Murder Aforethought

by Parker St John

  But they were both gay. They were both single. What harm was there in blowing off some steam during a stressful situation?

  If he was going to die tomorrow — and there was a chance he might — wouldn’t it be good to end it with a memory that made him smile? Besides, maybe sex would help Val sleep. Sleep and not dream.

  He brushed his teeth but didn’t bother shaving. He had to do that in the morning, anyway. A man didn’t meet a top crime boss with a scruffy chin and wrinkled clothes. Not if he could help it. Respect would do more to keep a bullet out of Val’s head than any amount of fast talking.

  He cursed when he realized he’d left the medical supplies on the bed. Showing off the stitches in his puffy, swollen skin wasn’t likely to send Maksim the message that Val was onboard with a hookup. But there wasn’t much choice for it, so he kept his towel closed with one fist and left the bathroom in a cloud of steam.

  Maksim was reclining on one bed, with his long legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankle. He’d ditched his sweater for the plain t-shirt beneath, and he was fiddling with his phone, thumbs flying over the screen.

  He didn’t even look up when Val entered the room.

  All thoughts of coaxing him into sex flew out of Val’s head. He laughed at himself as he searched their shopping bags for some clean gauze.

  The plastic bag he’d taped over his wound had done jack shit to keep his bandage dry. Wet medical tape was a real joy to remove, so he stood in front of the room’s only mirror, grimacing at the gray bits of glue left behind on his skin as he peeled the tape back.

  “How’s it look?” Maksim rumbled.

  The mirror’s reflection showed that he was still focused on his phone. Probably returning emails. Val had never even asked about the consequences of his unexpected leave from his firm.

  He looked blankly at the stitches in his torso. The wound was puffy and red, surrounded by blossoming bruises in large purple and yellow smears. The stitches creeped him out. They always reminded him of wiry, black spider legs poking out from beneath his skin.

  “Val?”

  “It’s fine,” he said, ripping open a sterile gauze pack with his teeth.

  A masculine arm reached into his field of vision and snatched the bandage.

  He was growing concerned about the way he never heard Maksim approach. Had he lost his edge? But he’d heard the telltale whisper of a gunman entering Maksim’s apartment and had known instantly what it meant. Why was only this man able to slip so completely past his guard?

  Maksim’s words from the car came back to him: maybe you feel safe.

  “Since you also said it was fine while bleeding out in the back of a godforsaken Honda, you won’t object to me taking a look.”

  At his prodding, Val lifted his arm enough to give a long view of his side. Through a wince, he asked, “Do you feel bad about that?”

  “What? Your injury?” Maksim was securing the gauze over his wound with a strip of tape.

  “Stealing that car.”

  Maksim’s teeth were as white and straight as a toothpaste commercial when he grinned. “No. I should, but I don’t. We needed it more just then. Besides, the police have already recovered it.”

  “Where did you ditch it?”

  “In front of the southwest precinct.”

  Val’s eyes widened. He was torn between laughing and scolding him for taking such a damn fool risk. “You aren’t nearly the hard case you pretend to be,” he said.

  Maksim looked up from his work and winked. “Don’t tell.”

  Just like that, renewed hunger flared in Val’s gut, like a flame suddenly doused in gasoline. He wanted this man so fucking bad.

  It wasn’t even about his looks, though he was gorgeous. It was the way he had strength enough to take Val’s disaster of a life in stride, and the way he was kinder than he preferred people to think. He was a decent man. Those weren’t easy to come by in Val’s experience, no matter the country.

  Maksim smoothed down the final edges of tape and straightened. A hint of a smile hovered on his lips, and he looked like he might be about to speak, but something in Val’s expression caused his humor to fade. Knowledge flickered in that arctic gaze.

  His eyes dropped to Val’s chest and began to drift slowly down his body, over his abs, which Val tightened even though he knew he already had insane definition. His attention lowered to the towel around Val’s hips, then took a leisurely wander down his thighs, all the way to his feet.

  He looked back up, directly into Val’s eyes, and said, “It would be stupid.”

  Oh, thank God, they weren’t going to play any coy shit.

  “Yeah, probably,” Val murmured. He stepped closer, right into the man’s personal space, and was pleased when Maksim didn’t give ground. “But still smarter than anything else I’ve done these last few months.”

  “Your wound...”

  “I’m fine,” Val repeated for the last time, and he did what he’d been dying to do since the moment his hotshot attorney had walked into his interrogation in that damn designer suit. He grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him into a kiss.

  Maksim’s mouth was soft, and there was no hesitation when he kissed him back, just the enthusiastic press of their mouths and a delicious heat that shot straight to Val’s groin.

  He parted Maksim’s lips with his tongue and swept inside his hot, slick mouth. So sweet. He sucked the taste off Maksim’s tongue.

  Val knew, without a doubt, it would be impossible for him to taste gunpowder in his dreams if he went to sleep with the taste of this man’s kiss in his mouth.

  A hard shudder ran through Maksim’s body, and he wrapped one arm around his waist.

  “God, you taste good,” Maksim murmured, stepping into his space until their bodies were pressed flush against each other.

  Val reveled in the hard planes of Maksim’s body rubbing against him. His left hand crept under the hem of Maksim’s t-shirt, sliding over a flat stomach and a crisp trail of hair.

  God in heaven, he needed to see him.

  Their lips clung desperately, but Val pulled back enough to look into Maksim’s blown pupils. “Take this off,” he commanded, rucking up his shirt hem.

  It was gratifying when Maksim instantly obeyed, peeling the fabric over his head and revealing a trim torso dusted with dark hair.

  Maksim was refreshingly straightforward in his desires. There was no teasing or equivocating, none of the plays for dominance that were the hallmark of every hookup Val had ever experienced. Like every other facet in his life, Maksim knew what he wanted and went after it unapologetically. Val was what he wanted tonight, and Val’s gratitude for that was strong enough to make his legs shake.

  Maksim leaned in to nibble the rough underside of his jaw, unerringly discovering a spot that had always been outrageously sensitive.

  Val tipped his head to allow better access, and goose bumps prickled along his arms. The torment of that soft mouth was almost ticklish, only to be immediately soothed by the swipe of a hot, wet tongue.

  “Your body is extraordinary,” Maksim whispered into his ear. His fingertips rubbed against the ridges of Val’s obliques. “I can’t fathom the dedication it takes.”

  “It’s something I can control,” Val muttered uncomfortably. “Makes me feel good.”

  Maksim’s smile was slow and wicked. His eyes gleamed. “Let’s see if we can discover a few more things that make you feel good.”

  He loosened the towel at Val’s waist and dropped it to the floor.

  17

  Val

  Val held his breath.

  He’d had no complaints from his hookups, but this felt different. Maksim mattered, and he was accustomed to an entirely different class of men. Val might have brute strength, but he was sure he wouldn’t have much in common with whoever had been lucky enough to warm Maksim’s bed in the past.

  “You’re a marvel,” Maksim said, simply and appreciatively. His focus was on Val’s d
ick when he said it, but his gaze quickly lifted.

  His smile was beautiful when it wasn’t stained with sarcasm.

  Val rested his palm on the center of Maksim’s chest and applied just enough force to back him into the nearest bed. Once they got there, Maksim wrapped his hands around Val’s biceps and took them both down to the mattress.

  Val settled atop him, attacking his mouth, grinding his hips into the hard ridge beneath Maksim’s zipper. Maksim’s thighs split around his weight, and his hands gripped and kneaded Val’s bare ass.

  “What do you like?” Val rasped into the salty skin of his throat.

  “I’m fairly sure I’ll like anything you do to me.” Maksim’s laugh was strained. He wrapped his fingers around the hard length of Val’s cock and made him jerk to attention.

  Val groaned, head dropping between them. He watched through a haze as those long, elegant fingers he’d admired earlier played with the flared ridge of his cock. His palm was so warm, but Val would give just about anything to feel this man’s tight heat sucking him deep.

  “I want inside you,” he whispered, kissing and nibbling the column of his throat.

  Maksim growled and arched his neck to give Val better access.

  “We could do that.” His voice was a sexy rumble. “If we had condoms.”

  Val went perfectly still. He dropped his forehead to rest against Maksim’s chest and swore heartily.

  A chuckle, deep as an earthquake, rumbled up through Maksim’s chest. His fingers trailed up Val’s side, following the dip and swell of his muscles. He brushed his knuckles against Val’s nipple, and Val hissed, seeking more of that frustratingly gentle touch.

  “We have options.” Maksim pulled Val higher and sealed his lips around the peak of his nipple, laving it with his tongue. He sucked gently before releasing the sensitized nub with a wet pop. “I’ve been fantasizing about what your skin would taste like.”

  Val didn’t think anyone had ever paid attention to his nipples before. He’d never thought they were a particularly sensitive erogenous zone for him. But when it came from Maksim, even such a simple touch did it for him.

  He was panting as he unbuttoned Maksim’s jeans and pulled his cock free. Val dragged one fingertip down his shaft, appreciating the weight of it, heavy and slender, curving slightly and leaking fluid against the flat of Maksim’s lower belly.

  Maksim threw his head back, hips flexing, when Val wrapped that iron length in his fist and gave a few experimental pumps.

  A faint whimper caught in the back of Maksim’s throat, and a rush of power surged through Val.

  That was all the foreplay either of them could take. They both moved at once. Val reared back and yanked the jeans down Maksim’s long legs while he kicked himself free. He grabbed Val under the arms and twisted, pushing him onto his back and looming over him.

  Val gasped, pain tearing up his side and making his eyes water.

  “Sorry.” Maksim pulled back, chest heaving. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m—”

  “Fine,” Maksim said with him, rolling his eyes.

  It felt good to laugh together. Val hadn’t laughed with someone in too long.

  He carefully leaned up on an elbow to coax him into another long kiss. Maksim’s rich taste and heat and scent were all around him, filling Val’s brain with a thousand X-rated ideas. His cock throbbed unbearably.

  “Just get your mouth on me,” he pleaded. “I don’t care where.”

  “How about here?” Maksim’s lips pressed against the hammering pulse of his throat. Val made a noise of assent, so he trailed the tip of his tongue to the side of Val’s neck, dropping a sucking kiss on the sensitive skin there. Goosebumps shivered across Val’s scalp. “I’ve wanted to taste you here since the moment I met you,” Maksim murmured into his skin.

  “No accounting for taste,” Val joked weakly, pulling him down more firmly on top of him.

  Most men were turned on by Val’s strength. They always wanted to get under him, and it wasn’t unusual for them to ask him to restrain them while they fucked. That was fine. It was good. But Maksim’s solid weight covering him turned him on more than anything he could remember. His pulse was like a war hammer in his body, and his hands were shaking as they clasped Maksim by the waist.

  He was desperate to grind their hips together, but mindful of aggravating his injury, so he lay pliant and allowed Maksim to set the pace.

  Maksim did just that. He feasted on every inch of Val’s skin he could reach, kissing and licking and sucking his way down his body.

  Val watched his head bow and felt his hot breath over the weeping tip of his cock. It took every scrap of discipline he possessed to keep from thrusting and forcing himself past the barrier of his lips. He pressed his palms flat against the mattress, trembling with restraint, as Maksim slowly and skillfully took him into his mouth.

  “Oh, Jesus.” Val rocked his head back. The heat was incredible, the wetness just right to allow his rock hard shaft to slip deep.

  A sound of pure satisfaction rolled out from the back of Maksim’s throat, vibrating along the inflamed length of Val’s cock. He began a greedy rhythm, bobbing up and down effortlessly, never taking Val too deep or too fast, apparently just enjoying the hell out of the simple sensation of having his mouth filled. Those elegant fingers of his wrapped around the wide bottom half of Val’s shaft, pumping in time to the pull and slide of his mouth.

  Val couldn’t stop himself. The wet noises Maksim made were driving him insane, and he needed to see it. He lifted his head and looked down his own naked body to see the gorgeous man nestled between his open thighs.

  Maksim sensed his regard. His blue eyes rose, bright as beacons and just as direct.

  “God, you are so beautiful,” Val whispered raggedly. His fingertips ghosted across the tight seal of Maksim’s mouth around his shaft. The way his cock stretched that perfect, sarcastic mouth was so lewd it made Val shiver. “I’ve never seen anything so hot as that mouth of yours filled with my cock.”

  Maksim’s eyes fluttered closed. He groaned around his mouthful, causing Val to buck his hips.

  “Do that again,” he damn near whimpered. “Maks, please.”

  Maksim did. He groaned, long and low, cupping Val’s balls and tugging on them.

  Val nearly came off the bed. His hands fisted in that gleaming silver hair, not to force him, not to hold him down, just to feel the way his head bobbed up and down, up and down…

  Something was building at the base of Val’s spine, drawing his balls up high. “I’m too close… it’s going to be over too soon.”

  A tremor rocked his body. He held his breath, thighs cranking wide to better accommodate the bulk of Maksim’s shoulders. He watched helplessly as his gleaming cock slid so deep that he swore he went right down Maksim’s throat. He could feel the ring of muscle contracting around him when Maksim swallowed, constricting like a snake, and it tipped him right over the edge.

  Every muscle locked up. His lungs froze and his heart stuttered. For a split second it felt an awful lot like an oncoming panic attack, an awful lot like dying. Then… release.

  A groan ripped through his vocal cords. His stomach rippled, his thighs shook, as the pressure in his cock exploded. It felt like he was shooting straight into Maksim’s stomach, and he was swallowing it all. Val whimpered when he saw that. He fucking whimpered and bucked his hips, fists tight in Maksim’s hair, instinctively holding him still while he planted his seed deep.

  It was over as quickly as it came. His fingers released their death grip on Maksim’s shining hair, and he dropped limp against the mattress.

  Maksim pulled off his dick with a slurp. His cheeks were flushed and his chest heaved.

  Sated as he was, Val couldn’t help but touch his red, glossy lips as he climbed back up Val’s body. He stroked their softness and then slid two fingers inside his well-used mouth. Maksim’s tongue swirled around the digits, licked at them, and then he released them.

&
nbsp; He reared up on his knees, straddling Val’s stomach, and wrapped a fist around his neglected cock. It was dark with trapped blood, long and elegant, just like the rest of him. The sight of the plump head peeking out over his flashing fist made Val’s mouth water. He wanted that. He wanted to return the favor.

  “Come up here,” he growled.

  Grabbing him by the pelvis, he forcibly lifted him until Maksim’s legs straddled his shoulders. The shining head of his cock was a breath away from Val’s mouth.

  Val eased Maksim’s fingers away from his beautiful dick, replacing them with his own. The shaft was hard as steel and pulsing with life. It twitched against his palm as he gave a single, experimental stroke.

  Maksim gazed down at him, glassy-eyed and fond. “Have at it,” he laughed breathlessly. “Anything will do. I’m so damn close already. You look so fucking gorgeous when you come.”

  Val tightened his grip, even tighter than he preferred himself, and Maksim’s broken moan was exactly what he’d been looking for.

  He opened his mouth wide and sucked him down.

  He couldn’t go as deep as he wanted from his awkward angle beneath Maksim, but he gave it his all, hollowing his cheeks and sucking hard. He slid up the length of Maksim’s shaft to swipe his tongue through the pearly fluid leaking from the tip. His fingers were already slippery and gleaming in the dim lamplight. The glide of his fist was so easy, it was as if they’d used lube, and he matched the pace of his mouth to the stroke of his fist.

  Maksim began shifting on top of him, a flush rising up the broad plane of his chest, the tendons in his neck standing out beneath his heated skin. His thighs quivered against Val’s shoulders and his ass clenched.

  Val dug the fingers of his free hand into the bones of Maksim’s pelvis, just to feel the half-aborted jerking and twitching as he began to come.

  “That’s it,” he encouraged, pulling his mouth free of his sloppy work, “That’s right. Let go. Christ, you’re beautiful.”

  The sounds that tore out of Maksim were like nothing he’d heard before. Maksim pulled back out of reach of Val’s anticipatory mouth. His hand covered Val’s wet fingers and squeezed as he aimed his cock at Val’s pecs.