Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Harris

Later that day

Harris wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but indifference from his lover wasn’t on his bingo card.

“ Good luck,” Woodley said with a shrug and no more emotion than if Harris had said he’d bought a lottery ticket.

“ Thanks,” he replied, unable to come up with anything more profound.

What the fuck?

“ When do you leave?” Woodley asked as he tied his boots.

“ We’re flying out on Thursday.”

“ That’s why Brick wants to speak with me.”

“ Probably setting up the final team to go,” Harris explained.

“ Fine. I’ll give him a call.”

“ Okay.”

“ Okay.”

Harris had never felt so uncomfortable in Woodley’s presence before, not even when they’d first met. They stood staring at each other for a few seconds, and neither said a word.

“ Hey, guys, whatcha doing?” Bryan asked as he walked in the back door, tossing his Stetson on the kitchen table.

“ I was just leaving,” Woodley said before grabbing his keys from the hook beside the door and walking out.

“ Was it something I said?” Bryan asked, appearing as confused as Harris.

“ Nope, that was all me,” Harris replied. “Hey, while I’ve got you here, I want to thank you again for taking us in and giving my family a safe place to stay. I’ll be leaving on a mission Thursday, and I’d appreciate it if you kept an eye on everyone for me.”

Bryan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“ You’ve thanked me several times already; of course, I’ll watch over them. When will you be back?”

“ I’m not sure.” If seemed more likely than when .

“ Not sure? Does this have anything to do with you getting yourself caught by those bastards again?” Bryan asked, but Harris suspected the man already knew the answer.

Harris shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, Bryan was one of Shaw’s boyfriends, and the other, Kyle, was Fletcher’s younger brother. Of course, considering the team was coming along, they’d all know the plans.

“ Yes.”

“ You thought this through?” Bryan asked shrewdly. The man was the most down-to-earth person Harris knew.

“ From every angle possible.” And a few that were impossible. That’s what happened when your high-IQ brain behaved like a supercomputer.

“ Then I’ll see you when you get back. We’ll crack open a couple beers out on the back deck.”

Harris respected the rancher and the fact he said when and not if.

“ Not that crappy lite beer I’ve seen in the fridge?”

Bryan grinned. “No, I’ll pick up the full-throttle version. Don’t tell Kyle. He’s got me on a diet since the doctor said I need to watch my cholesterol.”

“ Your secret’s safe. I’ll see you then.”

Harris took the opportunity to head back to his bedroom and pack. He wouldn’t need much. He’d be heading out in the morning and spending his last day at the lake house preparing for the mission and stripping all thoughts of Woodley from his mind.

***

Woodley

His anger rose as his truck ate up the miles, taking him closer to the lake house. Who in their right mind thought that sending Harris back into the belly of the beast was a viable idea? Was Harris trying to get himself killed?

The Noah Group had murdered his father, and others. For reasons known only to Harris, he wanted them to capture him. It was a suicide mission, plain and simple. This shit made absolutely no sense.

At least he knew what the man had been keeping from him, for good reason. There was no way in hell he’d sit back and allow this shit show to go down. No way.

Woodley had worked up a good head of steam over the twenty minutes it took him to drive across town and out to Fire Lake. When he pulled into the driveway leading up to the lake house, he spotted Brick sitting on the porch. Good. He had a few things to say to him.

Woodley barely shifted the truck into park before he was out the door and headed straight for the guy he deemed responsible for this misguided mission.

Brick hadn’t moved, but Woodley wasn’t fooled. He knew the team leader was on alert and probably expected the visit. The man was never switched off.

“ What the fuck is wrong with you?” Woodley growled as he took the stairs two at a time.

Brick stood and met him head-on. Woodley grabbed Brick’s collar and shoved him back against the wall. The team leader grinned. Confident fucker.

“ I see Harris told you of his plans,” Brick stated calmly before flipping Woodley back over the railing, but he held on tight to his opponent and took Brick down with him.

Woodley could taste blood, knowing his lip was split from the impact with the hard Texas dirt, but it’d be healed before he blinked. His healing superpower was good for a lot of things.

“ I see you didn’t try to talk him out of this suicide mission,” Woodley growled back as he flipped Brick up and over his back and dropped him to the ground.

Woodley wasn’t stupid. The fact no one was coming out of the house or cottages to check what the hell was happening was telling. He’d been expected. Also, no one feared for the boss’s safety.

“ Can anyone talk Harris out of something when his mind is set?” Brick asked before kicking Woodley’s feet out from under him and jamming his elbow into Woodley’s back on his way down for good measure.

Woodley groaned at the impact and felt all the air rush out of his lungs but had no intent of stopping.

“ Why are you supporting him?” he gasped. “Do you honestly hate him as much as I’m led to believe that you don’t give a damn if he dies?”

In a practiced move, Woodley launched his knee up and connected with Brick’s rib cage, returning the favor and knocking the wind out of the other man. However, any thought of taking advantage of that moment ended when the leader shook it off, flipped with more agility than a man of his size deserved, and locked his legs around Woodley’s neck, slamming him down and squeezing tight. He’d be unconscious in a matter of minutes. Shit.

“ I don’t hate him. I’m damn impressed with his behavior and willingness to sacrifice himself for others.” Brick grunted as he tightened his grip. The bastard wasn’t kidding around.

“ That’s the problem,” Woodley gasped. “He’s too damn willing to die.”

Brick’s leg hold tightened impossibly further as Woodley searched for any weakness and found none.

“ Are you done?” Brick asked, his voice calm and measured as if this was just another typical day for him. Maybe it was; after all, he was the team leader for a group of deadly Navy SEALs.

Woodley had to give it one more shot at loosening Brick’s hold, but it was useless. The hard-as-nails leader was a pro and had Woodley dead to rights. He’d even venture to say the SEAL had allowed him to get as far as he had.

“ Yeah,” he groaned as he tapped his hand on the hard ground in surrender.

Brick immediately freed him and sprang to his feet fresh as a damn daisy before holding out his hand to help Woodley stand up.

“ Been itching for a good workout,” Brick said. “You ready to talk through the plan?”

Woodley knew he was beaten, took hold of Brick’s offered hand, and was pulled to his feet. His anger had disappeared, leaving him no worse for the wear as all his wounds and bruises had already healed, and only the dirt on his clothing gave what occurred away.

“ I hope it’s a solid plan.”

“ It’s as solid as we can make it,” Brick assured. “Shit, you don’t have a mark on you other than some dried blood. Fuck, I could use that ability. I’m getting tired of patching myself up.”

Woodley couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, yeah. Looks appealing from the outside but try hiding that shit from outsiders. There’s only so many times you can come up with a plausible excuse before regular folk start getting suspicious.”

“ You got me there, that would suck,” Brick said before slapping him on the back. “Come on in. I’ll grab you a beer, and Spence can go over the details.”

“ I could use a beer,” Woodley agreed.

***

Harris

It had been almost twenty-four hours, and Woodley had yet to utter a single word to him or be alone in the same space. The man he’d thought he knew had turned into an asshole overnight, further confirming that sleeping with someone meant nothing in the end.

They were both out at the lake house preparing for the mission along with Jennifer and the rest of the Fire Lake team. Jennifer would be coming along as the only direct line of communication with Harris, but she’d sworn not to leave the rental house they’d secured. There was no chance he’d risk her being seen by the Noah Group. They’d love to get their hands back on her, and he’d sworn never to allow that.

“ Man, I think he’s even more pissed than I am,” Jennifer said as she walked into the temporary bedroom Harris had been given in the lake house.

“ Do I want to know?” Who else was angry? Or maybe a better question was, who wasn’t pissed?

“ Woodley, of course,” Jennifer said as she fell back onto the bed as if she were falling into the lake, arms wide, not a care in the world.

“ About what?” And do I even care? Nope, I don’t.

Jennifer rolled over and looked at him like he’d sprouted horns and a spiked tail. Some might consider Harris the devil, but his appearance hadn’t changed the last time he’d checked.

“ You’re joking, right?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

“ No, I’m in the dark as to why Woodley is pissed. Oh, and also, I don’t give a shit.” Take the hint: he didn’t want to discuss Woodley.

Jennifer cocked her head to the left and said, “Are all men this dense?”

“ I’m just special. Is there a reason you’re bothering me?” He’d had enough of thinking about Woodley and his issues. Harris had more important events in his future to prepare for, like getting up close and personal with the Noah Group all over again. Oh, and staying alive while doing it.

“ Seriously, Woodley is angry you’re doing this.”

“ What? Woodley wasn’t even bothered when I told him. Hell, he barely said two words to me about it other than wishing me luck.” Asshole.

“ Was that before he came here and got into a fistfight with Brick?” she asked.

No one in their right mind picked a fight with Brick. That information had Harris turning to look at his sister. She had to be wrong because Woodley would be in traction in the nearest hospital if he’d fought the retired SEAL.

“ Why the hell would he pick a fight with Brick? Are you sure?”

“ Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s for the same reason I wanted to smash Spencer’s laptop against a wall before you made me give it back.”

“ As I’ve already said, Woodley had zero reaction to my telling him about my plans. We don’t have that kind of relationship. Maybe he and Brick have their issues, but I can assure you that their fight had nothing to do with me. Now, if there isn’t anything else, I’d like to continue reviewing these reports Gunner and Conor sent back from their stakeout of the dive bar.”

“ Fine, believe what you want. You two are fubar anyway,” Jennifer said as she stood, dusted off her clothes from some imaginary dust, and headed for the door.

“ Fubar?” What the hell did that mean?

“ Yeah, fucked up beyond all reason,” Jennifer said before walking out and slamming the door behind her.

Great.

Harris had to get his head on straight. He settled in to review his plan, and not ten minutes later, there was a knock on his bedroom door.

“ What now?” Harris groaned as he threw the file he’d been reading down on the desk. “Come in.”

In the blink of an eye, his night went from bad to worse as Woodley strolled in like he owned the joint, closing the door behind him. Now what?

“ You lost?” Harris asked, not bothering to hide the edge in his voice.

“ I deserve that,” Woodley said as he walked farther into the room.

“ You deserve an uppercut to the jaw, but I hear Brick took care of that.” Though he was considering giving the jerk another just to ensure he got the point.

Woodley ran his hand through his short blond hair, stopping to squeeze the back of his thick neck as his cheeks tinged red.

“ You heard about that.”

“ Yeah, I heard. What I don’t understand is why you suddenly have a death wish or the reason you’ve decided to go mute on me.”

“ I’m not the one with the death wish, you bastard. You’re taking off on a suicide mission like it’s just another day.” Woodley’s hands cut through the air as he spoke, revealing his anger.

“ Why attack Brick if you’re pissed at me?” That made no sense.

“ Because I thought he was facilitating this clandestine mission. As it turns out, this shit show is being run by the lunatic. You.”

“ Hell, tell me how you really feel,” Harris snarked. “You’re tap-dancing on my last nerve, fucker.”

Woodley charged forward, causing Harris to stand, unsure about his intent and preparing for anything. The way the guy had been acting recently made him a loose cannon. He found himself pushed back against the wall as his lover fisted his shirt in one hand.

“ You want to know how I really feel? Well, hold on to your balls, motherfucker,” Woodley spat. “I think you’re in a hurry to die and rushing headfirst into this insane plan to facilitate that happening. You’re allowing yourself to be recaptured by a group of psychotic scientists and their god-complex followers. You think you can take them on all by yourself when, in reality, once they discover you’re not going to flip to their side, they’ll dispose of you. It’s a no-win situation. Have you thought about what this will do to your sister and Freddie, or do you plan on visiting the poor kid as a ghost?”

“ Low blow, asshole. I can’t help it that Freddie can speak to the dead, and my sister is strong enough to carry on without me.”

“ Yeah, like she has before, trapped in that cult, helpless and at the group's mercy?”

That was it. Harris had enough. He grabbed onto Woodley’s shirt and pivoted him back against the door.

“ You want to fight? You’re going about it the right way.”

“ What I want is for you to rethink this mission.”

“ Why? It’s the best plan we have. Are we just supposed to sit around and wait for the next bomb to arrive or kidnapping? Why the hell do you care anyway? What’s between us is nothing but physical, right?”

“ Right,” Woodley growled, pushing Harris back into the center of the bedroom.

Harris’s foot caught on the corner of a chair, knocking it over and him off balance, sending both men crashing to the floor. Harris landed on his back with Woodley splayed across his chest. Before either could stop and think, they dove in for a passionate kiss full of fury and longing. Nothing had ever felt so necessary and right in Harris’s life, and he’d be damned if he’d stop.

Woodley pressed his hard body into Harris, sending his desire and need soaring, at least until someone banged on the closed bedroom door.

“ You two better not get any blood on the carpeting, or you’ll wish you’d never walked into this house,” Julia yelled before storming down the hallway. No one messed with Julia. Brick may have been the team boss, but Julia was the caretaker of its heart and soul.

They pulled apart but only by an inch. Harris concentrated on the chair, and it floated back onto its feet.

“ We are so screwed,” Woodley groaned. “What are we going to do?”

“ At this moment, I say we carry on with this,” Harris stated before recapturing Woodley’s lips and commanding his body until it molded against his own.

What were they going to do about their crazy-as-fuck relationship?

Hell if he knew, but like most things in his life, Harris made it up as he went along. He wasn’t a fool; there was more going on between him and Woodley than amazing sex.

It seemed neither wanted to admit they were tied to one another. Two men unable to commit but equally unable to walk away. Well and truly screwed, as Woodley so eloquently put it.

Time for thought is over.

More pleasurable pursuits were taking over his attention. The feel of the muscled man draped over him was a happy distraction Harris wasn’t positive he’d ever have the pleasure of feeling again.

Without much force, he rolled Woodley over onto his back and plundered his hot mouth. As their tongues dueled, Harris rocked his hips against Woodley’s hard-on pressing through his jeans. His moans were music to Harris’s ears, and his strong arms wrapped tightly around Harris’s back. If this was the closest he ever got to heaven, he’d gladly take it.

The feeling of Woodley’s touch and the sound of his moans captivated Harris, and he was quickly discovering that no one else would ever do. They were bonded as strongly as any two people could be, right down to Woodley’s sexy, spicy scent that filled Harris’s senses and made his soul soar.

Without stopping to unbutton Woodley’s shirt, Harris pulled it out of his jeans and shoved the offending fabric over Woodley’s head. Harris needed skin-to-skin, and he needed it now. The fabric tore. But he didn’t give a damn. All that mattered wasgetting the two of them naked as quickly as possible.

“ Should we move this to the bed?” Woodley asked when they finally broke apart to breathe.

“ You read my mind.”

Harris jumped up and pulled Woodley to his feet. Within moments, they were naked, in bed, and wrapped around each other once again. If Harris had his way, this was where they’d stay, but morning would arrive, and they’d have to part ways again, but this time without the guarantee of returning.

He’d take what he could get right now.