Free Blood Howl by Robin Saxon and Alex Kidwell

in to either. For several long minutes they simply stood there, sharing the same air, noses brushing against each other’s, eyes meeting with an electric need. With a burst of exhale, Jed muttered, “Fuck it,” wrapping his hand around the back of Redford’s neck and yanking him forward.
    The other kisses had been sweet, light, a hello of sorts. This one wasn’t. It was hard and bruising, hungry in a way that demanded an answer. Jed’s tongue slid along his, pressing and tangling together, his free hand running down Redford’s side to slide in under the wet fabric of his shirt. Harsh pants of air expelled between them when they had to pull away, but with a groan they were devouring one another again, completely unable to go without the touch. There was no hesitation anymore, just the need that had been growing hotter ever since Redford had set foot inside Jed’s apartment. Just a want that Redford wasn’t entirely sure how to express properly.
    The chill of their soaked clothes was forgotten completely. The roughness of the brick wall at his back was the last thing Redford was focusing on. All that seemed to exist was the warm press of Jed’s body against his own, the frustrating feeling that they needed to get closer . Jed had pressed forward, aligning them chest to chest, hip to hip, and Redford still grabbed at his sides because he didn’t understand why they couldn’t get any closer than that. Their hands slipped across wet skin, Redford doing his best to get his fingers underneath Jed’s shirt, to splay across the shockingly warm skin of the small of his back. His lips felt bruised with the force of their kissing, but it didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered.
    Jed’s hands were moving across his chest, moving downward, and Redford had to break away from the kiss to breathe in sharply when Jed cupped a hand over his cock. He was hard, achingly so, and even with a layer of sweatpants in the way, the contact still felt incredible. Jed’s name tumbled from his lips, a questioning murmur, cut in half by Jed tugging him into another kiss.
    Redford had never been touched like this. He’d experienced arousal, but it had been so much different. This was real, sharp and overwhelming, but he couldn’t get enough. Instinctively his hips moved into Jed’s hand, wanting friction, and he choked back a startled groan when Jed’s fingers tightened around him. They were in a filthy back alley and Redford didn’t care, he wanted , he needed more, he needed to touch Jed in return. Arousal had burned all of his hesitation away. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of Jed’s pants—not confident yet, but getting there—fingertips smoothing over the soft skin of Jed’s hips, the jut of bone and muscle. Just a few inches more and he’d be there.
    He barely heard the sirens. Actually, Redford wouldn’t have even cared about them if Jed hadn’t jerked back away from him. It took him a moment to even figure out why Jed had moved back. Before it sunk in, Redford took half a step forward, thinking Jed had just wanted to relocate, when he saw the expression of Jed’s face.
    That conflicted expression was back, even while Jed’s eyes were dark with an arousal that matched his. Jed leaned forward slightly with soft bites at his lips, an apology of sorts, before he drew away completely. Running a hand through damp hair, Jed stared out at the street, watching the ambulances race past.
    “Jed—”
    “I have to go to work, sweetheart,” he rumbled, distracted. After a beat, he turned back to face Redford, face impassive again. He reached out to brush a strand of Redford’s hair back, sighing quietly. “Let’s get you home.”

Chapter Six

     
    Jed
     
    J ED was damn good at his job. He might not have a lot else; his career in the military had gotten shot all to hell. He didn’t have a family of any sort, no relationship lasting longer than a couple of nights, and he sure as hell didn’t have a retirement plan of