A Bid For Love

lazy fingers slipping into his hair, ruffling it a bit. "God, I always got breathless when a fair breeze caught your hair, or you came out of a raid looking like you'd just wrestled a wild stallion. Polished up suits you well enough, darlin', but rumpled just makes me want to take a bite out of you."
    The idea of just where Scott might take that bite drew a groan from Asher and set desire twitching against Scott's thigh. The remembered feel of Scott's mouth around him, tongue working, sent heat racing through him. "Kiss me." Asher wanted to see if the desire burned as bright now that anger didn't fuel it.
    "Thought you'd never ask." Satiny lips teased over his own, Scott's tongue exploring every millimeter with slow thoroughness. The fingers in his hair tightened, pulling him closer.
    Electric need blossomed, stronger than in the shower. Whatever hurdles faced this possible love affair, desire certainly wasn't one. Asher moaned against Scott, hands suddenly aching with the need to touch and explore. He found the hard ass he'd enjoyed so earlier and squeezed, half to feel Scott's reaction and half just because he could. Lord! He could fondle Scott without the bone-numbing fear of exposure or censure.
    The contented sigh he got in response merely fanned the flames. Scott's tongue tangled, danced, all but mated with his own, those large hands smoothing over Asher's skin, gripping his hips, rolling them until Asher pressed him into the...their bed.
    "Please, Ash."
    Never, ever, not even in deepest fantasy would Asher have imagined his ex-rodeo rider colleague as the one begging to be taken. But Scott's plea set thunder in Asher's chest. The storm grew when Scott fished a new condom from the bedside table with alacrity at Asher's request. Tight heat, the feel as good as he remembered from the shower. Long legs gripping his shoulders so Scott could meet his thrusts, head thrown back in pure ecstasy. Had Asher been able to see Scott's face in the shower stall, he never would have doubted the desire at the least.
    Oh, what a lovely whimper when he teased his fingers over Scott's sex again! Such a sound Asher had never expected to hear from his teammate's rugged, satiny column of throat muscle. Sudden flashes of any number of places they'd been together in their careers where this encounter could have happened sent his own arousal throbbing anew. "Scott..."
    Eyes gone dark with passion met his. "Babe...Asher." Pants shattered the words into the most musical shards Asher had ever heard. Lord, the unflappable Texan, who could stare down a ticking bomb, barely able to speak! All from Asher's touch. A curse shivered from Scott's lips.
    "I..." God, he wanted to say it! Countless hours across from each other, playful banter and tense comfort, boredom and sheer terror. If one person on the planet deserved to know of his love, it was Scott. And in many ways he already had it. Asher just never considered it in this light.
    And he'd never thought he'd see pure ecstasy bloom on that handsome face, not like this. Scott's wide gaze never wavered, even in bliss. Passion's cry took the form of Asher's name as Scott arched and tightened for long, glorious seconds before collapsing, limp and soft-eyed.
    The exquisite vision before him conquered his own control and he shattered, drawing Scott's name into his soul on a gasp.

Chapter 3
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    The soft chime of his cell phone roused Scott from boneless bliss. He eased his arm out from around Asher's shoulders and watched those still-blurry blue eyes widen.
    "Who's calling you here?" A soft tremor rippled defined muscles wrapped in satiny fair skin before Asher hid it behind that glorious smirk again. "Or are you just going to seduce me and then rush off to save the world again?"
    "God, I hope not. World might just have to go kablooey tonight. I'm too damned happy to care if it blows up." Scott grinned when the pretty accent of the equally pretty signorina at the front desk asked if he was ready to have his room service delivery. "Sure. Perfect timing." He closed the phone and relaxed for a moment. "Thought we might eat in tonight, darlin'." God, he adored that pet name. Saying it felt so good.
    "Mmm." Asher stretched a bit, that long lean form just hot-damn perfect. "Dinner and a chance to sleep off the inevitable jet lag...or work it off." The smirk went radioactive. "I can think of less brilliant ideas you've had."
    Scott laughed. And he wanted to tie himself to this overgrown brat for the