STORY EXCERPT

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes, Jackson.” Deputy Director Malone motioned with his hand. “Come in and shut the door.”

Christopher Jackson stepped into the director’s office and shut the door behind him. He nodded to the other man in the room, a man he knew well, and walked over to stand in front of the director’s desk, his hands clasped behind his back as he waited to find out why he had been called to the director’s office.

“Oh,” the director said when he looked up from the papers he was reading over. He waved his hand. “Have a seat, Jackson.”

Jackson sat down, although he felt a little funny about doing so when his immediate supervisor, Special Agent Maxwell Bernaro, was sitting on the edge of the director’s desk, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I need you for a special assignment, Jackson,” the director began.

“Yes, sir.”

Deputy Director Malone set his pen down and leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Without the director looking straight at him, Jackson could still see that the man was worn out and tired. He had the beginning of light bags under his eyes and age lines that had never been there before.

Jackson wouldn’t want his job for love or money.

“How long have you been with the agency, Jackson?” the director asked as he lowered his hands to his desk and looked at Jackson.

“Seven years, sir. Two years as a field agent and five years on the Alpha One Fly Team.”

“And before that?”

Jackson wasn’t really sure where this line of questioning was going. “Five years with Navy Intelligence, sir.”

The chief looked down at a file lying open on his desk, nodding as he read. Jackson knew it was his file. He could see his name at the top in big bold black letters. Jackson glanced up at Max, wondering why the man was here if the special assignment was meant for him.

“It says here that your area of expertise is technical analyst for one of our Fly Teams.”

“Yes, sir.”

The chief glanced back up, his face stretched tight with a grim look. “Do you like working in the field, Jackson?”

“Very much, sir.”

“You came highly recommended by Special Agent Bernaro.”

Jackson quickly glanced at Max before looking back at the director. “Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t thank me yet, Jackson. You haven’t heard what the assignment is.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I have a situation that requires someone with your unique set of skills.”

Jackson’s eyebrows shot up. “My unique set of skills, sir?” What in the hell was that supposed to mean? His one main skill was being a technical analyst. He wasn’t good at much else. He couldn’t even drive a car.

“He means you being gay, Jackson,” Max said.

“Oh.” Jackson wasn’t exactly sure being gay was a skill—at least, not that he had heard of.

“Yes, well…” The director’s face flushed. He looked uncomfortable. Max did not. He looked amused. The slight smirk on the man’s face was a big clue.

Jackson had never hidden the fact he was gay from anyone. Everyone on his team knew he was. He refused to hide it. He was gay. So the fuck what? Jackson just didn’t understand what sleeping with other men had to do with this current assignment.

“While this wouldn’t normally even be discussed in the bureau, Special Agent Bernaro is correct in this instance.” The director folded his withered hands together and rested his elbows on the desk, his face still slightly flushed. “Your unique skills would be of great asset on this assignment.”

“My gayness would be of great asset?” Jackson glanced from the director over to his immediate supervisor. He wasn’t sure he liked where this was going. Never before had his being gay affected his job in any way. Now they wanted to use his sexual orientation? “For what?”

“Have you ever heard of the RAF?”

Jackson’s brows pulled together as he quickly racked his memory for the definition of those letters. “The Revolutionary Armed Forces, sir?”

The director nodded. “We’ve suspected for some time that they were moving arms into the country. For what purpose, we haven’t been able to discover, but it’s something big. The shipments that we have been able to track have been moving into the country at an alarming rate, nearly two a week for the last six weeks.”

“Last week we were able to track one of those shipments to an Irish pub in Boston,” Max added.

“An Irish pub in Boston?” Jackson arched an eyebrow in amusement. “You don’t say.”

“This is no laughing matter, Agent Jackson,” the chief snapped.

“No, of course not, sir.” Jackson instantly straightened his shoulders and dropped the smile from his face. “If you want to give me the pertinent facts to the case, it shouldn’t take me more than a couple of hours to get up to speed. I can have a suggested scenario for you by morning.”

“That’s not why you’re here, Jackson,” Max said.

It wasn’t? Jackson glanced between the chief and Max. He was a technical analyst. Putting bits of information together to make a whole picture was what he did. “So, what do you need me to do then?”

“The pub where the arms shipments have been going to is owned by a man named Hayden Flynn.”

“Is he a suspect?”

“No.” The chief grimaced. “He’s a witness, a very important witness.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Jackson bit Hayden’s chin and then quickly pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside. He could feel Hayden’s eyes on him as he began to push his boxers down to his hips. When Hayden didn’t move, Jackson merely arched an eyebrow at him. “It’s going to be really hard to fuck me with our clothes on, Hayden.”

“Oh.” Hayden’s face heated with embarrassment as he rolled to one side of the bed. “Right.”

Jackson finished pushing his boxers down his legs then kicked them away, feeling the anticipation build. He turned toward the nightstand and grabbed a condom and lube out of the dresser drawer—just where anyone would expect it to be in the home of two gay men—then rolled back to face Hayden.

Who still sat right on the edge of the bed just staring at Jackson. The man look scared to death.

Jackson took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, reminding himself that Hayden came first in all of this. If the man had changed his mind, Jackson would be disappointed, but would respect the man’s decision. “Are you sure you want to do this, Hayden?” he asked, his tone gentle, letting the man know it was okay to say no.

Hayden glanced at the condom and lube in Jackson’s hand, his green eyes hesitant, and then he gave a firm nod. “I’m sure.”

A smile tipped up the corners of Jackson’s mouth, but he held back the eagerness in his voice. “Then you might want to get naked.”

“Naked.” Hayden swallowed hard. “Right.”

Hayden continued to just sit there and stare.

“Hayden.”

“Huh?” Hayden seemed almost dazed as he lifted his eyes to meet Jackson’s.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this.” Jackson would have rather cut out his tongue than say that, but he would never force a man to have sex with him.

“No, it’s not that. I just—” Hayden’s eyes fell to Jackson’s body again and his eyes drank in Jackson’s naked form. “I’ve never seen anyone that looks as beautiful as you.” Hayden’s eyes widened as if he suddenly realized what he had said. They shot back up to Jackson. “Handsome, I mean as handsome as you.”

“Relax, Hayden.” Jackson dropped the supplies on the bed and rolled toward Hayden. “Being called beautiful is not a bad thing. The only bad thing would be if you didn’t want to touch.”

“I…” Hayden began to gently pant as he looked up and down Jackson’s naked body. “I can touch you?”

Hadn’t Hayden just been touching him? Maybe he had been too involved in the kiss to realize that was what he was doing. Jackson could fix that.

“It will be kind of hard not to touch me if you plan to fuck me.” Just for good measure, Jackson lay back on the bed and spread his legs, trailing his fingers down his chest in an erotic motion. “Do you want to touch me, Hayden?” Jackson asked in a breathy tone, letting a small groan escape his lips.

“Oh, yeah,” Hayden said just as sensually and just as needy.

Jackson bit his lip to stifle a cry when Hayden’s hands settled on his chest. Oh, man, did he want to be touched by Hayden—preferably from the top of his head down to his toes and every inch in between.

Hayden’s body moved closer until his hard frame seemed to imprint itself on Jackson’s. They fit so perfectly together, almost as if they were two halves of the same whole. Hayden’s hands were firm as they touched Jackson, sending a shiver of longing through him. Each touch was perfect.

“You can touch me anywhere,” Jackson whispered when Hayden seemed to hesitate, his hand hovering over Jackson’s pierced nipples. Jackson sucked in his lower lip and bit down on it when Hayden’s fingers circled one nipple and then began to gently tug on the silver ring going through his skin.

“Does that feel good?”

Jackson grinned. “Oh, yeah.” Hell, it felt frigging fantastic. There was a reason that Jackson had his nipples pierced. Playing with them could get him off almost as fast as someone’s lips wrapped around his dick. Hayden playing with the piercings put a whole new spin on things. Jackson was panting and ready within seconds.

Hayden locked eyes with him and then lowered his head, his tongue flicking out as he lapped at the ring. Jackson was lost in the sight as Hayden tugged on the ring with his teeth. His cock throbbed painfully, ready to explode, but Jackson fought the need to come as he watched Hayden explore him.

“You’re teasing me,” Jackson said with a whimper, twisting in the grip of an erotic heat that was burning him alive. “Don’t tease me, Hayden, please.”

A wicked smile formed on Hayden’s gorgeous face. “You have to learn patience, Jackson.”

To hell with patience. Jackson wanted to be fucked. But it seemed his begging hadn’t hurried Hayden along. If anything, the man seemed to slow down. His licks were slower, tracing from one nipple to the next as he teased the flesh with his teeth.

Jackson wasn’t going to survive.

Hayden’s hands traced over Jackson’s skin. The gentle caress caused a surge of heat to rise within Jackson. He had stupidly thought they were just going to have quick and dirty sex. But it seemed Hayden wanted something a little more different. The man seemed to want to explore every inch of his body at his leisure.

Stunned wasn’t even a good description when Hayden grabbed one of Jackson’s hands and led it down toward his ramrod cock. He could see a blush creep over Hayden’s features. Jackson wrapped his fingers around the hard-as-steel shaft. “Is this what you want?”

Hayden gave one long suck to Jackson’s nipple. “God, yes.” And then the man leaned up. Heat, sweet, teasing heat blew against the lobe of Jackson’s ear. “Suck my cock, beautiful.”