s head. He heard Jagger snort at the name but Connor knew him well enough to know it was all for show. He had no doubt that this dog had become one of the most important members of the family since she helped Ren with his PTSD. Mick gave him a quick lick but remained quietly at Ren’s side.

  “What are you guys up to?” Connor asked as he headed back around the bar.

  “Heading down to the marketplace,” Ren said as he climbed onto one of the bar stools. The marketplace down by the waterfront was always flooded with tourists but the lunch hour would mean even more people which was a significant trigger for Ren’s PTSD. Ren must have seen his concern because he said, “Dr. Barnes wants me to keep pushing myself.”

  Connor nodded. He’d been the one to recommend Dr. Barnes who saw patients at the VA in addition to his private practice. The therapist’s coolness under pressure and infinite levels of patience had earned him a great deal of respect among both the harried men and women who worked there and the ones who sought treatment for the wounds they’d been left with after serving their country.

  “You’re going to do great, baby,” Jagger whispered from where he stood behind Ren. His arm was draped over Ren’s shoulder and Connor wasn’t surprised when Ren reached up to lace their fingers together. The image had him remembering the way Zane’s fingers had been linked with his yesterday as Zane had surged into him over and over again. It had only been a week since he’d met Zane in the motel the day after his meltdown in the bar and they’d already met four times since. He’d been afraid that Zane would do another one-eighty and back out of their arrangement again but Zane had asked him to meet him the very next day after he’d insisted on driving him home.

  Connor had managed to beat Zane to the motel the next day but he’d still been in the process of unlocking the door when Zane’s car pulled up. Zane had been on him before he could even get the door open and they’d barely managed to get inside and lock the door before Zane was stripping him. To Connor’s relief, the kissing hadn’t been a onetime thing and wasn’t restricted to just part of the foreplay. No, Zane now kissed him long after their orgasms eased and he never managed to get out of Zane’s car when Zane drove him home or to work without a heavy make-out session that ended up lea
ving them both breathless.

  “Connor?” Jagger said softly and he felt a hand close over his where it was resting on the bar. He looked up and saw that both Ren and Jagger were watching him with concern and he realized he’d been lost in thought. But from the way they were looking at him, they clearly thought he was having an episode.

  “Sorry, I was thinking about something,” he said as he smiled and shook his head. Shit, if they had any idea what he’d been thinking about... Jagger would likely blow a gasket if he knew what Connor had been up to and with whom. And Ren, well, Ren would probably be surprised but Connor wasn’t sure his dislike of Zane went as deep as Jagger’s did. A sudden chill went through him as he considered the reason why both men would be upset and it surprised him that he hadn’t given much thought to the idea of Declan and Zane together since he’d met with Declan a few weeks ago to ask him about whether or not he trusted Zane.

  Well shit, he was thinking about it now. Jealousy went through him even though he knew it was unreasonable. He had no right to be jealous. Zane wasn’t his. But he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if Zane had held Declan the same way he held him, kissed him…seemingly worshipped him. Zane had said he didn’t have feelings for Declan but what if he did? What if Connor was just a placeholder until he got over whatever he felt for Declan?

  Uncertainty went through Connor. God, none of this was supposed to matter. He’d only gone into this whole thing so that he could figure out if he was as fucked up in the head as he thought he was when it came to sex. Only now he had the answer to that question but instead of that being enough, it somehow wasn’t.

  “Connor!”

  “What?” he said as a voice pierced through his thoughts.

  “What the hell is going on with you?” Jagger asked.

  “Nothing. What do you mean?”

  “I’ve asked you the same question three times,” Jagger said.

  “Sorry. What’s the question?”

  “Did Zane take care of everything?”

  “What?” Connor choked out. Shit, had Declan told Jagger about their conversation?

  “Did he give you your money back?”

  Connor managed to keep his expression neutral as he said, “Yeah, he did.” God, why couldn’t he just find the courage to tell Jagger the truth? It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong.

  “Good,” Jagger muttered before he leaned down to brush a quick kiss over Ren’s lips. “I’m gonna make a quick pit stop and then we can go.”

  Ren nodded but as soon as Jagger had disappeared in back, Ren’s gaze focused on him and he could see the man’s brain working. Desperate to keep Ren from asking him questions he wasn’t prepared to answer, Connor said, “I heard your brother got married a while back.”

  Ren studied him for a moment before he finally responded. “Yeah, about a month ago.”

  “He’s your oldest brother, right?”

  Ren nodded. “Vin. He and Mia are expecting twins next spring.”

  “That’s great – tell them congratulations for me. I heard you guys are going to be godfathers as well as uncles.”

  A smile drifted across Ren’s lips. “Jagger’s freaking out about babysitting and Declan actually bought a couple of dolls so we can practice how to change diapers.”

  Connor laughed. An image of Declan and Jagger hovering over a baby while arguing which side of the diaper faced forward went through his head. When he finally sobered, he reached out to cover one of Ren’s hands with his. “I’m so glad you guys found each other. I’ve never seen Jagger happier.”

  Ren gave his hand a brief squeeze. “What about you, Connor?”

  Connor straightened. “What do you mean?”

  Ren watched him so intently that Connor actually began to squirm. But then Ren shook his head and said, “Nothing. Just…if you ever need to talk, I’m here. I know Jagger can be overprotective when it comes to you…anyway, I’m here.”

  Connor was too overwhelmed to speak so he just nodded. Friends hadn’t been something he’d had a lot of before moving to Seattle. But because of his association with Jagger, he’d gone from having no one to having people like Mags and her wife, Gemma, looking out for him and offering him employment when others wouldn’t. Mrs. Finney had long since become more than just a neighbor and now he had Ren and Declan too.

  “You ready to go?” Jagger called as he came back to the bar.

  Ren took a deep breath and Connor felt a wave of sympathy go through him. Ren had struggled through so much in the past year that it seemed unfair that he couldn’t just have his old life back. The one where something as simple as walking in a crowded marketplace wasn’t even an afterthought.

  “Dinner this weekend,” Jagger said to him. “No excuses this time,” he added as he took Ren’s hand and they headed towards the front door. It was on the tip of Connor’s tongue to tell Jagger that he’d have to let him know but since he’d already blown off Jagger’s last two invitations so he could meet Zane instead, he just nodded. As much as he wanted to spend every free moment with Zane, he couldn’t risk alienating the few people in his life who really cared about him because they would be the ones who remained in his life long after Zane walked out of it.

  ***

  Zane’s body felt deliciously heavy as he walked out of the elevator and past the receptionist who gave him the too big smile she always did. Since it never reached her eyes, he had to wonder if it was something she had to force herself to do every time someone walked through the glass doors that led to the luxuriously appointed suite. His guess was that she was trying desperately to play the part but since there seemed to be a new woman sitting behind the large reception desk every couple months, his suspicion was that she wouldn’t last long. And considering how misogynistic two of the firm’s three managing partners were, she’d probably already been propositioned on more than one occasion and she would either end up giving in at some point or she’d be quickly replaced with another pretty face.

  Since he kept to himself, Zane wasn’t completely up to speed on the office gossip but he’d heard enough bragging on the part of both Ned and Dan Morrison to know that the brothers who ran the most prestigious law firm in Seattle had no qualms about skirting things like equal employment or sexual harassment laws. In fact, if their boasts were to be believed, they often tag-teamed the women who’d joined the firm of Morrison, Morrison & Whitehall in the hopes of launching their careers in criminal law. But no one cared about that since both men, as well as Murray Whitehall, the more docile managing partner, got results in court and their wealthy clients either walked away scot-free or with mere slaps on the wrists. And if all went as planned, his own name would soon be along with the other three on both the building and the letterhead as the fourth managing partner, a feat that few thirty-two year olds could claim, and even fewer with his sketchy past.

  Fuck, why the hell did the prospect no longer hold the same appeal that it had when he’d been wooed by the firm eighteen months ago? It was everything he’d been working for. It was why he’d juggled multiple jobs during college and law school, gambled on risky cases that could have ended his career and had kept everyone around him at arm’s length. And it was all within reach. Yet here he was returning from his third liaison with Connor in as many days. They’d been screwing each other’s brains out for more than two weeks now and every time he left Connor standing on the curb in front of his place, Zane waited for the raw, aching need inside of him to finally ease. But it never did. If anything, it got worse. Like now. All he wanted to do was turn around and go back to his car and hunt Connor down and fuck him senseless some more. It was insanity…complete and utter insanity.

  “Zane, just the man I was coming to see,” he heard a heavy voice boom from down the hallway as he was about to step into his office. He glanced up to see Ned Morrison striding towards him, his paunchy body rolling in his designer suit with every step he took.

  “Ned,” Zane acknowledged with a quick nod. His eyes shifted to the
folder in Ned’s beefy hand and Zane bit back a curse as he stepped into his office. He was already seated by the time Ned shuffled in and though it would have been respectful to stand, Zane didn’t move.

  “I tried calling your assistant earlier but she didn’t answer. But now that I see you’re just getting back from “lunch” yourself…”

  Disgust went through Zane at the insinuation. His sexuality wasn’t something he’d ever discussed with anyone he worked with since he considered it a private matter but it didn’t stop Ned from jumping to his own conclusions.

  “Mary Ellen had a dentist appointment,” Zane said, though he wasn’t sure why he bothered since it was unlikely that Ned would believe him. But the idea of the fat prick sitting in front of him maligning the young woman’s reputation pissed him off. Even though he wasn’t friends with his assistant and had a tendency to be too curt with her, she did good work and always went the extra mile to see that his needs at the office were met.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “I understand you told Mr. Deming that you weren’t available to take his case,” Ned said. “You referred him to Dupree.”

  “I have a full calendar and Jim Dupree is an excellent attorney with a solid record.”

  “He’s a junior associate and Roland Deming is one of our best clients.”

  Yeah, because the guy was a sadistic son of a bitch who also happened to have more money than God.

  “The man solicited a prostitute…a first year law student could make that go away,” Zane drawled.

  “Things have changed,” Ned responded. “Roland’s wife has gone missing.”