Page 42 of Kissing Danger

D’Angelo obviously cared deeply for Oliver. So much so, he was willing to call in a favor just to secure his lover’s friend. I realized I wanted that kind of relationship with Deacon. The two of us had great sexual chemistry, and I definitely liked him. It even seemed like he would be a good fit with the less “clean” aspects of my life.

But would I be willing to sacrifice for him?

Or even sacrifice for his friend just because it would make him happy?

That, I couldn’t say for sure.

Once D’Angelo and I were in agreement, we went back to the studio where our little group of artists were working. They’d also been busy. Cloth was everywhere, and they were gathered around a table spread with dozens of drawings.

Neither D’Angelo nor I had the heart to interrupt their creative fervor, and just stood to the side watching them.

If there really was a traitor within my own organization, things were likely going to get worse before they got better. An insider could do a lot more damage than most enemies.

They might also know how important Deacon was becoming to me. I may as well have painted a target on his back.

I’d do what I could to keep him safe, but even I couldn’t be everywhere at once.

I needed to make sure Deacon knew how to defend himself.

CHAPTER 14

Nathan

“Why are we here again?”Deacon asked as I led him inside the concrete building. It didn’t look like anything noteworthy on the outside and was the least glamorous property I owned. I’d bought the indoor shooting range a few years ago for one reason, and one reason only. So I could have the place all to myself whenever I wanted, no question asked.

“The other day, when we faced Caprice and her hitman, that was the first time you’d ever held a gun, wasn’t it.”

For a moment, I worried that reminding him of the incident might bring up some latent trauma, but Deacon just smiled up at me.

“Pretty good for my first time, right? I got ‘em in one shot.”

Shaking my head with a fond expression, I wiped the grin off his face by pinching his ass. He yelped and pouted at me, but I was glad to see he no longer acted defensively to such attention as he had in the past.

“It’s a miracle you managed to hit anything when you were holding the gun all wrong. Now, I’m going to teach you how to shoot properly, so next time you don’t have to rely so much on luck.”

The shooting range was completely empty. A dozen dividers marked out each shooting station, with various targets set up at the far end of a long, reinforced corridor. One of the shooting stations had already been outfitted with a selection of weapons, as I’d requested.

My security remained outside the door, keeping the building under watch, so Deacon and I were completely alone within the cold gray environment.

Somehow, despite the complete lack of ambiance, when Deacon eagerly pulled me over to the shooting station, it felt as cozy and intimate as my own bedroom.

“Look at all this,” Deacon gushed, running his fingers delicately over the various weapons without picking them up. “Do I really need to know how to use all of these? I mean, it’s awesome, but some of this...” He tapped the handle of an AR-57 submachine gun. “Seems like overkill.”

I picked up the submachine gun, turning it over in my hands to inspect it. The thing was brand new. Metal burrs still curled around the edges of the spot where the serial number had been shaved off.

“Hopefully, you’ll never need to use something like this, but I’ll rest much more soundly at night knowing that you can if you have to.” Putting the submachine gun down, I picked up a Remington pistol instead. “However, we’ll start with something smaller.”

“What?” Deacon pressed himself against my side, so the heat of his body chased off the chill of the air-conditioning. “You think I can’t handle such a large weapon.”

Gripping his chin with one hand, I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I think you can manage anything you get your hands on.” As I stared into his slightly dazed eyes, I wrapped his fingers around the handle of the pistol. “But let’s start with this.”

We started with how to load the weapon and went over the basics of gun safety. The last thing I wanted was for him to accidentally injure himself when I was trying to make him safer.

Once it was loaded, I stood behind him at the shooting station and showed him how to hold the gun and aim.

Deacon paid careful attention the whole time, but also pressed himself back against me so his ass lined up right with my groin.

It wasn’t the first time I’d shot a gun while hard. Once, many years ago, an assassin attacked me while I was in a hotel room with a hired companion. That time, I’d been hard and naked, but still managed to kill my assailant without getting a scratch.

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