Flight of Fancy (3 page)

JACK STARED AT his empty doorway and frowned. The phone rang, and he picked it up. “Yeah?”

Owen Stallbridge answered, “Testy today, Jack. So you think this lead is real?”

“I just said so, didn’t I?” he growled. When Owen said nothing, the creeping tension climbing Jack’s spine moved faster. “What’s going on?”

“I heard from someone today I hadn’t talked to in months.” Silence. “She needs information from that book. Something’s not right. And if I don’t get the answers she needs, I’m worried we’re going to have a real problem on our hands. And by
our
, I mean you and me.”

Jack liked Owen, and the bastard knew it. But this was the first time Owen had included Jack in his personal problems. “What do you need me to do?”

“Come over, and we’ll talk. I can’t wait on this any longer, no matter what she says.”

Burning with curiosity—because nothing had fazed Owen in the two years Jack had known him—Jack agreed and said good-bye. He set the phone back in its cradle and left the office.

He ran into Kitty upstairs. Their day manager and resident empath, Kitty kept the gym and the team running smoothly. He didn’t know what he’d do without her. “I have to go, but I’ll be back soon.”

“Roger that.” She gave him a mock salute and grinned, her green eyes bright with enthusiasm. She pulled a rare answering grin out of him, her good mood infectious. “Make sure you watch your back. And drink more water. You look dehydrated.”

“Yes, Mom,” he mocked.

Kitty frowned. “Don’t make me open up a can of whoop-ass, boss. I’m a redhead. We’re known for our tempers.” The woman could calm a raging storm and often did. Temper. Right.

He waved. “I have my cell if you need me. Oh, and have Nathan on standby. I might need him later.”

“Sure thing.” She turned to help a gym patron needing her assistance, and Jack slipped out the door.

Time to fix what was broken. He could only hope Aidan would continue his streak of successes and that Gavin could do what needed to be done. Because if he didn’t let Gavin fix his mistake, he had a feeling the younger man would leave for good. And that he couldn’t let happen.

Chapter Two

Gavin groaned and fell back on the couch. His small condo overlooking the Deschutes River had been pricey but worth it. During the warmer months, he left his patio door open and listened to the rushing water, enjoying the calm that nature brought. Today’s low temperature kept the river’s music muted through the wind-blocking doors, so he lay on his cushy sofa and stared at the ceiling. He did that a lot lately, assessing and reassessing his life.

The need for action pricked beneath the surface. His intuition screamed at him to do
something
. He just didn’t know what. He’d like to go back to the gym, head downstairs into the underground training area known only to the team, and beat the hell out of someone. Namely, Aidan. The smug bastard.

He clenched his fists as an image of the man intruded on his thoughts. That blond hair was too long, his brown eyes too dark, his physical presence too overpowering. Everything about Aidan was a little
too
much. Gavin swore. Someday, Aidan would screw up. Mr. Perfect couldn’t be 100 percent right all the time. Gavin just hoped he’d be there when the dickhead tripped over his own feet.

It was easy to pick on Gavin. Yeah, he’d screwed up the first time an enemy had fired real bullets at him. Sue him—he’d frozen. A logical reaction most normal people might have. After freezing up, he’d shot straight up into the air, his fight-or-flight instincts on overdrive. Problem was, bullets could travel up. The smart thing would have been to take cover. At the time, he’d been with his trainer. Caleb Dalton was as big a jerk as Aidan, and the man had torn him a new one after saving his ass.

Did Gavin deserve the reprimand? Probably. But to fix Gavin’s fear, Dalton should have thrown him right back into danger, so that he could get used to life-and-death situations. Instead, Dalton had grounded him and ordered that he put his math degree to work saving the government money, an attitude Admiral London had seconded.

That hurt. Gavin greatly respected the admiral, so he strove to please him by doing the best job he could, even behind a desk. His efforts to be noticed had backfired, though. He’d been
too
good at his job, and no one wanted to let him return to the field.

“Kind of like now,” he grumbled and blinked when he realized the ceiling looked closer than it had before.

With a muffled oath, he glanced down at the receding couch, now several feet below his body. What he wouldn’t give for a useful talent. Something like Keegan’s powerful telekinesis, or James’s awesome ability to control fire. Aidan, as annoying as he was, could read minds.

Maybe that wasn’t such a good talent to have, Gavin thought as he lowered himself to the sofa once more. The PowerUp! group were a friendly bunch, but even among fellow psychics, Aidan stood apart. Gavin remained distanced because he’d failed and couldn’t bear the disdain he imagined sat at the forefront of the others’ minds. But Aidan always got the job done. It was his mind-reading ability that freaked out the team. Hell, it freaked Gavin out. He hated Aidan picking on him. But he wasn’t a kid. He couldn’t claim the guy bullied him, or he’d look like more of a weakling than usual.

Nobody bullied Jack. Or Keegan, James, Nathan, Avery, Noah, Chloe… He groaned. Ian, the slightest member of their team and newest addition, didn’t take anyone’s shit. Mess with him, and he’d empty your bank accounts or forge documents to land you in jail. Gavin could only threaten to hover high above his opponents. Yeah, big threat.

He sighed, wondering if tomorrow morning would suck as much as he thought it might. There was no way Jack would give him a job in the field. Gavin’s time with Kitty in the morning would no doubt be an exercise in patience, while the pretty empath convinced him to relax. Kitty manipulated emotion, but she seemed to actually like him, unlike the rest of the team.

He’d probably spend his time working out, which would at least ease the psychic pressure building inside him. The gene therapy he’d undergone while the PWP had been active had expanded his talent. He’d only been able to move a few inches off the ground before the program, and the stress from doing even that little bit had produced nosebleeds. Now he could rise dozens of feet into the sky and float without fear of falling. Tomorrow he’d exercise and ignore the computer for once.

Hell, anything was better than crunching more numbers.

Back on the couch, he pulled a blanket over himself and started to drift into a light nap when a knock came at the door. A heavy hand rapped several times, and then the doorbell rang unceasingly.

Gavin tossed aside the blanket, rolled to his feet, and stalked to the door. “Hold on.”
Jesus, give me a chance to reach the doorknob at least.
He yanked open the door. “What the…hell?”

He stared in shock at an annoyed Aidan Marshall glaring down at him. Without asking, Aidan muscled past him and stopped in the center of the living room. “Nice. Not what I expected.”

Gavin shut the door and frowned as he joined Aidan in the middle of his living room. “Expected? Why are you here? What do you want?”

Aidan didn’t answer. Instead he turned to face Gavin, his intense scrutiny more than uncomfortable. There was an almost personal aspect to his study that alarmed Gavin, because he sensed a toughness in Aidan that would extend beyond the normal day-to-day. He’d be tough with his boyfriends. Demanding. Sexually aggressive.

Not good thoughts to be thinking with the mind reader so near.

Fortunately, Aidan didn’t react at all. The hulking blond circled him, his gaze roaming from Gavin’s hair to his toes. Gavin shivered—from excitement, not the cold—wishing he’d thrown on a sweatshirt to cover the plain white tee he wore.

“You have nice feet.”

“O-kay.” Gavin didn’t know what the hell Aidan was doing in his condo. He followed the man’s gaze to his bare feet, suddenly noticing the cold. Ignoring Aidan for the moment, he turned and moved to the fireplace. With the flip of a switch, he ignited the gas logs.

When he turned around, Aidan was right there, caging him between the mantel and his hard body.

“What—”

Firm lips cut him off.
Holy shit
was all he could think as Aidan Marshall took command of his mouth. Who knew he could kiss like that, or that the chemistry between them would turn combustible between one heartbeat and the next?

Aidan’s domination flipped that switch inside Gavin that responded to another’s mastery. His secret kink, and the reason he’d rarely found a decent sexual partner. No one could deal with him. Or so he’d thought. Aidan seemed to be handling him just fine.

The kiss deepened, and Gavin couldn’t help the groan that left him, even as he tried to mentally disengage. He didn’t like the man, couldn’t stand his…

“That’s it,” Aidan crooned as he slid a hand between them and cupped Gavin’s erection. “You’re a big boy, aren’t you?”

Fuck if he could think beyond the need to come. Aidan slid his tongue past Gavin’s lips and seduced him with ease. He stroked and led, and Gavin helplessly followed. The hand over his cock grew firmer, rubbing and pushing through the denim. To his astonishment, he felt Aidan’s arousal grinding into him as well.

The sheer unreality of the moment shocked him into taking charge. He ripped away from Aidan and shot into the air so fast he almost hit his head on the vaulted ceiling. Embarrassed, aroused, and confused, he allowed himself to drift lower so that his feet remained level with Aidan’s throat.

“Well, now. Never would have expected that.” Aidan grinned, his brown eyes dark with lust. “You’re a surprise, Gavin.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Furious that he sounded out of breath and that he’d responded to
Aidan
of all people, he remained in the air, wishing he had the ability to make Aidan disappear.

Aidan’s grin left him. “We have business.”

“Bullshit. I had enough of you today. Get lost.” He paused. “And don’t touch me again.” Bad enough he had the guy in his brain, but now his touch was branded on Gavin’s cock. His secret fantasies loomed perilously close to turning into a nightmare. If Aidan knew how many times he’d starred in Gavin’s X-rated dreams…

Aidan didn’t move. He didn’t blink.

In a split second, he leaped forward and grabbed Gavin by the ankle. One hard tug and Gavin fell to the ground. His ass landed first, but Aidan managed to cradle his head so Gavin didn’t knock himself unconscious. Still, he’d hit. Hard.

Before he could catch his breath, Aidan straddled his belly and pinned his wrists to the wood floor. “I’m trying to do you the courtesy of not looking into your mind, but you broadcast like crazy. You have to learn how to shield yourself better if this is going to work.”

“Damn it.” Gavin tried but couldn’t pull his hands free from the behemoth holding him down. He wished like hell this position wasn’t something straight out of his hidden desires, where, after holding him down, his partner would force him to suck cock. A collar and leathers were also involved, some nipple clamps… He cleared his throat and prayed he wasn’t showing the blush working its way over his cheeks. “What’s going to work?”

“You and me on the
Chronicles
case. I found it again. We’re going to hit a party in California in a few days. Until then, we have to come to some terms.
Partner.
” Aidan choked on the word.

“What?” Was he dreaming? Gavin wanted a big man to take charge and order him around, but not the blond jerk who poked fun at him all the time. Well, not the Aidan he knew in real life. He wanted the Aidan he jacked off to, the arrogant yet tender dream of a Dom who didn’t exist.

Aidan sighed. “Trust me. I worked like hell to figure out a way not to use you, but if I don’t, I’m off the case too. So it’s you and me, working to get the book back.” He leaned forward and tried to kiss Gavin again, but Gavin turned his head and fought for control of his whacked-out libido. Great time for his sexual hiatus to come to a close. But with Aidan?

Instead of forcing his face back, Aidan chuckled and sucked Gavin’s earlobe. The action had a direct impact on Gavin’s cock. To his horror, the hint of an orgasm crept closer.

“We’re going undercover to a kinkfest. We have to pretend to be partners. Sexual partners, the kind where I control and you submit,” Aidan whispered and stuck his tongue in Gavin’s ear. “Hmm. Yeah. I think this just might work.”

“Wait.” Gavin tried like hell to move Aidan, but the big bastard didn’t twitch, despite Gavin’s gyrations.

“That feels good. Keep doing that.” Aidan chuckled, the unfamiliar humor as startling as this facet of the man himself. “Look, this isn’t me dicking around with you. We’re going to have to get dirty to get the book back.”

“I—Get off me.” When Aidan didn’t budge, Gavin gritted his teeth. “Please?”

Aidan sat up and released Gavin’s hands. But he didn’t move from his position right over Gavin’s crotch, and the pressure was unbearably erotic.

“Okay. I’m not
getting off
, mind you, but I’m off.”

“Smart-ass. All the way off my body.”

“No. I’m not kidding about this. I wouldn’t have taken it this far, but I needed to know.”

“Know?”

“If we’re compatible. I mean, you’re cute and all, but submission is a tricky thing.”

“You think I’m cute?” Gavin’s voice cracked, and he flushed.

Aidan laughed. “Yeah. Especially now. That innocence is so tempting. Jack was right. You do look a lot younger than you are.”

Gavin didn’t need the reminder. “Great. So I’m supposed to go to a party with you. Undercover, right?”

Aidan nodded. “Jack’s orders.”

Undercover as sexual partners. The thought brought back the reality that he hadn’t had a lover in months.

“The guy who we think has the book is into kink. He likes to throw wild parties, where everyone participates. We’ll need to look real. My expertise is being in charge. You’ll be my sub, and I’ll be your Master.” Aidan looked at him without amusement, and Gavin swallowed hard. “I don’t have to read your mind to know you’re hot for me. Not when your body is so obvious about what it needs.”