Page 21 of The Bait

“You said?—”

“I said what needed saying,” Harry snapped. “And I meant every word. We need to be smarter, Asher. We’ve been out of this world for too long, and they are three days ahead of us. We have no intel, no backup, and no fuckingclue what we’re looking for. We can’t afford the slightest misstep. And I know you’re angry and scared. I get that. And you want to unleash hell on whoever did this, and babe, I will be right by your side. But we can’t do this blindly, because that’s when we make mistakes. We need to be smarter, both of us, because if something were to happen to you...” Harry shook his head. “I can’t... I won’t survive it, Asher.”

Asher’s eyes met his, sadness and fear finding their mark, because god, how it hurt Harry to see that.

“You’re right,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. Thank you. I just... Yunho’s the only family I have... had. He’s the only family I had for the longest time. Until I met you. And now I have you, and I’m so fucking grateful. But...” He shook his head, tears in his eyes. “Yunho saved my life, countless times. I owe him this. I owe him everything.”

“I know.”

“And I lost my head. I wasn’t thinking straight. You were right.”

Harry finally smiled. “I usually am.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

Harry snorted and nodded to Asher’s burger. “Eat up. I want to have a hot shower and go to bed.”

Asher pouted again. “Is that an invitation?”

Harry couldn’t help it. He smiled and nodded at Asher’s food. “Be a good boy and eat, and I’ll think about giving you a reward.”

That earned him a scowl. “Half the burger and my reward better be a thorough fucking.”

“Deal.” Harry smiled as he bit into his burger. It was probably what Asher needed. What they both needed, if Harry was being honest.

It’d been a tense and emotional few days, and Harryknew Asher always felt out of sorts when he wasn’t in control.

And this situation they’d found themselves in? They had zero control.

They were three days behind, had no clue if they were even on the right track, and were effectively on the run again.

Someone else was calling the shots, and Asher was stressed and worried. Harry always did know how to bring Asher’s mind back into focus. Make him forget all the excess bullshit and strip away the world until all that remained was one single focus.

The pain and pleasure of a thorough fucking.

Hmm.

Maybe Harry needed it more than Asher.

He watched Asher take a bite or two, though it was clear he had no appetite. He was too tired, too stressed, too worried.

He needs to let it all go.

“Hm,” Harry began. “Remember when we were in Algeria.”

Asher’s gaze cut to his, and he nodded. “Which part? We did a lot in Algeria.”

That was true.

“Remember when you wanted me to fight and fuck you? You wanted it violent and rough.”

Asher raised one eyebrow and licked the corner of his mouth, a smile forming. “I remember. You didn’t really want to do it either. The decent human in you kept warring with the animal side.” He smirked then. “The animal won.”

“No. You won. You got what you wanted. What you needed.”

The fire in his eyes ignited. “And so did you.”

“I did.”

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