Fortune's Favor

Chapter Five

Avery felt terrible. He’d pushed the door open a crack to check on Nathan and had seen his partner shaking under the covers. The small sobs he tried to hide ripped Avery apart. But he left Nathan alone, knowing he wouldn’t want anyone to witness his breakdown.

The guy had been holding it together for days. After he’d flown back from Danielle’s funeral, he’d demanded they set out to recover the stolen blade. Their boss hadn’t complained, but he’d shot Avery a look, one that said to take care of his partner. Hauling Nathan’s ass out of bar after bar hadn’t been fun but necessary. Fucking him? Necessary and fun, but in retrospect, not in Nathan’s best interests.

Then again, maybe something they’d done had shaken Nathan’s reserve, because this was the first time Avery had seen his partner grieve.

Nathan had to get it out. Holding on to that much pain would only make it worse. He needed to be clearheaded and focused when they met up with Dixon. From the information Ian kept filtering through Avery’s e-mail, the news continued to grow worse.

Malcolm Dixon was not only a killer but an unofficial cleanup man for the CIA. Wonderful. As if that weren’t bad enough, according to Agency files, the shit the man could do with a weapon would make anyone nervous, Avery included. Malcolm’s skill seemed to be a lot like Nathan’s, except Malcolm could not only see impressions off weapons but also use the skills of those who had once wielded them. Guns, knives, swords—Malcolm mastered them all.

Avery still wondered exactly how Nathan had overpowered his uncle all those years ago. He’d had to have been all of thirteen, up against a mature man who’d been trained to kill. He had a feeling Nathan hadn’t told him the whole truth about the incident.

He sighed and moved back into the kitchen, needing something to do. After a few moments spent gathering tools, he began sanding the kitchen cabinets in need of a new stain. While he worked, he tried to think how he might have handled the situation in Nathan’s place.

So say his aunt died, and he found out she was really his mother. He had no other siblings, no family, just her. According to Jack, Nathan and his aunt were really tight. Just great. Avery would be missing the hell out of his aunt, angry she’d lied to him, and then thrust back into the nightmare of his past. He’d have to work with a partner he didn’t really know or even like, truth to tell, but one who made his cock hard nonetheless. At the mercy of his hormones, his grief, and a danger coming closer day by day.

Was it any wonder Nathan had wanted to drink his worries away? Hell, Avery couldn’t blame him. Nathan hurt, and he reached out, wanting to feel better. Sure, sex was an easy cure. But like the booze, it was also a crutch. Avery swore at himself as he sanded chipped paint off the cabinets. He shouldn’t have given in to desire and been with Nathan yesterday.

So what that he couldn’t remember any of his past lovers after that brief interlude? And sure, Nathan was sexier than hell. The man didn’t know what he was doing. Despite the attraction between them, Nathan had never acted on it before. Shit, just days ago he’d been trying to fuck anything that moved. Strangers would do. Was Avery really any different from those available partners?

Why did it fucking piss him off to think he was just like all the rest of the men in Nathan’s life—disposable? Avery felt as if he’d lost something in their sexual exploration. Coming twice, kissing the man, feeling that taut flesh against his… He couldn’t stop thinking about it. Him.

With a disgusted curse, he threw down the sanding block and made his way back up the stairs toward Nathan’s room. A peek inside showed his partner sound asleep. Thank God. Avery walked next door and decided to make better use of his time than fixing up a tired house. Instead he tried to piece together the puzzle that was Malcolm Dixon. What made the man tick? Why had he turned from loving his wife to almost killing her and her nephew? Why abuse a small boy the way he had? Had the government been responsible for his change? Or had he always been bad to the bone? What would he be like now?

Hours later after pouring through every nugget Ian had sent him, Avery came back to the same clue that puzzled the hell out of him. Why had Danielle sent her son to live with her sister? Who had she slept with while Malcolm worked abroad? He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he had a feeling the answers to everything lay with Danielle Dixon. And only one person could help him solve the questions that plagued him.

The poor bastard getting some much-needed rest next door.

Nathan woke feeling deeply rested. A glance out the window showed night had fallen. Hell, he must have slept the day away. He rose, took care of his needs, and dressed. After a hurried race through the cold hallway and down the stairs, he entered into a cozy living room. The gas fire burned. The lights had been turned low, and the smell of Chinese food made his mouth water. Then he noticed Avery sitting in an oversize chair reading a book and had to check himself for drool. Good God, the man did wonders for jeans and sweaters.

Avery glanced up and put the book aside. “Finally awake, I see. Feeling better?”

“Yeah, I am, actually.” Nathan rubbed his stomach, famished. “What’s to eat?”

“Take your pick. Noodles, rice, chicken, and shrimp. It’s in the kitchen.”

Nathan left Avery, loaded up a plate, and returned to the living room. Avery watched him with an intent look that discomfited him. “What?”

“Just wondering if you being here is the right thing.”

Nathan groaned. “Not this again. You already saw me here. What the hell, man?”

“In a vision. But you said it yourself. I don’t know when I saw you. Might be a year from now that you confront Dixon.” In a low voice, Avery added, “You need time to get through all this.”

“You sound like you care.”

“Don’t be an ass. Sure I care.” At Nathan’s raised brow, Avery added, “I don’t want to get my head shot off while you’re moping over your loss and thinking up ways to kill your uncle.”

“That’s really sweet of you, Avery.”

Avery grinned, and Nathan’s heart raced. “That’s me. Mr. Caring. No, seriously. I was thinking about it a lot today. You lost your mother. It’s a big deal, man. Take the time you need to get through this. We should go back to Bend. We’ll figure out another way to get Dixon to show himself.”

“What about the job? We’re supposed to get that blade back for our client.”

Avery shrugged. “It’s been missing for a year at least. What’s another few months? Hell. If he wants it so bad, Jack can put someone else on the case. Let Aidan take it. He’s been a real pain in the ass lately, wanting to get out and do some field work.”

Nathan chuckled. “You have to admit, working in the gym isn’t nearly as exciting as undercover ops.”

“Oh yeah. House-sitting in Bloomville is a huge thrill.”

Nathan’s held his fork over his plate as he studied his partner.

Avery frowned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You really mean it? You’d drop this mission and go back? For me?”

“So what?” Avery quickly amended, “Not just for you. It’s a safety issue is all. Better for both of us if we deal with Dixon when we’re more focused.”

Nathan slowly put his fork down. “I know I’m fucked up. But what’s your problem?” He had a feeling he knew. His cock filled out, and his nipples grew hard when he thought about Avery’s issues.

Avery glared at him. “You’re my problem.”

“I knew it.” He grinned, and Avery’s expression grew even darker.

“You don’t follow orders on a good day. But now you’re sad and hurting, and it’s not good that you’re here.”

“Oh?”

“Fuck it. We need to pack up and head home.”

Nathan rose from his seat and stood over Avery, still slouched in his chair. “I think you’re worried about me.”

“You’re my partner. Of course I’m worried about you.”

“It’s more than that, isn’t it?” Nathan ran a hand over Avery’s cheek, attuned to the bigger man’s expanding pupils, the breath he sucked in, and the body that looked tense, poised to spring.

“Cut it out.” That husky voice turned him on like clockwork.

“I want to fuck you.”

Avery shook his head and grabbed Nathan’s hand when Nathan wouldn’t move it away. “You want to fuck to forget. Just a few days ago, you were going to do that dickhead in the bar. You think you want me, but you really want comfort.” Avery swallowed hard. “I can’t give you that.”

“What can you give me?” Nathan knew Avery was wrong, but he couldn’t resist the hint of unease in his partner’s eyes. Avery always appeared so sure of himself, that to see him the slightest bit unsure was mesmerizing.

“A good, hard fuck. I’d ram it deep in that ass, Nate.”

“So what’s—”

“But the problem is, I don’t know you.”

Nathan frowned. “Sure you do.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t know who you’ve been with. I want to fuck you bare, but I won’t chance it. Hell, even going down on you is a risk.”

Nathan’s desire pulsed with anger. “I might like to play the field, but I don’t fuck with my safety.”

“Oh?”

Nathan recalled the other night when he was drunk off his ass and flushed. “Cut me some slack, dickhead. My mother just died. So I was out of it a few nights ago.”

Avery’s expression softened, and Nathan wondered if he was aware of it. “I know, man. You’ve been through a lot of shit in the last few weeks. But Nathan, that’s just one more reason we should wait.”

“I’m done waiting.” Nathan would be damned if he’d let anyone or anything get in his way. Time was just too short. “I could be dead tomorrow. I want you now. Tonight. You don’t know me? I don’t know you. What’s so hard about wearing condoms?”

Avery’s jaw clenched tight. Oh yeah, he had a hard-on going strong in those jeans.

“Come on. You know you want me. If it makes you feel better, I always wear a condom. Always. And I don’t blow just anyone.” He wanted to suck Avery again. “I’d be worried about you, except you’re the poster boy for safe sex. Hell, for safe everything.” He snorted. “Have you ever taken a chance in your well-ordered life?”

Avery exploded out of the chair and knocked Nathan back a step. Before Nathan could complain, Avery powered him over his shoulder and took the steps two at a time to his room.

“Holy shit. You’re strong as a bull,” he rasped as he bounced over Avery’s shoulder.

“You just won’t quit. Fine. We’re gonna fuck. All night long. And you’ll do what you’re told.”

“A closet dom. Figures.” Nathan couldn’t for the life of him think about anything but obeying Avery to the letter. He felt faint, feverish with desire. His deepest fantasies were about to come true. Submission to a stronger man. But not to just any man. To Avery Holton, the one person he’d never been able to get out of his mind.

And now, if he was lucky, out of his body.

Avery could barely see straight. He hadn’t meant to commit to this, but damn if Nathan would stop picking at his control. He had tried to do the right thing, tried to give the man time and space. But Nathan, being Nathan, had to have things his own way.

“You’re a brat,” Avery snapped and tossed him down on his bed. Avery’s room. Avery’s rules. “Always what you want when you want it.”

Nathan propped himself up on his elbows. His hair slid over his forehead, hiding one eye, and he’d never looked sexier. Avery could see the hard cock pressed against the back of Nathan’s fly. He knew how Nathan’s chest would flex, how his nipples would stand on end, taut and rosy with arousal.

“Take off your clothes.” He stood with his arms crossed, glaring down at the playboy. “Tonight you do what I tell you to, or you’ll get punished. No safe words, no stopping this. We do it my way. If you can’t take that, get the hell off my bed and out of this room. Now.”

Nathan’s answer was to shrug off his sweatshirt and start on the button of his jeans.

Avery shifted his stance, ready to blow with each revealed bit of skin.

“You look hard, buddy. Pretty needy.” Nathan chuckled as he slid out of his jeans and underwear. Then he removed his socks and lay back, completely naked. “What now, Master?”

“Smart-ass.” If only the bastard would mean it, Avery would insist he use the term. “Now you lay there and let me look at you.”

He took his time, lingering on the washboard abs, the crunch of muscle in those rock-hard biceps. “You have long legs. Muscular. I like those thick thighs. I wonder what they’ll feel like wrapped around me while I fuck that hole of yours.”

Nathan’s cock pearled at the tip, the creamy bead of dew a testament to his desire.

“Nice sex talk. You’re good at this.”

“Don’t sound so surprised.” Avery took his sweater off, not feeling a bit of the cold. He couldn’t, when he was on fire to fuck Nathan. “You’re the one with all the fantasies of me being a prude. I like sex. A lot. And I haven’t been getting enough lately.”

“So that’s what this is? Desperation?” Nathan snorted.

“No. You make too many assumptions, dimples. I like to fuck, and I do a lot you’ve probably never dreamed of.” He liked the way Nathan’s eyes widened. “I always wear a rubber. And I’m clean.”

“Yeah, well, so am I.”

“Reason I’m telling you this is because I don’t want you to be concerned when I come in your mouth again. Or in that ass without a condom.”

Nathan’s breathing increased, and his cock jumped. “You just said you don’t know me. That I could be some disease-ridden fag.”

“You need to tone back on the drama.” Avery unbuttoned the top tab of his jeans, pleased to see Nathan’s gaze glued to his fingers. “One, I know you’re clean, unless you fucked someone between the fifteenth of December and now that I’ve missed.”

Nathan frowned. “That was the date of my physical. That info is confidential.”

“Yeah, right. Two, I don’t like the constant references that I’m a homophobe. I’m bisexual, Nathan. And I like myself; therefore, I don’t hate gays.”

“So women too, huh?” Nathan licked his lips as Avery eased the buttons open on his jeans.

His dick felt like it was about to explode. “Sure. A warm, wet pussy can be nice. And sucking on a pair of tits is hot. Usually.” He lowered his jeans and underwear and sighed at the relief in his balls. “But there’s something about a hot, tight ass lately that’s been exciting me. And a nice broad chest. You’re getting more definition.” Avery didn’t remove his clothes, but he did step closer to the bed.

“Take ’em off,” Nathan rasped. “You want to fuck me? So do it.” He spread his legs wide and held up his dick, showing Avery his plump balls.

“See, that’s the problem. You giving orders.” Avery shook his head. “Come over here and suck me off. I want you on your hands and knees. No touching, except with your mouth.”

“You really are a prick, aren’t you?” Nathan rolled onto his hands and knees and crawled to Avery.

“I am. And that’s why you’re so fucking hard for it. You like me mean.”

Nathan groaned. “And so arrogant. I must be a masochist.”

“We’ll see,” Avery murmured, intending to know all about Nathan before the night was through. God, he’d been wanting this forever. The timing absolutely sucked, but he planned to teach Nathan the art of patience. Since his partner couldn’t wait until they got home, when Avery had wanted to get together, he’d give him something to remember for a long time to come.

“Now,” Avery said and held his cock out. “Open that mouth, dimples. Let’s see you suck some cock.”

Nathan kissed the head of his cock and winked up at him while he did it.

“I said suck it.” Avery gripped Nathan’s head and shoved between those lips. He gagged the pretty boy on his dick and groaned. “That’s it. Let it hit the back of your throat. Bad boys don’t get to play. They follow orders.”

Nathan adjusted quickly and took every push and thrust. Avery didn’t want to come so quickly, but Nathan had him so hard. His partner hadn’t yet disobeyed except to tease with a kiss, but the chance that he might made everything more exciting.

“Good little cocksucker, aren’t you? That’s it. Love my dick. Suck it deep, oh yeah.” He gripped Nathan’s head and fucked his mouth hard. “Wait till I’m inside that ass. I’ll grind into you. My fat cock in your hole.” Avery jerked when Nathan cupped his balls. Then the fucker squeezed with just enough pressure to upend Avery’s entire world. “Fuck.” He jetted down Nathan’s throat, the release overwhelming, while Nathan continued to massage his sac and suck him dry.

Avery shoved Nathan’s hand away and pulled out. He tucked himself back in his clothes and fastened them. “You don’t listen, do you?”

Nathan grinned and licked his lips. “Sweet. Even for an asshole.”

Avery knocked Nathan to the bed and flipped him onto his belly. “Don’t move.” He hurried to the closet and found his bag. At the bottom he carried flex-cuffs, in the event they found trouble. He returned to the bed, pleased to see Nathan had for once obeyed him, and wrapped the cuffs around Nathan’s wrists before he could move away.

He cataloged every scar and mark on his partner’s back and ass, shocked at the damage Malcolm had done. The evidence made Avery that much more determined to make Malcolm pay and to give Nathan the pleasure he deserved.

“What the hell?” Nathan pulled but didn’t try to turn over to his back.

“Now spread your legs wide.” Avery stripped while Nathan widened his legs. Then he leaned down and licked Nathan’s hole. The flesh puckered, and Nathan groaned. His balls were hard, his cock grinding into the bed with every tease of Avery’s tongue.

“That’s it.” Avery opened his ass cheeks wide and dipped his tongue farther inside. Fuck, but Nathan was hot. So damn sexy. Everything about him, from his scent to his taste to his feel, was in tune with what Avery wanted. He continued to eat the playboy, loving the drawn-out groans and pleas for more.

“Come on, Avery. Fuck me. God, let me come.”

Avery leaned up from him, erect once more. He slapped Nathan’s ass several times, hard enough to startle a cry from the man. “No. You need discipline, badly. Hmm. Nice red marks on that fine ass of yours. How’s that dick?” He reached under Nathan to grip his cock. He was rock hard and hot. Moisture slid over the tip of his shaft, and Avery used it to lube Nathan’s dick. He jerked him off and felt Nathan near his end. Then he pulled his hand away.

“Fucker. You’re an asshole, you know that?” Nathan swore as he ground into the bed.

“Nope. Not yet. Turn over.”

Nathan called him a few more choice names before turning onto his back, his wrists held fast by the flex-cuffs. He looked up at Avery with bright green eyes, the color blinding, so filled with lust. “It hurts, dammit. Suck me.”

“Oh, I will. When I’m ready.” Avery left Nathan lying there and grabbed a tube of lubricant from his bag. He slathered the stuff over his cock, ready to come all over again. Nathan was just that damn beautiful. And like that, the lust rose hand in hand with the affection he felt for his partner. His lover.

“God, you’re so big.” Nathan didn’t take his gaze from Avery’s groin. “It’ll hurt going inside me.” He bit his lip. “Please.”

Avery gave him a mean grin and nudged Nathan’s legs apart. He propped Nathan’s hips up and scooted closer on his knees. He angled his cockhead down at Nathan’s hole and pushed the littlest bit inside before stopping.

“Oh fuck. Do it. Do it now.” Nathan thrashed on the bed, trying to urge Avery deeper. But Avery put his hands firmly on Nathan’s hips to hold him still.

“Not yet. Patience, baby. Wait for it.” Avery rubbed Nathan’s dick with his fingers, sliding them up and down the hot flesh. The precum beading at Nathan’s slit wet his belly, and Nathan shuddered with every touch.

“You’re such a bastard.” Nathan bit out the truth and tried again to seat Avery deeper. “Christ, I need to come. I’m gonna come so hard.”

Avery pulled back. “Wait for it.”

“Fuck you. Dammit. Quit playing.”

“Tsk, tsk. Such a brat.” Avery leaned down and bit Nathan’s nipple. Then he sucked the bud, gratified by Nathan’s moans and bucking body. “You ready to be good, baby? Ready for my thick cock now?”

Nathan nodded. “Oh yeah. Put it in me. Please.”

Avery continued to play with Nathan’s nipples and repositioned himself against Nathan’s anus. Then he pushed slowly, until just the head of himself was inside. The heat of Nathan’s ass tempted him to ram hard, to pound away until he came. But Avery forced himself to get Nathan so in lust he couldn’t function past the need to come.

He returned his mouth to Nathan’s, wanting another kiss. Their fused lips encouraged him to go deeper. The wetness on his belly told him Nathan clearly neared his end, so Avery ground over Nathan’s cock, pressing them chest to chest and groin to groin as he sank the last inches inside his lover’s body.

He groaned into Nathan’s mouth. “So good. So goddamn good.”

Nathan groaned back, but Avery didn’t hear any of what he said. Instead he leaned up and watched as he slowly thrust in and out of his lover.

“Gonna come. So hard. All over you,” Nathan warned, his breath raspy, his voice hoarse. His eyes were glazed and his lips swollen. He took Avery’s breath away, and a deep warmth settled behind his breast.

Avery pumped his hips. And then he added a hand between them. He gripped Nathan tight and jerked him off.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck, yeah. Yeah. Avery.” Nathan exploded, coming over his belly and Avery’s while Avery continued to work him.

A large mess covered them both before Avery finished. He filled Nathan’s ass full of hot seed, and the knowledge that nothing lay between them satisfied the hell out of him. He wiggled his hips and let the last spurt finish before he withdrew.

Avery sat on his knees, spent and enthralled by the sight of a well-pleased Nathan Kraft. He saw the sticky mess covering Nathan’s belly and rubbed it into his skin.

“You made a mess.” Avery loved the feel of Nathan’s firm muscle. He smoothed that cum all over the man’s torso, learning him anew.

“You did too,” Nathan said thickly. “My ass is full of you. My arms ache, and it’s more than uncomfortable lying like this, with my hands losing their circulation.” He paused and smiled. “But I don’t want to move. Ever.”

Avery couldn’t look away from that smile. Something funny hit him hard. An emotion he could barely say, let alone feel. He blinked and met Nathan’s gaze again. “We’re going to move. We have a lot more to do tonight, baby.”

Nathan blushed.

“You like me calling you that, huh? Baby.”

“Better than dimples or Nate.” Nathan made a face, and Avery couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shower first. Then we’re going to play some more. And did I mention I have a cock ring in my bag?”

Nathan groaned. Avery laughed. Talk about one hell of a night.