Now, Clay shot moving targets in a sequestered bunker behind the vacation home. Scout gave pointers. Clay listened and tried to forget about last night.Last night. Holy shit. That had been the hottest night of Clay’s entire life. Scout had acted so freaking needy. Clay didn’t think Scout had been pretending. The begging had been in his eyes. Clay hadn’t wanted to look away. He still fought the urge to stare into Scout’s eyes and search for Scout’s feelings.
“Let’s do this.”
Clay didn’t have time to decipher Scout’s words.
Scout pressed against his back, molding against him. He held Clay’s wrist, guiding it to a certain target. “Take a breath.” Scout kept him trained on the same target. “As I move from target to target, just follow your instincts and pull the trigger. You’re overthinking each shot. Thinking slows your reaction time. You’ve handled weapons for a long time. You know when to shoot.” Scout said each word against the shell of Clay’s ear. Clay was hard as steel. Scout just aroused the fuck out of him.
“Now.”
Clay pulled the trigger each time Scout pointed him toward a target. After a few seconds, he felt the moment he should fire. There was the slightest hint of hesitation. Scout didn’t pause for even a full second. But Clay was so attuned to everything about him in that moment, he didn’t miss a single thing about the way Scout held him. The magazine emptied. Clay hit the release, and Scout slapped in another. Clay recognized the pattern. He felt invincible. By the time the final magazine was empty, each breath Clay took heaved in and out. He sounded as if he had run a mile. Clay was ready to fuck.
Scout backed away, seemingly oblivious to the carnage he had caused. “You did amazing.” Scout moved to the wall and hit the button to stop the targets. Once they settled, Scout removed each target and brought it to Clay for him to inspect. Each one was marked with a number.
Scout wore a huge grin. “Look at this.” He got close again, teasing Clay with his heat. “You started on target three.” He motioned toward two of the bullet holes. “These were already there. You can ignore those.” He pointed out three more andwent in order of when they were shot. “This is the first one.” He moved on to the next. “Second shot.” He moved to the third that was dead center. “This is when my method clicked with you.” He waved a circle around the target. “Notice these five are the only holes. You shot this individual target eight times.”
Clay was thoroughly distracted. “Did I miss the other three times?” There was a nervous chuckle with the question. Maybe he hadn’t been as tuned in as he thought.
Scout smiled. “No. You hit the center perfectly each time. That’s why this hole is slightly larger than the rest.”
Clay blinked at the target. “Really?” Truthfully, he was more impressed with Scout than with himself. Clay already knew he couldn’t make those shots again alone. “I can’t believe how much you saw. You knew the exact target we started with and what order each target was hit down to the bullet placement. That’s fucking amazing.”
One side of Scout’s mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. “We’re talking about you. You were impressive as hell. We haven’t even worked on rapid magazine exchange. You just automatically did it—like a pro.”
They held each other’s stare. Something passed between them. Clay felt Scout’s intention to kiss him before Scout made a move. Before their lips met, the door swung open, blasting sunlight into the small building. Scout practically flew three feet backward. Clay didn’t look toward the door right away. He wondered how much hurt showed in his expression before hehid behind a mask. Not that it mattered. Scout didn’t look Clay’s way. He focused on the door.
“Tracker. Hey… and Zeus.”
At the mention of Zeus’ name, Clay's gaze shot to the doorway. Tracker was distracted talking to Scout. Zeus’ intense, permanently seductive stare was locked on Clay. Clay watched as Zeus walked toward him. Even the way he put one foot in front of the other was such an obviously practiced move that it had become a habit. It was like Scout saw Zeus for the first time. The real Zeus. It was like decoding Scout’s training gave him the ability to decipher Zeus’s as well. Everything about him was fake. His perfect smile meant nothing. Zeus didn’t mean a damn thing he did.
“Hey.”
Clay snapped out of his depressing discovery when Zeus spoke. His voice didn’t match his false persona. There was a hint of genuine happiness in Zeus' greeting. When Clay returned Zeus’ smile, it was real. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming on this trip.” Clay knew Zeus was there thanks to Jett. But it was a conversation starter, and Clay needed one. He didn’t want to be awkward today and drive Zeus away, especially after the way Scout had jumped away from him.
Zeus’ hands rose and fell. “I didn’t know it either until last night. But who doesn’t love some unexpected heat?” Zeus’ expression completely matched the sexual innuendo.
Still, he was damnably likable. “I’m sure there’re a few people out there.”
“True.” Zeus’ gaze flickered down Clay’s body before returning to hold Clay’s stare. “I haven’t seen you in a bit. You drive-by dropped a funny movie quote on me and then never returned to my club.”
Heat exploded through Clay’s face. He hated his light coloration that showed every blush, but damn. The last time he had seen Zeus, Clay had made an idiot of himself by trying to join a conversation by reciting a line from a movie. Everyone had looked at him like the idiot he was, and Clay hadn’t found the bravery to return to the kink club Zeus ran.
There was no avoiding being directly called out. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I’m awkward when… well, I’m just awkward.”
Zeus smiled like he enjoyed the fuck out of himself. “You’re adorable. That movie line never gets less funny, by the way. I’m sorry I didn’t react differently. You caught me off guard, and—truth be told—I didn’t want you to get friendly with the men talking to me. You’re a giver. They’re takers. All it would take was a few minutes with you, and you’d have three inferior men nipping at your heels.”
Clay was oddly fascinated. Of course, Zeus was talking, and he was so pretty. It was hard to look away when the urge to pet him was so strong. “That reminds me. Why were they there? I thought Ridge and Shadow’s reception was a private event.”
Zeus nodded. “They work at the club. Shadow has been a member there for a while. The three wanted to celebrate the newlyweds.”
“That makes sense. I’m still considering a membership, by the way. But I’m not sure if I’m a good fit since I’m not sure I fit in anywhere.” Clay didn’t even add a nervous laugh. Zeus was easy to talk to. Clay couldn’t explain why. It was like Zeus screamed zero judgment. For Clay, that was a breath of fresh air at the moment. Between losing Fabrice’s friendship and Scout only wanting to be friends, while simultaneously fucking with Clay’s head, Clay wanted to sit with someone simple who meant nothing to him. Even in his head, that sounded like an asshole thing to admit, but it was true. Zeus and he would never be anything. He fully recognized that now.
“You fit with me. We should go to lunch.”
“I just had breakfast.” Clay’s gaze shot in Scout’s direction. He blinked. Scout and Tracker were gone. His chest hurt. Scout hadn’t even said goodbye. It was almost like he didn’t want anyone to think they were even real friends or anything. He was just teaching the Scout method of shooting. Otherwise, Clay meant nothing.
He met Zeus’ stare. “I can get a drink while you eat.”
Zeus tossed a muscular arm over Clay’s shoulders and steered him toward the door. “You got a car here I can drive? If so, you can get plastered while I make sure you get home safely.”
