Page 29 of Deadly Hands

Nikon shook his head, cupping Reuben’s cheek. “No. I just want to take you deeper.”

He reached for the bedside table again, this time pulling out a small bottle of lube. Guiding Reuben to lie on his front, Nikon took a moment to admire the lean lines of his body, the curve of his spine. He coated his fingers with lube, then ran them down the crease of Reuben’s backside. He circled Reuben’s tight ring of muscle, applying a light pressure, before easing one finger inside Reuben’s tight hole. Nikon took his time, allowing Reuben to adjust, before adding a second finger, scissoring them carefully to stretch and prepare him thoroughly.

“You’re thinking too much,” Reuben panted, pushing back against his fingers. “I can hear the gears turning from here.”

“I’m thinking,” Nikon twisted his fingers just so, drinking in Reuben’s moan, “about how long I’ve wanted this.Wanted you.”

Reuben groaned into the pillow, hips lifting to meet Nikon’s touch. “More,” he begged, “I want you to fill me up.”

Nikon complied, withdrawing his fingers from Reuben, who let out a soft whimper at the sudden emptiness. Positioning himself, Nikon gently pressed the head of his dick against Reuben’s entrance. He pushed in slowly, just an inch at first, giving Reuben time to adjust. Reuben’s body trembled, his moans muffled by the pillow. Nikon continued to inch his way in, gradually filling Reuben until he was balls deep. He held still for a moment, allowing Reuben to grow accustomed to the feel of him. Then he began to move, slowly at first, before building up to harder, deeper thrusts.

Reuben pushed up onto his knees, presenting himself, allowing Nikon to really fuck him. The sight of Reuben’s back arching, his body submitting, undid Nikon. He thrust harder, faster, each stroke drawing out a desperate moan from Reuben.

Nikon felt the pressure build, the heat in his balls intensifying as he moved with increasing urgency. His muscles tensed, and his breath hitched, coming in shorter, sharper gasps. His heart pounded in his chest, the sensation overwhelming as he reached the brink.

With a final, powerful thrust, the wave of his orgasm crashed over him. His head threw back, a guttural cry escaping his lips as he released, the intensity of the moment causing his body to shudder. He collapsed onto Reuben’s back, pressing him into the bed, their bodies slick with sweat, their breaths syncing in ragged harmony.

For a long moment, they lay there, Nikon’s weight pinning Reuben to the bed. Then Nikon slipped his now-softening cock out of Reuben and rolled off, but not without pulling Reuben with him, their limbs tangling as he tugged Reuben into his chest.

Ten minutes later, with sweat cooling on their skin and Reuben’s head pillowed on his chest, Nikon allowed himself to process the day’s events. The messed up bank job. The shots. The heart-stopping moment when he thought he’d lost everything before he’d even had it. His thoughts then drifted to his own brothers—to loyalty and betrayal within blood ties—and suddenly he realized how little he knew about Reuben’s own family.

“I can hear you thinking too much again.” Reuben traced patterns on his chest, fingertips skimming old scars. “Very Russian of you.”

“I don’t think.” Nikon caught those wandering fingers, pressed a kiss to the knuckles. “I strategize.”

“Mm. And what’s the strategy for dealing with an assassin trying to kill me?”

The casual way Reuben said it made Nikon’s jaw clench. Instead, Nikon shifted the conversation. “Tell me about your family.”

The fingers on his chest stilled. “That’s quite a mood killer.”

“Humor me.”

Reuben sighed, shifting slightly against him. “Not much to tell. Father’s got an investment firm in Boston. Wanted me to join after graduation. Had my whole life planned out; corporate suit, trophy wife, country club membership.”

“But you refused.” Nikon could picture it—a younger Reuben standing his ground against family pressure.

“I refused to go back in the closet.” Reuben’s voice held a forced lightness, but Nikon could feel the minor tension in his body. “Dad made it clear that was the only way I’d be welcome in the family business. Or the family, period.”

Nikon’s arms tightened around him, recognizing the familiar dance of someone trying to pretend old wounds didn’t still bleed.

“And, unfortunately, dear old dad’s got a lot of connections.” Reuben tried to shrug as he continued, but Nikon felt the tensionin his shoulders. “Turns out being a valedictorian doesn’t matter much when every potential employer you apply to gets a quiet word about your‘character issues.’”

The casual way Reuben described his own father’s betrayal made something in Nikon’s chest twist. Here was a different kind of family violence—no bullets or blood, but just as deadly to the soul. He rolled them over, bracing himself above Reuben to look into his eyes. In that moment, Nikon made a decision that had nothing to do with strategy or business.

“You’re my family now.” The words came out like a vow, heavy with all the weight of his own complex understanding of family loyalty. “Mine. And I protect what’s mine.” Unlike Reuben’s father, Nikon would never demand Reuben be anything other than exactly who he was.

Reuben’s breath caught, surprise flickering across his face before he masked it with a smirk. “Are you proposing already? Am I really that good in bed?”

“I don’t know.” Nikon leaned down, brushing their lips together, grateful for Reuben’s ability to lighten even the heaviest moments. “I think we need more testing to be sure.”

Their kiss swallowed Reuben’s laugh, and Nikon let himself get lost in it.

Chapter 11

The crash of a pan hitting marble and a creative string of Russian curses yanked Reuben from sleep. He caught fragments about eggs and incompetent suppliers as Nikon’s voice carried from the kitchen, followed by the angry beeping of what had to be a smoke detector.

Reuben’s lips curved despite himself. The mighty Nikon Matvei, feared mafia boss who could make hardened criminals tremble with a look, was losing a battle with breakfast.

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