Operation 13 Lines Crossed #3
“I’m sorry,” Xander whispered.
Cassidy brushed his thumb along the line of Xander’s jaw. “I need you safe.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want you frustrated with me.”
“I’m not.”
“You should be.”
“Okay, maybe a little.”
That almost pulled a smile from him. His lips twitched. “I’m not joking with you, Xander.”
Xander held his gaze for another beat, his expression turning vulnerable and a little unsure before he whispered, “You can call me Lane.”
Cassidy’s fingers stilled beneath his chin.
Xander’s blush deepened. “If you want to.”
Lane.
The offer landed in his chest with enough force to make him speechless because he realized the meaning behind the request.
Xander Vale belonged to the world.
Lane didn’t.
It was Xander’s true identity. The real him. Stripped of the glamor, fame, and fortune. It wasn’t a name plastered across television screens or sparkled under lights. It was private and protected.
And he’d given it to Cassidy.
“Lane,” he rumbled, tasting it.
Xander’s lips parted and a faint breath wove through Cassidy’s beard.
He liked the way it sounded. Simple and intimate, stripped of swagger and acting.
Lane was the man who didn’t mind being humble.
Who went to charity events instead of private yacht parties.
Who preferred to stay home on Saturday nights instead of clubbing and getting drunk.
Who panicked and didn’t pretend he wasn’t terrified.
Lane was the man who slept peacefully when Cassidy held him in his arms.
Lane gave him a bashful smile.
Sweet boy.
The room narrowed and the space between their mouths got smaller.
Neither of them moved at first. They just stood there breathing each other in, caught inside the kind of silence that spoke volumes.
Cassidy slid his thumb from Xander’s jaw to the corner of his mouth. His full lips parted beneath his touch, and the sight did something vicious to his self-control.
“Lane,” he said again, lower this time.
Xander shivered…and in Cassidy’s mind that was code for green light.
He bent his head, and Xander met him halfway.
The kiss started cautiously. Savoring and searching, nothing like the nervous tenderness from last night.
This one had daylight around it. No vodka or lingering panic. Just want.
Xander made a small sound against his lips.
He eased his hand to Xander’s neck, then around the back, sinking his fingers into the deep waves.
He pushed closer, pinning him to the door.
Xander’s body yielded in a way that nearly wrecked him, as he pressed the palms of his soft hands against his bare chest.
The kiss deepened all on its own.
But Cassidy kept it slow. If he let his hunger set the pace, he’d have lifted Xander against the door and ground himself between his legs until he was begging.
Xander opened for him, submissive but eager, the taste of orange juice on his tongue, the power of that delicate fragrance behind his ear torturing him.
Cassidy took his time, cherishing the gentle slide of Xander’s lips, the way he sighed when Cassidy angled his head and swept his tongue along the roof of his mouth.
Xander opened wider, moaning as he wove his tongue against his.
Cassidy wrapped his arm around his waist, loving that there was so much of him to hold, all the full solid weight of him, and the way his body yielded without hesitation, with complete trust and surrender.
Xander stroked his chest, making his muscles clench.
He broke the kiss with a rough breath and dropped his forehead to Xander’s temple, fighting the urge to swear.
His body had gone from hot to searing.
He shifted lower and put his nose against the side of Xander’s neck, brushing his lips along his pulse before he nipped at the delicate skin.
“Why do you smell like this?” he asked roughly, his hard cock nudging Xander’s stomach.
Xander moaned as he tilted his head further to the side. “You like it?”
He closed his eyes for half a second, struggling. “I like it too much.”
Cassidy lifted his head and stared down at Xander’s full, parted lips, flushed cheeks, and lowered lashes that made him look so shy and innocent.
“Lane,” he groaned.
Before he could say anything else his watch vibrated.
He ignored it for one, two seconds, before it vibrated again.
“Damn it,” he muttered against Xander’s jaw.
Xander let out a breathy laugh.
He kept one hand cupping the back of Xander’s neck while he lifted his wrist and glanced at the screen.
Bring Starlight up. Business to discuss.
Cassidy stared at the message, his mouth still close enough to Xander’s skin to feel his pulse beginning to slow.
He released a long exhale, before pulling back enough to stare into his eyes.
“We have to go upstairs.”
Xander blinked. “Now?”
“Yeah, God wants us.”
“Oh, okay.”
He brushed his thumb over Xander’s cheek.
Fuck. Why is it so hard to stop touching you?
Cassidy glanced down at himself, at the sweat drying on his chest and his cock still tenting his shorts. “I need to take a really cold shower first.”
Xander lowered his gaze as a deeper color rushed up his neck.
He leaned in, caught Xander’s lower lip between his teeth, and gave it a gentle bite before letting go. “Stay put. I won’t be long.”
Xander swallowed then gave an obedient dip of his chin that only made the situation in Cassidy’s shorts worse.
Cassidy walked towards his room, not allowing himself to look back.