STORY EXCERPT

Micah kept an eye on Eli Cannon as they worked together to put away the few groceries they’d bought on their way to the cabin. Alric and Tristan were resting in one room while Holton and Austin were in the other.

“I think everyone would appreciate a good meal,” Eli said. “I’m a mean cook, and a steak sounds good right about now.”

The guy might’ve saved them from Samuel—a mercenary who had been tracking them for weeks now—but that didn’t mean Micah trusted Eli. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something about the guy that…fuck, he wasn’t sure, but he got a weird feeling in his chest whenever he was near him.

“Just as long as you don’t drug the steaks.” Micah placed the canned goods in the cupboard.

“That was truly messed up.” Eli unloaded the steaks from the bag in front of him and placed them on the counter. “They seriously laced the muffins?”

Eli had sent Micah and the others to a “safe” house, which hadn’t turned out to be so safe. People working for Branson Industry had killed the real couple who were supposed to help them out and had taken their place, drugging the muffins so they could keep Micah and their team knocked out until Samuel arrived.

If Eli hadn’t showed and woken Holton, Micah wasn’t sure what would’ve happened. But they’d made it out of that trap—while leaving behind a body count—and now they were buried deep in the woods.

Micah wasn’t sure if that was a better alternative since they were now cut off from civilization. If Eli were truly setting them up, he’d chosen the perfect place for an ambush.

“How do you like your steak?” Eli grabbed a few bottles of seasoning from the cupboard before setting the raw steaks on a tray.

“Medium well.” Why was he acting so accommodating? Micah looked the guy over, appreciating how tall and handsome he was. But it was Eli’s pretty green eyes that always drew Micah in.

Wait. What? Nope. Micah wasn’t falling for Eli’s good looks and charms—no matter how badly he wanted to press him over a flat surface and fuck his brains out—especially since he still might be playing them.

But his mental protests didn’t stop his gaze from lowering to Eli’s ass. “So who do you really work for?” He lifted his gaze to meet the pretty green eyes that always seemed to reel him in.

Pretty? Ugh. Clearly ignoring his attraction toward Eli was gonna be a challenge. No matter how much he told himself that Eli was off-limits, Micah couldn’t stop imagining fucking the guy in every possible position.

That’s what happens when you go so long without sex. Your balls turn blue, and your brain fries one cell at a time.

“I can’t tell you.” Eli seasoned the steaks as he hummed a tune that sounded vaguely familiar. “That’s why it’s called a clandestine agency. If I told you, then they’d have to kill me.”

“Are you serious?”

Eli set the seasonings aside and grabbed the tray before facing Micah. “Nope.”

He strode away and headed out the back door. Micah smirked at Eli’s humor and bent his arm to rest it on the counter but missed and nearly whacked his head into the cupboard.

“Smooth.” Alric stepped from his bedroom. The entire cabin was an open-area plan, except for the bedrooms. But Micah had counted only three bedroom doors and wondered where he was gonna sleep.

It wasn’t like he could insist Eli take the couch since this was his place.

“You weren’t supposed to see that.” Micah wiped his hand over the counter as he forced himself not to look at the door Eli had just walked out of.

Alric glanced around. “Where is he?”

With a tilt of his chin, Micah said, “Outside. I think he’s cooking our steaks over an open flame.”

“No shit.” Alric looked at the back door. “Go make sure he isn’t seasoning them with sedatives.”

“I already got that covered.”

“How?”

“I told him not to.” 

Alric scowled. “You told him not to, so he’s gonna listen to you? Get your ass out there and keep an eye on him.”

Micah wanted to refuse, but he’d never gone against an order from his team leader before. Still, he didn’t want to spend any extra time around Eli because the Adonis was pure temptation on two legs.

“Fine,” Micah grumbled like a five-year-old and headed for the door. “But if I get poison ivy, you’re rubbing me down with that pink stuff.”

“In your dreams.” Alric went to the fridge and dug out a can of beer. “And tell him we need something else to drink besides this crap.”

He started to ask why Alric hadn’t gotten some soda when they’d stopped at the grocery store, but he didn’t bother as he stepped outside to the humidity of the late evening. There was a security light in the back that attracted a million bugs, and the sound of crickets filled the air as he walked across the grass.

Micah had guessed correctly when he spotted Eli. There was a flame in the brick pit where Eli stood, which crackled as the guy set the steaks over the steel grate. The meat hissed as soon as it touched the metal.

“Come to check on me?” Eli didn’t bother to turn around as he worked. “You can pat me down to make sure I haven’t concealed any drugs on me. But if you’re gonna frisk me, check my front pockets first.”

Micah chose to ignore Eli’s comment. He wasn’t even gonna go there.

“Alric wants to know if you have anything else to drink besides beer.” He slapped his neck when a mosquito bit him. That was the one thing he hated most about the great outdoors.

The bugs.

“Why don’t you step closer?” Eli tapped a clay pot with his fork. “It’s a citronella candle. It’ll keep the bugs from sucking your precious bodily fluids.” He eyed Micah. “I mean, since you’re gonna be out here spying on me, you might as well take precautions.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Now where were we?” Damn, he’d forgotten the lube in the kitchen, but Micah wasn’t about to go get it. Not yet. He wanted Eli worked up and begging before he left his side.

“We were…” Eli’s blush deepened to the point his face should’ve caught fire.

“Why are you so nervous?” Micah pulled Eli into his arms and slid his hands down the guy’s back. They were almost the same height, with Micah being just an inch or two taller.

Eli clenched his eyes shut and shook his head. “I have no idea. I’m not usually like this.”

“You’re a take-charge kind of guy, aren’t you?” Micah asked. “And when I said I’m the one in control, that pushed you off balance, didn’t it?”

Eli scowled as he opened his eyes. “You don’t know me that well.”

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out when your mood shifted.” Micah kissed his chin. “I wasn’t talking about being in complete control. I’m just used to…” He pursed his lips, searching for the right word.

“Being the one who guides things?”

Micah nodded. “Something like that.”

Eli shoved at Micah’s chest but not hard enough to push him away. “I guess we’re both dominant males when it comes to sex.”

Micah grabbed Eli’s wrists for leverage before doing a leg sweep that put Eli on his back. He hovered over…

Micah needed to stop kidding himself. He might not have believed the whole mate thing before, but there was no denying the overwhelming chemistry between them.

He hovered over his mate and stared into his green eyes as their cocks touched, pre-cum sliding from the head of Micah’s cock and snaking its way down Eli’s shaft. “I think I’m the more dominant one. Care to argue?”

“Not at the moment.” Eli’s smile made Micah’s heart race. It was boyish and sweet and made Micah’s stomach do somersaults. He was even more gorgeous when he grinned.

The urge to kiss Eli was too strong, so primal that Micah lowered his head and grazed his lips over Eli’s. When his mate moaned, Micah devoured the sound as he plunged his tongue deep, tilting his head as he lapped at Eli’s mouth.

His hands were on either side of Eli’s head, but he moved them as he slowly crawled down the man’s body. Micah nuzzled his neck, nipped his collarbone, and then sucked one of Eli’s nipples between his teeth and bit down gently on the pebbled skin.

Eli bucked and moaned as he slid his hands over Micah’s shoulders. He spread his legs, and Micah settled between them as he worked his way to the other, neglected nipple.

The moaning became louder as Eli arched his back, his fingernails digging into Micah’s shoulders. He ignored the sting as he teased the nub with his teeth, enjoying the sounds Eli made.

With one last gentle bite, Micah kissed and licked his way down Eli’s chest, running his tongue over the dips and valleys, leaving behind a wet trail as he worked his way to the right side of Eli’s body, mouthing his hip, before he lapped at his mate’s navel.

“You’re killing me,” Eli groaned.

“That was the plan.” The head of Eli’s cock tapped at Micah’s throat. “Murder you with foreplay. The cops’ll be baffled for years about how you died.”

“I would say this is the perfect way to go, but you haven’t done anything yet,” Eli argued.

Micah arched a brow as he looked up at Eli. “You’re not a very patient guy.”

“Not when my dick is tapping you.” He smirked as he gazed down at Micah. “Open wide for me.”

The side of Micah’s mouth curled into a smile. “I’m not at the doctor’s office.”

Eli wiggled his brows. “You’ll really like my tongue depressor. You’ll even get a special treat at the end.”

Micah burst out laughing. He laughed so hard tears sprang to his eyes. When was the last time that had happened? Not only was Eli gorgeous and witty, he was a breath of fresh air that Micah had desperately needed in his life.

Eli grinned, his arms out as his side as he threw his head back and laughed. It was the sexiest sound Micah had ever heard. As the laughter died down, emotions flowed through Micah.

He saw himself spending the rest of his life with Eli.

Now is not the time to get all sappy inside for him. Just enjoy the moment and stop crowding your own headspace.

Micah pushed backward and then dipped his head and licked the inside of Eli’s thigh. His mate sucked in a breath as his legs trembled. He worked his way back up and swallowed Eli’s cock down his throat.

“Fuck!” Eli’s legs tightened around Micah as he gripped Micah’s head. “Please don’t stop.”

Micah palmed Eli’s balls and tugged on them as he pulled back, licking his way around his mate’s hard flesh.

“Shitfuckdamn,” Eli crooned as he writhed under Micah.

Micah smiled around his mate’s cock. He loved how Eli was falling apart, how Micah had been the one to make him lose his mind. The tips of his fingers were digging into Micah’s head as Micah licked at the slit on the head of Eli’s cock, lapping up the pre-cum before taking him down his throat again.

“Gonna come,” Eli warned with an unsteady breath. “So close.”