The Strength of His Heart

by Victoria Sue

  “No,” Sam agreed breathlessly, and the hand that was playing with the chest hair dropped to Vance’s groin and palmed him.

  Vance jerked helplessly. “Sam, you can’t just—”

  “Tease?” Sam licked his lips, and everything in Vance seemed drawn to them. “No, I can’t,” Sam agreed and then pressed his lips to Vance’s.

  Dead. He was dead. He had to be. Nothing in Vance’s world was this perfect. Sam pressed in harder, molding his body to Vance’s, and then with a small push, Vance obediently fell back. “That looks painful,” Sam said, eyeing the impressive bulge in Vance’s pants.

  “I would never,” he said hurriedly and brought his hands to cover himself.

  “I didn’t mean for me,” Sam said. “I meant it looks uncomfortable for you. Why don’t you take them off?”

  Why don’t I take them off? Vance scrambled to work a zipper that he seemed to have suddenly forgotten how to operate. He still had his thumbs, right?

  But he needn’t have worried because Sam’s slim fingers were there and doing the job much better than him. Vance saw Sam’s eyes crinkle in humor again, and he flushed. Embarrassed.

  “I think I’m going to need a lot of prep,” Sam mused as if to himself, and Vance did a full-body shudder. Did he? Did that mean…?

  “I don’t have to,” Vance offered even though the thought of sliding into Sam’s tight channel was his idea of heaven.

  “Oh, I think you do.” Sam’s eyes gleamed. “Not that I’m averse to switching sometimes, but damn… that is so hot.”

  Vance tried to swallow. He could feel his dick start to throb, and suddenly another worry took the place of all the others. “I’m….” He licked his dry lips again with nonexistent spit.

  “I think you need the edge taken off so we can take our time,” Sam murmured. He met Vance’s eyes. “I read somewhere, enhanced are….”

  “Clean?” Vance supplied, instantly understanding. “And it’s a myth as far as I know.”

  “I hate that word,” Sam murmured. “Sex is never dirty, but I have condoms in there.” Sam gestured to the bathroom.

  Vance grew braver. “Clean is good. I am, but shower sex would….”

  “Your eyes darkened then,” Sam pointed out. “My shower is crap, but what I’d really like is a huge bath and all day to get really clean.”

  Vance definitely wasn’t capable of a reply to that, and when Sam bent down and pulled off the tight briefs that Vance liked, he was way past words.

  Chapter Ten

  IT WAS like Sam’s brain was loudly listing all the reasons this was a bad idea but talking to someone else. Fact was, Vance was everything Sam liked—honest, kind, loyal—just on a bigger scale than he was usually comfortable with.

  Vance groaned as the cool air blew on his skin, and Sam, who had never been fond of giving blow jobs, suddenly wanted nothing more. Maybe that was the difference? It was something he wanted to do, not something he had to, and even though it had been years, the reluctance had never truly left him. Sam crawled back up the bed, running his hands firmly over each of Vance’s legs, feeling the power of the muscles as they strained under his palms. This should be frightening the fuck out of him. He should be running, but it wasn’t just Vance who needed the edge taken off.

  Vance had been right. He was big, but nothing that wasn’t in proportion, and Sam nuzzled gently in the thick hair that seemed to cover a lot of Vance but was so much softer to his touch than he had expected. He inhaled slowly. Sweat, the spice of the shower gel, and something essentially Vance. Earthy, male. Vance stilled as Sam’s lips brushed the side of his shaft, teasing, mouthing gently with his lips. Taking his time even though his own cock was pulsing under him. He licked slowly until he got to the top, and as his tongue snaked out to lap the tempting bead of precum, he felt the shudder under him and hummed soothingly. He wrapped his fingers around the base of Vance’s cock and widened his lips. Vance jerked, and with his other hand Sam closed around the fist Vance was gripping the sheet with. He understood; Vance was holding himself back when the temptation to thrust into the warm, wet confines of Sam’s throat was almost unbearable.

  It was exactly what he would have done, and on the edge as Vance obviously was, Sam didn’t know how he was keeping himself in check. Vance’s moans grew louder. Sweat beaded on his skin, but Sam expertly sucked and laved, sliding his lips over the crown and licking the hard vein running underneath. He hummed around the taste, reveled in the gentle scrape of his teeth that rewarded him with a hiss from Vance and precum on his tongue. Vance moved his hand and cupped the back of Sam’s head.

  He stilled for a second as his heartbeat seemed to pound in his ears, but then he took a breath when Vance’s fingers did nothing more than trail through his hair. He had been held there, imprisoned by hands smaller than Vance’s, but never just supported. Like Vance just wanted to caress his skin. To touch. To connect even more than skin against skin.

  “Sam. I—” Vance took a breath, and Sam could feel him gather up as if he knew he was going to have to pull away, but Sam simply moaned his determination and tightened his fingers, swallowing precum, his brain dizzy with desire and his body obeying something so vital, so precious.

  Vance cried out a warning, but the pulse from beneath his lips told him so much more, and his tongue and his mouth were flooded. He swallowed over and over until he felt the pulsing stop.

  Vance didn’t give him the chance to pause, because his big hands lifted Sam and dragged him up Vance’s body. Vance’s tongue took care of anything he hadn’t properly swallowed, and the thought that Vance could taste himself, and the drag of his cock up Vance’s body, brought his own release perilously close.

  “Sam.” Vance broke off, his voice full of satisfaction, but before Sam even thought of the words he needed, Vance’s big hand wrapped around Sam’s cock. He had never been so on edge so fast. His lovers always had to work, but two furious pumps by Vance, slickened with his own precum, coupled with the knowledge that Vance had him trapped, sent Sam off the precipice faster than if he jumped. Sam never let go. It was too dangerous. Giving up any control, even in the timing of his release, was unheard of.

  This time Sam never knew he had been pushed until Vance’s lips smothered him again and swallowed every one of his cries as he fell.

  THEY SLEPT heavily, an exhausted sprawl of arms and legs. Sam knew as much as he would allow, Vance would take, but even the promise of taking it further hadn’t kept either of them awake. Weeks of spending nights meeting contacts, often after the clubs closed, had finally caught up with him, and the last few days of even more worry had officially wiped him out. The ringing of Sam’s cell phone finally woke them, only to hear Vance’s phone echo a few seconds later.

  It was Gregory. He needed the team in to update them on recent developments. Sam worked out from Vance’s responses to Talon that Finn was flying back and landing at eleven, but Daniel landed at a similar time, so they would ride in to the field office together. Vance reached for Sam as soon as he had finished talking, but Sam shot out of bed, using the mumbled excuse of getting coffee. His tiny kitchen suddenly seemed cavernous without Vance’s body in there.

  What am I doing?

  Sam concentrated far too carefully on measuring coffee grounds. Trying to focus on that so he wouldn’t obsess about Vance or what had happened last night.

  “Sam.” Vance stepped closer, but Sam took a step to the side to grab coffee mugs. “What is it?”

  Sam turned around. “We work together, Vance.”

  “So do Talon and Finn and Gael and Jake.”

  “Yeah,” Sam acknowledged. “But they’re together together, not just fucking.”

  Vance hissed in a breath and clamped his lips closed. Sam wanted to shout it was a lie, but the words seemed to tumble out of his mouth like they belonged to someone else.

  “Like I said, I really enjoyed what we did last night, but going forward it’s not a good move.”

  “Not a good move,” V
ance parroted.

  Sam didn’t dare look to see the confusion… the hurt he was responsible for and that was so apparent in every word Vance spoke. He nodded and walked to the bedroom. “You’re a forever kind of guy, Vance, and I’m….” He seemed to think about it. “Well, I’m just not.” And then he walked into the bathroom without another word. Two seconds later he was in the shower.

  Sam leaned on the cool tiles and stood resting his head against his arm.

  Puto, show me your ass.

  Do as you’re told.

  Beg.

  When would it stop? When would the voices leave him alone? When would he forget the rough hands and how much they hurt? How much they shamed?

  Sam swallowed down the churning in his gut, the bile of failure, the suffocation of control, of being helpless. Worthless….

  He lifted his head and quickly moved to shower. He didn’t know what to say to Vance, but he knew he had to say something. A big, fat apology for treating him like shit for starters. Whatever Sam was still dragging around from Ciudad Neza shouldn’t be dumped at Vance’s door.

  Sam turned the shower off and dried himself quickly. He ought to check Vance’s back. Maybe they could call for breakfast? He opened the door and knew instantly from the silence in the apartment how empty it was.

  Vance had gone, and Sam didn’t blame him one bit.

  “WE GOT an urgent message around five this morning about a missing person.”

  Vance deliberately didn’t meet Sam’s gaze when Gael plonked a full mug of coffee in front of him as they all listened to Gregory. They were all here except Finn, and he would see them at Jacob’s tonight. He’d sent Talon a report. Sam had run in just before the meeting started. Vance had sent him a text, casually saying he and Talon were stopping at Betty’s to pick up breakfast for everyone, and he would see him at the office. Sam had simply texted back an okay. He’d caught Sam looking at him, but sitting as Vance was between Talon and Gael, Sam couldn’t either sit next to him or pointedly sit away from him. Talon hadn’t asked, but he knew something was making Vance quiet. He also wasn’t stupid and knew there was no way Vance would have normally turned down any opportunity to ride in with Sam.

  “From a Jeremy Hollis.” Gregory’s lips twisted in a smile, and Vance dragged his attention away from Sam. “The exact message was he was looking for Agent Mayer or Mackenzie, but failing that, any superman will do.”

  Adam brightened. “The only Jeremy I know who calls Finn Superman is a nurse at Tampa General.”

  Talon nodded and looked up at a knock on the door. “Apparently his future brother-in-law is enhanced and missing.”

  Jeremy hadn’t messed about. He’d come to find Finn or Adam as soon as they decided Gus was definitely missing. Sitting in a room full of enhanced didn’t faze him either.

  “Gus is the sweetest guy in the entire world,” Jeremy stressed. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly, and he’s happy. Genuinely happy. Crap….” He brushed his hand over his face. “We’re supposed to be fitted for our tuxes this afternoon.”

  He smiled at Adam. “Aggie and I are getting married in January, and Gus and Linus are groomsmen.”

  “Tell us about him,” Talon urged.

  Jeremy pulled himself together. “Gus, Linus, and Aggie are the children of Marcus Owens. Mom, Cathy, died a good ten years ago. But the rest of them are real tight. Marcus has his own construction business. High-end houses, and both boys work for him. And they’re happy.” It was obvious Jeremy thought wherever Gus was, he hadn’t left voluntarily.

  “He went yesterday morning to supervise a delivery of timber at their new development in St. Petersburg—Tuscany Towers. Linus had a meeting with a realtor about a land purchase, and their dad had a dentist appointment.” Jeremy half smiled. “Aggie insisted he got new caps for the pictures. Anyway, the first we knew something was wrong was when we got a call from the delivery driver saying he’d been waiting over an hour for someone to sign for the timber. No sign of Gus. His cell is turned off, and we haven’t had any sightings or messages. When he didn’t come home last night, Marcus called the cops, and the sergeant he spoke to was an ass.”

  “Really?” Talon asked. “I’m sorry, the cops are being pretty responsive to us now. Did you catch the name?”

  “Oh yes.” Jeremy nodded. “The ass who told me Gus was a big boy and could look after himself was Sergeant Carmichael.”

  Jake groaned, and everyone shared looks of disgust around the table. Jeremy passed around the photo he had brought.

  “ENu,” Sawyer muttered to Sam, who nodded quickly.

  “What about friends, other family?” Gael asked.

  Jeremy shook his head. “No. His brother is his best friend, even though Gus would make ten of him.”

  At least five people in the room sat up a little straighter.

  “What’s his ability, Jeremy?” Gael asked.

  Jeremy shrugged. “Nothing startling. Nothing that would get him into trouble.”

  “But?” Sam prodded.

  “He’s strong, amazingly so.” Jeremy smiled at Vance. “But he’s the absolute definition of a gentle giant, like I’ve never seen him get annoyed, upset, or anything. He does the work of about five guys despite Linus and his dad telling him to slow down.”

  Jake stood up and walked over to Jeremy. “How about we go grab a coffee and see what reports the cops have actually made, huh? We need the paperwork to make sure all the patrols have his info.” He shot Talon a knowing look. Talon nodded and then waited until the door had closed behind them.

  He looked at Vance. “This is way too much of a coincidence.”

  “How many other documented enhanced have strength as an ability?” Sam asked.

  “I’ve got Cindy double-checking, but I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head,” Talon replied.

  “You mean apart from Vance?” Sawyer said quietly.

  “And you,” Gael pointed out.

  Talon shrugged. “I’m not as strong as Vance. Some of my abilities are more of a direct copy from the host, some are diluted.”

  “Host?” Sawyer snorted. “You are beginning to sound entirely too much like Finn.”

  “You have more than one ability?” Sam asked.

  “Yes,” Talon replied. “You can look it up or just talk to Finn, but basically my DNA is taking on the attributes of the other enhanced I spend time with the most. Namely the team.” He glanced at Vance, opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again.

  “What is it, Talon?” Vance leaned forward.

  “You do realize this makes you a confirmed target?” Sam blurted out, seeming incredulous.

  Vance met Sam’s gaze for the first time since they had been in the kitchen. “Of course I know.” He looked back at Talon. “And?”

  Talon sighed, and everyone else fell silent. There was something else Talon hadn’t said, and Vance knew it and was waiting for it.

  “Buchanan has made progress with some contacts, including an ex-employee of the Tye Group. He was fired for taking too much sick leave, so even though he may have an axe to grind, his information seems reliable.” Talon glanced at everyone. “According to this man, the warden is on the take. He was responsible for both enhanced going missing. He also has at least four guards—possibly all of them are dirty as well.”

  “So shut it down,” Gael said.

  “We have no proof. A fired ex-employee with no physical evidence would get laughed out of court. We need proof.”

  “And how on earth are you gonna get that?”

  “By putting me in,” Adam said eagerly. “Even if they know where I’ve been, it isn’t such a stretch that I would screw things up.”

  Talon smiled at him, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  “He can’t do that,” Vance said almost kindly.

  “Why?” Adam said. “Haven’t I proved—”

  Talon’s raised hand cut him off. “It isn’t that at all.”

  And Vance understood, and by the i
ndrawn breaths of Gael and Sawyer, they did too.

  “You don’t have the right ability,” Vance explained. “They need someone strong.”

  “No way.” Gael got to his feet angrily.

  “Of course.” Vance nodded, ignoring Gael. “When do I go in?”

  “It’s taking some work to get background, et cetera. Apparently the biggest plus is that you’ve been in Baton Rouge. Their backstory is that you got caught dealing while working with the DEA. And they want you in tomorrow.”

  Everyone was suddenly silent. Vance sat back.

  “Does he have any backup in there?”

  Vance looked at Sam as if the question surprised him.

  Talon shook his head. “It’s too late. The guards have all worked there for some time. We have no chance of a replacement. You may have heard of the warden… well, his older brother certainly.”

  Vance raised an eyebrow, and Talon continued. “Raymond Cryer. Judge Benedict’s younger brother.”

  “Shit,” Gael exclaimed and slumped back down in his chair.

  “Who’s Benedict Cryer?” Sam asked.

  Vance turned. “Anti-enhanced. Very bigoted. He’s not a judge anymore since he got into politics. My dad thinks he’s likely to run for governor next time.”

  “He’s not hanging around, is he?” Gael asked rhetorically.

  “No,” Talon agreed and looked at Vance. “You sure, buddy?”

  As if he would refuse. “I’m sure.”

  Talon glanced down at his phone. “Daniel’s here.”

  Vance nodded and stood up.

  “Vance?”

  Vance turned to look at Sam, and everyone seemed to take that as their cue to leave. “See me before you go, and I will explain details,” Talon instructed and left the room behind everyone else.

  Vance waited for Sam. He didn’t know what to say. Sam had made it perfectly clear how he felt, or how he didn’t feel.

  “I’m sorry.”