“Have you ever camped before?” Eno whispered.
“No.”
“Never slept outside?”
“No,” Rayne repeated in the same clipped tone. “Have you ever slept in the Ordas?”
Eno grinned even though he knew Rayne couldn’t see it. “Nope, but I’ve camped on the border of it with Caelan. We’re safe.”
Rayne sniffed. Clearly, he didn’t believe Eno.
He was never going to relax unless Eno did something about it. They were hidden away from prying eyes in their tent. There was no one around to judge them, no one for Rayne to worry about keeping up appearances for or worry about showing weakness. He needed sleep, plain and simple.
And yeah, maybe Eno was just too tired to fight things one second longer. He’d earned this.
Still grinning, Eno rolled onto his side so that he was next to Rayne, and he wrapped his arm across the man’s waist. A strange squawking, gasping noise escaped him as Eno pulled him closer, repositioning him so that they were spooning.
“Eno!” Rayne sharply whispered.
“Hush. You don’t want to wake them up,” Eno teased and nearly laughed when he felt Rayne stiffen.
The man was now lined up in front of him so that Eno’s legs were pressed to Rayne’s. Eno’s arm remained across Rayne’s stomach, holding him in place, while his chest was against Rayne’s back. Under his hand, he could feel the rapid beating of Rayne’s heart, reminding him of a rabbit as it froze under the gaze of a predator. It wasn’t the soft and fuzzy warmth he’d always imagined. They were both dirty, sweaty, and a little smelly. They were also awkward and tense, but somehow, it still felt like a slice of heaven.
“What are you doing?” Rayne whispered so softly that Eno barely heard him. From the snoring rising out of the other tent, it was unlikely anything short of an explosion was going to wake Caelan and Drayce.
“I’m helping you sleep,” Eno said.
“How is this supposed to help me sleep?” Rayne demanded testily.
Eno rubbed his hand over Rayne’s heart, hearing the soft catch in his breathing. His wider body nearly enveloped Rayne’s slender one. “Close your eyes and just breathe, Rayne. I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe.”
Minutes ticked by, and Rayne’s breathing eased. His heart slowed. Muscles relaxed one by one so that Rayne was leaning more into him. He unwound to the point that Eno thought Rayne might have actually fallen asleep.
“Thank you, Eno,” Rayne suddenly whispered. His hand came up and covered the one Eno had pressed to Rayne’s heart.
Eno fell asleep holding Rayne in his arms. He’d spent years waiting for this man to come to him, to trust him enough to finally lean on him. It was better than he’d ever imagined it would be. The rigid, unyielding strength in Rayne was awesome to behold. He was a man of secrets, letting no one inside. But for this one moment, Eno knew he’d gotten a peek at something hidden that the rest of the world never got to see, and he cherished it.
The only problem was, now that he had a taste, he knew he had to have more. This one peek into the softer side of Rayne would never be enough. He had to find a way to seduce the man into giving up his secrets, to convince Rayne he was worthy of his trust.
But all of that would likely have to wait until they were back in Stormbreak. The current mission wasn’t going to afford him any opportunities to win Rayne’s tightly guarded affections.
8
Caelan Talos
Caelan reached for his cell phone for what felt like the hundredth time but stopped himself from actually pulling it out of his pocket. That had to be considered an improvement, right? No word from Stormbreak. No word from his mother. No word from the royal family in Caspagir. He hated being out of contact with the world for so long.
What the hell was happening? Had the Empire issued a statement? Attacked? And had Caspagir responded or provoked them? May the gods help him, but had Queen Amara issued a statement yet?
He shoved those thoughts away because they were only slightly more troublesome than the heated memory of Drayce above him in the tent. In the shadowy darkness, he’d caught hint of his friend’s wild smile and wide eyes. He could still clearly recall the press of Drayce’s thighs against his own and the panic that had rushed through Caelan when his dick had started to swell. As much as he wanted to keep Drayce exactly where he was, Caelan had shoved him off so Drayce wouldn’t realize the mere touch of him was turning Caelan on.
Had he wished Drayce would lean down and kiss him? That they could shove their clothes aside and wrap hands around each other’s dicks, stroking until they both came in an explosive, messy orgasm? Sure.