Promises Part 1 (Bounty Hunters 1)

“What’s going on, baby? You’ve been tossing all night,” Duke asked in a sleepy drawl. His voice was groggy and scratchy as he spoke against Vaughan’s throat. They’d found a sleeping position that worked well for both of them. Duke still had to sleep flat on his back, but Vaughan didn’t have much discomfort lying on his side, cradled into Duke’s warmth, his one good hand wrapped beneath Vaughan’s body, holding him close.

“I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind.”

“Mmm hmm.” Duke sounded like he was already drifting back off to sleep when Vaughan felt rough fingers grazing his spine. It soothed him like nothing ever had. “Everything’s going to be fine, so stop worrying.”

“Who said I was worried? I’m not,” Vaughan protested huskily as Duke’s fingers started to ignite his body to flame: as usual.

“Liar.” Duke chuckled and Vaughan’s cock pulsed in his thin pajama pants. As if Duke could smell Vaughan’s arousal, he leaned in and rubbed his coarse beard stubble along Vaughan’s Adam’s apple. “I can feel the worry.”

“Can you also feel this?” Vaughan whispered, thrusting his rock hard erection against Duke’s thigh.

Duke groaned low in his throat. “Fuckin brat,” he murmured sexily, descending on Vaughan’s mouth, taking what he wanted while making Vaughan forget all about his worries… Which were...? Vaughan reached down between them, lightly stroking Duke’s furry belly, carefully tracing the outline of his incision. Duke gasped shallow breaths, keeping his forehead in contact with Vaughan’s while they both looked down between their close bodies.

Vaughan sucked in a sharp breath when Duke started to unbutton his pajama shirt, pushing the sides open so he could look at Vaughan’s chest. He did so much more than just look. Duke followed the same patterns with his fingers over Vaughan’s incisions as he’d done his. Both of them peering at the identical scars on their abdomens. It was still such a shock to see.

“I still can’t believe you did this. No one has ever done anything like this for me.” Duke’s voice was hushed, but full of emotion at the same time, and it drove Vaughan crazy.

“I’d do it again, sweetheart.” Vaughan tried to sound strong but his voice quivered anytime he thought of Duke dying or not being with him. “I’ll do anything if it means keeping you with me. I love you, Duke Morgan. So much more than I thought possible.”

Duke’s lazy smile was infectious. After a few minutes, they stopped touching their matching scars to pay attention to other areas that were straining for attention. “Touch me,” Duke moaned so prettily. “I need your hands on me so bad, baby.”

Even though their breathing had accelerated and their chests were rising rapidly, it didn’t appear that either of them were in any actual pain. Vaughan reached down and cupped Duke’s straining cock through his boxers. When Vaughan felt the moist fabric where Duke’s cock had leaked for him he thought he’d lose his load right there. Oh, my God.

Vaughan knew it was only a couple weeks before they’d be back to their respective lives, so he needed to make love to Duke as soon as possible. Needed that primal, physical oath. That claiming and marking. Vaughan reached inside Duke’s underwear, longing to feel that hardness in his hands again. As his shaking fingers wrapped around the head of Duke’s cock, he felt the hard steely length pulse inside his grip.

“Oh, fuck,” Duke moaned quietly, burying his mouth in Vaughan’s thick chest muscles.

Vaughan gave Duke one long, slow stroke from the base to tip and gathered the precome that had risen to the surface. He refused to let one drop go to waste. Vaughan slowly pulled his hand out, much to Duke’s displeasure, and licked the sweetly bitter fluid from his fingers.

“Jesus,” Duke hissed, his body a hard, thick mass of muscle in Vaughan’s arms as he brought his man almost to the edge before forcing his orgasm back down. Tormenting them both.

Vaughan couldn’t have been more turned on if they were actually fucking. The angst between them was becoming extremely hard to bear. They were men in their prime with needs. Fuck that waiting shit. They couldn’t possibly be the first couple to have shaved a little time off their recovery period after surgery and given in to the palpable need to come together.

Duke grunted again, and Vaughan could tell his man was fighting to keep the pleasure he was feeling from creeping through the walls and reaching his father’s ears. Like a high school kid making out with his boyfriend, who he’d snuck in. If things were different, it would almost be funny.

After Vaughan was certain that he’d got every morsel of Duke’s essence off his fingertip he moved closer to let Duke kiss him. The moan that tore through both of them when the kiss started was too loud to even think that Quick didn’t hear it. “Shh. Oh god, babe. I can’t be quiet. Feels too good.” Duke groaned again.