Mercenary Trust (9 page)

“
Exactly. Let us handle this, okay? We’re going to get Cece back. Unit
Alpha … we’re not your usual battalion. We get things done. Sometimes we work
beyond the confines of the law, though. So when I tell you we’re going to do
everything in our power to make sure Cece comes back to you safe and sound, you
better believe we’re going to do just that.”

Daniel stared at him, and it wasn’t long before that
self-deprecating sense of humor reared its ugly head again. “This just makes me
realize how you could know absolutely nothing about a person during your first
date, but still really like them.”

“
True. You could know absolutely nothing about a person, but you could
know everything worth knowing about someone, too,” Nick said, giving Daniel a
lopsided grin. “Like what happened with us today. And for what it’s worth, I
like you, too.”

“
I still think things would be different if I’d slapped the flash drive
out of her hands,” Daniel said, though that edge in his voice wavered just a
bit. “I’m just overwhelmed by all of this. I came back from a life-changing
experience in the world, learning how small my problems were in comparison to
other people’s. The first month I get back home, no job, no money, my ex’s
family is apparently caught up in some shady shit, and my best friend’s father
is apparently a senator. I thought I’d finally be rid of having to think about
that asshole, but everywhere I turn something makes me see him again.”

“
This whole situation probably doesn’t help, then,” Nick said
in reply, earning the slightest smile from Daniel, who
nodded and took a deep, shaky breath. “But hey, I’m here for you if you need
me. And I like being here. That’s
if
you’ll
have me. It’s not often you meet an interesting guy who grabs your attention
immediately. So cheer up, okay? I’m here for you.”

Daniel didn’t seem like he was about to do that. His
eyes were dashing side to side, and he had a grim expression on his face that
looked sadder and more resigned than it was angry or panicked. That was a step
towards somewhere, at least. Nick just didn’t know if it was good or bad.

Nick had just put himself out there. On a platter.
With a single word, Daniel could send him away. It would probably be for the
best, but man, would it suck.

“
I want you. Around, I mean. I want you here with me.”

Daniel turned to look up at Nick, who moved his hands
up to cup both of Daniel’s cheeks again, and slowly, he closed the distance
between them, letting loose a soft sigh of relief.

Nick pressed the slightest of kisses on Daniel’s lips.
It wasn’t really even a kiss, not with how feather light it was. It was almost
as if he just touched their lips together for the briefest of moments.

Daniel blinked, gazing straight at Nick, maybe even
into
Nick. The silvery grey of Daniel’s
eyes glimmered with interest. “What was that for?”

“
I thought maybe I could take your mind off things,” Nick replied. “Is it
working?”

“
It might be,” Daniel said, nodding. “Do it again.”

Nick grinned. “I can do that as many times as you
like. I
did
say I’ll be here for
you.”

“
Then do it again. Please?”

It was that little word at the end that made Nick
press his lips against Daniel once more, and then twice more, finally until
their kiss deepened. He closed his eyes and reveled in the soft, plush weight
of Daniel’s lips against his own. The parted just a fraction of an inch, and
Daniel quickly darted his tongue out to gently slide against the seam of Nick’s
mouth.. Chuckling, Nick parted his lips, and met Daniel’s own, frantic tongue
with his.

Aroused in more ways than one, Nick moved his hand
down Daniel’s body, from his shoulders, down his arms, until they wrapped
around Daniel’s waist. He couldn’t deny the spark of excitement at the prospect
of feeling even more of Daniel’s body.

“
I’ll do more than this,” Nick promised as soon as he pulled away. “But
only if you want me to.”

“
You expect me to say no after seeing how you look with a tank top?”
Daniel asked. He seemed like he was beginning to feel a little bit more
comfortable. Maybe it was the way his hands draped across Nick’s chest, or
maybe it was the way Nick could feel Daniel’s pulse race.

“
I don’t hear you telling me if you want this,” Nick teased, leaning
forward and pressing yet another kiss on Daniel’s lips.

“
I … I don’t know. There’s so much about you I still don’t know. And
something tells me you’re still being guarded with me,” Daniel replied, which
made the corners of Nick’s lips curl upward into a smile.

For all of Daniel’s insecurities and issues with his
self-esteem, it seemed he was able to figure out that while Nick was definitely
interested in him, there was a part of Nick that was hiding beyond all of his
walls. He wasn’t always just a nice guy. He wasn’t just a good-humored guy. But
Nick didn’t even know where to begin sharing parts of himself like this. Daniel
was an open book. In the span of a few hours, it felt like Nick had gotten to
know him well.

Nick knew he was closed off. But he also knew he was
trying.

All he could really do was try.

“
You’re right. There’s a lot of myself I haven’t shown you just yet,”
Nick admitted. “I’m a little scared of doing this, for example. I’m putting
myself out there on the off chance that you might feel the same way about me.
I’m a big risk taker, myself. Not quite like your friend Cece, but…”

Daniel shook his head in exasperation. “Yeah, yeah.
You need some time to open up and show me more of you. Like I said, we’ve only
known each other two days. And sure, I’m up for the challenge.” Daniel’s smile
faltered slightly, and then he raised a single hand to gently cup Nick’s cheek.
“I’m not complaining, though. I think we can take that leap together.”

“
Good.”

That was all Nick needed to hear.

Chapter Seven

Honestly, Daniel didn’t know why he’d agreed to this.
There were plenty of people who had sex on the first date, but this strangely
felt like it was going to lead to something
more
.

Could he really handle his first new relationship in
two years? What’s more, could he handle it getting so physical, so fast?

At this point, he didn’t care, because he had Nick’s
tongue basically down his throat, and it felt too good to protest. It had been
a long, long time since Daniel had been touched like this. What was more, he’d
never felt a body quite like Nick’s. He’d had a one-night stand or two, but for
the most part Daniel had been monogamous to one person.

Not that it mattered anymore. Nick, well, he was just
amazing in more ways than one. And the realization that Nick was a little
too
flawless hung in Daniel’s head, but
Nick had a wall up that protected him. Who didn’t? Daniel had his own
insecurities to worry about, after all.

And if the only problem he had with the guy was that
he literally seemed to be too good to be true, then Daniel was a bigger idiot
than he thought he was.

Besides, no one was perfect. Daniel was probably
romanticizing a good bit, like when he felt Nick’s hands trail over his body
and how it felt like electricity was running coursing through wherever Nick’s
hands went. It felt like there were sparks, or fireworks, exploding in the
background. Anything that exploded in the background was probably the house
doors being busted down by hunters who wanted to hunt him like an animal.

No, don’t think that,
Daniel thought to
himself.
There’s a hot guy in front of
you, kissing you right now. Focus!

So that was exactly what he did. As Daniel slowly
brought his hands up to grasp Nick’s head, Nick grabbed the hem of his own
shirt and eagerly flung it aside, pulling away just enough for Daniel to get a
whole visual of the large expanse of torso in front of him.

And it was
definitely
a large expanse.

Well-defined pectorals led down to a thick, strong mid-section.
He had those indentations that showed off his well-cut abdominal muscles, but
the most important part of him were those two V-like lines—cum gutters, some of
his friends called them—that led from his waist down towards his pelvis. Nick’s
stomach was firm and muscled but had a healthy layer of fat on it. A smattering
of black hair led from Nick’s chest downwards, and it was surprising for
someone who used to be in the military, but Nick didn’t have a single tattoo on
his chest.

Daniel was almost afraid to take off his own shirt,
but Nick placed his hand on Daniel’s cheek and led his gaze back upward. Those
dimples got him again. His heart started hammering in his chest. “Like what you
see?”

“
I’ve liked what I saw since yesterday, Nick. I’m more surprised that I’m
the one you want to show this off too.”

“
Like I said earlier,” Nick slowly placed another kiss on Daniel’s lips.
“You do it for me. Couldn’t stop thinking about you the whole day yesterday.”

“
You think it’s weird that we’ve only met for two days, but we’re already
about to do this?”

“
Well, I’m a bit of a free spirit, and sex is a beautiful thing to do
with another person, especially when that person is someone you’re growing to
care about,” Nick said. “So I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask that
question. Can I kiss you now?”

“
Do you even have to ask?” Daniel replied, breezy and cool, trying to
hide the fact that his heartbeat was thundering like a tribal drum. “By the
way, people who often say they’re free spirits are often the ones who get a lot
of booty even when not in a relationship. Totally not fair.”

“
Yes, well, from this point onward I think I’m only going to be
interested in
this
booty.” Nick then
grabbed a handful each of Daniel’s ass cheeks, grinning mischievously when he
heard Daniel gasp.

“
Tease,” Daniel said, chuckling.

Instead of kissing Daniel’s lips, Nick moved towards
his neck, heading downward over Daniel’s still-covered body. In one quick
swoop, Nick removed Daniel’s shirt over his head, and then placed both of his
hands on Daniel’s chest, thumbs gently rubbing the nubs of his nipples.

“
You like that?” Nick asked, waggling his eyebrows playfully. And though
Daniel actually
did
like it, the urge
to laugh at Nick’s expression was even stronger. So he chuckled and pressed a
kiss against Nick’s cheek before whispering in the mercenary’s ear.

“
If I told you I really wanted to see if I could fit your cock in my
mouth, what would you do?” Daniel asked. “And yes, I do like that.”

“
Boy, you really don’t mince words, do you?” Nick said, barely stifling
his almost childish chuckling. He continued to gently rub Daniel’s nipples,
pinching them with his thumb and forefinger, before sliding his hands down the
slope of Daniel’s sides to brace each hand on either one of the smaller male’s hips.

Each of Nick’s touches was exploratory, as though he
were trying to map out the parts of Daniel’s body that made him react. From the
slightest of gasps to the softest of moans, Nick’s hands moved from a nook to a
cranny until Daniel stopped his hands, taking a hold of the mercenary’s wrists
and placing them securely on his waist.

“
No. I figure no bullshit is a good policy to have in a relationship.
It’s much easier when we communicate what we want and don’t want to do, right?”
Daniel said. “So what do you say? What would you do?”

Nick’s ever-mischievous smirk only grew wider. “I
think that’s a pretty good rule, and to answer your question, I would do this.”

Nick made an immediate show of fumbling with his
pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them before kicking them down and sitting back
against the bed. Fully naked, with a cock that wasn’t at its hardest—just
semi-erect and slowly twitching to life—springing up from a well-trimmed thatch
of hair on the base of his pelvis, he looked at Daniel with a cocky expression
on his face and spread his legs a bit to show his body off. “Openness is good.
Very
good.”

Even though it was semi-erect, Daniel made a note of
wanting to wrap a tape measure around that cock, because it didn’t feel like it
was going to fit in anywhere. Well, maybe his mouth. Daniel could deal with a
sore jaw, but he didn’t know if he could deal with a sore
ass.

Still, it was a challenge he wasn’t about to pass up.
Even though his heartbeat throbbed in his ears, Daniel slid down to his knees
in front of Nick. The man’s shaft looked even bigger from here, and when he
audibly gulped, he felt his excitement begin to melt away into resolve.

Before Nick could speak, Daniel’s lips parted and his
tongue darted out to slide a single, wet line from the tip of Nick’s manhood
down to the very base. A firm, but not-too-tight grip wrapped Daniel’s hand
around the base of Nick’s shaft to hoist it up, allowing Daniel to lick from
tip to base and spread slow kisses lazily up and down the turgid length.

“
Feels good,” Nick said, lying back with both his hands now on top of his
head. His muscles flexed. Daniel was almost mesmerized into staring, but he
remembered he’d dared himself to take the entirety of Nick into his mouth.

Thinking about it now, that was a bit of a stupid bet
to make to himself. Daniel still wrapped his lips around Nick’s cock, though,
and hollowed his cheeks with a slow, tender slurp.

Nick’s thighs visibly tightened as he curled his toes
harshly into the floor. “Ah, yeah. Like that.”

Now, Daniel was no guru at sucking dick, and while he
hadn’t had practice in quite some time, he was pretty sure he still remembered
how to
at least
pleasure his partner
with his mouth. It was kind of like riding a bicycle. The memories and the
experiences were all there, and one just needed to tap into the knowledge.

Except you didn’t stick a handlebar inside your
throat. You
could
ride a dick, too,
though!

There was the slightest hint of confidence, maybe even
arrogance and cockiness, in the way Nick moved. He was rocking his hips gently
up and down, as if trying to push more of his length into Daniel’s mouth as his
dick twitched to life.

In spite of how much time they’d spent running and
trying to get out of danger earlier, and how the whole day passed them by
before that, the taste of sweat on Nick’s body wasn’t so bad. Slightly sour, a
little bit salty, and just a whiff of clean, masculine male filled Daniel’s
nose. It was an addictive scent, almost, considering he hadn’t been up close
and personal with anyone for about two years.

Everything about Nick screamed to him. Physically, he
looked like he could bench press Daniel without even breaking a sweat.
Mentally, he seemed to be pretty well-adjusted considering what he did for a
living. He was a badass who knew what to do when shit hit the fan. Most
importantly, he was attracted to Daniel.

That was the thing that made the least amount of sense
to him. But just because it didn’t make any sense to him didn’t mean he
couldn’t enjoy what it was leading up to.

Daniel took a deep breath, taking in the scent of Nick
before popping free of the tip of the larger man’s shaft. He then slathered his
tongue all along the sides, running up and down all the way around and then
dipping his tongue right against the slit on the tip.

It was all coming back to him now.
No pun intended.

He wrapped his lips around Nick’s cock, firmly
hollowing his cheeks out around that thick shaft. He pressed down slowly,
stopping only to pull back up to take a deep breath before moving back down.
Nick moaned, and when Daniel turned up to look at the man laid out in front of
him, he could only see muscles rolling up the slopes of his body. It made him
want to run his hand up to feel just how hard and powerful the body before him
was.

So that was exactly what he did.

Nick smiled and started to languidly rock his hips
forward and back, trying to push more of himself into Daniel’s mouth, edging in
millimeter after millimeter of his cock into his lover’s lips. “Oh, fuck yeah.
Your mouth feels so good…”

Daniel felt the slight ache in the way his lips
stretched around Nick’s erection. It was slowly coming to life more and more,
and filling him in a way he didn’t know a cock could fit his mouth before.
Well, maybe that one bratwurst from Germany could compare. Or that really large
lumpia
roll from the Philippines…

Boy, he really hoped he didn’t have the urge to bite
down on it.

When Nick was finally wholly aroused, Daniel’s jaw was
aching from the weight. Daniel slurped down his saliva, tasting what he could
of Nick’s shaft. He then offered the slightest of smiles, moving down until
about half of the ex-Marine’s shaft was in his mouth, and it was pushing closer
and closer into his throat.

He had to stifle the urge to gag. Nick was huge, after
all.

“
You … Daniel … oh fuck,” Nick cussed, placing his hands over his face
and taking a deep breath. “You don’t need to take it all in if you can’t, baby.
This already feels good.”

But Daniel, well, he was an overachiever. He didn’t
shy down from a challenge, especially as it related to dick. He took the time,
slurping that shaft up and then going back down, prodding at his gag reflex and
taming it until he could really push the shaft into his throat. And by then, it
was smooth sailing.

Even though he got a little teary-eyed and his jaw
felt a little achy, Daniel slurped and suckled until he found his nose pressing
against the well-kept thatch of Nick’s pubes, and he could dart his tongue out
to graze against Nick’s balls.

A whole slew of expletives seemed to come out of
Nick’s mouth, none of which were in English. Daniel didn’t know if babbling in
Spanish was a good sign, but he was definitely taking the fact that Nick’s
muscles were tensed, and his pelvis was arching in and out of Daniel’s mouth,
as a definite positive. “
Querido…
”

Daniel took the time to move his head up and down in
slow, sinuous strokes, making good and sure he tasted every inch of that shaft.
Tenderly pulling off of Nick’s cock with an audible slurp, Daniel was careful
to watch every reaction of Nick’s body when cool, humid air wafted over the
mercenary’s shaft.

Nick’s eyes welled up with fire. Eyes dilated, breath
hitching, he looked Daniel up and down before he pulled Daniel roughly, almost
violently, toward him, tugging him up until their bodies were flush against
each other. Daniel gasped in surprise.

“
Is it my turn?” Nick asked, voice a little more guttural than usual.
“You were teasing me a little too much,
querido
.
I may be a nice guy, but I get worked up a little too easily…”

And as if to prove it, Nick had easily pulled off
Daniel’s pants and underwear until their bodies were flush against each other.
Daniel’s shaft pressed up against Nick’s much more slick cock. He grabbed a
handful each of Daniel’s butt cheeks and gave a cocky little smirk.