Taken

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Seven thirty. Wade Royer’s favorite time of day. He worked and kept busy all afternoon so he could stand watch at the bar in the early evening and wait for the right time to arrive.

Around seven thirty he walked in. Elijah Sterling. Tall and lean, muscular and deceptively lethal. With his coal-black hair and the high cheekbones inherited from his Japanese mother, the guy would be considered fucking hot by any standard. The confident moves, the in-control vibe. Moodiness wrapped in a layer of secretiveness.

The combination made Wade lose his mind and most of his control.

These days Eli made a habit of walking into Holton Woods at the end of almost every day. The supper club in the trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC where Wade tended bar, kept the peace and generally helped manage the place. After a nasty falling-out and time apart their relationship moved back on track, or so Wade wanted to believe.

The sex could only be described as smokin’, but then that was never a problem. They lit up the sheets, the wall, the couch, the kitchen floor. Anywhere they could get their pants off long enough. No, getting naked and the things they did to and for each other never stood between them as an issue. Trust did and it still wavered. Doubts still lingered. If they didn’t figure out how to calm that storm, it would be the death of them as a couple.

Wade didn’t care how long it took. He’d wait, and that’s exactly what he’d been doing while Eli traveled out of town for business for the last two days. He’d finally texted about his flight landing, and now Wade stood there, impatient and half ready to claw his way out of his skin to get to the guy.

“You look . . .” Becca Ford came to stand beside him. “I’ll say tense, but horny might be right.”

Damn right. “I love your subtlety.” Wade watched her nod to the men sitting at a nearby table.

This woman could work a room better than anyone he’d ever met. She had the clientele drooling and hazy eyed. Some thought of her simply as millionaire owner Jarrett Holt’s arm candy. The woman he lived with, slept with every night. Little did they understand the power she held. Jarrett would hand over everything he owned to her without blinking. He had it that bad for the former CIA agent, and lucky for him the feeling appeared to be mutual.

“I never claimed to be.” She stepped back and waved a hand in front of her as a sly smile crossed her lips. “I mean, really. Does this dress look subtle to you?”

Wade glanced at the sleeveless body-skimming black dress that ended just above her knees. On anyone else, sexy but not heart-stoppingly provocative. On her, yes. Add in the thigh-high slit, the long brown hair and that face, and nearly every one of the club’s male patrons turned around for a quick look of approval as she walked by.

“I’m surprised Jarrett let you come downstairs,” Wade said, knowing Jarrett would hustle her back upstairs to the third-floor penthouse they shared for a “break” as soon as he got a good look at her tonight. That would teach the man to hide in his office for hours at a time buried in work.

Her eyebrow lifted in a way that promised she could bury his body and no one would ever find it. “Let me?”

The former-spy thing didn’t rattle Wade. Not since Eli and Becca happened to be cut from the same crazy competent-with-a-gun mold, and Wade dealt with Eli’s mind-set on a daily basis. They fit a type—strong, smart and savvy. Both could kill you with one hand, and that threat simmered under the surface at all times. Both walked out of Langley and the CIA in a cloud of danger and away from international intrigue to settle for normal lives . . . or as close as two borderline paranoid, always wary former agents could get.

For Becca the road proved less bumpy. Eli still navigated the terrain, sometimes going way off course. Which was what scared the hell out of Wade. One day Eli might take a turn and keep going, away from Holton and DC and whatever they were trying to build together. But Jarrett and Becca and the embarrassing way they looked at each other proved more fun to think about, so Wade focused on that.

“You know what I mean. You have him half crazed for you most of the time. The same guy who used to run a crime syndicate.” Wade had known and worked for Jarrett for years, ran the streets with him back before they both turned legitimate.

Becca waved the words away with one hand as she poured a club soda with the other. “That’s a nasty rumor. He’s a solid businessman.”

Yeah, now. She knew the truth. Their small circle of friends knew far too many details about the men they were before, the deadly details Wade tried to forget. “I was there.”

“Do you want an hour off to play with Eli when he comes in? If so, tread carefully because I’m the one who will take your place at the bar so you two can do all sorts of naughty things to each other.”

Wade liked her style, and if she wanted to pretend the suit-wearing man in her bed didn’t have skeletons littering the floor, let alone tucked away in his closet, who was Wade to question. “The crime thing is absolutely a rumor. Jarrett is totally clean and always was.”

She winked at him before going to back to scanning the room. “That’s better.”

Slipping back into his bartender role, Wade took the empty bottle from her and threw it in the bin by his feet. “Thanks, I—”

She smacked the back of her hand against his chest. “Holy shit.”

“What?” Wade reached for the gun he kept under the bar. The high-powered big-money crowd didn’t often break into violence, but that didn’t matter. They paid joining fees and monthly dues at the members-only establishment that guaranteed their privacy and their safety.

She smiled up at him. “Your man is home.”

Wade barely heard her. He’d already locked in on Eli. As he walked through the room with a laser-like focus, a few of the members glanced up. Eli commanded that sort of attention. And in that perfectly tailored black suit and bright blue tie, looking away from all that smoldering hotness proved difficult. Wade didn’t even try.

Forcing his brain to reboot took a second longer. “Damn.”

“I worked with that man for years and he pissed me off almost every day of that time.” Becca took a sip of her drink and peeked over the rim of the glass at Eli as he headed straight for them. “But even I have to admit he does look fine all dressed up and spit shined.”

“Never mind he’s gay.” A word Eli still hadn’t completely embraced, but Wade remained hopeful.

She turned to him then. “Your point?”

Without meeting her gaze, Wade felt her presence by his side. He stood six-three and with her height plus those heels she didn’t lag far behind. “And you’re in a long-term, forever-type relationship with Jarrett.”

“I still have eyes and can appreciate pretty, and Eli is that.”

The word made Wade smile. But staring at Eli, seeing all that caged energy, Wade couldn’t exactly argue with her assessment. “He sure as hell is.”

“Is an hour going to be enough for whatever you plan to do to him?”

Somehow he’d make it work. Screw finesse. “I’ll have the suit off him in less than ten minutes.”

Becca made a noise close to a humming sound. “I know it sounds weird, but I’d like to see that.”

Wade did a double take. “Wait, what?”

“Hey.” Eli’s keys clanked together as he slipped them into his jacket pocket. He braced his palms against the curved edge of the carved wood bar.

Wade’s gaze shot to Eli’s hands. Long fingers, strong grip. The things the man could do with those made Wade’s eyes cross. It took most of what remained of his shaky self-control to drag his attention back to Eli’s face. “You’re back.”

“Nice job of stating the obvious,” Becca mumbled over the rim of her glass.

Eli’s eyes narrowed. He somehow pulled off that expression and looked hot doing it. “Okay. Did I miss something?”

Before she piped up and said something that might set Eli off, Wade jumped in. “She’s extra-annoying this evening.”

“Watch it. That hour you want just became fifty minutes,” Becca said.

Eli’s gaze traveled from Wade to Becca and back again. “I feel like I walked into this conversation a beat too late.”

She flashed Eli a megawatt smile. “You hungry?”

Now she was just getting in the way for fun. Wade knew he had to put a stop to that now or he’d never get Eli alone. “Shut up.”

Eli shrugged. “I could eat.”

Yeah, enough of that. Wade stepped up his game. “I need to talk with you for a few minutes first.”

Eli frowned, which he seemed to have been doing ever since he joined the conversation. “Everything okay?”

Wade had both of their attention now. It was a race to see which facial expression would trip him up first. Becca’s I-could-make-your-night-miserable had him keeping a close watch on her. Never mind her ability to kill at will and the perverse pleasure she took in being in control at the men’s members only club. She was just evil enough to get in the way of one man’s—his—recreational activities, and that was not cool.

But she did have power, so he stepped carefully. “Will you watch the bar for me?”

“Sure.” She saluted him with her glass. “I’ll just be down here daydreaming about men’s suits and other things.”

“You need help,” he grumbled as he lifted the bar and slipped to the other side.

“Want to see your break time go down to forty-five minutes?” She didn’t bother to lower her voice as she dropped that threat.

Wade ignored it and focused on the man in front of him. He wanted to grab Eli around the shoulders and lead him through the dining room to the back of the club. Stake a public claim. But Eli had barely accepted who he was, who they were together. Public displays of affection could be the one step too far.

Ignoring the noise and the shuffle of people in and out of the dining room, Wade gestured toward the door marked PRIVATE. “Come with me for a second.”

The clank of silverware and low hum of voices cut off the second the door closed behind them. Other than the tap of Eli’s dress shoes against the hardwood, they walked down the long hallway in silence. Past Jarrett’s closed office door. Past the door to the locker room for the attendants, the name for the waitstaff who catered to the men. All female, all smart and beautiful, all with impressive degrees and the ability to converse on a variety of subjects. All, including Wade’s baby sister, Kyra—especially Kyra—were off-limits to the clientele.

But his sister, and women in general, were the last thing on Wade’s mind as he guided Eli past the series of doors in the club’s private area and toward the elevator at the far end. The one that led to Wade’s second-floor condo.

“We’re going upstairs?” Eli asked.

Wade waited until they stood in front of the steel doors and he’d swiped his security card and entered the code before answering. “Yes.”

The doors opened and Eli glanced over at Wade. “I’m starting to think you don’t plan on talking.”

He thought about keeping them locked in there. A small box with solid walls. That would work. But one look at Eli, those dark eyes filled with excitement, and Wade wanted a bed. He repeated the security action a second time on the inside of the elevator to get it moving.

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Wade backed Eli against the far wall. Kept him trapped there with a palm flattened on the wall on either side of his head. “I usually chant your name at some point. That’s almost like talking.”

“Don’t you have to work or—” Eli’s head fell back against the wall when Wade’s fingers traced the outline of Eli’s cock through his dress pants. “Yeah, fuck work.”

“Now you’re getting it.” Wade’s mouth wandered. Down the sexy line of Eli’s neck. Licked the bare skin under the collar of his shirt.

Forget the material separating them and the piles of clothing in their way. Heat rolled off Eli and smashed into Wade. He pressed his mouth against the vein in Eli’s neck and felt the frantic beat. Heard the hitch of his breath.

Then Wade moved in even closer. Their mouths met in a blinding kiss. Not sweet or building. This was hot, bordering on desperate. His fingers slid through Eli’s hair, then to his shoulders. Eli’s hands clenched Wade’s back. They were all over each other as the need swamped them.

The elevator doors rumbled open and Eli lifted his head. “Damn.”

“Ignore that.” Any thought of playing it cool vanished as Wade loosened Eli’s tie, then went to work on opening the buttons on his shirt. “The suit is killing me.”

“You picked it.”

“And right now I want you out of it.” Eli’s belt buckle jangled as Wade loosened it and let it fall open. “Now.”

“Longest two days of my life being away from you.” Eli leaned in as his hands snaked around to Wade’s back.

His kiss, openmouthed and lingering, traveled up Wade’s neck to that place right below his ear that made him tremble. Despite fighting for control, Wade’s fingers fumbled on the top button of Eli’s pants. Just being near the guy had Wade mentally scrambled and straining to focus.

The elevator bell dinged and a faint noise skimmed along Wade’s senses. A whirring sound. The camera in the car. The same one that beamed video directly to the security station Becca usually manned downstairs and to one of the many monitors set up on Jarrett’s desk.

“Stupid security.” Wade snapped to attention as he pulled back. Nothing like being busted by the boss for fucking in the elevator. Or almost fucking.

Wade didn’t bother to point at the camera or even say anything. He hustled them off the elevator to stand in front of one of the three doors. The one leading to his condo and the big bed inside. That mattered most to him right now.

He fumbled the key card, nearly dropping it. Had to enter his security code a second time after botching the first attempt. Wasn’t his fault. Eli rubbed a hand over his ass, dragged a finger up the seam between his cheeks, and Wade’s vision blurred.

“The faster you get that door open”—Eli’s mouth hovered right over Wade’s ear—“the faster I can get inside you.”

The words shot straight to Wade’s dick. As if he needed a reminder about what he wanted or what he’d missed for two days. “The whole Skype thing only made it worse. I could watch you touch yourself but not feel your hands on me.”

Eli shifted until he crowded against Wade, pressing his front right against Wade’s back. The erection didn’t leave any doubt about Eli’s readiness. “Feel me now?”

Wade opened the door with enough force to slam it against the inside wall. After throwing it shut again he didn’t stop to turn on lights or have a conversation. He grabbed Eli’s hand and dragged him toward the bedroom.

But his footsteps faltered when Eli said, “Condom and lube. I’ll handle the rest.”

Wade barely made it through the bedroom doorway before breaking into a run. Once he spied the bed, he turned around and attacked Eli’s clothes. Tore off his tie and grabbed at the rest of his shirt buttons, crushing one in his fist. Equally frenetic in his movements, Eli tugged and pulled. When they had the shirt stripped off and the undershirt up and gone, Wade lowered his head. Planted kiss after kiss on the warm skin of Eli’s chest as Eli cradled his head in his palm.

With his knees shaking, Wade sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Eli in closer. Kissed his flat stomach before moving lower. He had Eli trapped between his thighs, his fingers on his zipper. A rasping sound split through the silence of the room as Wade lowered it, careful over the growing bulge.

As Eli’s breathing kicked up, Wade pushed the pants down and didn’t play with the boxer briefs. They had to go, too. Another time he’d torture them both by inching the waistband down and kissing each sliver of skin he revealed. Not now.

Wade slipped his palm over Eli’s cock. Squeezed before pumping his hand up and down. When Eli’s hips pitched forward, Wade flicked his tongue across the tip.

Eli slid his fingers through Wade’s hair. “I fucking missed you.”

The words hit Wade with full force. Eli didn’t talk about his needs or emotional things. Even admitting that small concession constituted a huge step forward. Wade almost closed his eyes in relief. But then Eli’s fingers started roaming. Slipped down Wade’s neck and under the collar of his shirt. Stroking his skin and lighting it on fire everywhere he touched.

This is what Wade wanted. Eli home and uninhibited. Eli naked. “Show me how much. How sorry you were to leave me alone.”

A second later Wade held only air. Eli stepped back and kicked off his shoes and the clothing puddled at his feet. Then he was back, pushing Wade to the mattress and climbing on top. Legs tangled and hands traveled in a slow, flirting speed over skin.

Naked, with a look of fierce determination on his face, Eli straddled Wade. He never broke eye contact as he undid Wade’s pants and slipped a hand inside those briefs. Eli’s palm closed. Covered Wade, touched him.

Need ratcheted up and energy pounded around them. Wade caught the familiar scent of Eli’s shampoo as his head dipped and his hair brushed over Wade’s chin. This intimacy, something so shocking from a man with Eli’s past, shook Wade. Gave him hope and touched off a craving deep inside him.

Wade lifted his hips to help Eli drag off the pants and underwear. Wade lost his ability to form sentences after that. Eli’s mouth closed over his erection, taking him in deep, to the base, in one long pull. The world tilted. Wade’s heart raced so fast that his breathing couldn’t catch up.

And that was just the start. He shoved pillows under his head so he could drink in his favorite view—Eli stretched out between his legs. The combination of mouth and hands on his cock wiped away the lonely hours. And when his hips started lifting off the bed to press even deeper into Eli’s hot mouth, Wade knew what he needed.