Colorado Connection (Colorado Heart Book 6) (5 page)

Matthew smoothed his hand over Jazz’s butt cheeks, cupping his round globes and squeezing. “So fucking hot.” He wrapped his arms around Jazz’s chest, holding him close. “I want you so much, but I don’t have any condoms. I didn’t think we would be doing this right now.”

“Fuck, I need you,” Jazz said.

“Turn around and let me suck you.” He sank to his knees and grasped onto Jazz’s cock with one hand, pressing his other against Jazz’s chest, holding him in place. He stared up at Jazz as he licked the tip before sinking down on him.

Raw energy pulsed through Jazz and into Matthew. He felt the anger vibrating just under the surface of his lover and knew he was in for a good face-fucking. After a few seconds of sucking on Jazz, he reached down and freed his own cock, tugging on it twice before running both hands up Jazz’s legs, over his knees to his delicious thighs that bulged as he rocked forward.

He loved sucking cock, and Jazz wasn’t disappointing him. Jazz had hold of his ears and was rocking into his mouth slowly, each stroke filled with passion. He closed his eyes and let Jazz direct him, taking the thick cock deep down his throat. He moaned around Jazz’s thickness, sucking hard and pushing his tongue against the tip when Jazz pulled it almost all the way out.

“Hey,” Jazz said in a harsh whisper. Jazz had stopped moving, and his cock was just resting against Matthew’s lips. It felt like heaven having the soft skin of Jazz’s dick against his mouth. Matthew moaned softly then licked the tip as he let his eyes travel slowly up Jazz’s body, taking in the tight abs and muscled pecs. Their gazes connected, sending a shockwave of desire through him. Jazz smiled down at him. For a second Jazz didn’t move, then he rocked his hips forward, slowly stroking into Matthew’s mouth, never once losing eye contact. “So fucking beautiful taking my cock that way. You enjoying this?”

“Mmm,” Matthew moaned and sucked harder on Jazz’s dick.

“Oh yeah, you love sucking my cock.” Jazz’s dick grew bigger, and Matthew reached up to stroke his balls. Jazz bucked in quickly then pulled out, his hips rocking hard, his dick sliding in and out of Matthew’s mouth at a fast pace as his balls hit Matthew’s chin. It was heaven. Matthew started to close his eyes but Jazz stopped moving and tapped him on the cheek. “Eyes on me. Watch me as I fuck your mouth.”

Matthew shivered as his gaze connected with Jazz’s again. His own cock was about to blow. Jazz was fucking sexy when he took charge, and Matthew loved every second of it. After a few more strokes in, Jazz lost control then lost his load, shooting it down Matthew’s throat. He came, too, his spunk splatting in the dirt below them.

Jazz dropped to his knees, cupping Matthew’s face. “How can you be so good to me? I don’t deserve you.”

“You’re amazing. It’s me that doesn’t deserve you. I don’t know how I got so lucky as to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one, really. You’re amazing and talented, I’m nothing.”

“Sweetie, you’re more than enough. I love how you kiss me, how you hold me.”

Jazz lowered his head and closed his eyes, clutching Matthew’s shirt. After a short moment, he raised his head, and Matthew sucked in a breath at the pain in Jazz’s eyes. Had he said something wrong?

Matthew stood and pulled Jazz up too, tucking away his and Jazz’s dicks. They hugged for a long time before Jazz stepped away and blew out a big breath. “No one has ever loved me before, not really.”

He searched his memory. He hadn’t declared his love, but he had said he loved how Jazz kissed him. He wasn’t sure what to say. Was he in love? When he’d been talking with Lafferty, he’d almost told him that he was in love with Jazz, but he’d held back because he didn’t know. And really he didn’t, but he was falling that way and fast.

“Jazz, look at me.” Their gazes held and he saw so much emotion and too much pain. He couldn’t tell Jazz he wasn’t in love, because a small part of him was. “We need to get to know each other, but I think we could have something, like something real on the outside.”

“I’ve never tried a relationship with another guy. How does it work? I mean, can we even have a real relationship?” Jazz asked.

“Babe, we can do what we want. Us being two guys isn’t our biggest issue. Being in the military is a bigger issue than anything else. I don’t think we can be open here, not with both of us working together like we do.”

“Yeah, that would be an issue. I don’t want to be moved out of this unit. I like going out with you. You’re the best.”

Matthew laughed. “You give me shit all the time about my accuracy.”

Jazz chuckled and kissed Matthew’s cheek. “Sorry about that. I just had to hide how I felt. I was having a hard enough time just being around you all the time. I couldn’t tell you I thought you were amazing and keep my desires from showing.”

“Where did you grow up, Jazz?”

“I was born in New York then my parents moved us to New Orleans when I was fifteen. I hated it. It was hot and sticky and messy as hell. Sure, the tourist parts may seem nice, but it’s a dirty mess, especially after Katrina. When I turned seventeen, I joined up and I’m here now. This is all I’ve known for five years. I love it. I’m going to go career—well, I was before I met you. God, if they ever separated us, I couldn’t do it.”

“Let’s not borrow trouble. I’m not sure how long I want to stay in. What we do is tough.”

Jazz nodded then raked his hand over Matthew’s chest. “It is.”

“Do you want me to call you Jazz or Jordan?”

“Not Jordan.” Jazz shivered and closed his eyes.

Matthew leaned in and slid his lips over Jazz’s. “Tell me, what would you do if you left the military?” Matthew liked talking to Jazz. Most of their time together was either work or sex. This, just hanging out was nice.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought of it. I couldn’t go back to New Orleans, and I don’t know if I could stand living in New York City with all of those people. I like the military. I like having rules and regiments. It’s good for me.”

Matthew ran his hand over Jazz’s shoulder and down his arm, twining their fingers together. “I like being with you. This is nice.”

“It is.” Jazz stared into his eyes for a long moment then something sounded behind them and Jazz jumped. He laughed as he settled. “We probably should head back to our bunks. The MP’s will be coming around soon.”

“Maybe we could just hang out more. You know, like when we’re not working and all.”

“I’d like that.” Jazz leaned in and brushed a kiss over Matthew’s cheek.

They kissed again, just a gentle glide of lips over his mouth, hands caressing, bodies moving slowly. Matthew sighed then took a step back after the kiss ended, wishing they could spend the night together. He took Jazz’s hand and held it until they were back in a more populated area. He didn’t want to let go, but they didn’t need anyone finding out they were really together.

Once they neared Jazz’s quarters, they separated. It was stupid for them to have gone off alone like that, but most of the guys were probably tucked in and asleep. Quietly as he could manage, he entered his quarters, hoping he didn’t wake Bounder. He undressed quickly, sliding between the sheets.

“Hey, you know you and Jazz could use our room if you need to.”

Matthew froze as his heart raced wildly. After swallowing a few times, he turned over on his cot, facing Bounder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Dude, you two were making it the other day when I came in but you were so involved you didn’t hear me.”

His heart thundered and blood roared in his ears. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry, it was mildly entertaining. Kind of nice to see you do have emotions.”

Matthew felt slightly insulted. “Hey, I have emotions. Why would you think I don’t?”

“You’re so controlled, it’s scary. You with Jazz is nice.”

He blew out a breath, trying not to take what Bounder said the wrong way. “I like him, a lot. I don’t want him to be moved to a different unit because we’re together.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll keep your secret safe. I’ve noticed that since you’ve been together the two of you are different in a good way.”

Matthew sighed. “He’s not like I thought he was.”

“I’m good with it, and I think most of the guys in our unit would be fine with your relationship too. Don’t worry, no one is going to freak out or try to get the two of you separated.”

“Thanks. Now we really need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is probably going to be long. A fresh heat wave is hitting us.”

“Damn it, I thought that was all over. Guess we can’t get that lucky.”

“Yeah, and Bounder?”

“Yeah.” Bounder made noise like he was snuggling under the covers, sleep clouding his voice.

“You’re the best. I appreciate how nice you’ve been. You’re a real friend.”

“I feel the same. ‘Night.”

“Night.” Matthew tugged his sheet close, tucking it under his chin as he thought of Jazz and how sweet he was. With Jazz, everything seemed perfect, and he liked how they were together. He didn’t want anything destroying what they had. Maybe they couldn’t make it on the outside, but he hoped they lasted.

Chapter Six

Another week had passed, and he’d spent quality time with Jazz, but they hadn’t found time to have sex. They'd talked a lot, which he really enjoyed. They’d chatted a bit more about what they would do once they were in the states, but no specific plans came from their conversations.

His unit was back in the city, searching for another group plotting to bomb another building. It really was the same thing over and over again. He wished these men would grow up and stop trying to kill each other and just let people live.

Tensions were high, and the area seemed off. The guys were being led through the maze of streets and weren’t in his view some of the time. He didn’t like how their work was playing out below.

A woman stepped out of her front door, and Matthew tensed. Would it be like the kid all over again? He hated having kids and women in his sights. Their tour was supposed to end soon and though he loved being a sharpshooter, right now he needed a break. The only thing he would really miss was his special time with Jazz. When they called it quits for the day, he breathed out a sigh of relief, not feeling safe until they were back at the base.

All through the evening something felt off, like he’d overlooked something, or maybe it was just exhaustion tricking him. Jazz was busy talking to his mom, so Matthew didn’t get to see him. He missed being with Jazz. Just spending a few hours with Jazz made him happy. When he dropped to his cot, he was out of sorts, his body aching. The next morning, he caught Jazz as he was heading to breakfast.

“Hey, can I talk to you?” Matthew kept his voice quiet, hoping the other guys couldn’t hear.

“Sure.” Jazz slowed and hung back with Matthew.

“Hey, Jazz, Tex, you two coming?” Slider yelled to them.

“Sure, just give me a minute,” Jazz replied.

There were too many people, too much activity, but he had to say something. “Listen, I know—”

“Jazz, Tex, come on. All the good food is going to be gone if you don’t hurry,” Spike hollered as he ran past.

“We’re on our way,” Jazz yelled after him.

“There’s too many people, but I can’t wait to say this. I know now isn’t the best time.” As if to punctuate his point, more people walked past and he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Just tell me,” Jazz whispered.

“I’m falling for you. I love you.”

Jazz smiled but before he could say anything Jimmy raced up behind them and threw his arms over both of their shoulders.

“Time to eat. Come on.” Jimmy didn’t let go as he led them to the mess hall.

Jazz fell in line with the guys before turning back to Matthew, his smile wide. “What you were saying earlier, same goes for me.”

The mess hall was packed with guys getting food, but he felt like he and Jazz shared a special moment as the noise faded into the background. Jazz was falling for him too. All through breakfast he kept catching Jazz’s gaze, appreciating the wide smile from his lover. Before he was done with his meal, one of the officers came over and asked him to come to the debriefing room before heading out for the day. He said he would as soon as he finished with his breakfast.

He hurried through the rest of his meal and went to the room where they would receive instructions for the day. Everyone else was still enjoying another cup of coffee when he left the mess.

“We’ve changed our tactics and wanted you to know. For now, you’ll be on the streets with the rest of the guys.”

He shook his head, narrowing his gaze at the officers. “No, that’s not right. We need coverage from above.”

He was dismissed with a wave as the other guys filed in. “Sorry, but you’ll just have to deal with helping them from street level. We’re not going up today.”

Matthew didn’t agree with the decision and wasn’t going to give up easily. “Sir, we need to—”

“Stand down. These are orders. Maybe tomorrow or the next day. Today, you’re on the ground, protecting your men from the street.”

Anger flashed through him, reminding him why sometimes he hated the military. Orders sucked, and he fucking hated these officers at the moment. There was no way he could protect his guys from the ground and it made no sense what they were asking. Maybe there wasn’t a building they felt safe having him in, but having no eyes in the sky would be stupid.

After a very short meeting, they headed outside and loaded into the transport heading towards the city. He wanted to tell his guys to turn back around. Everything was wrong. His gaze connected with Jazz’s and peace filled him. With Jazz around, life was better. At least, he was glad he'd had a chance to meet Jazz. If he wouldn’t have joined up, he never would have met this amazing man. He and Jazz were taking steps in the right direction. Maybe they wouldn’t last after they'd finished their tour of duty, but he hoped they would.

When the vehicle stopped, they unloaded, setting up at the corner of a building before heading down a street which ran from north to south. Bounder stayed beside him, his rifle at the ready. Jimmy, Slider, and Jazz moved up the street to his right, followed closely by three other guys from their unit.

Matthew’s head buzzed, and his heart thundered. How had they gotten into this spot? The neighborhood felt off. Deep shadows were cast on the streets, and the sky turned dark as clouds rolled in. There weren’t any birds singing, no kids walking around, and he hadn’t seen a single woman heading out for food. They should pull back.

“I don’t like this,” Matthew said.

Bounder nodded and paused for a moment. “It feels weird.”

“Yeah, very. We should be up top,” Matthew grumbled.

“I’m going to go say something to Slider. Maybe he’ll pull us back,” Bounder said.

His unease grew as Bounder moved quickly to Slider’s side, leaning in to talk to him. Seconds ticked by slowly, and he held his breath as he watched Jazz and Jimmy approach a new building. They moved to the door, Jazz stepping to the far side of the opening.

Matthew’s heart stalled in his chest when Jazz lifted his arm to knock. In that second, that one moment, Matthew knew something was very wrong. Maybe it was the wind that had picked up, scattering dust, or the sound of footsteps running away that hit his ears a second too late, or maybe it was just the ghost of men gunned down in the past. Whatever it was, Matthew knew he needed to get his men out of there.

He opened his mouth to speak and tell the guys he thought they should pull back when he was knocked on his ass, the air forced out of his lungs. The area was set ablaze and smoke filled the street. Matthew grabbed for his gasmask, strapping it in place before he rolled to his knees and hopped up, glad to find his legs still worked. When he tried to take a step he almost threw up. His head started spinning and he had to force himself to stay upright. Moving with purpose, he ran to the spot where Bounder and Slider had been standing.

His stomach turned as he spied Slider first then Bounder. He stumbled a step then stopped walking. Before, when it had just been him trying to get his bearings, he’d almost tossed his cookies. This time he couldn’t hold back. He ripped off his gasmask and the contents of his stomach were gone. Bounder couldn’t be saved. Too many parts were missing, same with Slider. His spotter was dead, leaving an open hole in his chest where his heart had been.

Matthew dropped to the ground beside Bounder, dipping low to see if there were any signs of life. There were none. Pain twisted through him anew and he screamed, but nothing came out of his mouth.

Matthew slowly stood and glanced around. Where was the rest of his team?

“Jazz!” Matthew yelled.

His thoughts scattered as fear took over.
Jazz
. He had to save his man. Jazz couldn’t be dead. He shook off the confusion and moved closer to the door where Jimmy and Jazz had been. His head pounded, and for a brief moment, he wondered if there would be another blast, but nothing was going to stop him from getting to Jazz.

Blood was the first thing he noticed. Jimmy had been blown about ten feet away from the spot where he’d been standing and had rolled onto his side. His arm hung weirdly and blood flowed freely from a wound on his shoulder. When Matthew turned to look at Jazz, he knew he’d lost him. No one could survive from those wounds. Pain blasted through Matthew, stealing his breath, leaving him dizzy. He felt like turning around and shooting everything that moved.

Each breath felt like he was drawing in sawdust as he gasped for air. How the fuck could Jazz be gone? He dropped to his knees, his hand going to Jazz’s cheek, rasping over the stubble he loved so much.

Jazz’s eyes flashed open, and Matthew gasped, shock coursing through him. His lover was alive. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see Spike.

“Get Jimmy out of here and get him stable. We need to grab Bounder and Slider. Where’s Baller?”

Spike shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ll pull Jimmy back.”

Matthew turned to Jazz and did a quick assessment. Jazz was breathing, his arms were moving, but his leg looked like shit. Cuts covered Jazz’s exposed skin. Mathew saw a piece of shrapnel sticking out of Jazz’s shoulder and one out of his legs. Matthew ducked low and scooped Jazz over his shoulder, hanging on tight to his bloody thigh while trying not to do more damage. Matthew’s head spun as he realized the liquid on his hand was Jazz’s blood. He cringed as the sticky substance dripped down his body, running down his pant leg to his boot as he raced down the road, searching for the rest of his unit. He didn’t want to think about how much blood Jazz had lost, or the rest of his wounds. Jazz was alive at this moment, and Matthew would do all he could to save him.

Someone was screaming for backup, maybe Doc. He moved up the street the way they’d come and saw Spike waving from the first floor of a building. Spike raced out as he ran in. Doc was on his knees, working on Jimmy and glanced up, his eyes going wide.

“Fuck, put him here. God dammit, what the fuck just happened?”

Matthew dropped to his knees after placing Jazz down gently. He did a quick scan of the injuries, wondering how the hell Jazz was going to survive. Doc put his hand on Matthew’s arm and squeezed. He looked up and Doc flinched.

“Go get the rest of our guys, I’ve got this,” Doc said.

Baller and Spike ran in, both men carrying their dead. His gaze met Spike’s, and Matthew recognized the dread in Spike’s eyes. They’d lost Bounder and Slider. Jimmy was lying on his back, mumbling, shock settling in. Jazz was passed out, the pain probably keeping him unconscious. Doc looked fine. Baller had some cuts and scrapes but otherwise looked okay. Spike seemed to be wobbling on his feet. Matthew didn’t know how they would get out, but he had to do something to keep them alive. He wanted to sink to Jazz’s side and cry like a baby, but he couldn’t lose it, not yet.

“Baller, get on the radio and find out where our extraction team is. Spike, set up at the door and keep an eye on the street. Shoot first, ask later. He positioned himself at the window on the other side of the building, watching for movement on the street.

It seemed like they were there forever with Jazz lying in a pool of his own blood, the chances of saving his life diminishing with every second. Doc was working hard, but there was only so much he could do out here on the streets.

Everything had been off from the moment they’d entered their transport. It had all gone wrong today. He should have set up on top of one of the buildings. The neighborhood had been too quiet. They should have pulled out before they even took one step down the street this morning. Now Bounder and Slider were gone.

Fuck, Bounder was dead.
Matthew felt like screaming but what good would that do?

Doc came up behind him, touching his shoulder. “The transport will be here in less than a minute. Jimmy can walk with Baller’s help. I’ll need help carrying Jazz.”

Matthew sucked in air, steeling himself against the emotions he held for Jazz. Seeing his lover hurt made his soul ache, but he wouldn’t change a thing about working with Jazz. Every second spent in his presence had been wonderful. If he weren’t here, who would have gone to pick Jazz up and carry him to this building where Doc could work on him? No, being in another unit wouldn’t have been any better. Actually, he couldn’t imagine how distraught he would have been if he’d heard about Jazz being injured while he was at the base.

The large armored security vehicle pulled up outside of the building, and men spilled out, guns drawn. Baller helped Jimmy, and Spike stumbled out on his own. Matthew fought back tears as he helped Doc carry Jazz to the vehicle. The remains of their dead were gathered and they took off, the ASV barreling down the streets to their base.

He moved to sit next to Jazz, praying his man would make it. Jazz looked like shit, his face pale, his lips dry. Every second he wasn’t in an operating room was a second too long. Matthew wanted to drop a kiss on Jazz’s lips before they took him away to be operated on but there wasn’t time.

The ASV stopped, and Jazz was gone. Matthew stumbled out of the vehicle, and saw Jazz being loaded onto a helicopter. Pain knifed through Matthew, twisting in his heart, stealing his breath. He dropped to the ground and screamed, cursing the land he was stuck in as his lover was flown away to God only knew where. His cries diminished until he remembered Bounder, his closest friend in the military, was gone. Minutes passed and no one tried to stop him. No one told him he was overreacting, because he wasn’t. They’d lost Slider and Bounder, and Jazz could be next. It was too much to give. Men rushed around him as he knelt in the dirt. They went about their lives as if the world hadn’t just been shaken so hard it had cracked.