Ash stepped into the stall beside Cael and turned the shower on. He did his best to concentrate on showering and not on Cael lathering himself up in the stall beside him. Ash stood under the showerhead and washed his hair, soaped himself up, and rinsed. He wiped the excess water from his face, and when he stepped out from under the showerhead, he found Cael leaning on the thick glass partition grinning at him.

  “Don’t mind me,” he said, waving a hand in dismissal. “I’m just perving on you.”

  Ash held back a laugh. “Here I am trying to be good, and you’re being wicked.”

  “It’s hard not to,” Cael said with a lazy shrug. “Plus there’s no one here.”

  A mischievous look came into his eyes, and he crooked a finger, calling Ash to lean down. What was the little minx up to? With a wicked grin, Cael stood on his toes and licked Ash from his chin to his lip. He took Ash’s bottom lip between his teeth, sucked it into his mouth before pulling back.

  “I’m going to need you to take me home and fuck me, Agent Keeler.”

  Ash promptly shut off the water and grabbed his toiletry bag. “Let’s go.”

  With a chuckle, Cael followed his lead, grabbed his bag, and got out. He threw his towel over his shoulder, his ass out in the open for Ash to gawk at as he sauntered away from him.

  “Come along, Keeler. Pun totally intended, by the way.”

  Man, Ash was screwed. And he loved it.

  By the time they got inside Cael’s apartment and to his bedroom, they’d left a trail of clothing behind. Shirts landed on furniture, socks on lamps, and pants on the stairs. They kissed fervently as they undressed each other. Ash dropped onto the bed with Cael, mindful of his weight.

  “I want you to fuck me hard. Don’t hold back,” Cael murmured against Ash’s lips, his fingers grabbing fistfuls of Ash’s hair as he rutted against him.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, sweetheart.”

  “You won’t,” Cael assured him, arching his back. He took Ash’s earlobe between his teeth before sucking it into his mouth. He licked down Ash’s jawline and nipped at his chin.

  “Cael.” Fuck, Cael was doing everything he could to drive Ash crazy, but he didn’t want to hurt him. Their first time had been slow and sweet, an exploration of something new and wonderful for the both of them. At the time, all Ash could think about was how he was inside Cael. How after years of secretly dreaming, he was making love to the beautiful young Therian.

  “You won’t hurt me.”

  “You sound very sure,” Ash replied as he planted kisses down Cael’s exposed neck. His hand closed around it. He loved the feel of Cael beneath him, loved how soft and warm he was, while at the same time strong and firm. Cael might be sweet and shy, but he was a formidable agent. He was sharp-witted and sharp-tongued with a host of impressive talents, while at the same time always humble and concerned for those around him.

  “Because I’m sure.”

  Something in Cael’s tone caught Ash’s attention, and he pulled back to look down to study him. “What aren’t you telling me? How do you know?”

  Cael’s cheeks flushed pink. “Well, I, um, I’ve been practicing.”

  “Practicing?” What exactly did that entail? Ash’s curiosity was piqued.

  “Yeah, um, I’ve kind of been thinking about this for a long time, and well, I wanted to really feel you, so I….” He motioned toward the left nightstand.

  Hesitantly, Ash leaned over and opened the drawer. Oh dear God. “Is that what I think it is?” He studied the large tan-colored object.

  “It’s a dildo.”

  “Wow.” Ash tilted his head to one side. “Am I that big?”

  Cael wriggled beneath him. “I estimated.”

  “Thanks for not underestimating,” Ash said with a chuckle.

  “You probably think I’m some kind of weird sex stalker or something.”

  “What? No.” Ash closed the drawer and moved Cael’s hands away from his face. “I think you’re hot and sexy, and the thought that you fucked yourself with that while thinking of me? Fuck. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on.” He thought about it and nodded. “Yeah, totally fucking hot.”

  “Really?”

  Cael searched his expression, undoubtedly looking for signs he might be saying that so Cael wouldn’t feel bad, but nope. Ash was definitely turned on as fuck. He took Cael’s hand and placed it on his painfully hard cock.

  “You tell me.” He gave Cael a wicked smile. “How do you want it?”

  Cael ran his tongue over his bottom lip. He turned himself onto his stomach and looked at Ash from over his shoulder, his gray eyes clouded with lust. Ash swallowed hard and nodded. He grabbed a pillow, and Cael lifted his hips so Ash could slip it under him. He reached into the nightstand on his right where he knew Cael kept the lube and condoms. Sitting back on his heels, he tore at the condom packet and rolled the condom over his cock. He was about to uncap the lube when Cael lowered his head onto his folded arms and arched his back, his ass in the air.

  “Fuck.” Ash had never seen a more beautiful sight. Tossing the lube onto the mattress beside him, Ash put his hands on Cael’s asscheeks, drawing a moan from him. He ran his hands up Cael’s back, then down to his ass again. Cael spread his knees, and Ash couldn’t stop wondering what Cael tasted like.

  “Ash…,” Cael pleaded.

  Ash thought about Cael lying on this bed pushing that large dildo inside him as he fucked himself to thoughts of Ash. His feral half roared inside him, demanding he claim the sensual offering before him. Ash had never felt anything as fierce as this. His fingers dug into Cael’s cheeks, and he lowered himself onto his stomach. He hooked his arms under Cael’s thighs and pulled Cael toward him, the sweet gasp that escaped Cael fueling Ash’s scorching desire. He ran his tongue between Cael’s asscheeks, hearing Cael curse and whimper. One taste, and Ash was lost. He made a meal of Cael’s ass, licking, nipping, and sticking his tongue inside him.

  “Oh God,” Cael groaned, thrusting his hips against the pillow in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the pressure.

  Ash coveted the taste of him, devoured him, savored him. When Cael couldn’t take any more, Ash pulled back. He poured lube onto his hand and stroked himself while using the fingers of his free hand to prep Cael. It didn’t take long, and Ash lined himself up behind Cael, rubbing Cael’s asscheeks before he parted them. He pushed the head of his cock into Cael’s tight hole, hissing at the delicious pressure. Cael moaned and arched his back.

  “Please, Ash. I need you to fuck me.”

  The desperation in Cael’s voice and the way he writhed with need before Ash had him burying himself to the root. Cael pushed himself back, and Ash groaned. His resolve was slowly slipping.

  “Damn it, Ash. Fuck me!”

  Ash folded himself over Cael and pulled partially out before snapping his hips against Cael’s ass, making Cael cry out. Ash snapped his hips again. The sound of his skin smacking against Cael’s coupled with Cael’s pleas for more drove Ash over the edge. He pumped himself into Cael, pushing in deep and fucking him hard. With a grunt, he wrapped an arm around Cael’s neck, his hand covering Cael’s mouth.

  “That’s it, sweetheart. Fuck yeah.”

  Cael covered Ash’s hand with his, their fingers lacing together. Cael held on tight, his cries and moans muffled by Ash’s hand as he pounded Cael’s ass, his larger body covering his younger lover and his weight pressing him into the mattress that moved beneath them. The headboard slammed against the wall as Ash drove himself deep into Cael over and over. He rotated his hips, his breath coming out ragged as the pressure built inside him.

  “Fuck.”

  Cael moaned, soft high-pitched sounds that grew faster and louder. Ash could feel the pressure building. He released Cael and got on his knees, his fingers digging into Cael’s hips as he fucked him.

  “Oh God, yes, please. Ash,” Cael moaned, his breath coming out in pants.

  “I’m going to come. Oh fuck.”

  Ash thrust into Cael hard, his hips losing their rhythm as he chased after his orgasm. Cael pulled off him and turned to take hold of Ash’s cock. He rolled the condom off and sucked Ash’s cock into his mouth while bringing himself closer to his own impending orgasm. It was all Ash needed. He gently took hold of Cael’s head and thrust into his mouth, his release almost causing him to double over. His body shuddered as he came inside Cael, intensified by the sounds Cael made as he came. Cael continued to suck him off until Ash hissed and gently pulled out. The two of them flopped down onto the bed next to each other, trying to catch their breaths.

  With a smile on his face, Ash turned and pulled Cael to him, kissing his temple. “Thank you. That was incredible.”

  Cael chuckled. “You’re welcome.”

  As Ash held Cael against him, he stroked Cael’s chest, still unable to believe after all this time, Cael was here in his arms. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Cael said softly.

  As they floated toward sleep, a thought occurred to Ash. “Cael?”

  “Hm?

  He felt his face burn up, but he asked anyway. “One of these days, will you, um, show me how you uh… you know….”

  “Fuck myself with the dildo?” Cael asked nonchalantly.

  “Yes. That. Thank you.”

  “You bet.”

  “Great.” God, he felt like such an idiot. How was it he was the one feeling like some inexperienced virgin while Cael was throwing around words like… dildo? What a fucking horrible word. Then again a lot of words associated with sex sounded unappealing to him, though he was sure the act—especially if it involved Cael—would be anything but.

  The steady rise and fall of Cael’s chest beneath his hand told him Cael had fallen asleep. Ash lay awake as long as he could to enjoy the feel of Cael’s naked body against his. Soon they’d be back on call, facing threats and Therians out to do them harm. Instinctively, his arms tightened around Cael. He buried his face in Cael’s hair and inhaled deeply. It was fine. Everything would be fine. They’d been to hell and back. At least now he had Cael waiting for him on the other side.

  Chapter 10

  CAEL WAS stirred awake by a strange yet familiar sound. With a groan, he rolled over and snuggled closer to Ash, who was muttering incoherently and cursing whatever noise was determined to wake them up. The annoying sound was persistent, like an alarm. Cael rubbed his drowsy eyes in an attempt to wake up.

  “Shit.” He crawled away from Ash, rousing him from sleep.

  “What? What is it?” Ash asked, sitting up.

  “Do you hear that? It’s an emergency call.” They both scrambled off the bed looking for their phones, and Cael remembered they’d dropped their pants on the stairs. The alarm they were hearing was reserved for Sparks and used only in an emergency. Cael had heard it on very few occasions during his time at the THIRDS. He found his phone in his discarded jeans pocket and tapped the security screen, the reader accepting his fingerprint before flashing blue, then red. Sparks’s message cut through the silence.

  All members of Destructive Delta, Beta Ambush, and Theta Destructive are to report to the address enclosed at the end of this message immediately. Arrive in your BearCats with full tactical equipment, and be prepared for a threat level red transport. You’ll receive full instructions upon your arrival. Discretion is imperative.

  Ash’s words mirrored Cael’s sentiments. “What the fuck?”

  “I don’t know, but we better move.”

  They jumped to it, getting dressed as quickly as they could before running out of the apartment. Cael checked the address on his phone. It was a parking garage on West Thirty-Third Street. Why would Sparks want them to meet in a parking garage?

  When they arrived at HQ, the rest of their team was there in the armory getting dressed and gearing up. Cael pulled his extra uniform from his weapons locker, noticing how everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. They were probably wondering along the same lines as him. This wasn’t a regular callout.

  “Sloane, what’s going on?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Sloane looked troubled, and that wasn’t good. Why would Sparks not inform Sloane? Cael finished getting dressed beside Ash, straightening one of the straps of Ash’s tactical vest, when he heard familiar voices. Seb entered their armory, followed by his team. He was dressed in full gear, looking large and imposing, as always. He gave Cael a wink before walking past him to speak quietly to Hobbs, who was looking anxious. Calvin wasn’t kidding. Hobbs looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His shoulders were slumped, and he stayed as close to Calvin as possible. Seb let his head rest against his little brother’s, whispering something to Hobbs, who nodded and even managed a small smile.

  Calvin closed his locker and turned to Seb. “Any idea what this is all about?”

  “Yeah,” Dex pitched in. “And why are we meeting offsite?”

  Seb released his brother and shook his head, his expression no less troubled or confused than the rest of them. “I know as much about all this as you guys. We better head out.”

  They all finished suiting up and grabbing their gear before hurrying out of the armory and heading for their BearCats. Sloane, Seb, and Taylor did a quick recon before splitting up and leading their teams to their respective trucks. Hobbs climbed in behind the wheel with Calvin riding shotgun as usual. Cael sat behind his surveillance console when it struck him.

  “Where’s the sarge?”

  Everyone stilled.

  “I’ll find out,” Sloane said, typing away at his smartphone as everyone took a seat on the bench and buckled up.

  Cael fastened his seat belt as the BearCat roared to life when Sloane announced Sarge wasn’t coming.

  “He’s not been called in on this.”

  Sloane put his phone away, and Cael noticed Ash and Dex exchange glances. What were they thinking? Clearly they weren’t happy about it, and Cael was with them on that. Why would their sergeant not get called in for this emergency? Sloane told Hobbs to get them moving, and the three BearCats drove out of the garage and into the night. This whole thing wasn’t sitting well with Cael, and judging by the looks on his teammates’ faces, they felt the same. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as they headed for the address Sparks had relayed. It didn’t take long to get there, especially at this time of night. Cael checked his watch. Damn, it was almost four in the morning.

  The BearCat turned and drove up an incline, the light dimming around them. Cael figured they’d reached the parking garage. There was a faint beep, like the setting of a car alarm. Most likely the signal. Hobbs drove a couple more feet before their truck came to a stop. Well, this was it. They were about to find out what was going on. Hobbs turned off the engine and joined them in the back, followed by Calvin.

  “All right, team. Let’s see what this is about.” Sloane stood and opened the back door, peering out before opening the door wider and hopping down. He motioned for the rest of the team to follow. Ash jumped down, and Cael was right behind him, sticking close to him as the headlights from the approaching two BearCats neared. The trucks came to a halt, the lights remaining on as the teams climbed out.

  The parking lot was eerily quiet, but then it should have been at this time of night. Scanning the area, Cael noticed there were security cameras. They were pointing away, with no lights or anything signaling they were recording. Ahead of them, Sparks and a small team of Therian agents Cael had never seen before approached them. The agents were dressed in black suits, shirts, and ties, and one of them was carrying a medium-sized armored case.

  “Thank you all for your promptness. This case is to be delivered to the Teterboro Airport, where a small team of Therian agents will be waiting beside a private unmarked plane. I’ll be monitoring your navigation systems. I can’t stress enough how crucial this mission is. It’s also highly classified. I expect you all to report in the moment the drop is made. Understood?”

  Everyone nodded and replied with affirmatives. Sparks gave the signal, and the agent holding the case handed it over to Ash, who frowned but accepted it.

  “Destructive Delta, you keep the package secure. Theta Destructive, Beta Ambush, your job is to make sure Destructive Delta delivers the package at all costs.” With that she turned and headed for the black Suburban parked a few feet away.

  None of them knew what the hell was going on, but each Team Leader gathered their team and headed back to their respective truck. Ash climbed into the BearCat, the package in his hands. He took the lone seat across from the bench, where their sergeant usually sat, and buckled himself in, using the extra safety harness as well. The rest of the team silently took their seats on the bench and buckled up as the truck’s doors closed. The engine roared to life, and Hobbs waited until Theta Destructive’s truck had driven past before following, with Beta Ambush taking up the rear. The trucks left the parking garage, traveling up West Thirty-Third Street.

  THERE WAS silence as they headed toward Ninth Avenue. Of course, the silence didn’t stay that way for long. It never did when Dex was around.

  “Okay, since no one else is going to say it, I will. That’s the fucking drug, isn’t it? We’re transporting the drug.”

  “We don’t know that,” Sloane stated calmly.

  “What else can it be? We’re transporting a mysterious armored case to a private airfield at four o’clock in the morning, our sergeant’s not been informed of this, and we have two other teams providing backup with enough firepower to take on a small army. Sparks, Ward, the drugs? It has to be.”

  “This isn’t the first transport we’ve done,” Ash offered, “and we don’t exactly keep regular hours.”

  None of them wanted to believe Sparks was involved with the control drug. That after years of being with the THIRDS, being their lieutenant, she could be behind an unsanctioned op. And for what purpose? She was a Therian. Why would she get involved in something that would control her own kind? The agents with her had also been Therian. It made no sense.