Mad Man

Avi Mulvaney is many things. Son. Twin. Owner of the fashion label, Gemini. Murderous psychopath. Together, he and his brother, Asa, make one brutally efficient monster, ridding the world of predators who victimize the innocent. History proves Avi and Asa don’t do well apart, but their father has decided to test that theory.

Felix Navarro knows exactly who he is. Baby brother. Fashionista. Vigilante. While he’s not happy that his big brother married a Mulvaney, the union has its perks. Like a paid internship with Gemini. But all good things come with a cost and, for Felix, that’s enduring Avi Mulvaney each day, which inevitably leads to thinking about him every night.

Felix doesn’t like Avi. He’s cocky, condescending, overbearing, and inappropriate. He’s also sexy, brilliant, and twice as lethal as Felix. Still, Felix loathes him. Even if he keeps letting him kiss him. And touch him. Even if he slipped just once. It was still hate sex, and it would never happen again. Ever.

Except, Avi’s being sent to help take down a dangerous crime ring and he’s ordered Felix to come along. Felix has vowed to stay strong. To remember he hates Avi. But they’re trapped together and there’s only one bed, and it’s so hard to hate Avi in the dark when he’s whispering how Felix belongs to him. Felix belongs to no man, but Avi is determined. He has one week to prove to Felix that he’s the exception to his rule. After all, who says no to a Mulvaney?

Warning: This book contains disturbing off-page depictions of sexual assault of a non-main character as well as consensual knife and blood play.

Avi flipped off his desk light, running his hands over his face. Asa had texted him something about their dad wanting to see them—just them—tomorrow night. That was never good. He racked his brain, trying to think of what they could have done to piss off their old man. They’d made their kills and followed the rules like always. As far as he knew, nobody had floated up in the river or been unearthed in an empty lot. But, clearly, Thomas had something on his mind. 

Asa had asked him to meet out at the club, but he was definitely in a dry spell. Avi had never had a hard time getting laid. He was hot and rich and had a carbon copy of himself always willing to share. But over the last few months, his stock had mysteriously plummeted. Guys who were once super interested ghosted him, gave him dirty looks, and some had started some downright vicious and—hopefully—false rumors about his…prowess. Somebody was slandering his name but, so far, Avi hadn’t found the leak. When he did, he planned to plug it and redeem himself. 

He shook the thought away, gathering his sketches and putting them in the safe, before heading towards the exit. The place was deserted except for security and housekeeping. All the overhead lights were off, the whole building illuminated by only the generator lights. It was always deafeningly silent at this time of night. Or it should have been, anyway. 

Instead, there was the sound of soft swearing and somebody muttering under their breath in a language Avi didn’t speak. Mandarin, maybe, or Cantonese. Felix. Why was Felix in the building this late? Most interns were gone by eight or so, even the paid ones. But there he was, in the shop swearing a blue streak as he tugged thread through fabric. 

As always, Avi’s breath left him and a weird feeling settled in his stomach when he looked at him. Felix was…an enigma. Dainty, lithe, with inky black hair that fell into deep brown eyes unless he tied it away from the sharp angles of his face. Like now. He was sassy and angry and lethal, with or without a weapon.

Company guidelines stated all employees were to wear at least one piece of Gemini gear, but, as usual, Felix had ignored the policy in its entirety, opting for something that looked like a leather kilt and a silk green top that made his golden bronze skin glow. But, unlike other days, he’d pulled an ugly threadbare cardigan over the outfit. He’d noticed it that morning, but Felix was in such a bad mood, he hadn’t enquired about it. Felix was…prickly. 

But something was bothering him. Usually, Felix walked around Gemini like he owned the company, talking to everybody—including Avi—as if they answered to him. Avi had fielded a hundred complaints about the intern who didn’t know his place. But Avi truly didn’t care what Felix did. He should. That was the adult thing to do. The responsible thing to do. 

He should take him aside and verbally reprimand him, but it wouldn’t work. He would simply give Avi that look—the one that made it appear as if he knew a secret that could destroy you—and then he’d walk away. Avi only reprimanded Felix when he knew it would rile him up. Because a furious Felix was Avi’s favorite Felix. 

Avi gave a soft knock on the glass. Felix’s head jerked upwards, leveling a withering glare as he looked down his nose at Avi. Imperious was Felix’s default setting. In his mind, he was royalty and the rest of the world were peasants. Avi fucking loved that about him. 

He entered, realizing that Felix was still sewing sequins onto the jumpsuit for Monday’s throwback photoshoot. “You’re still working on those?” 

The look Felix gave him made Avi wonder if he was armed and whether he’d see the attack coming. “Have you ever had to hand sew a thousand sequins on the ass of a jumpsuit before?” Felix snarled. 

Avi thought about it. “No. I was a kid when jumpsuits with words written on the ass were trending.” 

“Well, it’s fucking hard. Look at my fingers.” He showed Avi his bruised and swollen hand. 

Avi licked his lower lip as he took in Felix’s long, nimble fingers and manicured nails sharpened into points. Fitting. “Want me to kiss them better?” 

Felix sneered at him. “Want me to stab you in the face with a pair of fabric shears?” 

Avi could already feel his dick hardening. “Stop, you’re turning me on.” 

Felix deflated, going back to sewing his sequins. “You are fucked up on a whole other level,” he muttered. 

Avi grinned. “Guilty as charged.” 

Once more, Felix dropped the fabric. “Did I do something to piss you off? More than usual, I mean?” 

Avi frowned. “Have you ever seen me pissed off? Ever? Especially at you?” 

Felix’s lower lip pooched out in a pouty way that shouldn’t have made Avi horny, then he shrugged one delicate shoulder. “No, but I don’t see any of the other interns here slaving away.” 

This was about the jumpsuit? “You looked like you could use a distraction.” 

Felix stared at him flatly. “And you took that to mean medieval torture would cheer me up?” 

Avi frowned harder, at a loss, floating closer. “What? No. I was trying to be nice.” 

“Nice!” Felix snapped. “I won’t be able to use my hands for a week.” 

Avi gave him his sexiest smirk. “That’s a shame. I could think of so many things to do with those fingers.” 

Felix slapped him hard enough to send his head flying to the side, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. When Avi laughed, Felix raised his hand again, this time closing his fist. Avi snagged his wrists and pinned them behind his back. “You keep slapping me like that and I’m going to think you like me or something.” 

Felix’s face flushed. “Fuck you.” 

“Would me fucking you make your day better?” 

Felix snagged his wrists back. “You are the worst.” 

Avi was usually content to play the villain but, for some reason, he couldn’t let this go. “Do you know how many interns I pissed off by giving this job to you?” He jerked his chin toward the sequined jumpsuit.

For once, Felix seemed thrown. “What?”

Avi shook his head. “Your name is in the magazine credits. I’m pretty sure they’re plotting your death, even as we speak. I hear them in the cantina. They hate you. I mean, everybody kind of hates you…except me. I think you’re neat.” 

Felix seemed to let that knowledge wash off him like he didn’t even hear it. “Why would you do that?” 

Avi was close enough to feel the heat of Felix’s body and his breath on his skin when he spoke. He smelled like spearmint gum. He had to force himself to concentrate on the question. “Because you literally said, ‘I’m having a bad day. I need a distraction,’” he mimicked, lifting his voice to a soft, breathy impersonation of Felix’s voice. 

That brought Felix up short. “How did you know I said that?” 

Avi shrugged. “I heard you on the phone when you came in today.” 

“You eavesdropped on my call?” 

“Yeah. And I wanted to do something nice for you,” Avi said, exasperated. Felix looked stymied. “Why are you having a bad day, anyway?” 

To Avi’s horror, Felix burst into tears. He wiped them away, still glaring at Avi as if any of this was his fault, which he was at least eighty-seven percent sure it wasn’t. “I’m not crying over you. Just so you know. Today’s my birthday.” 

Avi blinked. “Oh,” he muttered, as if that made perfect sense. 

“It’s my birthday. A big one. A milestone one. Twenty-one. But my parents aren’t here. My dad’s dead. My mom’s…you know, in a home. She used to make me this dessert… Ugh, never mind.” He lifted the sweater to his nose, wiping his tears on the sleeve. 

Understanding dawned. The ugly sweater belonged to Felix’s mother. “I…didn’t know.” 

Felix sniffled. “Why would you? I just… I wanted a day where I didn’t have to think about anything sad.” 

“Why didn’t you say something?” Avi asked. 

“Why? What would you do about it?” Felix countered. 

Avi surged forward, slanting his lips over Felix’s soft but unyielding mouth, not deepening the kiss but not pulling away either. Felix shoved him back, slapping him hard again. Before Avi could think to react, Felix grabbed his hoodie and dragged him back, smashing their lips together in a kiss that turned dirty fast. Avi’s arms went around him without thought, and Felix wrapped his limbs around him like a vine. 

Avi scooped him up, dropping him onto the table, rocking against him and groaning when he realized Felix was hard, too. “What are we doing?” he asked against his mouth. 

“Fuck me,” Felix panted, not breaking the kiss.

Avi’s brain short-circuited. “What?” 

“Fuck. Me,” Felix repeated, emphasizing each word with another filthy kiss. “It’s my birthday.” 

Avi’s cock was throbbing behind his zipper. There was no way he was saying no to that. He couldn’t keep his hands off him. Felix’s kilt or skirt or whatever it was left Avi free to run his hands far up under it, fingers skimming over petal soft skin to a hard cock encased in lace panties. Fuck. He felt like a fucking teenager. “I don’t have lube or condoms.” 

“You’re a fucking serial killer. Improvise,” Felix demanded against his lips.

Fuck, Felix was bossy in every area of his life. He looked around and snagged the bottle on the counter. Coconut oil. They used it to lubricate the sewing machines. He yanked Felix from the table, spinning him around and bending him over, dropping to his knees to drag those lacey panties down to mid thigh, biting gently at whatever skin he found, wanting to take his time and taste every part of him. 

“I don’t need the foreplay. I just want you inside me. Now.” 

Christ. 

Avi flipped Felix’s leather skirt up, taking a moment to appreciate the obscenely sexy picture he made, before shoving his own clothing out of the way and grabbing the coconut oil, drizzling it over his fingers and probing the furrow between Felix’s cheeks, biting off a groan when he pushed one slick finger into Felix’s taut hole. Fuck. 

Felix made this broken hnf sound that made Avi have to remember not to come before he even made it inside. Felix was so fucking tight. After a minute, he pushed a second finger in with the first, working them in and out as best he could. 

Felix turned and gave him a pissy look. “Just hurry up. I need to feel you inside me.” 

Avi grinned, shaking his head. “Bossy,” he murmured, slicking himself up and pressing the head of his cock against Felix’s entrance, hesitating for just a moment. They both moaned as Avi pushed inside. Felix was almost painfully tight. It took three tries for Avi to even get inside. “Fuck, loosen up for me,” he coaxed, his hands gripping Felix’s narrow waist. “Let me in.” 

Felix whimpered, then bit it back. Soon, Avi could move easily, but he had to pace himself. He was quickly becoming addicted to the grip of Felix’s hole milking him with each thrust. 

Felix arched his back. “Fuck. Yeah. Like that. But harder.” 

Avi realized Felix was jerking himself off under the table. “God, you’re so fucking perfect.” 

“I know,” Felix gasped. “Pull my hair.” Avi did as he was told, slipping the elastic free and locking his fingers in Felix’s silky strands, yanking him back, gripping his hip so he could pound into him. “Oh, fuck. Yeah. Yeah. Just keep doing that. Don’t fucking stop. I’m so close. Just a little more.” 

Avi had never had anybody coach him through sex before, but he found it helped knowing Felix was almost there. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold off. When Avi kissed the slender column of his throat, Felix nudged him away. “I don’t need any of that.” 

Avi slapped Felix’s ass, earning a startled yelp. “Well, I do. So, behave.” 

Felix cried out right then and Avi could feel him spasm around him. He really had been close. Was it the smack that sent him over the edge? Fuck. That was enough for Avi, his whole body shuddering with pleasure as he came. He should have pulled out, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. He was already spilling inside Felix, pumping his hips, loath to leave the snug heat of a body he’d spent endless hours fantasizing about. 

When Avi softened, he slipped free. Before he could say anything, Felix adjusted his clothing, smoothing a hand over his green blouse and pulling his sweater tight around him. “I need to finish this,” he said, returning to his seat, dismissing Avi like a two dollar whore. 

Avi stood there staring for a long while. “I can have somebody finish that up in the morning, or you can do it over a couple of days. There’s time.” 

Felix gave a quick shake of his head, his hair falling into his face. “No, it’s fine. If my name’s going to be on it, then I should be the one to do the work.” 

“O-kay,” Avi said, still hesitating. “Should we—” 

“You can go,” Felix said, tone sharp. 

“You do know I’m the boss, right?” Avi asked, amused. 

Felix flicked his sassy gaze at him and his still open pants. “You do know saying that with your dick out in front of cameras you installed in this room could be construed as sexual harassment.” 

Avi grinned. “Until I play them the sound where you demanded I fuck you like I was your concubine. I feel…used.” 

Once more, there was…something, but then it was gone, locked down behind a typical Felix eye roll. “Go home.” 

Avi didn’t want to go home. Not alone, anyway. But he had no reason to stay. “Maybe I should just stick around and make sure you get home okay.” 

Felix cut his gaze to him again. “I have a gun in my bag and a knife in my boot. Trust me, I’ll be fine getting home.” 

He really was perfect. “Okay. See you in the morning, I guess.” 

“Bye,” Felix said, dismissing him without so much as a wave.

Damn. He was a savage.