Cowboy Gangster 03 - Outlaws of Love (18 page)

“I know,” Dane murmured. “But even so, maybe the less we interfere, the better off they will be.”

Nodding Angel smiled. “Okay, I get it.”

“Get what?”

“You’re telling me in your indirect, nice way to butt out and mind my own business. Right?”

Dane chuckled. “You’re beautiful
and
smart,” he teased.

“Fine,” Angel muttered with a small smile. “I’ll butt out.” His smile wavered. “I just hate that he feels like he has to deny who he is, to handle what Clint did to him. He’s come so far, and now…it’s like he’s losing all the ground he gained in one fell swoop. All because of Clint.”

Sighing softly, Dane pulled Angel into his arms. “Am I to assume Gabe’s talk the other day didn’t take?”

“It did,” Angel mumbled and laid his head on Dane’s shoulder. “I get what he was saying. But I’m still pissed at Clint. How can I watch Axel in so much pain and not be pissed? I don’t see why he had to do it this way.”

Dane kissed his head. “I think there may be a lot going on that we don’t know about. Clint is a good man at heart. You have to know he isn’t hurting Axel by choice.”

“I know,” Angel sagged against him, then drew back and pursed his lips in an unexpectedly sexy manner. “I just need someone to be mad at right now.” His tight lips curved a little at the corner as he turned from Dane, casting him a sidelong glance that almost dropped him to his knees.

Clearing his throat, Dane nodded and tried to mentally cool the sudden fire in his crotch. “I understand.” His voice rasped and he cleared his throat a second time.

“You okay?” Angel wondered as he slowly raised one eyebrow. Even that tiny gesture added fuel to the fire.

“Yeah,” Dane murmured unsteadily and quickly dragged his hand down his face. He exhaled heavily as Angel continued to stare at him with a puzzled, somewhat amused look. Why the hell was everything about him suddenly
ultra
-sexy?

“Okay,” Angel smiled uncertainly. “We should be ready to go as soon as the guys get here. We still have to swing by and pick up Maddy and Savannah. It was nice of Axel to invite them along, too. They don’t get to go out that often and just have fun.”

Recalling his talk with Cole and Gabe at the club, Dane prayed it wasn’t a mistake bringing so many of them to a public, unsupervised event.

♦

The restlessness that set in shortly after Zoe left the apartment was not Kane’s typical reaction to being alone. He adored Zoe but he also enjoyed his quiet time as well, which he often took advantage of to just relax and read, or watch one of his style of movies that Zoe thought were boring. Closing up office early today was beginning to drudge up regret. At least he could keep busy at the vet office.

But not distracted from what’s really got you on edge.

Maybe it was better not to be alone at the office. Far too many lingering memories. But, shit –they lingered here in the apartment as well. He couldn’t get away from the man.

Barely aware of what he was doing, Kane began to gather ingredients for a cake. Sometimes he liked to bake, too, when he had time alone. Now, it was just a way to keep his hands busy –and prevent them from taking out his phone and dialing Cochise’s number. Why the man’s call left him with a sense of unease, he had no clue. He wasn’t
dating
the guy, for crying out loud. What did he care what was going on in his life? Whatever it was, Kane was fairly certain he wanted no involvement. Men like the Egyptian spread trouble wherever they went. It
clung
to them.

He hadn’t made any form of contact since that call. If Kane were lucky, he wouldn’t hear from him again. He ignored the disappointment that coiled in his chest at such a thought and focused on measuring ingredients into a mixing bowl. But cake batter was hardly a formidable rival of the Egyptian – and the recollection of all Kane had experienced with him.

“Fuck,” Kane hissed through clenched teeth when his crotch began to
thump
with unbidden anticipation of feeling the Egyptian’s touch yet again. He swore again and threw the mixing spoon into the sink with a loud clatter, splattering batter up the sides of the metal basin. “Get out of my
fucking
head!”

Kane released a hard breath and leaned against the counter, rubbing his eyes. He resented the heat burning through his groin, inciting an arousal that was making it increasingly difficult to think with the right “head”.

So what do you want to do –send him a “sober” message that says ‘Let’s fuck’?

It mortified him a bit that his crotch hardened at the thought. Zoe insisted it was okay to just have some fun. But Kane had never been good at keeping things in the simple ‘fun’ realm. It was too easy for the heart to get involved, and it didn’t typically give any warning that it
was
getting involved until it was too late. And the very last person on the planet that Kane wanted to “fall” for –was a fucking
gangster
. He was well aware of the perils of such a mistake.

Yet all logic and reason went out the window with the ringing of the doorbell. Kane went rigid, frozen in place. He had no cause to think it was him, not really. Even so, his cock was suddenly throbbing so hard it sent an ache veining down into his thighs, weakening his legs.

Get a grip! Fuck.

Inhaling deep, he stepped away from the counter and walked out of the kitchen on shaky legs. The doorbell chimed again, kicking his pulse up another notch. “It isn’t him,” he whispered tightly. “It isn’t him.”

His hand hesitated on the door knob and he swallowed hard. Even if it
was
the Egyptian, why was he feeling
this
damn nervous? All he had to do was tell the guy to leave, right? No more unseemly sexual encounters to worry about.

Yeah,
he assured himself.
Just turn him away. Easy as pie.

Taking a deep breath, Kane opened the door, prepared to send the man on his way.

Two young men in their early twenties stared back at him, somewhat startled by the force with which the door came opened. Both were dressed in crisp white button shirts tucked neatly into black slacks, and each held two books in their hands; the bible and the book of Mormon.

Kane wasn’t clear if the disappointment he felt was that he wasn’t rude enough to shut the door in their faces –or that they weren’t the man he was expecting.

“Good afternoon, sir,” the first young man smiled. He was handsome, his dark hair styled nicely, and every feature on his face perfectly set. He had a smooth, calming voice that Kane found pleasant, though he didn’t relish the thought of standing here for the next however long listening to their version of ‘The Way to God’.

“Afternoon,” he mumbled, suddenly aware of the bulge in his crotch. He tried to partially conceal himself with the door.

“We’re from the church of Latter Day Saints,” the boy continued. “If you have a moment, we would like to talk to you about-”

“Why don’t you boys move along?” The Egyptian’s sudden appearance stalled Kane’s mind and his heart. The two young men started to protest but reconsidered when Cochise drilled them with a chilling stare. They mumbled something incoherent to Kane and moved quickly on down the hall. Cochise stepped fully into the open doorway and looked at Kane with heavy, expressionless eyes. “You’re welcome.”

Kane trembled and gripped the door harder, more than ever needing to conceal himself. “Maybe…” he rasped. “…I wanted to hear what they had to say.”

“You’ve already been to heaven,” Cochise spoke low with a notable
lack
of emotion. “You don’t need them to give you directions.”

Kane stared at him. Something behind the man’s dark eyes pulled at him –something the Egyptian was doing his damnedest to keep veiled. Was it the source of his phone call?

What the fuck does it matter? It is not your concern. Get rid of him –now!

“You can’t keep showing up like this,” Kane said. He tried for conviction, but even he could hear the submission in his voice.

“Why?”

Kane faltered. “Because…” He was stumped for an excuse, though he knew there should be plenty right at hand. “My niece could be here,” he mumbled weakly.

“Is she?”

“No,” Kane whispered, then added with a fraction more strength, “But it isn’t just…” His face pinched with anxiety and frustration. “It was supposed to be a one-time thing, that’s all.”

Cochise looked at him dryly. “When was that established?”

A frown squeezed Kane’s brow. “I don’t know what you want from me-”

The Egyptian’s mouth crushed his as the man gripped the back of Kane’s neck. He pulled back abruptly, wrenching a hard gasp from Kane. His fingers squeezed Kane’s skin as he panted low, “I want the same thing you want.” His eyes burned with a sexual heat that ignited the ember already present inside Kane. “I want to
fuck
.”

♦

“So how're you doing?” Clint pulled up a chair beside Cory’s bed. “The drive home wasn’t too uncomfortable for you, was it?”

“No,” Cory sighed. “But I’m sick of lying in bed. I want to be out there with you and the others, looking for the motherfucker.”

Clint shook his head. “You just sit tight and heal up. Leave the hunting to us.” He slid his hand slowly over his mouth. “You’ve been in his crosshairs once. I’m not ready for you to be back out there just yet.”

“Did you tell Gabriel to keep an extra close watch on Axel?” Cory asked with concern.

Clint nodded. “Dane and Angel are on him.”

“I need to give him another call,” Cory murmured. “In the morning, maybe. Let him know I’m back.”

Clint glanced away without a reply. He didn’t need nor want the topic to turn to Axel.

“Uncle Clint, maybe you should…” Cory started then halted when Clint held up his hand.

“Don’t,” he said. “You need to let this go. It’s over. I mean it, Corrigan. I don’t want to hear any more about Axel.”

Gazing back at him, hurt glimmered in Cory’s eyes. “I don’t believe you,” he whispered. “I don’t believe that it’s over, or that you want it to be over.”

Clint sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Well, I guess…it’s your choice to believe what you want.” He looked at the young man. “But I’m telling you it’s
over
. Done. I won’t ask you to stop being friends with him, but I don’t want to hear any more about it, do you understand me?”

“You’re making the biggest mistake of your life,” Cory said with a strain to his voice.

“No,” Clint murmured. “My biggest mistake was becoming a part of his life in the first place.”

“Uncle Clint, that isn’t true-”

Clint stood. “I’m through discussing this, Cory,” he said, his voice low with a serious edge. He leaned over and kissed Cory on the brow and cupped the back of his head. “Just get better. I’ll come by later and check in on you again.” He straightened and walked toward the door.

“Uncle Clint…”

Clint passed through the doorway without pausing.

I don’t believe that it’s over, or that you want it to be over.

And therein lay the problem –he didn’t
believe.

♦

Anthony immediately noted the strain on Clint’s face when he returned from speaking with Cory and entered the small barroom. He poured himself a shot and downed it before finally speaking. “I’m gonna take off. Start looking up Ryder and Tucker’s hangouts. See if I can dig up a lead.” He refilled the glass.

Scratching his temple, Anthony cleared his throat. “So that
thing
you had to do the night Cory came into the hospital…” he said, shifting topics. “…Was to come back here and break off your relationship with Axel?”

Clint’s tension heightened. “It wasn’t a relationship,” he muttered and threw back the second shot.

“That isn’t how you told it to us,” Anthony said with a glance at Angelo. “And I can’t imagine you would give your buckle away to a kid you viewed as an occasional random…romp between the sheets.”

Fidgeting, Clint mumbled tightly, “It doesn’t matter what it was or wasn’t. It’s over.”

Anthony shifted on the stool. “Why is it over?”

Releasing a hard breath, Clint looked at him hard. “As I told Cory, I don’t need the fucking distraction.”

Anthony stared at him silently. A storm of barely veiled emotions churned in the cowboy’s eyes. There was a hell of a lot more going on inside of the man than just the need to eliminate distractions. Although he wondered if even Clint was consciously aware of it at this point.

“What?” Clint’s eyes narrowed somewhat.

“Nothing.” Anthony shrugged. “I just had the impression you rather liked the kid. Sometimes distractions are good for us.”

“I see where Cory gets it,” Clint muttered. He set the shot glass aside. “I’m going to head out. Check out some of the bars and clubs, try to grab a lead on Ryder and Tucker’s acquaintances.”