Eye of the Dragon Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

  Eye of the Dragon

  TOP SHELF

  An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers

  PO Box 2545

  Round Rock, TX 78680

  Copyright 2008 byAM Rileya

  Cover illustration by SA Clements

  Published with permission

  ISBN: 978-1-60370-412-0, 1-60370-412-4

  www.torquerepress.com

  All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.

  First Torquere Press Printing: June 2008

  Printed in the USA

  Chapter One

  Ah. This was the good life.

  Poe sat on the beach somewhere in Mexico. He wasn't sure where, and didn't care. He'd given some produce truck driver a bunch of pesos and told him to stop when they were far away from all of the major resort areas.

  Now he had a thatched shack, his best Hawaiian shirt, a hat with ear holes in it he'd stolen off a donkey, and an umbrella drink.

  And a view.

  There was this guy...

  Hoo, yeah. The view was fab.

  Broad shoulders, little bitty butt, jaw so square you could set a level on it -- the solid blond was fine, baking under the sun, sweat sliding over a cut six-pack belly. Hoo boy. He sure did like that look. Hell, who was he kidding? He liked almost any look as long as the guy sporting it could work it. This one? Was working it. Poe thanked God for baggy shorts.

  The guy rolled up out of his chair, stood and stretched, every single muscle rolling. "Lord, but it's warm. Makes a body lazy."

  "Mmmhmm." They hadn't been sitting that close to begin with, but Poe had sorta...oozed. Ju-u-u-ust a bit. "Feels good after the north Atlantic."

  "I imagine so." He got a grin, nice and sure and all-American. "There's nothing like sun and surf."

  "Oiled up bodies..." This one he could smell. Lord, lord. Poe shifted, pulling one leg up. "Really good rum."

  "Oh, I haven't graduated to the rum yet. Maybe I ought to do that instead of a beer..."

  "Sure. If you go to the bar, I'll buy." Then he'd get to watch that tight little ass all the way there.

  "Yeah? Well, that's a good offer. I'll get the second round. Even us up." One square hand was offered to him, that body close enough to lick like ice cream.

  Poe shook it before offering money. "M' Poe. Nice to meet you..."

  "Cam. Cameron Davis. What do you want from the bar?"

  "Tell him I'll have another one of these." He waggled his little umbrella drink, handing it over with some cash. "He'll know."

  "Sure, man. Cool." Oh, man. That ass. It had that sway thing going on as Cam fought the sand, that little tug and jiggle.

  Lord, lord.

  The shorts rode up too, and Poe got to see hairy blond thighs along with a hint of the thin skin on the inner leg, all tender and right. He might just get explode-y.

  Cam stood, far enough away that he could watch, one leg propped up on a bar stool, the stance pulling those shorts just so. Jesus Christmas, the man was gonna give him palpitations. His cock started up a nice little throbbing, like the beat of the music playing on a tinny little speaker in the background. The things he could do to that ass crossed his mind in a parade. He could see it fitting in his hands just so. Mmm. Or cradling his cock. Riding his fingers. Uhn. Oh, and then there were toys. Sweet heavens. He could turn that ass every which way but loose. He could leave bite marks on it. He could push into it until they were both raw. And then he could start on the other side.

  Oh, man. Speaking of the other side. Tight abs, little dark gold curls under the belly button, hollow of a throat deep enough to drink shots from...

  "Here's your drink. Thanks."

  "Whut?" Poe blinked, then grinned hugely, shaking his head at himself. "Sorry, man. I was daydreaming."

  "'S alright. The sun'll do that." Mr. Pretty stretched back out on the chair, legs spread and dangling to either side.

  Lots and lots of cold water. That's what he needed to think about. Falling off a rig with no wetsuit. Oil splattering his face. Old Man Harris shooting at him for despoiling his son. Of course, Mr. Cam Fine-as-Fuck Davis had to complicate matters by oiling himself up, slathering on the lotion. God, pre-lubed for his fucking convenience.

  All he had to do was roll and slide. Like one of those vinyl toys you hooked up to the hose as a kid. Jesus. "So," Poe asked. "You here with your girlfriend?"

  "Hmm? No. No, I'm just here. A guy I work for had to stay home with his wife and baby, so I lucked out."

  "Oh, sucks to be him." Good to be Poe, though. Good thing his pesos had run out. "How long are you here? I could stand someone to play some pool with, have supper tonight."

  "I'm here for a week. Got in two days ago and been soaking up the rays since." He got another grin, a nod. "I can handle a pool cue."

  Oh, he'd bet this one knew his way around a stick. "Then how about tonight?"

  "Okay. Sure. Why not?"

  Why not indeed. "Cool." Poe flicked some of the condensation from his drink off his fingers right at Cam to see what those abs could do. "A gringo gets lonely after a bit."

  "How long are you here?"

  Look at that belly jump. He could lick honey off it for hours. Or other things. Cold cream. Hot sugar. "Oh, I'm here 'til my money runs out."

  "Lucky man. I have to be back to work next Monday."

  "Yeah? Where's that?" Poe would love to say he hated to be nosy, but it was his fucking stock in trade.

  "I work for the University of Texas, mainly. Research. I’m heading out for Utah from here. I. Uh. I travel a lot."

  "Utah, huh?" Some good copper and topaz there...

  "Yeah. I'll travel up there, do some exploring, send my findings back.” Oh, now, there was a story there.

  "That's some pretty country, man. I drill." Oil, gems, la la la.

  "Drill what?"

  Now, was that a leading question or what?

  'Your ass' almost popped out of his mouth. He stopped it. "Oil. Natural gas. Tourmaline. Dead bodies. Whatever gets me paid."

  That earned him a chuckle, bright blue eyes gone all twinkling. "Sounds like a hard way to make a living."

  Oh. The kid had said "hard." Poe dropped one hand to his thigh, thumb brushing his cock. “Yeah.”

  The kid's eyes followed his hand, his thumb, before Cam blushed hard, eyes moving away. Oh, hell yes. There was interest there.

  Poe grinned. Shifted, letting his solid thighs part some more so the side of his hand could rest against his cock, which was having a massive happy.

  Cam leaned back in that lounge chair, the kid's cock bucking in those loose trunks before Cam turned over and gave him a look at that ass.

  A man could have palpitations over that ass. Really. Hell, he hadn't seen such a fine one since his last visit to Max and Morgan. To keep the conversation going while he cataloged every detail, Poe asked, "So, what's in Utah?"

  "Mormons." He got a quick grin, a wink. "Well, Mormons and some mountains. I'm going to go looking for a lost wagon train."

  "No shit?" His cock didn't subside, but his interest shifted. "You good at reading geological reports and shit?"

  "I'm good at reading travel logs and diaries and historical references and I'm extremely good at putting different pieces together."

  "But, do you have a geologist? The desert can kill you if you don't know how land shifts over time..." He was like a hound on a raccoon. He knew a job when he smelled it.

  "I'm going up into the mountains, I think." Cam chewed on his bottom lip. "If I read my maps right."

  "Uh-huh. And there's the salt flats..." He grinned, thinking he needed a fun job. Those ocean rigs were cold.

  "Yeah. It'll be an experience. I've been planning a long time."

  "What kind of a crew are you running?" If treasure hunters got a hold of this tender morsel, it would all be over. Poe ought to know. He hunted. A lot.

  "I don't. I have a limited budget, really. I'm hoping to get a few students to come with me and then hire a few locals there." He got a half grin, Cam looking almost worried. "Dr. Franklin hasn't been particularly helpful."

  "That the boss? He don't believe in your wild goose chase?" He was thinking to invite himself along, then fuck that pretty ass ten ways from Sunday.

  "Wild goose chase, my ass. The man doesn't want me to be right."

  Oh, ho. There was fire there. "Well, I'm always up for an adventure. Have supper with me and let me talk you into taking me." There, he'd put it out there.

  "Supper sounds good, although I imagine I need more than one meal to convince me to hire on a perfect stranger."

  "You think so?" Don't underestimate me, honey, he thought. I'm good.

  "I'm willing to bet on it, yeah. I'm not known for taking unnecessary risks."

  "I am never an unnecessary risk. I'm an asset." He winked over at Cam, putting a dose of extra warmth into his smile. He wanted this one. Tonight.

  "An ass...et." Cam chuckled. "You're a danger, I'm thinkin'. What do you want for supper?"

  "Well, there's Mexican. Mexican with seafood, and Italian that tastes su
spiciously like Mexican." He'd gone to the Italian place once.

  Oh, now. He did like a man who laughed like he meant it. "How about Mexican? I'm a fan."

  "I say that's our best bet. You can tell me your tale of woe and lost wagons." Poe climbed to his feet, adjusting himself. "Come on."

  Cameron rolled up, giving him another long, long look at that pretty ass. That goddamn thing should be illegal. His hands actually twitched, but Poe figured if he grabbed now he might lose his shot at later. He wasn't much on that deferred gratification, but he could handle it for now. He headed up the beach, loving how the sand made his legs work.

  "Where are you staying?" Cameron's voice came closer than he expected, the kid right at his shoulder.

  "Up at the Hotel Paradiso." The place was a roach motel, but that was what he could afford, right? "I eat better than I lodge, I promise."

  "I'm at the Queen Anne." Not fancy, but not bad. "But I only get to stay ‘til Monday."

  "Yeah, well, we'll get to that when we have to." He let his hand drift, let it touch the kid's thigh as they walked along. Shit. Like his control would last any longer than a few seconds.

  "Uh-huh." Oh, goddamn. That thigh was taut, hard, fine against his fingers.

  "So, you done any sightseeing, or just lazed on the beach?" Mmm. On the beach, stripped naked, hands on his cock. Oh yeah, the kid would be...uhn.

  "Mostly lazing. I've been slathering up with cocoa butter and soaking up the rays."

  "Does this mean you have a tan line?" When Cam walked up next to him instead of behind him, Poe hooked his pinky in the kid's swim trunks and pulled, peering sideways.

  Cam jumped, the action pulling those trunks right over a sweet, tight, white-white ass.

  Yup.

  Tan line.

  "You don't have personal space issues at all, do you?"

  "Huh?" What was the question? Oh. Right. "Nope. I'm used to living on rigs in the middle of the ocean with bunches of guys who've been away from their wives for waaaay too long."

  "That... that either sounds really fun or incredibly frustrating." That pretty white ass disappeared as Cam hauled the trunks back up.

  "Oh, I've gotten my ass kicked more than once. Gotten it laid even more." They got up to the little strand that went along hotel road. "You wanting to change clothes?"

  "I probably should put a shirt on. You want to come up?"

  Up and up. Hoo yeah. "Sure. I'd love to see how the academic half lives."

  "Hey, I'm a lowly grad. A flunky. This is Dr. Franklin's room. I'm just taking advantage." Still, the hotel was low-level swanky, complete with concierge and elevator and gift shop.

  His hotel might be more useful. It had a cigarette machine and a condom vendor in the lobby.

  Of course, the hot tub in the room trumped condom vending. Goddamn.

  "Home sweet hotel room."

  "Oh, man. You've got a whirly tub...maybe we should dip before dinner." Goddamn, he could get up to some fun in that. There had been this one guy in Japan that had done the most amazing things underwater. He'd been a pearl diver. Guy could hold his breath for like, a year.

  "You'll want to rinse off in the shower first, or the sand will go everywhere." Cam pulled two bottles of water from a mini-fridge and tossed him one.

  "Oh, yeah. Got it all over me, balls to brains." He sucked down the water before shucking his shirt and trunks. "Wanna join me?"

  "I." Cam looked him over, eyes hot as hell. "Sure. Sure."

  Cam shimmied out of his trunks, showing off a sweet pair of hips and gold curls over a heavy cock.

  Damn. He stared. Because that deserved a long, hot stare. Poe knew he acquitted himself well in the good body department, but he was one to appreciate the male form in infinite variety. This was far from garden variety, too.

  "Fuck, you're pretty, honey."

  All that tanned skin flushed rosy pink, Cam's cock jerking, filling up. "How did you know I wouldn't get all defensive and huffy?"

  "Well, you took okay to me trying to pull your shorts off on the beach." Winking, Poe wandered over and cupped that pretty cock. "And you know, you sprang a boner when I was stroking on the lounge."

  "Oh, God..." Cam's hands landed on his shoulders, hips rolling right into his touch. "That noticeable, huh?"

  "Probably only to me, 'cause I was looking hard." The man had a thick, heavy cock, and it was pulsing for him, blood rushing to it with every heartbeat.

  "I should get the water bubbling." No, really Cam should keep on riding his hand.

  "We were gonna take a shower first." Poe closed his fingers and pulled. Just a bit. A skosh.

  "Oh. Right." Mmhmm. Look at that belly go tight. Lord, he loved seeing a man when he was all het up. Made him want to sing with pleasure. Of course, he probably shouldn't burst into song during sex until he and Cam knew each other better. Cam's hands slid down his arms, stopping his movements. "Shower. That sand is scratchy."

  "Oh. Shit. Sorry." Laughing, he let go of Cam's cock and grabbed Cam's hand, tugging him into the shower. "I got distracted."

  "Yeah. I can get that." Cam pushed against his back, reaching around him to turn on the water. Oh. Cool. Massaging head.

  Poe adjusted the water to his favorite setting, the random changing massage thing, then turned to pull Cam up against him. "Wanna play find the soap?"

  "Is that like hide the salami, but with bubbles?"

  Now that was damn near clever.

  "You know it." Wiggling, he rubbed his cock against Cam's, letting the water sluice away the sand. "I like to play."

  "I can tell." Cam grabbed the little bar of hotel soap. rubbing it between his hands and lathering up. "I approve."

  "Yeah?" He held up his arms, letting Cam wash him, pushing his hips back and forth rhythmically.

  "Mmhmm." Cam was thorough as hell, Poe'd give him that. Goddamn, those fingers searched him like he was a Thai drug smuggler in customs.

  "You're a sensual one, aren't you? I bet you like chocolate and cheese and grapes and wine." Not that he was opposed to that. No sir.

  "Chocolate and chips and salsa and apples and beer." His nipple got tweaked, rolled between those slick fingers.

  Poe went up on tiptoes. Fuck, he loved that zing. Hell, he got right greedy for it. "Again. Do that again."

  "This?" One hand slipped down his hip while he got another good pinch, his nipple tugged.

  "That," he agreed, humming and rocking. He figured most guys who did that were nipple guys, too, so Poe returned the favor, scraping his short thumbnail over Cam's chest, the nipple hard under his touch.

  "Damn." Mmhmm. Sensitive titty boy. Poe approved. Especially when Cam's cock throbbed against him.