“So you can get yourself knocked out in the middle of a fire? That what you want?”
“There was a child crying in there, okay? I couldn’t just let them go.”
Harris’ gaze burned. “If you’d died in there, how do you think I would’ve felt?”
Valen flinched. He would’ve said I’m not gonna die, but if Harris hadn’t sent someone in to retrieve him, he would have. Couldn’t promise not to die.
“You have Sam to think about, you bastard. And a baby.” Harris swung his legs off the bed. “Don’t you dare swap duties with anyone again.”
“I’m not running hoses the rest of my life, Harris. I’m part of the team. Someone’s gonna think you’re playing favorites.”
Because Harris was, and they both knew it.
Harris shrugged, crossing the room to open the curtains. Light poured in through the windows, throwing every toned muscle on Harris’ body into stark contrast.
Harris headed for the bathroom, his back to Valen. He was ending the conversation, just like that?
Anger snarled through Valen’s chest. He rolled out of bed, strode toward Harris. His shadow gave him away—Harris turned, and Valen leaped, slinging his arms around Harris’ shoulders. Harris staggered backward. “The fuck, V?”
Valen hauled him toward the bed, his blood pumping. “You’re not avoiding me, damn you.”
Except Harris twisted out of Valen’s arms, his eyebrows drawn low. “You need to rest.”
“I can rest when I’m dead,” Valen said.
Harris’ eyes flashed. He struck out with his fist. Valen grabbed his forearm, wrenched it behind Harris’ back. Harris growled.
It was a dance, one they’d practiced a hundred times before.
Harris twisted around, kicked Valen behind the knee. Valen’s leg buckled. Harris grabbed him by the waist, and flung him at the bed. Wasn’t like Valen was at a hundred percent, but now they were talking.
He flipped onto his back, aimed his feet at Harris.
Harris swung himself at Valen sideways, out of Valen’s kicking range. Then he straddled Valen’s chest. Grabbed Valen’s knees, shoved them apart.
Valen groaned, his skin tingling. Hadn’t had Harris spreading him open in ages. Without looking, he could feel Harris’ gaze rake over his cock, his balls.
From the tendril of musk rolling off Harris, Harris felt the same. Blood surged between Valen’s legs, made his cock full.
When Harris didn’t make another move, Valen pushed his fingers between Harris’ firm asscheeks. Found the dip of his skin, where the pucker of his hole was. Touched it, pushed on it.
Harris grabbed Valen’s hand like a viper attacking prey. “Not there, V.”
Valen cracked a grin. “If you’re showing me your ass, hell yeah I’m going there.”
He reached for Harris with his other hand. Harris snarled, grabbed it, and twisted around, slamming his knee down on Valen’s chest.
Valen gasped, looking up at Harris, at the smooth expanse of his skin, the growing cock between his legs.
So Harris was half-hard. Valen could live with that.
“I promise not to get up in your ass,” Valen said. Harris narrowed his eyes, but loosened his grip. Valen yanked his hands back.
Instead of Harris’ ass, Valen reached up, grabbed Harris’ balls. They were warm and heavy in his palm, and on quieter days, Valen liked sucking them into his mouth. Today, he squeezed. Harris grunted.
Valen wanted to see what Harris thought of him. If Harris would take Valen like he would his lover, now that he had Sam.
“Can’t get hard for me?” Valen asked. Held his breath.
Harris narrowed his eyes, pulled his knee off Valen’s chest, and shoved his fingers into Valen’s hair. Yanked him up. Then Harris stroked his own wrist down his cock, marked it with oak.
Ground his cock hard against Valen’s face, leaving a smear of oak on his skin.
Hell yeah, Valen wanted this. Wanted Harris’ scent on him.
“Get me ready,” Harris rumbled, shoving the velvety skin of his cock against Valen’s lips.
Valen opened his mouth, took Harris in. Sucked on Harris’ cock until it grew heavy and hard on his tongue, salty precome smearing through his mouth.
He smelled oak on Harris’ cock, and musk. By marking his cock before he fucked Valen, Harris was marking Valen inside. And nothing beat the thrill that razed down his spine.
After spending that week in the hospital, listening to Sam’s stories about Harris fucking him, Valen had needed this. Needed to see that Harris still wanted him, instead of only Sam.
When Harris slid out of his mouth, Valen murmured, “Guess you missed me.”
Then he pushed his fingers back between Harris’ cheeks.
“Damn it, V!” Harris shoved his cock back into Valen’s mouth, deep enough that Valen gagged. Harris was big. Valen couldn’t take all of him—he could only do that with his ass. And his ass clenched, needing Harris inside.
Valen touched Harris’ hole again, wishing he could get in there, just once.
Harris pulled out of his mouth. Grabbed Valen’s wrists. Shoved his cock against Valen’s face, the wet, straining length of it grinding up Valen’s cheek. “I told you, no.”
“Make me,” Valen rasped. Yanked his hands out of Harris’ grip.
Harris caught his wrists, shoved Valen down against the bed. Then Harris reached down, grabbed Valen behind the knee, and flipped him onto his front. Pulled Valen’s leg up, exposing his hole.
Harris caught Valen by the nape, shoved his face against the mattress.
It made Valen so hard he could barely think.
If Harris wanted Valen to stay out of his ass, he really should’ve made the rewards less appealing.
Valen braced his hands against the bed, shoved himself onto all fours. So what if his ass was in the air? Harris liked it that way. “Not gonna stop me with that, Big H.”
“I damn well will.”
Harris mounted him, wedging his cock between Valen’s cheeks. Fuck, was he big.
Harris knocked Valen’s legs open with his knees, then nudged them even wider. Planted his own legs between them. No chance for Valen to close his thighs—not that he wanted to.
He ground up against Harris’ cock, wheezing. He was a little out of breath, but his body was awake, his nerves alight. He
