As soon as he was free, Kelly backed his ass into Nick, kissing him as he rubbed himself all over Nick’s slick cock.

Nick’s hand tangled in Kelly’s hair and he shoved his hips toward Kelly with a groan. “Come on,” he urged. His voice was as strained as his body was beneath Kelly.

Kelly grinned and lowered himself, rubbing his ass against the head of Nick’s cock. “Like this?”

“Kels,” Nick practically begged. He raised his hips, and the head of his cock slid along Kelly’s ass with ease. Kelly pushed back, letting Nick almost enter him without even needing to guide him. Nick gasped and dug his fingers into the muscle of Kelly’s ass. “Fuck, babe.”

Kelly kissed him again, licking at his tongue, sucking on it, biting it. Nick whimpered into his mouth and shoved his hips up again when Kelly wouldn’t release his tongue. He entered Kelly this time, and they both groaned wantonly. The head of his cock pushed at Kelly, spreading him apart. It inched into him, and the friction was enough to make anyone scream for more. Kelly sat down hard, and Nick shoved deep inside him.

Neither of them could cry out since they were still fighting over who got to keep Nick’s tongue. Kelly kissed him one more time and sat up, shifting his hips as Nick sank balls deep inside him.

“Fuck, I remember why this was so fun now,” Kelly moaned as he let his head fall back. Nick’s hands were all over him, gliding up his ribs, smoothing across his chest, pulling him down by his shoulders as he tried to push deeper into him.

Kelly began a slow, rhythmic roll of his hips, and both of them writhed with pleasure. Nick brought his knees up, shoving into him as Kelly moved. It gave just one more dimension to the friction that was setting them both on fire.

Kelly dragged his nails down Nick’s chest. “Don’t stop,” he ordered breathlessly.

Nick bit his lip and nodded. “Fuck!” he hissed. He gripped Kelly’s hips tight. “Fuck, I knew we wouldn’t be able to do this quiet.”

“Fuck quiet,” Kelly grunted. He fought against Nick’s hold, moving his hips anyway. Nick grunted, sucking air through his teeth as he started the slow thrusts again.

There was nothing to cover the sound of their lovemaking.

No white noise, no rough ocean, no music or city sounds in the distance. It was just Nick, Kelly, and the gasps and grunts each of them made as they drew closer and closer to release.

There was no way the others wouldn’t hear them if they were awake. And Kelly didn’t care. In fact, he almost saw it as a chance to mark his territory.

Nick’s nails dragged across Kelly’s ribs, grasping at him desperately, blindly seeking out a handhold.

“You coming?” Kelly asked, barely able to say the words over the struggle against his own orgasm.

“Kelly,” Nick gasped. The name sounded like a curse on his lips. He bucked his hips, pushing Kelly almost off the bed. Kelly laid a hand in the middle of Nick’s chest, where he could feel the wild beating of Nick’s heart as he came. He squeezed every muscle he could still control and Nick cried out, a hoarse, desperate plea of Kelly’s name.

“That’s right, babe,” Kelly hissed.

Nick had his eyes closed, his head thrown back. He gritted his teeth so he wouldn’t shout again. God, he was fucking beautiful when they fucked. Kelly could feel every straining muscle in Nick’s powerful body, the possessiveness in his grasp, see the love and pleasure in his eyes when he met Kelly’s, could feel his cock pulsing inside him. He gripped himself with his free hand, and all it took were a few strokes before he found his own release.

He knelt over Nick with his head hanging for long minutes, each of them trying to catch his breath, each of them slowly recommencing their gentle strokes and touches as their bodies calmed. Kelly finally managed to move, lifting himself off Nick and then col apsing beside him in bed.

Nick didn’t move other than to rest his hand on Kelly’s thigh and squeeze. Kelly took in his profile in the glaring light. He placed his hand over Nick’s heart again, feeling it slow.“I’m sorry I questioned this,” Kelly said as he tapped Nick’s chest.

Nick opened one eye, then turned his head to meet Kelly’s eyes. “It’s okay to question, Kels. But I promise I’ll never give you a reason to.”

Kelly kissed him gently, then rolled to his back again.

“Who gets the light and the towel?” he asked after a few seconds. “I have spunk dripping out of my ass and it’s your fault.”

“Yeah, it is,” Nick said, sounding pretty pleased with himself.

“Pretty sure you should have to get the towel.”

“Roshambo,” Nick said, and he held his fist up, waiting.

Kelly made a fist and they counted off. Kelly threw scissors, and Nick chuckled. He’d thrown rock. He knocked his fist against Kelly’s fingers. “Boom.”

Kelly grunted as he rolled out of bed. “Fucker.”

Chapter 6

"o,” Hagan drawled with a knowing look at Nick “Sas soon as he appeared for breakfast. His hair was mussed and he was still wearing his T-shirt and jeans from last night.

Nick glanced at him, shaking his head as he tended to breakfast. He knew Hagan would give him hell.

“Where’s your boy?” Hagan asked. He slid into the banquette on the other side of the kitchen counter so he could watch Nick cook.

“Still in bed.” Nick glanced at him, glaring briefly. “Okay, go on.”

“I didn’t hear a thing,” Hagan claimed, and he reached for the plate of food that was ready. “How long have you been up?”

“Not long. I got a search going for robberies where papers or historical documents were taken. It’s worldwide, though, so might be a while.”

“Solid. What are we going to do with your hit man?”

Nick shrugged, glancing at the stairs. “Help him, I guess.

That’s what I promised him I’d do.”

“You ever make a promise and then think, ehhhh?”

Nick snickered, flipped a pancake in the air, and then dropped it back in the pan.

“Got any coffee?”

“I don’t drink coffee. I’ve got tea.”

Hagan shrugged, wrinkling his nose. “This city was founded on the concept of tossing tea into the harbor.”

“That is . . . no. It was not.”

There was a thump from below. A few moments later Kelly popped his head over the railing and sniffed the air like a dog. “Is that bacon?”

“And eggs, and pancakes. Come on,” Nick said to him. He looked back to Hagan. “Appointment with the shrink at nine.

Can you handle it, or should we get a few uniforms on it?”

“I got it covered,” Hagan said as he tried to swallow a mouthful of eggs. “Damn, kid, this is good. I didn’t know you could cook.”

Kelly slipped behind Nick and grabbed a plate. He kept his hand on the small of Nick’s back, ostensibly so Nick wouldn’t back into him in the small galley. When he moved again, though, his hand stayed there. He gave Nick a sideways grin before dragging his fingers across Nick’s hip and moving away.

Nick shivered violently. He was so intent on Kelly that he burned himself on the stove when he reached for the pan.

He was still cursing and sucking on the end of his finger as he scrambled for his aloe plant when JD and Julian both joined them.

“Smooth, Detective,” Julian commented. His voice was just as droll as Nick remembered it being from their first meeting.

Nick broke off a tip of one of the aloe leaves and rubbed it over his finger, casting a glare in Julian’s direction. “I had an idea last night,” Nick told him.

“Really? I can’t imagine where you got the time,” Julian drawled.

Nick narrowed his eyes, but he wasn’t the type to be embarrassed about much of anything. “If that star is in Boston, I know someone who might be able to help us find it.”

Julian perked up at that. He glanced at the others, who were all watching Nick with wide eyes. “And who might that be?”

“Well, it’s stolen goods. Even in 1908, there were only so many people you could go to with stolen goods and keep it quiet for this long.”

“That’s a very bad idea,” Hagan blurted.

Nick shrugged. “I’m open to better ones.”

“I’m sorry, who are you talking about?” JD asked.

Kelly cleared his throat, rubbing his hand across the bridge of his nose. He had his eyes closed. “The Irish mob,” he guessed. “He’s talking about asking the Irish mob.”

JD’s mouth parted as he stared at Kelly, then looked to Nick with wide eyes. “That does sound like a bad idea.”

“You’re not going in there without backup,” Hagan declared. “Not happening.”

“I’ve got backup,” Nick said with a jerk of his head toward Julian and Kelly.

Hagan rubbed his palm over his mouth, resting his elbow on the counter. It hit his fork and sent the utensil flying, but he didn’t even try to catch it. “Partner to partner, how safe can you be doing this?”

Nick shrugged and grinned crookedly. “Just as safe as we were at lunch yesterday.”

Kelly couldn’t seem to stop pacing while Nick was on the phone. He’d told them he was making a cal , then stepped out onto the deck and closed the door behind him. They couldn’t hear what he was saying, didn’t know who he was talking to, and Kelly couldn’t even see him to try to read his lips.

Kelly knew enough about Nick’s past to know this was a hugely stupid risk for him to take. Any interaction he had with the Irish mob here in Boston made him wide-open after the history he had with them.

They’d been drinking one night in Jacksonville while stationed at Camp Lejeune, playing pool and throwing darts, blowing off steam, when Nick had let slip why he’d joined the Marines. “It was that or keep running jobs for the Irish mob,” he’d said with a signature O’Flaherty grin before he’d downed his beer and then gone to hustle a sailor in a game of pool.

Kelly had always felt there was more to the story, though.

Hagan had put up a few more weak arguments before he’d taken JD to the psychologist for his interview. None of them could give Nick a viable alternative, though. Without the map that was said to be hidden on the star brooch, there was no way to find the treasure for Julian. And without any idea of the whereabouts of the robbers, JD was still in danger as well, and so was Cameron.

Nick stepped back into the salon, looking grim.

“What happened?” Kelly demanded.

“We’ve got a meet tonight.”

“That was fast,” Julian said. “Jesus, what sort of in do you have with them?”

“A personal one,” Nick growled. His tone made it clear that neither Julian nor Kelly were supposed to inquire further.

“Where’s the meet?” Kelly asked instead.

“Liberty Hotel, six tonight. We’re supposed to book two rooms, and reserve a spot for dinner.”

“Liberty Hotel. Isn’t that the place you wanted to take me? The old jail they turned into a hotel?”

Nick nodded. “Looks like we’ll get to see it after al .” He walked past Julian and Kelly, heading belowdecks without another word.

“Great,” Kelly said.

Julian took a step closer, lowering his voice. “Is there a missing piece of information I need to know here?”

Kelly sucked in a deep breath and hesitated, eyes darting between Julian and the stairwell.

“I understand your loyalty to him, but I’m not used to working blind,” Julian said, voice gentle and persuasive.

“Nick grew up here,” Kelly said quietly. “During the time when teenagers either got out, or got initiated. You understand?”

Julian nodded curtly.

“Nick chose the Marines at seventeen to avoid the mob.

That’s all I know.”

Julian nodded again, then smiled sadly. “Rather like choosing the RAF to avoid the IRA.” The phone in the pocket of his jeans began to vibrate, and he scrambled to grab for it.

“This is Cross.”

Kelly was close enough to hear the murmur of the voice on the phone, but he couldn’t make out what it was saying.

“I want to speak to him,” Cross demanded. “I want to know he’s alive before I give you anything.”

Kelly mouthed the word, “Kidnappers?”

Julian nodded.

Kelly darted for the stairs, sliding down the railing with his hands and feet like he’d been taught twenty years ago when he’d joined the Navy. “Nick!” he hissed.

Nick poked his head out of the bathroom. Half his face was covered in shaving cream, and he was wearing no shirt, just his jeans and a towel resting on his shoulder. He held his razor in his hand like a weapon.

“Kidnappers on Julian’s phone.”

Nick tossed his razor over his shoulder and hustled after Kelly up the steps. He went to the banquette in the pilothouse and ripped one of the cushions off, then rummaged inside the bench. Kelly hadn’t even known those benches were hollow.

Nick came out with a contraption that looked like one of the original mobile phones that had come in bags.

He dropped it on the table and opened it up. Inside was an array of listening and GPS devices. Nick gestured for Julian to come closer, and as Julian spoke on the phone to his kidnapped boyfriend, Nick plugged the device into his phone. They had to contort to do it, and Julian wound up with shaving cream all over his shoulder.

He gave Nick one of the dirtiest looks Kelly had ever seen a man make, but Nick merely shrugged and turned the tracking device on. He rolled his finger through the air, telling Julian to stall and draw out the conversation. Then he handed him his towel almost sheepishly.