The corner of Snow’s mouth turned up and he shook his head. “So, for now, you and me?”
“No.” Jude shook his head. “Not for now. For always.”
“You kill me,” Snow whispered, then grabbed him and pulled him in for a scorching kiss that had Jude’s toes curling in his hiking boots. When Snow growled and stepped back against the tree behind him, then spread his legs and pulled Jude’s body between them, Jude couldn’t stop his moan. He brought his hands up and cupped the sides of Snow’s head. The kiss went on and on until they had to rip apart to just breathe. He rested his forehead on Snow’s shoulder and chuckled.
“I know,” Snow said, voice shaking with his own laughter. “We desperately need showers.”
“I was laughing because you had some crazy idea building about leaving me because of nonexistent children who may never be. But I take it I stink.”
“Pretty much.” Snow snorted. “Not that I’m any better. Whose idea was it to camp in tents again?”
Jude pulled back to look at him with one brow raised. “Until the little boy came up missing, you were having a blast. I still can’t believe you dove off that damn rock. I thought doctors had to be smart to get through all those years of school.”
“I’m smart enough to love your ass.”
“True.” Jude nodded. “And if it didn’t feel like my balls were stuck to it, I’d take us farther into the woods for some fun.”
“Gross fucker,” Snow muttered, pulling him close for another kiss. “I’m going to think about this having kids thing, okay? You’ve changed everything I expected to have already, so who knows? But it won’t be anytime soon. I’m enjoying us.”
“So am I.”
They walked hand in hand back to camp to find everyone settled in around the campfire pit with plates balanced on their laps. Thankfully, nobody had started a fire tonight. The sun was already setting, so Jude started getting the lanterns ready. He had no intention of crawling this smelly into that tent tonight, so he planned to talk to Andrei about where he and Snow could go for a quick shower. A jug of water and a bar of soap just wasn’t gonna fly. Surely one of the campgrounds had a pay-for-shower option. He’d brought a lot of coins just in case.
“I’m tired of watching you guys come out of the woods with swollen lips and smiles.” Ian grouchily picked up his brat-filled bun and pointed it at them. “Stop making me jealous and grab some food. I put the sides back in the cooler—pick which ones you want. I gave up on the menu.”
“That was quick.” Rowe shoveled a spoonful of something into his mouth.
“I learn fast. Besides, you’re the one who got a helping of everything first.” Ian then pointed his bun at Lucas and an onion fell off to splat on his shoe. He grimaced and used a napkin to wipe it off. “Then he followed suit, then Andrei. There’s no purpose in trying to keep to the plan now.”
Lucas halted the fork he’d been bringing to his mouth. “You don’t really mind, do you?”
Jude understood why he asked. Ian never minded when people loved his food. Never. He and Snow both stopped to stare at Ian.
“No, not really.” His lip quirked. “Sorry. I’m pretty sure camping isn’t my thing because I have never wanted a shower more.”
“I’m with him,” Snow said as he piled food on a plate. “And Jude smells like shit—so he could use one, too.”
Jude just snorted and rubbed up against his back. Snow winked over his shoulder and handed him the spoon for the potato salad. When Jude picked a spot to sit, he made sure he was downwind of everyone. Snow figured out what he was doing, smirked, and purposely sat on his other side.
“I’m just messing with you,” he murmured.
“I know.” Jude bit into the brat and flavorful, hot juice spilled into his mouth. He slowly chewed, noting that the brat buns were nothing like the regular hot dog ones he’d grown up eating with brats and metts. These were chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Delicious. This meal was eons better than their burnt bacon breakfast.
All the men were quiet tonight. Each slowly raised food to his mouth and the only sounds other than the crickets and birds were grunts or words of pleasure over the meal. Jude was pretty sure it was the best meal he’d ever had because every bite took away more of the gnawing emptiness that had been his stomach after that long hike. But once he’d cleared his plate, exhaustion set in and he no longer cared about finding a shower.
All he wanted to do was stretch out and sleep—but when Andrei suggested driving them to a campground with showers, he managed to stay awake long enough to clean up.
When he finally climbed into the tent with Snow that night, all he could do was pull him close, nuzzle into damp hair at his nape and let sleep take over. Right before he nodded off, something crashed somewhere in the camp.
“Oh my God, is it a bear?” Ian yelled.
More Great Books
Are you caught up on all the books of the Unbreakable Bonds series?
Shiver — Book 1 of Unbreakable Bonds
Lucas Vallois is always in control. He’s building an empire in the glittering city of Cincinnati and created his own family from his three close friends. The self-made millionaire has everything he wants within his tight grasp. But his world starts to crumble after he’s jumped by a trio of thugs late one night after leaving a club. The warning is clear—give up his new property venture or end up dead.
Caving to the demands of his friends, Lucas accepts the help of bodyguard, Andrei Hadeon, as he hunts for the source of this new threat. But as Lucas gets closer to uncovering the danger, he realizes the sexy Romanian bodyguard poses an even bigger risk to his carefully constructed world. Trapped by a need he never expected, Lucas must find a way to deny the shiver of longing he cannot control.
His brother. His warrior. His heart. Four friends. Unbreakable bonds.
Unbreakable Stories: Lucas — Short Story Collection #1.5
Unbreakable Stories: Lucas is a collection of six short stories following the romantic adventures and misadventures of millionaire Lucas Vallois and Romanian bodyguard Andrei Hadeon following the events of Shiver, book 1 of the Unbreakable Bonds series.
This collection is more than 30,000 words long and contain stories such as:
The Meeting
Perfect
Te Iubesc
I Want More
Homecoming
Thanksgiving
Shatter — Book 2 of Unbreakable Bonds
Maverick trauma surgeon Ashton “Snow” Frost keeps the world at a distance, relying only on his three closest friends to keep him connected. But when a ghost from their past returns to Cincinnati, Snow stands to lose everyone he loves. Framed for murder and reeling from attacks on his friends, Snow is pushed to his breaking point.
Jude Torres won’t let the doc shatter. The paramedic has been attracted to the doctor since he first laid eyes on him at the hospital, even if the arrogant, solitary man doesn’t fit into any of his plans. One hot, reckless kiss shows that Snow isn’t who he appears to be. And one night together will never be enough. Jude will fight for the doc.
Fight to keep him whole. Fight to keep him safe. Fight to simply keep him.
Torch — Book 3 of Unbreakable Bonds
Nine months ago, Rowan Ward thought he had it all. Now he's fighting to pull his shredded life together, buried in work and battling the kind of grief that destroys a man's soul. When fires spring up around Cincinnati threatening Rowe's friends and clients, he's thrilled to find his old Army buddy, Noah Keegan in town. They were a hell of a team when they served together, so in-sync, it was rumored they could read each other's minds.
Noah thought devoting his life to the Army would be enough. Then he realized he had no family and only one friend he cared about. When his enlistment was up, he found himself standing on Rowe's doorstep, looking only for friendship but secretly hoping for more. He needs to know if their one unbelievable night together years ago wasn't a mistake.
Caught in a danger
ous game of fire and bullets, neither expects the inferno of emotion that ignites between them. One Rowe isn't prepared to accept.
One that could break Noah.
And coming in spring 2017:
DEVOUR — Book 4 of Unbreakable Bonds
About the Authors
Jocelynn Drake is the author of The New York Times bestselling Dark Days series and the Asylum Tales. When she’s not working on a new novel or arguing with her characters, she can be found shouting at the TV while playing video games, lost in a warm embrace of a good book, or just concocting ways to torment her fellow D&D gamers. (She’s an evil DM.) Jocelynn loves Bruce Wayne, Ezio Auditore, travel, tattoos, explosions, fast cars, and Anthony Bourdain (but only when he’s feeling really cranky). For more information about Jocelynn’s world, check out www.JocelynnDrake.com.
Rinda Elliott is an author who loves unusual stories and credits growing up in a family of curious life-lovers who moved all over the country. Books and movies full of fantasy, science fiction, and romance kept them amused, especially in some of the stranger places. For years, she tried to separate her darker side with her humorous and romantic one. She published short fiction, but things really started happening when she gave in and mixed it up. When not lost in fiction, she loves making wine, collecting music, gaming, and spending time with her husband and two children.
She is the author of the Beri O’Dell urban fantasy series, the YA Sister of Fate Trilogy, and the paranormal romance Brothers Bernaux Trilogy. She also writes erotic fiction as Dani Worth. She can be found at www.RindaElliott.com. She’s represented by Miriam Kriss at the Irene Goodman Agency.
Both Jocelynn and Rinda can be found at www.DrakeandElliott.com. You can also follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drakeandelliott and like their page on Facebook at http://facebook.com/drakeandelliott.
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