Cowboy Gangster 03 - Outlaws of Love (13 page)

“I really don’t want to do this,” Kane mumbled and rested his forehead in his palm. “And by the way, I was drunk off my butt when I sent that message. People do not act rationally while under the influence.”

“True,” Zoe agreed. “But they often do or say the things that they’re too afraid to say or do when they’re sober.”

Kane sighed. “I didn’t want to do that.”

“So you
tell
yourself. But obviously some part of you wanted it.”

Some part of him. He was pretty sure he knew
which
part. And it was never wise to let that part make the decisions.

“What would be so bad about seeing him again?” Zoe asked.

Kane looked at her. “Zoe…he isn’t the kind of man I want to be mixed up with. Nor is he the type to
settle down
and get serious about someone. I’m not interested in playing his game, or being his…” He sighed and looked away.

“His boy toy?” Zoe finished with a small smile.

“Something like that,” Kane mumbled.

“So what’s wrong with playing for a while?” she asked. “It doesn’t have to be serious. Just someone to help…relieve the tension.” She smiled and winked.

Kane whimpered and shook his head. “You really worry me sometimes, you know that?”

“Well, there you go,” she said. “I create stress that you need to release. So let gangster man be the release valve.”

Kane stared at her, a little bit mortified. “Please stop talking now.”

Zoe laughed softly. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Uh-uh,” Kane moaned, slid his hands over his face and whined, “You’re
not
helping –
at all
.”

♦

Dane brought two folded blankets and a pillow and set them on the end of the sofa. “The sofa doesn’t pull out,” he told Axel. “But it’s big and comfy.” He winked at Angel. “It’s where I sleep when Angel kicks me out of bed when I misbehave.”

“So you can imagine…” Angel smiled wryly. “…He’s as familiar with this sofa as he is with our bed.”

Axel passed them a weak smile. “It’ll be fine.”

Picking up the remote, Dane turned on the TV. “There’s a zillion channels, watch whatever you want, for as long as you want. TV don’t bother us.” He glanced at the small elevated kitchen. “If you get hungry or thirsty, feel free to raid the fridge. Just…make yourself at home.”

“Thank you,” Axel said quietly. “I didn’t really want to be at the apartment right now.”

“Hey,” Dane smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “Our home is your home. You’re welcome to stay anytime.”

Dane showed him the menu buttons on the remote and got him set up with the TV, then ushered Angel up to their bedroom. In his studio apartment, the loft bedroom was open and provided very little “audible” privacy from anyone down below. Until now, Dane hadn’t seen that as a problem. It was just him and Angel occupying the apartment, and before Angel, Dane had lived alone.

“Are you sure we should do this?” Angel asked doubtfully as Dane began to strip down, his body burning to be pressed up against Angel’s naked flesh. Angel’s breath quickened a little as he watched Dane shed his briefs and reveal just how much he wanted him.

“I’ll be quiet,” Dane assured, his voice unsteady and breath surging as he hurriedly removed Angel’s clothes then tossed him on the bed. He was on him in an instant, pushing between Angel’s thighs as the boy spread his legs welcomingly. Dane kissed him hard and hungry, his hands moving up and down Angel’s supple body. He sought out his stiff member and stroked him as he deepened their kiss.

Angel whimpered and lifted to him, his lean legs wrapping Dane’s flanks, heels hooking against the small of his back. Angel pulled from the kiss with that stimulating little gasp and shuddered when Dane shoved his face into his neck and sucked his skin, biting and tugging. “Fuck…” Angel swallowed thickly and grasped fistfuls of Dane’s soft, black hair. “
Uuuhh
…yes…”

“Fuck, baby,” Dane panted and stroked him harder, his lips grabbing at Angel’s earlobe. “I can’t wait. I need to be inside you now. Can we save foreplay for the next time around?”

Clutching his hair, Angel pulling him into a forceful kiss then trembled against his mouth, “Stop with the silly questions and fuck me.”

“God, I love you,” Dane groaned and kissed him again before drawing back. He sat on his heels and wet his cock with spit, then entered Angel as gently as possible, though his body burned to go all out, fast forward right then and there.

“Mmmm!” Angel bit his lips together to stifle his cry and pulled Dane down on top of him as Dane pushed deeper and deeper inside him. Angel released a sharp, shaky breath and wrapped around Dane. “Fuck me, baby,” he begged. His short nails dug into the back of Dane’s neck and he lifted his slim hips, shoving himself harder onto Dane’s rigid cock.

“Fuck,” Dane choked on a gasp and thrust his hands under Angel’s small, tight ass and pulled him up away from the bed a little and thrust into him with force. “Oh my God,” Dane shuddered, struggling to keep the volume down when he really wanted to shout out his ecstasy. “Uuh! Fuck, baby…”

Angel clutched him, his hips rocking, gyrating with Dane’s urgent rhythm, fucking him back with equal swelling ferocity. His head dropped back into the pillow and he gasped as he fought his own cries.

The bed trembled and shook with each powerful thrust of Dane’s hungry body. A slick wetness glazed his stomach as Angel’s cock leaked come juice onto his skin, his member hard as steel and pulsing between them.

“Harder…” Angel shuddered and shoved his face into Dane’s shoulder, his thighs squeezing fiercely around Dane’s waist. “Fuck me harder.”

Dane rolled them over quickly and Angel straddled him. “Show me how hard you want it, baby,” he panted erratically and gripped Angel’s hips.

The boy smiled, his eyes heavy with strong a concoction of passion, lust and love. He bit his lower lip, driving Dane wild, and stroked up and down on Dane’s throbbing cock…faster and harder…whimpers swelling in his throat, growing louder into panting cries.

“Ohh
fuck
…” Dane wrapped his fist around Angel’s rigid member, slick with his own pre-come, and pumped him wildly.

“
Uuuhh
!” Angel cried and leaned back, his hands gripping Dane’s thighs, nails gouging his damp skin as he drove himself down on Dane’s shaft again and again with desperation and urgency. His head dropped back and body strained with the force of his strokes.

“Fuuuck!” Dane worked him faster until Angel was gasping and panting and coming, coating Dane’s stomach and chest. He leaned forward quick and scooped his arm around the boy’s slick, hot body and spun him around underneath him, thrusting into him hard and wild. “
Ahhhh! FFFFuuuck!!”

He burst inside Angel, his orgasm holding on as he fucked the boy erratically, coming harder and longer than usual. When his strength suddenly abandoned him, he dropped down on the bed beside Angel, gasping for air as the boy’s own breath remained ragged and uneven.

“You said…you would be…quiet,” Angel panted unsteadily.

Dane looked at him, eyes heavy, an exhausted smile curving his lips. “You were the one screeching, baby.”

♦

Axel woke to sounds in the kitchen. His eyes felt thick and heavy from lack of sleep and too many tears. Hearing Angel and Dane’s intense love making last night hadn’t helped in easing the pain coursing through his heart. He didn’t want to miss Clint, didn’t want to ache for his touch…to be in his arms again, making love. But he did.

He raised his head off the pillow and saw Angel behind the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room, preparing a pot of coffee. Axel sat up and ground the heels of his palms into his eyes in an attempt to dispel the sleep.

“Did I wake you?” Angel asked when he saw that Axel was up. “I was trying not to make too much noise.”

Axel cleared his throat and shook his head. “No,” he rasped. “I was…pretty much awake already.”

He folded the blanket back and stood up, finger-combing his disheveled hair. Clint had liked that unruly ‘morning’ look. Thought it was sexy. The strands slid through Axel’s fingers and his throat tightened. Would Clint throw away the necklace that he’d claimed to love…promised to never take off?

He broke every other promise –why not that one, too?

“Are you hungry?” Angel asked as Axel approached the kitchen area. “I’ll fix you something. I’m a fairly decent cook.” He smiled.

“I know,” Axel whispered.

Angel looked at him, then nodded slowly. “Right…I forgot.”

How could he
forget?
Wade had always made Angel cook for them.

“Well,” Angel smiled. “My food tastes better now, without Wade bitching at me to hurry up and making me serve it half done.”

“It was always good,” Axel murmured.

“Thanks,” Angel chuckled softly. “I’m glad someone enjoyed it.”

Axel stared at him as he moved around the kitchen, hardly recognizable as the frightened, abused boy he had been just a short time ago. Angel was a miracle.

“Hey, uh…” Angel glanced toward the loft then met Axel’s gaze. “I’m…” An embarrassed smile wavered on his lips. “I’m sorry about last night. We should’ve shown you more courtesy.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Axel said quietly. “I’m just…I thank God that, after everything you went through, you’re still able to have an…intimate relationship with someone. Not everyone would.” He swallowed past the lingering lump in his throat. “Maybe hearing you made me miss Clint, but…you deserve this, Angel. All of it. And I don’t want you to hold back any part of your life because of me.”

“Thank you,” Angel murmured. “But I know how much it hurts to be where you are right now. And I don’t want to do anything to make it worse.”

Axel traced his fingertips absently on the countertop, his eyes downcast. “I don’t think anything could make it worse than it already is,” he whispered thickly.

“For whatever it’s worth,” Angel said softly, sincerely. “I think that letting you go, was the biggest mistake of Clint’s life.”

Axel raised his eyes, damp with tears. “It’s worth a lot.”

“I don’t know why Clint did this,” Angel said. “But if it came down to it…I would bet my life that he still loves you.”

His throat squeezing tighter, Axel glanced away. “Or maybe he never did.”

“Is that what you really believe?”

Axel stared blankly at the counter, his vision swimming. “Maybe I want to believe it.”

“Why?”

His throat worked and he looked at Angel, his tears barely holding. “Because you can’t lose what you never had.”

“Axel…”

“It’s bullshit, you know?”

“What?” Angel whispered, his eyes watering.

“That it’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved before.” Axle choked on a half laugh, half sob. “I mean, what crazy fuck came up with
that?
It isn’t better.”

Angel nodded slowly, sympathy shimmering through his forming tears. “I know.”

Axel wiped his eyes. “I didn’t know that it was true…” His chin trembled. “…That you could actually miss someone so much it
hurt
. I-I thought it was just an expression, but…” He shook his head. “…It isn’t.”

“No,” Angel admitted softly, his voice strained with emotion. “It sure as hell isn’t.”

♦

The day passed in a haze for Cory, fading in and out of sleep as the physical and emotional trauma of the warehouse incident took its toll. He managed to stay awake during the visits from his dad and the others, but the visits were short to allow him as much rest and recuperation as possible.

At some point the doctor came in, but Cory was too groggy on pain medication to really understand what he was saying. Anything of importance, he would relay to Cory’s dad, so he didn’t attempt to puzzle out the man’s words.

When he awoke after what felt like an extended slumber –though he suspected was just an after effect of the pain killers –it was dark again outside. A small, dim fluorescent light cast a pale glow over the machines on the right side of his bed. Shadows engulfed the rest of the room. The blinds on the window were partially closed, allowing in only a fraction of the city lights –silhouetting the figure of a man.

Cory’s eyelids hung heavy, his vision unfocused as sleep struggled to hold on. “Uncle Clint?” he mumbled. “I thought…you left with the others.” He received no reply. Cory closed his eyes. “I’m not…mad at you,” he mumbled. “I just think you’re making a mistake. He needs you…and you need him. You don’t…” Cory sighed tiredly. “You don’t have to be Mr. Badass 24/7…it’s okay to
feel
something for someone else. It’s
good
for you, Uncle Clint.” He swallowed, his throat dry. “We’ll help you keep him safe until we find this fucker and get rid of him.”