Chapter Sixteen
The next afternoon…
C row had spent all last night with a fucking hard-on that wouldn’t go away.
Because as much as that kiss in the lounge had turned him on, Rebel had turned shy.
Yet, being shy didn’t stop Rebel from flirting, though, and the young man took every chance he could to torment and tease him over the past twenty-four hours.
If Crow had any less patience, then he would have tossed Rebel to the bed and fucked him senseless instead of sleeping on the fold-out couch and giving Rebel the king-sized bed.
“Whatcha doin?” Rebel whispered against his ear.
The man’s knees dipped the mattress behind him on the side of the bed.
“Trying to send an email,” Crow said gruffly.
“To who?”
“Whom, and it’s to Real.”
“Whom. Why?”
“Because it’s protocol,” Crow said, shooting the contact email within the twenty-four hour time frame. He tucked his phone away and caught Rebel around the waist.
The younger man wiggled and twisted, but Crow pulled him into his arms.
He wasn’t sure what the hell this was, but having Rebel in his arms, knowing the man was safe, kept him calm.
Rebel eased closer, their lips a hair’s breath away from each other. Crow’s cock hardened and he combed his fingers through Rebel’s dark curls.
A knock on the door made them jump apart.
“Shit! That scared me,” Rebel laughed, falling onto his back on the bed.
“I ordered room service.” Crow smirked and evened out his breath before he cracked the door with the gun behind his back.
It was indeed room service and Crow locked the door and wheeled the cart into the room.
“Is that freaking steak?” Rebel bounced up from the bed and hurried over.
“Yeah. I figured we might not have enough time for a meal tonight.”
“Thank you,” Rebel said sincerely, grabbing a plate and sitting at the small table.
“So, tell me about Angel.”
And there over steaks and fries, Rebel told Crow a story of a young girl sold by her father to Jimmy Lincoln.
“We will get her out,” Crow promised.
“I have a plan for that,” Rebel said with a grin.
They spent an hour going over the plan of what to do after going to the nightclub. They came up with two options of what could happen depending on how things went at the club. Crow was down for either one.
The rest of the time they spent talking and watching a movie. Crow found out that Rebel liked action movies, while he preferred suspense.
“Hmm, name a good suspense movie,” Rebel said.
The Bone Collector,” Crow said.
“Oh, that’s a good one.”
“Your turn. Name your favorite action movie?”
“Well, my favorite would be The Accountant or any of the Equalizer movies.”
They agreed that Denzel Washington was a must-watch and a person couldn’t really miss watching a Jason Statham movie.
Crow wasn’t sure where their kisses were headed, but he vowed not to make a big deal of it.
Especially since Rebel seemed to take it all in stride.
That night around nine o’clock, Crow left the hotel with Rebel and headed across town in an Uber.
“Did you bring your ID?”
“Right here.” Rebel patted his front pocket.
The younger man looked smoking hot in a PHIX brand shirt in black velvet sequin pinstripe and slim-fitting leather trousers. Crow also purchased Rebel a pair of Givenchy lock boots in black leather. Rebel had balked at the fourteen-hundred-dollar boot price tag, but he told the man it would be worth it.
And it so fucking was.
Rebel was a vision.
“Are we drinking tonight?” Rebel asked and Crow dragged his gaze away with effort.
“We need to have a clear head,” Crow said.
“True,” Rebel said, edging closer, his thigh and shoulder pressing against him.
Crow felt branded by the touch, but no way in hell was he moving away.
The club was noisier and busier than Crow had anticipated and the crush of people on a Friday night made him pause at the door.
“Don’t worry! It’ll be cool!” Rebel said, shooting him a happy, wide smile.
Linking their fingers together, they waited in line.
From inside, the music pulsed and from the doorway, the place looked packed with people drinking and dancing on a tiled floor that took up over half of the room. Standing tables were filled with customers as well as the bar.
When it was their turn, Crow paid the forty-dollar cover charge for each of them and then let Rebel pull him into the fray.
Los Angeles was rich with diversity and this club was no different. All kinds of couples danced on the floor, some in large groups, just jumping around.
Maybe, if he played his cards right, he could get Rebel to dance with him.
Shit. Crow fisted his free hand, telling himself to settle the fuck down.
This was a job. Period.
Rebel pulled him to a stop and then urged him down. When Crow bent slightly to listen, Rebel pressed his mouth to his ear and spoke.
“Remember, you’re supposed to be my boyfriend.”
The warmly spoken words ghosted over Crow’s ear, sending his cock into overdrive.
Sweet fucking hell.
When Rebel pulled him through the crush of people and toward the bar, Crow followed.
He had no other choice.
The last time Rebel had been to a club had been with Jimmy and his crew, and drinking and dancing had been prohibited.
Jimmy didn’t like his people inebriated.
But tonight? He didn’t care about Jimmy, and while he wasn’t going to drink, he wanted to coax Crow onto the dance floor.
If Crow wouldn’t dance with him, Rebel would find another willing body.
It was as simple as that.
Rebel couldn’t remember the last time he’d let loose and enjoyed himself. Probably never if he gave it some thought.
Of course, there had been small snatches of relief through the crushing wreckage of his life, but those brief times had not lasted long.
If he were asked today, he couldn’t even remember a moment of joy other than when he’d killed a person who had held him captive.
And that was pretty fucked up thinking.
“ID,” the cute bartender gave him a wink and Rebel smiled at her, handing over his fake license. The thing even said he could drive, but he had only ever driven once in his life and that had been when he’d gone with Wrath to get Rogue. Of course, being on the open road had been—
“What are you having?”
Crow’s warm breath swept over his ear and Rebel shivered. The attraction between them was thick, much thicker than between them in the first hotel room and again in the tunnel.
What had started as a spark had grown into a flame and Rebel suspected that it would become an inferno before too much longer.
He daydreamed.
What if they were real boyfriends and lovers?
“Surprise me?” Rebel blinked up at Crow, making his eyes wide and parting his lips. Yeah, it was a come-hither look, but he wanted to live in this fantasy if only for tonight.
“We just want a couple of sparkling waters with ice,” Crow ordered.
When the man’s eyes moved over his face, Rebel shivered and caught Crow’s hand.
“Drink first,” Crow said, handing him one water.
Rebel chugged it down and Crow did the same. The glasses were placed aside and Rebel drew Crow onto the floor and into the gyrating bodies.
“Where’s Jimmy, we have a job?” Crow said near his ear.
“We have time.” Rebel smiled up at Crow and pulled. The man followed him without further protest.
When Rebel danced closely up against Crow, strong hands caught him around his waist and brought him even closer.
Their hips matched the pulsing beat. They danced, lost in each other, blocking out the world.
And Rebel didn’t want the night to ever end.