DISCLAIMER ==========
This is a work of fiction; any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. The author asserts all legal and moral rights (copyright (c) 2003 - psun@hotmail.com) to this work and you may not copy it or transmit it in any way except in its entirety and with this disclaimer. This story features descriptions of sex between males:
- if such material is prohibited in your jurisdiction, please DO NOT READ ON, - if you're under the legal age to read such material, please DO NOT READ ON, - if you don't like, or are offended by such material, please DO NOT READ ON.
And any comments - brickbats or bouquets, send them over to psun@hotmail.com And if you find that you like what you're reading, visit my page at http://www.geocities.com/savante_2002
Feeling the weight of our scrutiny, he glanced around from the man he was talking to and caught my stare. For a brief moment there he looked as if someone had dealt him a sudden blow from a sledgehammer straight between the eyes but then he smoothly recovered from the initial shock and flashed a smile in my direction.
That first smile was still enough to turn my knees to jelly and I practically had to hang on to Cassandra for support. My breath caught at my throat and my heart started dancing about in a salsa beat. It took all my wits to stammer out the next sentence. "Oh my God."
"You can say that again." Seeing the look in my eyes, Cassandra weighed the information she had been given and made her own conclusions. Stealing a quick glance back at the man and back at me, she sighed. "You lucky bastard."
No doubt making some excuses, the good Lieutenant made his exit and started coming our way. For some inexplicable reason, the adrenaline rush I felt at his arrival gave me the urge to flee. Even as I calculated the different ways of escaping the embassy ball, I came to the depressing conclusion that he would find me if he wanted to. He certainly hadn't had any trouble looking for me in the depths of Afghanistan.
Seeing his approach, Cassandra leaned close to me. "You want me to get rid of him, sweetheart?"
I shook my head in reply. Up close, he looked even better than I'd remembered, a fact that I hated him for - but unlike what I'd expected, he looked just a little bit anxious. It was at the tip of my tongue to screech out a scathing comment demanding to know where the hell he had been but that smacked of the cliched bitchy queen so I restrained myself and greeted him properly. "Muldoon."
Obviously expecting some fireworks, I'd evidently surprised him and he struggled with his next reply. "Doc, I-"
This was nothing like the reunion that I'd imagined. In my fevered imagination, I'd imagined Michael leaping out of his helicopter into my apartment, catching me helpless in my bedroom and then proceeding to tear my clothes off in his insane frenzy to fuck my brains out. Logically of course, it wouldn't have happened as I'd imagined since I would certainly torn his clothes off in the first place. Even now, I could just imagine slowly stripping the man, piece by piece out of his tux.
"Cam!" Cass whispered furiously. A tug on my sleeve knocked me out of my private reverie and I turned to my friend beside me. She raised a dark blond brow knowingly that had me ears turning red.
Was the fact that I was heads-over-heels in lust with the man? Praying that I was only that transparent to my best friend, I started to make the introductions. "This is one of my closest friends, Lady Cassandra. Lieutenant Michael Muldoon, the man who pulled me out of Afghanistan."
"Uh... hello. I.." he said in reply.
"Glad to meet you." Nudging me backward, Cassandra came forward with a dazzling smile. "I've heard so much about you."
He turned to look at me quizzically. "And what has Dr Kincaid been saying about me? Nothing bad, I hope."
"On the contrary!" she protested with a shake of her golden head. "He doesn't give away much but I get the feeling that you're .. very, very good."
He chuckled. "My mama warned me about women like you." The cowboy accent was back, thicker than ever and so was that smile, the perfect milk white teeth flashing with charm.
"I doubt you listened too closely," Cassandra purred.
That husky, velvety voice alone would have melted any heterosexual man within ten paces but Muldoon was obviously made up of sterner stuff and the sheer volume of sex in her voice left him only shaken but unstirred. Instead, he just nodded with a warm, charming smile at her and turned those amazing blue eyes back to me. That simple act left me in no doubt of my own feelings and it was all I could do not to jump him right there in the ballroom.
"Kincaid, I know you're busy and... uhh.. could I have a word with you alone?" he asked softly, his blue eyes searching.
It was so polite, so reserved, abnormally so actually and I fought the urge to smile. The big, hard-bitten marine was almost shuffling his feet with nervousness. "Cass, you heard the man."
"I certainly know when I'm not wanted." Letting out a trill of a laugh, Cassandra moved back to Michael, ran a finger smoothly down the lapels of his coat and smiled. "You take care, handsome. I'm sure I'm going to be seeing much more of you."
Just as she turned to leave, she turned to whisper sotto voce into my ear. "Big hands, sweetie. Did I mention how lucky you are?"
"Get lost." Giving her a nudge to help her along, I grinned.
For a moment, we just stood there, staring at her as she strolled towards the crowd, greeting the throng with an aplomb that I admired. Turning back to Muldoon, our eyes met and I found myself looking into those blue eyes again. How often had I dreamt of those thickly fringed, sky-blue eyes for the past week? How many times had I thought of pressing my lips on that particular spot between his neck and the curve of his broad shoulder? Hear that God-awful twang.. It pleased me to know that he had obviously thought of me too. Judging from the way he had reacted to seeing me, I must have made more of an impression than the bite mark I'd left on his right butt cheek.
Determined to break the ice, I spoke up first. "You clean up real nice, Muldoon."
Almost self-consciously, he lifted a hand to his recently shaven jaw and smiled ruefully. Even now, there were already faint signs of stubble. "Ya like?"
"Sure I like." It was surprisingly easy to slide back into our banter and I teased him back. "Pretty boy."
Fire flashed in his blue eyes. "Take that back."
"I won't."
"I made you call me uncle once." Michael growled, taking a threatening step forward. "Just because I'm wearing a suit doesn't mean I can't beat you up."
There was the mischievious glint in his blue eyes that I loved. That coupled with the half-grin on his face had me imagining picket fences and a duplex in the suburbs - a dangerous thought that I hastily shoved to the back of my head to stew. Where the hell had that thought come from? Living together? It was too definitely a minefield all of its own, much too dangerous to be thought of at this vulnerable moment and I decided to keep the man off-balance instead. "You're so cute I could tear off those pants and lick your ass till Sunday."
My frank comment had the marine blushing again, the tips of his ears slowly turning red. His voice came out in a furious whisper. "Hey, we're in public. No dirty talk."
Standing my ground, I folded my arms. "Muldoon preaching manners. Will wonders never cease?"
"It's fine between us guys but not here!" Thrown into a suit and an embassy dinner, he looked so flustered and out of place... so damned adorable that I wanted to take him back to my apartment and have wild monkey sex. In the crush of Washington society, that incredible sex appeal certainly hadn't gone unnoticed. More than a few women - and men - had swivelled around to catch a glimpse of him - and lust hopelessly picturing that award-winning body adorning their silk sheets in the night. Those hard muscled arms holding one unresisting down on the ground. That long, powerful torso looming large above even as his naked hips thrusted hard against...
"Stop looking at me that way, damn it." Michael cursed softly, moving to block me from the view of the other guests. He stood so close that I could smell the cologne on him, the surprisingly sexy scent of wood, spice and the musk of Muldoon.
"What way?" I said innocently, barely stifling the grin that threatened to overcome me. My gaze crept down to the satisfying bulge in the crotch of his pants. If anything, I seemed to be having an effect of my own on the Lieutenant.
It certainly didn't fool him and he shot me a baleful stare. "Like you've been stranded in a desert for days and I'm a bloody Big Gulp."
"I promise to swallow every drop." He'd certainly remember it since I'd done pretty much the same in Kandahar. Even now, I could just imagine the sheer size of it, the fullness, the heat burning up my throat.
"Damn." He swore. "Stop it."
"Come on, Marine. Talk dirty to me."
"Shit! What the hell is wrong with you?" His dark, handsome face flushed and he forcibly edged me towards the balcony I'd exited earlier.
The thought that I could make him blush made me smile. Sure, the man could fuck me upside down and inside out, swear like a bloody Marine while we were doing the deed but speak of it in a posh ballroom and he turned into Mr Manners. "I could just lick you from your head to toe right now. Strip off that clean white shirt and -"
"Does your mom know you speak with this kinda mouth?" Seeing that I was about to continue, he caught my arm and dragged me out. Unlike the last time he'd dragged me around, I didn't put up much of a fight. "Jesus, you're embarassing the hell out of me."
"I know." For the first time, I made a sound that sounded almost like a snicker. A first for a Kincaid, my parents would certainly have disapproved.
Cornering me at the edge of the balcony, Muldoon glowered at me instead. "I bet you think this is funny."
"Like hell," I replied with a grin. "Why are you here?"
Instead of giving me the quick, witty quip that I'd expected, he suddenly turned away from my scrutiny, his face turning slightly pink. Looking almost nervous for a moment, he ran his hands carefully over the edge of the banister as he repeated what I'd said. "Why am I here? Good question."
It wasn't often that I saw him nervous and for some perverse reason, it pleased me. Coming closer, I repeated the question. "Lieutenant Muldoon?"
"Why?" Turning to face me, he gave me a look that would be termed as bashful - if Muldoon hadn't been six feet of gorgeous manhood. "Actually, I am not too sure myself."
The very fact that he was standing in front of me in the flesh was enough for me and the reasons for it didn't interest me in the least. All I could think of was Muldoon, a bed and a box of heavy-duty condoms. After all, it had almost been a month since and I had 30 nights worth of wanton, illicit fantasy to live out with the marine. "The wild sex?" I hazarded.
"No!" Michael replied without hesitation. Then he backtracked a little, his lips quirking up slightly. "Umm.. at least I don't think so."
"A loan to buy a ranch?"
His familiar grin resurfaced. "Fuck you."
It was the best idea he'd had that night and I would have willingly agreed. Placing my hand over his on the banister, I gave it a quick squeeze. "Been there. Done that. Loved it. Wanna do it again?"
"Doc." He shot me a laser-blue glare that had me grinning foolishly in return.
I raised my eyebrows. "Medical advice?"
"Shit." Muttering the expletive, he turned his hands over smoothly and gave mine a squeeze that threatened to break a few metacarpals. "You're determined to make this difficult, aren't you."
That disgruntled expression had me smiling. It was an expression that I recalled with perfect clarity, the glowering face, the squinty, don't-fuck-with-me eyes and that stern smile. Of course, then he had been covered in a ton of grime, dust and sweat. Even then, he could still make me want to jump his bones. "What is it Muldoon?"
"I.." It took a moment for him to reply and even then, he visibly struggled with every word. "Look, I want more, Cam."
My heart stilled following his words. Had I heard him right? Although it had absolutely nothing to do with the situation at hand, I wondered whether someone had spiked my drink.
"I want more than that." Once he had gotten the heavy stuff off his well-muscled chest, the man barrelled on like a speeding train. Taking a few steps toward me, he cornered me at the edge of the balcony, trapping me with his strong arms on either side of me. Coming forward even as I struggled to understand his confession, he practically barked out his next words. "You heard me. I want more. That night wasn't enough."
Although his words had my heart careering madly in a spiral, I was cautious. The very idea that one night in the desert could turn this man's whole life around sounded like something from a West Hollywood manufactured movie and I found it impossible to believe in reality. "Two nights?" I replied carefully.
His face turned grim. "Don't be deliberately obtuse."
"Obtuse?" The increase in his vocabulary had me staring. "Mike, you can't. You are -"
"We are going on a real date," he said matter-of-factly.
The idea was wonderful but the way he phrased it made it sound like his version of Hell Week and I smiled. "You are kidding."
"What do you think?" His dark, handsome face glowered and his blue eyes flashed beneath forbidding brows. "Do I look like I am?"
The sudden change in his attitude had me wondering what had prompted it. Had he suffered a significant loss in his life? Had he accidentally fallen off a cliff and knocked his hard head on an even harder rock? Did he suddenly wake up, read the news and decide to be politically correct and gay? The idea amused me and my smile widened. "What? Movies, a meal, getting to 2nd base?"
Put it that way, it sounded almost high-school juvenile and his face lightened. "A little more than that actually," he replied suggestively, a shadow of a grin tugging at his lips. "Come on, I bet you wouldn't mind giving me a lil bit of sugar, right honey?"
As he leaned forward, smacking his lips, I laughed and pushed him away. "Hey, I don't do that sort of thing on a first date."
His dark brows flew up. "Yeah? And here I thought I had you at hello." His accent had come back, thicker than ever.
"Asshole." There was obviously no arguing his point. I certainly never put up a real fight since all I wanted was .. well, to get some sugar in return too. "How come the sudden traditional trappings? I don't need that, Mike, you want a fuck, we'll.."
"Look, I don't want just a fuck. I can get a quick fuck easily anywhere in this town," Michael told me seriously, without a hint of arrogance and I realized that he was right. With that face and that body, he could pull almost anyone - if he'd wanted to.
"Doc, I don't want a fuck with you." Thinking over what he'd just said, he chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "Hell, that doesn't sound right. Sure I want that too but... look, I just want to get to know you a little better, Doc. Is that too much to ask?"
It was just the perfect thing to say and something that I couldn't say no to. Of course, I doubt I could deny him much of anything. "Oh, you traditional lil cowboy."
He grinned again. "A crack like that again and I'll show you traditional."