“I promise it won’t be painful. We’re professionals.”
Ryan let the corner of his mouth tick up. “Looks a little kinky.”
Mia grinned. “Kinky can be fun. We’re going to need to oil you up, too.”
Ryan’s gaze cut to Trent. A bottle of oil was in his hands. He’d forgotten about the oil and the water bottle they used some times to spray his skin to create those perfect shots with shadow and light.
Ryan grinned at Mia. “Can’t wait.”
Mia laughed, tossing back her head. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll let my brother do all the touching. We don’t want your hands or mine oiled for the shots.”
“Who’s the guy?” Ryan asked.
Mia glanced over her shoulder. “He’s a friend of my brother’s. You remember Trent?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“He had an accident seven months ago on the job. He works with K-9. He lost his hearing. Cole has been working with all of us to learn American Sign Language.”
Ryan wondered if Trent remembered that he was the one who brought him in to the emergency room that night.
Trent nodded for Ryan to come onto the set. Warm oil was poured onto Ryan’s shoulders, and it skated down his chest. He’d groomed that morning, so that his chest hair was as short as possible. Trent’s hand was hot as he rubbed the oil over his chest and shoulders. Shivers pranced down Ryan’s spine as he tried not to enjoy the feel of Trent’s hot hand changing direction and moving onto his abdomen. Ryan couldn’t look at Trent as his hand moved north again, and his thumb rubbed over his nipple. He always had sensitive nips and instantly responded to the sensual touch.
Ryan’s pecs flexed hard under Trent’s palm. Ryan sucked in his breath when he felt Trent’s nail purposely flick over his hard nipple. Ryan lifted his gaze to Trent’s as his hand went south, but he quickly looked away. He didn’t want Trent to know how much he liked the rubdown and how much he wanted more of it. The pad of Trent’s thumb thrust inside his belly button, causing sensations to lick their way down to his cock. Heat flashed through Ryan’s body when he sensed Trent hesitate inside. He rocked his thumb as though he were rocking over his anus. Ryan’s prick pounded hard, purring with the need to release. At least Mia wasn’t around to see how much Trent’s touch was affecting him.
Ryan’s gaze flicked up to Trent’s. Ryan found him watching him closely. The corners of hips lips lifted. Trent poured more oil onto his palm and worked his hand down each arm and over his hands. Ryan closed his eyes as Trent kneeled down onto his haunches, putting his head at cock level. Ryan felt Trent’s hands worked slowly up his leg with a firm, seductive touch. Ryan bit his lip when he felt Trent’s hand play with the low edge of his boxers. When Trent finished, Ryan felt wired and ready for the shoot to be over. He was going to need a week’s worth of cold showers to forget all about the massage Trent gave him.
Trent put him into position. The chains were looped around each wrist and pulled tight along the fake tree. Trent stepped back, checking the light as Mia lifted the camera.
Ryan tried to keep his focus off of Trent, but he couldn’t. He wanted the man, always had. Ryan’s gaze followed Trent as he hovered over Mia’s shoulder. Cole was at his side.
Ryan needed to come.
He tried to remind himself that the photo shoot was for charity and not giggles. Ryan had started the calendar shoot after a silly bet ten years ago when he was in medical school. Since then, their hot docs calendar had taken on a life of its own. Ryan groaned, unable to believe how twisted up he was for a man who probably had a lover and didn’t know he was alive.
Ryan fought against the chains wrapped around his spread arms. No, he wanted to come with Trent sucking him off. What the hell was he doing thinking about his former patient, Trent Lakeland, sucking him? This was so not the time or place to think about sex. Ryan couldn’t help his thoughts. It helped his shots if he thought about sex while he worked. It put the right look in his eyes.
Ryan’s cock pounded within his tight boxers. He closed his eyes, centering himself as the shutter of the camera continued to click.
A grunt from Trent had Ryan opening his eyes. The command was simple. Eyes open.
Cole tapped Trent on the shoulder and signed, “God, he’s hung.”
“Shut up, Cole,” Trent whispered.
Ryan’s cousin was deaf. Trent and Cole didn’t know he knew American Sign Language. Ryan preferred it that way. He wanted to know what Trent was saying about him. Trent’s gaze moved down over Ryan’s body and settled on his tight briefs before moving back up. The corner of Trent’s mouth ticked up as he signed with one hand while the other held the light meter.
“I’m bigger,” Trent signed.
For the love of fuck, those silent words made pre-cum drip from the tip of Ryan’s cock. Ryan flexed his muscles, making his eyes heat with unleashed desire for the man who didn’t know Ryan wanted him. Lust pounded through his veins as he wrapped the chains tighter around both wrists.
“How does he do that?” Cole signed. “That’s amazing. He looks like he wants to devour you.”
Trent stopped him and asked about a sign. There was some backand-forth with finger spelling as Cole taught the word devour to Trent. Cole touched his mouth with his left hand before motioning with his left and right away from his chest as though he were really hungry.
Trent lifted his hands. “He’s good. Very good. I love watching Mia shoot him. I love his tattoos.”
Heat seared over Ryan’s body. He edged forward, making his dark hair fall over his face, hiding the blush that wanted to come through.
Mia lowered the camera and half turned away. She waved her free hand. “Oh, Ryan. Um, you have a wardrobe malfunction. I’ll have Trent fix you up.”
Ryan glanced down to where she was waving her hand to see that the head of his cock had peeked out the top of his boxers by his hip. Heat moved up over Ryan’s cheeks. It was one thing to have a hardon, it was another to flash it to the world. Mia signed to Trent, asking him to fix Ryan’s boxers. She then walked off the set, pretending to check shots on her laptop. Ryan just prayed he didn’t shoot his spunk when Trent touched him. Ryan took a deep breath, trying to get control of his wild emotions.
“I’d love to hit that hard,” Cole signed. “Want me to adjust him?”
Trent grinned, but there wasn’t any amusement in his eyes. “I’ll hit you, if you touch him.”
“Possessive much? I noticed you’re not using your voice in front of him either. Didn’t we talk about this? Use your fucking voice.”
“I noticed you’re using yours a little too much.” Trent’s gaze turned serious as he looked at Cole. “Possessive? With him, I am. He’s mine. I’ll fix his cock. Tell him.”
What the hell? Did Ryan read that right? Trent just marked his territory with Cole. The comment sent a seductive chill through Ryan’s body, making the chains rattle.
“Trent needs to adjust your cock for the next set of shots. You’ve punched out the top,” Cole said. “You okay with that?”
Ryan met Trent’s blue eyes and nodded once. “Have at it.”
Cole chuckled as he turned away. “Nice. I think we’d all like to have at it with someone like you.”
Trent came in close, moving his hand over Ryan’s hard prick through the cotton. Ryan sucked in a harsh breath through his teeth as Trent gripped him by the shaft and pushed him down below his waistband. Ryan stared over Trent’s shoulder as Trent’s gaze was trained south, pretending that it was just another day at the office. God, Trent smelled good. A frustrated groan came from Trent, causing Ryan to look down to see what he knew was going on. His cock wouldn’t obey Trent’s tugs to stay down.
“Fuck me,” Trent mumbled.
“Use some tape to keep him in,” Mia called, holding it up.
Cole appeared with a roll of tape, explaining to Trent what Mia said. Cole grinned and said, “Sorry, big guy. Just the briefs, not your cock. Unless you can start thinking about baseball.”
Ryan rolled his eyes as Cole passed the tape over to Trent. “Do it.”
Trent ripped off a piece of double sided and worked it into the inside part of his band, pressing it to his skin. Ryan gritted his teeth as he felt the back of Trent’s fingers brush accidentally over his searing cockhead. Trent looked over his work before stepping back to allow Mia to start shooting again.
Right now, Ryan didn’t feel good. Pain vibrated around his balls. Trent was keeping him balanced on an erotic edge with every flick of his eyes. With each click of the shutter, Ryan wanted Trent more. Mia lowered the camera, ending the photo shoot.
“Great job, Ryan. I got some really good shots,” Mia said.
“Thanks.”
Trent unlocked Ryan from the restraints. Ryan rolled out his shoulders as he walked off the set.
God, he couldn’t believe he was still doing these photo shoots for charity. If all went well, after this weekend he’d be certified as a SWAT doc, too. He was almost back to the dressing room when a hand came around his arm.
Trent.
Ryan’s heart raced as Trent looked down at him. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. Cole was nowhere around.
“Good job today,” Trent said.
“Thanks,” Ryan said. “See you next year.”
Trent frowned.
A year. They wouldn’t be seeing each other for a whole year. Ryan suspected that Trent was gay, but he had been hesitant to ask him out. He’d been wrong before and had gotten burned by asking before knowing. Ryan felt his mouth opening before he realized what was happening.
“I was wondering,” Ryan began.
Trent’s eyes narrowed and focused on his lips. For the briefest second, Ryan had almost forgotten that Trent was deaf when he looked at him that way. All he saw was Trent, and everything else faded away. He knew sign. He could chat with him in sign, but he was afraid to admit after this photo shoot that he knew ASL. Trent took his cell phone from his pocket. He typed in something and held it up.
Give me your number. I’ll text you later, okay?
Ryan took Trent’s phone and added his number. He handed Trent back his phone. Trent nodded as he turned away. Ryan headed to the dressing room. Would he text later? Forget about if and when he’d text later. The real question was would he have reception at the training camp to get the call?
Chapter Four
Morning sunshine reflected off of Ryan’s sunglasses. Ryan slung his duffle bag over his shoulder as he shut the trunk of his car. Camp Tack was out in the middle of nowhere in Southern Ohio. On the way in, Ryan passed an Amish farm and an old sign that pointed toward Serpent Mound. Woods surrounded the gravel road. Off in the distance an obstacle course started on the edge of the forest with a series of complex ropes and ladders. The obstacle course disappeared into the thick green leaves of old-growth trees.
Four guys were hanging outside a welcome center. They had the same hard edge that came from years of military experience. A table was set up on the porch for check-in. SWAT recruiter, TJ Raines, was manning the table. Parker’s TJ. Only a short few weeks ago, Ryan had helped TJ move into Parker’s house.
“You found us,” TJ said.
Ryan shook TJ’s outstretched hand. “I’m glad to be here.” “Let’s get you signed in, and then we’ll head out to the bunks
you’ll be staying in.”
“Sounds good.”
The sound of gravel spinning out had Ryan looking over his
shoulder. A golf cart pulled up, and two of the recruits grabbed their bags and hopped on. Ryan signed in and grabbed his bag. “You can wait for a cart to come back around or hike it out to the cabin,” TJ said.
“I’ll head toward the cabin.”
“You’re in number nine.”
He skipped the wait and hiked it toward the disappearing golf carts. A few minutes into his hike, a German shepherd came to a excited stop next to him along the road. A K-9 vest with a gold SWAT emblem was on the black fabric. The dog licked excitedly at Ryan’s hand. A high-pitched whistle had the dog sitting down on its rump and sticking its ears up, at the ready for the next command.
Ryan did a double-take at the man jogging up alongside the dog.
Trent.
Ryan’s mouth dropped open, and his heart started to race. Black tactical pants and a navy T-shirt stretched over his muscled chest. There was a silver badge clipped to his belt buckle and a gun on his hip. Ryan swallowed hard.
Cops turned him the fuck on. It probably had to do with the handcuffs and the natural-born, power-induced trips some cops liked to take. Trent was a really hot cop. What the hell was he doing here? Would he be here the entire week?
Trent whistled through his teeth and indicated for the dog to scoot to his side. The dog obeyed his command. Trent gave him a rub behind the ears.
“What’s his name?” Ryan asked.
Trent’s eyes fell to Ryan’s lips. He took his cell phone from his pocket and typed. He held the phone up to Ryan. Shadow. He’s been with me through K-9. I train SWAT docs and civilian liaisons full-time now.
Now. Life had changed for him. It probably crushed him. Ryan was sure that the “now” part had everything to do with the injury that left Trent deaf. Was he sidelined in the field now? Trent offered to take the overnight bag off Ryan’s hands. When Ryan hesitated, Trent lifted a brow, and the corners of his lips lifted in an amused grin. Ryan slipped his bag from his shoulder and handed it off to Trent. There were so many questions Ryan had that he didn’t know where to begin or how to start.
Before Ryan could get the nerve to ask, Trent was walking toward a row of cabins. Trent released Shadow, and he took off running in the field after something he caught scent of. Trent pointed to a cabin and led the way. Beaver Skull Cabin number nine was their stop. Trent opened the door and waited for Ryan to go inside. Shadow blew past both of them, sniffing around inside before he circled back outside.
Dust particles floated through beams of sunshine. Empty bunk beds lined the small cabin, but they were pushed off to the side. Water had leaked in from the roof, and caution tape was up. Another room sat off to the right with two bunk beds. The bunk on top was already taken. Trent pointed to the private room.
Ryan knew he needed to clear the air on his knowledge of ASL. He dropped his bag and sleeping bag onto his bunk. Trent was waiting in the hall. Over the last five years, they’d gotten to know each other through the charity photo shoot. This should’ve been easy, but it wasn’t. Ryan felt as though he’d lied to Trent by not telling him about knowing ASL. Concealing the truth was a dirty bit he shouldn’t have participated in. Now it was going to screw up their relationship.
Trent’s arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall, waiting and watching.
“Hey, I need to tell you something,” Ryan said.
Trent’s brows lifted as he read Ryan’s lips. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and typed. He held up the phone for Ryan to read. No worries about the charity calendar. No one knows that I help Mia take photos for it. It’s cool.
“It’s not that,” Ryan said.
Trent’s gaze went to Ryan’s lips and lingered. He typed. Can it wait until later? You’re late for urban combat training.
Ryan felt his gut twist. Why was this so difficult? He nodded. “Sure.”
They left the cabin with Shadow leading the way. Ryan wondered why Trent wasn’t talking when he knew he could. He suspected that it all had to do with Trent’s inability to hear. Trent indicated the way with a nod of his head toward a huge barn-shaped building. They crossed the courtyard in silence.
Inside, there was a state-of-the-art training facility. The class was just starting to get underway with a dozen officers on the mats. TJ was in the front of the room. They bypassed the mats for the locker room. Trent pointed to a locker with his last name on it. He mouthed the word change. Trent left the locker room. Ryan changed into the police-issued tactical pants and T-shirt.
Trent was waiting for him on the mat
s, and the interpreter that traveled with him was there, too. Cole nodded.
“How long have you been with SWAT?” Ryan asked Trent.
Cole signed what Ryan said to Trent.
Trent lifted his hands and signed, “I’ve been part of the K-9 division of SWAT for six years. I’ve been a certified instructor for the last four years. I’ve just moved over to training permanently a month ago.”
Cole glowered at Trent. He poked his two index fingers into his neck, asking Trent where his voice went. Trent called him an asshole in sign. Cole translated for Ryan.
“Nice,” Ryan said.
“This is combat tactics that are used in SWAT. Your job is to stay back, watch, and listen. Never get in the way of a SWAT situation. You’re there for medical purposes only. Your job is to stay at the truck unless needed. Always.”
Cole repeated half of it.
“Got it,” Ryan said.
Cole lifted his brows and half turned so Trent couldn’t see his lips. “Sonofabitch, you know sign? How long?”
Their eyes locked. Ryan couldn’t believe his mistake. “My cousin is deaf. That’s how I know.”
“Trent doesn’t know, does he?” Cole asked.
“No.”
Cole’s gaze turned hard. “You need to tell him, or I will. It’s bad etiquette to eavesdrop.”
“I will. Just give me a chance. I didn’t think it’d be an issue.”
“No, I’m sure you didn’t.”
Trent whistled to indicate that the team was heading outside. “Watch. Learn.”
Cole glowered. “What did he say?”
“Watch and learn,” Ryan repeated.
Cole ran a hand through his hair. “I guess you didn’t really need me this weekend.”
Outside there was a windowless building used for training. The SWAT training team suited up. Trent headed to another spot where another set of vests were.
“These are your police issued. Put these on. Bulletproof vest.”
“Yep,” Cole said.
“Stop being a fucker about this,” Ryan said.
“I wouldn’t have to be if you weren’t being a fuckee.”
Training-Ryan Page 2
