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While Austen treated Rain like an absolute dream, he felt like they tiptoed around the subject of his family.

Rain knew Austen deserved answers. He knew Austen needed to fully know him if they were in this for the long haul.

Rain just wasn’t ready to expose another weakness.

It was bad enough Austen already cared for him at his lowest.

But as Rain stared at Austen with nothing but the light from the TV highlighting his gorgeous body next to him in bed, he knew he couldn’t hide.

It was way too soon. They had only been dating for two months.

Unfortunately, Rain couldn’t pretend to need help any longer and he would need to get back to real life soon.

If he hoped to hang on to this beautiful thing, he had to drag out the ugly for Austen to see.

“We were all raised together in a spy program in Russia.”

Austen turned his head and focused on Rain. His eyes looked dark in the low light. That made it easier for Rain to keep going.

“My brothers and I,” he clarified. Rain understood he had just started talking as if Austen could read his mind and knew what he never stopped worrying about.

“It’s a huge program. Ridiculously so. We were raised to infiltrate and blend in while having the skills of the deadliest soldiers.

” Rain swallowed. He hated his past, but it felt twice as ugly showing it to Austen.

“I’m not even sure where we came from. Surely, we had parents or something, but all that was stripped from us, so I don’t remember a time before them.

” Rain twisted his fingers. There was so much he would never say.

Killers weren’t born. They were forged by fire.

He wouldn’t expose someone beautiful like Austen to that.

He cleared his throat. “It’s not safe to be gay in Russia.

That goes double for the position we were in.

There were many beautiful girls in the program when I really started to think of such things.

In fact, we were chosen for our beauty. Pretty faces get access to more places.

” He knew he was stalling, dragging things out.

Rain couldn’t stop. His chest hurt. “I knew I was different when all my thoughts toward girls were nonexistent while so many of the others taunted them. Still, I tried incredibly hard to be straight. Pain came to those who didn’t conform.

Shadow found me first. We knew we were the same, but didn’t say the words.

Since we were so similar in size, we were paired to work with each other, honing our skills as a team. Having him saved my sanity.”

Rain couldn’t stop twisting his fingers.

While he didn’t think Austen would reject him, he didn’t want to relive his past. “Shadow caught Ridge’s eye.

Too many times, their glances lasted too long.

People started to notice. Before long, Edge and Tracker had joined our little group of outcasts.

No one was openly friends, but we knew we had each other’s backs.

Then more found us. Field and Crisp. Tidy, Park, and Scout.

The list goes on. We ensured we made the perfect teams. Each named for our role.

We all honed that skill to perfection, so no one split us apart.

Unfortunately, the more of us that came together, the louder people talked.

I don’t know if it was jealousy or simply bigotry, but no one kept our secret. ”

For a moment, Rain rubbed his hands together. He couldn’t make them warm or find his voice.

Austen set his hand over Rain’s. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. Just tell me this thing is a private company now and you’re not still working for Russia.”

Relief washed over Rain. A chuckle escaped him.

“No. I’m definitely not working for them.

” He hesitated. “That doesn’t mean I’m safe, though.

In fact, that’s why you need to know this.

After weeks of torture, we rioted our way to freedom and escaped to America.

We band together and work what we know. But the Russian government still wants us very much dead, and we never know when or how’ll they’ll strike.

It’s been silent for years, but I can’t get complacent.

It would kill me if anything happened to you. ”

Austen dragged Rain beneath him, covering him like a human blanket.

He swiped a kiss so sweet across his lips, it made Rain’s eyes burn.

“There’s no risk I wouldn’t take to stay with you.

Not to mention, every day I know one of my clients might decide I’ve seen too much.

I’ve always lived with danger hanging over my head.

I stay vigilant and strapped. You don’t have to worry so much. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why?”

Austen—who had been trying to nuzzle Rain’s neck—chuckled at the question. He lifted his head. His eyes shone bright with laughter. “What do you mean, why?”

Rain had never felt more serious. He needed this conversation. “Why do you want this? Why aren’t you scared of who I am?”

The sweetest smile Rain had ever seen touched Austen’s lips. “Because I love you. There’s no way you don’t know that.”

Rain’s throat swelled. The weight of Austen’s confession fell on him.

Austen loved him. Him. That was insane. Austen’s other admission swept over his mind.

It hadn’t occurred to him how much danger Austen was in from just who his practice served.

He would kill any of those old bastards who thought Austen had seen too much.

Rain would see them all dead before he let a single hair on Austen’s head get touched.

This was his man. His heart. Austen deserved to know it.

“I love you too. Tell me there’s no way you don’t know it. ”

Austen stole a kiss before answering. “I feel you every second of every day. You’re meant to be mine. I can’t explain that. In fact, I can’t explain anything that’s happened since I first set eyes on you.” A dreamy expression overcame Austen’s features. “You’re just mine and I’m yours.”

Rain could barely breathe. Every word Austen said was perfect and true. He couldn’t lose this. Rain would do whatever it took. Kill whoever he had to. Austen would always be his. There was no escaping him now.

He couldn’t believe Rain admitted to loving him.

Austen had never felt so high. He had taken a colossal risk by saying the words first, but it was Rain.

They were just comfortable and fit. It murdered his soul to know Rain’s life had been so bad, but Austen had figured as much.

He hadn’t even asked because he didn’t need Rain to dig into old wounds to get closer to him.

Austen already felt closer to Rain than he ever had anyone.

His hand slid up Rain’s bare torso as their tongues played.

He adored every line of Rain’s body. While Austen understood these past weeks of lounging around wasn’t what their life would normally look like together, he had loved every second.

He wished it could be like this forever.

In reality, they had jobs they couldn’t avoid forever.

Rain wouldn’t let Austen keep him tied between the bed and doing physical therapy.

At least Austen knew he had given Rain the tools he needed to go back to the stage without being in constant pain.

He provided for his man. Austen wanted to keep doing it.

Things turned heated. They hadn’t made love since Rain’s surgery.

That was Austen’s fault. He had almost lost Rain, and Austen needed to keep him safe.

Rain had to be in perfect health again, or Austen just couldn’t risk it.

Unfortunately, his dick was beyond hard and had taken charge.

He would stop if Rain wanted that, but Rain wasn’t complaining and Austen needed him.

He massaged Rain’s cock through his thin pajama pants.

Rain moved restlessly against his palm. Before he could stop himself, Austen had Rain’s dick out and in his mouth.

Everything about Rain made him hot as hell.

Rain tugged his hair. “Please? Oh, God. Please? I want to feel you stretching me wide.”

That was all Austen needed to hear. He was on his feet, stripping and finding a condom.

Rain scrambled from his clothes and lubed his asshole.

They came together like it had been years since they touched.

Rain bit Austen’s bottom lip and held on as Austen thrust his way inside.

The moment bordered on violence, except their fingers were linked and it felt like an act of love.

That didn’t mean he didn’t have Rain folded up like a pretzel while he pillaged his ass.

Austen had lost all hints of being gentle.

He took Rain. Every sound Rain made proved he loved it.

The way Rain blew within minutes also said a lot.

With his eyes squeezed closed, Austen savored every sensation.

He burned the moment into his memory. Austen wanted to remember every second they were together.

The tension built and stole his focus. His thrusts got even harder as the coil tightened.

A cry tore from him as he came unglued. It was like he flew.

There was so much freedom in the experience.

He felt accepted and loved in a way he never had.

They were so fucking perfect for each other.

“I love you.”

Austen’s throat unexpectedly swelled at the sweetly whispered words against his shoulder.

No one understood how badly he wanted to live like this forever.

“I love you too.” God help him. He wished he could stop there, but he was too in his feelings.

“You have no idea how much I’d give to live like this forever.

It’s wrecking me, thinking about you not sleeping in my arms. You’re supposed to be with me. ”

Rain kept lightly kissing his shoulder, but he didn’t respond.

Austen swore he wouldn’t say the words again.

He shouldn’t have said anything to begin with.

Admitting his love had already been insane enough for such a short time dating.

He would stop there and be happy. That was what being an adult meant, accepting hard truths.

Rain Agafonov would never fully be his. Austen had to be okay with that. No matter how much it sucked.