Victim (Damaged Devils #16)

Chapter Five

As badly as Cannon wanted to slam heads into walls and beat some answers from Xan’s abductors, Xan looked tired as hell. No doubt he had been kept awake the entire time, wearing down his resistance. The men were in custody. Cannon could question them tomorrow. As Gable had said, they weren’t going anywhere. Cannon didn’t ask where he could take Xan. He simply drove back to the cabin, retrieved his car, and went home. Xan didn’t argue, which either proved Cannon’s suspension and ice time were up or Xan was just too tired to fight.

With the shock and adrenaline gone, Cannon had more questions than answers. Why had Jake chosen him to lead the operation to rescue Xan? Was it an olive branch? Cannon was the expert in hostage retrieval. He had led more successful missions in that area than any other agent. Looking at things clinically, he had been the best choice. Something just felt weird about the entire situation. Xan was CIA. That made the operation multi-divisional. They could have chosen anyone. Maybe he was simply still off kilter from Xan’s kiss. With zero cockiness, Cannon was the perfect choice to lead the team. That was all .

As they pulled into Cannon’s garage, Cannon explained, even though Xan hadn’t asked and the situation seemed obvious. “You’ll stay with me. At least until you’re rested. Gable has your things. Your phone, wallet, keys, and whatnot,” he clarified. “He’ll drop everything off after he oversees suspect transport.”

“Sounds good.”

Cannon looked Xan’s way. He could barely hold his eyes open. Cannon slid from the car and circled to Xan’s side. He opened the door. “Come on. Let’s get you inside and cleaned up so you can sleep.”

Xan let Cannon help him through the door. His two-bedroom condo had two bathrooms. Each one was inside a bedroom. He had thought to let Xan have the guest room slash home gym, but there were no toiletries in the guest bathroom. Not only had Cannon rarely been home before the FBI fallout, but he also didn’t have anyone in his life to stay overnight. He didn’t have friends. Depression washed over Cannon as he headed for his bedroom. This job had really stolen everything from him. What his long hours and secret missions hadn’t taken, Cannon had lost by being too scared to come out as gay. He wasn’t dumb. Cannon knew he had thrown himself into work, becoming the best, just so he could avoid slowing down enough to fix his life. He couldn’t change who he was. This was how he had been born. That didn’t make it any easier. His family was also who they were. He saw no middle ground .

Inside his bathroom, Cannon put down the lid on the toilet seat so Xan could sit. With Xan settled, he got the shower going. While the water heated, Cannon gently peeled off Xan’s shirt. If the material had glued to any bloody wounds, Cannon didn’t want to tear anything open.

“You don’t have to do this. I’m tougher than I look right now.” He visibly hesitated. “Plus, I know how my body looks.”

Cannon wouldn’t have taken Xan for a man who possessed a single insecurity. He went down on one knee and helped Xan with his socks. “How do you look? Like a guy who takes amazing care of himself,” Cannon supplied. “Or do you mean the way your body proves your mental strength?” Cannon met his stare. “Never be ashamed of surviving where other people would’ve quit. I know how you look too, and I think you’re sexy as fuck.”

If his words made Xan feel any way at all, Cannon would never know. Xan was the master of hiding his thoughts behind a smooth mask. The guy had been tortured into an emotionless killer. Cannon didn’t doubt hiding his feelings was a survival instinct. Cannon couldn’t fix him. He couldn’t even fix himself.

Cannon shifted back to his feet. “Do you think you can handle showering, or do you need my help?”

“My pride would love to claim I’m fine, but my energy is zapped. Unfortunately, I also know if you get in that shower with me, I’ll make you uncomfortable as hell. There’s no way I can shower with you and not get hard, exhausted or not. I think you’re sexy as fuck too.”

Cannon didn’t have Xan’s training. He couldn’t hide his emotions. A smile exploded across his face. “That’s okay. Likely I’ll be hard too. I’m strong enough to handle it without molesting you.”

A small, tired-looking smile touched Xan’s lips. “The mind is willing, but my body doesn’t have the strength.”

A soft chuckle escaped Cannon. “It’s all good. I’m pretty fucking tired too. Let’s get clean and crash.”

Xan nodded. It was beyond obvious he wouldn’t last much longer. Cannon stripped, trying not to think too much about the situation. He didn’t possess an ounce of modesty. Years in the military and similar situations had stripped any semblance of embarrassment from him. Too many times to count, he had been given no other choice but to perform every private act very publicly. At some point, he had forgotten to care. When he was nude, he helped Xan out of the remainder of his clothes. Cannon tried to be clinical about it. This was almost medical care. Xan was his patient.

He steered Xan beneath the hot water and went to work. There was a basket of clean wash cloths sitting outside the shower. Cannon ran through a few of them, cleaning Xan’s wounds. For the most part, they were pretty superficial. The one on his side probably needed to be glued closed. Cannon would do that after they were clean. He tried not to eye Xan’s body. As promised, they were hard. It was unavoidable. There was obviously an attraction between them. They were nude and touching. It was just a normal human response. Cannon tried to be logical about the situation. Still, he avoided Xan’s gaze. He was afraid of what Xan might see in his eyes.

Cannon gently washed Xan’s hair before quickly doing his own. He efficiently scrubbed their bodies and rinsed their skin. He killed the water and grabbed a fluffy towel that hung from a nearby hook. Cannon took care of Xan first. Once he had him completely dry, Cannon wrapped the towel around his hips and led Xan to his bed.

“Sit. I need to grab the first aid kit and glue that cut closed before you fall asleep. Otherwise, you’ll end up sticking to the sheets and tearing it open the first time you move.”

Xan nodded.

Cannon hurried. Xan’s eyelids were drooping. He was going down fast. As soon as he had the wound glued, he urged Xan onto his back and covered him. “Sleep.”

With Xan settled, Cannon moved through the house, securing everything. Once he had the doors locked and alarm set, he pulled the blackout drapes in the bedroom. There were a lot of times when his investigations had him sleeping on an opposite schedule. He needed the room as dark as possible for those days. Cannon dropped his towel and crawled beneath the covers next to Xan. Xan didn’t make a sound. He was already out cold. Cannon closed his eyes, intent on joining him. It didn’t take long. The day had been a rollercoaster that completely kicked his ass. He needed a nap.

Xan didn’t know how long he slept. In fact, he had no clue about the day or time. He was disoriented in a way he hadn’t been in a long time. Yet he was oddly more at peace than he had ever been. After a quick trip to the bathroom, Xan quietly returned to bed. Cannon hadn’t budged. Xan was also very good at moving in total silence. It was a top five skill of an assassin.

On his side, he watched Cannon sleep. He had left the light on in the bathroom and the door cracked for just this reason. Xan wanted to see Cannon’s face. Cannon had shown him more kindness than he could recall experiencing. Anyone else would have taken him home and left him to deal. Cannon was a good person. Xan had known that from the first time they met. He just always had a Boy Scout personality Xan expected to hate. In some ways, it was annoying. But that trait also made him gentle and caring. Those were equally things Xan expected to make him sick. He had been taught those were undesirable qualities. They made people weak. Xan wanted more. He craved absorbing the sickening sweetness like a sponge.

His body stirred at the memory of how Cannon had gently washed him and cared for his wounds. God. He hadn’t known he had a kindness kink. With his arm curled beneath his head, Cannon slept on his side, facing Xan. Xan’s gaze moved over him. He was incredibly sexy. Cut body. Gorgeous skin. In his sleep, he looked almost innocent. Cannon rolled to his back and stretched. Xan lost the battle against himself. He didn’t pounce. Xan didn’t want to startle Cannon. But Xan also didn’t give Cannon a chance to wake up enough to deny him. He straddled Cannon’s body and claimed his mouth.

Cannon’s lips shaped a smile against his. “Good morning,” Cannon said, chuckling against his lips.

Xan didn’t laugh. He had a mission. His tongue stroked Cannon’s as he savored the sensation of Cannon going hard beneath him. They had been dancing around this, whether Cannon realized it or not. Cannon wanted to be something he wasn’t. He wanted to bury his desires behind fervor for his job. But the guy’s eyes gave him away and Xan intended to set him free.

“I want you.” Xan made the admission between kisses, hoping to keep Cannon distracted. “I plan to fuck you.”

A sexy whimper escaped Cannon, telling Xan all he needed to know. Cannon wouldn’t say no.

“Where’s the lube? I need to make you leak with my cum.”

Cannon’s arm shot out. He patted the table beside the bed until he returned with a cold tube. That was all the permission Xan needed. He quickly coated his fingers. Xan tried distracting Cannon with kisses while testing Cannon’s flexibility. He maneuvered his way between Cannon’s thighs and dragged the guy's legs over his shoulders. On his knees, with Cannon’s legs in the air, Xan wet and stretched Cannon’s hole. He met Cannon’s stare and didn’t look away as he positioned his dick against Cannon’s asshole. Xan knew the guy deserved some foreplay, but he also knew Cannon might back down if given too much time to think.

Xan leaned his weight forward, pushing his way inside. Cannon panted for breath as his body gave way, accepting Xan. Xan grabbed the top edge of the headboard for leverage and rolled his abs. His hips moved while he used his core strength against Cannon. He held Cannon’s stare. Xan felt his intensity. Cannon never looked away. His expression screamed desire. The way his face flushed, and his eyes took on a dreamy glint, had Xan incapable of seeing anything else. Xan’s body never stopped the steady workout. Sweat beaded on his skin as his abs bunched and rolled. They were connected. Cannon stared up at him as if transfixed. Xan couldn’t see anything but the neediness etched on Cannon’s face.

Cannon whimpered.

The sound had something dark rising inside Xan. “That’s it. You’re such a good boy, taking it like a champ. I can go all day or come quick. You decide. Let me feel this hole twitch with your pleasure.”

Cannon’s fingertips lightly skimmed Xan’s sides before falling away again, as if he didn’t know what to do with his hands. He tried taking what he wanted from Xan’s dick, but Xan had him pinned just the way he wanted him. Xan kept him folded like a pretzel as he used his strength to take the pleasure he sought. He knew the angle would make Cannon insane. Cannon gasped for air. Xan never broke pace. He also didn’t break eye contact. Xan needed Cannon to see and accept who fucked him. Cannon wasn’t dealing with anyone he was used to being with. Xan could be cold, possessive, and deadly. He hadn’t been given the same tools to build healthy relationships as most people. Xan had been taught to use every skill he had to manipulate and terminate. He could make this last all day until Cannon begged.

Cannon didn’t make it that long. “Please? Oh, God. Please? ”

A smile that felt evil as hell pulled at Xan’s lips. He changed angles and rhythm. Cannon gasped and scratched at the sheets. Xan was getting one hell of an ab workout and his side burned where he had been stabbed. All he truly felt was Cannon’s tight little asshole massaging his cock with each thrust.

Cum shot from Cannon. His body jerked and his asshole convulsed.

A quiet, wicked-sounding chuckle fell from Xan’s lips. “You can do better than that.” Xan pulled out and flipped Cannon. A tired-sounding whimper escaped Cannon as Xan forced him to his knees. Xan impaled him from behind, taking him hard. Mewling sounds muffled against the mattress. Xan slammed inside Cannon. In no time, the sounds Cannon made turned desperate again.

Xan hummed. He was getting close. “That’s right, beautiful. Give me that second orgasm. You have no idea how your ass feels. Fuck. Let me feel that spasm again.”

Cannon’s cries got louder and more desperate by the second. Sweat rolled down Xan’s spine. He worked harder, fucking Cannon like a beast. His body smacked against Cannon’s ass with every thrust. Xan’s muscles clenched. His balls tightened. Sweat burned his eyes. A cry tore out beneath him. Cannon’s body suddenly tried sucking him deeper. It was obvious the second orgasm was stronger than the first. Xan sucked in a sharp breath as he saw stars. His back bowed as he pumped Cannon full of jizz. Every twitch of his dick pulled another moan from his throat. He hadn’t blown so hard in ages. His entire body lit like a candle. He couldn’t stop pumping inside Cannon, savoring every second of his hot hole.

“Fuck, Cannon. Your asshole is amazing. I don’t want to pull out. I’d keep going, but I want you to let me fuck you again.” Even as he made the claim, Xan considered taking it back. He had been trained to please. Xan could easily stay hard and ensure Cannon couldn’t sit down after this. A hint of sanity returned. He truly wanted Cannon to come back for seconds. That wouldn’t happen if he felt abused.

Xan forced himself to pull out. He didn’t move away, though. Xan kept Cannon’s cheeks spread so he could watch his cum run from Cannon’s asshole. Satisfaction purred inside him. They had to be tested regularly as part of their professions. Their jobs required them to go undercover. That sometimes meant doing risky things, and more often than not, coming in contact with blood. He wasn’t worried about exchanging body fluids. It was currently Xan’s job to know everything about Cannon. They were good.

“Fuck. That’s sexy. You should see the way my load slips from your sexy asshole and runs to your balls. Goddamn. You make me want to eat it.”

“Oh, god.”

Xan felt the way his expression turned wicked at Cannon’s whispered words. He would twist Cannon around his finger. Cannon thought he understood obsession. He had never known anyone like Xan. Xan would shatter him.