Leon bit the inside of his cheek. His cock hurt from how hard he was, but damn if he was going to bring Grady's attention to it now. He'd only use it to mock him even more than he already did, call him a pansy or worse for wanting to get off on being used like that. Leon wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting his arousal win.
“Because I'm so light on my feet with my hands trussed behind my back?” Leon sat back on his heels, refusing to rise even though his legs were half numb. “We could've both been someplace warm if you hadn't got greedy.”
“What? You thought we'd backtrack to Soda Springs?”
“Actually, I was referring to the train, but yeah, now that you mention it, Soda Springs is as good a place as any to rest our heads, don't you think?”
“No. Another train won't be passing through there for at least a week. I'd prefer to keep moving west. I don't backtrack.”
“Aw, c'mon. A week in a warm bed? You don't think that sounds good?”
“You mean a week for you to rest and recover? No, I don't think so.”
“And here I thought you were the best.” Leon shook his head in mock disappointment. “You don't really deserve that reputation, I think.”
“Part of being the best means not being stupid. And it would be stupid to nurse your ass back to health so you'd have the chance to run again.” Thomas took Leon by the arm and directed him toward his horse. With his other hand, he grabbed the animal's reins and led them both toward the trees. “I think the longer I keep you tired and uncomfortable, the easier it'll be for me.”
Uncomfortable, maybe, but Leon planned on sleeping as much as he could. It wasn't likely Thomas was going to untie him if he wanted him uncomfortable. Sleep was going to be his best defense.
CHAPTER 4
Thomas hadn't meant to let himself get carried away on lust. Normally, he was not a man to give in to his passions. He needed to keep a clear head. Desire, need, hunger, all of it, was dangerous. Too dangerous to indulge, even if feeling Leon pressed against his body made his cock hard, and seeing Leon bound and helpless made his mouth water. It had all been a mistake.
He was accustomed to running on only a few hours of sleep, and planned to get a quick nap just before dawn. In the meantime, he sat up with a fire, prodding the coals absently and staring into their red depths like there was something to see. Leon slept beside him, his hands still behind his back, his foot stuck out in front of him awkwardly. Despite his coat and his proximity to the fire, he wasn't warm. He shivered in his sleep between soft, low moans. Occasionally, he would turn toward the small circle of light, as though he intended to roll right into the flames. When he got too close, Thomas put a hand out and forced him to stop moving.
There might have been a whore in Denver who could suck cock better, but Thomas didn't know her. He wasn't sure what prompted him to insult Leon, though he suspected it was Leon's own mouth that goaded him into additional cruelty. He thought it wise, for both their sakes, to keep Leon gagged for the remainder of the trip. The last thing he wanted was for Leon to start a genuine fight, because they had already proven that Thomas lacked self-control when he was around the outlaw.
He marked the hours with the passing moon, watching its progress across the thin sky. Thomas didn't like the mountains. He preferred the desert, if he was going to be stuck anywhere with a bounty. But he had only been in California a few times, and he supposed it would be nice to pass the springtime in the lush state. Even with Leon's bounty, he probably wouldn't have enough money to take the train back to Colorado.
Thomas expected Leon to sleep straight through the night. If nothing else, the other man knew he was safe enough to sleep. But around two, when the night air was at its sharpest, Leon began to pull himself out of it. Thomas put what he hoped was a comforting hand on Leon's shoulder, but that wasn't enough to push him back into his slumber.
“Thought you were going to do a fire,” Leon muttered. Without opening his eyes, he tried pulling himself into a tighter ball, but his ankle dragged a loose rock, and he winced loud enough for him to blink blearily at his surroundings. “Why is it so cold? I thought California was supposed to be warm.”
“It's March, and I'd say we're about seven thousand feet above sea level, not too far from where the Donner Party turned to cannibalism. It's going to be cold.”
Leon's shadowed eyes leveled at him for several seconds. “You made me suck you off where men ate each other?” More silence, then his lips twitched into not quite a smile. “You're even more twisted than I thought, Grady.”
“Well, nobody ate anybody at this precise spot. Leastwise, I don't think they did. I think it was a couple of miles that way.” Thomas gestured east. “I'm probably not as twisted as you think.”
“You got off on tying me up.” He burrowed deeper into his coat. “Sounds pretty twisted to me.”
“You got off on being tied up, unless I completely misread your response.”
“Don't give yourself so much credit.” Stroud fell silent for a moment before adding, “Just reminded me of Kenneth, is all.”
“And where is he? I know if my partner got nabbed, I would have already tried to a rescue attempt. But...” Thomas made a show of looking around the looming trees. “Been quiet as a church all night.”
“Too bad it hasn't been as warm as one. Can't you stoke that fire higher? It's fucking freezing.”
“No. Not going to attract that sort of attention. There's no way of knowing who else is out there.” Thomas regarded the other man for a moment, and then slid over the handful of inches separating them. “You can't handle a little chill?”
The shivering he'd noticed earlier was palpable, even through the layers of clothing separating them. “If I ever know another winter again, it'll be too soon. You don't have an extra blanket in your saddlebag or nothing?”
“No. I was about as prepared for this detour as you were. I didn't expect to need an extra blanket where I was going.”
Thomas continued to watch him, debating what to do. He didn't want the man to get sick, and despite his earlier promise to make Leon as exhausted and uncomfortable as possible, he never intended to truly mistreat Leon. He wasn't seeking vengeance. He wasn't there to punish anybody. He just wanted the bounty. After a few moments, he shifted his body, turning to settle on his side behind Leon.
The man stiffened at first. He was considerably shorter than Thomas, fitting against his length. Leon's hair tickled his chin, his bound hands between their bodies stopping them from curving more naturally together. Thomas waited until Leon exhaled, but it was the stretching of his fingers that came rather than a shift elsewhere. The knuckles brushed over Grady's coat. Then brushed over it again.
“My hands are numb,” Leon said.
“Yeah, I bet they are. Can't untie you, though.”
“I'm not going anywhere.” He paused. “I wouldn't get ten yards on this foot.”
“I noticed you were favoring it on the train. What did you do to it?”
“Broke it. Then was too stubborn to get it set soon enough.” He chuckled, though if it wasn't from the sound, Thomas would've thought it was more shivering. “That probably doesn't surprise you.”
“Not in the least. Sounds like you're going to be lamed up for awhile. Does it always hurt?”
“Nah, just when it's cold. Or I sit on my ass for too long. Which means it's fucking killing me now.”
“Can you get that boot off?”
Leon snorted. “With my hands tied behind my back? Yeah, that'd be a trick.”
Thomas sighed. “I meant, is your ankle okay, or is the boot stuck to your foot?”
“Feels stuck. Should be fine by morning, though.” He burrowed back into Thomas, getting closer in spite of the hands between them. “If I ever warm up, I'll get some more sleep. That should help.”
Thomas's groin tightened, but he ignored the first stirrings of arousal. He didn't need to be pushing himself on Leon right now, especially since the other man was clearly seeking out warmth, not a cock up the ass. He didn't need to prove that he was completely incapable of controlling himself.
He felt inclined to untie one of Leon's wrists—perhaps out of a misplaced sense of guilt. He doubted Leon would run, and it didn't matter anyway, because Thomas didn't intend to sleep while he was untied. He reached between their bodies and found the knot, working the rope until it finally loosened.
Leon didn't move. He didn't even wiggle his fingers. “What're you doing?” The wariness in his tone was to be expected. He probably thought this was a trick.
“I'm showing you a bit of human kindness. Are you going to make us both regret it?”
Silence. He waited for a snide comment, maybe something about how Thomas wasn't human, but it never came. Leon slipped one hand free of his bonds, while the other flexed, over and over again.
He half-rolled back in order to meet Grady's eyes. “Thanks. And no, you won't regret it.”
“Good.” He closed his fingers over the back of Leon's hand, trying to warm the numb skin. For a moment, the entire situation struck him as unbelievably absurd. What did he care if this man was shivering with the cold and had numb fingers? He never cared before when his bounties were uncomfortable, and he certainly never cuddled with one of them. But then, he typically didn't abuse his bounties either, and so maybe he owed that much to Leon at least.
It wasn't just the circle of his arm that created an intimacy between the two men. The soft, warm breath pluming in the dark air in front of Leon dissipated into shadows to settle above and around them. Leon never tensed, nor did he pull away from Grady's touch.
“Where were you headed to?” Leon asked. “Someone going to be pissed you didn't show?”
“No. I've been tracking a guy who goes by the name of Phoenix. I heard he might have been in San Francisco. It was a thin lead, but enough to put me on a train.”
“And seeing me was enough to get off it. Lucky for Phoenix.”
“I'll catch up with him. Then I'll collect two bounties in San Francisco. It'll be a good day for me.”
“Not so good for me and Phoenix.”
“No, but we all make our choices, don't we?”
“Well, some of us try.” Leon huddled deeper into his coat, which had the effect of driving his back harder into Thomas. “Then there's guys like you who take those choices away.”
Thomas's lips thinned, and the annoyance he had felt earlier spiked behind his eyes. “No, you took your choices away when you started robbing coaches and killing people.”
Leon threw off Grady's hand, turning in on himself in order to find warmth. “Never did. Not that it makes a difference to you. All you care about is your damn money.”
Thomas didn't know why he was having this argument, only that he could feel his heart pounding faster. “I guess we do have something in common, then. I doubt you rob innocent people because it's just a good time.”
“That doesn't mean I was planning on doing it for the rest of my life. But sometimes, a man has to do what he can to survive.”
“And sometimes, a man gets caught. You should take it like a man and stop your whining.”
Leon rolled around at that, and even in the dim light from the fire, his eyes flashed. “Take it like a man? Are you shitting me? I was doing just fine until you got greedy. Only, it wasn't good enough to just drag me in for the bounty, was it? You needed me to get off.” He smiled, but there wasn't an ounce of amusement in it. “I'll bet you can't even get it up otherwise. You just took of the opportunity while you could.”
Thomas acted without thought, grabbing Leon's shoulder and forcing his face to the ground, sitting up at the same time. He held the other man down, wishing that his cock wasn't already aching.
“I don't remember you fighting too hard to stop me. It must not bother you to be on your knees like a woman.”
Leon struggled against his grip, one elbow knocking against Grady's arm. It didn't do anything to dislodge his hold, but it did serve to infuriate Leon more.
“You want a fight? It'll be my pleasure to give it to you.”
Thomas caught Leon's free wrist and yanked it back down to the small of his back. As soon as Thomas released his shoulder to secure his hand, Leon began jerking and twisting, trying to get away from Thomas and kicking dirt onto the fire. Thomas growled with frustration and threw one knee over Leon's body, straddling his ribs to keep him still as he finished tying the knot.
“I thought you said you were going to behave.”
Leon grunted as he balled his hands into fists. “That was before you started with the name-calling. I'm not some piece of shit you scraped off your shoe. And I'm definitely not some woman, too soft to take what you're dishing out.”
“I didn't start this. I was trying to be nice to you. Trust me, that's a mistake I won't make again. You know what I think your problem is? That you didn't get off, too.”
“No, the only problem I've had for the past two days is you.” He tried to buck Thomas off of him, but his slighter frame was no match for Grady's greater bulk. “Will you get the hell off me? You've already got me in your favorite position. It's not like I'm going anywhere, now is it?”
Thomas quietly agreed with him, but before he could move, Leon shifted again—just enough to grind against Thomas's erection. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think about the fact that Leon was right—he was in Thomas's favorite position.
“Is that really what you want?” Thomas asked, not convinced he cared either way about what Leon wanted.
“What, you think I'm going to beg to suck you off again?” His body had gone still, but his hands stretched, testing the returned fetters. Fingertips skimmed along Grady's arousal and froze. The fact that they didn't pull away was almost worse. “I take it back. It's not that you can't get it up. You can't get it to go back down again.”
Thomas pushed his hips forward, almost automatically, straining for more contact with Leon's fingers. He wanted to insist that this was Leon's fault, and Leon's problem, but he didn't want to reveal that Leon had somehow managed to work his way under Thomas's skin. No doubt, Leon would figure out a way to work that fact to his advantage.