A moan slipped from Drayton’s lips. After living together for several weeks, one thing was certain…he’d never tire of waking up to Vann’s mouth on him. The man had a creative gift—with both his hands and his mouth.

“Fuck,” he groaned, pushing his head into the pillow and arching his hips.

His body immediate awakened as Vann bobbed his head up and down, taking him deeper into his mouth with each motion.

Drayton bit his lower lip and bowed his neck, fighting the current sparking at the base of his spine. He gasped when the snap of a cap caught his attention, seconds before a slick finger breached him. He ran his fingers through Vann’s hair and rested his hand behind Vann’s head, caressing him, begging him to continue.

His heart jackhammered as the burn quickly transitioned to pleasure, fueling his need for more. He planted his feet on the bed and pushed his hips upward, driving himself deeper into Vann’s mouth as a second finger worked to stretch him. His grip in Vann’s hair tightened, pulling Vann flush against his body. His jaw slackened and his breath came in quick gasps when he hit the back of Vann’s throat.

The spark flickered in his body, igniting a wildfire spreading through his limbs.

He was close.

Vann withdrew his fingers and released Drayton with a slow swipe of his tongue.

Drayton inwardly cursed. Fucking tease.

His head lolled to the side, and he stole a glance at the clock on the nightstand. “Shit!”

Vann sat up on his knees between Drayton’s legs. He slowly slid his hands up Drayton’s thighs, tracing every dip and curve, licking his lips as his eyes roamed each inch of Drayton’s body. “Don’t be mad. I’m not finished with you yet.”

He hesitated for a moment as his mind wandered to a checklist of items Vann could do to him. He had dreamt about this, finally living together with Vann, sharing a home, and working together—being with him day in and day out. He couldn’t have imagined being in this constant state of happiness or how he would be hyperaware and on a twenty-four hour ready cycle for anything involving Vann’s body.

The clock called his attention again. How the hell had he slept so damn long? “Did you turn off the alarm?” He didn’t need an alarm to wake him at five in the morning every day. After the same routine for so many years, he had been conditioned to the schedule.

“We’ve been working our asses off for the last month, getting things in place for the new line. You haven’t been sleeping much and you looked peaceful. I figured I’d let you sleep in. I don’t think the bosses would mind.”

Smartass.

“We’re late.” Four fricken hours late. “They’re going to wonder why we’re late.” He raised an eyebrow at the cocky grin spreading across Vann’s face.

“They won’t need to guess,” Vann said. “They’ll know exactly why we’re late the moment you walk into the office with that freshly fucked look on your face.”

Vann ran his hands possessively up and around Drayton’s thighs. He hooked his hands under Drayton’s knees and pulled him close. He stared at Drayton as he slicked himself up, deliberately taking his time with each tug and pull. He positioned himself, biting into his lower lip when he slowly entered Drayton’s body with practiced ease.

Drayton inhaled sharply, never breaking eye contact. His lips parted as Vann slid deeper, inching his body closer to Drayton, hovering over him until their faces were barely an inch apart.

“I’ll stop if you want me to,” Vann said with a lazy, deep thrust, a promise of exactly what Drayton would receive in exchange for staying in a while longer. Vann leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, nuzzling the side of his neck.

Drayton reached around and gripped Vann’s ass cheeks, pulling him deeper into his body, flush against him, answering Vann without the need for words.

They closed their eyes and sighed, as they often did when they slowed their lovemaking.

They were going to be ridiculously late.

And Drayton didn’t care.

Drayton planted his hands on his hips and lowered his head, stretching his neck. The day had started out so damn well, but the joy and ease hadn’t lasted long. For some reason he couldn’t fathom, his mother had called his cell several times in the last month. He had declined today’s call, as he had every other time, but seeing the name of the prison flash across his caller ID was enough to revive the tension in his body and awaken memories he had tried to bury for far too long. He hated this sadness that consumed him each time he thought about her and all the things she had said to him growing up.

Why can’t you be like the other children? Why do you always have to be so different and alienate everyone? If you truly were smart, you’d know how to get what you need from people and you’d focus on that rather than the ridiculous book in your hand. You’re such an embarrassment. How do you expect anyone to ever love you?

He raked both hands through his hair, fisting them at the nape of his neck. Regardless of how hard he tried, he couldn’t shield himself from the memories. He needed a little time to compose himself, to erect his guard before Vann noticed the dent in his armor.

He had barely had a chance to recover from that blow when Taylor called with enough anger in his tone to throw him completely off.

“What’s going on?” Vann asked, bursting into Drayton’s office, forcing him to focus on the present rather than his somber thoughts. “Taylor called me and told me to get to your office right now.”

“I don’t have a clue. But Taylor’s livid.”

“Dray…” Vann walked up to him, the worry evident in the crease between his brows. “What’s wrong?”

He hadn’t told Vann about the phone calls. The man had enough to deal with and was finally moving forward, smiling and laughing almost as much as he used to when they were younger. There was no way in hell Drayton would mention his mother after the hell she had put Vann through. “I don’t know. Taylor didn’t say. I’m as much in the dark on this as you are.”

Vann shook his head, scanning Drayton’s features. “It’s something else.”

Drayton cupped Vann’s face. “I’ll be fine. Let’s focus on what has Taylor all worked up.”

He was spared further scrutiny from Vann’s prying stare when Taylor pushed through the door.

“I’m going to sue this son of a bitch. I’m going to sue him, his family, that company, and every other person remotely associated with that prick.” Taylor walked up to them and threw a magazine on Drayton’s desk. The cover bore an image of a smiling Sean, headlining him as the designer for the new hybrid division for a competitor. “That asshole designed that prototype while employed here. He can’t take those same designs and hand them over to a competitor.”

Drayton picked up the magazine and thumbed to the article inside. He carefully analyzed every detail of the sketch in the photo. Only a portion of the design was visible, probably to tease the reader or protect the final model, but the sketch indisputably held characteristics of several sketches Sean had presented for the VannGuard line. “It’s not an exact match.”

Vann took the magazine and inspected the photo, his lips thinning in a tight line. “Asshole. It’s not exact, but it’s close enough.” He looked up, a deep scowl etched on his face. “He’s got a signature style element that’s part of every design he’s sketched. I can’t tell how close it is to anything he created while here until I see the rear of the model.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Taylor said through clenched teeth. “It’s close enough. He’s captured the spirit of the model and there’s no way in hell he could have done this in a short window of time. That fucker stole it. Besides, he’s got a no-compete clause in his employment agreement.”

“He didn’t steal it from us, Taylor. It’s his creation,” Drayton said.

Taylor looked at him with disbelief. “This is not okay, Drayton. He stole from you. He stole from the company. He’s going to help a competitor release a prototype which you essentially paid him a full year to create.”

“I know you’re pissed,” Vann said to Taylor, his amber eyes sparking with a kindling fire he was obviously trying to control. “But don’t take it out on Drayton. Focus your anger on Sean.”

“Why don’t we all calm down?” Drayton placed his hand on the small of Vann’s back, immediately sensing the ease in Vann’s body with the contact. He loved how Vann was always protective of him, but he also knew Taylor well enough to know this was his way of shielding Drayton from harm. If it were anyone else, things would be different, but with these two, he was confident in their intentions. He turned to Taylor. “I’m not okay with this, and I do understand the ramifications. But I’m not going to get upset about this because this ball is already in motion. His designs didn’t work for us, so frankly, I don’t care what he does with them, but feel free to enforce whatever contract terms you deem necessary to avoid this from happening again. Outside of that, we need an answer. A countermeasure to offset what he’s doing.”

Without hesitation, Vann reached over to Drayton’s desk phone. “Hey, Mia, it’s Shaw. I need you to please have the design team and Connor come to Drayton’s office. I also need you to get Baker from the production plant on the phone so we can all have a conference call.”

“Okay,” Mia said before disconnecting the line.

Drayton would never truly understand the mechanics behind the human psyche. The dichotomy between these two was jarring. Taylor’s fury was tangible as he paced the office like a madman, spewing curses and promises of all kinds of legal damage he couldn’t wait to unleash on Sean. But Vann stood still with a steady fire flickering in his amber eyes. He remained composed, unfazed. But Drayton knew this was the calm before the storm. And Vann was readying a war to rain down on that man for attempting to threaten something Vann held dear.

“What are you thinking?”

Vann’s focus snapped to him, as if pulling him from deep thought. “If Sean thinks he’s going to one-up us as revenge, then I’m going to teach that little shit a lesson. He’s not going to mess with you or the company.”

A knock sounded seconds before their marketing manager entered the office with the design team trailing immediately behind.

Drayton handed the magazine to Connor. He and the design team members immediately stilled, the same rage pumping through Taylor’s veins seemed to have intoxicated them, igniting a burst of curses and yells. Except for Li. She seemed to share the same silent fury as Vann.

“Here’s what I’d like to do. And I need to know how doable it is.” Vann leaned back against Drayton’s desk and casually crossed his arms, directing his words to his team. “You can see in that article, Sean’s releasing a hybrid with a competitor. Their first release of this nature. So it’s going to grab a shit-ton of attention. We need to do more than just release a new model in the line. The motor specs are going to shake things up, but we need to do something to keep the spotlight on us. Li, do you see any reason we wouldn’t be able to release more than one model in the line?”

The room silenced.

Li cleared her throat. She glanced over to Zoe and Milo, almost as if surprised she was being asked for input. “We’ve gone through all the details as much as we can at this stage and we’re waiting on your decision. Milo gave me his last set of style and functional revisions.” She looked to Milo, waiting for his nod. “Zoe?”

“I’ve already been working on final versions of each model with those last rounds of changes,” Zoe added. “I thought seeing the full-size clay versions of each model would help you finally decide which one to release.”

“So we’ve technically got four models ready. It’s a matter of production at this point,” Li finished. She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “I’ve been working on computer simulation software for crash and structural tests.” She looked around to the group, waiting for any objections, then focused her attention back to Vann and Drayton. “I believe I can help during that stage and cut down on the number of prototypes needed for testing to about a third of the usual number.”

Drayton loved how seamlessly the design department interacted. He had seen it before, but it was obvious this was how they worked at all times. And Li was an integral part of that group from what Vann had told him and from what he had seen. Considering how much time she had already cut out of the development time, Drayton didn’t doubt her skills for a moment.

Mia’s voice came through the speakerphone. “I have Baker on the line.”

Drayton stood off to the side, observing this new facet of Vann’s character. He was in total control, calm, and handling the situation with ease. Vann might take a while to realize it on his own, but this was where he belonged. He was in his element whether he knew it or not.

Vann pressed the speaker button. “Hey, Baker, it’s Shaw. I’ve got Drayton and a crew of people here with me. How’s everything going over there?”

“Waiting for you to give me some work,” he joked.

Vann quietly chuckled. “Did Amanda get her acceptance letter yet?”

Taylor walked up to Drayton and whispered in his ear. “Drayton, I can respect him wanting to shoot the shit with the guy, but we—”

Drayton raised his index finger and whispered in response. “I suck with people. He doesn’t. Let him do his thing.” He relaxed when Taylor nodded, stepping back and quieting as the call continued.

“She sure did! Got it Monday. Now I just need to figure out how the hell to pay for it.” His heavy laughter echoed through the line. “I swear universities get pricier every year.”

“How about we see if we can keep you busy enough to cover her tuition?”

“Well, son, now you’ve got my full attention. What do you need?”

“Those four prototypes I showed you last week…is it possible to produce all of them in your plant at the same time?”

Everyone stilled and stared at Vann.

Vann had mentioned visiting the plant the week before and chatting with Baker regarding production requirements, timeframes, and staffing numbers in hopes of getting a better handle on the full scope of the process.

“All four?” Baker grunted.

“If this is an impossible, crazy idea…tell me now.”

“Technically…” Baker paused for a moment. “It’s possible. They all share the same motor and the body styles have similar specs. I’d say…they probably share roughly eighty percent of the same components, which streamlines production time. It all depends on how many you need and by when. It might require expanding things or maybe adjusting the production schedules a bit, but I believe I can make it work. If I can’t, then I’ll understand if you need to find someone else who can.”

Vann’s focus immediately snapped to Drayton, his gaze firm. He tilted his head toward the phone as if prompting him. Drayton had already learned that cue. “Baker, you do great work.” He glanced at Vann, patting himself on the back when he saw Vann’s small smile. He was definitely getting better at picking up on the hints. “I’m sure we can come up with a release schedule that will work with your existing plant come production time. And if you feel an expansion is necessary, we’re happy to discuss that and work on an agreement. You’re meticulous and precise and your staff takes great care with the finishing touches. I don’t want anyone else touching our line as long as you feel you can handle it.”

“Thank you, sir,” Baker said, in a tone absent of his usual gruff. “Thank you.”

“For the sake of the reveal of the line, can you produce the first batch of prototypes needed for each model? We’ll need about a third of our usual numbers for each,” Connor asked, jumping into the conversation. He looked over to Vann and spoke in a lower tone. Vann had learned a wealth of information regarding the process from Li and Connor, and it seemed they were equally receptive to teaching him the finer details. “If we can run some of the testing via simulations, that will definitely help, especially with the new brakes we’ll be using. But even with the sturdy hybrid composite for the body, we’ll need several prototypes of each model to complete our safety and crash tests.”

Li nodded and Vann cringed. Drayton knew exactly what thought had raced through his mind. He remembered how devastating it felt the first time he’d seen one of Vann’s cars crushed during a crash test. But it was part of the process.

“We can reveal all the models at once for the sake of impact,” Connor continued in a hushed tone. “Then make them available on staggered dates throughout the year to accommodate a production plan that works with Baker’s facilities. Some competitors reveal cool prototypes that aren’t practical and won’t ever make production. But we don’t. Our customers know that what they see is what they’ll get when they place their order. And we can’t sacrifice that level of confidence.”

Vann nodded as he usually did when he absorbed a wealth of information. He glanced over to Drayton. “Are you okay with all this?”

Damn, he loved this man. “If the plan is workable and we outshine Sean, I’m all in with whatever’s needed. I’m not letting him cast a shadow on us.”

“Baker, can you make that happen?” Vann asked.

“I believe I can,” Baker said. Drayton might not pick up on every cue, but he definitely recognized the sound of determination in someone’s tone.

Drayton ducked his head, feeling an odd twisting in his belly. Vann had brought all these people to his office to work toward an answer to help the company. If Vann weren’t here, Drayton would shoulder the responsibility of finding an answer on his own as he always had before Vann’s release.

He took a slow, deep, steadying breath. Vann was all in. He was committed to both him and the company. And Drayton was forever grateful. There was no way he could have built this same level of trust with the design team or the rapport with Connor and Baker to have found this same solution. In all likelihood, his answer would have resulted in more stress, higher expenses, and potential outsourcing. Assuming he would have been able to have one prototype available at all. Vann was an integral part of this. And Drayton wasn’t going to let anyone sway Vann from his critical role in their company.

Vann grabbed a piece of paper from Drayton’s desk and quickly scribbled a note, showing it to him, scripting his next response.

“Baker,” Drayton said. “If you can have the prototypes to us within the timeframe for Connor’s release plan, then we’ll include a rush bonus which should cover Amanda’s first year tuition bill.”

“Deal,” Baker responded without hesitation.

“Perfect. We’ll touch base with you before the end of day to work out the details. Thanks, Baker,” Vann said, disconnecting the call.

“Is this really possible?” Taylor asked. “Please tell me it is. I want to fuck over Sean and that company.”

“If we can get these prototypes ready in time”—Connor jumped in, the excitement obvious in his tone—“I’d really like to reveal them at the mainstream show rather than the smaller-scale, exotic private showings two months after. It’ll mean we have to stick to the schedule and can’t allow for any delays, but I can capitalize on that platform and make sure our presentation stands out enough to gain more exposure, which will cut down on the advertising expenses. It’ll also give us a chance to unveil the models before Sean reveals his, so we’d set the bar for the market. We’ll have to bump up the budget for four model presentations, but I think the returns in the investment will merit it.”

They chatted for a while longer, trying to establish a plan for how each person could help along the way. They cohesively strategized, all contributing input toward a shared goal. This was his team. And Drayton never would have uncovered the talent in each of them without Vann’s involvement.

“You’re quiet,” Vann said after everyone had left the office.

“I’m…amazed. You managed to find a solution within an hour for what would have taken me weeks to resolve.”

“It’s just talk right now,” Vann said with a shrug. “A lot can happen before the presentation. You would have come up with an answer all on your own.”

Drayton shook his head. “Don’t you dare minimize this. You pulled everyone together, and they are all inspired and determined to make this happen. I couldn’t have done that.”

“I want this,” Vann whispered. He lowered his brow and chewed his lip. “I want to be a part of this, and I want to be able to help you.”

Drayton pulled him into an embrace, screwing his eyes shut as he held him close. “It’s always been ours. And I’m glad you’re finally jumping in without me pushing you into it. I want you overseeing the plan and schedule. If you need my help on something, let me know. Connor will head up all the marketing. He’s great at what he does and doesn’t require handholding. He’s not shy about asking for something when he needs it, so don’t stress over the promotional plans or the reveal presentation. Just make sure you’re each updated on the progress. I’ll work on the business side of things with Taylor and anything else that comes up on that end. I imagine he’s going to go on the attack with Sean and our competitor, so I need to keep tabs on that as well. But I need you to handle things with Baker and the team to ensure everything is smooth on the production end of things. Okay?”

Vann nodded, resting his head on Drayton’s shoulder. “By the way?”

“Yeah?”

“You never told me what was bothering you when I first walked in here.” Vann inched back and looked into Drayton’s eyes. “I’m not going to pry, but I’m here. You know that.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “I know.”

And he couldn’t be more thankful.