Page 1

“G et lost.”

Wolf didn’t move when the angrily hissed words came from the mouth of the man he loved.

He reached over and slapped the button that would bring the elevator to an emergency stop.

“No.”

Furious blue eyes glared at him as they stood toe to toe inside the elevator of a high-rise hotel in Virginia. The mirror behind Caleb showed not only how tense his husband was, but also his fine ass and incredibly long legs.

An ass Wolf had been searching forty-eight hours long for. Wait, it had to be over that… fifty-three hours, to be exact. Of course, he was the reason Caleb had left their home without a word, but it still irritated the hell out of him.

Wolf had only been gone two hours! And during that time, Caleb had disappeared. Imagine his surprise when he had walked back into their happy home and found Caleb gone.

Anger still lingered over the fact Caleb had packed a fucking bag.

“You left,” Wolf growled.

“Maybe we need a break.”

“No, we fucking don’t,” Wolf snapped. “Not by a long shot.”

“You left. You went to the meeting by yourself.”

The meeting had been texted to Wolf’s phone only and Caleb had been hot that he had been excluded.

“I was only gone for two hours, baby,” Wolf pointed out.

“And you told them you’d take that job in Central America, didn’t you?” Caleb spat with his lips pressed flat. The dimples Wolf loved to kiss were nowhere to be seen at the moment.

“I didn’t.” Wolf shook his head and tucked his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans.

“What?” Caleb’s lips parted with surprise.

“I didn’t take that job. I came back from the meeting to tell you that I wouldn’t go, but you had packed a bag and left.”

Caleb’s pupils had blown wide. “You’re lying.”

Wolf shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’ve never lied to you and you know in your heart that I’m telling you the truth.”

“I…”

“You what?” Wolf gave a sad smirk. “Gave up on us too quickly? Did you always plan to run when the going got rough?”

“Going to Central America on an op that you could potentially not come back from wasn’t something I considered in the ‘going got rough’ category.” Sarcasm dripped from Caleb’s voice.

The elevator phone started to buzz, but Wolf ignored it. They weren’t finished by a long shot and no way in fucking hell were they taking a break .

“I can’t just turn off who and what I am.”

“I’m not asking you to. Working for Phoenix is what both of us do. I’m only asking that you take me with you.”

Wolf hadn’t wanted Caleb anywhere near the shit fest that was going on in Central America. Over the past several years, he’d tried to protect Caleb as much as he possibly could, but maybe therein lay their problem. Was he being too overprotective?

Wolf gazed at his husband with his dark hair, bright blue eyes, and sleek yet ripped, muscled frame. A black overcoat hid that compact body.

Suddenly, Caleb knocked the overcoat out of his way and Wolf caught a glimpse of a Taran Tactical Innovations TR-1 Ultralight rifle hidden inside.

Was Caleb on a mission?

Wolf frowned at the Taran. The weapon had a thirteen-inch forearm with a Bravo Company mod, (BCM), pistol grip, and was equipped with a sound suppressor.

Let’s just say the weapon paled in comparison to the man carrying it. Tucked inside Caleb’s shoulder holster was a Glock twenty-six, the combat master package, with a similar suppressor.

Wolf preferred the longer version of the Glock thirty-four, but the twenty-six was lighter and better in several situations. Strapped to Caleb’s leg was a Microtech Cypher OTF knife—lethal in close combat—which Caleb had been accomplished with for years now.

Yeah, Caleb was a badass motherfucker and somehow, Wolf had forgotten that. Still, he had to know one thing.

“What would taking you to Central America have accomplished? Other than putting us both in danger?”

A muscle ticked in Caleb’s unshaven jaw. “You just don’t get it.”

Wolf stepped closer. “Then explain it to me.”

“Why do I need to explain a fucking thing!” Caleb growled and pushed him.

Wolf hadn’t been expecting the shove—although in hindsight, he should have because Caleb was a firecracker. Even with their nineteen-year age difference, the younger man had never taken his shit and never would.

Stumbling back, Wolf fell with a crack into the elevator doors; he felt the metal pop behind him.

His fist closed around Caleb’s jacket and he yanked him closer, muttering, “Stubborn.” Their lips crashed together in a heated kiss and once again, Wolf found his back against the damaged door, but for a different reason. He was all in and returned the crushing kiss, his arms sweeping around to hold Caleb tight.

“No,” Caleb rasped, jerking away and taking several steps away from him. “Damn it!”

“Why not?” Wolf licked at his bottom lip.

“We haven’t settled a damn thing.”

“Then explain it to me,” Wolf said again.

Caleb gave a heavy sigh. “I want you to take safe jobs when I’m not with you. That would at least give us a fighting chance.”

“There is no such thing as a safe job.” Wolf was confused. They worked for Phoenix—one of the most lethal and dangerous covert teams in the world. Everything they did day in and day out was perilous.

“Then safer!” Caleb snarled.

“How can my taking safer jobs give us a fighting chance?”

“You’d be alive, damn it,” Caleb said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Wolf replied softly.

“I need to be there when you do dangerous jobs,” Caleb said flatly.

“Why?”

“Because.” The man crossed his arms and looked away.

“Why, Caleb?”

Caleb’s gaze snapped back to him with anger, impatience, and fear reflected in their blue depths.

“If you go, then I go. If you die, then I won’t want to be here.”

The words rang loudly in the small elevator and Wolf’s heart pounded and every bit of saliva dried up in his mouth. The buzzing of the elevator phone stopped only to start up again a few moments later.

Fuck.

The reason Caleb needed to go was the exact reason Wolf had not wanted him to. Caleb was scared that he would die and Wolf was terrified of losing Caleb.

It had taken him years to find Caleb and it had since taken every ounce of his willpower not to chain the younger man to their home.

Wolf reached over and slapped the button on the elevator to get it moving again. The blinking red light and insistent buzzing indicated that the hotel had probably called maintenance by now.

“We have some talking to do,” he growled and placed a hand on the wall when the elevator lurched with a grind and dropped downward.

“Fat chance!”

Wolf gave Caleb a wolfish grin and the younger man rolled his eyes.