“Thanks.” Scout straightened and closed the door. Confusion ruled him. He was flustered. Scout never got bashful in any way. Something about the way Clay looked at him was different. He hadn’t learned how to deal with normal situations like this one. Lust, he got. Even unrequited desire was in his wheelhouse, butthere was something new when he was with Clay. He didn’t know how to handle this. He climbed back behind the wheel.
“Thank you for this. It helps.”
The pressure in Scout’s chest eased. He was being ridiculous. When he looked Clay’s way, he was back to being bewildered. Clay was a sexy guy with his blond hair and full lips. He had one dimple when he smiled, for fuck’s sake. The man was irresistible. There was no reason Scout couldn’t manage him.
“I’ll buy you one of those seatbelt cushion things.”
Clay’s mouth lifted in one corner. That was it. Scout was hard as stone. He had to get back to driving before he accidentally sprang. Scout was named Scout for a reason. He had an eagle eye for details and nuances. Clay was more complicated than most. Sometimes he seemed shy, and at other times, he looked like a man with a plan. Like with the tattoo thing, Scout had no clue if Clay had been legit checking out his ink or if he had truly seen lust. Maybe he was seeing what he wanted.
Scout mused about it for the rest of the drive. At the privately run airport for personal jets, Scout parked inside the hangar where the guards indicated.
When he opened his door, Clay stopped him and handed him back his shirt. “Thanks for the ride.”
It hit Scout. Clay thought this was just Scout doing him a favor. “You know I’m coming with you, right? I’m the best at what Ido. Beau asked me to go with you and make sure everything was totally secure.”
Clay’s closed expression gave nothing away. “Oh.” He climbed from the car.
Scout chuckled as he did the same. Maybe Clay confused him, but he heard the tone of that “oh.” Clay knew he was in danger, and he was right.
Chapter Two
Whoa,boy.Claywasin trouble. Until three nights ago, Clay hadn’t thought there would ever be anything between Scout and him beyond the amazing friendship they had built. Scout had been teaching Clay how to shoot the way he had learned in the spy program: fast and accurate. It was a lot of fun. They had done a ton of laughing together. But Scout hadn’t seemed to look at Clay in any sort of romantic light, as far as Clay could tell… and then Scout had kissed him. Scout had been born into a Russian program that trained spies to be the perfect robots. They had a special skill honed to flawless while also being taught how to fit in with any situation. Scout didn’t talk about those days. Clay didn’t ask. They simply enjoyed each other’s company. Then Zeus kissed Clay first, bringing out all sorts of feelings, and Clay had gotten a little obsessed with the guy who was absolutely God’s favorite. Zeus was sexy in every fucking way imaginable. As hard as he tried not to, because there was no future there, Clay always found himself watching Zeus, hoping for something, anything to happen. Scout busted him studyingZeus. That became the first and only time Clay heard Scout speak about the place they had been raised. Not about his time in that hell, but Zeus’. His words taught Clay a lesson more thoroughly than any rejection ever would. Zeus hadn’t kissed him for any reason beyond that was just who he was. If Clay fed the beast the program created, Zeus would bite, and Clay would get hurt. Clay couldn’t say if the speech had actually deterred him in any way, but he knew now he had no real shot. Except then Scout kissed him, and that move turned him on his head. The last three nights, he hadn’t done much beyond thinking about the last few months they had spent together.
Now, Clay couldn’t stop picturing Scout walking toward their waiting plane. His hips moved like a man’s who knew his worth. They swayed with a swagger of confidence. The muscles in Scout’s back—and there were a lot of them—had flexed as he put his shirt back on. Clay still wanted to whimper at the loss of that sight. He knew now exactly how Scout would look walking away from his bed.Thatwas what getting hurt would truly look like. Clay understood the truth now. None of these men would ever be his.
Clay carefully scanned each room of Beau’s vacation home. He was determined not to miss a single inch. Clay wouldn’t have people getting hurt. This home was a lot more welcoming than the compound where they lived. It was still massive, though. The place had been built especially for Beau’s husband, Kylo. Kylo was sweet, wild, and everything Beau wasn’t. Thankfully, Beau knew it and did everything he could to protect the amazing miracle he had been granted. Kylo turned the hardened criminal’s life around. He looked at Beau and saw a person no one else did. It was kind of beautiful. Clay wouldn’t let anyharm come to Kylo. He was a huge blessing to their house. This property being for Kylo made it kind of fun to search. The place had a kid’s playroom. Kylo was a Little, which was a lifestyle Clay didn’t understand, but he didn’t judge. There was a dance studio. Kylo was a former ballet dancer. Apparently, he had once been a professional, dancing in several huge productions, including a run on Broadway. Kylo still loved to dance, and Beau encouraged him. This entire house was a monument or some sort of playground just for Kylo. Still, there had to be dozens of rooms to accommodate Beau’s army. Safety came first, and Beau had trusted Clay to do this sweep. That was a hell of an ego boost. While everyone always said Beau thought highly of him, Clay never put too much stock into it. Beau could turn cold in a way Clay had never seen elsewhere. It was best just to stay in his lane.
Seven weeks in the tropics. He rubbed his hands together in his mind. An entire team would be here. Clay would get plenty of time off to get into trouble. Fabrice would be here too. They always found something fun to do.
“All the cameras are working fine.”
Clay nearly jumped out of his skin at Scout’s silent appearance. He spun.
Scout looked amused by his reaction.
Clay narrowed his eyes. When he thought of something to say, he would really tear into Scout for always startling him.
“Okay. Real talk.” Scout didn’t look the least bit contrite. “Why are you so jumpy around me all the sudden? You’ve also been avoiding me since that kiss. We’re supposed to be friends. I thought you understood I was only making a point.”
“Okay.” Clay’s response came out sounding as insulted as he was. That had been a real asshole thing to say.
Scout smiled. “For about the first ten seconds I’d been making a point. After that, it was because you’re sexy and I wanted to kiss you.”
Clay didn’t know if he was appeased or not. “Okay.”
Scout sighed like he couldn’t be more tired of anyone. “There’s really no winning with you. You kissed me back—like this attraction goes both ways.” He motioned between them. “Then you ran for your life and didn’t talk to me again until you had no choice. Now your expression screams I’ve insulted you. Fuck, dude. This is about to be a really uncomfortable week of working together if you don’t learn how to communicate.”
A smile exploded across Clay’s face. “To be fair, Fabrice and I raised each other, so I really didn’t have anyone to teach me how to talk things out.”
Scout cocked his head. “Hmm.” He sounded stumped as he studied Clay. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll double-check the security system.” Scout walked away, leaving Clay even more perplexed. Scout being willing to communicate was super-hot. Maybe he was even more interested than he realized.
The news that Fabrice and Clay raised each other was a bit of a surprise. He hadn’t thought to ask about Clay’s past. All those nights of shooting lessons had been more playful than anything. Scout never pried because he didn’t want anyone poking into his past life. He had another option.
Scout shut himself in the security room and risked looking crazy by calling Tracker.
Tracker answered on the first ring, like he was scared something had happened. “Are you okay?”
Scout supposed he kind of deserved that. He only called Tracker when there was a problem on the job. Otherwise, the guy was right down the hall. He could walk to talk to him quicker than Scout could find his contact info in his phone.
