V Box Set

The V in Valor-2

::You think?:: Vic raised one eyebrow and left the question unspoken between them.

Matt ignored it, as Vic had thought he would. Standing, Matt pushed his chair away from the table and announced, “Fish for you, kitty. And how about my man this morning? What can I cook you for breakfast?”

Into his mug, Vic muttered, “Well, I had wanted salmon and eggs.”

The look of surprise on Matt’s face was priceless, and Vic had to scowl at his coffee to avoid smirking. “Really?” Matt asked, his voice unusually high. “Because I was going to give the cat…”

“It’s cool.” Vic shrugged and waved off Matt’s words. “Let the cat have it, I don’t care.”

Contrite, Matt took Vic’s hand in his and gave it a loving squeeze. “But Vic, if you want it—”

With a shake of his head, Vic admitted, “I don’t.”

“I can maybe cut off just a little piece,” Matt tried.

Vic couldn’t suppress his smile any longer, and his fingers curled around Matt’s possessively. “I’m kidding, Matty. I don’t want the fish. I’m just playing with you.”

Thin color rose in Matt’s cheeks. “Vic!” he cried with a laugh. “Don’t do that to me! It’s too early…”

Vic winked. “But you can f**k with me first thing and get away with it, eh?”

“Oh, I’ll f**k you,” Matt promised. “After breakfast, it’s back to bed for both of us, you hear?”

Vic couldn’t wait.

* * * *

Matt served the salmon on a small dish, setting it before the cat as if the feline were just another person sitting around the table. He’d warmed it, to boot—from where Vic sat he could faintly smell it, and though it turned his stomach at such an early hour, he held his tongue. What was the use of arguing? Matt always got his way in the end. As his lover set a plate heaped high with scrambled eggs in front of him, Vic let himself be kissed on top of the head. Diving into the eggs, he groused, “I bet Mrs. K doesn’t even let it eat on the table. And you know that’s one of our plates. We eat off that.”

“All cat germs will come off in the dishwasher,” Matt told him.

He chose the seat beside Vic, as the cat ate at the end of the table where he usually sat. Already that part of the table was covered with little flecks of pinked fish, chewed morsels that fell from the cat’s mouth as it devoured the food. The poor creature ate as if it hadn’t had food in years, but Vic suspected it had eaten quite a bland meal of cat food earlier and was now gorging on Matt’s treat.

When the cat grabbed a mouthful of salmon and tugged it off the plate onto the table, Vic groaned. “This is why we don’t have a pet.”

Beside him, Matt scooted his chair closer to Vic’s and placed a hand high up on his lover’s thigh. The fingers curved over the flannel bathrobe to tuck themselves between Vic’s legs. “Why? I’d spoil it?”

“Just a little.” Vic saw the cat throw an interested glance at his plate and curved his arm around it protectively, hunching over as he ate his eggs. “The minute Mrs. K is back, I’m taking that damn thing upstairs.”

The hand in his lap gave him a gentle pat. When Vic looked at Matt, a thoughtful expression had fallen over his lover’s face, glazing his eyes and forcing him to chew slowly. Even without the telepathic ability they shared, Vic knew what was going on behind that vacant stare. “No.”

With a shake, Matt tore his gaze from the cat to frown at Vic. “No, what?”

“No,” Vic said again. “No pets.”

A slight pout made Matt’s chin tremble. “But what about—”

“No.” Vic shook his head, adamant. “Be reasonable, Matty. Both of us work full-time, and it wouldn’t be fair to any animal to be left locked up in this small apartment all day long. We’d have to feed it, take it to the vet’s, take it on walks—”

“Cats don’t go on walks.” A sparkle lit up Matt’s bright green eyes, twinkling them. “But a dog…now that might be fun.”

But Vic just turned back to his plate, unmoved. “No. We don’t have a yard for it to run around in, and neither of us really have the time. A pet is a lot of responsibility and you know it. They’re like kids, almost. Kids with fur.”

Matt leaned closer to rest his chin on Vic’s shoulder. Pursing his lips, he blew gently into his lover’s ear, a gesture that did wicked things to Vic below the cinched belt of his robe. When his d**k jumped in interest, it brushed against Matt’s fingertips, causing his lover to push it down playfully. “You like kids,” he purred.

“No, I don’t,” Vic corrected.

“They like you.” Matt lay his head on Vic’s shoulder and snuggled up to him as he watched Mrs. K’s cat. The salmon had disappeared—all that remained was a circle of half-chewed, discarded pieces that ringed the plate. Bits stuck in the fur on the cat’s chin and chest. Licking its lips, the cat abandoned its empty plate and turned its attention to Vic’s instead. Without hesitation it approached Vic’s arm, then butted its head against his wrist in a show of affection that ended with it stretched out beside him, covering half the newspaper Vic had been trying to read. The glare Vic threw its way went ignored as the cat began to groom itself, noisily licking one paw several times before brushing it back over one ear, then repeating the process.

With a snicker, Matt added, “Animals like you, too. Must be your charming personality.”

Vic gave him a deadly scowl that Matt just laughed away. “It’s just something to think about,” he said, kissing Vic’s cheek. “I’m not saying let’s run out and buy something today. I’m saying let’s not write it off just yet, that’s all. Don’t say no until we talk it through and decide on it together.”

“My noes always turn to yeses around you,” Vic grumbled.

That earned him a heady kiss, this one on the lips, with a hint of tongue that promised so much more.

* * * *

After breakfast, Matt cleared away the plates while Vic fought a silent battle of wills with the cat, who stretched out across the open newspaper, making it impossible to turn the page. Vic tried anyway, covering the cat with the sheet of newsprint, but he hadn’t begun to read the story on the other side when the cat began chewing at the paper. “Get off my table,” Vic admonished, slapping the table near the cat’s tail.

The cat stared at him, unperturbed, then resumed washing itself.

Matt laughed as he sidled up to Vic’s chair. “Is the big, bad kitty cat bothering you?” he teased, easing an arm around Vic’s shoulders in a half-hug.

“The big, bad kitty cat’s going to find his furry ass dumped on the floor in a minute,” Vic growled.

The cat ignored his threat and sat up a little to begin licking its belly. One graceful hind leg rose in the air, and the faint slurping sounds the cat made as it cleaned itself sounded gross. But when Vic made a move to pick up the cat, its muffled purr turned to a low growl that ended in a hiss seconds before Vic pulled his hands back.

With a look of resignation at his lover, Vic asked Matt, “See what you started?”

“Leave it alone,” Matt said, tugging on Vic’s robe. “We were heading back to bed, weren’t we? Unless you have something else in mind. The shower, perhaps? Or hey, how about here?”

His hand rubbed down the front of Vic’s chest to fist around the knotted tie that held his robe together. Deft fingers worked the fabric free, then delved beneath the flannel panels to tickle over Vic’s muscled belly. Vic sat back in the chair as Matt’s hand danced across his stomach and chest, tweaking one n****e when his finger caught on the hoop pierced through it. Leaning against his lover, Vic wrapped an arm around Matt’s denim-clad thigh and his hand angled between Matt’s legs to press up against the seat of his ass. As Matt bent down to claim a kiss, Vic murmured, “You know it’s watching us.”

Matt snickered. “It’s a cat. What, do you think it’s going to tell Mrs. K everything it sees once she gets back?”

Vic didn’t answer and Matt leaned into their kiss, pinning Vic back to the chair. His hand dipped down over the slight paunch at Vic’s abdomen and below his smooth pubic mound to grasp at the semi-erect length between his legs. Vic’s meaty c**k jumped into Matt’s hand, and his lover moaned into their kiss as Matt massaged his firm length. ::Here’s fine,:: Vic admitted, sinking down in his seat and spreading his legs to allow Matt access to his most intimate spot.

But when Matt cupped his balls, Vic froze. Matt’s mouth brushed against the side of his lover’s face as Vic turned away. “What?”

A furrow creased Vic’s brow. “Mrs. K.”

With a bark of laughter, Matt stood and leaned back against the kitchen table, his hand still lost in the folds of Vic’s robe. “Way to spoil the mood, Romeo. She’s not exactly on my mind when we’re getting it on. Is this about the cat? Because we can still go to the bedroom if you want.”

Vic shook his head. Extracting Matt’s hand from between his legs, he raised it to his lips and kissed his lover’s knuckles. “No, I mean she’s headed back. I just picked up on her thoughts as she turned onto the street.”

Matt sighed. “Which means now I have to wait.”

Every Saturday, their landlady went grocery shopping. Before Matt had come into Vic’s life, Mrs. K used to leave the groceries in her car and stop at Vic’s door to ask if he’d help her. Now with Vic’s telepathic ability, he anticipated her arrival and met her at the curb to help carry her groceries up the stairs to her third floor apartment. His super strength made it easy—no matter how many groceries she had, he always carried them up in one trip. No matter how tired he might be, or how grumpy he was after waking, Vic never complained.

And Matt loved him for it.

“Five minutes,” Vic promised. “You can deliver her cat while I carry the bags, and we’ll pick up where we left off once she’s in.”

With a stretch Vic stood, and Matt stole one last, lingering kiss as he recinched the belt on his lover’s robe. Holding onto the loose end of the ties, he let Vic lead the way into the kitchen. At the sink, Matt stopped and tugged on the belt, bringing Vic back to him for another kiss. “Make it quick,” he murmured against Vic’s lips. “I hate waiting.”

While Vic dressed, Matt rinsed the breakfast dishes and deposited them into the dishwasher. He was bent over, tucking the dishes into the lower rack, when Vic came back, dressed in jeans and a crisp white undershirt. With the flat of his hand, he smacked Matt’s ass playfully. “Don’t forget to bring the cat,” he said, heading for the front door.

“I didn’t think you’d let me.” Matt wiped his hands on a dishtowel, then scooped the cat off the dining room table.

It began to purr the moment he touched it, and in his arms, it rubbed its head underneath his chin as if it’d known him for years. “Good kitty,” he murmured, scratching it behind the ears. His voice took on a childish quality, as if he were talking to a baby. “I don’t know why Vic won’t like you. You’re so soft, so pretty. Such a good kitty, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”