Marie Harte - Fortune's Favor

Avery dumped the body hed been carrying onto one of the beds and rotated his shoulder. With any luck, no one had followed them back to the hotel, and come the morning, tonight would be a forgotten episode. With as much alcohol as the idiot on the bed had consumed, hed be lucky to survive a massive hangover when he woke.

And speaking of headaches Avery massaged his temples, overdue for a good nights sleep. He took advantage of the quiet while he could. After locking the door, he stripped down to his Skivvies, slid under the covers of the unoccupied queen bed, and closed his eyes.

He opened them againthree hours later, according to the clockand stared up at a bleary-eyed, aggravated, six-foot-three mess of trouble.

You do that again, and Ill kick your ass back to Oregon.

Oh, good. Youre awake. Avery promptly closed his eyes, wanting a few more hours of sleep. Cleaning up after Nathan was getting old. Not that his new partner didnt have a reason for his benders and lashes of temper. Finding out ones mother had recently passed away could make the best of men emotional. God knew what hed do if his own mother died.

Wake up, dickhead.

Avery didnt budge, even when a heavy weight settled over his midsection and a large hand wrapped around his throat. He and Nathan were mostly evenly matched. Both were near the same height, had psychic abilities, and were muscled to the max, thanks to the exercises they were forced to do to remain sane. So any bouts on the mats should have ended evenly between them. Except Nathan didnt have Averys skill at hand-to-hand combat. And the sore loser knew it.

Avery sighed and opened his eyes. Despite Nathans stubble and bloodshot eyes, no one could claim hed lost his looks. He never hurt for companionship, and Avery grudgingly saw why. Sexy and charming, Nathan Kraft invited smiles wherever he went. But lately, instead of his trademark charisma, grief clouded his mossy green eyes.

A hank of sandy brown hair fell over his forehead and blocked his gaze. That made it easier for Avery to do what needed to be done. Christ, seeing Nathans grief up close choked him up, and he didnt like his susceptibility to the master manipulator.

Avery forced himself to remain calm and unaffected. What do you want now? Want me to rock you back to sleep after saving youagain?

Nathan shook the hair from his face and growled, I didnt need saving. I was about to get blown by a cute blond football player before you interruptedagain. I dont need a nursemaid. He squeezed Averys neck.

Avery gripped his thumb and twisted, pulling Nathans hand free.

Ow!

Okay, thats it. He sat up and shoved Nathan to the floor. You dont need a nursemaid? Great. I dont need to yank you back on track night after night. He paused, experiencing that familiar muck of emotion in his gut when he looked down at Nathan. Im sorry your mom died.

Fuck you. She wasnt my mom.

Avery quirked a brow.

Biologically, maybe. But she was my aunt. Nathans voice broke, and Avery clenched his jaw not to respond. My fucking mother, pretending to be my aunt. And now shes dead, because Malcolm isnt.

Avery, a clairvoyant, had foreseen Nathans loss and knew he had to help. Hed envisioned them together, tracking down the stolen blade Malcolm Dixon had used to murder Nathans auntmother. What a fucked-up situation. Family skeletons falling out of the closet left and right.

He empathized with the guy. Though he wouldnt classify them as friends, exactly, Avery had a heart. Nathan annoyed him to no end with his pranks, teasing, and irresponsible behavior. They seemed to get along as well as cats and dogs and made excellent sparring partners. Annoyance should have been the end to Averys feelings toward Nathan Kraft.

Instead, every time they had dealings, Avery lusted after the jackass with every fiber of his being. It made no sense. Though he was open to sex with men or women, Nathan wasnt his type.

Regardless of his personal feelings, his professional instincts told him Nathan needed protection more than he needed to be searching for a killer. His partner had too much invested in the outcome. Nathan was still grieving, and his vulnerability made him a target for an enemy that needed serious watching.

Avery should have tried harder to convince their boss to keep Nathan at home. Back in Bend, Oregon, Nathan would have been working at the PowerUp! gym like the rest of the ex-agents of the governments now defunct Psychic Warfare Program, PWP. The gym allowed them the ability to work out, alleviating the buildup of toxic hormones within their genetically altered bodies. With the constant exercise and mental workouts they did in the other gymthe one below the public one that only their team knew about, they kept themselves safe and sane.

Safe and sane. Two words that didnt apply to Nathan recently.

He looked down at Nathan still sitting on the floor. Well find Malcolm. Your uncle might be able to stay one step ahead of the law, but he cant hide from us. Ive already seen a piece of his future.

Nathan shook his head. Yeah, in Bloomville, PA. But you dont know when hell be there. I want the fucker dead like yesterday.

Nathans haunted expression irritated him, because Avery wanted to soothe his hurt. That damn flutter in the pit of his stomach flared again. What the hell was it about this guy that got to him like no one had in a long time? Hell, try in forever.

Why are you looking at me like that? Nathan scowled.

Like what? Damn. He sounded like his throat had been raked over gravel. He raised a knee to hide the hard-on growing. God forbid Nathan see that. Hed never hear the end of it.

Id think you want a fuck, but thats not your style, is it, big man? Nathan sneered. Youre as straight as an arrow. If its not missionary, I doubt youre game.

Hed love the chance to fuck Nathan out of his system and prove him wrong, but one of them had to remain in control and professional. Avery realized Nathan needed to lash out to deal with the upheaval in his life. But Christ, could the guy be any more appealingannoying?

He counted to ten in his head before responding. My sex life has nothing to do with you being a prick. Now try to behave like the agent I know you were trained to be, and

And nothing. The PWP is dead, Major Holton. It has been for over a year now. So quit playing by their rules. I cant believe Jack stuck me with you for this case. Were never going to find Malcolm if you keep coloring inside the lines.

Avery ignored most of Nathans mutterings, zeroing in on the fact that Nathan had checked up on him. Though he and the rest of the ex-PWP agents had been working together for the past year, he hadnt met but a few of them before the PWP had been shut down.

He raised a brow. Curious about me, Kraft?

Fuck you.

There were so many ways Avery wanted to respond to that, but now wasnt the time. He cleared his throat. That brings up a good point, though. Were paired together on an actual job. This isnt another training session, where I beat the shit out of you then you whine about it to Jack later. We have real work to do. He ignored the obscene gesture waved his way and continued. If we dont have trust, this isnt going to work.

First intelligent thing youve said in days.

Avery wanted very, very badly to go back to bed. He glared at the playboy, doing his best to ignore the washboard stomach begging for a feel. Right now, what I know about you could fit on the head of a pin. You like to drink your pain away, you seem to be after anonymous hookups, and youre psychic. Im the only one holding it together for both of us.

Nathan opened his mouth to argue, no doubt, so Avery continued. Me? I spent eleven years in the United States Marine Corps. I was Force Recon and good at my job. Uncle Sam found out I could see glimpses of the future and recruited me for the PWP. I spent a year there in training and worked a few missions before they shut it down. Thats me in a nutshell.