Ace wasn’t a stranger to attraction or desire. He and Justin often brought a third or even a couple into their sex lives to help Ace give Justin what he needed. They were handpicked by Ace in situations where there was more than a fleeting undercurrent of lust between them.

All-consuming need that made his body quiver, that was like a swift kick to the gut, that was a wrapped hand around his dick, squeezing directly around his throat, that made the rest of the world fade away?

Ace had only ever experienced that with Justin.

And now with this strange man whose name sounded like a constellation. Ace’s fingers itched to trace the outline of that square jaw, touch the smooth softness of that throat right over the prominent Adam’s apple. Ace had always been appreciative of a man who wore a suit well even if it didn’t generally fill him with the same pulsing need that seeing Justin wear one did. This man did not wear his suit well.

It wasn’t that it was ill fitting since it was clearly tailored. It wasn’t the suit; no, it was the way he was wearing it. Like he’d gone two rounds in the boxing ring and lost. There was a smudge on the bottom corner of the jacket, the tie was askew, and the first two buttons of the shirt were open, revealing entirely too much skin for Ace’s temperature to be comfortable. It looked as though two buttons had been done up wrong, and attempts had been made to tug it out from the slacks and belt he wore around his waist. Normally, Ace didn’t find that appealing. It was sloppy, unkempt, and showed a lack of respect for one’s appearance.

None of that seemed to matter. Ace still wanted to slowly undress the man with his teeth, run his fingers across the curves of his muscles, and see if they were hot beneath his touch.

“May I help you, gentlemen?” Ace asked mildly, still unable to look away from the melting-honey eyes.

Cannon glanced at his partner, and they both held up identification that Ace knew was real from Kit’s information. “I’m Special Agent Cannon Kennedy, and this is my partner, Special Agent Maddox Doherty. We’d like to come in and ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.”

Ace wordlessly opened the door wider. Cannon stepped through first with a nod and quiet thanks.

Ace reached out to stop Maddox from entering by hovering his fingers over his abdomen. He vibrated with the need to touch, and the way Maddox’s eyes flared told him this strange tension between them was mutual. His eyes were absolutely mesmerizing, and Ace couldn’t stop staring. Didn’t want to. He wished that Justin would get there sooner. It wasn’t because of the fact that the man was FBI but simply that he was there. Ace wanted them both in the same room.

“Only one person allowed inside at a time?” Maddox quipped. His voice sounded different face-to-face. Deeper, with the hint of an accent that Ace couldn’t place peeking through. It curled his vowels, made them just a little heavier. Ace wanted to hear it in his ear while he fucked him, listen to it grow huskier with need, purring with want.

Ace’s fingers clenched on the door as he tried to control himself. He had no idea where the attraction had come from or how to shove it down. The only person who had ever caused this reaction in him was Justin, and he’d never needed to learn control. Justin had been his from the moment they’d met. No hesitation, no waiting, no holding himself back. They had been everything to each other from the start.

“Quantico doesn’t teach basic etiquette anymore?” Ace asked, tilting his head with a hint of a smile. He didn’t want to open his mouth too far, unsure of what would come out.

“Excuse me?” Maddox all but growled.

Ace skimmed his fingers up Maddox’s chest, not touching but so close he could feel the body heat from underneath the shirt. When Maddox didn’t make a move to stop him, nor the agent at Ace’s back, he stepped into Maddox’s space. Careful not to touch skin, knowing that was a line he couldn’t cross with his control wavering too close to the edge, he did up the two buttons correctly. His eyes didn’t leave Maddox’s as he fixed the tie, slowly sliding it back into place. He reached up around Maddox’s neck, flicking up the collar and feeling across the tie, making sure it was sitting flat. Maddox’s thick black hair tickled the edges of his fingers as he pressed the collar down and smoothed it out.