Mercenary Trust (6 page)

“
Someone like me?” Nick’s face scrunched up in confusion, though he was
still amused by what Daniel was saying. Well, amused and a little frustrated.
Thad had done a number on him. It was becoming exceedingly clear to Nick that
the person in front of him was sensitive.

“
Yeah. You know, hot. You’ve got…” Daniel gestured over towards Nick’s
body. “All of that going on. You’re hot. Like, smoking hot. Like I feel like if
I stared at you too long, I’m going to melt, or go blind. Maybe both!”

“
There’s more to me than just the outside, you know,” Nick replied,
though he did have a grin. He wasn’t taking any of this like an insult. In
fact, it was very, very complimentary.

What he
didn’t
like, however, was that Daniel was becoming a little
too
self-deprecating. It made Nick want to bring out a mirror and
just ask Daniel to point out whatever flaws he had, so that Nick could tell him
that was bullshit. Maybe even kiss away his insecurities. And the thought that
Nick was getting in way too deep, way too fast with Daniel was both frightening
and exciting.

“
Thanks for saying I’m attractive, though. And all these ice cream cone
references make me want to eat you up. It’s a particularly hot day, I’m just
saying.”

Daniel smiled. “You’re also nice, and you listened to
me talk about my really sad past even though this is just our first date. I say
that because I’m half-hoping we have more in the future. I’m also choosing to
ignore the fact that you want to eat me up.”

“
Oh, we definitely will,” Nick answered, nodding his head. “All of this
tells me you don’t think very highly of yourself. We should fix that. You
should know you have…” Nick imitated the gesture Daniel made, waving over the
smaller man’s body. “All of that going on, too.”

Daniel laughed self-deprecatingly. “Right. Okay.
Thanks for trying to cheer me up.”

“
I’m serious. You’re a good looking guy. Physically, I mean. Just my
type, you know?” Nick said. “Mentally, I think you need to relax a bit and just
enjoy dating. You’ve only dated, like, one guy and he turned out to be a total
asshole. That’s not your fault. That’s his.”
 

It was Daniel’s turn to tilt his head in question. “So
broken, self-critical chubby guys who cuss a lot are your type?”

Giving a mischievous grin, Nick slowly extended his
arm to gently rub his thumb over Daniel’s hand. “Nah, my type of guy is someone
who thinks I’m insanely attractive to the point of putting me on a pedestal.
It’s very good on my ego, you know? I’ve always wanted to know how it felt like
to go through life with a bloated head.”

Daniel laughed. He clasped his hand around Nick’s
slowly, until their fingers entwined. “Ha, funny. A sense of humor, too! See, I
can’t beat that.”

The mischievous grin Nick had on his face turned into
a deep, meaningful look. Honestly, he didn’t know what he wanted to convey, but
he was beginning to realize that
maybe
there
was a depth to his actions he didn’t quite understand just yet. Why else would
he still be here? He was intrigued. He wanted to know more. He also wanted
Daniel to realize he was a catch, one that Nick was lucky enough to grab when
no one else realized it. “You don’t need to compete with me to be with me.”

They locked gazes with each other for what felt like
an eternity, wrapped in a moment. Truth be told, Nick was beginning to see how
well they would click together. He always liked a self-deprecating sense of
humor. He had one of those, too. The fact that they found each other physically
attractive was pretty good, too.

And Nick was growing pretty fond of that laugh. There
was also a little part of him that wanted to prove to Daniel, right here and
right now, just how attractive he was.

So Nick decided to take a leap.

“
It’s getting a little late,” Nick said. His voice was calm. His gaze was
steady. “Maybe I could bring you to your apartment?”

Daniel blinked, but it seemed like something clicked
inside his head. His eyes widened. Nick swore he saw the guy
blush
. “Oh.
Oh.
Do you … want to get a nightcap?”

Nick nodded. Daniel gulped.

“
I mean … sure.”

Daniel’s lips slowly quirked into a wider and wider
smile, until he was grinning from ear to ear. Judging from the slight ache in
Nick’s cheeks, he felt the same way, too.

“
Let’s go.”

****

Nick would have been one of the first people to say he
was
not
the type to sleep with
someone on the first date. Unfortunately, the string of one night stands he
called his past sex life would have proved him wrong right away.

Still, this was the very first time that Nick actually
thought about going a totally different way, and not just a
wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. He could actually take his time, maybe even form some
sort of human connection. And while he did want to just slam his dick inside of
Daniel and enjoy the moment, a little part of him thought about how he was a
bit classier than that.

No, he could actually enjoy the little things. Maybe a
kiss? Maybe a touch? Maybe he wanted to cultivate something more than just a
physical connection with a guy for once, someone who intrigued him and made the
protective instincts inside of him flare up in a way it never had before.

The trip back to Daniel’s apartment was a quiet one.
But in the few minutes that passed, Nick felt the fire that burned inside him
stoked every time Daniel turned to look at him as they drove through the
streets. When they finally reached the building and the car was properly
parked, Nick had barely gotten a word in edgewise when Daniel lunged forward
and brought their lips together for a kiss.

This was probably going a little faster than could be
considered healthy, but Nick definitely didn’t care at that point. The prolonged
anticipation was almost unbearable. It felt kind of like there was a sense of
urgency driving the both of them, pushing them both to act. After all, Daniel
was giving him the chance. Daniel’s lips were soft, and their kiss felt … nice.
No, it felt more than nice. He could feel the kiss echoing through his body,
bringing his warmth and desire bubbling to the surface.

Nick answered the kiss with as much hunger as Daniel
was showing him. He pushed back, and placed both of his hands gingerly on
either side of Daniel’s face, letting his thumbs gently graze against his
cheeks. That was kind of his signature move. He liked placing his hands on
either one of his lover’s cheeks, drawing them in for a kiss. He even parted
his lips, letting his tongue dart out to gently, teasingly graze across the
seam of Daniel’s lips, and then he dipped his tongue in to languidly rub across
Daniel’s own.

Daniel shivered, letting out the softest moan. It was
like they were consuming each other. Nick could even feel the slightest pressure
of their teeth pressing up against one another. Daniel seemed to respond well
to their passion, though, pulling himself even closer. Nick took that as a good
sign. That is, until their kiss seemed to get a little too deep and Daniel
accidentally placed his hand on the horn and pressed on it a little too hard.

Startled couldn’t even begin to explain the sudden,
surprised hammering of Nick’s heart. Then the two of them burst into laughter.
As the laughter died down, Nick peered at Daniel intently. Every moment that
their gaze lingered towards one another, Nick could feel his heart hammering,
almost as though it were doing flips in delight.

“
We definitely need to get to your apartment,” Nick said. “Not that I
don’t like the idea of doing it in a car, I just don’t want your elderly
neighbors to have a heart attack when they see me and you together.”

“
It’s a little too stuffy in here anyway. Come on, let’s go,” Daniel
answered back breathlessly, smiling. “For what it’s worth, I’m friends with the
landlord’s daughter, and I can say without a doubt that she would have let us
do it in this car without batting an eyelash.”

Nick laughed. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

In no time at all, they managed to get to Daniel’s
apartment. Nick’s excitement was palpable. In fact, he kind of wanted to just
take Daniel right then and there, and it seemed like the smaller male had the
same idea in mind. As soon as the keys went in and the doors came unlocked,
Daniel turned until his back was braced against the door, and he pulled on
Nick’s shirt until their bodies were pressed against each other.

Soft in the middle though Daniel might be, none of
that deterred Nick from wanting to have him. Nick placed both his hands on
Daniel’s shoulders and took the plunge, kissing Daniel firmly. Daniel kissed
Nick right back. In fact, he was even pressing his tongue against Nick’s lips
to try and make him open up.

He didn’t, of course. Not yet, anyway.

Daniel’s hands wandered up and down Nick’s front, from
his stomach up to his pectorals before grasping his chest in a firm squeeze and
making him sigh softly in anticipation. He moved his thumbs in concentric
little flicks, trying to find the bud of Nick’s nipples and making him gasp
when Daniel found them and pinched them.

That’s exactly when Daniel’s tongue pushed in, and the
soft, tender little muscles entwined with each other.

Nick couldn’t believe someone could taste this good.

The door flung open. Daniel staggered back, still
grasping onto Nick and kissing him.

“
You’re finally home!”

And just like that, the moment was ruined yet again,
although this time by what sounded like a woman. With a disgruntled little
sound, Nick removed his lips from Daniel’s. He slowly brought one hand down
Daniel’s face, from his hair down to his shoulders, and then down to entwine
his fingers with Daniel’s. He then whispered a soft, “I guess we can do this
later.”

Daniel grinned. “Yeah. I was going to ask if you
wanted to stay over.”

Nick couldn’t help the little growl that came out from
the back of his throat. “Maybe. Let’s see where the night goes.”

“
Tease.”

Slowly lumbering out from the hallway was a very thin,
almost waifish figure covered in a large wool sweater that engulfed her body.
She had a black tank top and a pair of skinny, black pants that only emphasized
how thin she was. Pale and wan, she almost seemed sickly if it weren’t for the
shocking contrast of her black hair and red, red lipstick. She looked like Snow
White, if Snow White were holding up a mug of hot coffee and had bags under her
eyes from exhaustion. Pretty, definitely pretty.

That was what she seemed like. Just very tired.

“
You’ll never guess what I found while I was doing an autopsy today. One
of the janitors in the old Langham and Durr building bit the bucket, and there
was a flash drive in his stomach. Considering it hadn’t been partially
disintegrated by his stomach acids, I think it was placed there post-mortem.”

“
I thought you’d been given a stern warning not to bring home evidence
again,” Daniel said in a deadpan drawl, patting down his clothes. After all,
he’d kind of just been mauled by Nick.

But talking about autopsies, stomach acids, and flash
drives being stuck inside of people post-mortem was a downright boner kill. If
there was ever any argument as to whether or not Nick was still aroused, there
wouldn’t be now.

“
You do this on the regular?” Nick asked.

The tired-looking woman blinked and sipped on her
coffee before responding. “No, I don’t. I’ve done it maybe twice or thrice.
Okay, maybe ten times if you’re counting when I wasn’t caught. You’d also be
surprised how boring most corpses are. Also, who are you?”

Daniel smiled and gestured towards Nick. “Oh, Cece,
this is Nick Castillo. He’s my mom’s neighbor. Nick, this is my best friend,
Dr. Cecilia Savard. I call her Cece.”

“
Oh, so you brought the really hot ex-Marine guy to plow you ‘til you
can’t walk? Good for you.” Cece then turned to Daniel and gave one of her
large, slightly creepy smiles before even letting Nick defend himself, or
speak, or introduce himself. “Before all that, though, you wanna grab some
popcorn and see what’s on this flash drive with me?”

Well, in spite of how odd she was, Nick didn’t really
think she was harmful. A little off-putting, sure, and she seemed like she
marched to the beat of her own drum, but threatening didn’t top the list of
words he’d use to describe Cece.

“
You’re not putting that gross thing in my computer. I’ll never be able
to use my USB ports ever again,” Daniel muttered hastily. Cece snorted loudly
and shook her head in response before sauntering over towards her room,
reappearing moments later holding up her laptop. “And also, he’s not here to
plow me! Well, I mean, the invitation is open, but—”

“
Boo. Spoilsport. Fine, I’ll use my computer. And by the way, I don’t
need to know all the details of your love life,” Cece replied, turning to stare
at both Nick and Daniel. It took a few moments, but then
she waggled her eyebrows. “I’m sure I’ll hear it
through our paper thin walls tonight.”