by Harte, Marie
Gavin wanted to argue, but he couldn’t look away from Aidan’s body. The man was seriously hung and built like a berserker. Huge muscles everywhere, and a cock that would hurt so good when it slid inside him. He wanted to suck the man dry, and he intentionally projected the thought as hard as he could, tired of waiting for Aidan to make his move.
He couldn’t see Aidan’s face, only his thick sac and that long, fat cock. Jesus, he wanted it. He couldn’t believe this man had turned him into a raging slut. He’d never wanted anyone this much before, but Aidan—mean, gruff, bitchy Aidan—had almost made him come just by grazing his cockhead through his jeans.
“Are you doing this to me?” he blurted.
“Doing what?”
“Making me want you like this.” It was chancy to reveal that truth, but the telepath probably knew already. “Can you manipulate minds?”
Aidan paused. “I’m not doing anything to you right now, just being. Shut up and suck my balls. One at a time.”
He lowered himself to Gavin’s mouth, and Gavin latched on to his testicle. He loved the indrawn breath and curse that came out of Aidan’s mouth. He sucked and licked, pleased when the larger man rocked over him. Aidan’s cock was so thick, bigger than Gavin’s. He wanted to feel that in his mouth, down his throat. He wanted to suck until Aidan exploded, then watch the man’s face as he emptied into Gavin.
“Stop thinking so loud.” Aidan’s voice was hoarse. “Now the other one. Suck it, boy. Deep in your mouth. Curl your tongue around me. That’s it.” He slowly scooted back, holding his huge cock as if for show. “Get up.”
Gavin scrambled to his feet.
“Jerk yourself off for me.”
Gavin didn’t know about that. He was good with all of it, or so he’d thought. But masturbating seemed too intimate. Weird, but—
Aidan grabbed him by the hair and yanked him close. “When I give you an order, you obey.”
Gavin groaned, enthralled with the firm grip on his hair. The bite of pain made him that much harder, and so close, he couldn’t help brushing against Aidan, feeling the other man’s stiff dick against his belly.
“Yes, baby. That’s right.”
Baby. He shivered.
“Now come for me. Nothing exists for you but what I tell you. Forget everything else. Close your eyes if you need to. Take yourself in hand and come.”
Aidan let him go.
Closing his eyes made it easier, and Gavin started rubbing himself, pulling harder and harder on his cock while Aidan watched. For my Master, a thrilled part of him reminded. Submitting to someone definitely stronger, meaner, and deserving.
Gavin cupped his balls with his other hand and warned, “I’m gonna come. So hard…” He didn’t think he could stop if Aidan ordered him to.
“I won’t have you stop this time,” Aidan murmured. “Come, Gavin.”
With a groan, he spurted, the orgasm wringing him out. The emotional upheaval added to the climax, and he felt weak at the knees as he emptied all over Aidan’s belly. That he’d spent on the man supposed to be his Master gave him a sense of possession that he liked. And as he finished spending, he stared at the smear over Aidan’s ripped belly.
“Yeah, you like that. I do too. But mine is going even deeper.” Aidan grabbed Gavin by the arm. “Now get on your knees and take me to the back of your throat. I assume you’ve blown a guy or two before?”
Gavin blushed. “I might not be as experienced as you, but I’m not a virgin.”
“Good.” Aidan waited patiently while Gavin moved to his knees.
Then there was no more talking, only grunting and groaning as Aidan’s fat cock wedged into Gavin’s mouth. Gavin gagged a few times before accustoming himself to Aidan’s length. The man lasted longer than he’d thought, but soon enough Aidan jetted on an oath, his hands gripping Gavin’s shoulders.
“All of it, boy. Don’t lose a drop,” he growled.
Gavin sucked and licked him dry, leaving no chance of that.
Aidan softened, and still he didn’t pull out.
Gavin waited, wondering when he would have some respite. And then Aidan withdrew.
“Good boy. You waited for me.” Aidan cupped his cheek. “This is going to be a fun workup. Just as long as you remember why we’re doing this.”
No romantic entanglements. No dreams of a future, and especially not with Aidan. Just sex and a mission to complete. Gavin could more than handle that—or so he kept telling himself. He stood. “You don’t need to remind me.”
Aidan nodded, his expression no longer open but shuttered. “Come to my house tomorrow. Nine o’clock. Bring nothing but yourself. You’ll be with me until we leave for the California coast, so take care of anything else needing your attention for the next week at least.”
“I’m supposed to train with Kitty tomorrow.”
Aidan just watched him. Another test?
Gavin hated tests. “Fine. I’ll be at your place, no later than nine.”
Aidan dressed in silence after using Gavin’s shirt to clean himself. He let himself out without another word.
Baffled by the strange turn his life had suddenly taken, Gavin locked the door, ventured into the kitchen, and poured himself a huge beer. After downing the contents in a few long swallows, he went straight to bed.
* * * *
He didn’t wake until eight forty-five the next morning. “Shit.” He stared bleary-eyed at the clock, sure there had to be a mistake. He’d never slept so long before. Then again, he’d never had his entire world upended by Aidan Marshall either.
He hurried to find out where the man lived. Then he dressed and made the phone calls he needed to Kitty and a few neighbors before locking up behind him. By the time he arrived at Aidan’s home, isolated in the mountains—go figure—he was forty-five minutes late.
He knocked and waited.
Aidan opened the door a moment later, his expression unreadable.
“Look, I slept late. My mistake. And then I had to—”
Aidan held up a hand. “We’ll talk about that later. Come in.” He stood back, and Gavin entered into a surprisingly comfortable home. He put his bag on the floor and looked around. An open layout with maple built-ins framed a stone fireplace. Wood floors, aqua-blue walls, and leather furniture that screamed expensive without looking pretentious gave the place a sophisticated but homey feel Gavin wouldn’t have equated with Aidan. He’d have pictured the guy with a lot of black, glass, and chrome. Yet he liked the thought of Aidan in this place. Classy, clean, and uncluttered—a lot like the man before him.
Aidan wore jeans and an untucked, open-collared white shirt that exposed the strong cords of his throat. An instinct to bite and mark the man came out of nowhere. Gavin turned a suspicious look on his new partner, still not sure Aidan wouldn’t fuck with his psyche just for fun, but Aidan was frowning down at his cell phone.
“Problem?”
Aidan looked up. “Kitty isn’t happy with me. She apparently wanted to review a few things with you before handing you over to me. She’s a mother hen who has a hard time not clinging.”
“She’s nice.”
“Too nice.” Aidan snorted. “Empathy is all well and good, but our job is to acquire a book, not fall in love or feel sorry for the criminals who stole it.”
Gavin flushed. “I wasn’t suggesting either. I just—”
“I know. Sit down. We need to review the file. Coffee?”
Aidan’s turn in manners took him aback. “Ah, yeah.” He thought he’d be treated like a virtual slave for the next few days and was prepared to handle it. Having Aidan act as though Gavin were a guest threw him for a loop.
He followed Aidan into a bright and tidy kitchen. White cabinets and black granite showcased a chef’s dream kitchen, complete with all the stainless-steel appliances. Gavin wondered if Aidan actually cooked or if this was all for show. To his bafflement, he found himself intrigued by his teammate in a way he’d never been before.
After roundi
ng the kitchen island, Aidan motioned Gavin to sit on a nearby stool while he reached for the coffeepot.
“We need to make a few things clear. Yesterday was a prelude to physical intimacy. That, and I wanted to see you react to being ordered around a little.” Aidan set a steaming cup in front of him. He didn’t offer cream or sugar, which Gavin didn’t use anyway. Then he poured a cup for himself and rounded the island to sit next to Gavin at the counter. He turned his seat so they could face each other. “Sexually, we connect. There’s no need for us to have to fake an attraction. It’s there. That’s good.”
His clinical attitude eased Gavin’s discomfort with his behavior yesterday. He’d been too hot for the guy. Yet Aidan admitted to the attraction too. Good to know they were on equal footing in that at least.
“I watched you, and I learned. You’re a natural submissive, Gavin. Don’t argue the point. Accept it. Like I said before, there’s no shame in being true to yourself.”
Gavin never would have suspected Aidan to be so welcoming or easy to work with. He’d fully expected taunting and more bullying. Then again, Aidan could be setting him up for a punch line sure to come.
Aidan frowned. “I’m not setting you up. Christ. This is serious, and you’re worried the bully on the playground might beat you up?”
“Asshole.” Gavin glared.
“Look. I’m all about the mission. I don’t lose. I don’t screw up,” he directed at Gavin.
Ah, there it is.
“And I’m not used to working with a partner. I work alone, or at least I have since the PWP disbanded. But hey, I’m adaptable. You and I need to be together on this. Jack isn’t budging. No games, no jokes. This is serious. When we’re surrounded by a bunch of sadistic deviants with nothing better to do than slit throats to get off, we need to be there for each other. I can’t afford to have you too scared to fight back, and you can’t afford for me to be a dickhead who’d leave you to fend for yourself. Trust works both ways.”
“True.” The asshole had a point.
“And quit calling me an asshole.”
“Quit acting like one. And stay out of my freakin’ head.”
Aidan paused. To Gavin’s surprise, he laughed. “You’re no one’s boy all the time, that’s obvious.” He studied Gavin and nodded. “A submissive, but no slave. And apparently only in the bedroom.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just making some notes about you out loud. And yeah, I know you don’t want me in your head. Look, I don’t want to be there either. So after we go through these files, we’re going to work on your shields. Frankly, you suck.”
The word brought back images of Aidan’s cock and what he’d much rather be sucking at the moment.
Aidan drew in a breath. “That link goes both ways. I need to feel your mind to better map safeguards for myself. We’re going to be really close on this op, so it’s natural your barriers wouldn’t be as strong against me as they normally would. And contrary to popular belief, I don’t influence thought. I read it, I sift through it, but I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”
“Good.”
Aidan sighed. “Now if you’re done being difficult about things, let’s get down to business.”
AIDAN WATCHED GAVIN out of the corner of his eye while his new partner scanned all the material Jack had dropped off last evening. Notes on Carl Kerr, his estate, and a dozen other baddies who’d be in attendance in just a few more days. It seemed Stallbridge had made an enemy of a powerful man. Carl Kerr controlled the drug and arms trades in the Northwest. And he apparently had a hard-on for Stallbridge. How that book could take down the millionaire, Aidan had no idea. Jack had only mentioned that Chronicles had much more to it than sexual positions and had left it at that. Aidan’s job would be to retrieve it and not get dead. Period.
He had to love his boss for the cut-and-dried delivery. That, and handing him Gavin Caldwell on a platter. He still had a hard time understanding the almost out-of-control lust he’d felt for his new partner. He’d known Gavin for over a year, had been around the man on a consistent basis, and acknowledged the spark of interest he’d always had but suppressed. For Aidan, the job came first. He didn’t have close ties with others, didn’t have any other hobbies or addictions except work.
He knew how uncomfortable he made everyone. None of the guys said much about it, but knowing he could read their thoughts if he put effort into it made him a pariah. He’d never gone where he wasn’t wanted—well, except for reading Gavin and that brief attempt he’d made with Jack—and he had no intention of compromising the one place he felt at home. Jack Keiser was the best boss he’d ever had. The guy didn’t socialize, growled like a wolf with a paw caught in a trap more often than not, and was intimidating enough to command Aidan’s respect. He also liked having Aidan on his team.
But this assignment made Aidan rethink a lot of things. Gavin’s innocence shone like a beacon, and the feel of his firm yet smooth body had rocked Aidan’s perceptions, big-time. How the fuck had he not anticipated Gavin’s kiss? Or how seamlessly they’d connect when they touched? More than a physical joining, their connection gave Aidan a sense of psychic bonding that smacked of emotion, something he had no intention of exploring.
Gavin frowned and turned another page in the file. “This is insane. This guy is really into all this?”
And another thing. His partner might protest his inclinations, but his body didn’t lie. The faker liked being dominated and tied up. A perfect fit for Aidan—a man who needed to be in constant control.
Aidan cleared his throat. He needed to get a handle on his emotions. Lust he could manage. And it would help if he liked the man he had to work with, though amiable feelings weren’t necessary. His biggest worry should have been that Gavin’s inexperience would get him killed. That was if Aidan’s cock didn’t. Hell. Why couldn’t he concentrate on more than Gavin’s mouth? That tight ass? Those soft, pink lips?
“Aidan?” Gavin scowled at him. “Why are you staring at me like that? Are you reading my mind again?”
He sighed. “We need to build some trust. Put the folder away. Time to do those shielding exercises I mentioned.”
Gavin seemed to perk up at that. His excitement made Aidan feel twice his age, when he only had six years on his naive partner.
Aidan turned his chair so that he faced Gavin, and their knees almost touched as they watched each other. “Keep your eyes on me. Now think about something that makes you happy. Something peaceful, something you can focus on.”
“Like what?”
“That’s up to you.”
“What do you think about?”
Aidan paused. “I don’t. Mine is a natural shield that keeps everyone out. It’s an innate ability. I was born this way.”
“Figures.” Gavin sighed. “Okay. A happy thought?”
“Yeah.” Aidan stared into Gavin’s eyes and listened hard. He heard thoughts that transitioned into images and soon saw a woman’s smiling eyes that looked familiar. Gavin’s eyes. His mother. They walked into an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor and sat down. Moments later, two large sundaes covered in whipped cream and cherries appeared in front of them. Though he wasn’t empathic, Aidan clearly caught the sense of innocence and belonging.
He found himself wanting to know what that had been like, having a woman to call mother, someone to be loved by, someone to love. Maudlin shit he had no business thinking about with a mission about to go down.
With disgust for his ill discipline, he compartmentalized his past and studied Gavin once more. “Now hold that focus, but camouflage it. Brick up that feeling of happiness and make your wall strong. Surround yourself with it, so when I try to punch through, I rebound off it like a rock.”
Gavin frowned and closed his eyes.
“Keep your eyes open.”
“You’re distracting me.”
A drift of desire and unaccustomed need seeped through Gavin’s mind.
“Yeah, you want me. I get
it. Now focus.”
“Dickhead.” Gavin flushed. His wall seemed firm, but anytime Aidan moved or made a noise, Gavin lost it.
“You had some solidity there a few times, but you can’t hold it.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Gavin opened his eyes. “This isn’t helping.”
“Not my fault. I’m trying to stay out of your mind.”
“Then quit touching me.”
To his surprise, Aidan looked down to see his hands on Gavin’s knees. He pulled back, annoyed he’d reached out, if even unconsciously to keep the connection. To cover his lapse, he said, “You’re going to be distracted. You have to learn to tune it out.”
“Telepathy and mental shielding aren’t natural to me.” Gavin shrugged. “My abilities manifest physically. All your mental mumbo jumbo gives me a headache.”
“Yeah? Is that the only thing aching?” Aidan smirked down at Gavin’s hard-on. “’Cause I’m thinking you’re not concentrating on your mom anymore.”
“Pervert.” Gavin stood quickly and put the island between them. “I’m not here to amuse you. I’m going to get that book back.”
“No, cupcake. We’re going to get the book back. It was my case to start with.”
“And Aidan ‘Never Fails’ Marshall can’t stand that I messed up his project.” Gavin sneered.
Aidan’s annoyance turned to downright rage, which shocked him. He didn’t do intense feeling. Living without a sea of murky sentiment helped control his mind and tunneled his focus into a success rate envied by others. They might not like him, but they couldn’t deny he was good at his job.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The idea that had been building since Gavin arrived blossomed into purpose. “Time to work out the kinks, then.” Aidan stood and rounded the island. He yanked Gavin toward him and stripped off Gavin’s sweatshirt before he could blink. Aidan tossed the garment aside, pleased to see Gavin’s wide blue eyes and lips parted on a gasp.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“You don’t want to train your shields, so we’ll shift to discipline, something you sorely lack.” Aidan shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “You were forty-five minutes late this morning. I told you to be here at nine. I told you not to bring anything. You brought a bag.”
