21 Marine Salute: 21 Always a Marine Tales (56 page)

Brenden pushed Liam against the wall, gently, but without any room for argument. “Hands on the wall.” He murmured the order, delivered it with his tongue, tracing the whorls in Liam’s ear.

Yeah. He’s a top
. Deep inside, Liam sighed—relaxing to the command and pressing his hands to the wall. It was a vulnerable position for someone used to being in control, but not with Brenden. He’d always held the power in their relationship.

He liked that Brenden knew what he wanted. Liked even more that he wasn’t shy about telling him, and adrenaline thrilled through him. Brenden reached around to unbutton his pants, tugging the zipper open with aggravating slowness. Liam wanted to shake his hips, but Brenden shoved his hands into the pants and slid them down, dropping to his knees behind him and taking the pants to the ground. He loosened the ties on his shoes and they came off, with the pants following.

“I would never have picked you for commando.” Brenden hummed in appreciation before kissing the back of one thigh and then the other.

Liam gritted his teeth. It was like being tortured by a feather. Brenden rubbed his palms over his ass and teased a finger down between the cheeks, spreading them.

“You’re killing me.” He rethought his position at the wall—he wanted to watch Brenden.
Did they have a mirror
?

“You said to show you what I wanted.” The words didn’t prepare Liam for the feel of his lips against his rim, the soft touch and the caress driving him crazy or the delicious sensation of his tongue against the hard ridge of clenched muscles. Brenden’s hand slid up the inside of his thigh and stroked the soft skin behind his balls. Between the mouth on his pucker and the fingers stroking his nuts, Liam’s legs locked up.

Holy crap
. Brenden Fitzpatrick touched him—

He shook in anticipation, unable to contain the crash when the other man moved away. He started to turn, but Brenden pointed a finger at him. “Stay.”

He rifled through the bags a moment and then returned. Liam couldn’t bring himself to disobey again and glance over—the need for obedience adding to the delicious sense of abandon and rightness in the moment. It took only a moment before his partner came back. He brushed a kiss to the back of Liam’s neck, palmed his ass and rubbed a cheek. “Good man.”

He wanted to preen under the attention.

“Now, you tell me if this is too much.” Brenden stroked two fingers against his anus. He’d slicked them with some kind of lubricant. The vibration of excitement shivered through Liam again.

“I’m good. Fuck that….” He exhaled the last words in a rush as Brenden stroked the hard ring of muscles, easing his finger inside. Brenden paused at the gasp, but Liam shook his head. “No—keep going—better than good.” He couldn’t seem to catch his breath. It was intense, intimate and so gentle that he could barely control his own reactions. His cock stiffened out like a flag, and his balls ached.

What the hell would he do if Brenden shoved his dick into him?

A low laugh wheezed out when Brenden worked a second finger past the rim and Liam leaned back, bending into the touch. They so should have gotten naked first…the world narrowed down to the strokes and insistent stretching. Brenden added gentle caresses from his hip to his balls, and back up along his spine, sending electricity surging out to every nerve.

“I’m going to come if you don’t hurry the fuck up….” Liam warned. He hadn’t been so ready to explode just from someone fingering his ass since before college. He was a man who liked to play, but Brenden had him wound up.

The Marine kissed the back of his neck and maneuvered his free hand around to stroke Liam’s hard cock, starting at the base and gliding up to the tip.

“Oh, shit.” Liam’s balls drew up tight and with his second stroke, Brenden added a third finger, stretching him full. Between the hand stroking him and the fingers pushing inside him, Liam’s eyes crossed. “I want us to come together….” He could hardly make his tongue cooperate to form the words. “Suit up.”

With another chuckle against his throat, Brenden pulled his hands away. Liam leaned on the wall for support, every limb trembling. The sound of a zipper skated over his senses followed by the tear of foil. “I don’t want to hurry.”

Brenden was at his back and his cock slid between Liam’s cheeks, resting there.

His heart pounded, his breathing shallow, and his body primed. He’d never been so ready for another man—and not just any man. Brenden’s palm glided down the length of his cock, and pre-cum beaded along the head. He molded to Liam’s hips and then pressed his cock in, shallow, teasing pumps past the ring of muscles already stretched from his fingers.

Thank God for whoever taught him that
…. Some man, somewhere in the world, took the time to teach Brenden those little tricks, and Liam welcomed every single one as they turned him inside out. The sting of the initial entry gave way to the seductive burn that sent him tumbling to a good place. The warm strokes of Brenden’s hand pitched him right toward orgasm. He shifted his legs, stretching to accommodate the wonderful thickness filling him and pushed back, impaled on Brenden’s cock and taking him deeper.

It was Brenden’s turn to let out a hard, harsh breath. Testing the man’s control, Liam rocked forward, thrusting into Brenden’s hand and back onto his dick. They were short pumps, the positioning awkward for Brenden, but Liam writhed in the sensation, pressure fucking him from both sides.

Somehow, they went from being at the wall to the bed and he fell against the edge of it without breaking the connection. He would lose everything shortly. “Be close….” He mouthed the words and breathed out hard.

It was already too late for Liam, his balls dragged up tight and he came in a hard, shooting jet.

Brenden’s thrusts increased, the fire lighting him up—Liam swore he could almost feel his cock expand, hardening, until he came with a shout and collapsed against Liam’s back. He tried to hold them both up—but damn the man was an iron weight dragging him down into a pit of pleasure and he flattened against the bed, exulting in the wicked connection between them.

His eyes drifted closed as he rode the sensations right into oblivion. He always slept right after a good orgasm, and exhaustion dragged him down too swiftly.
Best fuck ever
….

Brenden rolled over, careful to not to wake the sound asleep Liam. He brushed the man’s cheek indulgently. He’d heard of guys who passed out in those few moments after orgasm—orgasm-induced narcolepsy was what the guys called it. But he’d never met one. His muscles trembled from the release, a euphoric lethargy creeping through his blood. Disposing of the condom, he washed his hands and grabbed a couple of bottles of water. He took the time to strip off the rest of his clothes before sprawling on the bed and watching his old friend sleep.

The few steps it took Brenden to carry Liam to the bed swamped him in exquisite agony. It took everything he had to hold off the orgasm. Replete exhaustion filled him. The ecstasy and agony had been worth it.

He drank the entire bottle of water and saved the second one for when the other man woke. Everything—from his tousled hair, to his smooshed face lying right cheek down against the bedspread, to the barely-there snore—tugged at Brenden’s heart. So far beyond a casual lay.

And I didn’t think it would be
…. Somewhere inside, he’d acknowledged it would be that way when he’d asked for this specific scenario—capturing a moment he’d denied himself for so long.

“Hey.” Liam’s voice slurred with drowsy pleasure, sounding almost drunk.

“Hey.” Brenden smiled. “Welcome back.”

“If this is a dream or that was…don’t wake me.” Liam shifted to cross his arms and pillow his head against them.

“Not a dream…but sleep if you need it.” Energy sizzled through him. Sex served as a release—he understood the physical and mental effects. God knew, he’d kept his horniness in check till they made it to the room, but touching Liam threatened every part of his self-control, shredding it like tissue paper with a grenade.

“Don’t wanna.” The almost petulant tone in his lover’s—his
lover’s
—voice sent a thrill racing up Brenden’s spine. “Want this to last.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Nowhere else he wanted to be. The luxury to lay there and watch him drift in and out of sleep satisfied some deeply hidden emotional need.

“But you will.” Liam lifted his head, his sleepy gaze sharpening. “You’re going back out there—over there—somewhere. Aren’t you?”

Brenden sighed, girding for a battle—if one happened. He’d hoped they would have longer to soak in the afterglow before crossing that rough and tumble bridge. “Yeah. Like I said, I have a couple of weeks before I report for duty.”

With effort, Liam pushed upward. His gaze swept Brenden from head to toe and he grinned. “Damn—”

“You like?” He wasn’t above using sex to distract him, particularly when Liam wore that smile.

“You are solid.” He ran his palm over Brenden’s chest, down to his abdominals and dipping lower to stroke his thighs. The touch aroused, but it also soothed. “And I figured that, but—holy crap. I’ve only seen sculptures with this kind of definition. In fact—” All traces of tiredness fled Liam’s expression. He traced his finger along the well-defined muscles and Brenden’s dick twitched in response. “I saw one at an exhibit in Boston just a few weeks ago. Don’t remember the artist, but….”

To Brenden’s amusement, Liam slid off the bed. He moved slowly and found his pants. Then he pulled out a phone and flipped through the screens. “Check this out. “ He held it out to Brenden. “I need to go clean up.” He walked into the bathroom and the water turned on.

Brenden studied the picture. “I know this guy.”

“Seriously?” Liam’s voice drifted out from the bathroom.

“Oh yeah. He’s in my old unit. He knows this artist, too.” He thought the piece might be titled ‘My Marine’ or ‘Her Marine.’ The guys razzed Brody about it, but several were envious. The work provoked an emotional response though, a visceral admiration, competitiveness, and respect, much like the man.

“He’s straight, right?” Liam walked back toward the bed, wiping his hands on a towel. Like Brenden, he’d stripped off the rest of his clothes.

“Yes, he’s straight.” More entertained than jealous at Liam’s pained sigh, he winked. “All the good ones are.”

“No.” The response was a hell of a lot more fervent than expected. “They aren’t.” Liam stretched out alongside him. “I would have agreed but then some asshole rocked my world and turned it upside down by telling me he’s gay.”

“What a jerk.” Brenden laughed.

“I agree. Holding himself aloof all those years and for good reason. Trust me, after hitting that, I think I’m spoiled.”

“Liam….”

“Eh.” His friend cut him off with a finger pressed to his lips. “No regrets, no apologies, no words of understanding. I am a grown man. I know you and I respect you, so if that means you’re heading back out after this, I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. I won’t be that flaming queer crying all over you.” The barest hitch in his voice gave a lie to that statement.

Brenden slid a hand around the back of Liam’s neck and pulled him in for a hard kiss. The touch of their mouths offered comfort as much as it stirred the embers of banked passion. “You’re a good guy, Liam Gardiner.”

“No, I’m a hell of a guy, worth ten of any you might meet. But I’m a demanding lover and I like commitment. I like—I like knowing someone will be there when I wake up.” He rested his forehead against Brenden’s. “And now you’re thinking, ‘great, I banged the dude who cries when he says goodbye.’”

“No.” Brenden massaged his neck. “I’m thinking I found my best friend again, and now he’s my lover, and how the hell did I get so lucky?”

Liam exhaled a small sigh of relief. “You know, it was hard to let you go before all this. I can’t promise not to be a mess this time.”

“Don’t make me any promises. One of the things I’ve learned is promises are the best of intentions, but you can’t guarantee them. You can’t know for certain you’re coming home in one piece or several. So you make the most of what you have….” Liam silenced him with another kiss, nipping, licking, and teasing until his mouth opened and their tongues could dance.

“Okay,” Liam broke the kiss and whispered.

They were nose to nose, his gaze so close it was all Brenden could see. The intimacy in that moment snuck inside and flipped open the blinds to the blazing heat he always held at bay. “Okay what?”

“Let’s make the most of it….” Liam grinned. The last traces of sleep vanished from his expression. “And I have so much to explore…you just lay there and think of guns or something….” He kissed a slow trail down Brenden’s stomach and his gut clenched in anticipation.

***

The unexpected dinner party invitation left Liam scrambling. A piece of him wanted to board the plane and fly the thousand miles back to Boston, to get away from the man invading his every waking thought. The rest of him didn’t think he could pry himself away with a crowbar. Every day he promised he would go home and then Brenden suggested a movie, a museum, and then the dinner party.

Liam couldn’t leave. He juggled his office schedule and took the vacation time he had accrued. He still handled some calls for his clients—including one while Brenden distracted the hell out of him with his mouth, but as long as Brenden wanted him there—he stayed.

He watched him interact with the retired Marines at the party—he wasn’t allowed to call them ‘ex-Marines,’ he already made
that
mistake. But the warning growl in Brenden’s voice had been totally worth it.

“Liam?” The feminine voice pulled his attention. Lauren Kincaid stood next to him. Brenden knew the best people.

“Yes, ma’am?” He smiled, trying to not let his distracted gaze wander back over to the gaggle of men laughing together and slugging each other’s arms.

“Brenden mentioned that you liked Shannon Fabray’s work….” Lauren’s comment drew his attention back. A lovely brunette accompanied Lauren. “May I introduce you?”