STORY EXCERPT

Bishop heard a shout behind him. Immediately he turned, raised his hands, crouched down, and balanced onto the balls of his feet. In front of him a taller and obviously healthier version of Cooper was launching himself straight at Bishop, with murder in his eye.

Just as the man’s feet left the ground, Synn’s muscle arm slid around the man’s waist and pulled him back against Synn’s big body.

“Craig, settle down,” Synn ordered.

“Let me go. You said he went after anything blond and small. I was only gone ten minutes, and I come home to find he has my brother naked?” Craig shouted while struggling to get at Bishop.

A streak of white shot past Bishop and escaped out the door. Seconds later squawking erupted in the other room accompanied by Crystal’s howl. And then everything became quiet.

“Oh shit,” Craig exclaimed.

Synn and Craig ran out the door. Behind Bishop, there was a hiss. He turned to see Cooper trying to sit up and get his legs out of the bed.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Bishop said and went to put Cooper back into bed.

Bishop heard and felt a whisper of air against his cheek as a turquoise colored parakeet flew past his head. Out of the corner of his eye something moved. Turning Bishop caught Crystal in mid-jump as the cat tried to catch the flying bird.

The bird circled the room before heading out the door.

Holding on to Crystal, Bishop rushed over to Cooper. The poor guy was frantic and looked like he was having a full blown panic attack. Not knowing what else to do, Bishop put Crystal in Cooper’s arms before scooping them both up. Climbing into the bed, he sat and leaned back against the headboard.

Reaching down, he snagged the bed clothes and pulled them up. The selfish part of Bishop wanted to keep prying eyes off Cooper, but he also hoped the man felt more secure. After a little rearranging, he had a trembling Cooper snuggled in his arms with his blond head against his chest. There was enough room for Crystal on his chest too, and Cooper had one arm around her. Bishop wasn’t going to analyze why he refused to let anyone make Cooper feel uncomfortable about his scars. Being a big man had some perks. He had no problem knocking heads together if he had to.

“Okay, both birds are safely in their cage,” Craig said, walking into the room. He stopped in the center of the room, put his hands on his hips, and narrowed his eyes giving Bishop the death stare. “What, first you get him naked, and now you’re in bed with him?”

Cooper burrowed his head into Bishop’s armpit, and Crystal looked at Craig with what could be perceived, in Bishop’s opinion, as disdain.

Behind Craig, Synn walked into the room. “Am I going to have to take you on for crushing butterflies, Mr. Saint?” he asked.

Bishop looked his former commander right in the eye. Comparing Cooper to a butterfly was fitting. “Nope. I think it’s time for the butterfly to feel safe enough to spread its wings and come into its glory,” he answered.

“What the fuck are you two talking about?” Craig demanded.

“Come on, baby, let’s let Bishop calm Cooper down and then we can talk.” Synn put his arm around Craig’s shoulders and guided the irritated man out of the room.

Just before the door closed, he heard Craig say, “Why is he calming Cooper down. I’m his twin…”

Cooper lifted his head out of Bishop’s armpit. Tears were streaking down his face.

“Don’t cry, little bug,” Bishop said. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. The birds are fine, and so is Crystal. We’ve done nothing wrong. And even if we did, I don’t care. You feel good in my arms.”

Bishop could see he surprised the little guy. That was good. If it took his mind off his problems for a little while, Bishop might just admit a few more things.

The skin around Cooper’s eyes looked pinched, and his lips were pressed into a tight line. Reaching over to the small table, Bishop picked up the prescription bottle and read the label.

“When’s the last time you took some of this?” Bishop asked.

Cooper held up four fingers.

“Four hours?” he asked.

Nodding, Cooper laid his head down on Bishop’s chest and ran a hand over Crystal’s soft white fur.

“I think it would be alright if you took one more. That fall didn’t help anything, and you must be feeling that bruise on your hip by now.”

Bishop ignored the way Cooper’s body stiffened. He was usually a pretty observant man. And he was finding out he especially noticed anything having to do with Cooper.

Popping the cap open with his thumb, he shook a pill out of the bottle and handed it to Cooper. Setting the bottle back on the table, he snagged the glass of water sitting there and held it to Cooper’s lips. When he finished drinking enough water to swallow the pill, Bishop set the glass back on the table. Cooper had relaxed backdown onto his chest, and Bishop gently ran a hand over his back in comfort.

“It’s funny,” Bishop said softly. “I don’t know much about you, and yet I want to keep you in my arms, where I can protect you. That doesn’t happen to me, ever. After I’ve scratched my itch with a guy, I’m done with them. But you’re different. I sure hope you’re ready for me. I’m told I can be a handful even on my good days.”

Bishop didn’t expect an answer. But he thought he would receive some sign in body language of what Cooper thought about his confession.

Tipping his head down, Bishop saw that Cooper was asleep. For the first time, there wasn’t a pinched look of pain around his eyes, and he wasn’t biting his lips together enduring his injuries. In a relaxed sleep, Bishop received his first glimpse of what Cooper would look like when he was healthy and happy. And Bishop vowed right there to do everything possible to make that happen.

ADULT EXCERPT

Abruptly, he stopped before the bed and glared at Cooper. “I have never worked so hard to have sex in my life. Usually I just snap my fingers and I have some little twink sucking my cock.” Bishop demonstrated his thoughts by snapping his fingers. “But you.” He pointed at Cooper. “You have my guts twisted in so many knots I don’t know which way is up. I find I can only sleep when you are in my arms. Do you know my balls are turning blue because I’ve been waiting for you to be ready for me?” he complained.

Taking a deep breath, Bishop’s long strides had him across the room and back one more time.

Stopping again in front of Cooper he said, “Okay, maybe ditching the condoms right now isn’t the greatest idea.”

Cooper started scribbling something on the paper. When he finished he held it up for Bishop to see. In large letters were the words, “Commitment! Monogamy!”

Bishop’s temper tantrum toddler persona disintegrated. Replacing it was the mercenary hunter.

* * * *

Cooper sat naked on the bed with a ball gag in his mouth and a leather belt around his neck. In the last hour, Bishop had turned from a skilled lover who was pushing Cooper’s limits, to a frustrated man who Cooper was terrified was going to leave him and walk out the door.

Now Bishop had changed again into a man on a mission. Before him was the mercenary that invaded rebel camps and hunted the enemy. Only the man who was moving like a cat toward him was hunting Cooper.

One muscled thigh bulged when Bishop put his knee on the bed and climbed on gracefully. As he had before, Bishop crawled over Cooper forcing him to lie back on the bed. All the while Bishop’s burning gaze never left Cooper’s face.

Bishop ripped the ball gag away and threw it over his shoulder. “I want your lips,” he said in a tone that broke no argument. Cooper shivered.

“Put your hands around my neck and spread your legs. I want access to all of you,” Bishop demanded.

Cooper raised his arms and did as he was told. The soft hairs at the base of Bishop’s neck tickled his hands. Bishop leaned down and Cooper raised his lips accepting his lover’s kiss.

Bishop ravaged Cooper’s mouth with a sucking biting kisses that involved a tongue invading his mouth and teeth scraping against his lips. As Bishop continued to kiss him, Cooper felt his cock started weeping. That had never happened before. Surly, Cooper wondered, there was no way a person could come from just a kiss?

A hand slid under his head and it was lifted off the bed. Cooper could only hold on tight and let Bishop master him with only a kiss. Now Bishop’s tongue began to fuck Cooper’s mouth deeply and thoroughly, and Cooper came.

Cooper couldn’t stop his body from jerking and shaking as cum spewed from his balls. Spurt after spurt left him until he went limp in Bishop’s arms.

Bishop raised his head and Cooper didn’t like how lost he felt. He wanted Bishop’s warm demanding mouth back on his where it belonged.

The world tilted and Cooper found himself on top of Bishop looking down at him. The cum coating his belly smeared against Bishop’s abs. Cooper braced himself waiting for the yelling to begin. By now Oliver would have had his knife out and would be reminding Cooper how much he didn’t like Cooper’s cum messes.

“Grab the slick on the table, little bug and grease me up,” Bishop ordered.

Now Cooper was confused, shouldn’t he be getting a wet rag from the bathroom and cleaning them?

“What’s the matter?” Bishop asked.

Cooper lifted up and sat on Bishop’s hard thighs. With his hand he gestured first to his messy belly and then to Bishop’s.

“So what?” Bishop said. “If sex is good, it’s messy. Now slick me up.”