Oh, who am I kidding?Nikolas Stavros living a peaceful life until he ends up forgotten in obscurity?Fuck that.I tried, I really did, but some things you simply can’t change. I hated every peaceful day, every stupid bicker, every dull morning and boring evening.
I am a legend, a man feared by many. This chaos, this nonsense Tommy dragged me into is what I thrive on, what makes me feel alive. Fuck, how I’ve missed this, the adrenaline, the uncertainty, the risk… the flirting with death.
I shove my tongue inside Tommy’s hot mouth, deepening the kiss I’m dictating. He moans again, melting in my arms as they come around him and pull him even closer. But he takes as much as he gives, he’s ravenous, like all he’s ever dreamed about is kissing me on this uncontrollable plane diving from 30000 feet above the ground. Also, he tastes like that raspberry candy he was eating earlier.
“Niko,” he mutters, pausing for air. His cheeks are red, his eyes are glassed over, his lips glisten from our kiss. “Fuck.” He bites on the bottom one. “Was this your idea of a goodbye? Are we going to die?”
I don’t even like raspberries, but tasting them on him? I think they are my new favorite fruit.
I run my fingers down the curve of his jaw, his damp skin so smooth and silky. He purrs and stretches like a cat that’s just gotten what he wants. He’s perfect, so perfect. And his eyes, they are heart-stealing, hopeful too, a little scared as they focus on me and only me.
Fuck.
I study the plane’s ceiling as I rake my hand through his blond mop of hair. Was it a goodbye? The likeliest outcome is that we either crash, or the four men kill us before we do. I promised to keep him safe, to help him get himself out of this mess, but it looks like I might not be able to do that.
“I’m out of ideas, Tommy,” I sigh, pressing his head to my shoulder. The plane continues to rock and shake like it’s nobody’s business. Are the men in the cockpit really going to let it crash? Do they not care if they die with it? Sounds about right, the Crew is batshit crazy like this from what I remember. They are fewer in number than some of the other organizations, but man, do they make up for it… It shouldn’t work, quantity is what counts in the underworld more often than not, but they have sat at the top for decades. Power, influence, strength, they have it all. I was a fool to think I could go up against them. “Sorry. I don’t think we can take them on. You… don’t know how vicious and strong Crew soldiers are.”
I only ever managed to kill one member of the Crew gang. Just one. And it sealed my fate, it ruined my life. Fighting him—I grit my teeth, my heart rate escalating. It was the most gruesome, insane fight I’ve ever participatedin. That man simply refused to go down, no matter what. I used every trick up my sleeve, every weapon. Nada. It made no difference, not until…
I snort, can’t help it.Fuck, everyone has itsowrong. If only they knew what really happened that night.
“Listen,” I say, inhaling Tommy’s scent. It’s a mix of sweat, dirt and that raspberry and it drives me insane with the need to taste him again. “There’s something I need to confess—”
“No,” he cuts me off, hopping to his feet and urging me to follow suit. “Your confession can wait because you aren’t giving up. Nikolas Stavros doesn’t give up.” His eyes dart left and right, bouncing between the cockpit door and the cargo hold. “And we need to talk about that kiss because…” He pulls on his bottom lip and adjusts himself.
“We are out of options, Tommy. I really wish—”
“Nope. Stop it with the goodbye talk, I told you.” He brushes past me, not listening, bends down and takes something out from under the small jump seat by the lavatory door. “Can’t we just use this? Do you know how? Because I don’t. But, uh, maybe we can work it out on the go…”
My eyes go wide, my heart banging against my ribcage for a very different reason as I process what I see. I was so busy wallowing in self-pity for wasting the last decade pretending to be someone I wasn’t that I didn’t even notice the parachute.
If I ever needed a sign that saving Tommy was the right call, this is it. Yes, he’s pretty and his smile is like a sunrise you can only see on a wild beach, but that’s not it. No. He might seem a little clueless, naïve even, he might not be a muscular giant, but what he’s shown me so far…
He’s the same breed as me. He’s competent in all the ways it counts. He’s got what it takes to be part of my world, to stand next to me, to make the impossible possible.
I look into his expectant blue eyes and I see in them the partner I dreamed about but never had. I see a man capable and crazy enough to have my back, someone who thrives when others cower in fear.
Maybe he doesn’t know he has it in him yet, that spark of insanity I possess, too. But I will teach him. I will show him everything and I will worship him, too. I take a deep breath. Because it’s too fucking late now. If we survive this, I won’t let him go. I grin like a maniac. He’s mine. Plain and simple. He’smine, mine, mine, mine.I’ve found something I didn’t even know I was looking for, something I didn’t dare wish for, something I was scared to acknowledge.
And now I don’t ever intend to lose it. No matter what and even if death is trying to stand between us.
I grab the parachute and locate the control panel on the wall, hitting the cargo doors release button. A loud screech makes the plane shudder even more. A few of the crates fall out. “If you still want that blowjob, it’s yours, Tommy, as soon as we get to the ground.”
He perks up like a puppy that’s been given a bone with the meat still sticking to it. “Really? You mean that? You’ll let me suck your dick?”
I turn around, grab him by his neck and peck his mouth quickly. “From now on, I’ll let you do whatever the fuck you want to me.” I hold his hand and break into a run, trying not to collide with the cargo and crates that have been dislodged. “But first”—I toss on the parachute, praying my fast check didn’t miss anything—“we are going to jump.”
8
Tommy
Niko’sarmscomearoundmy waist as he pushes me off the edge of the cargo ramp.
Oh. My Fucking. God. We really are doing this.
Trees and fields blur under us, looking a hell of a lot closer than I expected. We should’ve been flying at about 30000 feet, but this can’t be right, which means we’ve definitely dropped altitude even if the men in the cockpit didn’t seem the least bit concerned.
What’s up with that? Do they have a death wish? I don’t really know all that much about the Crew other than the fact that they are very strong and a bit crazy, but surely they aren’t suicidal. Right?
