STORY EXCERPT

“Who are you?”

He grinned up at Lee, but the smile never reached his eyes. “No names, remember?”

“But you just tore that guy a new one defending me. People don’t do that for strangers.”

He shook his head and combed his fingers through his thick hair. Lee’s fingers tingled to do the same.

“That?” He shook his head again. “No, that was just a warning. If he didn’t apologize, then I would have torn him a new one. Besides, what does it matter if we’re strangers or not? The guy was an asshole and needed to be brought down a few pegs. I hate ignorance.”

Lee stared at him, waiting to see if he had an ounce of humor in his expression. It remained hard, unnerving, and unbelievably sexy. “I guess it’s a good thing you put him in his place.”

“Yeah,” he replied and narrowed his gaze as he turned his attention away. “I guess.”

Before reason could overtake his sudden bout of insanity, Lee blurted out, “Have dinner with me.”

A swung that powerful gaze to Lee and said nothing for several seconds, as if fighting some internal battle for the answer.

“It’s the least I can do after you saved me from what could only be certain death.”

A grinned and even let out a chuckle. “You would have mopped the floor with that guy?”

“You obviously don’t know me. I scream when I see a spider. I can’t take on some giant who has a problem with my sexuality.”

“You can,” A said with a nod. “Never ever convince yourself that you aren’t better than anyone else. You are.”

Lee watched him and loved the sincerity in his gorgeous expression. He decided to go for broke. “You’re right. So you will have dinner with me. No question.”

After what seemed an eternity, he gave Lee a single nod.

Grinning, feeling as giddy as a kid, Lee asked, “Do you like Italian?”

“Are you Italian?”

Lee laughed. “As a matter of fact I am.”

“Then I like Italian.”

They both grinned as Lee dragged him to one of his favorite restaurants, a nice little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant above the Pike Place Market. It was always deserted on a Tuesday night, which gave Lee and A plenty of privacy.

The evening rushed by as they talked about anything and everything. Lee even got A to laugh, really laugh, when he added famous movie director to his new persona.

“Have you directed anything I’d recognize?” He picked at his lasagna.

“King Kong,” Lee answered and wiggled his brow. “I’ve got a thing for hairy men with big muscles.”

A laughed. “That was Peter Jackson.”

“Is he big and hairy?”

“He’s hairy.”

Lee sipped at his wine. “Was Peter Jackson the real director?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled.

“What about Lord of the Rings?”

“Jackson again.”

“Which one?”

“All of them.” He gave him a slow, sexy curve of his lips that made his hazel eyes dance wickedly. “You’re really terrible at this.”

Lee laughed. “I guess I am.”

“But you have a beautiful smile, so that makes up for it.”

They continued talking until the rest of the restaurant cleared out and only he and the gorgeous man sitting across from him remained. The dinner had been cleared and they sat there, polishing off their second bottle of wine.

Could this actually be happening? Could a man who looked good enough to eat really be sharing a meal with him and staring across the table with hunger laced in his gaze? Licking his lips, Lee then sucked his lower lip between his teeth and bit down.

“Do that again and I may end up embarrassing us both by pulling you into my arms and sucking that lip between my teeth.”

“Wow,” Lee murmured and leaned his elbow on the table, holding his head up with his hand. He kept all of his attention on the man for fear that if he looked away, he’d disappear. “Do you always say what’s on your mind?”

He shrugged those massive shoulders. “I figure it’s easier than lying. Besides, in my line of work you take every advantage when it’s presented to you.”

Lee couldn’t have said it better. “And what line of work is that?”

The man hesitated as he studied Lee with such intensity he sucked in a breath and held it.

“I’m a hitter.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m what you call a professional retrieval expert.”

Damn. That sounded so much cooler than what Lee made up. Why didn’t he think of something like that?

“Is that like a bounty hunter?”

“Close enough.”

Lee smiled. The wine had sufficiently mixed with his blood to make him bold enough to go for it. He’d probably never see this man again, so why not? It wasn’t like they were going home together.

“I’m going to ask you five questions. I want you to answer them as fast as you can.”

“Three,” he countered.

“Fine. Three. And then you can ask me three. Ready?”

The man looked at him. “I’m all yours.”

“Why A?” Lee asked as he sipped on his merlot. “And why B for me?”

The man’s gaze glimmered as he grinned. “Because tab A always inserts into slot B.”

ADULT EXCERPT

They could barely hold on to each other, they were so slippery, and it had to be the most electrifying, highly erotic thing Jake had ever experienced. He rubbed his cock against Lee’s and groaned when their hard flesh gave him the friction he’d been craving.

Reaching behind him, he turned the water ice-cold to keep himself from calling. His body protected Lee’s from the icy assault.

Still, it wasn’t enough. He felt his call building, tingling his neck, threatening to set his skin on fire. If he didn’t control himself, he’d end up calling and hurting Lee.

“I want to feel you,” Lee whispered against Jake’s lips and rocked his hips in rhythm with his. “Please, Jake. I want to feel you call. I want to touch you as your skin heats up. I can feel it now, you know. The water is freezing yet I’m not cold. Keep me warm, Jake. Keep me warm.”

“I can’t call when I have cold water on me. It lowers my core temperature.”

“Then turn the water up.”

“Lee, you don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I know exactly what I’m asking.”

Jake stilled, terrified to turn the water up and allow his core temperature to return to normal. If he did, he’d hurt Lee.

“You aren’t going to hurt me,” Lee said as if reading Jake’s thoughts.

“What if you’re wrong?”

Lee rested those gentle brown eyes on him. “There is only one way to find out.”

Slowly, reluctantly, Jake let some of his call surface and heat his skin. It felt amazing allowing his call out. It drove him to new heights of blistering desire. Jake moved his hips back and forth, fucking up against Lee, their cocks rubbing together, stroking each other perfectly.

“Yes,” Lee hissed and pumped his hips just a little faster. “I can feel you. Oh, it’s better than I could have ever imagined.”

Having never called during sex before, Jake didn’t know what to expect. He didn’t expect to be so incredibly turned on that with one perfect stroke, one squeeze of his cock, he’d come hard.

“Oh, baby.” Lee kissed him, and Jake tasted the desperation there. They moved in perfect time with each other, their cocks dancing together like natural-born partners. “Oh, Jake. Call more. Oh, please. Hotter. I want you hotter, baby. Please. Call for me.”

He kissed Lee with all the carnal hunger he’d kept bottled up for years, all for fear he’d hurt someone. Reaching behind Lee, Jake inserted a slippery finger into his tight hole and curled it around to find the little bead of nerves.

“Call for me! Oh, Jake. I’m so close. Please. Call.”

Jake didn’t want to call and hurt him, but then Lee mimicked Jake’s moves and inserted a finger inter his ass, curling it and stroking over his sensitive nerves.

And he lost it.

“Lee. Oh, Jesus. I can’t stop, baby. Oh!” He rocked his hips hard, fucking Lee’s cock as well as his finger. Lee did the same, slamming his body up against Jake’s as they both pushed toward their release.