“Um, so there’s a fire pit outside, we cansit, have a beer?”
“Sounds good, I canstart the fire, unless youwant me to do dishes.”
Keeganstopped midwayto the sink, turningslowly. “Youdo dishes?”
Vince smirked. “Wellyeah, I was married for over twentyyears.”
“Don’t remind me,”Keeganmumbled.
“What was that?”Vince moved closer to Keegan, takingthe plate fromhis hands.
“I said the wood is outside.”Keegan took the rest ofthe dishes offthe table, putting theminthe sink. A hand ranup his waist, gentlypushinghimaside.
“I’llget these, keep your hand dry. Okay?”
Keeganclosed his eyes, takinga deep breath.
“Allright, youwant to bringthe beers out then?”
“Yes, go sit down. This won’t take long.”Vince nudged Keeganinthe hip.
Keeganwent out to the back yard, lookingup at the night sky. Arizona at night was breathtaking. Everystar could be seenin the sky. Derek’s house sat up ona hill, and the view ofthe valleybelow was what made the house so beautiful. The poollights were on as Keegantook the wood fromthe garage. It looked so inviting. Keeganlooked at his hand, frowning. Stupid Carlos. Keeganplaced the wood inthe pit and lit it; the smellofhickory filled the night air inseconds. A beer appeared infront ofhimand he looked up, smilingat Vince.
“Thank you.”
Vince sat downinthe chair across fromKeegan. “It’s beautifulout here. I can see whyNikolaiwanted me to come here.”
“Aside fromthe fact that youcan cook aneggonthe sidewalk inJuly, it’s a beautifulplace to live.”
“Have youtried?”Vince chuckled.
“Actually, yes I have. Well, Rileyand I tried.”
Vince nodded. “Ah, Esposito’s husband. Theymake anodd pair. Rileyis warmand friendly, Esposito is, well, not.”
“Mateo is a reallygood guy, he canbe reallysweet. EspeciallywhenRiley’s around, the difference is amazing. Mateo was cold and unfeelingbefore Riley.”
“So, like me inthat respect?”Vince sat back, eyeingKeegan’s face inthe firelight. He looked almost etherealbythe light ofthe fire.
“Well, Mateo was a foster kid; he lost his parents whenhe was reallyyoung. He’d spent his whole life infoster care untilhe joined the Army. I guess losinghis parents changed him. He didn’t want to ever fallin love; he never wanted that painagain. Riley lost his mom, and his dad was a jackass so whenhe met Mateo, the sparks flew and that, as theysay, was that.”
“How did theymeet?”
Keegansat back witha grin. “Riley was Mateo’s target.”
Vince’s jaw dropped. “Youmean …?”
“Yep, Mateo was supposed to kill Riley. It’s a longstory, but to make it short, Mateo felt somethingwasn’t right withthe whole thingand backed out at the last minute. Theywent througha lot together; it’s only made themthat muchstronger.”
“I saw the picture inthe livingroom, who’s the guywithJosh?”
“That’s Mark, his husband.”
“He is pretty,”Vince chuckled at the look onKeegan’s face. “Longstoryshort? Whenwe rescued Pruitt, I met Josh. He told me his husband was mytype.”
“Mark is everyone’s type,”Keegan grinned. “The funnythingabout those two? Joshwasn’t evengay.”
“What?”Vince sat back, jaw onthe ground.
Keegansat back, peelingthe labeloff his beer. “Joshwas inPeruto take out Manuel —”
“Mortiquan?”Vince chuckled, as Keegannodded. “That was supposed to be my job.”
“See? This is whymyboss wants us to work together. So, anyway… Joshends up rescuingMark, and inthe next few weeks starts to have feelings for him. Whichfreaks himout and he runs to Alaska. Sixmonths later, and after a lot ofcounseling, Mark shows up inAlaska. Let’s just saytheyset Denalionfire,”Keeganraised a comicalbrow at Vince.
Vince sipped his beer. “So, is the whole teamgaythen?”
“Amazingly, yes. No one saw Josh coming, though.”
“I bet Mark did,”Vince laughed loud.
Keeganlaughed, almost chokingon his beer. He looked at Vince, the smile suited him. This was a side ofVince he hadn’t seen inallhis years ofsurveillance.
“What?”Vince asked.
“It’s just…weird to see yousmiling, and I meana genuine smile.”Keegantilted his head.
“I haven’t beenhappyina longtime. I knew Andreideserved better, but it stillcame as a shock whenhe asked for the divorce. I understand it now, though. He deserves someone who canbe whole and love him unconditionally.”Vince looked up, meeting Keegan’s eyes. “I never opened up to him, he deserved so muchmore. Whenwe saw each other again, years after I killed his father, he almost had me killed. Damonwas good friends withAndreiat the time and whenmy last name was mentioned…”Vince shrugged. “Andreirealized who I was. His father had let it slip to his friends that he’d raped the Markovwomenwhile theywere inprison.”
Keegansucked ina breath. “Oh God…”
“I didn’t feelbad whenI killed Panchenko, I really didn’t feelbad after I’d heard that. I was asked to watchover Andrei, while theyhunted downone ofhis Turkish enemies. I ended up killingthe guywhenhe came after Andreiinhis owndamnhouse. After a while, Andreibroke me down. I love him, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the love others feelfor eachother.”
“What kind oflove is that?”Keegan asked.
Vince sighed, runninga hand through his hair. “The kind oflove that makes you move mountains for someone, I guess. As Damonputs it, the love that makes your heart pound and your hands sweat.”
Keeganlooked into the fire. “I’ve never evenhad that.”
“No?”
“No.”
“I just don’t see how that can happen.”Vince leaned back inthe chair, crossinghis legs at the ankles. “I made it my missioninlife not to feel. I don’t know how to turnthat back on.”
Keeganrealized the fire was going out; they’d beensittingoutside for over an hour. Where’d the time go?
“So, what do yousaywe grab another beer and find somethingto watch? Mybodyis allscrewed up fromthe time difference.”
Vince looked at his watch. “It’s only ten?”
“Weird, huh?”Keeganstood up, crackinghis back. “Come on.”
Theybothsat onthe futon, a bowlof popcornbetweenthem. Keeganflipped throughthe guide tryingto find somethingto watch. He flipped to the DVR and felt a hand onhis. He turned to look at Vince. “What?”
“There’s, like, the whole seasonof ‘The WalkingDead’ recorded.”Vince turned to see Keeganlookingat himwitha raised brow. “Nikolaiwatches it, he got me hooked. Do younot want to watchit?”
“We canwatchit ifyouwant.” Keegansmiled inwardly. Hell yeah he watched the show.
Vince couldn’t remember the last time he felt so comfortable. Theysat munching popcorn, watchingthe show like a couple, makingcomments about certainscenes. It was weird. Vince felt heaviness onhis shoulder and realized Keeganhad fallenasleep onhim.
“Keegan?”Vince nudged himgently.
“Mmm…”
“Hey, youneed to get to bed.”Vince moved slowly, tryingnot to move Keegantoo much. He stood, lookingdownat Keegan’s face.
“Keegan?”Vince smiled as a soft snore filled the room. He picked Keeganup, carefullyplacinghis wounded hand onhis chest. He found the roomKeeganhad chosen and pulled the blanket back withone hand. He put Keegandowngently, tryingnot to jar him. TakingKeegan’s shoes off, he pulled the covers up and sat onthe edge ofthe bed.
Vince looked at the sleeping, angelic face ofKeeganRipley. The mantrulywas beautiful, the eyes, the hair, the body, he was everythingrolled into one mouthwatering package.
“Vince…”Keeganmumbled.
Vince leaned over closer. “What is it?”Vince whispered. A hand threaded into his hair and thenhe was beingpulled forward. Vince was inutter shock as his lips met with Keegan’s. His dick was hard as a rock in seconds. Keegansighed, openinghis mouth and Vince went withit. Fuck it. He realized too late that he hadn’t been
prepared to kiss KeeganRipley. The kiss started slow, then progressed as Keegan’s hands wrapped inhis hair. Vince’s hands went to Keegan’s face immediately, his lips flowingover Keegan’s, their tongues meetingina sexualdance. Then it was over; Keeganpulled back fromthe kiss witha heavysighand rolled over.
Vince stood up onshakylegs, trying to make it back to his room. He stumbled in, shuttingthe door and leaningagainst it. “Holy fuck.”
Vince sat onthe edge ofthe bed, his legs stillshaking. No one had ever affected himlike that withjust a kiss. His heart was beatinga mile a minute, poundinginhis chest. Vince layback onthe bed, staringat the white ceiling. Jesus, Keegancould kiss - and he had beenasleep. Vince couldn’t evenimagine what it would be like ifthe manwas awake. His dick became evenharder at that thought, strainingthe zipper onhis jeans.
“Fuck, I need a cold shower.”His cell phone beeped fromsomewhere inthe room. Vince stood up, grabbingthe dresser for balance. He found his phone onthe night stand; lookingat the caller ID, he smiled.
“Nik? Youfind the strip clubs okay?”
“I can’t get inanyway,”Nikolai scowled onhis end. “What’s up withyou? Yousound…flustered.”
“Longstory, what’s up?”
“Weirdest thing, I got past the last firewall, right? Thenas soonas I accessed the records onKeeganRipley, I was slammed witha virus. Fucked up mywhole computer and I have the best shit onmine. Oh, and you’re goingto love this - guess who made the program?”
“KeeganRipley,”Vince chuckled, shakinghis head.
“Yep, and I got a skulland
crossbones and the damnskullwas laughing! Next thingI know, pow! Welcome to the Ripper, was flashingacross myscreen. That was it, fried myshit, crispy. Don’t worry, I’m not givingup. I have a program. Now that I know what he’s got, oh, it’s on!”
Vince chuckled at his son’s tone of voice. “It’s a challenge now, isn’t it?”
“Hell, yeahit is!”Nikolailaughed. “How are things goingwithhimanyway?”
“Well, he’s got a couple broken fingers fromCarlos Nardozzi; I got there just intime to save his ass froma snapped neck.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. Sliced Carlos.”
“Lungs?”
“Yep.”
“I always miss the funstuff!”
“Hey, yougot quite a few of Nardozzi’s meninRussia.”Vince had to laugh; Nikolaiwas just as ruthless as he was. He’d beenkidnapped as a child and held for ransom. Duringthat time, he’d suffered brokenbones and dailybeatings. Whenhe and Andreihad finallyfound Nikolai’s kidnapper, Nikolaiwanted to killthe man himself. Fromthat point on, Vince made it his missionto teachhis soneverythinghe’d been taught, whichincluded jujitsuand karate along withcage fightingtechniques.
“Yeahwell, theyhad it coming, going after Dad,”Nikolaichuckled. “Anyway, I’ll keep at it. Where are you, anyway?”
“Arizona, ina safe house. Nardozzi came after us inRio.”
“I’mjust hearingabout this now?” Nikolaibalked.
“Hey, I’mfine and so is Keegan. You enjoySeattle and Sebastian.”
“How manydid youkillthis time?” Nikolaitried not to laugh.
“Two, it was a slow dayfor me.” Vince looked at the time. “I have to go to bed, kid. I love you, more thananything, you know that right?”
Nikolaismiled into the phone. “I know that, Pops. I’ve always knownhow muchyou love me. Now, go get laid,”Nikolaicracked up.
“Night, ya perv,”Vince laughed, snappinghis phone shut. Vince fellonthe bed, fullydressed and utterlyexhausted withthe feelofKeegan’s lips stillonhis own.
~~ Morningcame alltoo soonfor Keegan. His hand was killinghim, as was his head. The smellofsausage wafted into the roomand Keegan’s stomachgrowled. He threw his legs over the side ofthe bed, wincing as his back cracked. He felt eightythis morning. He peered at the clock, thenlooked again, tryingto make his eyes focus. Teninthe morning? He hadn’t slept that late since… his brows pinched inthought, he couldn’t remember when. College, maybe?
Stumblinginto the bathroom, he stood over the toilet tryingto wake up. God, he needed coffee. After a quick hot shower, Keegangot dressed and made his wayinto the kitchen. Vince was at the diningroom table, witha tallcup ofcoffee. He was in sweat pants, bare chested. Shit. He looked up as Keegancame in, another genuine smile on his lips. It made himevensexier. A strange feelingcame over himas he looked at Vince. His stomachflopped and his lips tingled. What the fuck?
“Morning.”Keeganwent straight for the coffee pot, tryingto hide his face. “When did youget up?”
“Depends onwhat state or country youwant to go by. Mybodyis alljacked up. But byArizona time, it was six.”Vince’s eyes roamed Keegan’s body. Damnbut the man was gorgeous eveninsweat pants.
Keeganlooked at allthe food warmingonthe stove burners. “Wow, you made a lot offood. Thank you.”Keegantook a little bit ofeverything, scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, sausage and bacon. Pilinghis plate high, he grabbed his coffee cup, settling inat the table.
“I’ve seenyoueat,”Vince raised a brow. “I have no idea where youput it all; it’s like watchingLorenzo at a buffet.”
“Youand Lorenzo are close, aren’t you?”Keegansipped his coffee, takinga bite oftoast.
“Yes, I meanI’mclose withallthe guys, but Lorenzo and I had a lot incommon. He was beatenas a child. WhenDamonfound out, he sent Marco to take Lorenzo out ofhis house. Lorenzo’s one ofDamon’s best assassins.”
“But youare his number one, aren’t you? Because youfeelnothing.”
Vince studied Keegan’s face, the memoryofthe kiss stillfirst and foremost on his mind. “No, I don’t. I’ve had menscream for mercyand it didn’t evenregister. Whenthe rage comes, everythingdisappears and I become someone else.”
“Youweren’t always like that, though, were you? What happened inthe prisonis what changed everything.”Keegansaw Vince’s eyes darken. “I’msorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Vince sat forward, lookingat Keegan. “Yousaid youknow everythingabout me, just how muchdo youknow?”
“Are we goingto go over that again? I told you—”
“No, youlied to myface.”Vince gripped Keegan’s wrist. “I’ve beentrained by the best Keegan; I know whensomeone is lying. Bodylanguage, heart rate, pupils, I don’t need a lie detector to tellme you’re lying. I could always give yousodium pentothal.”
“Go ahead,”Keegansnorted. “It won’t work, I’mimmune.”
Vince sat back, crossinghis arms. “Oh? Whyis that? It’s because youhave information, that’s why.”Vince smiled, as Keeganstiffened inhis chair. “That’s it? Isn’t it?”
Keeganlooked up, narrowinghis eyes at Vince. “Drop it, now.”
Vince was surprised, Keegan, had some bigbrass balls. “Well, seems Keegan has some bite. I have to say, it’s refreshingto meet someone who doesn’t runscreaming fromme.”
“Is that before or after sex?”Keegan raised aneyebrow.
Vince gave Keeganhis devilishgrin. “Both.”
Keegan’s face went five shades of red. He’d had sexbefore, not a lot, but he’d had some. He could count onone hand his sexualexperiences. How pathetic was that? Here he was, sittingat the table withthe notorious Vince Markovand he had no idea what to say. He realized he was stillstaringat Vince. “So, um…”
“Are youa virgin, Agent Ripley?” Vince cocked his head to the side, assessing Keegan.
“W-w-what?”Keeganstammered. “N-n-no I’mnot a v-v-virgin!”
Vince chuckled softly. “I love it when youstutter. I make younervous, don’t I?”
“No, d-d-don’t be ridiculous.” Keeganstood up, takinghis plate to the sink. The kitchenwas becomingincreasinglysmaller inseconds. Settinghis plate inthe basin, he turned to see Vince right inhis face. “Excuse me.”
Vince ranhis hand up Keegan’s arm, softly. “See, I think I do make younervous. I think youdo want me. Infact, I’d sayyou’ve wanted me for years.”
“God, youare so fullofyourself,
you know that?”Keegantried to get around Vince to no avail. “Willyouplease back off?” Keegan’s heart rate was goingthroughthe roof, his dick filled inseconds. He had to get awayfromVince, like now.
Vince’s fingers trailed the soft skinof Keegan’s jaw, pullinghis face up to his own. “Whycan’t youjust tellme the truth, Keegan? I’lltellyouwhat, would it help ifI told youI want you? That I think about kissingyouevery time I look at you? That I want youinbed withme?”Vince caressed the side of
Keegan’s jaw. “I’mnot joking; I’mvery serious right now.”
Keeganscowled. “Youwant everyone inbed withyou.”
“Not anymore.”Vince leaned in closer, his lips barelybrushingKeegan’s. “Besides, none ofthemever kissed me the wayyoudid.”
Keeganjerked away. “What the hell are youtalkingabout?”
“Last night, whenI put youinbed, youkissed me.”Vince put his hands oneither side ofthe counter, blockingKeeganin.
“I did no suchthing! Youwere drunk.”
“Youwere sleeping.”Vince kissed the soft skinofKeegan’s neck, runninghis lips alonghis jaw and nibblinghis chin. “Think Keegan, whenyousaw me this morning, did youfeelanything?”Vince pulled back to see Keegan’s face; confusioncrossed over his features. “Youdid.”
Keeganclosed his eyes. “I can’t do this,”he whispered. Vince’s fingers were slowlycaressingthe nape ofhis neck, moving up and downthe rapid pulse.
“Stop fightingme and let me kiss you. Ifyoudon’t like it, I’llnever mess withyou again. We’llget this job done and thenwe can go our separate ways.”
Keeganshook his head. “No, this is a bad idea. A very bad idea.”
“Let me know ifyoufeelthe same wayafterwards.”
Keeganfroze; it was as ifhis brainhad turned offthe receptors to the rest ofhis body. Vince’s hand was threadinginto his hair, massagingthe nape ofhis neck and thenwarm lips brushed his. A teasingtongue slid across his lips and Keegan’s mouthopened on instinct. He tried to fight, but whenVince’s tongue swept inside his mouth, allbets were off.
He whimpered as Vince crushed him to his chest, takinghis mouthina kiss that left himbreathless. He wrapped his arms around Vince’s neck as his feet left the ground. Wrappinghis fingers inVince’s hair, he gave as good as he got. There was a low groan fromVince and thenhe was up against the wall, beingdevoured bya six-foot-two Vince Markov. OhChrist, he’d never beenkissed like this; it was his fantasycomingtrue. Wrappinghis legs around Vince’s hips, he was treated to another low groanfromVince and a stronghand onhis ass, squeezing.
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