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"He won't rest until he does," Bear replied, not looking up from his task. "But for now, our focus is keeping you safe. Don't worry about anything else."
"Right," Julian murmured, swallowing hard. "Safe." He leaned back against the motel room wall, the peeling wallpaper rough beneath his fingertips. He tried to convince himself that everything would be fine, but fear bubbled just beneath the surface.
And along with that fear was something else.
Julian's mind began to wander, the memories of his teenage years flooding back. The way he'd used to watch Bear from a distance, fantasizing about how it would feel to be pinned beneath the powerful man, utterly at his mercy.
He'd always been drawn to strong, dominating men, and Bear was the epitome of that ideal for him. A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined Bear's large hands on his body, holding him down and taking control.
"You know, I really should thank the guy who shot at me," Julian mused. "I've always had a thing for big, strong guys like you, and now we're locked up together. It's so romantic. This is going to be the best story to tell back at the gay bar back home. I should send him a token of my thanks. A nice hamper, maybe?"
A flicker of surprise briefly crossed Bear's face. Julian felt a little stab of satisfaction.He didn't know that I'm gay! Well, now that's out there. I wonder what he'll do with it…
But Bear handled his surprise just as handily as he dealt with everything else. "Angelo's got him. I don't think a hamper is on the top of his priorities right now."
Julian shivered. His older brother had always been born to rule the underworld, but Julian was the kind of guy to faint while giving blood. They were very different people. "I'm not going to think too hard about that."
Bear went back to his work, but Julian's throw-away line had done its work. When Bear looked over at him again, his eyes lingered on Julian just a fraction longer than necessary.
It sent a thrill through Julian's body. He could see the glimmer of something new in Bear's eyes, despite his best efforts to stay detached: curiosity? Attraction? Julian could only hope.
Emboldened by this reaction, Julian moved closer to the older man, running his fingers playfully along Bear's arm. "Yeah, this is going to be a great story," Julian asked, smiling mischievously. "That's some serious muscle you've got there."
"Knock it off, Julian," Bear warned, though his voice was softer than before.
"Or what?" Julian challenged, his pulse quickening at the thought of Bear finally taking control of him. He knew the risk he was taking, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to feel alive again, to escape the fear that haunted him.
"Or I'll put you over my knee and give you a spanking," Bear growled, the threat in his voice making Julian's breath catch. "Is that what you want to hear?"
"Promises, promises," Julian murmured.
He'd found a line. And now, like all lines he ever encountered, he was going to see how far he could push it.
He leaned back against the headboard of his bed. "You know, once we get over this whole someone-is-trying-to-kill-me thing, I'm going to celebrate by hitting up the gay bars here something fierce. I hear they're pretty good."
"Wouldn't know."
"Some kind of tour guide you are."
"I'm not a tour guide."
"Well, I'll just have to see for myself, then." Julian sighed, and stretched out on the bed. "The gay scene in London is great," he continued casually. "Lots of fun. Once, I had this guy, a real daddy type. He held me down and took complete control, treated me like his personal plaything. It was… intense."
"Go back to watching Wheel of Fortune."
"I don't want to watch Wheel of Fortune. No-one wants to watch Wheel of Fortune."
Bear was maintaining his composure, but Julian could see the effect his words were having on him. The older man's breathing was more deliberate, his chest rising and falling rapidly beneath his tight shirt.
"This other time, I was tied up and blindfolded by an ex-cop who made me beg for it," Julian continued. "He teased me for hours before finally giving me what I wanted, but only when I promised to be good."
"So never, then."
"Hey, I can behave when I want to."
"I'll believe that when I see it," Bear snorted, and then his brows knitted as he clearly regretted his words.
Julian smirked up at him. "Thenmakeme behave," he whispered. "You're so much stronger than any of them, so much more dangerous. I bet you could do so much more than them…"
