Training Hunter [Hard Hits 13] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Tatum Throne

  Hard Hits 13

  Training Hunter

  When Officer Hunter Wolfson is ordered by Chief Rask for SWAT training, he balks at the command. A geek at heart, he prefers to do his job in tech support behind the scenes.

  Lt. Phoenix Drake has one job to do—to get Hunter ready for the field. After the first session, he realizes that Hunter will do everything in his power to fail his SWAT training. Determined to find out what’s going on, he crosses the line with Hunter. Will Hunter become his submissive or will he have to use every trick in the book to seduce him?

  Hunter knows that Phoenix will bolt once he finds out about his past. He just can’t take the pain of another broken heart. As he pushes Phoenix away, he quickly discovers that he’s making the biggest mistake of his life. Will his Dom forgive him and take him back before it’s too late?

  Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), BDSM, Contemporary

  Length: 30,705 words

  TRAINING HUNTER

  Hard Hits 13

  Tatum Throne

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

  TRAINING HUNTER

  Copyright © 2016 by Tatum Throne

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-144-6

  First E-book Publication: March 2016

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Training Hunter by Tatum Throne from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Tatum Throne’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Tatum Throne’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  For the Throne boys. Always.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedcation

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  About the Author

  TRAINING HUNTER

  Hard Hits 13

  TATUM THRONE

  Copyright © 2016

  Prologue

  Officer Hunter Wolfson wanted to die. He was sick but couldn’t move from the couch. A loud pounding sound came from far away but he couldn’t lift his body to give a fuck and find out what was sideways.

  Something was very wrong.

  “Clear!”

  There. Again. That loud pounding in his head as though someone was trying to sledgehammer the way out of his temples or into his apartment. But he wasn’t in his apartment. Was he?

  “We’re losing him! Hit him again!”

  “Clear!”

  Hunter stared at a spot on the ceiling, sick and tired of trying to ignore the knocking. He tried to roll over but it felt as though a million-pound weight was on his chest. Everything felt off all of a sudden. If he just closed his eyes, he knew everything was going to be okay.

  “Clear!”

  Ka-thunk. There it was again. The yank and pull on his chest as though someone were trying to wake him up. Damn them. He was so tried and just ready to be done.

  “We’re losing him!”

  “Oh, my God…do something! I can’t lose him. Not like this. Bring him back to me.”

  “Charge. Clear.” Thunk. “Get him out of here!”

  Hunter was floating—softly higher and higher.

  Chapter One

  Six Months Earlier

  Hunter licked his lips and bit the lower one. He was a fucking geek bitch in heat. Standing on the observation tower with Chief Rask at his side, who was looking all sentinel, Hunter lifted his binoculars, training them on the object of his obsession. For the last three years, the gorgeous and beautiful Lt. Phoenix Drake was his obsession. He had captured his heart in passing so many years ago when he had needed an IT favor.

  His heart raced when he saw him put his body to work. He swallowed hard when his mouth began to water at the thought of running his tongue up and down the long length of that man’s cock—any part of that man would do. He would take whatever he could get.

  Camp Tack was busy with their annual SWAT games. LEOs came from all over the country to compete in rounds where only one team would advance. So far, District Four was advancing. They had one more heat this afternoon, and then the party would begin.

  “They’re looking good out there,” Chief Rask said.

  Hunter stifled a moan. “Yes, they are.”

  “Are you coming out to the party tonight?” Rask asked.

  “Maybe. I haven’t decided.”

  “Just because you work in the background, doesn’t mean you’re not one of us.”

  Hunter lowered the binoculars. He hadn’t ever considered himself a member of SWAT before. Not really. He was the guy in the background who everyone forgot about. He was the geeky tech guy who no one noticed—the man who made all their high-tech gadgets work. The guy who no one paid attention to—ever. “I don’t know.”

  “You are. Never forget that.”

  Chief Rask had an honest way about him that made every
one feel like they belonged. There were too many times where Hunter didn’t feel like he fitted anywhere. He really didn’t have any close friends. Fear kept him from reaching out to anyone. He was tired of being hurt when they found out he was gay. He didn’t need anyone. He had a good life. He was just quiet and preferred to stay at home reading a book rather than go out and party all night.

  That thought had him remembering his eviction notice. Yeah, it was an illegal eviction, but he didn’t want to fight it. The landlord found out he was gay and didn’t want anything to do with him. All of his shit was now packed in the back of his Range Rover while the few bigger pieces were in storage. He’d managed to hide the fact he was living out of his car and the police station for weeks now.

  Rask patted his shoulder. “You should come out. The guys would love it.”

  “I’ll think on it.”

  Rask pinned him with a hard stare. “Don’t think too long. You’ll miss out on everything.”

  His life felt as though it was on the cusp of something big, just then. He couldn’t explain the feeling. It was as though his fate was finally going to change for the better for him.

  The chief’s words felt more profound than they should have been. Lately, Hunter felt as though he was missing out on life, on love, and on everything that mattered. Distracted by the offer to go out with them, Hunter set down the binoculars and moved his hand over his laptop to wake it up. Rask leaned his palms onto the top of the rail, making his forearms bunch.

  Rask glanced over his shoulder. “We could use you.”

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  “We could use you in the field for coordinating communications on SWAT.”

  He was serious. “I’m better suited for desk duty.”

  Rask looked him up and down. “You’re still a police officer. You just haven’t had the right field opportunity. I’ll put the order in when we return to the district.”

  “I’m not anything like these guys.”

  “No, you’re right. You’re something that these men will never be.”

  Hunter laughed. “What’s that?”

  “You’ve got mad computer skills and you’re excellent at connecting the dots. I know you’ve been working cold cases for a while.”

  He’d been caught. “They needed the help.”

  “Yes, they did, and because of that you solved two cases. That’s impressive.”

  If Rask read his file, he’d know why he preferred to stay out of the field. “I don’t know.”

  “I know you’re capable. We’ll have you do the three months of shadowing if it will make you feel more comfortable, but we both know you’re current on all your weapons and tactical training.”

  His chief’s confidence in him made him nervous. That had him moving away and looking out at the field. The problem was, he had a secret crush on one of the hottest men in SWAT. Not that the guy noticed him, ever. Hunter was only on scene for tech support for the games. Normally, he sat in his office and waited for shit to fail before anyone paid him any attention.

  “If you read my file, you know why I prefer to stay out of the field,” Hunter said.

  “I have. Your past doesn’t define you.”

  A gut-wrenching pain made him suddenly breathless. Panic welled up inside of him before he could stop it from happening. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He was safe. He was safe. He didn’t like to think about the day he lost everything he ever loved. He’d almost died trying to save his brother from drowning, too, and thought about dying many times over after that day from his abusive father. He was fucking afraid of dying. Who lived like that? Tears misted his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away.

  “I can’t get past it.”

  “Perhaps, one day, you will.”

  Still reeling from his past taking hold, Hunter pulled his gaze away from Rask and focused on Lt. Phoenix Drake. Unknowingly, this man was now his lighthouse in the storm he was standing amidst. Ever so slowly, the past melted away as Hunter grounded himself came back to the present.

  The man was all alpha with thick, muscled thighs that put a hurt on the fabric of his tactical pants. The fact that those thighs rolled into an even better, athletic ass made him perfect in his mind. He went by Phoenix to all his close friends. Hunter wasn’t close to Phoenix. He only called him Lt. Drake when they had the chance to speak, which was only when his equipment was fucking up.

  Phoenix’s jet black hair caught wind, blowing over his forehead. Dark facial hair covered his jaw, just enough to give him a defined, masculine edge. He looked like a goddamn fashion model, and Hunter wanted to curl his body around his and tell him all his fantasies. That thought had his prick flooding with heat.

  The man was a modern day warrior who could have anyone he ever wanted. Hunter didn’t stand a chance. The dude probably wasn’t even gay. Sadness filled Hunter’s heart when he realized that nothing would ever happen between them. It wasn’t easy being gay in Cincinnati. He wasn’t out and didn’t plan on coming out anytime soon.

  “Have you ever told anyone about what happened?” Rask asked.

  “It’s not a really good conversation starter.”

  “No, but you’re eventually going to need to trust someone with what happened.”

  “Maybe.”

  Not many wanted to know the truth of how he’d almost died at the hands of his father’s abuse—all his boyfriends bolted when they found out. His mother hadn’t been so lucky. His father was rotting in a jail cell. Next chance at parole was set for six months from now.

  “It’ll be okay. I didn’t mean to push.”

  “I’m solid. Really.”

  “I know you are. You’re staying overnight for the night OP, right?”

  Hunter started to inwardly panic when he thought about staying overnight with his crush for the first time ever. His dick wasn’t safe to be around right now. It could not be trusted. “I’m planning on it.”

  Rask went to the edge of the tower again. He stared down at his men like a general preparing to go into battle. He had complete control. The moves he made with his officers were always right. As Hunter turned his gaze to Phoenix, he suddenly felt as though his entire life was about to change and there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening. The urge to run took hold of him, making his heart pound wildly. He was fucked—so utterly fucked that he wanted to hide forever.

  * * * *

  Lt. Phoenix Drake was a hot, sweaty mess and needed a shower. He lifted his water bottle, squirting water over his face. The cool reprieve was not enough. The scorching summer training days were brutal. He wanted that shower, but it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  Warmth from the sunshine rained down upon his face. He put everything into training for game day. Lives would be on the line. Phoenix downed his water and popped the lid back on tight. He looked out over the courtyard at Camp Tack. The games were finally over. They would have one more night operation tomorrow, but that was it. As he looked around, he caught sight of Hunter packing up his equipment for the day. Hunter made sure every training ran smoothly. At his side was Chief Rask, who whistled him over with two fingers and the universal sign for get your ass over here.

  Phoenix dropped his water bottle to the ground where his bag was and jogged over to the tower. Instead of going up the stairs in the middle, he climbed the outside toward the top. It was a good fifty feet. The free climb felt good on his tired muscles. The wood was hot and smooth beneath his palms. It’d been awhile since he had a good, challenging climb that made his muscles go to work.

  Rask leaned over the side. “You know we have stairs.”

  “Stairs are for the lazy.”

  Phoenix leaned back on his arms, resting and taking the opportunity to look up at his destination. His eyes locked with Hunter’s, which were suddenly were filled with something dark and dangerous Phoenix hadn’t seen in a man’s eyes in a really long time. Want. Caught momentarily off guard by the intrigue in his eyes, Phoenix was glad his eyes
were shaded by his ball cap. He did not want Hunter to see the mixture of surprise and desire within his own eyes.

  Rask glowered. “You falling is a workmen’s comp claim and time off work that I don’t want to have to pay your stupid ass for.”

  “I won’t fall,” Phoenix said.

  “Famous last words,” Rask said.

  “Would you prefer if I climbed down and took the stairs?”

  “Get your sarcastic ass up here.”

  No choice but to go up, Phoenix continued his free climb toward Hunter, who had to move backward when he got to the top. Their eyes locked. The vein in Hunter’s neck was thrumming. For the first time in his life, regret wormed its way into his heart. He did not get involved with any men he worked with—ever. They wouldn’t be fucking anytime soon.

  Phoenix wasn’t even breathing hard when he swung his leg over the rail when he got to the top. He dropped down to his feet with an impressive jumping move that made Hunter’s eyes widen. Phoenix winked at the guy as he settled in against the rail. He couldn’t resist the urge to flirt with the man, even if they weren’t going to be having sex anytime soon.

  “You should be careful,” Rask said.

  “I always am.”

  As a Dom, he didn’t act recklessly, but in his professional life he loved to take risks. Taking a risk with a potential lover wasn’t his MO, but there was something seductive about the way Hunter was looking at him that he couldn’t deny. There was so much sexual energy vibrating just beneath the surface of Hunter’s muscular frame that he knew he needed to break the tension before it broke the man.