Leon never stopped talking. Though he held true to his earlier vow not to beg, the prompts that tumbled from him now might as well have been pleas. They told Thomas as much, if not more, than any entreaties might have done, what responses garnered the best reactions, what speeds made him burn even hotter. When he began to move with Thomas, their eyes locked, Leon's clearly weighing whether or not such actions would merit reprimand. Thomas didn't stop him. As long as Leon didn't try to dictate their rhythm, Thomas had no problem in his meeting the strokes.
In fact, the added sting of sweaty skin making contact with force other than his had Thomas's cock already swelling again.
Leon glanced down and grinned. “What is it about you and hard-ons?”
Thomas gripped his shaft, stroking in time with his quickening rhythm. “It's because of you.”
The amusement fled. Leon's eyes were luminous where they fixed on Thomas, his breath coming in short, rapid bursts. His hands opened and closed, trembling within Thomas's grasp, and the lift of his hips became erratic, almost awkward as Thomas's words sank in. He swallowed, the muscles flexing beneath Thomas's palm, and when Thomas caressed the sides of his neck, Leon whimpered.
“Keep it slow,” he panted. “I don't want to finish until you shoot all over me.”
Thomas eased his pace, though it was difficult to make himself slow down. His wrist didn't slow. The slower he rocked on Leon's cock, the faster he jerked his hand. He dropped his head back, and it became more and more difficult to breathe. He didn't need to look at Leon—he didn't need to study his face to know exactly how the other man responded to him. He felt everything, vibrating through his flesh. His ass burned, sweat rolled down his neck and back, and his balls throbbed.
A part of him—a large part of him—was starkly relieved he did not have to turn Leon in.
The thought of taking Leon any time he wanted him, any time he needed him, was enough to make Thomas hit his peak a second time.
Leon's pleased hiss came with more forceful thrusts of his hips. Thomas opened his eyes to see Leon with his head turned, his mouth open, his tongue working to reach the come that had splattered on his shoulder. Sounds of pure animal delight came from his throat every time he caught some, but it was the sight of it smeared across his jaw that excited Thomas the most. It was a different kind of marking, but a marking just the same, one Leon seemed eager, almost desperate, to bear.
The same need burned in his eyes when he looked back at Thomas.
“Going to come.” Leon gulped for more air. “Please tell me I can come, sir.
Please
.”
“Fuck...” Thomas dropped forward, his chest sliding against Leon's, their lips almost touching. He gripped the back of Leon's head, holding him in place. “Come,” he muttered before he smashed his mouth to Leon's. His tongue pressed past Leon's lips, and for a moment, they shared the same breath.
The snap of Leon's hips accompanied the scream that vibrated through him. Thomas took it, took it all, trembling nearly as hard as Leon as his cock jerked inside Thomas's ass. He clamped down around the throbbing length, basking in the heat that filled him up, and devoured Leon's mouth, stealing the rest of the breath the other man might have had left.
Even when Leon's body stilled beneath him, Thomas didn't break the kiss. It went on until his lungs ached.
Leon gasped when their mouths finally parted. It took several gulps of air for his body to stop shaking, but his gaze never left Thomas's.
Thomas's vision was a little blurry, like he had just run for several miles. He brushed the damp hair away from Leon's brow, then touched their foreheads together. He knew he should release Leon from the ropes and climb off his body, but he had no desire to do either thing. He had no desire to move at all.
“That ... was worth finding a bed.”
Leon chuckled. When he chased after Thomas's mouth, Thomas didn't fight him. He'd been fighting against the urge to kiss the man ever since they'd struck their deal.
“I think it was even worth getting caught,” Leon said.
Thomas almost warned him not to run again, but he was afraid it would sound less like a threat and more like a plea. Instead, he smiled a little and skimmed his mouth over Leon's. “So, you'd let me catch you again?”
“Yeah. As many times as you want.”
Thomas moaned and kissed him again, allowing himself to linger over the taste of salt on his lips, and brush of smooth skin against his beard, and the warm air fanning across his face. Without lifting his head, he reached for the headboard and sought the rope. He was getting quite good at untying knots while Leon distracted the rest of his senses.
“I think I'm going to take a turn at that water before it gets too cold.”
The curve of Leon's arm around his back as soon as it was free surprised him. “Don't go.” His eyes lacked guile, or any shred of amusement. “I need to prove to you, you don't need rope to keep me where you want me.”
Thomas glanced over at the tub, but he could always take his bath in the morning. He shifted on Leon's body, using the mattress to support most of his weight, but draping his arm and leg over Leon's chest and thighs.
“This bed feels too good to leave anyway.”
Leon burrowed closer. His mouth tickled across Thomas's jaw, seeking out his mouth one more time before he buried his face into Thomas's neck.
“You feel better,” Leon murmured.
Thomas let his eyes fall shut. For the first time, he didn't need Leon to keep warm, but he didn't think he had ever appreciated the heat and weight of his body so much. Would he have to worry about Leon trying to run? He didn't think so. He hoped not.
Because, for the first time since he left his father's house, he was beginning to trust another person.
CHAPTER 7
Any other time, Leon might have given the brilliant spring sunshine the credit for his good mood. After all, looking at his situation objectively, some might think he should be fearing for his next breath rather than whistling under it. He traveled in the company of one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the country, he still had murder charges hanging over his head, and he had yet to get word to Kenneth or hear from him that he and Amy had arrived in Salinas all right.
But that was all superficial. Because the fact of the matter was, the notorious bounty hunter he'd traveled with the last two days from Sacramento to San Francisco was now his partner, the murder charges were trumped up, and Kenneth and Amy were better off without him anyway. Leon was happier than he had been in months. He owed it all to the man next to him.
He stole a glance sideways at Thomas. Every time he looked at him, his blood warmed. It wasn't just sexual, though that was more than enough to do it on its own. Ever since they'd struck their deal, the relationship between them had shifted. Leon had no qualms about letting Thomas take the control he wanted. Calling him “sir” was actually far simpler than he'd imagined.
But Thomas didn't use that control against him. For the first time in his adult life, Leon felt more like a partner than he ever had before. When it had been him and Kenneth, he had been the leader. Kenneth followed. Kenneth looked up to him to have all the answers, to know what to do. Only toward the end, when Leon had busted his ankle, had that started to change. Maybe if he hadn't met Amy, they might've found a balance like he and Thomas had. It would never be like this, though. For all they did together when they were alone and their needs ran high, Kenneth didn't crave a man's touch the way Leon did. Leon had always been more invested in Kenneth in every way possible than the other way around.
Having Thomas as a partner was utterly different. Better. Leon felt taken care of, for the first time in his life. And he knew Thomas respected him. When they had discussed ways to get into San Francisco, Thomas had actually listened. He hadn't necessarily agreed with every possibility Leon posited, but the simple fact that he'd bothered to hear him out at all mattered.
Funny how dramatically life could change in a week.
Thomas didn't talk much, but that was okay because Leon had no problems filling the quiet. He talked about his childhood mostly, or random stories as disconnected from his stagecoach robbing as he could get. As well as they were getting along, he didn't want to encourage Thomas to break off their arrangement. He was a bounty hunter, after all. Leon was worth money to him. Sooner or later, the novelty of the truly amazing sex would wear off, and he'd start looking at Leon as prey again. Leon wasn't looking forward to when it happened, because it would hurt like a son of a bitch to lose this relationship.
But he knew he always invested more emotionally than his partners. Losing Thomas would be inevitable. He simply had to make sure he wasn't around to be arrested when Thomas stopped wanting him in his bed.
“So what's our actual plan of attack going to be?” Leon leaned his forearms against the rail of the ferry, watching the distant shore of San Francisco come into view. “I'm guessing you want to find the singer as soon as possible.”
“Yeah. Do you know what name she uses?”
He'd held back on sharing more information for as long as he could, but this far into the plan, he wasn't as worried about Thomas backing out on their deal. For being a bounty hunter, Thomas had a streak of honor running through him as deep as the Grand Canyon. Leon trusted him to keep his end. As long as Leon kept up his.
“Silver Sue. Last I heard, she had a show at a place near the piers.”
“How do you know her?”
“Her brother. Me and Kenneth helped him out of a scrape a few years back. Susie was still in Texas then, but we kept in touch with him off and on. He took her to San Francisco when their parents passed.”
“So she would remember you if you met her again? She trusts you?”
Leon grinned. “As much as anyone does, I guess. Why? What do you have in mind?”
“Brute force won't get Phoenix. He's too smart, he's too fast, and he's too ready to gun down everybody who gets in his way. He's already killed at least two bounty hunters. Plus, if he thinks he needs to run to Mexico, he's not going to care about adding another body to his count. We need to get him when he's comfortable. When he has his guard down.”
“So you want me to be with Susie when he comes to visit her. Take him by surprise.”
“Yeah. Would you be willing to take that risk?”
“I've taken a lot worse.”
“I don't know. Phoenix strikes me as the jealous sort.”
“I'm not worried.” He tilted his head in Thomas's direction. “You're going to be watching my back, aren't you?”
“Of course. The day I can't sneak under the nose of a blind woman is the day I should give up and retire.”
“And after?” He hadn't meant to blurt it out, but the question had been plaguing him for days. “I guess you'll haul him down to the marshal's.”
“Yes. How else would I collect his bounty if I don't turn him in to the authorities?”
Leon flushed. He deserved such a blunt response. He shouldn't have tried fishing in the first place. Except...
“So will that satisfy our agreement, then?”
“Yes. You can go on your way, five hundred dollars richer.”
Though he nodded in agreement, Leon felt a stab of disappointment. Of course that was what would happen. That had been the deal they struck. Better to part ways when they were still on amicable terms. It was less likely Thomas would come after him later then.
“Sounds like a plan.” He turned back out to watch the bay, a smile returning. “Even a good one.”
“You going to go catch up with your partner?”
The question surprised him, though he kept his reaction neutral. The issue had never been brought up since Leon had asserted he was dead, but obviously, Thomas hadn't believed him. Still, Leon couldn't give Kenneth up now, even if he trusted Thomas in that particular moment.
But he couldn't lie to Thomas, either.
“I don't know what I'm going to do.” There. That wasn't a lie, and it protected Kenneth. That was as good as Leon could do right now.
“Five hundred is a fair amount. Enough to start a new life somewhere.” Thomas glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Enough to stay out of trouble.”
“Oh, but trouble's so much fun. Besides, I have to give you some kind of reason to come looking for me, don't I? Might as well make it a good one.”
“You'd really want me to find you again? You do enjoy taking risks, don't you?”
There was no way to answer that without giving any more away. Thomas didn't need to know how happy Leon was with him, not the real depths of it, at least. He simply continued to smile and watched as the ferry neared the shore.
* * * *
Thomas found them a small room over a saloon on Clay Street. Leon took care of the horses in order to keep the questions that might come up to a minimum. Nobody had paid him any nevermind since they'd come back into civilization, but Leon wasn't taking any chances. He didn't doubt that if someone threatened him, Thomas would simply take charge and claim him as a bounty. He just didn't want it to get to that point.
Thomas waited at a corner table, two whiskeys in front of him. Leon slid opposite and picked up his glass, knocking it back with a single gulp.
“You need to buy me another.” He grinned. “I've already made our job a whole lot easier.”
Thomas slid his drink toward Leon. “What did you do?”
“Asked the boys in the stable about our girl. Not only do I have the name of where she's singing, but I know what time she goes on tonight.”
“How much time have we got before she's on?”
“Another four hours. And she's just two streets down, so we've got time for dinner, time to relax...” Leon sprawled in his chair, his foot casually nudging Thomas's. “Time for whatever you want.”
Thomas offered one of his half-smiles. “If we take the time to do whatever I want, we'd probably be doing it for a lot longer than four hours. How's your foot?”
The heat in his words would likely have gone unnoticed by anybody other than Leon. But he'd had a week to learn the nuances of this man's speech, how he could convey so much with just a lift of a brow or a lowering of his voice. It went straight to Leon's gut, more than anything ever had before. That was dangerous.