Their Bounty (Four Mercenaries 1)

But this time, he remained still under Clover, contemplative rather than tense. “I’ve taken worse falls than this.”

Clover snorted, and as he realized that they’d somehow made progress in terms of intimacy, he shut his eyes and pushed his nose under Drake’s jaw, breathing in the musky scent of fresh sweat. “Nothing ever phases you, does it?”

Drake’s Adam’s apple moved against Clover’s lips, and he sucked in a sharp breath, but didn’t push Clover away.

It was strange and new to lay on top of him, even so innocently, but maybe the fact that Drake allowed this meant he didn’t see Clover as a threat?

Drake raised his shoulders and head to meet Clover’s gaze. He had a leaf in his black hair, sticking out like an eccentric addition to his somber appearance. “There’s many things that phase me. I just don’t let anyone see.”

Clover licked his lip and picked the leaf out of Drake’s hair. As much as he enjoyed Drake’s rough ways in sex, this felt like something else altogether, not just because of the gentleness of this encounter. Drake might not say it out loud, but the dark pools he had for eyes enticed Clover to take a dip and see more of what was hiding inside the stone exterior.

And once he dove in and saw the truth about Drake, he’d never be able to leave.

He leaned down tentatively, but his intention to kiss was clear. Sink or swim.

Drake’s lips twitched, as if he wasn’t certain whether this was what he wanted, but when Clover moved even closer, the soft mouth opened to him. The warmth of Drake’s tongue had Clover gasping as they melted together, with Drake’s legs spreading to accommodate Clover with more ease.

Clover was surprised by the sweetness of this kiss. With barely any tongue, it felt innocent, almost as if Drake lacked experience, yet each lick and touch had the intensity of a breathtaking blowjob. Drake wasn’t pushing him away anymore, and instead slid his hands up the back of Clover’s T-shirt.

Clover moaned into the kiss when it gained momentum. Without warning, Drake spun them around, and Clover’s back hit the path when Drake’s weight pressed down on him. Clover opened his lips, and when his tongue met the split tips of Drake’s, it hit him that Drake could have been self-conscious about it.

Because it was hard to imagine Drake self-conscious about anything, let alone a feature of his body.

Drake gave a soft gasp, rubbing his nose against Clover’s, as if they’d been intimate too many times to count, as if this wasn’t their first kiss. His strong yet lean body stretched over Clover’s, but he didn’t try to move things any further and took his time exploring as they lay in the dirt, comfortably entwined under the tree.

“The hell?” Tank yelled from afar. “I’m on my second circuit!”

His footsteps were approaching fast so Clover let his head fall back. Fun time was over. He looked up into Drake’s eyes with a sigh, and the surprise he found there made his heart beat faster. “So good,” he whispered, longing to express how much this meant to him. The tar that always boiled in Drake’s gaze had seeped into his clothes, his skin, his muscles and bones, marking him forever, and he hadn’t even noticed when.

Tank stopped, towering above them like a giant. The bastard wasn’t even panting. “I’m serious, boy. You’re not winning the race by seducing the fastest runner.”

Drake rose to his knees and stretched as if nothing had happened. “I was just performing a mouth-to-mouth.”

For a moment, both Clover and Tank stared at him, shocked over Drake making such a lighthearted joke, but then they burst out laughing.

Clover grinned at Tank. “I was in desperate need of it.”

Drake’s smirk was the epitome of ‘smug’, but he got up and hauled Clover to his feet as well. “I think he’s had enough. We don’t want him to constantly be in pain. Not everyone can go without breaks in between training. Especially since we need to do the thing tonight.”

Clover put his hands on his hips. “What ‘thing’?”

Tank scowled and nodded at Drake. “We’ll tell you later.” He turned around. “Hop on?”

All questions Clover might have had went out the window. Clover squealed in glee and climbed onto Tank’s back, hugging him tightly. Clover loved piggybacking, and Tank seemed to have endless strength.

Maybe Clover should start eating six-egg omelettes too.

Chapter 18 – Clover

Clover loved the shower in Tank’s ensuite. It was larger than the average tub and had a coarse floor of dark tile, which prevented slipping, even during sex. The showerhead was the size of a dinner plate and rained hot water, which soothed the muscle aches of the day with the same ease a massage would. And if Clover felt like he wanted to look at the beautiful nature surrounding the house, he could open the blinds of a floor-length window. All that while he showered.