“Babe, I can explain…”
“I should arrest your ass and throw you in jail for the rest of your life just to keep you out of fucking trouble.”
Teddy reached out and grabbed the sheriff’s hand, twining their fingers together. “Have dinner with me instead?” He batted his lashes.
“You’re hurt.” Adrian reached out his free hand and touched Teddy’s neck. His fingers came away glistening red. “Your hand is dripping, too.”
“Fucker tried to shoot me and I got cut up a bit. Is that a yes?” Teddy grazed Adrian’s palm with his thumb.
“You stink. You’re covered in blood and— What the hell is this?” Adrian rubbed at the slime coating Teddy’s exposed skin and clothes.
“Decaying abattoir drainage, I think. Stop trying to change the subject.” Teddy pulled Adrian into a tight embrace. “Dinner. Rough sex. Lots of it.”
He pressed his lips to Adrian’s. Adrian yielded, allowing Teddy to kiss him deeply. Their bodies melded together. When Teddy finally drew back, Adrian’s eyes were a little glazed. “Say yes,” Teddy demanded.
“Yes.” Adrian sounded stunned.
Teddy kissed his sheriff again.
Chapter Six
The walk from one side of the abattoir to the other was an interesting experience. Teddy refused to let go of Adrian’s hand. He held on so tightly that they might as well have been handcuffed together. There were law enforcement personnel everywhere but Teddy didn’t care who saw them. The more people that knew Adrian Hayder was his, the better. The group of men that Reiker had abandoned in the abattoir was seated against one wall, zip ties around their wrists. Teddy winked in their direction and got a torrent of abuse until one of their guards yelled at them to shut the fuck up. Two women in overalls were cataloging and labeling the arsenal of weapons. One nudged the other and pointed at Adrian and Teddy.
“Take a gander at the hotties, Esme.”
Her colleague turned and stared. “Aw, how cute are they?” She gave a little wave then turned back to her work.
“I am not cute,” Teddy grumbled.
“Of course not,” Adrian pacified him. “You’re a big, mean biker. Talking of, I believe there are a few people outside who are gonna start a war if they don’t get to see you soon.”
They carried on walking across the courtyard, wending their way between fallen motorcycles that littered the cobbles. Teddy was glad to see his own bike still upright and, from what he could tell, unscathed. Outside the gates the remainder of the Knights were being loaded into secure vans. On the corner of the street every member of The Wyverns stood waiting, their bikes parked next to them.
Teddy waved in their direction. Orlando broke free of Rogue’s grip and came hurtling toward them. He launched himself into the air and Teddy caught him. Orlando wrapped arms and legs around Teddy’s big frame and peppered him with kisses.
“Sasquatch! We thought you were dead. Don’t scare me like that again or I will beat you!”
Teddy made eye contact with Rogue over Orlando’s shoulder. “Nothing to do with me, boss, he’s clinging like a limpet.”
Rogue smiled. “Orlando. Put Teddy down and come here.”
Orlando reluctantly climbed down from his perch and sank back into Rogue’s embrace.
“You good?” Rogue asked.
Teddy nodded.
“Thanks for letting us know what was going on, Sheriff.” Hatchet held out a huge hand and gave Adrian’s a firm shake. “Would have been better if you’d let us join in the fun, though.”
“It’s thanks to you all that there wasn’t a major incident today. If Teddy hadn’t been on the inside, Kit would never have been able to get out and let me know what was going on. He guessed that Reiker would bring things forward. As it was, I only managed to get everyone here with a few minutes to spare. I dread to think what might have happened otherwise.”
“Where is Kit?” Teddy asked. “Is he okay?” He felt a little guilty for not checking up on the cute blond sooner.
“He’s a bit battered, but fine. The kid’s got steel balls. He’s at my place, sleeping on the couch. At least that’s where he was when I left.”
Shelton, tucked into the crook of Crow’s arm, stepped forward. “We’re planning a celebratory cookout tonight. You’re welcome to come along, Sheriff. Bring this Kit guy too.”
Artie and Bull gave Teddy a coordinated clap on the back that sent him three paces forward. “See you later, Teddy. Bring chips. And beer.”
The Wyverns mounted up and pulled away in a procession, Orlando waving frantically from the back of Rogue’s bike.
“You have good friends,” Adrian said quietly.
Teddy nodded. “I do. Now let’s go to your place so I can get clean and remind you who you belong to.”
“Possessive son of a bitch, aren’t you?”
Teddy shrugged. “Yep. Then it seems like our dinner date will be at The Wyverns HQ. You okay with that?”
“At least you’re asking, but sure. As long as they don’t mind the law sharing their meal.”
“Hey, The Wyverns are equal opportunity, and very tolerant of others’ life choices. Even if they might not agree with them.” Teddy walked back through the abattoir gates toward his bike, towing Adrian behind him.
“You mean they have an equally bad attitude toward everyone.”
“That about sums it up. Do you have transport here?”
“No. I caught a ride with Homeland Security.”
Teddy swung a long leg across his saddle. “Good. Mount up, baby, time to roll.”
“I’m not your fucking baby, you—” Adrian’s words were lost in the roar of the bike’s engine.
* * * *
“Kit?” Adrian walked into his lounge to find the sofa empty, the fleecy throws folded neatly over the arm. “He’s gone.” Adrian turned to Teddy. “I hope he’s okay.”
“You liked him.” Teddy’s words were a statement, not an accusation.
Adrian’s face warmed. “I did. He was brave. And cute.”
“Have to admit I pictured him in a sandwich between us. You fucking his ass, me filling his smart mouth.” Teddy stripped off his clothes and boots, dropping everything where he stood. “Do you have a garbage bag? This lot needs to be incinerated.” He got no response. “What?”
“You can’t casually describe the hottest threesome I can imagine and expect me to answer questions.” Adrian shook his head. “And now you’re naked.”
“I am.” Teddy fisted his cock. “And I’m fucking horny. Strip and join me in the shower.” He stomped toward the stairs, and soon Adrian heard the water running.
“That man is going to be the death of me,” Adrian muttered. He dealt with Teddy’s discarded clothes then followed him upstairs. Teddy was already in the shower, moaning as he soaped himself down.
“You sound as if you’re having an orgasm without me,” Adrian said as he pulled off his clothes. He stepped beneath the spray and was immediately wrapped in a hug.
“Want your mouth,” Teddy growled.
Adrian didn’t resist the pressure on his shoulders as Teddy pushed him to his knees. Beneath the pounding spray, Adrian teased the tip of Teddy’s rigid cock with his tongue. It jerked a little in response, making him smile. He blinked up at Teddy. “I think it’s trying to get away.”
Teddy grabbed his hair and yanked him forward. Adrian chuckled and took as much of Teddy’s shaft as he was able to. Even with the head touching the back of his throat, he couldn’t take it all. Salt-sweet flavors burst across his tongue and he hummed his appreciation, sending vibrations along Teddy’s length. Adrian licked, sucked and dug his teeth in gently, scraping the tender skin lightly.
“Fuck! Gonna blow.” Teddy hissed and thrust into Adrian’s mouth. Teddy tugged on his hair hard enough to make him wince. His knees ached. It was perfect. A rush of salty warmth filled his mouth. He swallowed again and again, taking every drop that Teddy gifted him. He planted a kiss on Teddy’s thigh and licked drople
ts of water from the sexy groove between thigh and hip.
“You taste good, but my knees are killing me.”
Teddy lifted him to his feet as if he weighed nothing. Adrian tilted his head and parted his lips, begging for a kiss. Teddy proceeded to ravage his mouth. By the time Teddy finally pulled away, Adrian was gasping for breath.
“Fuck me!”
“Oh, I intend to.” Teddy leered. “I need a flat surface and your naked ass.”
Adrian’s butt muscles clenched in anticipation.
“Can we at least get dry first? Even a stud like you must need some recovery time.”
Teddy’s answer was to turn off the shower. He grabbed the nearest towel, then stood and dripped while he used it to rub Adrian down. Once he was done, he gave himself a cursory wipe.
“There. All done. Let’s go.” He paused and cupped Adrian’s face between his hands. “I’m a bastard. You didn’t come. You want me to reciprocate?”
Adrian shook his head, sending a few stray water droplets flying through the air. “Want you in me when I come.”
Adrian was surprised how much he enjoyed Teddy’s strength. Not a small man himself, he rarely felt overpowered, but Teddy could, and did, take what he wanted. He found himself hoisted over Teddy’s shoulder then dumped unceremoniously on the bed. He bounced then settled onto his back and parted his legs. Teddy was on him in seconds, crawling over him, a sleek, muscled predator. Teddy pinned his wrists at shoulder height and nipped and sucked his way down the length of Adrian’s body. Adrian jerked beneath him, knowing full well that he was being marked. Teddy released Adrian’s hands only to grab the lube and a condom.
“I think you can take two fingers.”
Adrian gasped at the rough penetration. His channel burned as Teddy finger-fucked him ruthlessly.
“Enough! Need you in me, Teddy. Now!”
Teddy didn’t argue. He gloved up, applied a slick of lube and thrust forward, nailing Adrian’s prostate on the first pass.
Adrian gabbled out nonsense words as his brain overloaded on pleasure. Blind and deaf to anything but Teddy’s animalistic grunts, his scent, his heavily muscled body, all Adrian could do was lie there and take what Teddy gave him. Teddy twisted Adrian’s body to the side and slung one leg so that Adrian’s calf rested on his shoulder. He snapped his hips again and again, the position allowing him to go deeper and harder.
Adrian screamed his throat raw. He came so hard he saw whole galaxies flash before his eyes. Cum spattered his chest and belly. He clenched his inner muscles around Teddy’s cock, and Teddy roared his release. They collapsed in a sweating pile of tangled limbs, panting and chuckling.
“Fuck, that was good,” Teddy said.
Adrian couldn’t manage an intelligible response. He managed a positive sounding grunt and hoped it was acceptable. Teddy extricated himself from the bed and Adrian whined a complaint. Teddy was warm and solid. He shouldn’t be allowed to leave the bed. He came back with a damp towel and cleaned most of the sticky goo from Adrian’s skin before clambering back into bed.
“I think we’ve earned ourselves a nap.”
Adrian lay still. He’d never been a cuddler and he couldn’t imagine that Teddy was either, but for some reason he craved close contact.
“Come here.” Teddy tucked Adrian against his side. “Need to be touching you, then I know you’re safe.”
Adrian slung his arm across Teddy’s broad chest and snuggled close. “I don’t need a babysitter, you overprotective gorilla.”
Teddy tightened his hold around him. “Stop talking.”
Under the covers, Teddy stroked Adrian’s thigh, then he cupped his ass. Adrian pushed against his hand, and Teddy obliged by sliding the tip of his finger into Adrian’s still-slick hole.
“Mmm. Gonna be feeling you into next week,” Adrian murmured.
“Good. Just the way it should be.”
* * * *
Adrian juggled a laden plate and an icy cold bottle of beer. He commandeered a free sunlounger and glanced around. The whole scene was utterly surreal. A week ago, if someone had told him he’d be eating at a barbecue with a notorious biker gang, one of whom was fucking his brains out, he’d have said they were mad. But here he was. In the next chair, Rogue Hellaby had a lap full of squirming Orlando who was feeding him cubes of meat from a skewer. The big Native American, Crow, was teaching a younger guy, who’d been introduced as Shelton, how to throw a dagger into a straw target. Hatchet was in charge of the grill, using a lethal two-pronged fork to toss the steaks. Adrian wondered idly if the fork had been used for more nefarious purposes. Nothing would surprise him. Artie and Bull were deep in conversation over a shiny lump of metal that Adrian assumed was a bike part.
“Normality with an edge,” Adrian muttered to no one in particular. He’d been welcomed and felt entirely at ease in the company of The Wyverns. He viewed the area by the grill where Teddy stood with his arm around a slight blond, dwarfing him. Shelton had somehow managed to track Kit down and invite him along. Kit had joined the group seamlessly. He seemed to have something to talk about to everyone, and Adrian guessed that was why he’d managed to stay undercover with the Knights for so long.
Teddy left Kit chattering away to Hatchet and sauntered across to take a seat next to Adrian.
“You were getting awfully cozy with Kit,” Adrian said.
“Jealous?” Teddy grinned. “You know I only have eyes for you, Sugarlips.”
From Rogue’s lap, Orlando snorted with laughter. “Teddy and the big bad sheriff are about to have a tiff, Sir. Can I watch? Pleeeease, can I?”
Adrian glanced at them. He knew Orlando was Rogue’s sub, but that was the first time he’d heard Orlando refer to Rogue as ‘Sir’.
“It’s not a spectator sport, brat. Behave.”
If pouting ever became an Olympic event then Orlando would be a sure-fire gold medalist.
“I am not your sugar anything,” Adrian snapped.
“Not even my sugarpuff?” Teddy stood up. He grabbed Adrian’s shirt and used it to haul him to his feet. “Walk with me.”
Adrian abandoned his food. He didn’t have much of a choice. Teddy grabbed his hand and hauled him along a rough path to the back of the adobe building that The Wyverns called home. The desert landscape was on fire. Myriad bursts of red and gold lit the rocky outcrops in the distance as the sun dipped below the horizon. The stark beauty of it sent a chill down Adrian’s spine and he shivered.
“Makes you feel small, doesn’t it, standing beneath the desert sky,” Teddy said softly, putting an arm around Adrian’s shoulders.
Somehow a sarcastic retort didn’t seem appropriate. Adrian leaned against Teddy. He sighed.
“Are we going to be okay, Teddy? This is hardly a match made in heaven, is it?”
“Heaven doesn’t have much to do with my existence. I’m a bad boy and that isn’t going to change any time soon. You’ll keep arresting me and I’ll carry on irritating the life out of you. We can make it work.”
“When Kit came to me and told me what a dangerous situation you’d got yourself in, it was like someone wrapped my heart in barbed wire. I… I have feelings for you.” Adrian stumbled over the words. Feelings were things not to be aired, but locked away. The rumble of Teddy’s chuckle reverberated through Adrian’s body.
“What a pair we make. Both emotionally dysfunctional.” He pulled Adrian around so that they were facing each other. “Kiss me.”
The moment their lips touched, the tingle of desire became a surge of lust. Adrian fought Teddy’s hold and tried to pull him closer at the same time. The kiss was a bruising encounter, a battle of wills. Stubble-burned and swollen-lipped, Adrian rested his forehead against Teddy’s, gasping for air.
“Is there somewhere we can go?”
Teddy squeezed Adrian’s ass. “You want to replace deep and meaningful conversation with sex?”
Adrian sighed. “I’m tired of talking. This flame between us, it’s hotter than hellfire. I�
�m prepared to risk a few third-degree burns if you are.”
“Can I call you sugarpuff?”
“No you fucking can’t.”
“Not feeling the love here,” Teddy sniggered.
Adrian froze. There it was, the L-word, as solid and immovable as the distant flame hued rocks. He gazed into Teddy’s clear blue eyes. “Well, maybe you should.”
Also available from Pride Publishing:
Scorched Edges
L.M. Somerton
Excerpt
Chapter One
“We have ourselves a firebug, Beau, and he or she seems intent on destroying every derelict building south of the fucking river.” Commander Norm Archer kicked the leg of his battered desk as he passed. A new dent joined several already present, creating a pattern on the abused wood. Steel toe capped boots came in handy at times of stress. Archer threw himself into his chair and slumped forward to stick his elbows on the desk and rest his head in his hands.
Salter Beauman took an ‘at ease’ stance automatically. Eight years in the marines had fixed the position into his body’s memory and he couldn’t help himself. He stood, legs shoulder-width apart, hands clasped loosely behind his back, and maintained eye contact with his boss. His cranky, soot-streaked, exhausted boss.
“He picks his targets well,” Beau said. “This one isn’t stupid or careless, he only torches places where he can prepare thoroughly without much risk of anyone seeing him.” Beau had little doubt that the arsonist was a man—the vast majority were. He’d eat his boots if the bug turned out to be a woman. “So what’s his motivation?”
“Who the fuck knows?” Archer scrubbed his hands through what remained of his filthy hair. Normally silver, it was currently ash gray. “Could be your average fruit loop with too much time on his hands or he could be trying to get someone’s attention. It might be the fires are the only things that get a rise out of his dick. Fuck. Should have taken early fucking retirement when it was offered.”
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