The Final Line (14 page)

“He cared enough to help you stop the drinking the first time.” Sean handed over the last plate and turned to wipe down the breakfast bar.

“I learned how to take care of the men under my command from Jonah,” Corey replied. “It’s not just about giving orders. You gotta help them be better men and better Marines.”

“How long did you serve with him?” Sean asked.

Corey shut off the water and turned around. He leaned back against the sink and faced Sean who mirrored him across the small kitchen. “We were in the same company for about six months. I got transferred to his custom assembled team for a special mission that lasted about three days. After that, he got sent stateside and I spent some time in a Navy hospital.”

Sean’s eyes widened. “You were wounded?”

“Our convoy of SUVs got hit by RPGs. Rocket propelled grenades.” Corey gestured for Sean’s hand. He placed Sean’s fingertips over the slightly raised scar barely hidden by his pale hair. “I had a concussion and my scalp was lacerated clear to the bone.”

Sean’s expression shifted from wariness, to curiosity, to sympathy. His touch was light but Corey felt it all the way down his spine. Even his cock shifted slightly.

Suddenly, Sean gave Corey a wide, mischievous smile. Corey’s heart kicked up in pace as Sean’s hazel eyes warmed. “Does this mean you have a Purple Heart?”

Corey snorted and returned Sean’s smile. “Among other things, yes.”

“You’ll have to show it to me sometime.” Sean trailed his fingers down Corey’s cheek.

Corey hadn’t looked at any of his medals since they’d been awarded to him. He wouldn’t even wear the ribbons on his uniforms if he wasn’t required to do so. “If I show you my medals will you sleep with me?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Corey was horrified.
Why the fuck had he said that?

Sean’s expression grew heated. He lifted a single eyebrow as he replied, “If you show me your medals I’ll sleep with you
sooner
.”

Blood flowed into Corey’s cock so fast it ached. His face turned hot and he swallowed against a suddenly dry throat as Sean’s words truly registered. Corey opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out.

Sean smiled brilliantly again. “For such a big, dangerous guy, you sure are cute when you’re flustered.” He leaned in and placed a soft, sweet kiss on Corey’s lips.

Corey moaned against Sean’s mouth. Regaining his senses, he pulled back on a gasp. “I didn’t mean that.”

Sean gave him a confused look. “What? You don’t want to show me your medals? Or you don’t want to sleep with me?”

“No! I mean yes! I…fuck.” Corey ran both hands over his face, struggling for composure.

Sean laughed. “Go sit down and relax. You are just too easy to wind up.”

Corey fled to the sofa and collapsed down onto it. He was pretty fucking sure the only other man who had ever left him this tongue-tied was Jonah Carver.

Sean handed Corey a fresh soda and dropped down onto the sofa next to him. “I’m curious about one thing,” he said. “If you were the one with a head wound, why was Jonah the one who was shipped home?”

“He and Kellan had to testify in front of Congress,” Corey replied with a laugh. “A fate I was able to escape.” He still enjoyed using that against Jonah.

“What the fuck did you guys get yourselves into?” Sean demanded, returning Corey’s smile.

“Remember about four years ago, when all the private defense contractors got indicted?” Corey asked. “They were rigging the contracts system and colluding to cause the deaths of U.S. service personnel?”

“Yeah, that was fucked up,” Sean replied. “Didn’t they have some investigators kidnapped and killed, making it look like terrorists had done it?” Corey watched as Sean’s mind raced through memories and made the necessary connections. “No way! That was you?”

“No, that was Kellan and Jonah,” said Corey. “I was just collateral damage.”

“No, seriously,” Sean persisted, “you were part of that investigation?”

“All I did was work as part of the security detail that protected Kellan and four FBI agents while
they
conducted an investigation.” Corey had hardly gotten to fire his weapon. “It was Jonah who sprinted through the streets of Diyala to rescue a kidnapped Kellan.”

“How many times have you used that story to get laid?” Sean asked as he laughed.

Corey loved the way Sean’s eyes crinkled when he laughed. His smile was so wide and genuine. He was fucking gorgeous and Corey wondered how the fuck he’d managed to end up here with Sean. “I’ve never told anyone before.”

Sean continued to smile at him. “What other fascinating secrets are you hiding?” he asked playfully.

Corey didn’t dare answer. He had a lot of secrets and he didn’t think very many of them were interesting.

A news broadcast flashed across the television screen, surprising Corey. He glanced at his watch and confirmed it was 2300 hours. “Shit, I gotta go.”

Sean rose from the sofa with him. “I suppose it is late, for those of you who have to get up early.”

“Early mornings and long days,” Corey replied mournfully.

When they reached the door, Sean unlocked it but didn’t open it. Instead, he leaned back against the wall. “If you have trouble falling asleep, call me.”

Corey waved his hand dismissively. “It sounds like you have a busy day tomorrow, you don’t need to hold my hand tonight.”

Sean reached out and laced his fingers with Corey’s. “But I want to hold your hand,” he said with a playful smile. “And if you have a nightmare, call me. I don’t have to be on the road until mid-morning, so don’t worry.”

Corey sighed heavily, realizing he was beaten. Keeping their fingers twined, he stepped into Sean’s space, just shy of touching. He could feel the heat of Sean’s body all along his own. He caught Sean’s clean scent again and heat built low in his belly. A flush rose on Sean’s cheeks. His eyes were dark and his nostrils flared slightly, as if he was breathing in Corey’s scent.

Linking the fingers of his other hand with Sean’s free hand, Corey lifted Sean’s arms over his head. He pressed Sean’s arms to the wall, pinning him gentle but firm. Sean gave no resistance. In fact, he seemed to melt into the wall behind him. Shifting his grip, Corey clasped both of Sean’s wrists with one hand. He used the fingers of his newly freed hand to skim down Sean’s cheek.

Sean’s eyes widened at the touch and Corey heard him draw a harsh breath through his parted lips. Corey watched Sean’s lush, generous mouth closely, forcing himself to be patient. He slid his fingers along Sean’s jaw, feeling little stubble. He must have shaved when he’d showered earlier. Corey smiled slightly at the thought that Sean had gotten cleaned up just for him.

“What?” Sean asked, his flush darkening.

Corey smiled wider and shook his head. “You. Just you.” He skimmed the pad of his thumb lightly over Sean’s lower lip, just as Sean had done to Corey the night they’d shared their first kiss.

Sean pressed a kiss to Corey’s thumb. Corey watched, fascinated, as Sean’s tongue slid out to lick lightly at him. His cock pulsed slightly at the soft, warm, wet feel of Sean’s tongue on his skin.

Corey slid the tips of his fingers over Sean’s lips, down his chin, and along the line of his throat. Sean tilted his face up slightly, his eyes sliding nearly shut as he moaned softly. Corey lifted his hand, cupped Sean’s face, and leaned in.

He wanted to be gentle and go slow, like Sean had the other night. But once Corey felt the touch of Sean’s lips on his own, he needed a deeper taste. Holding Sean’s jaw lightly, Corey tilted his head and parted his own lips. He urged Sean to open to him. He didn’t have to work very hard.

When Corey felt Sean’s lips part beneath his own, he pressed his tongue in and licked deep into Sean’s mouth. Aggressively, Corey rubbed his tongue against Sean’s eager one. Unlike the soft kisses of that first night, this one was hard and hungry. Sean made a needy sound low in his throat and Corey’s cock throbbed in response. Pulling back to adjust his angle, Corey dove back into the kiss. He didn’t quite seal their mouths and Sean’s harsh breaths ghosted over Corey’s lips.

When Corey flicked his tongue across the backs of Sean’s teeth, he received a soft moan in response. Corey pushed deep into Sean’s mouth, chasing his tongue. Sean made a sound high in his throat that sounded desperate. Pulling back slightly, Corey gently bit Sean’s lower lip. Sean made a high pitched, needy sound.

Corey’s cock was semi-hard. He was so relieved his body was finally responding in a familiar way. The kiss was wet now, their mouths gliding slickly against one another. Corey took a chance and closed the remaining distance between their bodies. With his chest and his hips, Corey pressed Sean firmly into the wall.

Groaning into Corey’s mouth, Sean pushed back against him. He ground their hips together and Corey could feel that Sean was hard. Corey’s cock was nearly as hard and he rubbed himself against the length of Sean’s firmly muscled body.

Sean made soft sounds, almost like whimpers, and it was the hottest thing Corey might have ever heard. He broke the kiss, running his palm down Sean’s chest. He felt the firm muscles beneath Sean’s shirt, as well as the way his chest heaved with each harsh breath and hungry sound. Corey kissed his way the length of Sean’s jaw. He pressed wet, open mouthed kisses to Sean’s throat, flicking his tongue over the hot skin. His lips brushed over a pulse point and Corey felt how hard Sean’s heart was pounding. He sank his teeth into the tender skin.

It was like Sean had been struck by lightning. He arched off of the wall, crying out. He tried to tear his wrists from Corey’s grip, but Corey held him fast.

“Jesus Christ, Corey,” Sean said in a raw voice. “What the fuck are you doing to me?”

Corey pulled back to look at Sean. His face was flushed and it bled down his throat to disappear beneath his shirt. The hazel of his eyes had been consumed by the pupils. He breathed through swollen lips like he’d just sprinted a mile.

“It was just a kiss,” Corey said, more out of breath than he’d realized.

Sean’s laugh had a hysterical edge. “You need to let me go now or I won’t want you to leave at all.”

Corey released Sean’s wrists even as he pressed their foreheads together. He didn’t want to leave. Yeah, Corey had wanted to fuck Sean, to work him out of his system, but this was more than that. He wanted to stay the night with Sean and all that usually entailed.

Which meant it couldn’t be tonight.

With one last kiss to Sean’s swollen mouth, Corey stepped back. “We’ll pick this up later. When neither of us has anywhere to be the next morning.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Sean said, still out of breath.

Sean looked so wrecked, Corey knew he had to leave that moment, or he wouldn’t leave at all. “Thanks for dinner and …everything.” He jerked open the front door.

“You’re welcome,” Sean called after him as Corey charged down the stairs as if pursued by the devil himself.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Corey walked around the BRC candidates who were his to instruct today. They were all seated on the ground, sketchbooks in their laps and fingertips covered in pencil lead. Some had already grasped the concept and were just struggling with the execution. Others didn’t seem to be grasping the fundamentals.

He stood behind them for several minutes, allowing them to struggle just a while longer before he provided guidance. Corey closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sun. His Oakleys did a good job of shading his eyes and the warmth felt soothing on his skin. He remembered he actually enjoyed being in the sun when he wasn’t hung over and hurting.

Corey had climbed into his rack last night, jacked off remembering Sean’s kiss, and fallen right to sleep. He hadn’t awakened until his alarm had sounded that morning. He was vaguely disappointed. It meant no nightmare, but it also meant Corey hadn’t talked to Sean since they’d parted the night before.

Stepping forward, Corey crouched down beside one of the Marines curled around his sketchbook as he slowly recreated the mock village in the distance. The Marine had the basics of the sketch right, but he was struggling to calculate size and distance.

“What do you see out there that you know the size or the distance of?” Corey asked quietly.

The Marine sergeant stared at the village in the distance for several long moments. “The oil drum,” he finally answered.

“Good,” Corey encourage. “Now use what you know about the oil drum to figure out the things around it. That’s how you get perspective. If something you know is smaller looks larger than the drum, you know it’s closer to you than it might appear to be.”

The sergeant peered through his scope again and made some notations on his drawing about the size of the oil drum. Corey watched him work through some calculations until he determined the size and relative distance of the earthen baking oven. He knew the moment the Marine remembered what the average height of doorways was in Afghanistan and Iraq, because he jotted down the accurate dimensions of the first structure.

Corey stood and moved on to the next student, confident the sergeant was grasping the concepts of triangulation. He wondered briefly if Sean was on the road to L.A. yet. He dropped down next to a lieutenant who could probably calculate distances pretty well, if he could figure out how to draw a passable sketch.

“Draw what you see,” Corey said softly.

“I’m trying,” the lieutenant said, his frustration obvious.

“Tell me what it is you see.” Corey kept his voice low and friendly.

“A village,” replied the lieutenant, giving the expected and obvious answer.

“A village is made up of millions of smaller parts,” explained Corey. “Structures, the oven, the scrub surrounding the village, the occupants. The structures themselves are earth and wood and glass and metal.” He lifted his hands to frame a small segment of the village. “Break it down into its smaller, basic elements, and tell me what you see.”

“The corner of a building and a shadow,” replied the lieutenant with much less frustration.

“So, straight lines and squares, right?”

“Right,” the lieutenant answered thoughtfully.