Page 8 of Deadly Legacy (The House of Matvei #3)

Reuben cut into his meat, the knife slicing through with minimal resistance. “Focus on your dinner, Nikon. You’ll need the energy for later.”

“Is that a promise?” Nikon’s hand found Reuben’s thigh under the table, his touch light but intentional.

“It might be.” Reuben’s voice remained steady, but Nikon caught the slight dilation of his pupils. “But only if you behave yourself in public.”

Nikon’s fingers inched higher up Reuben’s leg. “No one can see under the tablecloth.”

“We’re in a five-star restaurant,” Reuben protested, though he made no move to remove Nikon’s hand.

“Which makes it more exciting.” Nikon leaned forward, the spicy notes of his cologne mingling with the savory aroma of their meal. “Don’t you think?”

Reuben’s breath caught as Nikon’s hand slid higher. “You’re impossible.”

“You love it.” Nikon’s thumb traced circles on the inside of Reuben’s thigh, nearing his groin.

“Maybe I do.” Reuben shifted slightly, granting better access. His voice lowered. “But if you make me cause a scene...”

“I’ll be very discreet,” Nikon promised, his fingers reaching for the zipper of Reuben’s trousers.

Just as he was about to go further, Nikon noticed Reuben’s hand pause midway to his wineglass. Nothing obvious—just a momentary hesitation anyone else would miss. Then Reuben reached across the table, taking Nikon’s other hand in a gesture that looked affectionate but felt deliberate.

“Don’t react,” Reuben said softly, his voice steady but his eyes communicating something entirely different. “Two men, different tables. One at your four o’clock, one at my seven. They’ve been watching us since the appetizers.”

Nikon squeezed Reuben’s hand, acknowledging the message while resisting the urge to turn and look. “Perhaps they’re enjoying the show,” he suggested, his thumb brushing Reuben’s wrist where he could feel the pulse beating slightly faster than normal.

“Maybe,” Reuben smiled, the expression not reaching his eyes. “Except the man at the bar just touched his ear. Classic sign of an earpiece.”

Pride surged through Nikon. A year ago, Reuben wouldn’t have noticed these details. Now he spotted them without effort. “What’s your assessment?”

“Three men, coordinated, professional positioning. Not random, they’re too disciplined.” Reuben released Nikon’s hand and casually picked up his fork. “I’m thinking they could be Dmitrii’s men?”

“Agreed.” Nikon took a sip of wine, using the motion to scan the room. “Options?”

“Main exit is by the hostess stand. One of them has positioned himself near it.” Reuben deliberately dropped his napkin, bending to retrieve it. “No visible weapons, but that doesn’t mean they’re not armed.”

“Kitchen exit?”

“Too obvious.” Reuben cut into his steak, the knife slicing cleanly through. “But the terrace has a service entrance. And isn’t that one of Alexei’s security people working the bar?”

Nikon glanced over, recognizing Bronislav’s profile. “Good eye. Alexei must have added extra coverage without telling me.”

They maintained their conversation, voices normal, expressions relaxed, while planning their exit through subtle signals developed during Reuben’s training. Nikon shifted his chair, angling his body to shield Reuben from the nearest watcher.

The situation escalated when one of the men stood, moving casually toward their primary exit route. Nikon tensed, hand instinctively moving toward his concealed weapon.

“Not here,” Reuben murmured. “Let’s try the terrace entrance. I noticed it earlier. I know that it’s staffed by one of Alexei’s men.”

Nikon signaled for the check. “Lead the way.”

With practiced coordination, they navigated between tables toward the terrace doors.

Bronislav at the bar caught Nikon’s eye, a nearly imperceptible nod confirming he’d noticed the situation.

As they slipped through the kitchen—Reuben smoothly explaining to a startled chef that they were just admiring the operation—Nikon heard a commotion behind them.

Minutes later, they were in their waiting armored vehicle, pulling away from the restaurant.

“That was close,” Reuben said, his voice finally showing a hint of the tension he’d concealed so well.

Nikon’s phone buzzed with a text from Alexei confirming that Bronislav and his team had detained some men in the restaurant for “ questioning .”

Before Nikon could respond, Reuben’s phone also chimed. His expression tightened as he read the message.

“Wallace Hoyt Investment Group has called an emergency board meeting tomorrow morning,” he said, already calculating implications. “He’s going to make his move soon.”

Nikon’s hand found its way to Reuben’s lower back, a gesture that grounded them both. “Good,” he said, the hunter in him pleased. “Let him come.”

As their car merged into traffic, Nikon studied Reuben’s profile against the passing city lights.

The young man he’d first met almost two years ago—desperate and cornered in a high-stakes poker game—had transformed into a man who could spot surveillance, coordinate an escape, and still maintain his composure throughout.

Mine , Nikon thought with fierce pride. Partner, not possession.

The car turned toward their penthouse, and thoughts of Wallace Hoyt, Dmitrii, and business threats faded away as Nikon’s mind turned to more immediate ways to release the evening’s tension. And from the way Reuben’s hand settled on his thigh, he had similar ideas.

“Shall we continue our evening at home?” Reuben asked, his tone intimate.

“Of course,” Nikon replied, already anticipating the night ahead. “I believe we were in the middle of something before we were so rudely interrupted.”

Reuben leaned closer, his breath warm against Nikon’s ear. “I seem to recall your hand was getting rather adventurous under the table.”

“And I recall you weren’t stopping me,” Nikon countered, his fingers finding Reuben’s thigh in the darkness of the car.

“Maybe I was just curious to see how far you’d go in public.” Reuben’s smile carried a challenge that made Nikon’s pulse quicken.

“We’re not in public anymore,” Nikon pointed out as the car slowed, approaching their building.

“No,” Reuben agreed, his green eyes glinting with promise in the passing streetlights. “We’re not.”

Nikon nodded, but his pulse still raced from their narrow escape. He watched Reuben’s chest rise and fall with quickened breaths, noticed his fingers drumming against his thigh. The same restless energy that thrummed through his own body.

Nikon leaned forward and pressed the intercom button. “Anton, pull over at the next block.”

“Sir? Is everything alright?” The driver’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“Everything’s fine.” Nikon kept his voice steady, masking the urgency building beneath his skin. “We’ll continue home in twenty minutes. Wait outside.”

Reuben’s eyebrow arched, the question clear in his eyes until Nikon’s hand found his thigh and squeezed. Understanding dawned on his face, pupils dilating.

When the car stopped, Anton exited without hesitation. Nikon’s security staff knew better than to question orders. As the door closed, Nikon pressed the button for the privacy screens and clicked the locks into place—a sequence he’d performed countless times when needing discretion.

“Twenty minutes?” Reuben shifted closer, voice dropping to that register that always sent heat straight to Nikon’s groin. “Not sure that’s enough time.”

The leather creaked as Nikon moved toward him. His hand found the back of Reuben’s neck, fingers threading through the soft hair at his nape. “Then we better not waste any of it talking.”

He grabbed Reuben’s tie and pulled him into a kiss. Their teeth clicked, tongues sliding against each other. Nikon tightened his grip on the silk tie, anchoring Reuben to him.

Reuben broke away, breathing hard. “Fuck, I need your cock in my mouth.” His hands worked at Nikon’s belt buckle, knuckles brushing against the hard ridge beneath.

Nikon’s stomach muscles tightened as Reuben’s fingers slipped inside his pants and wrapped around him. The warmth of his hand sent sparks up Nikon’s spine.

“You want it?” He thrust up, seeking more friction.

“You know I do.” Reuben slid down to kneel in the foot-well, maneuvering in the tight space between Nikon’s legs. “Been wanting to suck you off since we left the restaurant.”

Nikon spread his thighs wider. His fingers threaded through Reuben’s hair as the younger man freed Nikon’s erection from his underwear. The first touch of Reuben’s mouth sent electric currents up his spine—hot, wet, and eager as he took Nikon’s full length without hesitation.

“Christ.” His grip tightened in Reuben’s hair, the silky strands sliding between his fingers. “Take it all.”

Reuben’s cheeks hollowed as he sucked harder, tongue working on the sensitive underside. Wet, obscene sounds echoed in the confined space, amplified by the car’s acoustics. Nikon watched his cock disappear between those perfect lips again and again, glistening each time it emerged.

“Look at me while you suck me off.”

Green eyes flicked up to meet his gaze, defiant even in submission.

The sight of his partner on his knees, mouth stretched wide around him, sent heat pooling low in his belly.

Those same brilliant eyes that dismantled financial schemes and outsmarted poker opponents were now dark with hunger for him.

“Fucking perfect.”

When heat began coiling at the base of his balls, Nikon gently pulled Reuben up by his hair. “My turn.” He pushed Reuben back onto the seat and made quick work of his belt and zipper.

“Been waiting for your mouth all day.” Reuben’s head fell back against the seat, throat working as he swallowed. “Fuck yes.”

Nikon took him deep in one motion. The weight of Reuben hit the back of his throat, salty pre-cum sharp on his tongue. Reuben’s hands scrambled for purchase, one gripping the seat, the other finding Nikon’s shoulder.

“Nikon... shit... I’m going to come too quickly if you keep that up.” His hips jerked upward, the expensive leather seat creaking beneath them.

Nikon pulled off with a wet sound. “Not yet.” He straightened up and grabbed both their cocks in one large hand, stroking them together. The slide of hot flesh against flesh pulled groans from both men, the sound seeming to bounce off the tinted windows surrounding them.

“Look at us.” His voice scraped from his throat, gravel-rough. “If this is how hot outrunning Dmitrii’s men gets you, then maybe we should get into tight spots more often.”

Reuben’s laugh transformed into a moan as Nikon twisted his wrist on the upstroke.

“Tighter.” His hips thrust up into Nikon’s grip.

Nikon obliged, increasing pressure and speed. He leaned in to bite at Reuben’s neck, just below where his collar would hide the mark. The salt of skin burst on his tongue.

“I want to feel you come all over my cock.” His lips brushed against Reuben’s ear. “Now.”

That command pushed Reuben over the edge. His body went rigid, back arching off the seat as he came with a bitten-off cry. Hot pulses coated Nikon’s hand and cock. The sight of Reuben surrendering, combined with the slick heat between them, triggered Nikon’s own release moments later.

They sat panting together, the air in the car heavy with the scent of sex. Nikon reached for the tissues kept in the door compartment. He cleaned them both with quick, deliberate movements, his hands steady despite the aftershocks still rippling through him.

“Still thinking about that board meeting tomorrow?” His voice remained rough around the edges.

Reuben tucked himself back into his pants, fingers fumbling slightly with his zipper. His lips quirked up at the corners. “What board meeting?”

Nikon’s phone buzzed against the leather seat. He glanced at the screen, the blue light, then grinned.

“Anton’s getting a little impatient.”

They straightened their clothes. Reuben smoothed Nikon’s collar while Nikon tucked in Reuben’s shirt, his knuckles grazing warm skin.

“Missed a button.” Nikon’s fingers worked at Reuben’s shirt front, lingering longer than necessary.

Reuben caught his wrist, fingertips pressing into Nikon’s pulse point. He leaned in and bit Nikon’s bottom lip.

“When we get home, I want you to finish what you started.”

“And how do you want it?” Nikon’s thumb hovered over the intercom button.

Reuben’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Hard enough that I’ll feel you tomorrow during that board meeting.” His breath ghosted against Nikon’s ear, sending a fresh shiver down his spine.

Nikon pressed the button. “Yes, Anton. We’re ready.”