Page 23 of Man of Honor
"Polo!" he shouted while I knuckled water out of my eyes.
I let out a surprised huff of laughter, squinting at him through my wet lashes.“You wanna play, huh?” I growled.“In a pool this size? You know I’ll catch you in no time.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I’m counting on that.” Gage pushed off the edge and swam toward me with a few easy strokes—a predator entirely too comfortable in his own territory.He stopped just out of reach and began to tread water, all mischief and confidence.“You’re always calling me a kid anyway.So, what’s the harm in playing a game?”
“I don't call you that anymore,” I said solemnly.
His gaze met mine and then darted away, a quick escape.“Close your eyes, Deputy,” he instructed softly.“Let’s make it fair.”
I hesitated for a heartbeat, and then I closed my eyes.Right away, every other sense sharpened.The weight of the thick night air against my skin, the rustle of magnolia leaves, and the gentle splash of Gage moving stealthily across the pool.
“Marco,” I called, feeling ridiculous.
The complete silence didn’t help the feeling.Then Gage’s voice came, startlingly close, near enough that I felt his breath hit the back of my neck.
“Polo.”
I spun toward the sound, reaching out blindly, but only caught a handful of empty water.The thrill of the chase started to buzz in my bloodstream.“Marco,” I called again, grinning fiercely.
“Polo,” Gage taunted, still behind me, but further away now.
I cocked my head, listening for the telltale burble of him moving through the water, and then lunged.Gage shoved off my chest one-handed and darted out of the way just in time.
“Too slow,” he teased, full of the playful arrogance that had always made me smile even when it shouldn’t.“Gotta earn it, Deputy.”
Soft ripples betrayed his next movement as he circled me, close but frustratingly untouchable.Every time I reached out, he vanished.I listened, attuned to every sound, even the elevated rasp of his breathing.Patiently, I waited for a slip in his game.“Marco,” I called again.
“Polo,”he whispered, almost directly in my ear.
I lunged again, fingers barely grazing his slick bicep, but I wasn’t about to let him slip away this time.I tracked the splashes acrossthe pool, driving him back into a corner, and caught him by the wrist.Gage tried to break free, but I tightened my grip and pinned him there, so close our chests almost touched.He froze, and I finally opened my eyes.There they were—those piercing steel-gray eyes, watching me with a heat and hunger that hadn’t dulled in all these years.
Neither of us moved.
“I win,” I murmured roughly.
“Yeah,” Gage breathed. His pulse was racing against my fingers.A beat so fast it almost matched my own.“You gonna let me go now?”
“Not this time.” I relaxed my grip on his wrist, but I didn’t release him.Instead, I let my hand slide down his arm, tracing the hard muscle under his wet skin.I splayed my fingers against his ribs, mindful of his injury, and tugged him close.“This time, you’ve got nowhere left to run.”
He sucked in a breath, and my gaze dropped to his lips—slightly parted and waiting.
“Wyatt,” he whispered. I caught the barest hint of warning in his tone, but it was too late.
Just like that, the game was over, and I closed the final distance between us to kiss him.
Chapter Eleven
GAGE
I knew it was coming,and I wanted it, but the shock of Wyatt’s kiss still hit me like a sledgehammer.I lost my breath on a gasp and couldn’t pull in a new one before he gripped my wet hair and sealed our mouths together.
This wasn’t the one-sided kiss I remembered from taking Wyatt by surprise that horrible night.His lips were firm and relentless, effortlessly parting mine and slipping his tongue between them.No build up, no easing into it.My eyes flew open, caught off guard by the sudden intensity.I’d been half-hard since he stripped down in front of me, but now I was throbbing, aching, and swollen.Nothing had ever turned me on so hard and so fast.It blew my mind. I couldn’t stifle the moan that escaped, but that was okay.He swallowed it and gave me his own right back.
Biggest mistake of my life, probably.
It was like I’d learned nothing from the last time I kissed him, even though sometimes it felt like I was still bleeding from it.This was a mess I didn’t need, but no matter how many times I told myself to back off, I couldn’t.Not now. Maybe I owed it to that humiliated kid I once was.
I slung one arm around his wet shoulders, wrapped a leg around his hips, and locked us together.The heat of his bare cock was trapped against my stomach, branding me despite the cool water.Our tongues tangled, and I fisted the back of his hair, angling his head just right.The taste of salt and chlorine lingered on his lips, but underneath it was the sweet taste of forbidden fruit I remembered in all my fantasies.