like a missile. It was all too much—the scent, the heat, the tightness. All possessing him, shattering his control, and mindlessly driving his hips forward with the full force of his entire body. He gritted his teeth and threw his head back, burying himself deep as his release tore through him, numbing him.
Gasping for air, he collapsed onto Gabriel’s sweat-slicked body. Blinking, he willed his vision to clear as his pulse slowed. He reached out to brush the sweaty fringe of Gabriel’s hair away from his face, needing to see him, touch him…to know that this was real. He met Gabriel’s gaze. There was heat and need, battling for attention.
But there was also something more.
It wasn’t his imagination or a fantasy puzzle filling in the blanks. He had seen it the night before and had felt it.
And there it was again.
Ben leaned forward, hovering over him. They stared at each other, sharing the same breath. He stroked Gabriel’s cheek once, then again. Thick arms wrapped around him and pulled him closer, one hand wound tightly around his shoulders, the other splayed possessively across his back. Ben slowly slid out of Gabriel’s body and nestled against him. He grabbed one of the towels and wiped Gabriel’s body as best he could without moving away from his warm cocoon.
“I want to do that again,” Ben signed.
Gabriel leaned forward and pressed a closed-mouth kiss to Ben’s lips. They stared at each other, Ben’s heart pounding at the depth of emotions staring back at him. “Anything you want,” Gabriel said as he stroked the back of his fingers down Ben’s cheek.
“I just want you,” Ben signed his response with shaky hands. He held Gabriel’s hand against his cheek and leaned into his palm as he stared at him.
“You already have me.”
Ben frowned over his shoulder at Gabriel. He returned his attention to the bookshelf next to the television in the living room. Giving up, he turned around and slapped his hands on his thighs. “I don’t see it,” he signed.
“That’s the point,” Gabriel responded, signing with a big silly grin on his face. He grabbed the book from the shelf and pointed to the black globe image stitched into the spine.
Ben took the book in his hand and inspected it from every angle.
Yup, still just a book.
Gabriel turned on the television and pressed a few buttons on the remote. Ben stilled, momentarily stunned by the image of himself on the screen. He aimed the spine around the room while staring at the television screen, the image panning the room in the same sweeping motion. He set the book back on the shelf. The angle of the camera granted a full view of the living room, Gabriel’s workspace by the window, and the open space in between.
Ben finally tore his attention away from the television and back to Gabriel. “I can’t believe you’ve got a camera in your living room,” he signed, shaking his head while holding back a chuckle.
“I’m a security guy who lives in a hotel. Can’t help it.”
Ben surveyed the room. Pretty pointless considering he couldn’t spot the camera even when he was told where it was. “Any others?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Only one entry point. I’m the only room up here and every staff member knows this floor is off limits unless I request something. But it’s still a hotel with a digital lock. I’ve asked Rachel to change the system to keys, but she insists that’s…” Gabriel stopped signing and fingerspelled a-n-t-i-q-u-a-t-e-d. “I stopped arguing with her about it and did this instead.”
“You could just change the locks on your place to a regular key?”
“True.” Gabriel smirked. “But with all the traveling I do…used to do…it was easier to call staff and have them check on something when needed. And I’m not gonna lie, housekeeping is a mega bonus.”
Ben couldn’t have agreed more. “You check the video on your phone?”
Gabriel shook his head. “It’s a closed-circuit feed not a cloud service. Video only. Records here on my DVR’s hard drive. I get a phone alert when there’s a card swipe at our door. If I’m not expecting someone, that’s when I know I need to check the recording or alert security if I’m out of town.”
A smile twitched Ben’s lips. He didn’t miss the reference to our door. “And like Calvin says, ‘the trick is getting inside. Once you’re in, it’s Christmas and everything’s a gift.’”
“Exactly.” Gabriel used the remote and switched to a regular channel before turning off the