by Tatum Throne
“You’re not going home tonight. I want you staying at my place with me.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am. Very serious. I don’t like the idea of you being alone right now.”
“No one is after me.”
“Why do I think you’re lying to me?”
“I don’t know. Because you don’t have anything better to do?”
Kace used plastic and duct tape from the trunk of his unmarked to help him tape up his window as a fine mist of rain started to pick up.
“Follow me back to my place.”
“I’m okay with going home.”
“I’m not going to argue with you here. Come back to my place and have some dinner where we can talk.”
With no choice to say no, Maksim had to obey his command. As it was, a small part of him didn’t want to be alone tonight. The possibility was too scary. Everything was starting to feel like it wasn’t random though.
Outside on the window, rain hammering down on the city streets. The memory of rain hitting his windshield and sliding down with the wipers going came fast and hard. Lights flashed across his windshield, and he heard brakes screaming before he overcorrected and landed in the ditch.
He followed Kace back to his house, surprised to see he did live a few blocks south of him. He was even more astonished to learn he lived within the high-rise condos that overlooked downtown Cincinnati and the river.
These places were expensive—unless one had a lot of money. There was no way Maksim could afford to stay there. As they pulled into the underground garage, Maksim quickly realized it was a secured parking lot with a gate.
There was no chance that anyone would get in there unnoticed. There were cameras everywhere and a security attendant who took care of the lot. Kace waited for him next to his car, and they walked to an elevator.
As Maksim came in close, a shiver galloped down his spine. This time it was for another reason though. This time it had to do with the fact he was terrified of elevators.
“What floor do you live on?”
“I’m at the top. Why?”
Maksim swallowed hard. “I prefer to take the stairs then.”
Kace looked at him closely, wondering what he was doing. It wasn’t long before he saw the fear within his eyes. “Don’t worry I’ll be with you the entire time. I’m not going anywhere.”
He took a deep breath, knowing he would need to trust men again soon. He couldn’t live his life in fear. He felt so foolish for being afraid of cramped spaces, but he was. He felt like a fool in front of a man he wanted to impress.
As the bell dinged signaling the elevator, Kace held it open for him, waiting for him to step inside. Kace hit the button for his floor for the thirtieth floor. When he did, Kace came in close, slowly dancing him back against the elevator wall. “Close your eyes if you need to.”
Maksim slowly felt the elevator going up as Kace looked down at him. There were at least five inches separating them in height. Why was he taking care of him? Technically, Kace was training him. He shouldn’t be crossing the line, but he was.
As the elevator went higher, so did his arousal for Kace. His prick flooded with heat as he thought about their last kiss. He wanted to kiss this hottie again but knew he couldn’t be the one to make the next move. Kace had set the boundary by declaring that he was a Dom. If he was going to be an obedient submissive, he couldn’t make the next move.
Kace pulled him into his side, holding him close. Unable to resist his touch, Maksim let his fingers move up over Kace’s abs.
Beneath his hand, Maksim felt the corded muscle of someone who worked out for long, hard hours. Maksim liked to work out but not for hours on end. He preferred having sex as his main workout.
The bell dinged, and they stepped off the elevator together.
“Doing okay?” Kace asked.
“I’m good.”
Why did everything feel so hard lately? It felt like nothing was working out for him. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt like he was in a dark place emotionally. Life hurt more than he wanted to admit. He felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and he couldn’t get anything going right in his career.
He was supposed to start his SWAT training and guess where he ended up? Chief Rask benched him for the week.
“What’s going on in your head?”
He didn’t want to talk about it. It was all too much and too soon. He couldn’t believe he was looking at this man as a potential lover. Their eyes connected and everything seemed to fade away.
For the first time in years, Maksim felt like he was in front of someone he could fall in love with. Oh, he thought he had been in love with Shane, but he wasn’t. That had been uncontrollable lust. Could this man be different?
Chapter Two
As the elevator went straight up to his floor, Kace became very aware of the feel of Maksim’s heart pounding. The man truly was frightened of cramped spaces. As they stepped off the lift, they headed down the long hallway to his condo.
Kace needed to get to the bottom of things if he was ever going to leave him alone again. Until he knew what was going on with Max, he had to keep him under his watch.
Something was going on. Right now, he was profiling a high-risk case. The fact that a local newspaper did a write up about him was probably poking the proverbial bear.
As he went into his condo Kace tried to play it cool but was having a hard time with it. Nervous energy seemed to pump through Maksim as he came through the door.
Surprise moved over Maksim’s face as he looked around Kace’s apartment. It was clear he was uncomfortable with how his apartment looked now that he was stepping into his.
“How can you afford a place like this?”
“After so many years on the force, it’s pretty easy. I spent about fifteen years saving before I bought this place.”
“Wow. You own this?”
“It also helped that I had some money given to me by my father after he passed away.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks. It’s been about six years.”
Kace took off his work boots by the front door. When Maksim saw him, he came back toward the door, taking off his shoes. “You don’t need to be embarrassed. I know you’re all work.”
“You have a nice place.”
“Thanks. Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure.”
Kace went to the kitchen, opening the fridge. He took two bottles of beer out and popped the tops. He was nervous about having him here at his house. Kace wanted him to feel comfortable when they were together. Their fingers brushed when he handed him the beer.
Usually, he didn’t have many people over. He liked and preferred his privacy. “Tell me about the case you’re working on right now.”
“What do you want to know about it?”
“I’m curious about how it’s going,” Kace said.
Maksim sighed. “Things are moving slowly. Why?”
“I think there may be a connection with what’s going on with you right now and the accident yesterday.”
Kace didn’t want to admit to Maksim that he thought it had a lot to do with the fact that his car had been busted into also. Someone had it out for Maksim, and he was almost positive it was the guy he was trying to find in the profile now.
“You can’t possibly think it has to do with the downtown killer, do you?”
“Possibly. We can’t rule it out. I think we need to go to Chief Rask about this and get you some armed protection until things settle down.”
“Whoa. Hold on a minute. I don’t think it’s connected. And I can take care of myself.”
“What’s your profile of the person doing the killings look like?”
Maksim paced along the windows overlooking the city. Kace wanted to know what was on his mind.
“So far, I believe it’s a woman were looking for.”
“Really? That really doesn’t fit the normal idea of what
a serial killer looks like. What’s the actual percentage on that?”
“Probably less than ten percent. Okay so what else do you know?”
“I think it’s someone who has flexibility within their job. Either they work from home, or they don’t work at all. There’s too many coincidences for me to believe otherwise.”
“That’s a good start. What does the DNA tell you?”
“That it’s definitely a woman. They’re trying to build a profile off the DNA they got, but it’s going to take time before the information comes from the lab.”
“Okay. Until then, I want you staying here with me.”
Kace went to the kitchen, starting dinner for them. As he popped the food on the stove, he noticed that Maksim was still uncomfortable. “Find something on TV for us to watch. Remote is on the stand.”
Relieved to have something to do, he watched as Maksim moved through the living room, turning on the television. It wasn’t long before he found a movie. When dinner was ready, Kace made up two plates.
“I hope you don’t mind I just made something quick and easy tonight.”
“It smells great. Thanks.”
As they sat down, Kace watched as Maksim started to eat. This man was shy. He noted that so many intelligent men tended to be shy in front of others. Kace would have to break down that barrier if they were ever going to be together. What was he thinking? They shouldn’t be together.
Outside, the rain slanted against the windows. It was a beautiful view, and the man sitting next to him made the view even more impressive. It was then Kace realized he wanted to have this moment every night with this man. He wanted him at his side.
When dinner was over, he took the plates away and thought about where Maksim would be sleeping tonight. “I have a guest bedroom you can use. No pressure.”
Maksim finally met his gaze but quickly looked away. Kace knew he was the one in control of the situation, and he had to decide what he wanted to do.
Just because he wanted to be a good guy and a good friend didn’t mean he needed to have this man in his bed tonight. Damn, he wanted him there though.
“Have you decided?” Maksim asked.
Kace wasn’t surprised he was asking about their relationship. It was heating up faster than Kace was prepared to deal with. “I think it’s not a good idea for us to get involved right now. Let’s just take this thing slow. I want to make sure everything’s okay with you first before we move forward.”
Maksim nodded and headed for the bedroom. Temptation had Kace wanting to pull him close and kiss him hard and passionately until they fell into his play room. That was not a good idea.
As Kace hovered in the doorway, he’d looked at Maksim as he went for the bed, sitting down. “I’ll go with you to talk to Chief Rask in the morning. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Get some rest.”
“Night.”
Leaving Maksim was difficult. He shut the bedroom door as he turned, walking toward the living room instead of his bedroom. Kace didn’t trust himself to be alone in his bedroom right now. He wanted to hold Maksim through the night and help him forget about the last two days. That was not a good idea.
* * * *
As Maksim heard Kace’s heavy footsteps move down the hallway, he knew that he was in trouble. He wasn’t going to get a good night’s rest at all with Kace down the hall. He moved away from the bed, heading over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the foggy city with heavy with rain.
He pressed his palms against the window as he thought about the profile of the woman he was hunting. He was certain she had two personas—one that she showed people outside her circle and her true self that she showed other people she targeted.
This woman was ruthless and would hurt anyone in her path. She was somebody who would and could go off at a moment’s notice. As the bodies piled up, a sense of urgency pushed through Maksim.
He wanted to solve this case. He needed to present this profile soon if they were going to have any new leads. That thought had him thinking about his SWAT training that was now put on hold. He needed to get back to it. He wanted Kace to give him the all-clear. That wouldn’t be happening this week. If he was lucky, it would be happening next.
* * * *
After a rough sleep, Maksim woke up to the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen. He got out of bed and headed out before he thought about what he was wearing or what he wasn’t wearing.
His boxer shorts rode low on his hips as he came into the kitchen. Kace looked at him for the briefest of seconds before looking away and pouring him a cup of coffee. By the looks of things, Kace was a morning person. He was showered, dressed, and ready for the day. Feeling self-conscious, Maksim ran a hand through his messy hair. His body was still warm with sleep. He could easily crawl back into bed.
“Good morning.”
“Morning. Did you sleep well?”
Maksim didn’t want Kace to know how poorly he slept. “I did. Thank you. The sound of the rain was really soothing as I slept.”
“It’s one of the things I love about this place. It really is nice to hear the sound of the rain on the windows.” Kace pointed to the sun rising above the river. “Beautiful.”
Maksim nodded, but he wasn’t hearing him. All he could think about was crawling across this island and sucking Kace’s cock while his head hung over the edge of the island. Kace frowned. Yeah, he hadn’t heard a word he was saying. He was still thinking about his Dom stuffing his dick into his ass. He wanted to suck his Dom until his spunk skipped across his tongue and down his throat.
He swallowed. Always.
“You okay?”
He wasn’t. His fucking dick was hard and now threatening to poke out of his tented boxers. Adjusting wasn’t an option. His Dom would notice.
As they sipped their coffees over the island that separated them, Maksim felt at home for the first time in a long time. He wasn’t sure how to tell this man what he wanted and needed, but he knew he had to find a way.
“I don’t need you to talk with Chief Rask with me. I should be.”
“I know, but after last night I think it’s best that if I go with you.”
“I figured.”
What choice did he have?
“Sounds good. Oh, you should know, I had the glass company come and replace your window this morning.”
“They were able to do that on-site?”
“Surprisingly, yes. You won’t have to take it into the shop.”
“Awesome.”
“You want to ride with me or do you want to follow me in?”
He wanted to ride with him but he couldn’t. He had to go to the FBI offices later. He didn’t want to take any extra chances until he knew what was going on. “I want to ride with you but I have to go to the FBI office later.”
“I will follow you in to work, then. Go get dressed. We’ll leave in about twenty minutes. Is that good for you?”
“Perfect.”
They went to the elevator. He wasn’t sure what it was about elevators that terrified him so much. He wasn’t sure what it was about cramped spaces that terrified him so much.
“You okay?”
“I will be. I got this.”
“Good. Be strong.”
As he stepped into the elevator, he felt his heart start to beat a little faster, but at the same time, he saw Kace’s steady gaze on him. Kace moved closer, pushing him up against the wall and sliding his lips over his.
“You should know I decided.”
“Have you?”
“Yes, I have.” He kissed him gently before he broke his lips away. “I think I’d like to have you if you’ll have me.”
It was exactly what Max wanted. He nodded, biting his lip as he felt his cock throbbing in need. When the elevator stopped at a floor, they broke away and stepped back to let somebody else on.
“Morning.”
“Morning.”
He suspected Kace had played it this way to put him in the position of having to wait. The man was sadistic, and it turned Maksim on. They drove separately to District Two, parking in the secure back lot.
They walked through the back doors and the long hallway that took them into the main corridor. Instead of taking the elevator, Kace climbed the stairs to the third floor to the conference room where shift change was just about to get started.
They navigated their way to the chief’s office. Rask was in there on the phone, but when he saw them, he waved them both inside.
“What’s up?” Maksim asked.
“We need to talk about the accident.”
“I think it has something to do with the killer I’m profiling right now. The newspaper did a story about my work collaborating with the FBI. I think she’s targeting me now.”
Chief Rask bounced his gaze off Kace before returning it to Maksim. “Are you okay?”
“I think he needs extra security just until this thing settles down,” Kace said.
The chief nodded. “That’s a really good idea. What do you have in mind?”
“Do you want him to stay at the safe house?” Kace asked.
“I don’t think you need to go to the safe house—not if this person has access to personal information.”
“They very well could have an idea of where our safe house is,” Kace agreed.
“Wait a second,” Maksim said.
The chief went on, ignoring Maksim. “I was thinking the same. There’s a good chance this person can have some connection either to law enforcement or the prosecutor’s office.”
“There is a chance,” Kace said.
“Good. You’ll be his armed escort until this thing is over.” The chief went back to the work on his desk as though the matter was over. “Until we know, we need to keep you safe. Are you good with starting your training next week?”
