Page 29

T hey would all need a dousing in the lake after this.

“See what you started?” Real growled with a laugh.

Azrael squeaked, he hadn’t even seen the warrior’s sneak attack. The laughing rumble of words caressed the shell of his ear when Real’s strong arms caught him.

“No, I didn’t!” He pulled from Real’s grip and crawled beneath the table. Coming up on the other side, he grabbed a handful of food. Screw using a spoon. He flung it at Real, who was surprisingly fast and dodged.

Azrael was up and running for his life toward the mess hall double doors. He barreled out of the entrance and stumbled to a stop.

Ahead of him, Dave and Stone jogged down the steps. Dave brushed a hand down his shirt and Stone ruffled Dave’s hair.

Azrael thought it was a cute gesture until he saw the mashed potatoes in Stone’s hand. The mess ended up in Dave’s hair and slid down the man’s face.

Stone’s chuckle rang through the air, just as several men charged out of the doors behind them.

“Last one to the lake cleans up that mess!” Stone shouted.

The men started shouting it back over their shoulders so that those left inside would hear it—before they raced toward the far paddock.

Azrael dodged Real’s swiping hand.

“Did you hear that? Don’t be last!” Azrael laughed and ran.

The huge lake was on the far side of the property just beyond the last paddock.

The lake was man-made, but it served its purpose.

Will had ordered it built to allow his team to relax.

The water gleamed in the distance; the surface spattered with a few leaves.

Pinyon pine, Utah juniper, and Ponderosa pine trees crowded around.

Azrael tore off his t-shirt vest, toed off his shoes and socks, and shucked his pants because he was wearing swim trunks underneath.

“Look out below!” Freedom bellowed, running down the long wooden dock, and the boy did a cannonball into the water, followed by Boston.

Azrael was almost to the water, and he tossed a glance over his shoulder. Real jogged across the distance and stopped at his clothes before shucking his own and adding them to the pile.

The look in the warrior’s eyes made him giggle and his heart pound.

Azrael jumped in the water, the cold sucked his breath, but he was too excited to pay the chilliness much mind.

When Real stalked toward the beach wearing the same style swim trunks as him, Azrael swam farther out into the chilly lake.

“You’re too slow,” he called across the distance.

“You think so?” Real asked and dove underneath the surface.

“Oh shit,” Azrael muttered and swam toward the shore.

He didn’t make it because Real was a very strong swimmer and he was not. But he didn’t mind when Real caught him around the waist and came up to the surface holding him.

“Kiss me.”

“In public?” Azrael jolted.

Their first public display of affection had been a disaster. Azrael had made the mistake of kissing Real’s cheek near the water trough last week. Real had gripped his arms tightly and pushed him away before stalking off.

“You didn’t want that last time,” Azrael pointed out with a tipped chin.

“That’s because the SecDef was watching us,” Real muttered.

“He was?” Azrael blinked, he hadn’t known that.

“Mhmm, and he doesn’t like it when we mix work hours with personal affairs.”

“Ohhhh.” Azrael’s eyes rounded, and he was pretty sure his mouth did too.

Real’s eyes looked way bluer in this light, and they glittered, and then his mouth was caught in a slow, hot, and possessive kiss.

He melted into Real’s arms.

Catcalls rang out over the lake, but Real didn’t give a shit.

Kissing Azrael was all he could think about since the moment the young assassin had walked into the mess hall looking so fucking sexy in tight black pants and a skin molding ultra-thin vest shirt.

They sank beneath the cold water, and Real took Azrael’s hand in his and swam.

When they surfaced, the younger man sucked in huge gulps of air.

Swimming was good to build endurance, but he didn’t want Azrael exhausted.

He saw the goosebumps rising on the younger man’s skin and decided then and there that they wouldn’t stay in the cold lake water much longer.

He drew Azrael to the shallow end of the lake and picked out a piece of leftover potato from the man’s long black hair.

Azrael laughed and flicked the piece of food when Real handed it to him.

That hadn’t been their first food fight, nor was this their first swim together. They spent most evenings here at the lake, along with whomever was free, hence the reason all of them wore swim trunks under their clothes.

The weather in Nevada was turning warmer as spring came rolling in. But Real still shivered partly from the cold water, but mostly from Azrael’s touch.

“Real…”

He tried not to curl his fingers into Azrael’s hair as the slender man said his name and stepped into him, but it was a lost cause. It didn’t take much to trigger the need to touch Azrael, but before he went there and there was no going back, he wanted to tell him something important.

When slender hands ran up and over his bare chest, Real sighed. He loved that Azrael loved to touch him, and he caught those restless hands firmly.

He was ridiculously pleased when Azrael lifted on his toes and kissed the skin of his neck.

“Real,” Azrael’s voice was more insistent, and he smiled at the blatant need in the way he said his name.

“Hmm?” He grunted, wanting nothing more than to find a bed of fallen leaves and have his way with Azrael’s sleek, tight body, but the young assassin had something on his mind.

Which reminded him that he also had something to say.

“I’m fucking freezing, let’s go back to the cabin,” Azrael said.

The sun was sinking beyond the trees, sending shadows stretching like fingers across the lake, leaving a growing darkness. With no moon tonight, the path back to the paddock would be pitch dark.

“Okay,” he said, linking their fingers.

He would wait until they were behind the closed door of their cabin to tell Azrael how he felt.

“Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch!” Crow said, drawing his attention to the rocky shore.

Several men were coming down the trail, and they weren’t dressed for swimming.

The one in the lead looked familiar, and Real smirked when he recognized Levi Huxley. Behind Huxley came the Aries commander, Roman King. Behind King walked Nash Gibson along with two other men Real didn’t know.

“Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet,” Real said, tightening his hand around Azrael’s.

Both Crow and Winter were out of the water and had already approached the new arrivals.

“How the hell are you?” Crow said and pulled Levi into a tight guy clench.

“Good, you?” Levi gave Crow a tight hug back.

“Same ol’ same ol’,” Crow said with a wide smile.

Winter stepped around Crow and gave Levi the same brief clench and then a fist bump to Roman King.

“You guys here on business?” Crow asked.

“Yeah, Will called me,” Levi said.

That Will had called Levi wasn’t surprising since Levi’s mother was Will’s cousin—that made Levi and the SecDef second cousins.

Will also had a cousin who worked for Cobalt Security out of Denver.

In fact, Real wouldn’t be surprised if more of the SecDef’s family started popping up out of the woodwork.

The guy had more relatives than anyone Real knew.

“I heard you got married,” Real told Levi.

“I did, in February.” Levi’s smile was wide and his eyes shone.

“And have a kid?”

“I do.”

“What’s that like?” Real asked.

“It’s like nothing on earth,” Levi said, his smile goofy.

“Okay, okay,” Nash groaned with a laugh. “Don’t get him started.” Levi gave Nash a light punch in the arm.

“Who’s this?” King asked, eyeing Azrael, who stood by Real’s side. Azreal was combing his fingers through the long, wet strands of his dark hair.

Wearing only a pair of swim trunks, the boy was absolutely gorgeous, and Real felt his chest tighten. He curled his arm around Azrael’s shoulder and drew him into his side.

“This is Azrael, he’s…mine,” Real said, staring at King. He had wanted to say my boyfriend, but the quick, hot possessiveness had surged to the forefront of his brain, and he had to stake his claim.

“I’m Azrael,” Azrael said and elbowed Real in the ribs.

Real grunted beneath the impact.

“My boyfriend.” There, he said the words.

Azrael turned those dark eyes on him with his lips parted, gaping at him.

“I am?”

“You don’t sound too sure,” King said with a laugh.

“You most definitely are,” Real growled and kissed Azrael on the lips.

If that didn’t keep the wolves at bay…he did own a gun.