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In Raider, Seth had sensed a hesitation, a worry. Like he’d thought, for some reason, that Seth might reject him, despite his tenderness. Like he didn’t understand that that tenderness was Seth’s way of saying, I want you, but we’re not fucking when you’re hurt.
Raider’s startlement told Seth that he’d read Raider correctly—and that Raider had definitely misread him.
Seth wanted him with a desperation that had him waking up painfully hard every morning, that had him fighting his sexually frustrated mood like it was a goddamn tiger inside him. Maybe Raider had sensed that tension and not understood it.
Seth had held back because he wanted Raider too much. He still didn’t trust himself, not with this man. He was afraid of getting too rough. He was afraid of hurting Raider while he was still recovering.
So, unsurprisingly, Raider was startled by Seth suddenly grabbing him and taking his mouth in a hungry, possessive kiss. Raider’s saddlebag-turned-pack hit the ground as he moaned into Seth’s mouth, answering with a hunger of his own. He grabbed Seth’s ass and hauled him in.
Raider’s hand slid between their bodies and gripped Seth’s cock through his pants. He murmured against Seth’s lips, “I need this. I need you,” and swept his tongue into Seth’s mouth.
Moaning, Seth speared his fingers into Raider’s gorgeous, unruly hair, gripping along his scalp, pulling him back so he could see his striking face. Raider’s eyelashes fluttered. How had Seth never noticed before how perfectly those thick, dark lashes framed Raider’s unusual eyes? Seth nipped at Raider’s sensual, expressive lips, loving his breathy sounds.
Seth stopped himself. He made himself think. This wasn’t a place to stop for the night. He leaned his forehead against Raider’s, trying to settle. Raider sighed, clearly sensing the shift in Seth’s focus, despite the fact that Seth’s cock remained hard as hell in Raider’s hand.
Raider let go with obvious reluctance. He bent to retrieve his pack then walked on.
It took Seth a moment longer to recover and get moving. When he did, Raider tossed him something.
Seth caught it automatically. He stopped again, staring at the item in his hand.
Raider shot a wicked grin over his shoulder.
Seth scowled at him on principle, but when Raider looked ahead once more, Seth smiled and returned the multi tool to his belt.
***
That night, they made a more comfortable camp than they had enjoyed for several days. The rocky land was studded with brush, which meant water and game and even fuel for a campfire. The easier landscape felt like a blessing—except that it meant they would reach Aqarat tomorrow.
Seth would have thought himself delighted by that prospect. And, certainly, he was looking forward to a bed and the offerings of Aqarat’s bazaar, to a bath and a chance to shave.
But.
Aqarat marked the end of his and Raider’s arrangement. Seth didn’t know what that would mean. He still had his mission and, though that mission felt more distant to him now after all that had happened over the past month, he still had to hunt for Julian.
But …
It wasn’t that simple anymore.
Seth glanced at the man sitting beside him at the campfire. Raider’s head was tilted back slightly, his eyes taking in the night sky with its scattered stars. The fire painted Raider’s throat with golden light, marking out the strong tendons, pooling in its hollow.
Like every part of Raider, his throat was beautiful.
Like every part of Raider, Seth wanted to kiss it, touch it, claim it.
Then there were his broad shoulders and the muscled planes of his chest and abdomen, the light flex of his lats along his side. Raider wasn’t built as heavily as Seth. His body was a more perfect balance of strength and speed, the contours of muscle more elegant.
Noticing Seth’s attention, Raider turned his head to look at him. The light now painted his face, playing deliciously with its exotic angles, laying bare the desire in his eyes.
Yes, they were going to fuck. Soon.
But first, dinner. Quartered rabbit, freshly caught by Raider, sizzled in the last of the butter they’d gotten from the Sudai. The heavy pan, Seth thought, had been worth carrying.
However.
He asked, “How long have you been lightening my pack?”
Raider slid him a small, cunning smile. “When did you notice?”
