STORY EXCERPT

Zach was about to lose his shit. He wasn't a fucking fool. He knew when a guy wanted to bed someone and Quad had that look when he gazed at Jake. That hungry, I-want-to-eat-you-up look.

He counted to ten in his head while he talked, telling himself not to gut Quad in Jake's kitchen. And Jake? The man was oblivious to Quad's hungry eyes. That was the only thing that stopped Zach from letting his claws unsheathe. Jake was his even if the guy didn’t know it and he'd be damned if he let another man hone in on what was his.

But could he really be pissed? He'd done everything he could to be around Jake as much as possible, had tried to impress the guy with gifts, and now tried to take care of him because Jake was feeling under the weather. But Zach hadn't made a move. His parent's cold and passionless marriage had left a bad taste in his mouth. Nearly losing his life a few years ago because he'd picked the wrong man to have a relationship with gave him cold feet.

His eyes wandered over Jake and lust hit Zach hard. Jake was shorter than him, but average height. He had long locks of dark-brown hair that fell in waves and had the most incredible blue eyes, a strong jaw and a body that Zach wouldn’t mind exploring at length. He knew for a fact that Jake had a badass tattoo of a dragon that covered his entire back. He'd seen it once when Jake had been changing shirts.

Jake wasn't the type of guy who would settle for a fuck buddy. The guy was relationship material through and through and Zach wasn't ready to commit himself. But as he stood there watching Quad watch Jake, something inside Zach wanted to shred the man to pieces, to slice his eyes

“Have a seat,” Jake said to Quad as he waved to one of the kitchen chairs. “Zach and I were grabbing some lunch.”

Quad grinned as he strode to the table and turned a chair around, straddling it before looking into the empty meatloaf bowl. “I see you've already eaten it.”

“I could heat something else up.” Jake stood and opened the fridge. Zach's fingers curled into tight fists as Jake bent over, his T-shirt riding up, showing off the smooth patch of skin right above his waistband. His eyes shot to Quad and the fucker was staring at the same patch of skin.

Jake had no clue he was in the kitchen with two hungry predators. Quad acted as though he didn’t give a damn that Zach could see how the guy wanted Jake.

Oh, yeah. He was going to lose his shit.

Jake warmed up some spaghetti and then plated the food, setting it on the table as if Quad was his man. Zach ground his teeth.

“You still hungry?” Jake asked as he turned to Zach. His smile was infectious and Zach found himself smiling right back. He shook his head, aware Quad was watching them. He walked over to Jake and brushed his hand over the man's back as he grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge. It was an innocent enough touch, but he'd done it for Quad's sake. Let the man take that touch how he wanted.

Jake stood there and stared at Zach for a moment before he seemed to shake himself out of whatever daze he'd been in and then left the kitchen. Neither man followed. Zach and Quad just stared at each other as Quad at the food Jake had given him and Zach drank the beer from Jake's fridge—beer Zach had bought and stored in there.

Quad was drinking his as well and they had a silent conversation between them. A conversation that said Jake was Zach's— that said Quad didn’t give a shit because he wanted Jake— that said neither man was going to back down and bow out.

Zach smirked. Quad grunted. Little did Quad know that Zach had done a background check on the guy when he first noticed how Quad had taken an interest in Jake. Quad Cash was a gun for hire on the side of his mechanic job and on the side of his enforcer duties. The guy was ex-navy seal. Had plenty of kills under his belt. He was the type of man you didn’t want hunting you down.

But then again, Zach wasn't without his resources either. He knew plenty of shady characters who wouldn’t blink at putting a bullet through Quad's head—for the right price—if the guy turned those dark talents on him.

Zach had never been in love. Not once in his twenty-nine years of living. He hadn't even come close. But there was something about Jake, an innocence that appealed to Zach. He had also done a background check on Jake to find that the man had grown up in an abusive home, his mother committing suicide, his father offing himself shortly after—but not before shooting his own damn sons. Sick fuck. Jake had a brother named Cole, a violent, psychotic brother who had done a stint in prison.

Maybe it was the vulnerability he saw in Jake that attracted him. Maybe it was the knowledge that the guy had had a shitty home life. Maybe it was that fucking beautiful smile that lit up Zach's darkness that made him want to protect Jake from the ugly world that they lived in. He wasn't sure, but the one thing he knew was that he wasn't going to bow out and let Quad hone in on the man.

“I just got a call from Karidon,” Jake said as he walked back into the kitchen, oblivious to Zach and Quad's silent conversation. “He needs to see me so I'm heading over there.” Jake turned to Zach. “Do you need me to give you a lift to your truck?”

ADULT EXCERPT

Jake was utterly and totally confused. Before he could question Zach any further, the guy slammed his lips over Jake's and gave him the most toe-curling kiss imaginable. He knew he was in trouble when Zach wrapped his fingers around Jake's erection, giving it a few good pumps. Jake groaned, his hips shooting forward.

Why in the hell was he fighting this? Hadn't he wanted Zach for years now? Hadn't he told himself that all he wanted from men was sex, nothing more? Hadn't he planned to go to a club to get his freak on? Why not get it on at home.

But Jake knew why he was fighting against this. Things would be awkward between them if they slept together. He cherished his friendship with Zach and didn’t want to ruin it.

He shoved Zach's hand off of him and took a step back, needing the space, needing the towel on the floor by the man's feet. “We need to stop.”

“Why?” Zach said as he advanced toward Jake. “I can see you want me.” He nudged his chin at Jake's hard-on. “Why not give in to what we both want?”

“Because it'll ruin our friendship,” Jake said, clinging to that argument and hoping Zach agreed. It was hard though because Jake wanted the man with every bone in his body.

Zach didn’t agree with Jake. The guy moved, making Jake back up until he was against the wall. Zach's eyes ate him up as his hands massaged the skin on Jake's hips. “Things won't get awkward. I promise.”

Zach lowered his head and nuzzled Jake's neck, his shadow of a beard scraping over the skin on Jake's neck. God, that scratching turned him on. Zach's hands turned him on. The guy's scent had his cock growing increasingly harder.

“Tell me you don't want me,” Zach murmured into his ear. “Tell me you don't want me buried balls deep inside of you.”

The saliva left Jake's mouth as he tried desperately to swallow. He must have inhaled too much fertilizer and was passed out it the backyard, dreaming all of this up. How had Zach gone from showing zero interest to hemming Jake against the wall?

Zach lay kisses all around Jake's throat, his jaw, and then his lips, all the while exploring Jake's body with his hands. Although Jake was cut nicely, he had nothing on Zach's muscular body. He wanted to beg the man to strip, to fuck Jake until he couldn’t walk straight.

Air left Jake's lungs when Zach lifted him off his feet as though he weighed nothing. “Wrap your legs around me,” the guy commanded and Jake complied. He pressed Jake's back into the wall as they went back to kissing and Zach's hand stroked Jake until Jake thought he'd lose his damn mind.

What struck him as odd—and later he'd realize just how sexy it was—was the fact that Zach was still fully dressed, his belt buckle pressing into Jake's bared ass.

“I want to see you fly,” Zach said as he bit Jake on the jaw. “I want to see you shatter in my arms.”

Jake threw his head back as the pressure built inside of him. Zach spun around and dropped Jake on the bed before he shoved Jake's legs back and swallowed him whole.

That did it for him. Sparks flew and his vision blurred as Jake arched his back and shouted his released, feeling his cum shoot straight down Zach's throat.

Zach slipped from the bed and undressed, revealing his well-built body, his tanned skin, his rigid abs. He reached into his jeans pocket and extracted a small pack of lube he squeezed some on his fingers and then shoved them deep into Jake's ass.

“Son of a bitch!” Jake nearly shot off the bed. “You do that again and I'll slice your fucking balls off!”

Zach only grinned at him as he speared Jake over and over again, spreading his fingers, twisting them, making Jake loose his fucking mind once more.

He was in heaven and he was in hell. Jake knew things would change between them no matter what Zach had promised but he couldn’t bring himself to stop the guy. He'd wanted this too badly to push Zach away.

“Ready, babe?” Zach asked as he pulled his fingers free and lubed his cock. “On your hands and knees.”

Jake rolled and buried his face in his pillow, refusing to allow his feelings to take a wrong turn. This was sex and nothing more. If Zach wanted to make this impersonal by fucking him from behind, so be it.

Zach's hand smoothed over Jake's back. “Love this fucking tattoo, babe. It's sexy.”

Zach had gotten the tattoo after he'd finished college. It was his way of rebelling against life. It had taken a few sessions to complete and a pretty penny from his savings, but he'd never regretted getting it.

He braced his arms as Zach began to enter him. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as the man sank deep. Zach shuddered and Jake moaned.

“Gonna love you real good, babe.” Zach began to thrust in and out of him, making Jake's back bow and his toes curl. He grunted, loving the pleasure that crashed through him as Zach fucked him.

“Oh, yeah,” Zach said. “So good.”

Jake's cock was getting hard again as Zach switched angels and hit his kill spot repeatedly. He reached up and grabbed the headboard, listening to the bed squeak as Zach pounded into his ass.

“Need you to come when I do,” Zach said, soundly breathy. “Want your tight ass squeezing me real good.”