Guarding His Heart

by R. Cayden

  “Ha,” his father barked. “You’ve wasted enough of our time, Seb. I’ll alert them tomorrow that the research is flawed. You’ve already damaged my reputation. If people start relying on your stolen data and fabricated results, it will be a disaster for Horizon Zed.” He sighed, then rubbed his hand across his forehead. “You have no idea what you’ve cost me, do you?”

  Seb’s face was still pink, and Declan knew that the tears on his cheek were real, considering the things that had just been said. Declan stood tall, willing strength to Seb, and so damn proud of his guy for finding a way to fight back.

  Seb’s father threw his hand in the air. “I don’t have time for this bullshit. Goodbye, Sebastian. My assistant will see you out.” He cursed under his breath as he turned back to his desk, then picked up his phone as though they had already disappeared.

  “Come on,” Seb whispered, nodding toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  They didn’t say anything as they walked across the office, past a few desks and to the bank of elevators. Declan could feel the heat on Seb’s body. His energy was sharp, his breath ragged out of his throat. While they waited, Seb pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed into it frantically, his tongue out the side of his mouth and his eyes half-closed. Declan wanted to say a million things, to pull the younger man into his embrace, but he did his best to play the role of unaffected bodyguard, at least until they were away from the office.

  Finally, the elevator arrived, thankfully empty. Seb and Declan stepped inside, and when the door closed, Seb threw himself against Declan’s chest. Declan pulled his arms tight and close, squeezing Seb’s body to feel his presence while they plummeted through the air.

  “You did it,” Declan said, patting the back of Seb’s head. “You pulled it off. You totally did.”

  “He was just as awful as I expected.”

  “He didn’t even ask if you were hurt in the fire,” Declan said. “What an ass.”

  “I’d rather he think I had failed than to have him abusing my work. At least I’m halfway there to stopping it now.”

  “Halfway?”

  The elevator dinged to the bottom floor. They stepped out together and crossed the cavernous room, men in suits staring from every corner. “I ran some programs on my phone,” Seb said under his breath. “Alexandria is in their network this second, replacing select files from my research with doctored ones showing false numbers. It won’t stop all the damage, but it will definitely throw a big wrench in their plans and slow them down enough for me to get a head start.”

  Declan chuckled as pride filled his chest again. “Smart thinking.”

  Seb paused, then looked up to Declan while he wiped tears out of the corners of his eyes. They stood by the entrance to the skyscraper, the revolving doors swinging as people hurried past. “I kind of wish you didn’t have to see me like that.”

  Declan scoffed. “I thought you looked good.”

  Seb laughed. “Good? Now you’re obviously lying.”

  Declan cocked up the corner of his mouth in a grin. “You were fucking over the man. You always look good when you’re fucking over the man.”

  Seb laughed loudly, then threw his arms over Declan’s shoulders and pulled himself up for a kiss. Declan almost moaned from the wave of pleasure at having Seb in his arms again, the professional act from the office finally breaking.

  “What now?” Declan asked. “Is there a next step to this plan of yours?”

  Seb zipped up his jacket, then sighed. “I guess we should go see what’s left of my house, huh?

  Sebastian

  Security at the house was back down to one person at the gate when Declan and Seb arrived. They nodded as they passed through, and for a second, it felt like any other time Seb had returned.

  Then they got to the end of the long driveway, and he saw the damage.

  His stomach lurched as he stepped out of the truck and onto the frozen pavement. Tarps covered the burnt-out walls of the laboratory, like a covered wound on Seb’s wing of the house. As he had hoped, the fire safety system was advanced enough that the fire didn’t make it far beyond the lab, but the black singes on the wall outside still made him nauseous.

  Declan rested his hand on Seb’s back, and Seb softened into the comfort of his touch. “You ready for this?” he asked.

  Seb nodded quickly. “Let’s see how bad it is.”

  They both left their jackets on inside. The air was cold without an insulated barrier, like the late winter chill had taken up residency between the walls. Seb rubbed his hands together as he peeked down hallway, relieved to see not much more than smoke damage, licking up at the ceiling.

  “Your art looks safe,” Declan said, nodding at the framed pieces hanging on the wall.

  Seb scratched the back of his head. “Thanks. They were picked out by an interior designer…” Suddenly, he realized how little there was in that house that he actually cared about, now that the laboratory was gone. Although he had spent years there, Seb had never truly made the place his home, not in the way most people would have.

  Just about everything that did matter, in fact, he had managed to take with him to that hotel.

  Seb took Declan’s hand with a squeeze. He peeked into the laboratory, heavily damaged by his sabotage, then turned away. There was no reason to linger on the gory details, he figured. What truly mattered from the research was preserved in backups, and the destruction was primarily for show, a way to sell the story to his father. Instead, he pulled Declan to his room.

  The windows faced opposite the setting sun, casting the bedroom in shadows. Ellie ran in at their feet, circling until she found an old tennis ball she had been playing with before they left. Seb tried to flick the lights, but the electricity had been cut.

  He sat on the edge of his bed, and Declan stood before him, the full frame of his presence comforting to Seb.

  “We should get this stuff in storage,” Declan said, glancing around. “If your father is going to cut you off—”

  “Storage is good,” Seb jumped in. “But I’m not worried about money.”

  Declan arched an eyebrow. “That right?”

  “I put some patents in my name,” Seb said, “and made smart investments when I was young. Plus, my grandparents made sure the inheritance they left me was safe from my father.” He thought back to when his grandmother was still around, one of the few threads that had made him feel like a part of the family. “I won’t be able to build myself a high-tech lab, but I’ll be fine.”

  Declan grunted. He laid his hands on Seb’s shoulders, then started to massage lightly, tightening his strong hands and probing into Seb’s tense muscles.

  Seb groaned and rolled his neck backward, wishing it were warm enough to take off his jacket and appreciate the massage properly. “I’ll arrange for storage tomorrow,” he muttered to Declan. “In the meanwhile, this house is still in my father’s name. We have to figure out where we’re going to live.”

  He snapped his mouth shut as soon as he said it. That we had been unintentional.

  But it just popped out so easily…

  Seb leaned his head forward, pressing his cheek against Declan’s chest as the massage continued to loosen his body. When Declan opened his mouth to speak, Seb felt the rumble beneath his ribs, warm and reassuring.

  “There’s nothing waiting for me back in Vegas,” he said, matter-of-factly.

  Another tremble of warmth went through Seb’s body, igniting his heart. “Does that mean we can stay together?” he asked, hope blooming.

  Declan leaned his face down and placed his lips near Seb’s mouth. The scratch made Seb squirm closer. “You sure you want a guy like me to stick around?” he asked. “I’m no good at fancy dinner parties, and I swear more than I should.”

  Seb laughed softly as he kissed Declan and stroked his fingers down his side. Maybe it was the house, destroyed around them and with smoke still tangy in the air, but Seb felt himself tearing up.

  Of course he had
never made that place into anything more than where he worked and slept. It was just another meaningless purchase from his father, another trap meant to exploit him. But Declan offered something different. He offered a life that Seb could choose for himself, that he could earn.

  Seb pulled himself up, then pressed their kiss harder. He melted between Declan’s hands and licked at Declan’s teeth, tasting how real he was.

  Kissing, groping, squeezing, Seb came home to Declan, and when the wind danced through the house, he realized he was in love.

  “Don’t ever leave,” Seb said, kissing at Declan’s lips. “Tell me you’ll stay?”

  Declan sucked in a sharp breath. He tangled his fingers in Seb’s hair and pawed at his back. “I don’t know if I deserve you,” he whispered. “But god damn, I’ll fight like hell for you.”

  Seb clasped his hands behind Declan’s neck, then pulled him to the bed. The heat between them was intense, and when he finally pulled off his jacket, his skin was warm to the touch. “Then show me,” he whispered. “Show me that you’re going to stay.”

  Declan removed his jacket, then lowered down to Seb. They pressed their bodies together like two furnaces in the cold house, grabbing and kissing in their heat. A sense of freedom built inside of Seb. With everything gone, destroyed in an instant, he could become a whole new person and live an entirely different kind of life.

  A life he could make with the man that he loved.

  Declan had chosen him, just the same as he had chosen Declan.

  He tightened his legs around Declan’s waist, rutting them together. The minutes passed slowly as they writhed, and when the moon started to rise, the light in the room turned gray. They rolled together, naked and hard, the taste of sweat on Seb’s tongue.

  “Declan.” He whispered the name in place of saying the words that were in his heart, words that filled his body with thrills of joy and need. “Declan,” he whispered again.

  Declan gripped his cock, stroking it near Seb’s backside. Seb spread his legs and pushed his hole closer, teasing Declan’s crown and biting hard on his lip.

  Declan pulled back. “Let me grab a condom,” he muttered.

  Seb grabbed his wrist. “Don’t,” he said. “I mean, have you been tested?”

  Declan nodded, his eyes strained with want as he looked down at Seb. His strong jaw and silver hair caught the evening light, and Seb whimpered at how handsome the man was. “I’ve been tested,” he said.

  Seb reached out, stroking his fingers playfully up Declan’s length. “I trust you.”

  Declan bit down on his lip, taking it into his mouth, then nodded again. Seb felt a flood of pleasure behind his balls. He needed to feel Declan inside of him. Even if he couldn’t say the words, he wanted the truth to touch him.

  He stretched out to grab the lube from his dresser, then squirted some in his hand. He spread it up and down Declan’s cock slowly, swirling his hand and massaging while he felt the rigid length and thumbed Declan’s wet tip, sensitive to his every motion.

  “Fuck,” Declan growled. “You feel so good, Seb.”

  Seb hitched his hips back, then fisted Declan’s base. “Then give it to me,” he gasped. “I’m ready.”

  Declan sucked in a deep breath, stretching his chest, then took charge. He rocked his hips as he positioned Seb’s body, then teased him with his tip. He traced his cock in slow, slick circles around Seb’s quivering hole. The warm, tight feeling built inside, and Seb could feel his prostate throbbing in anticipation, steam between their bodies.

  It felt so good to have Declan inside. Seb hadn’t realized how different it would be than the exploring he had done on his own. When Declan gripped his side and pinched his nipples, Seb could let go of all control and lose himself to the explosions of pleasure, the raw desire that rocketed through him and the total release of all reason.

  And when Declan finally pushed past Seb’s rim, the old world melted away.

  He went slow at first, and Seb rode his rhythms, whimpering the whole time. Gently, Declan went in and out, stretching Seb and then making him beg for more. When he started to thrust his hips, the hot friction sent Seb’s eyes rolling to the back of his head and his fingers tugging at his balls in a desperate attempt to last longer, to feel Declan for as long as he possibly could.

  “Fuck,” Declan groaned, arching his back and driving his tip into Seb’s prostate. “You’re so tight.”

  Seb’s hole clenched, tugging Declan in harder. “I’m close,” he whimpered, his vision blurry.

  Declan started fucking harder, his cock landing again and again on Seb’s most sensitive spot. The orgasm bloomed inside of him, and when Declan tweaked Seb’s nipple, the jolt sent Seb over the edge. His hole clamped down on Declan, and his balls tightened while Declan roared and Seb sprayed jets of cum across their bodies.

  The wet warmth inside of Seb made him moan, loud and slow. He kept his legs wrapped tight around Declan’s waist, desperate for him to stay close and for their bodies to keep sweating together.

  “You’re amazing,” Declan whispered in his ear. “Fucking amazing.”

  Seb laughed, then kissed at Declan’s cheek. “You, too,” he whispered.

  They stayed tangled together for a few minutes. Slowly, Seb started to feel the cool air, and the silence of the woods replaced their gasps and shaky breath. Finally, Declan squeezed himself out, then went to grab a towel.

  Seb turned on his side and noticed a message on his phone. Clicking quickly, he saw that it was from Alexandria.

  “Everything okay?” Declan asked, returning to the room with a towel and a fizzy water for Seb.

  Seb smiled, then pulled himself up on his elbows. “More than alright. Alexandria said the job is done. By the time anyone gets to the office tomorrow, the files in the system will be replaced.”

  Declan’s eyes popped open wide. “So that’s it, then? Your plan worked?”

  Seb grinned. “Yeah, I guess it did.”

  “Well hot shit.” Declan joined him on the bed. He must have noticed that Seb was starting to chill because he pulled the blanket up, draping it over his shoulders. “Congratulations, Seb. I know you still lost a lot, but I’m proud of you.”

  “Thank you,” Seb answered. “I’m proud of us, too.”

  Declan rubbed his palm against Seb’s back in a slow circle. “It’s too cold to stay here. Let’s pack up some things, and I can drive us to that motel near the highway.”

  “What about tomorrow?” Seb asked. The wind cut through the hallway outside the bedroom again, and he pulled the blanket a little tighter.

  Declan grabbed Seb’s underwear and shirt from the ground, then handed them over. “Tomorrow?” he said, then smiled. “I guess tomorrow we figure out what the hell comes next, huh?”

  Declan

  It was right in the driveway to Gray’s house the next morning that Declan got the phone call. He and Seb were both standing there with cups of coffee and donuts from the gas station, sprouts of grass poking up from the dirt driveway.

  “Declan here,” he said, answering the second he saw Reed’s name. He resisted the urge to scream at the man that he’d discovered the truth and wasn’t buying any more of his bullshit.

  Always smarter to let the other guy talk first, he knew.

  Reed snorted. “Good morning. I just got off the phone with Horizon. They’re paying out the remainder of their balance and canceling our services. You’re released from your contract, Declan.”

  “Okay,” Declan answered evenly. Relief washed over his body, but he kept his cool, not wanting to give his former employer even a scrap of a hint that was something was different on his end.

  “I can kick your name to some of my associates,” Reed said. “If you’re staying in the area and looking for grunt work.”

  Declan tightened his jaw, reminded all over again how Reed viewed him. “I’ll be fine. Have a good day, Mr. Reed.” He grunted, then closed the call. “Fucker,” he mumbled.

  “Everythin
g okay?” Seb asked, stepping around the front of the car. He stood there and blew on his coffee, a blue stocking cap pulled over his hair.

  Declan looked up at Gray’s big brick house. He instinctively reached for his pack of cigarettes, then realized with a start that he hadn’t even thought about smoking the past day. With everything else going on, he must have sped through the worst of the withdrawals with adrenaline, fear, and some old-fashioned fucking.

  “Everything’s good,” Declan answered, then slung his arm over Seb’s shoulder as they walked to the house. “Real good, in fact. Reed let me know the contract is terminated.”

  “That’s great!” Seb perked up beside him. “It’s what we hoped would happen, right?”

  “Right,” Declan answered. “I’m just trying not to feel like I’m letting him off easy. The man sold us both out, after all.” It would have been fair game for Declan to hit Reed back, but with Seb’s inspiration, he was moving on from that type of thinking.

  “He tried to sell us both out,” Seb replied. “We’re a pretty unstoppable team, though.”

  He smiled, glad to hear Seb say it. “You ready for this? My nephew might come across like he’s a bit much, but if you’re already used to me…”

  “Yeah,” Seb said brightly. “I’m excited. Thanks for inviting me along.”

  Declan pushed a hand through his hair. He was excited, too, but this romantic shit made him way more awkward than he had expected. Still, now that he was looking to make a future with Seb, there didn’t seem to be much point in putting it off.

  The door to the house flew open with a bang. Standing in the doorway, Gray was still in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a worn old sweatshirt with a flaming car on the front. “You’re early!” he hollered.

  “It’s ten already,” Declan hollered back as he and Seb started up the driveway. “Time to get your ass out of bed!”

  He introduced Seb and Gray to one another, watching with a satisfied grin as they immediately warmed. Gray started going on about some story from the night before, explaining a cockeyed plan where he and his crew were welding together a custom frame for an old 4Runner and some river they wanted to drive across. When they rounded the corner into the kitchen, Declan finally realized why.