Promises Part 3 (Bounty Hunters 3)

“You trying to tell me something?” Ford growled, rubbing his beard all over Dana’s jaw and neck.

He couldn’t think, this was too much. Carnal overload. Was he trying to say something to Ford? Hell yes, he was. He wanted the man to take him rough and fast right there in his bed. Wanted to hear him call out his name when he came deep inside him.

“Just that it’s yours, if you want it.”

Ford watched Dana with an intensity he’d never seen before. It was a mix of caution and longing. Ford wanted him, he could see it, hell, he could feel it digging into his pelvis, but Ford was reserved. Careful of his heart, and Dana couldn’t blame him. To anyone on the outside looking in, this looked like Dana on the rebound. Only hours ago, he’d caught his girl in the act… with another man, in an establishment he couldn’t afford to take her to. Money and status had been their undoing. If only he’d solved this problem months ago – and explained their relationship was over – then everything wouldn’t’ve been so screwed up tonight. Now there was cheating in the mix. It was a can of worms that he’d never wanted opened. But since it was… he might as well use those worms to catch him a bigger fish.

Ford gripped the back of Dana’s neck and brought him down to his mouth. “If it’s mine, then I can have it when I want it.”

“Yes,” Dana moaned, his hips beginning to thrust all on their own. It was the rich, throaty sound of Ford’s voice that made him act without thinking.

Ford smacked the hell out of his ass, making Dana wail, jerk, and hiss in succession. “Stay still,” Ford ordered, squeezing Dana’s cheek where he’d assaulted it. “I can’t think when you’re doing that.”

Dana smiled in triumph. Finally, he got some kind of confirmation that he was having the same effect on Ford that he was having on him. It was all he wanted… for now. “Don’t think. We got plenty of time. Sleep, Ford.”

Dana didn’t know how, but he knew that Ford wasn’t ready to consummate their relationship yet. Ford may not be ready to admit it, but Dana was. They belonged together. It’d always made sense, they’d merely ignored it. Dana made a huge show of sliding off Ford’s torso, making sure to lazily rub his entire upper body along Ford’s groin as he did.

Ford chuckled seductively. “Brat,” he whispered in Dana’s ear, wrapping his arms around him from behind and burying his nose in Dana’s messy hair. Like it came naturally. In seconds, they were asleep.

Ford

Ford woke to the feeling of warm skin pressed against his chest and the smell of clean virility clinging to his sheets. It wasn’t the first night Ford had spent huddled close to a man as he slept, but that had been for survival in freezing temperatures. This… this wasn’t for survival. This was all pleasure. Without jostling him, Ford kissed the back of Dana’s neck and carefully climbed from the bed without a sound. He went into the bathroom to take care of his needs, stopping briefly to stare at his reflection. He looked rested despite the lack of hours he’d gotten. When he came out, he stopped short at the sight Dana made. He’d rolled onto his back with one arm lying across his naked abs and the other tucked underneath his pillow. If his partner was anything like him, it meant he slept better with his hand close to his weapon. Ford adjusted his dick that’d yet to go fully down. His mouth watered at the one tan, muscular leg sticking out from under the white covers, the thin layer of dark hair in the middle of that thick chest that tapered down to narrow hips. Dana looked young and serene lying there in his bed. My bed. Jesus. Dana’s in my bed. He looked striking there.

Ford rubbed his creased forehead. This man could be the end of him. He’d managed to fight and win every battle ever thrown his way, but if Dana captured his heart and hurt him… he’d lose that fight. He’d lose everything. His heart and his soul. He needed to clear his head. Ford put on his jogging pants and shoes and grabbed his truck keys. He’d drive to the park to save time. It wasn’t even seven yet. He could get in a few miles before Dana woke up.

He’d been gone longer than he’d intended, but he also had a lot to sort out. Ford checked his watch. Shit. It’d been an hour and a half. He still had to drive back, shower, eat, and kiss on Dana for a while before they’d need to get to work. He liked the sound of all that. As he jogged back to the street his truck was parked on, he couldn’t help but wonder if his life could really be like this. Someone home, waiting for him in his bed. Someone who wanted him, who cared about him… loved him. He thought of Duke and Vaughan and Quick and Dr. Chauncey. The way they shared their lives together. It was foreign to him, but it didn’t have to be. Honestly, his biggest hang-up wasn’t Dana’s enjoyment of playing the field, but his age. The young man had a long life ahead of him, what would Ford do but hold him back with his irritable ways. Ford shook his head at his own disheartening thoughts. He wasn’t exactly filing for Social Security himself. He’d never considered himself old because he didn’t feel old. Ford had to go with his gut, and everything was telling him that he could trust Dana. Ford didn’t know he was smiling until he entered the bakery around the corner from the park and the woman behind the counter lit up at the sight of him.