I want to thank everyone that has given me so much support and being so kind to send such wonderful reviews. It is very much appreciated!! Thanks again for all the support and please keep the comments coming they help fuel the muse! J
Thanks to Paula for the read through and being such a supportive sis and she keeps corrupting my muse which can be a dangerous ;-) ... Thanks to Insomniac-Angel, Msevenj, Sandra and Cheryl for all the great support and encouragement... will get a hard beta once it's finished... All remaining mistakes belong to me… so on with the story…
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Angel woke up again when he heard the front door open. He got up glancing at Eliot and Parker, both still sound asleep, he moved fast and so silently the intruder only made it a few steps past the front door before he found himself plastered against the wall, beside the open front door by a very angry vampire.
"You better have a very good reason to be here before I call every cop on this side of the border." Angel growled.
"What makes you think any cop would respond to the likes of you? Besides you honestly think I give a rat's ass what you think or want Angel?" Vinny shrugged out of Angel's loose hold straitening his jacket back up. "I came to check on Eliot."
Angel stepped back a few paces. "Well come on in. You want some coffee while we talk?"
At Vinny's nod he motioned with his arm for Vinny to go in front of him. He bowed his head for a moment taking a deep breath and letting it out. Eliot wouldn't appreciate it if he and Vinny got into a fight, especially if it was because of him. He shut the front door then walked into the kitchen to make coffee.
"How badly is Eliot hurt?" The detective held Angel's gaze a moment before the other man turned around to prepare the coffeemaker.
Vinny's gaze followed Angel's every move, trying to see what his friend saw in the younger man. Sure, Angel was good looking--some would even say he's very hot. He was taller than Eliot, the saying, 'tall, dark and handsome', came to mind as he watched the fluid movements. He was almost a pleasure to watch. Angel was almost as graceful as Eliot when he moved through a workout, but then again he was a bit biased.
Angel put the canister back into the cabinet and filled the coffee pot full of water. After pouring the water into the machine, he turned it on then spun around to face the detective.
"He has bruised ribs, some cuts and a head injury but he's not concussed. I took care of his wounds, wrapped his ribs, again," At Vinny's raised eyebrow he explained. "Those guns he gave you?" At Vinny's nod of acknowledgement he continued. "The gang got in a few good hits and Howard's gang added some more but it could've been so much worse." Angel whispered the last as he leaned against the island counter putting his head in his hands.
Vinny studied the man in front of him. The detective was surprised at how much the younger man showed his emotions. Most young men keep a tight hold on their emotions. He pegged Angel's age in his late 20's to mid 30's but not any older if you go by looks. According to his sources there weren't any documents that stated how old Angel really was. Anything that had that information was super classified and none of his family had the clearance, which wasn't a good thing because his family had the level below the President's. It didn't make him feel good that there were things about Angel he'd never know unless Eliot or Angel told him.
The young man did seem very mature for one so young but the emotion could be contributed to any number of things that had happened over the last few days. None of it gelled with what little he knew of the man though. All reports from LA said he was a good private investigator until he lost a member of his team. After that Angel showed up at the same law firm where Eliot had worked, and ran the firm for a year. The emotion was genuine but he was starting to believe it had more to do with Eliot and absolutely nothing to with being tired and stressed due to the last few days. He knew that was good because that meant Angel was serious, he just didn't like that it was this young man instead of him. He also knew that he and Eliot would never have made it as long term lovers because they were so very different, but it didn't mean he had like Angel and his relationship with his best friend.
Vinny had glowing reports about Angel's time at the law firm, but a disgruntled worker killed almost everyone in an explosion. Only a few made it out alive. According to his reports if Angel, along with a coworker, hadn't walked into a special document room that was basically a safe, he would have died with most everyone else that day.
Angel interrupted his thoughts. Angel met Vinny's contemplative gaze. "I know you don't like me and to be honest I'm not that fond of you but I can't do this to Eliot. You're his best and oldest friend but most importantly you're his family. He loves you and we both love him. I want this to work between Eliot and I, so how about we make nice and make things easier for him?"
Vinny watched for any movement, any twitch of being uncomfortable and he saw nothing at all. "I'll answer your question after you answer mine." Angel nodded. "How come you weren't with him?"
Angel wasn't going to tell Vinny Dragani that Eliot had come into the bedroom as he was walking out of the bathroom, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. That Eliot had given him a look with such heat that he was surprised he hadn't burst into flames then and there.
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Flashback
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Angel leaned against the wall by the bathroom door watching Eliot, as the mercenary came closer stopping within an inch of touching him. Eliot reached up touching Angel's face in a soft caress. Eliot's eyes traced the same movements as his hands. Almost like he was memorizing the vampire's face.
Eliot's knuckles brushed down Angel's throat, down his chest, splaying both hands over Angel's rock hard abs. Eliot could feel the muscles trembling under his hands as he slid them around Angel's sides, tightening his hold, pulling the vampire flush with his body. Angel groaned at the feel of his boy's still clothed body against his naked sensitized flesh.
Angel brought his hand up running his fingers through the soft locks to the back of the mercenary's neck, pulling him in for a soft and heated kiss. The vampire nibbled at the soft lips, running his tongue along the seam.
Eliot moaned opening up to Angel's questing tongue. Eliot's fingers traced the cool skin above towel before hooking a finger on each side, pulling it away from Angel's body. Letting the towel fall, Eliot started exploring the wonderfully hard body that was so incredibly hot and all his.
Eliot had been happy with the soft slow kisses but now he kicked it up a notch. He backed Angel into the wall bringing his hands up, one hand cupping the back of the vampire's head and the other one beside Angel's head. The mercenary increased the pressure of the kiss, his tongue sliding in, dueling with Angel's. He became more aggressive staking his claim on Angel. He wanted to make sure the master vampire understood he was more than a convenient partner. If they were going to do this they would be equals and nothing less was going to be acceptable.
To Eliot it seemed that Angel was more than happy to let him take lead in this encounter. The vampire gave Eliot complete access to his body as the vampire's own hands did a little exploring also.
Eliot broke off the kiss, panting as he let out a deep throaty moan as Angel's hands slipped under his shirt, pulling it up as they went. Eliot shivered as Angel found one of his major hot spots between his neck and shoulder as the vampire pulled his shirt off throwing it somewhere behind him. He moved his head to the side giving Angel more access to his throat, loving the feel of Angel's teeth grazing against his neck.
Eliot yanked Angel's head back by his hair, briefly meeting Angel's eyes, before the mercenary mouthed his way down and across his jaw moving down the vampire's throat, making hard bites that wouldn't leave much more than small red mark. When Eliot got to Angel's shoulder he bit down hard, causing Angel to cry out, then he started sucking hard on the skin leaving his mark on his future lover.
Angel's body jerked as he cried out not just from the pain but sharp arousal, when the teeth bit into his shoulder. He shivered when Eliot sucked hard leaving what would be a vivid bruise for a few hours at least he'd be branded as Eliot's. That thought alone made him even harder and leaking.
Eliot soothed the mark with a few flicks of his tongue then placed a kiss on the love bite. Moving up the long pale throat, he placed feather light kisses until the mercenary reached Angel's earlobe, pulling it into his mouth sucking gently, causing him to gasp.
It had been so long since he had experienced someone being so loving, yet, so aggressive towards him. He wondered briefly if this feeling of warmth, of feeling protected and just being wanted was what it was suppose to feel like when you loved someone and they loved you, too. All thoughts fled when Eliot blew into his ear before speaking.
"Let's move this to the bed."
Eliot took Angel's hand, leading him to the bed, pushing him down on his back then Eliot's warm weight settling onto him. The vampire buried his nose in Eliot's neck as his wonderfully spicy scent enveloped his sense of smell. Eliot grabbed hold of his wrists, holding them both in one strong hand, pulling them above high above his head holding them in a secure grip. He really did love it when the mercenary showed just how strong he really was.
The mercenary stroked Angel's arm in soothing gesture with his left hand as he tightened his hold on Angel's wrist with his right. Eliot took Angel's lips in hard bruising kiss. His tongue slid in plundering Angel's mouth sliding his other hand down Angel's arm coming to rest on the vampires throat, moving his left leg from the outside of Angel's thigh to the inside, adding more direct pressure to the vampire's hard on. Eliot deepened the kiss becoming even more aggressive, encouraged by the throaty moans and whimpers Angel was making. Keeping up the stimulation on the writhing body beneath him, Eliot moved his hand into place on the pressure point. When Angel started to cum he applied the right amount of pressure until the vampire slid into unconsciousness.
Eliot rested his head on Angel's forehead breathing heavily trying to get both his body and emotions under control. He didn't want Angel to go with him. Maybe he was being selfish, and even though he knew that Angel could take care of both of them without even breaking a sweat, Eliot just couldn't let the man he loved go with him. He just wasn't made that way, couldn't allow someone he loved, more than anything in a very long time, go into a dangerous situation where he could be hurt or worse die. Eliot barely tolerated it when the team was put in danger, and the fact he just got Angel back was a driving force behind not wanting him in harm's way.
Eliot placed a soft kiss on the vampire's forehead before rolling out of bed on the other side of Angel. On the way to the bathroom Eliot picked up the towel he'd taken off Angel. Going into the bathroom he turned the hot water on in the sink, letting it warm up while he stripped off his cum stained sweatpants. Putting his hand under the water, he adjusted the temp until he was satisfied, then grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet behind him and wetting it he went back into the bedroom. The mercenary stopped beside Angel, just looking at the man, touching and enjoying the coolness of the pale skin.
Putting the washcloth on the bedside table he placed a hand on each side of the vampire's hips. Letting his arms take his weight he lent down, nuzzling the flaccid cock before he licked the drying semen off the vampire's pale stomach. Picking up the washcloth Eliot quickly finished cleaning Angel up. He needed to get this done so he and Angel could finally start working things out and do this for real, not him using it for a distraction. Eliot really hoped the vampire wasn't too mad at him when he woke up.
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End Flashback
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Angel blushed he hadn't been going to tell anyone about this but he figured with Vinny it'd easier than trying to lie to the detective. "Um… he ah… distracted me." Angel knew he was blushing but damn it this was Eliot's best friend and ex-lover to boot so it was embarrassing to say the least. At Vinny's raised eyebrow he cleared his throat to continue. "He started kissing me and maneuvered me on to the bed where he handcuffed me. It took me awhile to get out of the handcuffs."
In reality, he didn't have any trouble getting out of handcuffs after decades of practice but Eliot had hit that pressure point that makes you pass out. When he woke up Eliot had about a 30 minute head start on him, the only positive thing was that he had known the location of where the mercenary was going.
"By the time I got loose and finally arrived at the warehouse they were already beating the hell out of him. I wasn't sure if he had planted the charges yet but I did remember where he was going to put them. I needed a distraction so I looked in all the places until I found one far enough away not to hurt Eliot. Set it off and waited until I could get to him. He had set enough of the charges to blow a hole in the street. I got him out and I blew the place to hell where they all belong anyway."
Vinny noticed that through the whole story that Angel never broke contact except at the beginning when he was talking about kissing Eliot and being handcuffed to the bed. Angel broke eye contact at the beginning because he was embarrassed but the young man had made and held eye contact since. So, most of that story was the truth except the part about blowing the building. Eliot would have done it, never wanting anyone, especially someone he cared about, to be the one responsible for any deaths. It would seemed that Angel wanted to protect Eliot, knowing Vinny wouldn't arrest Eliot but giving Vinny someone to arrest and be held responsible if he needed. The detective had to admire the man but as Eliot's friend he didn't have like it very much.
"Tell you what, you continue to try and protect our friend, I'll do the same. We have some common ground to build on and go from there." Vinny walked into the kitchen from where he had been leaning on the door frame. The detective held out his hand to the younger man.
Angel looked from Vinny's hand to his face before taking the proffered hand. "I'd like that. Just so you know I would have gone with him and helped him, it wouldn't have mattered what we were going up against I'd have had his back."
"That's good to know." Vinny dropped the cool hand, it was probably do to shock, and gave Angel an honest smile. "So, did Parker make it back alright?"
Angel gave a Vinny a assessing look before answering. "Yeah, she's laying down with Eliot right now. "Is that why you came back?"
"Besides checking on Eliot, yeah, she disappeared and her team said if she went anywhere it'd be to find Eliot. After calling the local departments where we were and nothing being stolen, I thought I better come find her in case Eliot wasn't back. If something happened to her Eliot would not be happy."
"I understand that. She showed up about two hours after we got back and hasn't left his side other than to interrogate me about why Eliot was hurt."
"Are you okay with how close they are?" Vinny watched Angel closely as he waited for an answer. Angel shrugged. "The whole team and your family come with the package. I understand and accept that but their relationship," Angel nod towards Eliot's bedroom.
"Theirs is a special sibling bond. I think it's something they both need." Angel turned back around to the coffee pot. "You still want coffee?"
Vinny noticed Angel seemed a little upset before he turned around. It probably bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
"Oh god, yes, please, being around my family for an extended amount time and with absolutely no way to get free from them I'm going through caffeine withdrawals." The detective went over, sitting down at the table until Angel set the coffee down in front of him.
"I would've thought that a family of cops would have a coffee pot going 24/7?" Angel watched Vinny look positively orgasmic just smelling the caffeinated beverage.
"The women of our family have gotten on a health kick this last year, since my brother Dalton had a bad report. Not only do all of us have to eat healthy food but they cut out coffee and that was the worst part. My Nona even got the coffee places near our jobs not to give us coffee. Most of our coworkers are now our suppliers." Vinny gave a wry grin.
Vinny looked up at Angel. "Why don't you go lay back down and get some rest? I'll just hang out here. Maybe take a nap on the couch and wait to talk to Eliot."
"Sure, do you need more than the afghan on the couch? Need anything else?" Angel offered. Angel was far from stupid contrary to what Cordy always said. He knew the difference between an order and a suggestion. Vinny politely phrased suggestion had been an order. It also gave him an out so he didn't have to entertain the detective which was just fine with him.
"No, I'll be fine and I've sleep in worse place than a nice plush couch." Vinny smiled at Angel.
"Okay, I'll just see you later then. Night." Angel nodded to the detective before heading back to Eliot's bedroom.
TBC…