Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Is he the wind beneath your wings?” Justin asked with a smirk.
Alexei groaned and gave his shoulder a hard shove. “You’re such an asshole.”
“Does he feel the same way?” Gabriel inquired, ignoring his husband.
Alexei paused again, but only for a second, and then he nodded. “Yeah, I think he does.” He almost laughed to realize that Soren truly cared about him. That concern was reflected in his beautiful blue eyes. He’d heard it in his voice as he battled his own needs to protect Alexei while trying to trust in Alexei’s skills and intelligence.
Reaching across the island, Gabriel placed his hand over Alexei’s. “I only want you to be happy and safe. I wasn’t expecting you to find someone so quickly.”
“Or a thief,” Justin muttered.
Alexei bumped his shoulder against Justin’s while still smiling at Gabriel. “Hey, I wasn’t looking. Neither of us was. It just sort of happened. But I’m not an idiot. If you’re lucky enough to have something magical happen to you, you don’t complain that it’s not happening when you want it to. You grab it and hold on tight because there’s no telling if you’ll get another chance.”
“Do I want to know?” Soren asked from the staircase.
Alexei twisted and flashed him a wide smile. The poor man looked rumpled, sleepy, and so damn cute. He wanted to climb him, wrapping his arms and legs around his body, before ordering them both back to bed. “Nope. Everything is good.”
“I was telling Alexei that he is welcome to bring you to our home anytime he wants,” Gabriel announced, sending Alexei’s heart happily skipping through his chest. Home was their secret haven. Their one true safe place in the world. If Gabriel was opening their doors to Soren, it was a huge step forward.
“Thank you,” Soren replied. He shoved one hand through his hair and scratched his scalp, looking so damn cute. Alexei couldn’t hold still any longer. He quickly closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around Soren’s waist. The warm smile and look of absolute joy that filled Soren’s eyes made it clear he’d made the right choice. Soren welcomed all his affection and still craved more.
“What are you doing up so early? We didn’t wake you, did we?”
Soren nuzzled his hair. “Nope. My friend called from the ride share. They’ve landed and are on their way here. I wanted to make sure the coffee was on and there were fresh sheets on the remaining beds.”
“This early?” Alexei twisted to look at the clock on the wall. “It’s barely five in the morning.”
“Apparently they were already in Europe. They caught a red-eye. I figure they’ll get here and possibly crash for a few hours. We can gather again at lunchtime and try to figure some shit out. Make plans.”
“Anything we should know about these friends before they arrive?” Justin drawled.
The muscles in Soren’s jaw flexed as if he were clenching his teeth. Alexei touched his cheek, smoothing his fingers over tight muscles. “He’s only asking so he can keep me and his husband safe.”
Soren closed his eyes and turned his face to press a kiss in the center of Alexei’s palm. “Sorry. You’re right.” When he looked at Justin again, he was more relaxed. “My friends are from my CIA team. Highly skilled at the crazy. They’ve got zero love for the Company and want nothing more than to burn them, but they won’t let it cloud their judgment. Since getting cut loose, they’ve largely turned to working as mercs. They know what I do. Don’t love it, but it’s not any of their business.”
“And do they know who they’re going to be working with?” Gabriel inquired.
“I didn’t give names, but I told them that I’m working with three assassins. I also said that if they can’t accept you as full partners, not to bother getting on the plane.”
Justin shrugged and smiled. “If they don’t shoot us, we won’t shoot them. Fair enough.”
Soren’s friends were not like anything Alexei had been anticipating. Not that he was quite sure what to expect. But all the same, they were surprising.
When the doorbell rang that morning, Alexei had been a few steps behind Soren, a gun clenched in his fist and hidden behind his back. He was ready should something go wrong, but Alexei had started to second-guess that when Soren opened the door to reveal a giant bear of a man with salt-and-pepper hair. He took one look at Soren, and his hard face split into a massive grin as he pulled him in for a hug that lifted him off his feet.
“Holy fuck, Charlie!” Soren cried out, his voice partially muffled against the guy’s shoulder.
Charlie chuckled deeply and set Soren on his feet. “Just happy to see you’re still alive.”
He stepped into the house, revealing a second man behind him who was shorter but just as broad. The man looked like he was of mixed descent with rich, shoulder-length black hair, dark eyes, and swarthy skin.