I zip up my bag but take one last look around the office to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Feeling satisfied that I have everything in it, I pick it up and leave it beside the door. I'm waiting for Clay to arrive so I can say goodbye, then I'm hitting the road and not stopping until I'm holding my man. I have been gone for eight days now, and that's far too fucking long.

The door opens, and the big man himself walks in, handing me a coffee on the way to his desk. He sits down and puts his feet up on the table. “Is that you all ready to go?”

“Yeah, I want to get on the road early, so I miss rush hour. It’s gonna take long enough to get back, and I don’t want to be sitting in traffic for hours.”

Clay stays quiet, and it makes me uneasy. He isn’t the kind of guy that’s known for keeping his opinions to himself. Silence just doesn’t suit him.

“Out with it.”

“I'm just wondering if you're gonna tell Corey what you found in that room?”

It’s this question that’s been plaguing me for the last few days. I managed to ignore it while we used the information Barry gave us to try and find the culprit, but now I need to make a decision. “I thought I should, but then I changed my mind. I hate keeping things from Corey, I do, but since the evidence no longer exists, will the knowledge really be that helpful to him?”

“That was a pretty impressive destruction job you did. I'm thinking of hiring you if I ever need a room cleared for redecorating.”

I give him the finger, but he's not exaggerating. By the time I’d finished in that room, there wasn’t a picture left on the wall, and the whole place looked like a wrecking ball had hit it. I’d used it as therapy for my building frustrations, and as much as it felt good at the time, after two days of finding nothing new on this fucker, I'm back to square one.

“Seriously though, you don’t want to keep this from him. If he finds out he’ll be pissed and you’re the one who keeps telling him there should be no secrets between the two of you.”

I need to stop telling Clay shit about our lives. He just uses it to make valid points in arguments. “I know, and I’ll think about it on the way home.” I get up and Clay follows me to the door where I retrieve my bag. “Keep me up to date with anything you find out. I’d rather not leave Corey again but I will if you need me.”

“Leave it with me, Niko. You know I have your back. Now go see your man. It might improve your mood. You don’t do well going so long without getting your dick sucked.” His smile is huge, and he doesn’t even attempt to hide his humour.

“Are you offering for next time?”

“Fuck you, Niko.”

It’s my turn to laugh, and I grab Clay into a huge hug, enjoying the feeling of it for a few minutes. “Thank you for everything. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this.”

He hugs me back and holds me tightly for several minutes. “Any time. I’m always here for you.”

With a final goodbye, I head to my car and settle in for the long drive home.

* * *

“Hello?”

“Hey, sexy.” I smile to myself when I hear Corey’s voice over the phone. I was going to surprise him, but after driving for seven hours, I needed to speak to him. I managed to keep our communication to just texts until now, but I'm missing him. Everyone looks at me and sees a big scary guy, and they're right with that assumption, but there’s something about Corey that brings out my softer side. From the moment I walked into general population at the compound, he's had me wrapped around his little finger.

“Oh, your phone does work. I was beginning to wonder since you haven’t called today.” I would think he is pissed at me but I can hear the smile in his voice, and it makes me miss him even more.

“I was busy. You can show me your displeasure in about an hour.” I expect him to squeal in happiness, or even just get excited at the news, but I get something else. Instead, I'm met with silence. “Corey?”

“You're coming home now?”

Okay, not the response I’d been hoping for, but maybe he's just wary because I've been away longer than I told him I would be. “Yeah, I’m not far away. I thought you might be a bit more excited. What am I missing here?”

Corey is silent, and I can almost picture him biting his lip, which is a dead giveaway that he's nervous. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t want you to lose it though, Niko. I just want you to listen to me without blowing your lid.”

If he is trying to get me to stay calm, he's going the wrong way about it. Something is going on, and he better spill whatever it is he's trying to get out and do it fast.“You need to hurry up and tell me what’s going on, Core, or I will fucking lose it.”

“See, you're getting angry already, and I haven’t even told you yet.”

“Core!” His name comes out on an angry growl, and I hope it’s enough for him to realise I'm not fucking around here.

He sighs, fucking sighs, before he speaks, but as soon as he explains himself, I know why he was nervous. “There’s been someone staying here over the last few days. A guy.”

My grip on the steering wheel tightens, and I take a deep breath to try calming myself down. “What do you mean staying? And who is it?” I'm proud that I manage to sound so calm, especially when all I want to do is rip someone’s head off.

“There was a guy, a hitch-hiker, and he hurt himself. I invited him back here until he could walk, and he's still here. He's a really nice guy and has been nothing but a complete gentleman. You’ll like Grant. I don’t want you to come in here and throw your weight around. He hasn’t done anything wrong. I invited him.”

I listen to him speak quickly, letting him get it all out in one go. I can tell he's trying to keep me from interrupting, probably hoping that if I get the whole story, I won’t be pissed off. He's wrong. “So let me get this right. You picked up a stranger from the side of the road, which is dangerous at any time, but with someone after us it’s even worse, and you don’t want me to lose my shit? Really, Core, you’re expecting a lot from me here.”

“I know, but he's nice, babe. I swear there isn’t a mean bone in his body. I couldn’t leave him lying in the ditch.”

“Ditch?”

Corey giggles and my anger melts a little. Not enough that I don’t want to take my frustrations out on his arse, but enough that I don’t want to race home and rip this Grant guy apart. “He got a fright when a deer jumped out at him, and he fell into a ditch. It was really funny to see, not that I told him that.”

“You and me are going to discuss this when I get home, Core. I swear you can’t just let anyone into the house, especially not when I'm gone. What if he’d faked it all to get into the house and hurt you? I never would have gotten home in time to save you.”

“I knew that you wouldn’t be happy, but he's been here for five days and he hasn’t even looked at me wrong. You need to trust me, honey, I'm a grown man. I know you feel the need to protect me, but I promise I know what I'm doing.”

I stay quiet. He’s making sense, but I can’t stop myself from being protective of him, I'm not built that way. The need to protect him is something that will never fade, not until I'm dead and buried. I need to protect the people I love because the last time I didn’t, I lost my sister, and that guilt still burns bright inside me. There was nothing I could have done to protect her. I wasn’t even in the same country as her when she was kidnapped, but that doesn’t stop the ache I feel whenever I think about her. It’s why I push so hard to keep Corey safe, but I know I need to ease the reins a bit, and I will, once I kill whoever is threatening him.

“I’ll be home soon, but I'm not making any promises, Core. I will check this guy out, and we’ll go from there.”

“Thank you, Niko.” I can hear the smile in his voice and it relaxes me. If this guy has been here for five days and nothing’s happened then chances are Corey will be safe for another hour. “I love you.”

“Love you too. See you soon.”

* * *

I walk in through the front door, my body alert as I listen for any sound, but the house seems quiet. I drop my bag on the floor in the hall and quietly make my way further into the house. I've just passed the living room when I finally hear signs of someone being here. They’re coming from the kitchen, and it sounds like laughter. As I get closer, I slow down so I can listen without being seen.

“I don’t care what you want, Grant. You’re meeting Niko, and there’s nothing you can do about it. What, you a chicken?” I smile at Corey’s teasing, but I don’t relax as I wait for a reply from the stranger.

“Of course I am. I've seen the clothes your man wears and, well, they’re fucking huge.” Grant’s voice is gentler than I expected. It’s not as high pitched as Corey’s, with a harder edge to it. It worries me a little since I haven’t seen him, but if he's commenting on my clothes being large on him, then that’s a good sign.

I ease my weight on the edge of the doorframe, leaning against it as I watch Corey and Grant washing dishes. They are facing away from me, and Corey is passing plates to Grant to dry as they chat together. They look completely relaxed and strangely like a couple. I can’t see his face but from the back, Grant is the kind of guy I always imagined Corey would go after, dark hair, just slightly taller, and a firm but not huge body. I’ve spent every day since I saw Corey for the first time thanking the heavens that Corey wanted me. I should be someone that he’s scared of, the type of man that would make him feel threatened, but he's treated me like I'm nothing less than a king. But this Grant, yeah, that’s always the kind of guy I imagined Corey with.

I shake the thought from my head before it grows arms and legs, and cough to get the attention of the men in front of me. Corey spins instantly, and his eyes connect with mine while a huge smile appears on his face.

“You're here.” He rushes across the floor and jumps into my arms, wrapping himself around me, bubbles from the dishes wetting the back of my t-shirt. As he holds me close and the heat of his body seeps into me, the stress of the last week drains away. Eight days was far too long to be away from Corey and I make a promise to myself that I won’t leave him that long again.

I run my nose up the side of his neck, inhaling the scent I’ve missed so fucking much. He always smells fresh and clean, the soap he uses has a slight minty smell, but underneath that it’s pure Corey. It’s always like he's just been outside, and it makes me want to lick him all over. I groan when he rubs his hard cock against mine. It’s been far too long since I've been inside him. Fuck, I’ve missed him. I'm contemplating turning us both around and pinning him to the wall so I can show him just how much when a shuffling sound from across the kitchen brings my attention back to the room.

I grudgingly take my hands from Corey’s arse and allow him to slip down my body. I give him a final squeeze before he steps back. I want to look at Corey, but I keep my eyes forward on Grant, knowing that if I let my eyes flicker over to Corey, nothing will stop me from dragging him back to our room and fucking him like he needs.

Grant is watching me from his position by the sink, his body language alert but still relaxed. I can tell that my presence is making him nervous, but if he’s here to do any harm, he's hiding it well. He steps forward and holds his hand out in front of his body. “Hi, I'm Grant in case you didn’t realise.”

I take two large steps forward and grasp his hand in mine. I use a little more pressure than necessary, but the caveman in me wants him to know who’s in charge. He doesn’t squeeze back like I expect. The only outward reaction to my hold is his eyes getting slightly larger and his breath catching a little. I don’t speak. I just allow my eyes to run over the length of him as I keep a tight hold on his hand, forcing Grant to stay where he is. He's nearly as tall as my six foot two, but he’s slimmer. Not quite as slim as Corey, but you can tell he isn’t ripped under those clothes. His shoulders are wide and his waist slim, making it obvious that he keeps himself in shape. I take my time making it up to his face determined to make him feel intimidated, but when I finally look him in the eyes, it’s me that feels a off-centre. Grant’s eyes are dark and accessing, like he can see everything I'm thinking.

I drop his hand suddenly and feel my pulse race with the need to get the hell out of here. It’s a feeling I'm not used to, and I'm not sure what to do with it. I decide to talk my way out of the moment. “Niko.” Okay, so apparently I'm limiting my conversations to one word. Thankfully Corey chooses that moment to come over and take me by the arm.

“I told you he was nice. Niko was worried that you might be here to hurt me, but I explained to him that a deer beat you in a fight, so I was probably safe.”

Grant’s cheeks colour and he covers his face with his hands. “Shit, Core, you didn’t tell him that, did you?”

The use of my nickname for Corey makes my breath catch in my lungs. That's my name for him, no one else would dare to use it, but hearing it coming from Grant’s mouth doesn’t make me angry. No, it’s a different feeling altogether, and one that I don't want to explore.

Instead, I turn to Corey and glower at him. It’s time that we talk about this because he shouldn’t take me not instantly assaulting Grant as me accepting him being here. He must read me correctly because he takes a step back, putting some space between us. “Can you give us a minute, Grant?” My eyes don’t leave Corey, but I hear Grant’s footsteps as he leaves the kitchen. At least I can put common sense on the pro list for Grant. The guy knows when to do as he's asked.

“I don’t think he needed to leave.”

I stalk over to Corey causing him to retreat until his back hits the wall next to the fridge. I don’t stop until my nose is almost rubbing against his. “You’re taking in strays now?”

His eyes sparkle with mischief and he bites his lip. I know what he's doing. He's trying to see how far he can push me. “Even strays need a place to keep warm.”

“He could have been a threat.”

He pushes his hips forward, and I feel my blood heat as his already hard dick rubs against mine. “I love danger.” His voice is husky, just like when he orgasms. Fuck me, he's making it difficult for me to stay angry with him and that’s exactly what he wants.

I raise my hand and grip his throat, my hold firm and possessive. “I'm angry that you didn’t tell me. You kept something important from me.”

His pupils dilate when I tighten my hold just a fraction, and his voice comes out gravelly. “He's nice. Get to know him, and you’ll see.”

“I can get to know him, Corey, or I can fuck you like you deserve?”

He moans loudly. “Fuck me, Niko.”

“My pleasure, Core. I hope your new friend doesn’t mind the screaming.”

I bend over and put my shoulder in Corey’s stomach, hoisting him onto my shoulder. I walk to the bedroom, passing Grant on the way. I hear Corey trying to talk to him in a composed manner, and it makes me laugh.

“We will be out in just a minute, Grant. I need to talk to Niko about something. Maybe you should go outside?”

I smack my hand on Corey’s arse causing him yell out. “We’ll be longer than a few minutes, Core. Take a walk, Grant.” At this point, I don’t care where he goes. Grant can stay in the house if that's what he wants, but if he's around, then he needs to prepare to hear my man scream.