The Talented Mr. Rivers (3 page)

Will taking the risk and walking the streets when he was supposed to be dead made more sense when they got to his hiding place. The building stood next door to the club. Not exactly a big, dangerous hike, but still stupid. Hunter expected better of Will even though he did understand how being locked inside could get old.

The place was not huge. For a guy accustomed to luxury and staff and round-the-clock security, this had to be a letdown. It qualified as really nice for anyone else. Paris's housing market wasn't exactly easy on the wallet. But the one-bedroom, third-story walk-up could only be described as cozy.

Hunter had stepped inside and taken a quick look around under the guise of checking for trouble. Standing in the living room, he could see the bed through the doorway on one side and the small bathroom through the doorway on the other. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided ample view of the street. Sitting opposite was a small kitchenette.

The place looked clean. There were no personal items. Only a duffel bag sat by the door. Likely a go bag, which meant maybe Will was acting smarter than Hunter had originally thought.

He turned and watched Will get a glass of water and down it in a few gulps. Somehow he made even that look sexy.

To break whatever sick spell Will had on him, Hunter tried to concentrate on the danger stalking him. On how he needed to get Will to come in, accept protection, and spill all he knew about his family's dealings.

He looked at the few paperbacks stacked on the shelves above the small couch. All mysteries, which amused Hunter for some reason. “Not your usual style.”

“Don't confuse me with the rest of my family.”

“Because you're so different.” More in control now, Hunter turned around and looked at Will again. “How did you find this place?”

Will shrugged as he put the glass in the sink. “I have some life skills.”

Hunter wanted that to be true because Will was going to need them. Going to need huge balls to get through the next few months and then take on a whole new identity, unless he ended up in jail. “I'm sure the money helps.”

“You're talking to the wrong Rivers.”

Hunter didn't bother to point out that the other two might be dead. “Neither of your siblings could get a glass of water without three people helping.”

Will exhaled as he walked back into the living room area. “My siblings, as in your bosses?”

“You keep mistaking a paycheck for owning me.”

“I don't remember you being so mouthy.” Will's gaze went there. Traveled over Hunter's face to land on his lips.

“I could say something dirty, but I'll refrain.” And if he did say it, they'd be screwed. The last thing he could do was get caught with his pants down if Peter or his minions or even the CIA broke through the door. To keep his mind off what he wanted to do to Will, Hunter fell back on gathering intel. “So, is it just you in this place?”

Will laughed. “Meaning?”

“Where are the other bodyguards?”

“I have the two you met, and I only got them because they escaped with me from the explosion back at the house. They'd just been added to Peter's protective detail when the traitor rumors started and Stacia got extra paranoid.”

“And now they're yours.” Hunter didn't like where that logically led—to the idea of Will moving into a power position in Pentasus.

“Not really.” Will exhaled. “They know where I'm staying and hang around more as a favor to Peter than anything. They were only along tonight because I wanted to leave this apartment, which I haven't done until recently. I took one step outside and there they were.”

That last part was the only reason Hunter had been able to track him. “About that. Why change your pattern?”

“Maybe I was trying to draw you out.”

Hunter's temperature spiked again. He could feel the heat rise inside of him. “You need to be more careful. People could be looking for you.”

“Like you?”

Since he was supposed to be a bodyguard and not anything else, certainly not someone with intel about Pentasus or CIA actions, Hunter kept the answer simple. “I consider you my responsibility.”

“That's all I am to you?”

A buzzing started in Hunter's mind. Visions of Will in that bed spun through him. He'd spent so many nights wanting to hate the guy but dreaming about stripping his clothes off instead.

He shook his head, trying to drive the unwanted thoughts out. “What's your big plan here? Your sister is dead. I'm assuming your brother is, too.”

Will closed his eyes for a second and looked away. “You're thinking I need to contemplate a little vengeance?”

“Well, you don't seem particularly upset by the potential loss of your entire family.” And Hunter couldn't figure out whether that was good or not. He wanted so badly for Will to be on the right side of this thing. To be naive and sheltered from the family business. To not have evil in his blood like the rest of his family tree.

But he also wanted Will to feel something. The idea that the death of his sister didn't touch him made Hunter's stomach roll. He remembered all those years ago, standing in front of his father as he fell to the ground grabbing his chest. In that moment, the rage from years of being ignored fell away. Not forever, but for that instant until the ambulance came and the doctors pronounced him dead.

Even in death his father had stuck to his principles. Blocked Hunter from coming to the funeral or any service. Once Hunter had picked the Army, he'd been dead in the eyes of his father, a man who'd served with the Stasi, the East German secret police, back when it existed. A man who'd gone to prison for his lifetime career of using intimidation and torture to get answers. The same man who'd stabbed Hunter because the idea of him growing up and working for the new government—the only one Hunter had ever really known—so repulsed him.

“Don't assume you know me or how I feel about Stacia,” Will said.

It took a second for the comment to sink in. Once it did, Hunter filed it away for later. “Are you trying to get killed?”

“The opposite, actually.” Will walked over to the window. He lifted the edge of a heavy curtain and looked out.

Without hesitation, Hunter reached for Will's arm and pulled him away from the glass and what looked like the fire escape right outside. “Jesus, Will. Come on. Be smarter than that. The curtains stay closed and you stay away from shattering glass.”

“You're calling me Will now?” He shrugged out of Hunter's hold.

The flash of ego pissed Hunter off even more. “What, do you need me to call you Mr. Rivers? Maybe shine your fucking shoes?”

“Maybe drop the attitude.”

More orders. That's all Will did now and Hunter didn't like it. “Yes sir.”

Will's mouth fell into a flat line. “And get to the point.”

The glass shattered behind them. Feet kicked in the window and legs flew through the air as tiny cubes rained down on them both. Will ducked as Hunter reached for him. He got a hand on Will's shoulder and shoved him to the side, but it took another second to process what had happened. An intruder had found an alternative entrance.

A flash of black sailed across the room and body-slammed Hunter. He took flight with his attacker right on top of him. The two of them fell and Hunter's shoulder slammed against the hardwood. The combined force of his weight and the man strangling him in a bear hug as they bounced against the floor had Hunter's vision blinking out for a second.

The attacker gained the upper hand. Flipped Hunter and straddled his hips. His hands went to Hunter's throat and he squeezed. Hunter refused to go out that way. Adrenaline pumped through him. With a roar of fury, he bucked his hips and punched at the guy's throat. The shot had the grip on his neck loosening.

Renewed energy flooded Hunter. He threw the attacker to the side and reached for his gun. But the guy was fast. He knocked it away before Hunter could lock on it. The weapon skidded across the floor.

As his blood pumped and his heart raced, Hunter adjusted. He switched from weapons to an all-out attack. A mix of kicking and punching. He wrestled and grunted through the pain. Blocked out everything except getting this guy to go down.

He couldn't maneuver into the right position for a choke hold. Every time he reached for his knife he got nailed with a fist to the stomach. The attacker used his body weight to pin Hunter. Slammed his head against the floor.

Hunter had had enough of that shit. Twisting to the side, he reached for the gun strapped to his ankle. His finger had just touched the butt when the bang rang out. All the pressure holding him disappeared and the attacker fell lifeless on top of him. Deadweight right to his gut.

Instinctively Hunter rolled and slipped to his knees. His head shot up as he struggled to figure out where the shot had come from. Then he saw Will. Standing there still holding the gun and wearing a blank expression.

Hunter had no idea if this was his first kill or just one of many. Either way, he wasn't taking the chance that Will would keep going. He jumped to his feet and stopped. Forcing his body to slow, he moved toward Will, careful not to rattle him.

“I've always been impressed with the way you shoot.” Hunter made the comment as he put his hand over Will's and slipped the gun out of his hand.

“My father insisted.”

“And here I thought the old man was worthless.” God knew Hunter hated to owe that guy anything.

“Me too.”

Will's speech sounded slower than usual. He wasn't dazed, which Hunter took as a good sign. But he wasn't bouncing right back to his normal self either. Hunter knew they had limited time. The sound of gunfire would bring the police. He could already hear voices in the hallway, likely from the neighbors trying to figure out what was happening.

Hunter dropped to the lifeless body and checked for ID, not expecting to find any. But he did have some idea who he was. “It's the guy who came on to you as we left the club.”

The news seemed to wake Will from his stupor. He shook his head. “He followed us back here? That seems extreme. Also makes me question your bodyguard qualifications.”

“Not to knock your ego, but he didn't come here looking for sex.”

Will looked around. Grabbed up his keys and duffel bag. “Apparently not.”

“Skills, weapons, and no ID. This guy was on a job. He's been trained.” Hunter stood up again, ignoring the ache in his side from the rapid punches the guy had landed there. “Do you know if Peter is really dead?”

Will frowned. “I don't know how that's relevant to this situation.”

“Answer the fucking question.”

His eyebrow lifted but he didn't hesitate. “I don't know.”

Hunter took in the sight of the duffel and Will's ready stance. He was smart enough to know they had to run. That the clock was ticking, and if the sound of wailing sirens in the distance was any indication, they had minutes only.

Still, this point was too important to put off until later. “You are one of the heirs to the family business. If Peter is alive, he has to split the business with you. I can't really see your unstable big brother tolerating that, but with you gone he's in charge.”

“Okay.”

Hunter wasn't sure it was. “Do you understand what I'm telling you?”

Will's fingers tightened on the bag's strap. “You think my brother sent someone to kill me.”

“Stacia and Peter were locked in an all-out war for power. It was only a matter of time before one of them took the other out.”

“So much for the theory that the staff doesn't pay attention.”

That's it.
Hunter took a giant step forward. Landed right in front of Will. “You need to understand one thing. I'm not your fucking servant.”

If the closeness bothered him, Will hid it well. “What are you?”

“The only hope you've got.”

“So you keep saying.”

“This guy was the first. There will be more, and one of them will take you out.” Hunter pointed at the guy bleeding out on the floor from the clean head shot Will had delivered. “Unless you think this was unrelated to your family. That you're so irresistible that some guy would go through all of this to get your pants off.”

Hunter almost hated saying the words. After everything, and even with the stench of death still hovering around them, he felt the kick of need. He wanted to get out of there, get somewhere safe, and bury himself in Will. Maybe if he did that, he could work the guy out of his system. Take one shot and then walk away. Hand him over to whoever was in charge of the Pentasus investigation.

But he doubted it.

Will's eyes narrowed. “What I think is that you don't sound like a bodyguard.”

Good, because Hunter was done with that title. From now on this was an operation of equals. Even worse for Will, Hunter was thinking of making it a dictatorship with him at the helm. “Think of me as your chance at survival. Which means the days of me obeying you are over.”

“So, now you're in charge?”

Fine, they'd go with that. “Damn right.”

“Of my protection?”

Heat flashed through Hunter again. “Of everything. Now let's go.”

The hollow sensation hadn't left Will's stomach forty minutes later. After dodging anything that could have been a potential threat and covering their tracks, they walked up the steps of a building in Le Marais, a historic section of Paris on the Right Bank of the Seine. Thoughts bombarded his brain as they climbed in silence.

Stacia. Peter. Attackers. Life had been a hell of a lot simpler when he lived thousands of miles away.

Danger had been rushing at him from all sides ever since he'd arrived home in London after years away. Back then it had all started with the suspicion that his father wasn't just ill but was being pushed in that direction. There were the whispers around the house. Talk of Stacia and Peter sabotaging each other. The insistence that he had to pick a side.

Then he'd met Hunter. Stacia had hired him and Peter tried to win him over. Will had watched the craziness unfold from the sidelines, in awe of Hunter's ability to stay out of the worst of the who-was-a-bigger-badass battle between his siblings. Hunter even volunteered for the bodyguard job, something Will didn't think he needed but acquiesced to because the choice had been Hunter.

The job put them in close proximity. Threw them together. Will had planned to come home, check on his sick father, and then take off again. A final goodbye sort of thing. Spend the days saying whatever needed to be said and the nights sneaking out to find some nameless guy to screw.

As with everything else, Hunter had changed that, too. Forget finding someone else. When Hunter stood nearby, Will didn't think about sex with some stranger to chase away the numbness. The whole blond and brooding thing appealed to him way too much. At night, alone in bed, it was Hunter's face he called up as his hand slid under the covers.

But it was more than attraction and heat. No, with Hunter around, Will's priorities changed. He changed. It was no longer possible to ignore the things his family did because Hunter was right there, watching and assessing, making it clear Will had already picked a side by staying silent. During those two months at home, Will started to believe that Hunter might be the one good thing to come out of his unwanted family visit.

Until the explosion.

Hunter had disappeared and Will's thoughts scrambled. All Stacia's worries about being spied on ran through Will's head. At the end, Stacia had been so determined to get her hands on a CIA target, so desperate to drive out the person she thought had infiltrated the family business, she could have missed things. Like how Hunter seemed more skilled than every other paid guy with a gun protecting the property. How he was the last one with Peter and the men Will had seen tied up in the basement before the explosions started.

With those doubts bombarding him, Will tried to remain distant and extra careful. He wanted to know more about who Hunter really was, more than his intensity and gruffness, before diving in any deeper. That was the plan and Will knew it made sense, but Hunter never lowered the shield. That façade never slipped.

But being close to him again only pumped life back into the fire that burned deep inside him. Hunter had a hold on him, and Will wasn't even sure he wanted to fight it anymore. Maybe one good fuck and they could move on. That option was starting to sound smarter and smarter in his head. It sure as hell had always sounded good.

“One second,” Hunter said, breaking into Will's thoughts.

Will watched Hunter's fingers as he typed in a code on the security pad outside the door at the end of the hall on the fifth floor. Next came the key. Redundant security. The place would not be easy to access from this direction. That left the fire escape, and Will had just learned how dangerous those could be.

They walked inside. Without saying another word, Hunter lifted his gun and started exploring. Checked the rooms and behind doors. The surveillance didn't take long since the place was a studio. At one end a bed sat in a small alcove. At the other end, a kitchen. The living area, which consisted basically of a couch and a chair, took up the space between.

Will scanned the surroundings, looking for any sign Hunter lived here and came up empty. A stone wall and beamed ceilings. Neutral colors. There were exactly two shirts hanging in the open closet space next to the bed. No shoes, no open drawers. No sign of life.

Again, more questions. “You just happened to know about a vacant yet furnished Paris apartment that we can hide out in?”

“Yes.” Without looking up, Hunter dumped his cell on the table next to the only chair in the place.

“Not good enough. I want a real answer.”

Hunter looked at him then. “What do you need to know, Your Highness?”

The attitude got so old. Will had no idea how Hunter carried around the weight of all that sarcasm. “Can we stop with that bullshit?”

“I've been attacked by four armed men in”—Hunter looked at his watch—“less than two hours since I found you. That sort of thing makes a guy less than friendly. And a little wary about what comes next.”

“Even you?” Will couldn't imagine that. After the explosion the house had literally caved in around Hunter, trapping him on an underground floor. He'd somehow gotten out and escaped the law enforcement personnel conveniently waiting outside on the grounds. No easy feat.

The questions just kept piling up.

Hunter's expression had gone blank. There was no way to read his emotions or even guess what he was thinking. “You think I'm immune to pain?”

The gunfire, the punching. Will viewed Hunter as almost superhuman, as if he couldn't be killed. Maybe he just needed to think that to stay sane.

Will looked at Hunter's navy suit, hoping not to see a splash of red on the white shirt. There was a smear near the collar, but that was it. The jacket hid parts of his chest.

“Are you hurt?” He had to fight off the urge to run his hands over Hunter to check.

“I'm fine.”

The clipped speech had Will's gaze slipping back to Hunter's face. “Would you tell me if you weren't?”

“Would you give a shit?”

Too fucking much.
“You know the answer to that.”

“Do I? See, I can't figure you out.” Hunter approached then. Walked over and slid his hands up and down Will's sides. “You're all cool on the outside, acting like you're out of the fray. Above it all.”

The touch burned through the thin material of his shirt. Will tried to act like his nerve endings hadn't caught fire under Hunter's fingers. Tried not to show that he'd fantasized about this, about stripping them both. “The way I see it, you're the one who keeps talking about being in charge.”

Hunter stepped in closer as his fingertips flexed against Will's hips. “Just trying to lay the ground rules.”

With barely a breath of air between them, Will leaned in and whispered against Hunter's temple, “Which are?”

That fast, Hunter pulled back. His arms dropped and he visibly swallowed. “Now isn't the time.”

That fast the emotional divide widened along with the physical one. Hunter walked to the windows lining the wall. He made a show of testing the locks and lifting the curtain to peek outside.

The whole scene pissed Will off. “Fucking coward.”

Hunter turned around nice and slow. Gave Will the once-over, letting his gaze linger over every inch. “What did you just say?”

This wasn't the time or the place, but the energy zapping between them only intensified with each encounter. They'd gone from trading glances in the country house's dining room to innuendos, and now to actual touching. In passing maybe. Light and skimming. That didn't matter because Will felt it with every cell inside him.

He'd wanted Hunter from the first time he'd seen him. Hot and dirty, half clothed and panting. That's how they came together in his fantasies. Which played nonstop in his head.

The way Hunter would hold himself away from everyone else. The sting of heat that hit him when he felt Hunter looking in his direction. How he never glanced away. He held the stare, as if daring Will to back down. The larger-than-life presence punched a hole through Will's control. Had him wanting to strip Hunter down and slide their bodies together.

Not that he
should
say any of that. With strained trust and danger lurking all around, acting on the need seemed stupid. Still, something inside Will pushed. “You go right to the edge and pull back. I keep wondering if it's fear or insecurity.”

Hunter puts his hands on his hips as his eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to challenge me?”

Will shrugged because he knew that would annoy Hunter. “Just seeing where your interests lie.”

“If you're talking about fucking—”

“I am.” There it was. Right out there. It slipped out, which meant Will was done hiding it. It was time to be the one brave enough to say it.

Silence screamed inside the room. Hunter's body froze and his mouth fell into a thin line. For a second he didn't move or speak. Didn't even blink.

The tension ratcheted up. Kept twisting as he started walking. Came right at Will and didn't stop until their shoes touched. Until his hand skimmed down the front of Will's shirt to land on his flat stomach.

“Do you need some attention?” Hunter's hand slid lower. Covered the front of Will's zipper. “You could have said so.”

“Hunter.” That's all Will could get out. Air trapped in his lungs as heat thumped inside him.

“You want me to service you?” Hunter's mouth went to Will's ear. Traced the outline, then sucked on the end.

“Stop being an asshole.” Will put his hands on Hunter's shoulders, thinking to shove him away, but his muscles wouldn't work. His palms slid and his fingers dug into Hunter's biceps. Tugged him in even closer.

“I could use my hands.” Hunter cupped Will's erection. Outlined the bulge, then squeezed. “Or my tongue.” He licked up the side of Will's neck then bit down. Not hard, but enough that he would leave a mark.

Hunter surrounded him. Backed him up until his ass hit the wall, then covered him, body against body. Let his hands slide over Will's erection and his stomach. To his lower back, then ass.

Will's whole body pulsed with the need to rip their clothes off. To throw Hunter on the floor.

Fuck the timing and the danger. Screw the lack of trust and all the questions. He was taking this. For all the nights he'd closed his eyes and pictured Hunter, to the way that deep voice skidded across his senses. This was going to happen.

He plunged his fingers into Hunter's hair and lifted his head. “Do it.”

“You need to beg me.” Hunter said the words even as he lowered Will's zipper.

The clicking echoed through the room. In Will's head.

He leaned back and let the wall support him. Trying to tamp down the burning inside him, Will pulled Hunter's face to his. Nipped at Hunter's bottom lip. “I said do it.”

Their mouths met. There was nothing slow or sweet about this kiss. They devoured each other. Teeth against teeth. Tongue sliding over tongue. It was feral and raw, their lips crossing and mouths open. When they lifted their heads they were both out of breath. Will could feel the thunder of his heartbeat in his ears. It matched the thump of Hunter's under his hand.

Will's fingers went to Hunter's pants but he grabbed only air. Hunter had shifted, dropped to his knees. He ripped Will's pants open as he stared up. The intense gaze wasn't hard to read. Hunter wanted this. Wasn't going to stop.

When Hunter's hand slipped inside Will's briefs, peeling the edge down, Will almost lost it. He balanced his head against the wall as the heat from Hunter's hands and mouth enveloped him. Hunter licked the tip, teased with his tongue until Will's hips lifted off the wall. Then he swallowed him. Took Will deep down his throat.

The mix of touching and tasting had Will's head spinning. His body ached for release. They'd been engaged in a form of subtle nontouching foreplay for months, stalking each other but not giving in, and his control was shot.

As his pants dropped to the floor, Will gave in. “Ah, fuck.”

The sensual torture continued. The sucking and licking. The way Hunter massaged his balls. All of it, every last brush of his fingers and lips, worked for Will. Touched off a frenzy inside him.

His muscles tightened and with every plunge into Hunter's mouth, Will's hips moved. They slipped into a back-and-forth rhythm. One that had Will grabbing the wall for leverage.

Just as Hunter got started—as he got them both started—he stopped. He sat back and stared up.

Will's brain felt as if it had caught on fire. “Jesus, don't stop.”

“This is going to happen.” Hunter mumbled the words as he started to stand up. “Right now.”

Thank God.
Will caught him by the shoulders and pulled him up the rest of the way for another drugging kiss. This one just as wild and unrestrained as the others. “Yes.”

The room tipped. Will felt the air whiz around him. He opened his eyes and for a second he didn't understand what he saw. Stones…then it hit him. The wall. He balanced his palms against it as Hunter flattened his stomach on Will's back.

“I've been waiting for so fucking long to slide inside you.” Hunter bit down on the back of Will's neck, right at the base.

The pinch vibrated through Will and he loved it. “Do it.”

With a yank, Hunter stripped off Will's briefs, leaving him naked and ready. The weight left Will, but just for a second. He heard the noise from Hunter's zipper, then he was back. Bare thighs pressing against him.

Fingers pressed against the base of Will's neck, holding him there as Hunter rubbed against him. Slipped his dick up and down. Then Hunter's hand traveled over him until a wet finger slipped inside. Will guessed Hunter had used his mouth to wet it because he didn't have lube nearby. Will didn't really care because this sensation was all he needed. The opening. The preparation.