seeking out his mouth one more time before he buried his face into Thomas's neck.
“You feel better,” Leon murmured.
Thomas let his eyes fall shut. For the first time, he didn't need Leon to keep warm, but he didn't think he had ever appreciated the heat and weight of his body so much. Would he have to worry about Leon trying to run? He didn't think so. He hoped not.
Because, for the first time since he left his father's house, he was beginning to trust another person.
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----
CHAPTER 7
Any other time, Leon might have given the brilliant spring sunshine the credit for his good mood. After all, looking at his situation objectively, some might think he should be fearing for his next breath rather than whistling under it. He traveled in the company of one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the country, he still had murder charges hanging over his head, and he had yet to get word to Kenneth or hear from him that he and Amy had arrived in Salinas all right.
But that was all superficial. Because the fact of the matter was, the notorious bounty hunter he'd traveled with the last two days from Sacramento to San Francisco was now his partner, the murder charges were trumped up, and Kenneth and Amy were better off without him anyway. Leon was happier than he had been in months. He owed it all to the man next to him.
He stole a glance sideways at Thomas. Every time he looked at him, his blood warmed. It wasn't just sexual, though that was more than enough to do it on its own. Ever since they'd struck their deal, the relationship between them had shifted. Leon had no qualms about letting Thomas take the control he wanted. Calling him “sir” was actually far simpler than he'd imagined.
But Thomas didn't use that control against him. For the first time in his adult life, Leon felt more like a partner than he ever had before. When it had been him and Kenneth, he had been the leader. Kenneth followed. Kenneth looked up to him to have all the answers, to know what to do. Only toward the end, when Leon had busted his ankle, had that started to change. Maybe if he hadn't met Amy, they might've found a balance like he and Thomas had. It would never be like this, though. For all they did together when they were alone and their needs ran high, Kenneth didn't crave a man's touch the way Leon did. Leon had always been more invested in Kenneth in every way possible than the other way around.
Having Thomas as a partner was utterly different. Better. Leon felt taken care of, for the first time in his life. And he knew Thomas respected him. When they had discussed ways to get into San Francisco, Thomas had actually listened. He hadn't necessarily agreed with every possibility Leon posited, but the simple fact that he'd bothered to hear him out at all mattered.
Funny how dramatically life could change in a week.
Thomas didn't talk much, but that was okay because Leon had no problems filling the quiet. He talked about his childhood mostly, or random stories as disconnected from his stagecoach robbing as he could get. As well as they were getting along, he didn't want to encourage Thomas to break off their arrangement. He was a bounty hunter, after all. Leon was worth money to him. Sooner or later, the novelty of the truly amazing sex would wear off, and he'd start looking at Leon as prey again. Leon wasn't looking forward to when it happened, because it would hurt like a son of a bitch to lose this relationship.
But he knew he always invested more emotionally than his partners. Losing Thomas would be inevitable. He simply had to make sure he wasn't around to be arrested when Thomas stopped wanting him in his bed.
“So what's our actual plan of attack going to be?” Leon leaned his forearms against the rail of the ferry, watching the distant shore of San Francisco come into view. “I'm guessing you want to find the singer as soon as possible.”
“Yeah. Do you know what name she uses?”
He'd held
“You feel better,” Leon murmured.
Thomas let his eyes fall shut. For the first time, he didn't need Leon to keep warm, but he didn't think he had ever appreciated the heat and weight of his body so much. Would he have to worry about Leon trying to run? He didn't think so. He hoped not.
Because, for the first time since he left his father's house, he was beginning to trust another person.
[Back to Table of Contents]
----
CHAPTER 7
Any other time, Leon might have given the brilliant spring sunshine the credit for his good mood. After all, looking at his situation objectively, some might think he should be fearing for his next breath rather than whistling under it. He traveled in the company of one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the country, he still had murder charges hanging over his head, and he had yet to get word to Kenneth or hear from him that he and Amy had arrived in Salinas all right.
But that was all superficial. Because the fact of the matter was, the notorious bounty hunter he'd traveled with the last two days from Sacramento to San Francisco was now his partner, the murder charges were trumped up, and Kenneth and Amy were better off without him anyway. Leon was happier than he had been in months. He owed it all to the man next to him.
He stole a glance sideways at Thomas. Every time he looked at him, his blood warmed. It wasn't just sexual, though that was more than enough to do it on its own. Ever since they'd struck their deal, the relationship between them had shifted. Leon had no qualms about letting Thomas take the control he wanted. Calling him “sir” was actually far simpler than he'd imagined.
But Thomas didn't use that control against him. For the first time in his adult life, Leon felt more like a partner than he ever had before. When it had been him and Kenneth, he had been the leader. Kenneth followed. Kenneth looked up to him to have all the answers, to know what to do. Only toward the end, when Leon had busted his ankle, had that started to change. Maybe if he hadn't met Amy, they might've found a balance like he and Thomas had. It would never be like this, though. For all they did together when they were alone and their needs ran high, Kenneth didn't crave a man's touch the way Leon did. Leon had always been more invested in Kenneth in every way possible than the other way around.
Having Thomas as a partner was utterly different. Better. Leon felt taken care of, for the first time in his life. And he knew Thomas respected him. When they had discussed ways to get into San Francisco, Thomas had actually listened. He hadn't necessarily agreed with every possibility Leon posited, but the simple fact that he'd bothered to hear him out at all mattered.
Funny how dramatically life could change in a week.
Thomas didn't talk much, but that was okay because Leon had no problems filling the quiet. He talked about his childhood mostly, or random stories as disconnected from his stagecoach robbing as he could get. As well as they were getting along, he didn't want to encourage Thomas to break off their arrangement. He was a bounty hunter, after all. Leon was worth money to him. Sooner or later, the novelty of the truly amazing sex would wear off, and he'd start looking at Leon as prey again. Leon wasn't looking forward to when it happened, because it would hurt like a son of a bitch to lose this relationship.
But he knew he always invested more emotionally than his partners. Losing Thomas would be inevitable. He simply had to make sure he wasn't around to be arrested when Thomas stopped wanting him in his bed.
“So what's our actual plan of attack going to be?” Leon leaned his forearms against the rail of the ferry, watching the distant shore of San Francisco come into view. “I'm guessing you want to find the singer as soon as possible.”
“Yeah. Do you know what name she uses?”
He'd held
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