Topping the Alpha: Trident Security Series (9 page)

Jake rolled over and checked his cell for the time. Oh-six-forty-five. Stretching, he reached down and scratched his groin as he willed his morning wood down. Yeah, he could’ve had a quiet quickie with Nick last night, since Ian’s bedroom was on the opposite side of the house from the occupied bedrooms. No one would’ve heard them, but whether Nick understood it or not, he was now a submissive-in-training. And that meant learning obedience and restraint.

After using the toilet and washing his hands, he threw on a T-shirt, pair of sweats, and his sneakers. With the extra men in the house guarding Alyssa, he could get a morning run in. There were a few paths through the woods that the team had placed distance markers on. Out to the final marker and back was a six-mile run, which was just what he needed to work off some of the sexual tension surging through his body. Ever since yesterday morning when Nick had begged him not to walk away, Jake had longed to do all sorts of dirty, nasty, wonderful things to him, but now was not the time. Alyssa’s safety came first.

Opening the bedroom door, he looked to his left and was surprised to see the teenager’s bedroom door was ajar. He was about to peek in when he heard her giggle coming from the living room area. What he found there wasn’t what he expected. “Since when the heck do you cook?”

Carter lifted his gaze to Jake as Alyssa glanced over her shoulder from her stool at the kitchen island. “I’ve always been able to cook. I just seldom come across someone worthy of my culinary talents like sweet Alyssa here. And if you’re going to be a jerk about it, you can make your own breakfast.”

The young girl giggled again and Jake shook his head in amazement. Not only was the U.S. dark operative cooking pancakes, but it seemed he’d won over the timid teenager in no time.

“I’ve been entertaining this pretty girl with my vast repertoire of daring and heroic adventures from around the globe.”

Jake snorted as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out the container of orange juice. “You sound like Blackbeard the pirate. Don’t believe a word he says, Alyssa. He’s actually an insurance salesman and lies like a rug.”

“An insurance salesman?” She narrowed her eyes at Carter as he flipped three pancakes off the electric griddle sitting on the island and onto a plate for her. “I knew you were conning me,” she chastised, then rolled her eyes toward Jake. “He said he was a government spy, like James Bond.”

After filling a glass, Jake smirked at his friend who shrugged his shoulders and gave the girl a sad puppy-dog expression. “Who are you going to believe, me or Jake from State Farm?”

Orange juice burst from Jake’s mouth and nose, and, thankfully, into the sink. The acidity burned his throat and nostrils as he coughed and gasped for the air which didn’t want to be drawn into his lungs. Carter’s face turned tomato red as he roared with laughter and bent over holding his stomach, until he was almost as breathless as Jake was. Snatching a nearby dishtowel and wiping his face, Jake glared at the other man. “Thanks an effing lot,” he croaked, wanting to say so much more to the asshole, but Alyssa’s presence had him biting his tongue.

As it was, she was looking at both of them with a mix of confusion and amusement. “All right, fill me in, because I didn’t get the joke.”

Using the towel to wipe up the juice that hadn’t made it into the sink, Jake shook his head. His voice was still hoarse from the liquid abuse. “It’s from that insurance commercial, and a very bad joke.”

“Hey!” Carter caught the damp towel which had been intentionally thrown at his head. “Any joke that makes the Reverend shoot orange juice out his nose is damn good. Score one for me.”

“Reverend?” Alyssa asked around a bite of her pancakes. “Is that like a nickname, Jake, or are you really a priest or something?”

“Ha! No, sweetheart, I’m not a priest. It’s my call sign from the Navy.” Jake lifted the carton to pour himself another glass of orange juice, but thought better of it and turned to put it back in the fridge. “You don’t get to choose it, it’s given to you by your team. But I’ll take ‘Reverend’ over some of the crazy names a bunch of my friends got.”

He didn’t know how, but before he spun back around he knew Nick had entered the room. It wasn’t from any sound the kid had made because he walked as furtively as every other trained SEAL. Instead, the air crackled with electricity and made the hair on the back of Jake’s neck tingle with awareness. He eyed the newcomer as Carter offered Nick some pancakes. The kid was fresh from a shower and appeared…relaxed and tense at the same time.
Hmmm
.

“No, thanks. I was going to go for a run, if no one minds.”

Jake watched as Nick looked at everyone and everything but him. His Dom senses went on full alert. A shower before running? Oh, Junior, he thought, you are in so much trouble. “Not at all. As a matter of fact, I was on my way out for a run myself.” He lifted an eyebrow at Carter. “You mind holding down the fort. Cain should be down soon.” The spy shrugged his shoulders in the equivalent of ‘no problem’ as he poured more batter on the griddle. “Thanks. I’ll call Ian for an update when we get back. Come on, Junior, let’s see how you do off the O-course.”

Nick didn’t look happy about suddenly having a running mate, but he didn’t back down. Jake tossed him a bottled water from the fridge, then took one for himself. “Sound the alarm if you need us.”

“No worries,” Carter acknowledged as the two headed out the door.

Not saying another word, Jake descended the front steps, and then stretched to loosen his muscles. Nick stood a few feet away, doing the same. A few minutes later they were jogging at a warm-up pace down the dirt trail. At the half mile mark, Jake increased his speed and the kid did the same, staying abreast of him. Smiling to himself, the Dom plotted how he was going to punish his submissive for his disobedience. He was positive the kid had jacked off at some point, either late last night or early this morning.

One mile.
Hmm
. A cock cage would be ideal, but even if Jake had one with him, it wasn’t practical due to their situation. Checking his watch for their time, he lengthened his stride. Beside him, Nick was already sweating and he doubted it was from the exertion. It was a cool fall morning in the mountains, and as a trained Navy SEAL, Nick could do this exercise with a fifty-pound pack strapped to him and still wouldn’t be breathing heavy yet.

Two miles. They were now clocking a seven-minute-mile pace. Maybe he could make a switch from one of the numerous types of trees in the area and tan the kid’s ass. Ah, nope, that wouldn’t work either. Jake didn’t have any arnica gel with him for the temporary welts he wanted to leave on Nick’s ass. And he couldn’t have him in obvious pain when they returned to the house—beside the fact they hadn’t discussed hard limits yet, so a switch was out.

Two-point-five miles. That put them past the solar powered cameras Brody had set up as part of the house’s security system. No chance of anyone seeing them now unless it was some idiot out hunting, and on this section of the mountain that was very rare. Jake slowed his pace until he stopped altogether next to a large boulder on the right side of the path. Having gone a little further, Nick turned around and jogged back to him. “What’s wrong? Got a cramp?”

Leaning against the cool rock, Jake crossed his arms and stared at Nick’s face, letting him see the disappointment in his eyes. He dropped his voice, making it stern and threatening. “Something you want to tell me?”

“What?” Nick licked his lips in a sure sign of nervousness.

Jake’s eyes narrowed further. “Don’t lie to me, Nicky-boy. You’ll just be digging yourself a deeper hole then the one you’re already in. Now, tell me…did you do something you were ordered not to do?”

“Shit,” he spat out, then ran a hand down his face. Jake stood there, waiting him out, as he paced back and forth, clearly fighting an internal battle. After a few moments, he halted and threw his hands up into the air. “I’m sorry, all right? I woke up as hard as that fucking rock you’re leaning against and I couldn’t help myself. I jacked off this morning. Is that what you fucking want to hear? I fucking jacked off…and it fucking sucked.”

Surprised, Jake raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that last part and got the impression Nick was just as stunned by his revelation. “Present for me.”

His hands gesturing outward, Nick sounded incredulous. “What? Right here?”

“Yes, subbie, right here, right now.” The threat of further punishment was in his growling tone and he knew the kid was aware of it. Jake waited in silence. After a count of three, Nick inhaled deeply and let it out as he sank to his knees on a blanket of pine needles and multi-colored autumn leaves. His eyes were downcast with his head bowed and knees shoulder-width apart. Jake was about to correct him, but Nick seemed to suddenly remember what was missing from the Dom’s instructions on presenting and placed his hands in an ‘at-ease’ position at the small of his back.
Shit!
For someone who had never presented himself to a Dom before, he’d done a pretty good job of getting it right. Jake’s cock hardened painfully at the sight of Nick’s gorgeous body in submission.

Pushing off the rock, he stepped toward his sub, who didn’t move a muscle. He walked around, checking the posture, before stopping behind him and running his fingers through the jet-black strands of Nick’s hair. “You do that very well, Nicky-boy. It almost makes me wish I didn’t have to punish you.”

A shiver shot through Nick’s veins and muscles, and he leaned into Jake’s touch. Why? What was it about this man that made him want to beg for forgiveness? How was he supposed to be what Jake wanted, when he hadn’t a clue as to what
he
even wanted? This was all so fucking new and weird to him. Yeah, he’d observed a lot of D/s couples at The Covenant, but there was so much to the lifestyle that he didn’t understand. He clearly hadn’t thought this whole thing through when he agreed to give it a try. Part of him wanted to stand and tell Jake to forget it—this wasn’t for him—but it was the other part which wanted to please the man that had him staying on his knees, waiting for the next command.

Behind him, Jake’s voice rumbled low and sexy. “You do that very well, Nicky-boy. It almost makes me wish I didn’t have to punish you.”

The praise made Nick’s breath catch in his chest, but it was the unknown punishment which had his heart beating faster…and his cock lengthening. “What…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “What’s my punishment…Sir?”

Jake circled around and stopped right in front of Nick, his feet inches from his knees on the ground. The hand in Nick’s hair clenched, pulling the strands until he had no choice but to lift his chin up. His eyes met Jake’s green ones, which shimmered like emeralds.

“Due to our current situation, I haven’t made a decision about that yet. But don’t worry, I’ll think of something. For now…” He pulled on the string of his sweatpants. “You owe me. You’re going to suck my cock and swallow every drop I give you.”

His mouth suddenly watering again, Nick’s gaze dropped to the stunning erection that appeared before him. All thoughts of uncertainty and punishments fled from his mind. Jake widened his stance and gripped his cock, tilting it toward Nick’s mouth. Pre-cum pearled at the slit and glistened from the sunlight seeping through the trees. His hands were still behind his back and somehow he knew he should leave them there for now. Parting his lips, he leaned forward and took Jake into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the thick girth.

“
Ahh
, fuck, Junior. Your mouth is sweet fucking heaven. Suck me.”

He suctioned his lips around the shaft, and sucked in deep, drawing a growl from Jake’s throat.
Fuck!
How could he have forgotten how delicious this man was? Memories of the one and only other time he’d given Jake a blowjob came rushing back to him. It’d been in the shower at the hotel and he’d loved every minute of it. He also remembered what he’d done which made the Dom moan in pure bliss. Taking the cock to the back of his mouth and breathing through his nose, he swallowed hard, closing his throat around the tip.

“Fuck, yeah!
Mmmm
, fucking do that again, Junior. Damn, right like that. You can use your hands now. Make me want to lose control, baby.”

Nick brought his hands to the front and wrapped one around Jake’s dick while cupping his balls with the other. Gently, he rolled and tugged on them before using his middle finger to stroke the sensitive tissue between them and Jake’s asshole. All the while, his head bobbed up and down as Jake fucked his mouth. The soothing sounds of nature surrounded them—birds chatting, animals scurrying, and leaves rustling. But Nick only focused on the sounds stemming from his lover—gasps of pleasure, sexy growls, and tortured moans. The hand in his hair tightened, lighting up the nerves in his scalp.

The Dom threw his head back. “Damn, baby, I could fuck your mouth all fucking day and never get tired of it.”

Pumping his hips, Jake drove his cock to the back of Nick’s throat, over and over. Nick licked and sucked the steel-hard shaft, encouraged by the words of praise. His middle finger inched closer to Jake’s anus with each stroke, and he felt the man’s body tense in anticipation of his impending orgasm. Pressing on the tight rim and sucking hard at the same time got him what he wanted—his lover’s roar of ecstasy as jets of hot, salty cum shot into Nick’s mouth and throat. He swallowed rapidly several times, not wanting to spill a single drop, just as Jake had ordered. He may have screwed up and disappointed him earlier, but he was damn well going to try and redeem himself.

The grip on Nick’s hair eased as Jake’s hips slowed and his cock softened. Nick released him and sat back on his haunches. Licking his lips, he lifted his gaze to Jake’s face and the satisfaction he saw there was more than he could’ve asked for. Jake reached for the waistband of his sweats and stumbled back a few steps to lean against the rock again. “Damn, I forgot how talented that mouth of yours is.” Securing the strings of his sweatpants again, his eyes dropped to Nick’s prominent hard-on. “You won’t be getting any relief from me, Junior, and you better not think of taking care of that on your own again. I meant what I said—that’s my property and
I’ll
decide when my property gets to cum. And just because you gave me one fucking awesome blowjob, doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about your punishment.”

“I know. And I’m really sorry, Jake.” He gestured with his hand to the two of them. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

Jake cocked his head and studied him a moment. “If you don’t want this to continue, tell me now, Nick. I won’t be pissed, but I will be if you’re saying yes just so we can fuck while you’re here. The lifestyle is important to me. I need that control. And any relationship I have, the power exchange has to be a part of it. So, tell me now. Is this a game to you? Or are you willing to submit to my control over the sexual part of our relationship?”

“Why?” Nick hadn’t meant for the question to come out, but there it was. Jake’s gaze narrowed and he rushed to explain his question. “I mean, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, but I’m not playing a game. And I want to know…why is this so important to you? There has to be a reason.”

Seconds passed as the two men studied each other. Nick saw the pain in Jake’s eyes and wished he understood why it was there. He suddenly realized he didn’t know a lot about his lover’s past. He knew the basics—his mother was alive, his father was dead, and his only sibling had taken over the family pub, while Jake had gone into the Navy, eventually becoming a SEAL. But other than all that, and the fact that he was a Dom, Nick knew very little else about him. He watched Jake’s expression become shuttered, and knew he wasn’t going to get any answers to his question…at least not now.

Jake pushed off the rock and extended his hand. Accepting it, Nick let the man haul him to his feet. “You’re not going to answer me, are you?”

Stepping back on the trail, Jake shook his head. “Some other time, Nick. Some other time.”

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Nick stared at Jake’s back as the man, literally and figuratively, ran away.

* * *

It was a few minutes before noon when Jake stood on the porch, arms crossed, as a dark SUV parked next to Carter’s vehicle. Earlier, he’d finished his six-mile run alone and was still trying to convince himself that was what he’d wanted. Nick hadn’t followed him, instead, taking a different route. By the time the kid had returned to the house, Jake had been emerging from his shower. It was obvious to him that both of them were trying to act as normal as possible, but as far as he could tell, no one else noticed the tension in the house. He didn’t know about Nick, but for him, it was difficult to pretend there was nothing wrong. He was going to fuck this up, just like every other relationship he’d had over the years. Great sex—check. Exert dominance—check. Open heart and fall in love—never going to happen. But this time, the thought of his lover walking away was something which made him fill with regret.

Fuck!
He should’ve known better. One of the biggest mistakes of his life was going to Nick’s hotel room that night. He needed to end this before things went to shit. Nick would one day retire from the Navy and come work with his brothers. Jake didn’t want anything coming between his team and him—especially the bosses’ brother. Dev and Ian would kick his ass—not about getting involved with Nick, but for fucking it up and screwing with the dynamics of the team. Trust was a major part of that. If you couldn’t trust your teammate in everyday shit, how were you supposed to trust him when it truly mattered? If it came down to Nick or him, Jake knew he would be the one who had to man up and offer to leave Trident.
Damn.
Instead of finding reasons to work things out with the kid, all he was doing was adding to the list of why he shouldn’t. And yet part of him couldn’t do it—he couldn’t end it.
He was so fucked.

The front doors of the SUV swung open and two men climbed out. One was Tiny, a huge, bald, black man and, according to the ladies, a big mush. The other guy was one of Chase Dixon’s operatives, Doug Henderson. It was good to see him back to work after he’d taken a bullet to the chest six months earlier while guarding Jenn Mullins. She’d been kidnapped by dirty DEA agents who were after Ian’s fiancée. They wanted to use Angie as a trap for her best friend, an undercover agent, who’d been killed during the women’s rescue, along with the other two agents. Henderson’s partner that day also hadn’t been lucky, dying instantly from a gunshot wound to the head.

After retrieving several bags of Chinese food—Tiny’s favorite—from the backseat, the pair approached Jake who met them at the bottom of the stairs. “Hey. How was the trip?”

Tiny gave him a fist bump. “A little late taking off due to a passing storm, but the Blackhawk pilot was able to make up the time in the air. He was going to catch some Z’s after refueling. You’ll find him by hanger four.” Jake wasn’t surprised that they hadn’t flown up in the Trident jet, since Ian had told him it had landed in Tampa this morning with the rest of the team. Their pilot would need some rest after the flight from South America.

“Thanks.” He turned toward the other man and shook his hand. “D.H., nice to have you back. Everything in working order?” Henderson had been cleared for light duty recently and since there was less than one percent chance of anyone finding Alyssa all the way up here, Jake was okay with the former Marine sharpshooter being on guard duty.

The guy grunted and rubbed his chest where the bullet had entered him. “Yeah. Still trying to get back up to my fighting weight, but at least I can blow up balloons for my nieces and nephews again. A collapsed lung and almost bleeding to death sucks.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Come on inside and I’ll introduce you to Alyssa. She’s a sweet kid, but wary around men…with good reason.”

Ascending the steps behind him, Tiny growled. “Yeah. Ian gave us the basics. When you finally put the squeeze on her perverted sperm donor, let me know. It’s been a while since I rearranged someone’s face and made him choke on his balls.”

“Stand in line, my friend. Stand in line.”

Jake led them inside to where the other three men and Alyssa were sitting at the dining table, playing Texas Hold ‘Em. And judging by the amount of chips in front of them, the teenager and Carter were winning.

“Jack high straight, little lady,” Nick taunted, laying down his hand. “Beat that.”

Alyssa frowned, but even as he approached, Jake could tell she didn’t mean it. Winking at Carter, her grin reappeared as she flipped her cards over. “Full house! Queens over twos. Sorry,
little man
, but you lose.”

The guys all laughed except for Nick, who slapped his forehead and stared at the better hand while letting out a string of PG-13 curses. "Dang! A full house? Are you frigging kidding me? Who the heck dealt that hand?”

Tossing his own losing hand on the table, Carter smirked. “Uh, that would be you, ass-hat.”

“Hey, watch the language in front of the lady, dirt-bag.”

While stacking her newly won chips, Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Please…I’m seventeen. I’ve heard a lot worse than that.”

Jake placed his hands on her shoulders and she tilted her head back to look at him. “That may be, sweetheart, but it’s still not polite to curse like that in front of a lady.”

“He’s right, honey,” Carter acknowledged. “Please, forgive me for being rude. There are times I forget I wasn’t raised in a barn.” Placing his wide-spread hand on his chest, he gave her that puppy-dog look again—the one that had women, old and young, absolving his sins.

She shrugged her shoulders at the spy’s admission of guilt. “It’s okay. Apology accepted.” She glanced back up at Jake, worry and sadness filling her eyes once more. “You’re leaving now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, sweetheart, but we’re going to eat first. That food smells too good to pass up.” He wanted to give her a little time to feel comfortable with the newcomers before he left. Carter would be around for a few more hours as well before heading out to whatever mission Uncle Sam was sending him on next. “Then Nick, Cain, and I are going to find a way to make sure you never have to worry about your father again. In the meantime, I want you to meet my friends, Travis Daultry, otherwise known as Tiny, and Doug Henderson. They’re going to keep you safe here.”

Warily, she eyed the two men standing behind Nick’s chair.

Knowing his size was intimidating, Tiny gave her a single nod of his head and one of his signature smiles. “Hello, Miss Alyssa. Don’t think I’ll let you beat me at poker like these pansies. I don’t take any prisoners.”

Jake leaned down and whispered in her ear. “When he rubs his nose, he’s bluffing.”

A giggle escaped her as Tiny’s eyes narrowed at his friend, but his scoff sounded more teasing than harsh. “What’d you tell her, Donovan? You know I can whoop your butt, just like when we were kids.”