Chapter 7 Shep
SHEP
“MORE BANDAGES,” THEO murmured, shaking his head as I finished taping up his forearm.
He’d definitely have a scar from where the fucker had taken out his tracker, a much longer one than the small cut Theo made when he’d done the same thing weeks ago.
How had the guy even known about the tracker?
Perhaps this was an inside job, someone within the Libertines feeding information to his hired hitmen.
“I’m almost done,” I said as I squeezed out some antibiotic ointment and carefully applied it to his wrists.
No permanent damage there, just raw, angry skin that needed to time to heal.
After wrapping bandages around both wrists, I stepped back from the bathroom counter and ran my eyes over him again, looking for any wounds I may have missed.
“I look like a mummy, don’t I?” He reached up to touch the bandage on his forehead and groaned.
“A very sexy mummy.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” A smirk curved his full lips as he lowered himself from the counter to stand. I could see the way he tried to hide the wince that briefly crossed his face as he straightened, and I moved in close, wrapping my arms around him to hold his weight if he needed me to.
And, selfishly, because I couldn’t bear the thought of being close and not touching him.
“I’d never lie to you.” I pressed a kiss to the side of his neck and held him as he slid his hands around my waist. In the mirror, I could see the smooth expanse of his back, which sported only faint bruises, unlike the rest of him.
Theo’s breaths were slow and steady, and I knew he had to be exhausted.
Adrenaline was still riding me, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep at all, but his body had taken a brutal beating and he needed rest.
I swept him up in my arms, and he let out a surprised curse as I carried him into my bedroom.
Correction: our bedroom.
“What the hell? My legs aren’t broken, you know.”
“You’re tired.”
“So are you.”
“Just go with it.”
“Like I have a choice,” he said, but he was grinning as I gently set him on the bed. As he lay there, he reached for the towel at his waist and pulled it open. “Oops. You forgot something.”
His gorgeous cock was on full display, but I forced myself to look away and reached down to pull the towel away instead.
Theo’s hand covered mine. “I didn’t mean the towel.”
“Theo…”
“Shep.” He moved our hands to rest on top of his dick, and it jerked under my touch.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Your body needs to rest tonight. You’re hurt.”
“Are you really trying to tell me what I can and can’t do? Maybe you’ve forgotten how I react to being ordered around.” His fingers tightened on mine, giving his growing erection a squeeze and causing him to moan—and not in an I’m in pain way.
“And you must’ve forgotten I’m not one of your minions.”
“I definitely haven’t forgotten that. But after everything I’ve gone through, I feel like I deserve this.”
“You think so, do you?” I swiped my thumb over the head of his shaft, and Theo nodded.
“Oui. It’ll help me relax, and you’re the one who said I need to rest.”
I took in a deep breath and when the distinct scent of his arousal hit my nose, I groaned. “Okay—”
“Yesss—”
“—but you have to promise to just lie back and let me do the work.”
Theo’s grin was wide as he lifted his hand and slipped it with his other behind his head. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“You’re incorrigible,” I said, and reached for my own towel, tossing it over the end of the bed. Then I climbed up on the mattress and stretched out beside him. “I mean it, Theo. If I think you’re hurting in any way, I’m going to stop.”
“The only thing that hurts right now is my di—”
I cut off his words before he could goad me further. He was already too tempting for the state he was in, and my need to be close to him was only tempered by the fact that parts of him were turning a horrible shade of purple.
But if this was going to help relax him, help ease the torment he’d gone through out there at the hands of that motherfucker, then I would give it to him.
I wrapped my hand around his thick, veiny shaft and gave a slow, rough pull that had a groan rumbling out of Theo’s chest. His eyes slid shut, and I couldn’t resist another taste.
I gently brushed my lips over his swollen one. When his breath caught, I wasn’t sure if it was from pain or pleasure. I went to raise my head to check he was okay, but then one of his hands came around the back of my neck to hold me in place.
Pleasure, that was what he was feeling, and I was determined to give him as much of it as he could take before he drifted off into a deep, restful sleep.
I stroked my fist down his erection, his pre-cum making a warm, sticky path along his length as I kissed my way to the corner of his mouth that wasn’t cut or bruised.
Theo’s eyes slid shut as I began to kiss and nip my way along his jawline, working him with slow rhythmic pulls that had him moaning.
“God, Theo,” I whispered by his ear, marveling over the brave, resilient man beside me. Then I heard myself confessing, “I can’t ever lose you. You hear me?”
He turned his head on the pillow, and when his eyes opened, I felt the connection bone deep.
“You won’t,” he assured me, then pressed his lips to mine. “I’m right here. You found me. Saved me.”
My heart squeezed at the memory of how close I’d come to losing him. If I hadn’t heard the first gunshot and sprinted off in that direction, if I’d arrived even thirty seconds later…
“Stop,” Theo whispered against my mouth. “Stop thinking. Just be here with me.”
I took in a deep breath and focused back on the man lying beneath me, a bit battered, but alive.
He was right. I couldn’t control what happened, but the most important thing was he was here now—we both were.
I dove back between Theo’s lips, stroking my tongue alongside his and letting go of all the fear and anger that had been driving me since he’d been taken.
I wanted to memorize every bit of him, every little sound he made, the way he tasted, the way he kissed and touched me.
I’d taken it all for granted, not realizing how deep I’d been falling for him, so if there was one thing I’d realized in the last twenty-four hours, it was that I was crazy about Theo Rinaldi.
And I wouldn’t let him go, even over my dead body.
“Don’t let this go to your head, but you have the sexiest fucking mouth.” Theo nibbled on my lower lip. “Maybe the best kisser I’ve ever had.”
“Maybe?” I growled and pulled my hand away from his cock, and he immediately reached down between us to put it back.
“I meant definitely. By far the best kisser. Et tu suces ma queue comme un dieu.”
That was it—I was taking French classes as soon as we were back in New York. Anything that came out of Theo’s mouth was something I wanted to hear, and I had a feeling he’d just said something about his dick. Or mine. Maybe both.
Smirking, I reached for the lube in the bedside drawer and then moved down his body, knowing exactly how I wanted to take care of my man tonight. Fucking was out of the question, because no matter how much he wanted it, his body wouldn’t be able to take it.
But a hot cock rub that would give him the release he needed? Abso-fucking-lutely.
I straddled him beneath his hips so I could line my throbbing erection up against his and then poured a healthy amount of lube into my hand. The second I began to stroke both of us together, a long moan of pleasure escaped him.
“Oh, mon Dieu,” Theo said, sucking in a breath as he watched.
He clearly hadn’t been expecting me to get us both off at the same time, but we’d earned it, and this was exactly what we needed to rid ourselves of the bad memories that lingered.
They had no place here, not in this bed, and not between us.
Theo arched his hips up, chasing the slippery slide of my fist up and down our joined erections.
God he felt so fucking good, and I relished the feel of every veiny, thick inch of him rubbing up against mine.
One of us a little longer, one of us slightly thicker, but fitting together so perfectly I couldn’t take my eyes away.
Every sound Theo made only spurred me on, wanting to make this a moment he’d remember.
I alternated hands with every tug, starting from the base and working my fist up.
It was instinctive to be more careful than I ever was with Theo, wanting to make him feel good without doing anything that could cause him pain.
I thought I was doing a pretty damn good job of it too, judging by how rock hard we both were, but then Theo growled and said, “I know what you’re doing. Stop taking it easy on me. I’m not—”
Before he could utter the rest of that sentence, I tightened my grip of our cocks, putting them in a chokehold.
A hiss came through his gritted teeth, and my eyes shot up, making sure he was still with me. That he was still feeling nothing but pure pleasure. But all I saw was the arousal swirling in his eyes.
“Don’t stop,” he panted, licking those full, sexy lips.
I had no plan to. Not until he’d gone limp from pleasure after I’d wrenched every ounce of cum from his body.
Keeping us firm in my grip, I jerked us off as my balls pulled up tight. He was just so goddamn beautiful. Clenching the sheets as he lay there spread out on the bed, his strong, muscular body that had survived a battle on display… All I could think was mine. This unbelievable man was mine.
Possession so strong it physically rolled through me took over then, and as I circled my thumb over Theo’s weeping slit, his breath hitched.
“Shep…” he started, but he didn’t have to say the rest of what I knew he was feeling. He dropped his head back, beginning to jerk as his climax hit.
Hot jets of cum exploded from his cock, coating my hands and my own dick.
Theo’s French curses of satisfaction and his guttural moans set off my own orgasm, and as it rocketed through me, I shouted the name of the man who owned me now.
I didn’t think he even understood the power he held as he reached for my thighs and squeezed, urging me through the waves of ecstasy raining down over me.
“Putain. You’re so damn hot when you take what you want, you know that?” Theo said.
I was still breathing hard but managed a grin. “Looks like you’re rubbing off on me.”
“Uh, pretty sure that was you rubbing us both off. Damn.”
Fuck yeah I did, and I had to admit that Theo was right—that was exactly what we’d needed. The adrenaline that had been riding me had burned out, and now I felt the exhaustion setting in.
I let go of our softening dicks and moved up over Theo, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Couldn’t even if I wanted to.” His eyelids were heavy as he smiled up at me and stretched his legs back out.
I went to the en suite and quickly cleaned up before returning to Theo’s side with a warm washcloth. He was barely awake as I wiped him down, but then I felt his hand cover mine and looked up.
“Lie with me.”
I’d never heard him sound so sweet, so vulnerable. Usually he’d try to deny wanting to spend all night together or make a joke about it, but he tugged me toward him, and I slid in behind him under the sheets.
“Always,” I whispered, tucking him under my arm and holding him close where he wasn’t bruised. He rested his head against my shoulder and inched closer, his breathing growing slower and steadier.
Just when I thought he was asleep, I heard, “Shep?”
“Yeah?”
His voice was thick with sleep. “Let’s get the fuck out of Brazil.”
I couldn’t help my burst of laughter then, because damn if I hadn’t been thinking the same thing. It was once a place of sanctuary, but there was nothing safe about staying here any longer.
“Tomorrow,” I promised, pressing a kiss against his temple as he curled in close.
It was time to get the hell out of the jungle and back to the city.