Cowboy Gangster 02 - Gunnin' for Love (CMS) (MM)

GUNNIN’ FOR LOVE

The Cowboy Gangster, Book 2

CJ BISHOP

Seventeen Hours Earlier

♦

Clint was dreaming of angels. It had to be a dream –if he had died, it wouldn’t be the voice of an angel gracing his ears. The soft sound was soothing, comforting…whispered melody so sweet and innocent it brought to mind images of a mother softly singing her baby to sleep. He didn’t try to pull away from it and awaken, rather he basked in the warm sensation. There was no sense of nostalgia, for Clint had never been sung to as a child, no mother to stroke his brow and sing lullabies when he had been sick or afraid. Yet
this
angelic voice had a familiar feel, and brought with it a comfort that curled around his heart, warmed him from the inside out.

He held onto the dream, not wishing to wake up. It felt safe here. Decades had passed since he’d experienced the need or want to “feel safe”…but something inside him had broken down, left him vulnerable in ways that freed him, and at the same time scared the fuck out of him. But the sound of this angel softly singing made him feel…protected…as if the angel were watching over him, guarding his vulnerabilities. And in this moment, he felt relaxed, like he could let down his guard without fear of attack. He couldn’t remember a time he had ever felt
that
safe.

A sigh escaped him and he reached out casually, his arm brushing across the surface of a cool sheet, perhaps seeking the presence of this angelic being. Yet he found only empty space. His mind stirred as the melodic voice ebbed all around him, and sleep began to dissipate as consciousness drew him to the surface and brought to his awareness the light blankets covering the lower half of his body, the slightly chilled air against his bare torso.

His head lolled to the side on his pillow but his eyes remained closed, his hand absently rubbing across the bed in search of…for a moment his thoughts evaded him and he couldn’t remember. Then it came to him;
Axel.
And the previous day’s events rushed back over him –picking up the puppy from the vet, bringing it to Axel, the anguish of walking away and then the exhilaration of Axel stopping him…hugging him and –
‘Thank you’
–kissing him. No one compelling him…but all of his own free will.

And Axel’s whispered confession –
I love you –
as he lay asleep in Clint’s arms.

Clint’s throat knotted, and his eyes stung before they even opened. He was more afraid of those three little words than he was of staring down the barrel of a gun.
Love.
Was that something he even believed in? Something he was capable of
feeling
in this way? He loved his “family”, but
this
kind of love?

He shoved it to the back of his mind. There would be time for contemplation later, if he so chose to come back to it. For now, he was content to bask in the soft voice filling him with peace and warmth. Where was it coming from?

The last vestiges of sleep faded away and his eyes opened heavily, just slits. The bedroom was a blurry haze and he remembered he was at Axel’s apartment. He had never left after giving him the pup. Movement caught his focus and he blinked tiredly, opening his eyes a fraction wider. The haze remained but he didn’t reach to rub the sleep from his eyes, didn’t want to take any chances of disrupting the scene slowly coming into focus before him.

Axel moved slowly back and forth across the bedroom dressed in a t-shirt and boxer briefs, his steps smooth as if he were floating. The sweet heavenly melody enrapturing Clint was falling from
Axel’s
lips. A soft, simple lullaby as he cradled the injured pup gently against his shoulder, his face dipped down and nestled against the small animal’s fur. The pup hugged him, its head turned into Axel’s neck and nestled comfortably.

The image caused a funny feeling in Clint’s chest that he didn’t recognize. He had never felt it before and wondered just what it meant. He wasn’t “surprised” that a new, unnamed sensation cropped up at the site of Axel –from day one, the boy had been conjuring unexplainable feelings and emotions in him. But this one…it had the impact of
all
the others combined. He was a reluctant to analyze it too deeply as he watched Axel walk the floor with the pup, uneasy with where it might take him. His pulse quickened though, spinning his heart wildly in his chest.

This…right here. This is what I want.

The unbidden thought jolted Clint, somehow managing to cause his heartbeat to speed up when he hadn’t thought it could hammer any faster or harder. What was “this” exactly? Axel? He’d already accepted that he wanted Axel. But…
this?
He didn’t know for certain what that meant.

Axel reached the far side of the room and turned slowly, one hand supporting the pup’s back, fingers splayed with the tips pressed tenderly to the back of its head, while his other hand gently cupped its bottom to prevent it from slipping from his hold.

It struck Clint rather hard and sudden what “this” was as Axel cradled the pup to him the way a loving parent cradles their baby.

A quiet fear gripped him. Maybe he could accept that he wanted Axel…even needed him. But he couldn’t allow his mind to venture any further. It had to stop there.

♦

Axel felt eyes on him before he realized Clint was awake. His cheeks warmed and the lullaby died from his lips, his steps faltering as he cast an embarrassed look at the man in his bed.

“Don’t stop,” Clint spoke low, soft. He gazed at Axel and for a moment Axel hardly recognized him as the frightening threat he’d believed him to be at their first meeting. Now he lay naked in Axel’s bed, his face relaxed and free of tension, eyes softened as he looked at Axel with much more than mere wanton desire.

“He was restless,” Axel explained in a whisper, still somewhat embarrassed at having been caught singing to the animal. Wade had caught him once singing to an injured bird, had made fun of him then took the bird from him. He didn’t have to see it with his own eyes to know that Wade had killed it. “I think maybe he was having a nightmare.” He shrugged uncertainly. “I mean…if animals can even have nightmares.”

Clint just stared at him. Did the cowboy think he was being a sissy, coddling the pup this way? Or perhaps being ridiculous to think an animal could have bad dreams? It didn’t fit with Clint’s behavior last night, but…maybe in the stark light of day–

“Come here,” Clint murmured.

Axel approached the bed with hesitation, unsure why he was hesitating. Clint folded back the blankets, indicating that Axel crawl under. The pup’s tiny sharp claws pressed through his t-shirt and into his shoulder, clinging to him, when he shifted his hands. He faltered; should he return the pup to its bed before he crawled back into his own?

“Give him to me,” Clint spoke low, his hand outstretched. Axel carefully plucked the pup’s claws from the fabric of his t-shirt and lifted it away from his shoulder. The animal whimpered and tried to grab onto him again but Axel placed him, belly down, in Clint’s hand.

Slipping under the blankets, Axel covered himself up to his waist as Clint laid the pup on the pillow between them. It wriggled to get comfortable, its bruised ribs inciting soft whimpers. Rather than remain in the center of the pillow, the pup nosed Clint’s arm then squirmed into the crevice of his armpit, causing Clint to scowl and squirm a bit himself.

Axel smiled and pursed his lips, stifling a quiet laugh.

Eyebrow cocking slowly, skeptically, Clint looked at Axel. “This is supposed to be your whelp.”

Axel bit his lower lip, a portion of the laugh breaking free. “Guess he didn’t get the memo.”

Clint grunted and flinched abruptly when the pup shoved with its back legs and drove its nose deep into his armpit. “All right,” he grumbled and carefully worked his fingers under the animal’s body. The pup strained against his hand and tried to burrow deeper. Axel turned his head and covered his mouth with the back of his hand, choking on another laugh. Clint scowled again and gently extracted the dog, returning him to the pillow. “You think that’s funny?”

“Mm-hm,” Axel’s lips tightened with an attempt to keep from laughing any more.

Clint chuffed. “You’re a brat.”

Smiling, Axel teased, “But you love me anyway, right-” The words were out before he even knew they were on his tongue and his abrupt silence wasn’t abrupt enough, for they still found open air. He jerked his eyes from Clint’s face, his heart suddenly pounding. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled thickly, anxiously. He laid his head on his arm and pressed his face close to the pup who had fallen back asleep. “I-I didn’t mean to say…” he swallowed hard, a sudden lump in his throat. “I was just playing, I didn’t really mean…” His words died away as Clint folded the blankets back and turned away from Axel, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

Axel stared at his back –detecting tension in his shoulders.
Why the fuck don’t you think before you speak?

Clint stood up and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. Axel’s gaze swept over his nude body and willed the stupid, joking remark to undo itself so Clint would get back in bed. His eyes burned with the sting of tears as Clint walked out of the bedroom.

“Fuck,” Axel whispered thickly and buried his face in the pup’s fur. “Why did I say that?” he drew the blankets up over his shoulders and wrapped his arm around the dog. Down the hall, in the bathroom, the shower turned on. Was he pissed at Axel for overstepping his bounds? He closed his eyes, silence settling over the room as he slowly stroked his fingertips in the pup’s fur. “Wade was right,” he mumbled, a catch in his voice. “I am a fucking moron.”

Axel jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. He hadn’t heard Clint return. “You say that again,” Clint murmured. “And I’ll have to spank your ass.”

“I’m sorry,” Axel spoke low, unsteady. “I didn’t mean to say that-”

“I wasn’t talking about
that,
” Clint said and peeled the blankets off Axel’s body. His lips touched Axel’s ear. “I meant the moron shit.” He turned Axel onto his back and kissed his mouth. “Now come with me before the water gets cold.”

Axel shuddered as Clint slid his arms around him and shoved his hands underneath him, gripping his ass through the thin briefs. Instinctively, Axel hugged his neck and curled his legs around Clint’s body as the man lifted him off the bed and up against him, standing up straight. An instant erection formed inside Axel’s briefs and dug into the cowboy’s hard abdomen. He hugged Clint’s head tighter and kissed him deeply, suddenly desperate to fuck the man.

Kicking the bedroom door further open and out of his way, Clint carried Axel to the bathroom, his own burning need for Axel prominent and probing.

♦

Axel raised his arms and Clint peeled the t-shirt up over his head. His gaze rested on Axel’s face and wondered how it had so quickly become a face he longed to look at every day for the rest of his life. Axel flattened his palms on Clint’s chest and pushed up closer, his forehead against his throat. The young man’s eagerness to give and receive affection sparked an uncharacteristic need within him to envelope Axel in his arms and protect him at all cost.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Axel whispered. “Or make you mad. I was just joking.”

The kid was too adorable for his own good. Clint rubbed his back then lightly cupped his ass cheeks, drawing him closer still. “You interpret all of this as
anger?
”

“Well…no…” Axel mumbled. “But…” he sniffed and gently raked his fingertips over Clint’s skin. “When you walked out of the bedroom, I thought…”

“I know,” Clint said and kissed his hair. “I always insist you tell me the truth, so I’ll be honest with you.” He leaned back and Axel raised his head. “You scare the shit out of me…the way you affect me.” He kissed Axel’s lips. “What you said didn’t make me mad, it…” he sighed. “I guess it just hit a little too close to reality…one I never thought I would ever have to deal with.”

Axel stared at him, uncertainty in his eyes, trying to decipher if Clint was saying what he thought he was saying.

“I don’t know how to do this, Axel,” he murmured and caressed up his back. “I know how to deal with scumbag motherfuckers, but…this. I’m at a fucking loss.”

Worry shadowed Axel’s face. “You…
don’t
want to stay?” he swallowed hard and a thin sheen of tears shimmered.

“I didn’t say that,” Clint spoke low, a coarseness to his voice that betrayed emotions that were still yet unfamiliar to him. “I’m confused as fuck.” He tightened his arms around Axel. “But not all confusion is bad.”

Axel held his eyes, clearly unsure how to respond.

“I
do
want to stay,” Clint assured him softly. “That much I’m not confused about.”

“And the rest?” Axel whispered.

“The rest…” Clint kissed him. “…will work itself out in time, I suppose.” He kissed him again, entwining their tongues. His hands shoved under the band of Axel’s boxer briefs and cupped the kid’s ass cheeks. “Until then,” he gasped unsteadily, coming out of the kiss. “We’ll just keep…doing what we do.” He smiled and dipped his head, nibbling Axel’s neck as he pushed his briefs down over his ass,

Axel shuddered and hugged his neck, pressing harder against him. When his rigid member released from its confines and bumped Clint’s stiff cock, both men quivered with sexual delight and anticipation. Clint sank to his heels, drawing the briefs down Axel’s legs and off his feet as Axel gripped his shoulders and watched him.

The underwear was cast aside and Clint rubbed his hands up and down Axel’s thighs and calves. He blew warm breath across the tip of Axel’s leaking cock head, causing the kid’s member to twitch and thicken. A shaky breath escaped Axel and he gripped Clint’s shoulders more tightly, his short nails gouging his muscles. It was a fierce turn on when Axel clawed his skin with erotic intensity.

Touching the tip of his tongue to the base of Axel’s cock, Clint dragged it slowly up over the rope of muscle rippled along the underside of his shaft.

“Fuck…” Axel swallowed hard, his fingers digging deeper into Clint’s shoulders.

Clint let his full tongue cradle Axel’s cock head as he systematically pushed his mouth over the tip, engulfing it to the crown. Axel shivered and raked his fingers up the back of Clint’s neck and into his hair, clutching fistfuls. Another serious turn on for the cowboy.

Whimpers broke in Axel’s throat and Clint grabbed his hips, drawing him forward and urging Axel’s cock deeper into his mouth. He tugged with his tongue and lips, sucking him firmly, taking in an inch at a time until the cock head bumped the back of his throat…then he took a little more.

“Uuh!” Axel gasped, his body going rigid with sexual tension. “Fuck…yes.”

Clint took his time, pulling back, sucking up to the head then swallowing his full length once more, over and over, until Axel was trembling and gouging Clint’s scalp, his breath panting and puffing unevenly. A hard shudder swept through Axel when Clint withdrew entirely and stroked him with his hand a few times before standing up. Axel grabbed Clint’s steel cock immediately and slid his tight fist up and down his thick, vein rippled shaft. His free hand clamped onto the back of Clint’s neck and dragged him into a blazing kiss burning with need.

Submerged in the kiss, Clint reached haphazardly for the shower door, found the latch and shoved it open. He no longer cared if the water had turned cold –he and Axel had enough heat in their blood to suffice. He grabbed Axel around the waist with one arm and hoisted him into the shower and followed him in, closing the door behind them. The water retained a measure of warmth and Clint maneuvered them both under the spray as their mouths locked in a furious kiss.

A feral growl rumbled in Axel’s chest and he pushed Clint against the shower wall. This was a newly emerging side of Axel that Clint fucking loved. The kid was typically shy, even timid at times, but it was becoming evident that when he wanted to fuck –a boldness emerged that demanded he get what he wanted.

Clint was all for obliging.

Axel nipped his throat and sucked hard, panting erratically. His tongue flicked across Clint’s ear. “I want to fuck you,” Axel shuddered. “So bad.”

Clint clutched the kid’s head and crushed his mouth in a kiss then pulled back with a hard release of air and twisted around, rolling against the cool shower wall. He flattened his hands on the tiles, his forehead pressed hard against the wall. “Please,” he groaned. “Fuck me, Axel.”

♦

Axel’s heart pumped wild and erratic, his need for Clint surging through his veins. Maybe it was the shadow of doubt that lingered in Axel’s heart, the fear that at any moment all of this might be taken away from him –that fueled his desperation to claim Clint, make him his own. Whatever it was, he had no resistance against it.

Urgency gripped Clint’s body as he pushed back against Axel, begging to be taken. Submitting power and control in such a way that Axel couldn’t help but believe was foreign to who Clint was. Yet he repeatedly surrendered to Axel.

Axel kissed him between the shoulder blades and raked his fingertips down his back as he molded his hips to Clint’s ass. Clint groaned and pushed firmer against him, rocking sensually on Axel’s hard cock as it stroked between his tense ass cheeks.

“Fuck, Axel…” Clint shuddered and pressed his cheek to the wet tiles, eyes squeezed tight. His knuckles whitened and veins fissured up his forearms as he gripped the wall fiercely.

Axel laid kisses down the curve of his spine, his lips and tongue catching droplets of water. His hands ventured lower and rubbed over Clint’s ass. His cheeks flexed and hardened in Axel’s grip, anticipating Axel’s penetration. Saliva coating his cock, Axel guided the head to Clint’s tight ring. The man flinched then groaned loud, deep –almost guttural –as Axel began to push inside him.

“Fuck…” Clint gasped and reached back with one hand, grabbing Axel’s ass, pulling him in deeper. “Uuh! Shit!”

Hard breaths burst from Axel and he swore fiercely as he submerged himself in Clint’s tight, hot body. He shivered hard and shoved with his hips, thrusting in deeper still and wrenching a shout from Clint.

“Fuck!” Clint choked on a sharp gasp. “God, baby!” he hissed, desperate. “Fuck me!”

The cowboy’s extreme urgency was gasoline to Axel’s raging flame and he shoved harder, sinking to the hilt inside Clint. “Uuh! God!”

“Fuck!” Clint yelled and grit his teeth, head twisted half way around, eyes on fire. “Do it, baby…fuck me hard!”

Axel clamped hold of Clint’s waist, fingers digging into his hot, wet flesh, and he pulled nearly all the way out before slamming in again. Another shout wrenched from Clint and he urged Axel on, thrusting back against him. Axel gripped harder and drove himself into the man, again and again, his pelvis slapping wet and loud against Clint’s ass, cries and grunts filling up the confined space of the shower stall.

“Fuck!” Axel growled between clenched teeth and fell against Clint’s back, fucking him wildly, head shoved hard against the nape of his neck. “Uuh! Clint!
Ahhhh!!
” His nails gouged Clint’s chest and one hand dropped down between the cowboy’s thighs to capture his rock hard cock and pump furiously.

“Oh –
Fuuuck!”
Clint roared and fucked Axel’s cock and his fist with renewed urgency.

Axel panted hard against his shoulder, an ache spiraling up his arm as he stroked Clint hurriedly, his fist clamped tight. His lower back muscles squeezed a little tighter with each frantic thrust of his hips, pounding his cock into his lover harder and faster. His balls clenched and drew up firm against his body, tearing a sharp breath from him.

“Fuck,” he choked, his breath puffing Clint’s hair at the nape of his neck. “I’m gonna come! Oh fuck…yes! Uuhh! God!”

Clint growled and fucked him hard, urgent, slamming his cock through Axel’s fist. His back arched and head dropped back as he shouted incoherently.

“Fuuuck…yes…!” Axel buried his face in Clint’s back, biting his slick skin, his nails cutting into the cowboy’s chest as he squeezed his cock desperately and whipped his hand up and down Clint’s pulsing shaft. He was sucked up tight against Clint’s body, both men tense and straining, as Axel fucked him with unleashed lust and passion.

A strangled yell exploded from Clint and his body jerked with force as he blew his wad against the shower wall. His sudden, powerful release launched Axel over the edge and he cried out loud, voice breaking with ecstasy, and he unloaded inside Clint, pumping into him wildly, hardly able to breathe, until the orgasm suddenly released him and he sagged against the man’s back. Hot breath burst across his wet, fevered skin as Axel’s head lay weakly on Clint’s shoulder, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.

His eyes closed and he hugged Clint’s body with a lack of strength.

Maybe he
should
start working out with Jimmy after all.

♦

“Is the water too cold?” Clint slid his fingers through Axel’s curls beneath the strong spray. The kid’s eyes were heavy with exhaustion and satisfaction as he gazed at Clint.

“It feels good,” he said quietly, a tired smile on his lips.

Clint returned the smile, experiencing Axel’s exhaustion himself. Damn, the boy could fuck like a champion. Just one more reason to “stay”. Clint dumped a small glob of shampoo into his palm and worked it through Axel’s hair, drawing him from beneath the water stream as he took his time massaging the soap through his strands. The kid held his eyes the whole time, a small smile glued to his lips. Had anyone ever washed his hair for him, even as a child? Clint had no recollection of anyone taking care of him at any time. He supposed someone had when he was very small, but he retained no memories of it. Had it been the same for Axel? He had yet to mention his mother.

It doesn’t matter, baby,
Clint thought as he stroked his fingers through the boy’s soapy hair.
You belong to me now.
He leaned down and softly kissed Axel’s warm, wet lips.
I’ll take care of you…always.