“Am supposed to ask first.”
“Then ask, but you already know my answer.”
Alexei lifted his head, staring down into Sean’s warm brown eyes and the love that filled his gaze. As much as he couldn’t imagine his life without his brother, imagining a future without Sean was impossible, and had been for months now.
He flipped open the box and pulled the platinum and diamond ring out, holding it up for Sean to see. Simple and elegant and exactly what Sean wanted, if Alexei was any judge of the pleased expression that settled on his lover’s face.
He'd thank Kyle for his help in picking it out later.
“Marry me, Senichka?” Alexei asked as he slipped the engagement ring onto Sean’s finger.
Sean lifted his hands to frame Alexei’s face, pulling him down for a kiss. “Yes, Lyosha.”
The kiss went from sweet to scorching in two seconds flat. Sean’s arms twined around Alexei’s neck, keeping him there as they kissed. Alexei wasn’t in any hurry to leave and started grinding down against Sean’s clothed cock. Sean gasped into his mouth and Alexei sucked at his tongue.
“Get my pants off,” Sean said, wriggling beneath Alexei’s weight.
Alexei kissed his way down Sean’s jaw to his throat, sucking at warm skin. Taking off Sean’s pants meant Alexei had to move, and he wasn’t keen on doing that. “Nyet.”
“Lyosha.”
Alexei wormed his left hand between their bodies, slipping it beneath Sean’s pants. He wrapped his fingers against Sean’s rapidly hardening cock, stroking it firmly. “Good here.”
Sean arched into his touch, chasing after his mouth when Alexei leaned back. “Lube is under the pillow.”
Alexei grinned, stretching out his arm to snag it. “Was in nightstand. You take out?”
Sean arched an eyebrow, his hands settling on Alexei’s waist. “Just thinking ahead.”
Alexei pulled at Sean’s pants to work them down far enough to free his cock. He scooted closer until their cocks lined up together, the touch sending a shiver down his spine. Sean bit his lip, staring at Alexei.
“Give me hand,” Alexei said. When Sean offered his right hand, Alexei shook his head. “Other one.”
Sean raised his left hand, the engagement ring glinting in the light. Alexei admired its placement for a few seconds before he poured lube into Sean’s palm and repeated the process with his own left hand. Sean didn’t need to be told what to do, already wrapping his slick hand around both their cocks.
His touch, with the ring, was electric. Alexei groaned deep in his chest before wrapping his left hand around their cocks as well. Their fingers tangled together in a messy slide as they slowly stroked each other off. Alexei stole kisses when he wasn’t mapping what he could reach of Sean’s body with his mouth.
It was a slow, easy slide to climax, holding the man he loved and the promise of a future together shining in their rings. When Sean came first, spilling over their fingers, Alexei hid his smile against Sean’s throat.
“I win,” Alexei couldn’t help but mutter.
Sean’s laughter echoed in their bedroom. When he tangled his fingers in Alexei’s hair, hauling him up into a deep, lazy kiss, Alexei went willingly.
And when he fell over the edge into orgasm at Sean’s touch, Alexei didn’t want to be anywhere else.
* * *
Kyle nervously fiddledwith his engagement ring as Jamie pulled into the driveway of his parents’ Washington, D.C., mansion and parked the Bentley. He still hadn’t gotten used to wearing his ring where other people could see. Considering their condo was no longer habitable, Kyle was glad he’d been wearing it during the attack.
Even though he couldn’t remember what happened for the majority of the day involving the attack two weeks ago, Kyle had seen the aftermath in the past week with his own eyes. The White House, the Capitol Building, and the National Mall were still zoned for restricted access only. Traffic reroutes had been put in place and the Metro wasn’t stopping at any stops within that area while the recovery process continued.
Rebuilding was already under way within the nation’s capital, but that story was still secondary to the one regarding the now-formally declassified identities of Alpha Team. Kyle was still uneasy about his name being known by the public, and he worried for his family even though he knew the MDF had security details on them. After a lifetime working in the shadows, being recognized didn’t come easy to him.
Jamie reached over and covered Kyle’s hands with his. “Stop it.”
“What if they hate me?” Kyle asked.
“They aren’t going to hate you. Why would they?”
