Hard Case (9 page)

Troy groaned. He hadn’t thought his passion could get more enflamed. Steve’s bite, however, had pre-cum leaking from his tip. He craved this strong, wonderful man. Needed to feel him deep in his ass.

Steve moved up onto his knees and Troy followed suit.

“I’m going to fuck you,” Steve whispered into his ear.

Troy’s heart rate increased. “Top drawer,” he replied.

They kissed again, a hard, hot press of lips that was part benediction, part promise. Troy remained on his knees and watched as Steve crawled over the bed then pulled open the bedside drawer. He pulled out a box of condoms and a tube of lubricant. Troy fisted his leaking cock. His gaze caught on Steve’s thick, long dick as he sheathed himself in the latex, then coated his length with the slick gel.

Moments later Steve was behind him, his hand over Troy’s as together they fisted his cock. The feel of their hands, fingers entwined as they both pumped him higher was amazing. Troy gasped when Steve kissed the back of his neck, then lightly bit the tender skin there.

“Move forward,” Steve said in a low tone.

Obediently, Troy bent forward, resting his weight on his knees and free hand. Widening his legs apart, he could feel the cool air caress his exposed ass. A pressure against his hole signaled Steve had moved his head against the tight entrance. A hard force pushed against him and instinctively Troy clenched his ass, the reflex automatic to his passage being breached.

Troy relaxed and breathed heavily out.

“Oh shit, that’s it,” Steve moaned. His thick, hard cock moved into Troy.

The feel of being penetrated was intoxicating. The world shifted around him and he became deaf to anything except the noises falling unheeded from both his and Steve’s lips. Pain mingled with pleasure and Troy burned with the need to be possessed. Steve moved his hand faster, dragging Troy with him as they climbed that peak.

Troy’s arousal grew, a hard knot moving from his belly to settle in his balls. Their hands became slick as his cock released more juices.

“Fuck. Fuck,” Steve panted. He snapped his hips forward and back as he penetrated Troy.

Heat blossomed darkly.

His ass beautifully ravaged.

Steve possessed him, took control of his body and played him like a professional. In and out, over and over, Steve’s cock laid claim to him. Troy’s mind became fuzzy. His climax built with an indescribable pressure. His face flushed from the onslaught of pleasure as his blood raced through him.

“Close, so close,” Troy moaned.

Steve slid his thumb over his incredibly sensitive slit, pressed into the sensitive nerves within. Lust spiked in Troy, shot through him like lightning. He arched his back and this only pushed his ass back further onto Steve’s fierce possession.

“Yes, yes,” Steve shouted. He snapped his hips faster, closed his free hand around Troy’s hip and angled him higher. This let Steve push harder into his body.

Troy lolled his head back as he couldn’t control himself any longer. With a hoarse groan, he came.

They pumped their hands over his cock, stroking him through the climax. They were both slick and coated with his seed as he ejaculated everywhere. Steve swore again, seeming on the brink of his own release. With a husky moan, he surged inside Troy, shuddering spasmodically.

Shaking, lightheaded from the endorphins and adrenaline, Troy was relieved when Steve wrapped an arm around his waist and took them both down to the mattress. They spooned silently, sweating and shivering together.

Panting, struggling for breath, Troy tried to slow his racing heart. His body still shook, small tremors of aftershock as he recovered.

Tilting his head back he then pressed a kiss to Steve’s jaw.

“We’ve made a mess,” Steve said with a small laugh.

Troy shrugged. “It’s easily cleanable. I’ve got spare sheets in the linen closet.”

“We’re going to have to air the flat out, too,” Steve said sleepily.

“True,” Troy conceded. He yawned, though his mind spun in a million directions, adrenaline still keeping him high. “But we can do that tomorrow. Come on. You can help me fix this up before you fall asleep on me.”

Troy grinned. He felt revitalized, but knew in ten or fifteen minutes he’d crash again and sleep soundly. Steve groaned in dismay when Troy moved, sighing when he began to strip the bed.

Far more slowly, Steve climbed from the mattress and helped.

Part of Troy felt like a shower—a long, hot one, preferably with Steve. Steve’s gaze was already somewhat distant, so he knew they’d likely have to settle for a quick wash in the basin. But it was certainly an idea for later. He put it aside and focused on setting the bed to rights again before Steve passed out on him.

Plenty of time for more when they’d both had a bit of a rest.

* * * *

Troy watched Fin refill the teapot. He gave it a good stir then let it sit on a coaster to steep a bit more. Fin’s kitchen nook smelled of toast, butter and condiments. Fin’s bachelor flat was by no means tiny, but it was a space meant to occupy one or two people.

With four of them seated around the small table, the usually cozy area was a bit cramped. No one seemed to mind, though.

“Are we even certain this man James is behind everything?” Steven took another slice of toast.

“Well I’d guess he could be acting on behalf of another corporation,” Emily placed her teacup back in its saucer. “But there’s little point in questioning or arresting James until we know more of what’s going on. Right now we have no leverage and there’s not a great chance we could make James spill any details. Taking James out of the picture won’t change much at all. I’d assume someone like him would be easily replaceable.”

“How deep into this conspiracy theory are we going to go?” Fin asked with a cheeky grin. “For my part, I’d like to go all the way. I say James’ ultimate goal is to assassinate the PM.”

“What?” Emily whipped her head around to stare at him.

Troy smirked and buried his gaze into his cup. Fin might outwardly appear like an idle playboy, interested only in his next score and the latest fashions, but he had a wicked sense of humor sometimes. He enjoyed using his sharp intelligence to keep people off balance. Troy was interested in the ‘overblown’ theory he’d come up with. It might be closer to the truth than anyone realized.

“Well why go to all this trouble for small potatoes?” Fin hypothesized. “Clearly this secret organization has been working underground, behind the scenes and gathering power. They’ve got highly placed people in their pocket, money to throw around and more ambition than’s healthy. I’m not saying offing the PM is their immediate goal, but groups like this always end up with that in their sights. Normally it starts with the murder of a high level politician, probably some stuffy old prig who put a bee up the butt of some nitwit in the House of Lords. From there you move onto assassinating Marshall, and it’s only a few short steps to the PM from there. It’s not that outlandish.”

“No, it’s not,” Troy agreed. “Jumping the gun a little, but certainly not out of the realms of possibility. But let’s start with reality.
Why
do these people want Marshall dead? What does that gain them?”

“Who would replace Marshall?” Emily asked. “Could it be they’ve got someone they want to replace him, all lined up ready to succeed him and usurp his position?”

“Now that’s not a bad idea,” Troy chewed over the thought.

“Since we’re discussing way out there theories,” Fin said. “There’s been one percolating in my mind through the night. It’s crazy, but we’re already in the land of certifiable paranoid delusions. What the hell, right? Now, if my actual goal was to get a hold over Marshall, ordering a hit on him, then turning around and killing the assassin—thereby saving Marshall’s life—I’d have Marshall in my pocket, now, owing me a favor.”

“Keyton struck me as a genuinely good person. He’d feel honor bound to repay James,” Emily agreed.

“If we’re all going to jump on the bandwagon, then I’ll add another theory. Maybe this isn’t to do with Marshall owing James, but a double blind. Once James has successfully saved Marshall, he could hire another assassin, still have Marshall killed and be completely above reproach,” Steven spoke in his deep, calm manner. “No one would think to question him or look at him for the murder, since he had already saved Marshall once before.”

“Twisted,” Fin murmured, respect and awe in his tone. “That’s actually crazy enough to work too.”

“So James’ goal could be either to have Marshall feel indebted to him, so he can abuse that power and privilege or he could also possibly want Marshall dead in truth, possibly to set up his replacement or curry favor and power some other way,” Em sighed. “We’re not really any farther forward than we were before.”

“Not true,” Troy interjected. He gazed at the far wall, trying to fit their various theories mentally into the picture he still struggled to grasp. “If Steven’s idea is right… If this is some elaborate plot to murder Marshall—and too many of these pieces end in Marshall’s untimely demise for me to not think that’s linked in somehow—then there’d need to be a second assassin somewhere on this chess-board.”

“We must have royally screwed up James’ plan when we met with Marshall face to face and discussed this with him,” Fin added thoughtfully. “James might have dropped the cover of saving Marshall’s life and presumably has moved directly into phase two.”

“Another assassin,” Emily stated.

Troy let his gaze come back to the table. “Yes, I think it’s a very high possibility. Of course, we could be completely off track here, but it feels right to me.”

“I hate to overstep my bounds,” Steve said. “I know I’m not really someone trained or as involved as you all are. But surely if the money is right, many people who are willing and skilled in this area of work won’t mind who the target is?”

“Absolutely,” Emily agreed. “But if I explain I’ve been working with James and he’s double crossed me, then that will lend a certain weight and we might get a clue as to who this second assassin is.”

Emily drained her tea cup and glanced at the clock on the wall. “If I’m going to contact some people, I need to get moving.”

Fin crammed his half-eaten slice of toast into his mouth. He chewed hastily then swallowed.

“I’ll come with you—unless you need me, Troy? You’re supposed to be taking it easy, if you recall. No heroics? Spare key is in the usual place, just lock up when you head on out.”

“Since when have I ever played the hero, Fin?” Troy replied, genuinely amused.

Fin chuckled and shot a serious glance to Steven.

“You better keep an eye on him, mate,” Fin suggested. “I’m warning you now. Once Troy understands the big picture and the shit hits the fan, he has a tendency to run at full throttle and to hell with things like sleep, food and broken bones.”

“That’s hardly a fair comment,” Troy protested.

“When we here hunting a group of mercenaries, you didn’t sleep for almost forty-eight hours straight,” Fin said. “When we were chasing a nameless bomber, you cracked two ribs and refused to stop at a chemist for painkillers. When—”

“Okay, okay!” Troy sighed. He cast a wary glance at Steve. The last thing he wanted was for Steve getting the wrong impression about the risks involved with his work. It wasn’t as if he was a school teacher or a librarian, but once in a while, shit happened, and it could be perceived as alarming.

Steven stood and came behind Troy. He rested a hand solidly on Troy’s shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on him. I promise.”

“I’m not sure you’ll have much luck with that.” Fin chuckled as he helped Emily into her coat. “But he might at least listen to you more than anyone else I know. Call us if Troy gets some hair-brained idea. Em and I can back you up on this. All right?”

Troy stood and discreetly ushered both Fin and Emily to the door.

“Steven and I will call you, but you and Em need to return the favor if you get a nibble on the line for that assassin. Deal?”

“Deal.”

They said their farewells. Troy released a pent-up breath as the door closed behind them.

Chapter Six

“Do you really have such a poor history of getting yourself in over your head, trouble-wise?” Steve asked when they’d returned back to Troy’s flat.

Troy shrugged, not wanting to admit there were plenty more stupid, thoughtless debacles in his history. The truth was when he got rolling, he became consumed with an investigation. Everything else seemed to fall off his radar.

“When a hard case suddenly gets hot, starts to move and flow, usually the pieces mesh together in my head and make sense…” He struggled to explain the feeling in words. “It’s like finding a room dark, then turning on the light. Stuff you’d known was there is crystal clear. It all comes together and you see the whole room—or the big picture—and it just
works
. It makes sense. When that happens, well…normally events snowball and hanging around to wait for someone or something is pointless.”

“I meant it when I told Fin that I’d keep an eye on you.” Steven cupped Troy’s cheek.

The gesture was sweet, but Troy noticed Steve’s eyes lose focus slightly. The fact Steve didn’t caress him with his fingers, merely felt his skin had Troy realize he was feeling for any signs of fever.

“I’m fine,” Troy reassured him gently. “No fever. The ‘strain’ of getting back to my job isn’t detrimental to my health. I promise.”

“I don’t want you overdoing it,” Steve said.

“Want me to prove how physically fit I’m feeling?” Troy added in a low tone, crowding Steve back against the door. Not letting Steven gather his wits to reply, Troy dipped his head and kissed him hard.

Passion exploded between them. Troy groaned, and sank his body into Steve’s. They pressed their chests together. Troy moved his hands to slide under Steve’s shirt. His skin was cool to the touch, but the muscles were strong and tempting. Needing to feel Steve’s cock, Troy loosened his trousers and slid his hand under the waistband.

Troy panted, his breath caught as Steve cupped his sac moments before he’d reached his goal. Swallowing hard, Troy fisted Steve’s erection, then moved his hand up and down. He pumped his partner, his grip firm, exactly how he was learning Steve loved it.