Remy took a deep breath. He’d drawn the attention of everyone in the room, including the persons he assumed were security. “I understand. Could you get me a drink?”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Could you get me a drink?” Remy smiled. “Black Russian.”

  “Um—”

  Remy leaned in and kissed him. “Please.”

  Dev looked from him to Gabriele and back, grumbling something under his breath as he headed for the bar. Giving himself an internal pep talk, Remy walked over to Gabriele before he lost his nerve and sat in the armchair across from him.

  “Hi.”

  Gabriele arched an eyebrow at him, one side of his lips pulled up in an amused smile. “Hello.”

  “I don’t suppose I can say anything to stop you from doing what you’ve been paid to do.”

  “No.”

  “I didn’t think so. Can I ask you a favor?”

  This time both Gabriele’s thick eyebrows shot up. “A favor? From me?”

  “Yes. If you kill me—”

  “When,” Gabriele corrected. “When I kill you.”

  “Don’t hurt Dev. It’s my fault he’s in this mess.”

  Gabriele sat up and leaned forward. “Are you…seriously asking the assassin sent to kill you not hurt your boyfriend?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend. Not that I don’t want him to be. It just looks like it’s not in the cards for me. I know he thinks he’s this monster, but he’s not. He’s a good guy, deep down.”

  Gabriele peered at him. “Are we talking about the same man?”

  “Yes. Maybe he hasn’t made the best choices, but who am I to judge? My choices haven’t exactly been stellar. I mean, look at you.”

  “I don’t follow,” Gabriele said, eyes narrow.

  “It must be terrible. Whatever happened to you that turned you into this.”

  Gabriele seemed to be at a loss for words but quickly shook himself out of it. “Nothing turned me into this. I am this.”

  “You’ve always been an assassin? Hm. Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “You seem offended by the fact that I don’t think you were born a monster.”

  “This conversation is absurd. I’m going to kill you,” Gabriele hissed. “And I’m going to make sure Dev is there to see it.”

  “Just don’t hurt him.”

  Gabriele threw up a hand. He lifted his gaze and glared at Dev as he approached with their drinks.

  “Is he always like this?” Gabriele asked.

  “Like what?”

  “Annoying.” Gabriele didn’t wait for Dev to answer. He stood and stormed off.

  “Holy shit. You annoyed Gabriele.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  “No, you don’t understand. That guy is a psychopath. He doesn’t get annoyed because he doesn’t care about anything enough to get annoyed.”

  “Oh.”

  “What did you say to him?”

  “I asked him not to hurt you.”

  Dev gaped at him. “You what?”

  “I asked him not to hurt you. If he ends up, you know, I don’t want him shooting you again.”

  Dev opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. He shook his head. “I don’t even know what to say to that.” He handed Remy his drink and took the seat Gabriele had vacated.

  Remy sipped his drink and looked around, trying to take it all in. This was Dev’s world. These were the people he did business with. Who was Remy kidding? He didn’t belong here.

  “Hey.”

  Dev’s soft voice snapped him out of it. He hadn’t even realized Dev had gotten up. He held his hand out to Remy, who took it.

  “Come on. Let’s go somewhere a little more private.”

  With a smile, Remy nodded and followed him. They headed upstairs to the second floor of The Anonymous, which was busier because of the billiard and poker tables, and dance floor. They walked past the bar and the dance floor, through an archway leading to a long corridor lined with doors. Remy led him down to one of the open rooms.

  When the door closed behind them, the lights dimmed to an intimate glow. The room had couches along the wall in a U shape and a fancy glass table in the middle with a bowl full of condoms and what looked like lube packets.

  Dev locked the door, grabbed Remy, and pushed him against it. Then he brought their mouths together, and Remy’s knees buckled at the scorching kiss. All at once they were in a frenzy, desperate to get each other undressed. They kicked their shoes off before Dev unfastened his belt. Remy moaned into his mouth. Dev shoved Remy’s jacket off, then tugged at his shirt, pulling it over his head and dropping it onto the end of the couch.

  They undressed as quickly as they could all the while devouring each other’s mouths. Remy had never wanted anyone as badly as he wanted Dev. He wanted to feel Dev inside him.

  “Please,” Remy said, breathless. “Fuck me.”

  “Get on the couch on. On your knees, facing the back.”

  Remy didn’t question him; he rushed over to the couch and got on his knees. His entire body was one raw nerve, and all he wanted was Dev’s hands on him. His cock was rock hard and leaking at the tip, and he couldn’t stop himself from looking over his shoulder at Dev. He whimpered at how gorgeous the man was. Tanned skin, a firm, sinewy body, and a gloriously thick cock leaking precome. The look of sheer need in Dev’s eyes sent a shiver through him from head to toe.

  Whatever happened after this, wherever he ended up, Remy was glad he’d met Dev.

  “You’re overthinking,” Dev whispered in his ear, and Remy smiled. He turned his head, letting Dev take control. Dev took hold of Remy’s chin and kissed him, slipping his tongue into Remy’s mouth.

  “You’re mine,” Dev murmured against Remy’s lips, making him smile.

  “Yes. And you’re mine.”

  If only for one night.

  SEVEN

  It was worth the pain.

  His body still ached, but he’d recovered enough to make the most of this moment. No way was he giving up a chance to fuck Remy. Not going to happen, especially seeing him on the couch, his knees spread, and his hands braced on the back of the couch. Fuck, he’d never seen anything so beautiful.

  He traced the line of Remy’s spine with his tongue, loving how it made Remy shiver. Moving Remy’s hair, Dev kissed his neck, his tongue tasting that delicious skin as he slid his hands around Remy’s body, caressing every inch of skin, every sculpted muscle.

  Sliding one hand lower, he palmed Remy’s leaking cock and groaned at how engorged it was. There was so much Dev wanted to do to Remy, he barely knew where to start. Remy thrust his hips back, pressing his ass against Dev’s stiff erection, giving him his answer.

  Climbing off the couch, he lowered himself to his knees and parted Remy’s cheeks, then speared his hole with his tongue.

  “Fuck!” Remy jolted and shivered again. His moan was sinful as he let his head rest against the wall, his fingers digging into the couch. Dev slurped, spit, and tongued Remy’s hole, enthralled at how Remy writhed and begged for more. When he thought Remy might come apart, Dev lubed up his fingers, first two, then three.

  “Fuck. Please, Dev.” Remy’s whispered words came out shaky, his body beaded with sweat as he pushed his ass back, fucking himself on Dev’s fingers. “Please.”

  Not able to wait anymore, Dev rolled the condom down his hard length and climbed onto the couch behind Remy. He smacked a hand against Remy’s ass cheek, making him jump and then laugh. With a grin, Dev lined himself up, groaning at the sweet tightness as he slowly sank inside the beautiful man, until he was as deep as he could go.

  With his chest pressed to Remy’s back, he started moving, slowly pulling out and pushing back in. He slid one arm around Remy’s chest to hold him close, his free hand going to Remy’s head where he did what he’d been dreaming of doing since they’d met. He slid his fingers into Remy’s hair, closing his hand around a fistful of it.

  Remy let his head fall back, his pleas and moans adding fuel to the already raging fire inside Dev who answered his pleas by pounding Remy’s ass, thrusting hard, deep, and fast, the sound of their bodies smacking together filling the quiet room. He took ahold of Remy’s chin and turned his face so he could ravage that pretty mouth of his. His pink, wet lips were already swollen from Dev’s kisses.

  “Jerk yourself off,” Dev ordered, and Remy did as he was told.

  Dev refused to think about what came next, how he would not get another chance with Remy. They were from different worlds, neither a good fit for the other. They could have had a chance at something. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Remy lived, even if it meant Dev would never see him again.

  Remy reached back, his hand sliding to cup the back of Dev’s head, holding him close. They moved together, their bodies a perfect fit. Everything about this felt right, and what he’d thought would just be a quick fuck turned into anything but. They couldn’t get close enough to each other, both of them holding on as tight as they could to the other, neither wanting to let go. Just another example of how fucked up and unfair life was. The first guy he could see himself having a future with was a good man, a guy he couldn’t keep.

  “Dev,” Remy said through a gasp, the sweet pressure tightening around Dev. He dropped his head to Remy’s shoulder and gritted his teeth, pleasure exploding through him and shoving him over the edge. He shouted out as his orgasm hit and he emptied himself into the condom. Remy followed quickly after.

  They stayed pressed together, unmoving as they caught their breath. As much as Dev wanted to stay like this, they had to move. He carefully pulled out, holding on to the condom as he did. Tying the end, he threw it in the small trash can and grabbed a packet of wipes to help Remy get cleaned up.

  The silence grew awkward, but Dev wasn’t having it. He handed Remy his clothes and they got dressed, but when Remy made to go for the door, Dev pulled him to the couch and sat down. With a warm smile, Remy straddled his lap. He brushed his fingers up Dev’s jaw, his brows drawn together. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t. What was there to say?

  Dev tugged on Remy’s collar, and taking the hint, Remy lowered his head and kissed him. It was slow and sweet. Dev let himself get lost in their kiss, in the feel of Remy’s weight on him, of his warmth. His phone rang and he let out a sigh. Removing his phone from his pocket, he answered.

  “Hey, Cat.”

  “I’ve got what we talked about.”

  Dev closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the couch. “Okay. Meet you upstairs.” He hung up and met Remy’s gaze. “Cat’s got your kit. We should go.”

  “Kit?” Remy asked as he stood.

  “Everything you need for a new life. New name, IDs, bank accounts, the works.” Dev stood and followed Remy to the door.

  “So this is it,” Remy said, shaking his head as he turned to face Dev. “We’re not even going to try? Kill it before it even has a chance?”

  Dev arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Sorry, poor choice of words.”

  “What do you want me to say? That we get in my car, drive off into the sunset, and live happily ever after?”

  “Why not?”

  “Because life doesn’t work that way, Remy. It sure as shit doesn’t work that way for me. Wherever we go, Gabriele will hunt us down. We’ll spend our lives looking over our shoulders, is that what you want?”

  “And sending me away with a new identity is going to be any different?”

  “It is, because you’ll disappear, and I’ll be here to keep tabs on Gabriele and make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near you.”

  Remy pressed his lips together, clearly frustrated.

  “I’m sorry. That’s just the way it has to be.” Dev opened the door, but Remy stayed back.

  “You go ahead. I need a little time to myself.”

  “Remy—”

  “You said I was safe here, right?”

  Dev pressed his lips together. He didn’t like it, but giving Remy some time to himself was the least he could do, especially since he knew Remy was safe down here.

  “Fine. But don’t be long. We have a lot of work to do.” Dev left Remy behind and walked back out into the club.

  What a clusterfuck. He headed to the elevator, his anger flaring when he saw Gabriele standing across the room with his back to Dev. How easy would it be to step up behind him and slide a knife along the asshole’s throat?

  Gabriele moved and Dev was stunned when he realized Gabriele wasn’t alone. Dev couldn’t make out the guy’s face in the shadows, but when the guy made to leave Gabriele grabbed his wrist, jerking him back, which went to show how strong Gabriele was because whoever was there with him was not a small man.

  Leaving the psychopaths to their fuckery, Dev got in the elevator and went upstairs to their suite. Cat was at her laptop, a thick manila envelope on the table next to her. It made Dev sick to his stomach just looking at it. She glanced at him and frowned.

  “Where’s Remy?”

  “He’s downstairs. Needed some time to himself, I guess.”

  Cat closed her laptop, her expression soft. “I’m sorry. You know it’s for the best.”

  “Is it?” Dev shook his head even though he knew she was right. He should have known better than to get emotionally involved, and yet…. “What if I’m making a mistake?” he asked, dropping onto the couch.

  Cat studied him. “Are you really going to give up everything for this guy? You barely know him.”

  “I know enough.”

  “So he’s a good guy. He’s one guy.”

  “Right. Because this city is flooded with good guys.” Even if Banetti didn’t want Remy dead, was this the kind of place someone like Remy would want to stay? Yeah, he’d moved here, but only because he’d fucking pointed to a random place on a map. He probably would have gotten the hell out of Dodge the first moment he could if he’d had the chance.

  “I’ve never had this kind of connection with anyone.” He lifted his eyes and met Cat’s gaze. “He cares about me, Cat. He knows who I am and what I do, and he still cares about me, wants me. What would you do in my place?”

  Cat sighed. “I don’t know. But I get it. I don’t blame you for wanting something real, something good. But is that who we are? We stayed in Old Defiance for a reason, Dev. I don’t know if we’re made for that kind of life anymore.”

  What was the point of going around and around in circles? All it was doing was giving him a headache. Standing, he walked to the table and emptied the contents of the envelope, the driver’s license with Remy’s photo sliding in front of him. It was all here. Driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, Social Security card…. A whole new life.

  “Okay,” Dev said. “Get it done.”

  Soon this would all be nothing but a distant nightmare for Remy, and Dev would be just some guy he’d had a thing with.

  Fuck this city.

  EIGHT

  You can’t stay in here forever.

  Remy hadn’t really needed time to himself. He’d just needed a minute away from Dev to vent his frustration at their current circumstance. It was absurd that he should feel this way about Dev, but when you knew, you knew, right? It was there in his gut, in how at ease he was around Dev as if they’d known each other for so much longer. He could easily forget they hadn’t been together for ages.

  Was he going to walk away? Obviously, Dev wanted him just as much, and yeah, Remy got it. He couldn’t imagine Dev living the kind of life Remy was used to, working a regular job, commuting, or going to the farmer’s market on the weekend.

  Okay, enough moping.

  Getting up, he left the room and walked out into the club, ignoring the people casting glances at him, following his every move with their eyes. Some of them whispered, their eyes locked on him. Were they talking about him? He assumed most of the members of The Anonymous at least knew of one another. Did they know they were watching a dead man walking? Probably.

  He’d just passed the dance floor when he saw someone he recognized. Someone he would never have expected to see in this kind of place. Remy hurried over.

  “Sergio.”

  Sergio stared up at him, eyes wide. “Fuck. What are you doing here? You’re not a member.”

  Remy peered at him. “But you are.” If The Anonymous was reserved for the best of the best, Sergio was someone important. He slid onto the leather loveseat across from him. “Who are you?”

  “None of your business,” Sergio growled, surprising Remy. It was stupid to feel hurt by Sergio’s response, but it hurt nonetheless. This wasn’t the Sergio he’d gotten to know. He laced his fingers on his lap and sat back with a heavy sigh. “I, uh, I was a SEAL. A sniper. I’m still a sniper.”

  Remy’s eyebrows shot up. Holy shit. Once he’d moved on from the fact that Sergio was more than a security guard, he realized something more terrifying. “You’re not just any sniper. Not if you’re a member of The Anonymous.”

  Sergio shrugged like it was no big deal.

  “It means you’re one of the best, if not the best.”

  Sergio cocked his head to one side, his lips quirked. “I wouldn’t say the best.”

  Suddenly it hit Remy, and he leaned forward, his voice quiet. “Why am I not dead?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sergio replied, his frown deep.

  “You were there in the alley, shooting.”

  Sergio glanced around as if making sure no one was close enough to hear them. He tapped his fingers against his leg.

  “You didn’t want to kill me,” Remy said quietly. It was the only reason Remy had made it out of the bar. “That must have pissed off Banetti.”

  The anger and hate that flashed Sergio’s gaze had Remy slowly sitting back.

  “Banetti’s a piece of shit and can rot in hell,” Sergio hissed.

  It was safe to say there was no love lost between Sergio and Banetti. Remy was confused. “Then why work for him?”

  “I’m paying off a debt,” Sergio replied quietly, but he didn’t elaborate.