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“But if they do?”

Levi flopped around like a fish. “Ben! Help!”

“I might not be there,” Ben reminded him.

Levi’s smile dissolved against the floorboards. The words escaped him before he could think better: “I could use a bodyguard when I get out of here.”

Ben stilled, his knee still pressing into Levi’s back. Levi went rigid underneath him. Shit. Why did he have to say that? That was weird. Of course, Ben wouldn’t want to keep their sexy bodyguard thing going when they left the cabin. But was that because Ben wanted this to be over when they left, or because he wanted more than a bodyguard role in Levi’s life?

Static crackled from the hallway. The living room door was open, as all of the doors in the house were, except for the bathroom. The new guys checked in from their posts around the cabin every two hours, and Ben had to hear their signal.

“Stay here,” Ben said. Then he got up and walked out. After a few seconds, his voice drifted down the hall, followed by the staticky noises of the new security guys checking in. Levi couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Ben didn’t sound stressed, so it was probably the same report they’d been giving since they set up shop days ago: nothing. No attacks, no footprints, no bullet casings or phone signals. Nothing to indicate anyone was around except Ben and Levi.

Levi squirmed against the floor. Ben had told him to stay, but he didn’t know how seriously he was meant to take that. Also, he needed to do something to distract Ben from his slip-up earlier. He turned onto his back and reached into his thin sweatpants, moaning in relief when he pulled out his cock. He jerked himself performatively, arching his back. It was second habit to consider how he looked during moments like this. In all moments, but especially during sex. For some reason, it was harder to focus on that when he was with Ben. But Ben wasn’t here right now.

A shiver ran down his spine as Ben’s voice drifted down the hall. “They’re going to stay at their posts for now. But that snow isn’t looking…” he trailed off, and Levi forced down a spike of nervousness as Ben’s voice came from the doorway. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? I told you not to move.”

“I’m in the same spot.” Levi opened his eyes, gratified when he saw Ben watching him stroke himself, slow and tantalizing. He rubbed a bead of moisture that had gathered at the tip, and something dark flashed over Ben’s face before he covered it up.

“You know what I meant,” Ben said. “I came back here wanting to see you with your ass up. But you couldn’t wait.”

“Can’t help it,” Levi said, only half-lying. He had partly done this to distract Ben from Levi’s slip-up earlier, but he might have done it even if Ben hadn’t said anything. Ben was irresistible, and Levi couldn’t get enough of him, especially if he wondered how much time they had together. If he and Ben were really going to part ways after they left this cabin, then they needed to make their time together count.

Levi jerked himself faster and was rewarded with Ben’s jaw flexing, a tell-tale sign that Levi was getting to him.

“Aren’t you—?” Levi paused, moaning as a hot coil of pleasure ran through him. “Aren’t you going to punish me?”

Ben muttered something. It sounded a lot like an endearment. Then he strode forward, and the butterflies Levi had felt from the endearment turned molten hot as Ben stood over him.

“Kneel,” Ben said.

Levi did, heart racing.

Ben took himself out of his sweatpants. “Open your mouth.”

An hour later—or perhaps two; Levi lost track when he was with Ben—Levi reclined against Ben’s chest in the bathtub. It was a tight fit, and Ben had to prop his foot up on the edge so he didn’t fuck up his knee. But they made it work.

Levi didn’t say anything for a long time, content to lie there against Ben’s soapy back. He was joking when he suggested they take a bath together to clean up after Ben finished punishing Levi for disobeying him. But he wasn’t about to turn Ben down. He got the feeling Ben hadn’t done this much, with how awkwardly he had folded himself into the tub, like bathing with someone was entirely unfamiliar to him. But he seemed to like it well enough, relaxing into the warm water and even stroking Levi’s damp arm.

Levi watched Ben’s thumb trail lazily over his elbow. The quiet intimacy gave him the confidence to say, “I was just joking.”

“Shocking.”

Levi pinched his good knee. “Fuck off. I mean about the bodyguard offer. You don’t have to be my bodyguard when we get back.”

Ben stilled behind him. For a moment, Levi thought he’d fucked up. Then Ben resumed stroking his arm. “Okay,” he said after several agonizing seconds.

Levi couldn’t read his tone. Was he disappointed? Irritated? He sounded mostly blank, which wasn’t like him.

“So,” Levi said, trying to claw them back to the easy intimacy they’d been enjoying thirty seconds ago. “What will you do when you get back, if you don’t have the gym anymore?”

“Dom says he can get me a permanent security role.”

Levi rubbed his head against Ben’s chest hair. “You don’t sound enthused.”

Ben grunted. He sounded annoyed again, but the conspiratorial kind of annoyance that meant he was sharing it with you rather than directing it at you with the force of a thousand suns. Not that Levi minded. Ben was fun when he was annoyed, even if it was at Levi.

“I’m more enthused about that than about owning a gym. Stupid idea. But I was at loose ends after getting out of the army, and it fell into my lap. Seemed sensible at the time. What about you, more modeling?”