The Division, page 13
Valor pulled back with one last lick, unable to quit tasting Socket. Now that he had permission to touch and sample, Valor found it hard to stop. “You had something in mind?”
Socket leaned back until he could reach his bedside table. He pulled a few things out of the drawer and let them drop on the bed. For a second Valor stared at the bottle of lubricant sitting next to the condom packet, not understanding why they would need that. The only possible reason hit him, and he could feel himself blush again.
“You’re well-prepared.” He coughed to hide his nervousness. There had to be some kind of rules to this, something Valor wasn’t getting. Taking this next step had to be a big deal, even among two guys. This was Socket—who he trusted. Socket wouldn’t lead him wrong. “Been thinking about this for a while?”
“You promised to make me scream,” Socket reminded him.
Valor moved away to kick off his boots and climb up onto the bed. “Did I?”
He pressed Socket back into the pillows, pressing his lips against his neck and sucking at the vein throbbing there. He might not have the same level of experience in bed, but enthusiasm should count for something.
In all his fantasies about being with another man, Valor had never imagined it like this. Being with Socket was easy, maybe because they’d been friends for so long. His mental image had always including pressing another hard body down, until they were cock to cock. He never considered how that would feel, especially when he cared so much for the man beneath him.
Socket ran his fingers through Valor’s hair, following the line of his scalp down to his neck, where he undid the catch on the zipper of his uniform. “Take that off.”
They separated long enough to get out of their jumpsuits. Someday Valor was going to strip every bit of clothing off of Socket and kiss all of the bare skin as it was revealed. Socket deserved to be cherished like that. They were both too impatient to do anything more than toss their clothes to the floor to mingle with the tech junk Socket had strewn around.
He hesitated when Socket climbed onto the bed again. “How are we going to do this?” If Socket had been a girl, Valor knew exactly how they could fit together. But he didn’t know what Socket expected or what his own role should be.
Socket lay back on his mountain of pillows and held out one hand, palm up. “Follow my lead. I won’t do anything you won’t like.”
Kneeling between Socket’s spread legs should feel awkward, with both of their bodies on display. But it didn’t—it felt comfortable. Valor took the offered hand and brought it to his lips. Socket hadn’t yet complained about Valor’s obsession with kissing every inch of his body, so he kept it up.
“I trust you.” Socket was probably the only person in the whole world who knew everything about him.
Socket closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again Valor couldn’t quite read the expression. “I want you to fuck me. That okay?”
Valor should say no. He should tell Socket that it was too much, too fast. They’d only started this a day ago. But Socket’s words went straight to his cock, and he found himself nodding instead of denying them both. He reached for the condom and slid it on with trembling fingers.
“Let me prep myself. You can watch.”
The sound of their breathing filled the room as Socket unsnapped the cap on the bottle of lube and brought his hand between his legs. Valor found he couldn’t look away from the sight of Socket’s finger slipping inside his tiny hole. How the hell was he supposed to fit in there? Then one finger became two, and Socket was arching up and then slamming down on himself, gasping softly.
“Do you have a third career as a porn star?”
“Shut up, and fuck me.”
Valor wanted to, he really did, he just wasn’t sure how. It had been a long time since he felt so clueless at sex. “Um.” He made a gesture with his hands and Socket laughed.
“Like this, then.” Socket rolled over to his hands and knees, presenting his very firm bottom.
Valor had denied his own fascination with the male buttock for years, turning away when he could have been caught staring. He wanted to put his fingers on Socket’s cheeks, to touch and squeeze them, and do things he couldn’t even name. “Like this?” He blurted, but that didn’t stop him from moving into position, gripping Socket along the hips. This couldn’t be that different from his previous experiences. Just hold on and glide in.
“Yeah.” Socket looked over his shoulder, his eyes heavy-lidded.
How could he ever have made a move on Peter? They were really so different. Peter had never looked at him the way Socket did—like Valor was his entire world and then some. Valor entered Socket with one swift stroke, and Socket cried out. Maybe he should have gone slower, taken his time pressing inside the tight heat. There might be a certain way to do this, but Socket hadn’t given him any directions and now they were locked together, skin to skin, and he was so deep inside.
He had to stop a moment, so caught in the intimacy of this. It was almost too much—too private, too intense, and Valor couldn’t move. He just couldn’t.
Socket seemed to understand. He reached back with one hand and curled it around the one Valor had on his hip. “It’s okay.”
Valor bent forward and pressed his lips to Socket’s back. How did he know, somehow, exactly the right thing to say? “Am I hurting you?”
“You’re not that big.” Socket shimmied a bit, like he was getting a bit more comfortable. “I like feeling full of you.”
Valor shivered at his words. Fuck—Socket was full of him, impaled on Valor’s cock, and helpless to do anything but take what Valor had to give. He didn’t know he had such a kinky side, but Valor liked the thought. Socket was his, on his knees like this, so hot and tight. Valor closed his eyes as he slid back and then thrust in hard. He let everything narrow down to the slap of flesh on flesh, the feel of Socket beneath him, the smell of musk and sweat in the air.
“Touch me,” Socket hissed.
He nearly replied that he was touching Socket—everywhere—but then he figured out what Socket wanted. Valor wrapped his hand around Socket’s cock. It was so hard, leaking onto Valor’s fingers as he stroked in time with his own thrusts. For a moment everything was perfect. They were moving in sync, the friction just right, and their thrusts fluid against each other as they gasped and moaned. And then Socket came.
Valor couldn’t hold back with the sounds Socket made beneath him and the way he clenched around his dick. He groaned as he climaxed, his own orgasm wrenched out of him, almost against his will.
They collapsed together in the mussed sheets. Valor found he didn’t want to let Socket go, not even to get cleaned up. He buried his face in Socket’s hair, breathing him in. Socket smelled like coffee, which made him smile since Socket certainly drank enough of the stuff to sweat it out of his pores.
“You gotta be more careful out there,” Socket murmured, on the edge of sleep. “Don’t ever want to see you bleed again.”
Valor frowned. He couldn’t promise he wouldn’t get hurt. Although Valor was damn near invulnerable, there were some things that might harm even him. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you watching my back.”
He allowed himself to savor the feel of Socket against him. When Socket’s breath evened out into sleep, Valor crept from the bed, took care of the condom, and dressed. He couldn’t get caught in here overnight. There would be talk, and who knew where that would lead to?
No, it was best to get out of here before anyone saw.
Chapter 9
He’s known for saving the President from a super villain attack. She’s stopped sea monsters from taking over San Francisco Bay. It only makes sense for the two of them to be a couple.
We’re talking, of course, about Valor and Mistress Liberty, two of the hottest new heroes on the scene. Neither of them has confirmed it yet, but there have been reports of the two working together. Since she’s from the West Coast and he operates out of New York City this doesn’t quite make sense, unless there is something more to their relationship.
—Gossip Pages, Hutton News Service
Socket woke alone, the sun filtering in through his windows. He reached out and ran his fingers over Valor’s side of the bed, but the sheets were cool. When exactly had Valor left last night? Right after he’d pounded Socket into the mattress? Or had he stayed and watched Socket sleep? He curled his hand into a fist and he punched the pillow.
Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed so fast. Socket wouldn’t have put out on the second date if hadn’t been Valor. He threw off the covers and padded over to the window, his body aching in all the right places. But he lacked that pleasant after-sex glow. Pressing his forehead against the glass, Socket let the sun’s warmth soak into his skin. Normally he liked to gaze out at the city skyline, tracing the outline of the skyscrapers with his finger. It reminded him of his success—he’d made it in New York.
He didn’t feel like much of a success story. Socket felt like a one-night stand left to clean up his own mess. That wasn’t right. This was Valor—his Mitch—the man he’d wanted to be with for years and years. The guy he’d daydreamed about, spending hours contemplating that full mouth. Yes, the sex was fantastic. When Valor pounded into him, Socket had forgotten everything else, so taken up on euphoria that nothing mattered but chasing his orgasm.
He didn’t want this to just be about sex. Socket didn’t want to wake up in an empty bed. He wished Valor was there to bring him coffee, to joke about something inane, or maybe ask about last night’s baseball scores. Pushing away from the window, Socket tore the sheets from the bed, balling them up and throwing them in his laundry hamper. Why the fuck was he kidding himself? Valor didn’t seem to want those things. He wanted to fuck and leave and Socket didn’t have the balls to tell him otherwise.
Because then he might stop coming to Socket’s bed completely. Socket was too selfish to risk that. He’d desired Valor for so long. Wasn’t this just want he’d wanted? Valor in his arms, their bodies tangled together? Hoping for anything more would just be selfish. This was enough. It had to be.
Fuck, he had too much to do to waste time turning this around and around in his mind. Socket had to get his head back in the game. He needed to recruit Liberty. That was easy enough. Socket opened up one of the tech cabinets he had lined up along one wall and pulled out a spare earpiece. He had to keep plenty of extras for all the times Valor dropped his in a cup of coffee.
Grinning, Socket picked up a tiny device that looked a lot like a toy helicopter. He’d developed this baby back in high school, when he was still trying to figure out his powers. It had been modified countless times since then and could now make a cross-country trip. He stuck a note to the earpiece that said “wear me” and put it in a little compartment in the copter. Only then did Socket connect mentally with the tech, feeling the familiar buzzing at the back of his brain and the tingle in his fingertips as he programmed it to find Liberty and deliver the message.
He opened the window and let the toy fly free. When she picked up, he’d be ready for her. It could take a while, and since he didn’t know her civilian identity, the device could only find her while she was actually out fighting crime. Socket had hooked it into the police scanner and local feeds to help locate her.
The sooner they got a replacement for Jester, the better. Socket didn’t like the idea of having to split the team again. He’d have to make time to search for some more heroes to recruit.
There was one more problem on his to-do list. Socket had to have a conversation with his double.
Sweat dripped from Peter’s forehead as he pounded on the punching bag. He danced away, bouncing as if facing a real opponent, before coming back with some well-placed kicks. If there had been a track, Peter would have run a few miles to work off the restlessness that thrummed through his body.
It was more than just pent up energy. Peter wanted to hurt something. He wanted to crush the life out of a drone, or feel skin and bone buckle beneath his fist. Working out in the gym only helped a little bit. Being out fighting drones was better. He never expected he’d ever miss the arena, but right now Peter could do with the simplicity of an all-out, knockdown fight.
Maybe Doc could be convinced to get out of here for a little bit. Some fresh air might help him feel less claustrophobic. The base seemed too small, closing in on him just like his quarters back home.
Fuck this. He had to stop thinking about home. It wasn’t going anywhere, and Peter wasn’t getting back any time soon, not until he had something concrete on these superpowers other than some Internet profiles. Then he’d be able to sit back and watch this world burn.
“Doc, do you…?” He turned and found that his chaperone had disappeared from the gym. What the hell? Socket had lectured over and over that Peter had to be monitored. He couldn’t leave his room if it wasn’t on the goddamned schedule. This was just another prison, where he was always watched and his actions monitored.
Peter moved to the weight bench, needing to do something with his hands, anything to still the thoughts racing through his mind.
Before he got very far, Socket breezed in through the door. Maybe his double would have something useful to say for once. Peter still hadn’t cracked Socket. He knew the key was Socket’s friendship with Valor, but Peter might have burned that bridge a little sooner than he’d meant to.
“Here to spar?” He bounced a bit, relishing the possibility. Peter would love to see that uptight prick taken down a peg or two.
Socket made a face. “You’ve heard how I feel about exercise, right?”
Skinny bastard had a lot of nerve talking like that. Peter had to work for everything he had. His body was molded into a weapon, and he didn’t have the luxury of sitting at a desk while other people did everything for him.
The thing was—Socket wasn’t even grateful. He walked around with a smirk and acted like he didn’t have a company of thousands of people depending on him. If Peter had the same opportunities, the same gifts, he’d appreciate them. He sure wouldn’t be hiding from the world behind computer screens.
“I need to talk to you.”
His words put Peter on guard. What was so important that Socket needed to confront him alone like this? “All right. I’m listening.”
Socket fidgeted, running one hand through his hair and rocking back on his feet. “Look. I want to make you a permanent part of this team, but there’s something we have to clear the air about first.”
Now the adrenaline started to flow, thrumming in his ears. Had Socket guessed the truth? Peter scanned the gym, wondering what the odds were of him being able to eliminate Socket and make it look like an accident. Fuck, if he even so much as tried, Peter knew he wouldn’t leave the base alive. That would be the end of him and the mission.
“Valor told me what happened when you went after Anarky.”
His panic came to a screeching halt as Peter tried in vain to remember what the hell Socket was talking about. “What?”
“Yeah. Listen, I know you’ve had a rough past, but that’s not how we do things here. The Division is made up of heroes. We don’t kill.”
Peter wanted to laugh. So, he still had the little shit fooled? Fine then, Peter would play this exactly the way Socket expected. The only hard part would be in keeping the grin off of his face. “I understand.”
Socket relaxed. “Good. As long as we’re clear on that, I came to give you this.” He pulled a slim card out of his pocket. “It’s the keycard that will let you up to the base. I’ve also put a kibosh on the babysitting. I think you can just ask if you have any questions about this universe.”
Peter took the card and stared at it. It was gold, with the BarTec Logo embossed on one side. He slid his fingers over the embedded computer chip. This might be a peace offering, but he’d bet anything there was some kind of tracker in it. Socket didn’t seem like the kind to trust easily.
“I mean, that’s if you want a place in The Division. Once I finish working up another identity for you, you can strike out on your own. Only I can’t call you Peter, so I’ll use our middle name instead. Okay?”
Promises, promises. Peter hadn’t seen a hint of this new identity. What choice did he have but to fight for Socket and his team? Still, this was a good thing. It meant Peter’s actions on the field—saving Dash’s life and helping an injured Valor—hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“Thank you,” he told Socket, because he had to pretend to be thankful, even if none of this mattered. “Of course I’d like to be a part of The Division. I want to help you guys fight the Overseers.”
Christ, he felt like some pansy on one of those TV specials he used to watch as a kid. Sure, he’d love to be a hero and fight the bad guys! For a second, he thought Socket wasn’t going to buy it, that he would finally see through Peter’s bad acting. Weren’t they the same person? Shouldn’t Socket have some sixth sense about Peter?
Instead, Socket just rocked back on his heels. “Well, good. It saves me from having to add yet another new member to the roster.”
Socket was finally starting to trust him. Maybe now Peter could get what he came here for, and not have to keep pretending that he liked his duplicate. He hated Socket, couldn’t stand to look at his own face and see the life that could have been his. Even more, he hated the easy friendship Socket had with Valor, the double of the man who’d destroyed Peter’s life.
Well. He could do some damage of his own. “Listen, Socket, I wanted to talk to you about Valor.”
“About Valor?” Socket clearly hadn’t expected Peter to say that. “What about him?”
“He made a pass at me.” Well, that was a rather delicate way of putting it. Valor had pinned him to the ground and forced their lips together. The memory of it had him flushing in anger. Let Socket think it was embarrassment.
