Burning Bright by A. Catherine Noon Page B

across his ass again. Both the pain and pleasure receptors seemed to fire at once and Sasha nearly passed out from the intensity. Neal continued like that, the slaps hard and his hand moving like a machine, until Sasha came so hard a muscle knotted into a Charlie horse. He collapsed on his side, whimpering.
    “What’s wrong?” Neal demanded.
    “I pulled a muscle,” he grated, trying to rub it.
    Neal pulled him across his lap, Sasha’s ass in the air. Strong fingers dug into the spasming muscle and Sasha sprawled, the afterglow still floating around him.
    Long strokes petted and soothed him before Neal rolled Sasha onto his side and started washing him from the ass down. When the top rubbed Sasha’s anus and shaft with soapy hands, he damn near came again. Neal switched to the hand shower and rinsed him thoroughly, then turned off the water.
    Neal stepped out to dry off, effectively ending the argument about barrier protection without making a decision one way or the other.
    Of course, if he fucked him like that , maybe he didn’t need to argue anything…
    Neal said nothing, just walked out of the bathroom without a backward glance. Gods, what a top. Neal pushed his buttons like no one else ever had, seemed to figure him out without asking. Sasha’s heart thumped harder. He already fell for the man, and hadn’t yet hit bottom. That sent a bolt of cold through him, but the pleasure helped pushed some of the fear back.
    He fell twice trying to get up, and made it as far as the bench. Pulling his towel over, Sasha winced when he tried to dry off his dick.
    Paybacks, Sasha promised himself, were hell.

Chapter Twelve
    The Other Shoe
     
    Sasha emerged from the bathroom, still weak-kneed and tingly. No one occupied the living room, but raised voices came from the other side of the bedroom door and walked over. He hesitated, listening.
    “You can’t take him in there and fuck him like that without telling him, Neal.” He recognized Steve’s deep voice.
    “You wanted me to tell him how I felt, so I did that. Fucking hell, Steve, what do you expect me to do?” Neal shot back.
    “We expect you to nut up or shut up. Tell him the truth, Neal. You can’t have it both ways!” Paul yelled.
    “Yeah, you saw how well the truth worked with my ex.”
    “Red has his own hang-ups. You being what you are is only one of them. Sasha’s a keeper,” Steve shouted.
    “He wants no barriers. With me.”
    “Yeah? So? You clearly are gone on each other. Fucking take a chance, man, stop being such a hard-ass.”
    “Being a hard-ass is what saved our lives, Steve. I’m not going to stop just to suit some bullshit fairy tale.”
    “This isn’t a fairy tale. You tell that boy the truth.”
    Sasha opened the door and met Paul’s steady gaze from across the room. Neal closed his eyes and exhaled heavily, while Steve glared at Neal.
    “I’m not a boy,” Sasha told Steve. “I’m twenty-eight and a doctor. I’m not a child, and I’m not going to freak. Tell me what?”
    No one spoke. Neal refused to look at him. Odd that he could be demonstrative sexually but have a plug in his mouth when it came to expressing his feelings.
    Paul stirred and held Sasha’s gaze. “We’re not human.”
    Sasha blinked. “What?”
    Neal rounded on Paul, his muscles clenched and hands fisted.
    Paul’s eyes widened and he stared at his former commander. “You’re gonna throw down with me now ? Over this?”
    “ I decide who we tell, Paul. I lead this Krug, not you.”
    “Kroog” meant circle in Russian. A flicker of shock shivered through him. Neal spoke Russian? What in Hades? And he said it like it had significance…
    “You’re honestly gonna get into it with me over this?” Paul’s face darkened and he stepped toward the other man. “You need to sort out your priorities.”
    “Wait!” Sasha stepped forward, confused. “Stop. Talk to me, dammit. You don’t have to fight. Talk to me.”
    No one moved. Sasha walked over to Neal and