Category: Flash Fic Friday

I opened the door gingerly, cautiously peering around at my surroundings as I stepped into the shop. It was bright and colorful, and a little bulldog ran to greet me. I squatted down to give her pets. She reveled in the attention, making adorable bulldog snorts and pushing closer

“Can I help you?”

I jerked my gaze to the woman behind the counter. She was plump and pleasant, with a radiant smile and kind eyes.

“Er, yes.” I rose slowly from my crouch and cleared my throat. “I um…”

I trailed off not knowing what to say. But her smile was encouraging, so I took a deep breath. “I want to learn to knit.” I said it really fast, not knowing how she would take a man standing in her yarn shop and asking to learn.

“Wonderful! I’ll be happy to teach you. Do you have a project in mind? Or do you just want to learn the basics?”

In for a penny… “My boyfriend shaves his head. He needs a hat. And his birthday is in a couple of months so…” I let the sentence hang.

She came around the counter, her smile growing impossibly wider. “Excellent first project! Let’s get everything you need and we’ll get started!”

I liked her attitude. I returned her smile and trailed after her.

***

After eight weeks under Beth’a tutelage, I was a fairly proficient knitter. Well, I could knit and purl with the best of them anyway. Beth praised my tension and my progress. I’d had to run back to her and beg for help when it was time to decrease, but in the end I managed to make a hat.

Cole was getting suspicious. I could tell. He’d ask loaded question about what I was doing that I refused to answer. It had been difficult to hide my work in progress from him. I’d had to be very sneaky. But tonight it would pay off and I could put his mind to rest.

I was nervous. The hat was a deep, rich blue in a cashmere wool blend that felt awesome to the touch. It wasn’t perfect; a little uneven in places. But I hadn’t dropped any stitches and it was functional.

I shoved the gift bag in his hands the instant we sat down to dinner. I’d made his favorite meal, and I had a whole plan, but I couldn’t wait.

He eyed me warily as he opened the bag. Then he inspected the hat very carefully. I held my breath.

Finally he asked, his voice low, “Did you make this?”

I nodded fast. “Yes,” I croaked.

His grin was gorgeous as he pulled it on. It fit perfectly, even if I could see a mistake the instant the stitches stretched around his head.

“I love it,” he said reverently. Then he cocked his head to the side. “This is what you were hiding?”

I nodded.

He frowned. “Did you think I would judge you for learning to knit?”

“No!” I practically shouted, then blushed at my overly loud voice. Because I had worried about that a little. I shrugged and went with the rest if the truth. “just wanted to keep it a surprise.”

He took my hand. “It’s great. Thank you.”

“Happy birthday,” I said softly.

“Thank you,” he repeated. Then he grinned. “I want a matching scarf for Christmas.”

I grinned. If I started now, I’d be done by then. Learning to knit had been an awesome idea.

Everything hurt.  I had pain in places I didn’t even remember I had.  Sitting on the hospital bed, I could barely move without feeling a twinge of ache.  They’d given me some Vicodin, but it obviously hadn’t fully kicked in yet.  Or if it had, I needed some stronger shit.  Where was the good stuff?  Why wasn’t I on a morphine drip?  I had broken bones, lacerations, some surface burns, bruising, and a mild concussion.  Shouldn’t that warrant the use of heavy narcotics?

The curtain partition that separated my bed from the rest of the ER whipped back.  I looked up, and I couldn’t help the grin that stretched my face.  It even hurt to smile.  But my boyfriend was standing there, and just seeing him made me feel ten times better.  Sam and I had been together for three years, co-habitating for the last eighteen months, and he was it for me.  The love of my life.  The fact that he was here made all the aches and pains recede a little further.  Or maybe the Vicodin was finally doing it’s job.

“I’m okay,” I said soothingly, because he looked about ready to fall apart.  “It looks worse than it is.”

He nodded fast, and whispered, “Looks pretty bad.”

“I know, but it’s not.”  I held out the hand that wasn’t currently in a splint and waiting for a cast.  He practically ran to the side of the bed, taking my hand, and squeezing it tight.  His pretty blue eyes filled with tears, and his gaze roamed over my face and body, cataloging my injuries.

“You’re so lucky,” he whispered, and his voice hitched.  “If someone hadn’t seen the accident, if you’d been left out there–” His words left him and he made a little choking noise.

My right side was fairly uninjured.  The other car had t-boned mine, slamming into the driver’s side, but a little bit behind where my seat was.  My left wrist and hand were broken, and I had deep cut on my left thigh that had required fifteen stitches, but the right side was just banged up.  I grimaced as I slid over a few inches to make room for Sam to climb up on the right side of the bed.  He didn’t hesitate to do so, though he was careful of how he touched me.  I put my arm around his shoulders, and he laid his head ever so gently on my shoulder.

“But they did and I’m okay.  I’ll be healed in no time.  Before you know it, I’ll be able to bend you over the bed and fuck your tight ass.”  I was trying for levity, but I didn’t quite manage it.

Sam’s head jerked up, and he scowled at me.  “Not funny.  You could have died, Nathan!”

I knew I was in trouble by his use of my full name.  I made a soothing noise.  “I know, but I didn’t. I really am going to be okay,” I said softly, then leaned forward to place a kiss on his forehead.  His eyes slid closed for a minute, before snapping open again.

“We have to sign papers,” he said urgently.

I blinked. I didn’t quite follow his sudden topic shift.  I blamed it on the concussion.  “What papers?”

“Papers that say that I’m your emergency contact and that I can make health decision for you.  And vice versa,” he said.  I continued to stare at him, not exactly understanding, and his eyes filled with tears again.  “We aren’t married.  We can’t get married here and even if we got married somewhere else, this state doesn’t recognize it.  I almost couldn’t back here to see you.  They tried to stop me.  But one of the nurses told them you called me, that you wanted me.  If you’d been unconscious, I would’t have even known and I couldn’t have gotten back here and–”

“Okay,” I cut him off because he was getting worked up.  I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of that before.  Our lives were as entwined as they could be; I should have thought of that earlier.  We should have already had that in place.  “We’ll take care of that as soon as I get out of here, all right?”

He nodded, his body relaxing a fraction.  “When are you getting out of here?”

“I’m not sure.  I’m waiting for a cast on the wrist.  A few more hours at least.  Or maybe sometime next week with how fast they’re moving around here.”

Sam managed a weak chuckle, then let out a heavy sigh.  “I was so scared.  I love you, Nate.”

“I love you too, babe.”

“And we’ll sign papers?” he checked, glancing up at me.

“We’ll sign papers,” I confirmed.

He nodded.  He leaned a little more heavily against me knowing that, even bruised and battered, I could still take his weight. We settled back against the bed, prepared to wait however long it took until we could go home.  Together.

“I said I’m not going!” He yelled

I stayed calm. “And I said I don’t care. You’re going.”

Rage filled his features and his gaze cast about, looking for something to throw. But I’d herded him into the sunroom on purpose. There was nothing in here for him to get his hands on. He wasn’t strong enough to pick up the heavy wicker furniture and he’d never touch the plants. They were his passion.

“I’m a grown man and you can’t tell me what to do!”

Ah. So it was going to be one of those arguments. “Yeah, you are and I can’t,” I agreed. “But this is different. Date night is sacred. We go out, we reconnect and make time for us. We have a deal.”

He opened his mouth but I cut him off before anymore anger could spill out. “You’re drifting. I can feel it. And I won’t let you. Not after six years. I love you.”

The magic words. He crumpled, and sat heavily on the edge of a nearby chaise. Slowly, I closed the distance between us and sat next to him. I didn’t say a word, just let him feel my bigger body and my warmth. Suddenly, he turned and launched himself into my arms. I gathered him in, and held him tightly, like I knew he liked.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice muffled by the skin of my neck.

“I know,” I whispered back. He didn’t handle disappointment well, and he’d been dealt a big one. He was prone to hysterics. I didn’t mind. I’d manage him if he needed me to.

He took a deep breath, and then pulled back so he could see my eyes. “I’m not really up to going out tonight. Instead, can we order from that Italian place we like and talk and then maybe watch a movie and go to bed?”

Sounded like a good compromise to me. I stood, and offered him my hand. “Sure.”

He took it and I pulled him up. When he started to tug me toward the door, I resisted. “You know, you could have just said that.”

His laugh was weak, by he rolled his eyes so I knew he was feeling better. “Yeah but then I wouldn’t be me.”

I grinned and followed him willingly. He was right. And that was fine. Because I loved him.

The sound of a diesel engine still made me catch my breath.  Even though it had been two years since I had heard that  truck pull into my drive, every time I heard that particular sound of an idling  engine, my heart gave a painful thump.  I knew I’d never see that truck, or it’s driver, again.  But it still effected me.

We’d been together for six months.  Secretly, but that was okay.  Given his career, he couldn’t be out.  DADT hadn’t been repealed yet then.  So we maintained the friend facade in public and hid behind closed doors.  I accepted it.  It was worth it to be with him.

When he’d gotten his deployment orders, his stoic face had fallen into place.  We talked for a long while about what that would mean for us.  In the end, it was better for us both to walk away.  I hated every minute of it, but I respected the untenable position he was in.  I’d worried constantly over the last two years, knowing he was in combat in a war zone.  And hoped I didn’t hear the worst news possible.  Trying to put him out of my heart and mind was impossible.  But he’d made it clear before he left; we were over even though he cared for me a great deal.  I had to accept that.  And I was getting better at letting go everyday.

That didn’t mean the sound of that engine didn’t still twist my gut as I remembered the last time I’d heard it pull away from the house.  Hearing it this close again was almost unbearable.  I wouldn’t let myself look out the front window, just to see some other truck on the street, waiting for some other person.

The sound of the engine abruptly ceased.  I heard the door snap shut.  I forced myself to breathe evenly, and relax.  But then there was familiar sound of boots on the wooden porch.  A moment later, a distinctive rap on the door.  I sprang up and ran, not caring I’d knocked my glass to the floor and spilled water everywhere.  I yanked open the door.

There he stood, looking skinny and haggard, but smiling.  He was wearing his utility uniform, and I gasped as he pulled off his cover and aviator sunglasses.  There were lines around his eyes and mouth that hadn’t been there before.  But the familiar close cropped hair and mischievous tilt of his head still made my blood race.  He was as handsome as ever.  And I was just so damn happy to see him, alive and whole and smiling.  Tears filled my eyes.

The lance corporal was home.

**Luke and Seth make a reappearance.  See how the met here.**

“Oh my God!”

I was up and running because the tone of that yell made me think that my boyfriend had injured himself and was currently bleeding all over the floor.  I raced toward the back of the house, knowing that the last place I had seen Luke was in the spare bedroom where I kept the computer.  My heart was pounding, adrenaline pouring through my veins, as I passed over the threshold.  Luke was staring in abject terror at the monitor.  His blue eyes were as wide as saucers, his pretty mouth hanging open.

“Babe?” I asked cautiously, keeping my voice low.  “What’s wrong?”

He raised a shaky hand–the one not clutching the mouse for dear life–and pointed at the screen.  I crept closer, my mind running through the possibilities of what horror he had seen or read that had caused him to yell like that.  Knowing him, it could be anything from the news that his favorite designer had decided to retire to an image of a dead puppy.

Before I was close enough to see, he whispered in a horrified voice, “How did he even get that up there?”

My gaze shot to the screen and for just a second, I was as appalled as Luke was.  Then I wrestled the mouse from his clenched fingers, and quickly closed the browser.  With the image gone, he breathed a sigh of relief.  His hands were still shaking as he lifted them to cover his face.  I let him have a moment to collect himself.

“A traffic cone, Seth.”  His voice was still filled with disbelief and shock.

Because he still had his face covered, I didn’t try to school my expression as my lips started to quirk.  “I saw.”

“Why would anyone think that is a good idea?” he mumbled.  He moved his hands down to press against his mouth, and kept his eyes shut tight.

I couldn’t help but release a small laugh.  Now that I knew he was okay, and the offending image was gone, the whole situation was kind of funny.

“This is why you aren’t allowed to look at porn by yourself,” I chastised playfully.

His head shot up, his eyes popping open as he glared.  “I can look at porn if I want to,” he responded petulantly.  Then a smile started to creep across his lips, ruining his anger.  He gave a sigh.  “Though how I keep finding stuff like that, I don’t know.”

“You certainly have a talent for it,” I responded with a shake of my head.  I reached out and took hold of his biceps, easing him up out of the chair.  He came willingly, and then lunged into my arms, burying his face down against my shoulder.  He gave an exaggerated shudder, and I knew he was getting over the shock of what he had just seen.  I rubbed my hands up and down his back.  He relaxed a little more, his arms snaking around my waist and holding on tight.

After several moments, I placed a kiss on his temple, and then slid my mouth down closer to his ear.  I gave the outer shell a teasing little lick.  “How about we make our own porn?”

He jerked back, and his gaze was angry.  “Are you serious?  After what I just saw, I don’t think I’ll be able to get it up for months!”

With deliberate slowness, I smoothed my hands down his back until I could grab a hold of his ass.  His gasp was loud as I jerked his hips forward until his groin was in full contact with mine.  He tried to struggle and weasel his way out of my arms, but there was no way I was letting him go.  I gave my best lecherous grin, and slowly started undulating my hips.  It took mere moments before I felt his cock start to plump up.

“Do not tell me that turned you on!” He shouted, his voice over-loud.  I could see real shock and disgust in his eyes, so I quickly shook my head.

“Babe, that didn’t do a thing for me,” I assured him softly.  “But you’re in my arms.  That always gets me hot.”

He tried to keep up his facade of discontent, but I could see it crumbling rapidly.  I lowered my head until my lips were just a fraction of an inch from his, but didn’t go any further.  He would have to give in.  Only when he’d decided that I was telling the truth could he have the kiss.  Luke gave a frustrated whine when I didn’t move any closer.  Finally he huffed out a breath, lifted on his toes, and pressed his mouth to mine.  The kiss was slow and languid and I let him lead.  But after just a  few minutes, he pulled back.

“Sorry,” he said, his tone half flippant, half apologetic.  “Traffic cone.”

I chuckled, and let him go.  No help for it if the image was going to keep popping up in his mind’s eye.  We’d try again later.  I turned to leave, but before I walked out, I tossed one order over my shoulder that was imperative if I ever wanted to get laid again.

“Stay off the porn sites.”

His answering chuckle wasn’t exactly reassuring.

“Here.”

The voice startled me and I blearily blinked at the steaming mug in front of my face before lifting my gaze to see the man behind it.  My face was a stiff mask, I hadn’t been able to sleep at all, and I couldn’t even manage to muster a smile.  But Cal still looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing in the world.  Even if his deep brown eyes showed sadness.  And a bit of helplessness.  He didn’t know what to do with me right now.  He didn’t know how to help.  All that mattered to me was that he was here.  And apparently bringing me tea.  I took the mug and cradled it my hands.  The heat soothed my stiff fingers.  But I couldn’t make myself drink.  She’d taught me to love tea.

“Thanks,” I whispered.

I had curled up in the arm chair by the bay window right after I’d gotten the call last night.  I hadn’t moved.  Despite Cal’s coaxing, I couldn’t get up.  She’d given me this chair.  And now she was gone, in the blink of an eye, and I hadn’t seen it coming.  I’m sure she hadn’t either.  And even knowing that was the way she would have wanted it didn’t help to assuage the sadness suffusing my entire being.

Cal sat on the ottoman at my feet, tugging it just a bit closer until his knees bumped against mine.  His hands went to my thighs, just holding on, a reassuring touch in the miasma of despair. I never wanted him to let go.

“What can I do, Justin?”

I shook my head.  There was nothing he could do to make this better.  My vivacious, beautiful, accepting, rainbow-flag waving grandmother was gone.  There was absolutely nothing that could ease the ache.  She had been the first person I had told that I was gay, and the only person who accepted it without question.  She’d simply given me a hug, enveloping me in her familiar scent of chamomile and honeysuckle, and told me she loved me.  When my parents kicked me out, she’d taken me in and refused to speak to them until they changed their ways.  She’d always been my rock, my confidant, my safe harbor.  When I had met Cal, she was the one who told me he was my forever man.  She’d been right.  I didn’t know what I was going to do without her.  The sorrow threatened to overwhelm again, filling up my chest until I felt like I was choking on it.

“Get up,” Cal suddenly snapped, his voice a harsh imitation of his usual genial tone.

I blinked at him.  Then gasped in surprise as he grabbed the mug from my hand, the cooling liquid splashing over our fingers.  He slammed the cup down on the end table and stood up fast.  His face was hard, angry, and I just stared.

“Get up.  Right now,” he demanded.

“What?”  I couldn’t contain my shock.  I didn’t even try.  He’d always been so gentle with me, and now of all times, he was getting angry.  I couldn’t understand.

His hands wrapped around my biceps and tugged until I had no choice but to move or fall right out of the chair.  He was stronger than I was and he used that strength to haul me into his arms.  I couldn’t believe he was acting like this.  I struggled against him, but he held me fast, his arms wrapping tight around me.  One big hand came up to cup the back of my head, pushing my face down into the crook of his neck.  Being held immobile, the fight went out of me, and I sagged limply against him, letting him support my weight.

“It’s going to be all right,” he said, his voice still rough but a lot more tender.  “It hurts and it probably always will.  But she loved you more than anything else on this planet.  And that’s not going to go away just because she’s gone.  Every time you sit in that chair or drink a cup of tea or read Jane Austen, you’re going to think of her.  And you’ll be reminded of that love.  You’ll always have the lessons she taught you to carry you through.”

The dam broke.  The sob started in my chest, my entire body shaking as it worked its way out.  Tears flowed from my eyes, and I did nothing to stop them. letting them soak Cal’s shirt.  He held me, letting me cry, rocking us gently from side to side.

“That’s it, babe.  Let it out.  It’s good to cry.  You haven’t done that yet, and you need to.” Cal’s voice was soothing in my ear.

Eventually, the sobs quieted, the tears stopped, and I took a deep, shuddery breath.  Cal didn’t release his hold, but he eased back a bit so he could see my face.  His voice was firm but gentle when he said, “We’re going to get through this.”

I nodded, and took another breath.  I needed a tissue.

He gave me a soft smile.  “Think you can sleep now?”

I nodded again, and let him lead me to the bedroom.  He stripped off my clothes, then his own, before tucking me under the covers.  He disappeared for a moment, but came back to hand me a washcloth to wipe my face.  When I was done, he got into bed behind me, pulling me close, wrapping me up in his solid, warm body.  I let out another shaky breath, and closed my eyes.

I drifted to sleep knowing that Cal was right.  We would get through this, and my grandmother’s love would always be a part of me.

**My characters speak for me…and then have sex**

I stared at the blank document, my hands poised above the keyboard ready to type.  I watched the cursor blink.  I wracked my brain.  I watched the cursor blink some more.  Then, with a defeated sigh, I dropped my hands to my lap and bowed my head.

“Eli?” asked the deep voice from behind me.  “What’s the matter, babe?”

I turned in my chair to look at my boyfriend.  Cole was a big guy, with dark hair cut close to his scalp and a slightly imperfect nose from a fight in high school.  He was beautiful and loving and wonderful and absolutely the love of my life.  I could tell him anything and he would listen without judgement.  And he always offered his blunt and honest opinion.  I loved that about him.

“I’m boring.”

Cole cocked his head to the side and studied me for a moment, before crossing the floor on silent feet.  He stood behind me and dropped his warm, strong hands on my shoulders.  After a moment, they started to knead, working the tension from my stiff muscles.  He worked quietly for a long few minutes before he asked softly, “What are you talking about?”

“There’s supposed to be…” I trailed off and made a helpless gesture at the empty computer screen.  “I’m supposed to put up regular blog posts and I’m supposed to be writing words and I just…. I don’t have anything to say.”

“Well,” Cole said after a moment.  “You can’t force it.  Every time you do, you hate everything you write.  So just take a deep breath and take a step back.”

“But I’m supposed to write!”  I was whining and I didn’t care.  Cole’s hands squeezed, and I took a deep breath. “My readers, they come to the blog expecting to see posts about my progress.  Or what’s going on with me.  Only I don’t have anything to say and I haven’t made much progress.  How is that fair to them?  They’ve been so amazing.  They deserve better than that. How can I expect to keep the few fans I have if I don’t give them what they want?”

“You’re just starting out as an author, Eli.  You have to give it time.  Pretty soon, you’ll have many more readers.” Cole leaned down and placed a kiss on my temple, then said in my ear, “Believe it or not, they know you’re human, that you have a life outside of writing.  They all understand that sometimes you’ve got nothing to say.”

I nodded miserably.  “But I want to write for them.  For me.  I just–”

Cole cut me off by turning my head and pressing his lips to mine.  As always, I went pliant beneath his mouth.  I loved his lips and I loved them on mine.  He knew how to make me putty in his hands.  A few teasing licks, a little bit of a nibble on my bottom lip, and I melted with a sigh.  He pulled back, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“Maybe you just need a little inspiration,” Cole said, his voice low.

I blinked.  “Wha?”

He gave a sensuous chuckle, taking my hand in his.  With a little tug, he pulled me to my feet and started leading me toward the bedroom.  We had made the spare room my office, so it was a short walk across the hall and into our room.  With deft hands, he removed the t-shirt and sweat pants I was wearing, then gave me a little nudge so that I toppled backwards on the mattress.  Cole kept his gaze on mine as he removed his own sweatshirt and jeans.  Within moments, he was naked, his cock half hard and rising from the nest of dark curls I loved to bury my nose in.

“You write gay romance,” Cole said, his voice gravelly and deep as he stalked toward the bed.  He put one knee on the mattress as he reached for the condom and lube on the beside table.  “You’re a gay man.  So–” he stopped and gestured to his naked body, and then gave me a wicked grin as he added, “inspiration.”

My breathing sped up even as I lifted my arms and made a “gimme” gesture with my hands.  “Yes, please. Inspire away.”

Cole’s movements were slow and sensuous.  His lips and fingers never stopped moving, tracing and kissing every patch of skin on my body that he could reach.  He was always an attentive lover, always seeing to my pleasure.  He’d told me repeatedly that he got his own pleasure by watching me come undone.  He stretched me slowly, readying my body to take him in.  He wouldn’t be rushed, no matter how much I begged.  I didn’t need that much prep but Cole didn’t seem to care.  He never entered me before he decided I was ready.  He never wanted to cause me even the slightest amount of pain.

Cole drew out our pleasure until I was a sobbing, begging mess beneath him.  Only then did he pick up his pace, give me the pounding that I really loved.  When I finally came, I screamed out wordlessly.  Cole followed me over a dozen thrusts later, his big body pinning me to the mattress.  We were sticky and sated, panting heavily.  I held him as close as I could.  I loved his weight on me, and I never felt more cherished than when he held me tightly after we made love.

Eventually, Cole moved.  He disposed of the condom, and then pulled me out of bed to drag me into the shower.  He washed my body, and I let him, loving his hands on me even when he was just cleaning my skin.  Ten years together and he still made my breath catch.  When we were back in the bedroom getting redressed–because the day was only half over–he gave me a lazy smile as I pulled on a clean pair of sweatpants.

“So?  Was that inspiring?”

I dropped the t-shirt in my hands to launch myself at him.  Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him.  Hard.

A while later, when I was back in front of my computer, I lifted my hands and began to type.

I stared at the blank document, my hands poised above the keyboard…

Some more Alex and Matt…joined by the indomitable Carrie. **Mildly NSFW**

“No.  Fuck no!”

“What do you mean no?” Carrie asked, a little incredulously.

Matt just smirked. “Yeah, he said the same thing to me when we were talking about me moving in here.  We all know how well that turned out.  Isn’t that right, Alex?”

I stared at my best friend and my fiance like they were on drugs.  I was pretty sure they had both snorted coke when I’d been out of the room.  Because they couldn’t be serious.  Apparently, from the looks on their faces, they were.

“I’m not releasing fucking doves.  You’re both out of your goddamn mind if you think–”

I stopped short when I saw the twinkle in Matt’s eye.  His face was a mask of seriousness, but the little sparkle in his green eyes was enough to give him away.  I squinted and all but growled, “You little shit.”

He burst out laughing, and Carrie quickly joined him.  They’d been playing me.  I really should have known.  They thought they were fucking hysterical when the ganged up on me–which was happening with a lot more frequency the more time they spent together.  Lately, that had been a lot, since Carrie was actively helping to plan the wedding.

I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about all the trappings of the ceremony.  I wanted to marry the man I loved and it didn’t matter how it happened.  Matt had said he didn’t care either, but deep down, I knew he did.  So I let him have the reins to plan the kind of day that he wanted.  Normally, Matt’s taste was impeccable so I had no doubt that I’d appreciate any choices he made.  Of course, I hadn’t really thought through throwing Carrie into the mix.

“Come on, Lex,” Carrie said, her voice cajoling, when she so the look on my face.  “We were just playing around.”

Matt instantly looked contrite and slid from his chair to land in my lap.  He wound his arms around my neck and kissed me, not caring that I was frowning.  “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered, his lips against mine.  “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I sighed and melted, pulling him close and squeezing him tight.  He tucked his head down into the crook of my neck with a content sigh of his own.  And then after a beat, he very purposely wiggled his ass so that he ground against my cock.  I gave him a glare because Carrie was sitting right there and had an unholy gleam of interest in her eye, but Matt didn’t seem to care.  He was deliberately trying to seduce me.  But I didn’t want him doing that just to make up for the fact that they’d played a joke on me.

I pulled back far enough to say so but the look in his green eyes was enough to make me catch my breath.  He wanted to ravage me and I was suddenly all for letting him.  Matt licked his lips and my gaze dropped to watch his tongue.  His lips quirked up in a small, smug smile.

“Sorry, Carrie,” Matt said.  “You need to go.”

“But why?” she whined petulantly.  “We haven’t made any real decisions!  We’ve just been goofing off for the last hour.  Your wedding is only three months away and–”

“You need to go,” Matt interrupted, not taking his eyes off of me, “Because I’m going to drag your best friend into our bedroom and fuck him into the mattress.”

I hissed in a breath.  I loved it when he got commanding.  If he was in a real possessive mood, I wouldn’t escape the bedroom without several deep, bruising bites.  Just the thought of it made me shiver.  I was hard already, just from his words and his weight in my lap.  He wiggled expertly, making sure I knew he felt me.  I barely stifled a moan.

“Wait a minute,” Carrie said, her tone thoughtful.  “You do the fucking?  Cause, seriously, if I had to guess, I would have said the other way around.”

“Dammit, Carrie,” I ground out, my ears turning red.  I didn’t know which bothered me more; the fact that she’d said that out loud or that she’s been thinking about it at all.

“Oh, Alex fucks me plenty,” Matt said conversationally, still keeping his eyes on me.  He readjusted his position until he was straddling my thighs, then pushed his hard length into my stomach.  “But tonight?  I’m totally doing him.”

I wouldn’t call the sound that escaped my throat a whimper exactly.  But it really revved my engine when Matt talked like that.  My hands moved of their own volition, grabbing his ass and pulling his body tight to mine.  God I loved his ass.  Matt’s grin turned cocky as he tipped my head back and kissed me hard.

“At least wait till I’m gone!” Carrie squeaked.  A minute later, the front door slammed.

I pulled out of the kiss, trying to catch my breath.  Matt knew exactly how to get me worked up.  I was ready to let him devour me, but first there was something I needed to know.  I caught his wandering hands in mine.  He pouted but looked me square in the eye.

“Why is it you always pounce when you’re making wedding plans?”

His pupils were blown with lust and he growled.  “You’re gonna be mine.  Forever.”

“Yeah,” I agreed with a shiver.  “I am.”

“Wanna make you mine right now.”

I had to grin, because, really, I loved it when he got like this.  I’d always wanted to belong to someone.  And even though I’d had moments of worries and doubt since Matt and I had gotten together, the one thing I knew with absolute certainty was that I loved this man with everything I had.  When I nudged him, he stood quickly and practically yanked me out of the chair, and then dragged me across the house to our bedroom.

He wanted to show me I was his?  That was fine with me.

**Have you read Hero Worship?  It’s on sale at Dreamspinner press…and until the 19th of February everything is on sale!  25% off!  Check out the Dr. Feelgood Anthology and all of the other amazing titles.  In the meantime, here’s a short featuring Alex and Matt…and their first Valentime’s Day together**

If asked, Alex would say we’d only been together for four months.  If he was in a particularly grumpy mood, he’d get technical and say three and a half.  And even though it had only been that long since we’d admitted our feeling for each other, the truth of it was that our relationship began the day I moved into his house.  Alex had thought it would only be a platonic arrangement.  I had known differently from the start.

I had absolutely no doubt that Alex loved me completely.  And I knew he knew I loved him back just as much.  It was taking some time to shift Alex’s perspective so that he could fully trust in what we were building together.  He’d spent so long thinking of me as a kid with a case of hero worship that it was hard for him to see me as a grown man with a solid job.  That despite my age, I was ready to settle down.  He was my forever and I was going to prove it to him.

Valentine’s Day was largely a commercial holiday and I was certain that Alex hadn’t given it much thought.  But I’d been planning for this since almost the beginning.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s—all those holidays didn’t mean as much.  Though we’d spent each one as a newly appointed couple, we’d also spent plenty of them together in the past.  This was our first Valentine’s Day together, though, and I wanted to make it special.

When Alex got home at seven-thirty in the morning, he was doing the zombie shuffle.  He’d worked back-to-back night shifts for the last two weeks.  Normally, he wouldn’t have been scheduled for so many in a row, but one of the other paramedics in the company had been injured and Alex had picked up most of the slack.  He was one of the few that didn’t have kids at home; only a partner tired of sleeping alone.  But as of today, he’d be free of nights for a while. And he actually had today, tomorrow, and Sunday off before he went back to days.

He didn’t even seem to notice me sitting at my desk in the corner of the living room as he shambled by.  But that could have been because he had his shirt half off and obscuring his face at the time.  I smiled softly.  He was beyond exhausted and I knew he needed sleep.  I quietly turned back to my work.  I’d arranged it so I was working from home for the day and I had to put in a few hours of concentrated work before I could log off.  As the website manager for a big medical complex, it was my responsibility to make sure everything was running smoothly.  Ever since they had added online appointment booking three weeks ago, though, it seemed like there were always bugs that needed working out of the program.

By three, I was finally finished and I quickly shut down my computer.  I walked down the hall on silent feet and poked my head into the bedroom.  Alex was still sleeping soundly, his big body stretched out on cotton sheets, the blanket twisted hopelessly around his middle.  If I wasn’t in bed with him, he slept restlessly.  Only when he had me to cling to was he ever still in sleep.  I couldn’t help the smile that stretched my lips.  He was a beautiful man and, sometimes, just looking at him made my heart ache.  I contemplated joining him for just a few seconds.  My smile turned rueful and I shook my head.  Quietly, I retreated the way I came.  I wanted him to keep sleeping.  I had plans for him later.

I had an hour, tops, before he rose from his slumber.  He’d be ravenous when he woke.  I wanted dinner on the table by the time he ambled into the kitchen looking for nourishment.  I learned the art of moving silently in our eight months—seven and a half—of living together.  It had been a necessity for Alex’s peace of mind.  Shift work was hard on a person, and I had wanted to do everything I could to make it easier for him.

Moving with exaggerated, careful movements, I set the table.  Dark red table cloth, silver candlesticks that had been my grandmother’s, the vase of roses I’d hidden in the back hall—everything placed just so until I was pleased.  I stood back to admire it for a long moment, smiling.  Then I glanced at the clock and swallowed down a hint of panic.  It had taken me longer than I’d anticipated to get everything on the table exactly how I wanted it and now I’d have to rush to cook dinner.  Fortunately, I was making Alex’s favorite dinner—linguine in clam sauce—and it was easy enough to prepare.  I minced the garlic and chopped the onions while water for the pasta boiled.  The pasta was just about done and the garlic, onions and clams were just about ready to go over the top of the linguine when I heard Alex’s cell phone ring from the bedroom.

Crap.  I wouldn’t have time to change.

“Fuck, Carrie,” I heard Alex say from down the hall.  “I got him a card.  Isn’t that enough?”

I snorted back a laugh.  Yeah, it was enough.  It was exactly the kind of thing the love of my life would do.

“Are you in my house cooking?” Alex said, presumably to Carrie—his best friend and my sister-in-law.  There was a beat of silence.  “I gotta go.  Don’t call back.”

I was just plating the meal when I felt, more than heard, Alex enter the kitchen. I didn’t turn around right away, fussing with the way everything looked one last time.

“Matt?” Alex asked tentatively from the doorway.  I took a deep breath, crossed to the sink to place the now empty pan inside, smiled widely, and turned.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, love,” I said softly.

He just squinted at me.  “What are you doing home so early?”

I couldn’t stop the chuckle and I didn’t even try.  Shaking my head, my grin grew.  “I worked from home today.  You didn’t even notice when you got in.”

Alex hung his head, “I’m sorry.”

I moved fast, crossing the floor quickly so I could get my hands on him. Cupping his face in my hands, I lifted his head until I could see directly into those brown eyes I loved so much.  “No, no need to be sorry.  You were exhausted and you needed your sleep.  It’s all good.  Hungry?  I made your favorite.”

“I can smell that,” he said, the beginnings of a smile working it’s way across his delectable mouth.  He leaned forward and dipped his head enough so he could press his lips to mine.  “Thank you for this.  It looks awesome.  The table, the food… Everything looks great.”

I pecked his lips again as an acknowledgement of his praise, then led him to the table, pulling out his chair for him.  He gave me a skeptical smile as he sat.  Normally, we sat facing each other across our small table, but today I’d placed us side-by-side.  I had purposefully seated him in the left most seat so that he could still use his dominant hand to eat and his right could wander into my lap.  If he was so inclined, that is.

We were quiet as we ate—Alex wasn’t big on conversation when he was shoveling food into his hungry stomach—but we exchanged soft touches and lingering smiles.  When Alex finished his last bite and sat back with a satisfied sigh, I stood quickly, clearing the plates from the table.

“I have dessert too,” I said.  Alex grinned.  I went to the back hall to retrieve the chocolate raspberry cheesecake I’d made the night before.  It wasn’t heated back there and it served well as cool storage.  I hadn’t wanted to put it in the refrigerator in case he’d gone looking for a snack before falling into bed for the day.  While I was in there, I pulled his present from where I had hidden it behind some canned goods and shoved it in my pocket.

A few minutes later, we were seated again, each with our own slice of cheesecake.  The way Alex was eating had made me lose interest in my own dessert.  He licked his fork after every bite, his pink tongue snaking out and wrapping around the tines to make sure he didn’t miss a single speck.  And the noises he was making?  They would not have been out of place in a porno.  Blood rushed to my cock and my gaze was determinedly fixed on his face as it contorted into pleasure.  I swallowed hard.  If I didn’t give him his present now, I’d be dragging him off to bed.  The instant the last bite disappeared, I shoved away from the table and dropped to my knees at his side, pulling the black velvet box from my pocket as I did so.

“The fuck?” he asked quietly.

“I love you,” I said in response.

His face turned a little wary but there was no hesitation when he said, “I love you too.”

“I want you to be mine forever.”

Alex’s expression softened and he reached out with one big hand to cup my cheek. “I already am.”

I had to swallow hard and my hands were shaking, but I opened the box showing him what was inside as I rushed out the words.  “Marry me?”

“Fuck,” he said with a groan, his lids slamming shut. I just laughed.  I hadn’t expected anything less from him.

“It doesn’t have to be some big ceremony.  It doesn’t even have to be a ceremony at all. Just wear my ring and we’ll file for domestic partnership papers.  I don’t care.  I just want to be tied to you in every way possible.

Alex was silent for a long moment before his eyes opened and he looked at me.  “You think Carrie would ever forgive me if I didn’t give her a chance to be best woman at my wedding?”  He shook his head and gave a little laugh.  Then he reached out with his other hand so he was holding my face.  Quietly, he said, “I was going to ask you, you know.  When I was sure you were ready.”

“I’m ready,” I assured him quickly.  I knew he was worried about my age and thought I wasn’t ready to settle down.  But I was.  I so was.  I thought he was, too, but he hadn’t yet answered me, not really, and the nerves I hadn’t felt at all up to this moment started creeping in.  The longer he remained silent, the worse they got.  Until I finally held the box up a little higher, bringing it back into his field of vision. “Alex?”

“Yeah, I’ll marry you.  Absolutely I’ll marry you.  I’m going to marry the hell out of you.”

My grin took over my entire face.  My hands were still shaking as I lifted the wide platinum band from the box and slipped it over his ring finger.  He waited patiently until I was done before he grabbed me and used his superior strength to haul me into his lap.  The box fell to the floor, but I didn’t care.  When he stood with me in his arms, we bumped against the table and I though I heard a plate clatter to the floor.  But he was kissing me, carrying me to the bedroom and it didn’t matter.  He was mine, and I was his.  And we were going to be that way forever.  Nothing could make me happier.

I’d known from the moment I’d first laid eyes on him four and half years ago that he was going to be mine.  And now he was.

Happy Valentine’s Day indeed.

**I know it’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve had a flash fic.  Forgive me for the indiscretion.  This one features Adam and Jamie, who we first met back in November.  You can read it here.**

He should have been home an hour and a half ago.  And that was taking into account the havoc the current weather would have played with his normally ten minute commute.  I’d worked from home–my boss had had the foresight to tell us not to venture out–but Jamie didn’t have that capability. I told myself that I shouldn’t be anxious and worried, but where he was concerned, I couldn’t help it.  It had snowed all day, but in the past few hours the temperature had dropped below zero.  I was worried something had happened.

Seven o’clock came and went and I started pacing.  Calls and texts to his phone went unanswered.  Every other minute, I was at the front door peering down the street in hopes of catching a glimpse of his beat up ten-year-old sedan.  The Weather Channel was playing quietly in the background and the meteorologist was droning on about how this was the biggest storm to hit in more than a decade.

The sudden pounding on the front door scared the crap out of me.  As I was sprinting to pull it open, my mind was wildly conjuring a police officer on the other side, having arrived to tell me something horrible had happened to my boyfriend.  I yanked open the door in a panic only to come face to face with said boyfriend.

Relief swept through my veins only to be quickly replaced by anger.  He had some nerve, scaring the crap out of me like that.  His hat and coat were caked with snow, his cheeks raw and red from the wind.  He stumbled over the threshold and I slammed the door behind him, ready to give him a piece of my mind.  But what I hadn’t seen in the driveway filtered into my brain before I could say a word.

“Jamie, where’s your car?

He blinked at me for a long moment like the question didn’t make sense.  Then he shook his head and mumbled, “W-wouldn’t start.”

It took a second for me to realize the implication of that.  I started peeling him out of his wet and snow covered winter wear.  “Did you walk?”

He could barely nod.  Good Christ!  No wonder he was so late.  In this weather, he could have gotten hypothermia, for all that it was only five miles.  Worry pounded through me as I dropped all his outerwear in a heap by the front door and knelt down to unlace and remove his boots.  I realized Jamie was barely shivering and, for a split second, I was glad.  Then I realized just how cold he must be if his internal temperature had dropped so low that his body wasn’t trying to warm itself.

I touched his skin and he winced at the contact.  It was like holding an ice cube.  The lecture on how he’d worried me half to death would have to wait.  I had to get him warmed up, had to get his body temperature back to normal before there was permanent damage.

He was only a little bit shorter than I was, but a lot leaner, so I had no trouble scooping him up in my arms.  He didn’t protest and I knew things were bad.  He hated it when I carted him around.  He wrapped himself around me like he was trying to crawl inside.

I debated the merits of getting him into a warm shower but I knew that skin to skin contact would warm him faster.  I headed straight for our bedroom and started stripping of his clothes.  I got him under the covers before I removed my own, then slid between the sheets as well, covering his body with as much of mine as I could.  For long moments, there was only the sound of our breathing.  I wasn’t sure how long had passed.  And then, Jamie started to shiver, his whole body jerking almost violently.  I never thought I’d be so relieved so feel him shake like that.  He burrowed his body in tighter to mine and I rubbed my hands up and down any exposed skin I could reach.  After a few more minutes, the shivers subsided to a much more tolerable level.  He was still cool to the touch, but no longer cold.

“Why didn’t you call me to come get you when you couldn’t get your car started?” I asked softly, almost conversationally.  Jamie sighed and buried his face against my chest.

“Didn’t want you out in that,” he murmured, sounding more like himself.

“No, of course not, you’d rather freeze to death on the way home and scare me out of my mind in the process,” I retorted.  Now that he was warm again, or at least on his way, I could afford to let a bit of the anger leak through.

“Sorry, Adam,” he whispered.  “Thought it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

I pulled back abruptly so I could see his face.  His eyes were a clear blue that, normally, I loved staring into.  I squinted at him.  “No big deal?” I asked incredulously.

“I just mean,” He had to stop as a particularly hard shudder wracked his body.  When it passed, he took a deep breath, “I meant that I thought I could walk home in no time.  That moving would keep me warm enough.  And I thought it would be faster than if I waited for you to brush off your car, come get me, and for us to make it home.”

The logic made sense and I was at least grateful he’d thought it through before he decided to walk in this weather.  I sighed heavily, inordinately glad that he was all right.  He seemed to be recovering just fine.  “Okay,” I said finally.  “But I was going out of my mind with worry.  You could have at least let me know.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he said softly and I could tell he meant it.  We laid there entwined for a long silent minute before he lift his head and looked me in the eye.  “Adam?”

I quirked an eyebrow and he smiled.

“Remember when you told me that if I wanted your attention, I had to ask for it?”

I nodded slowly, not quite sure where this was going.  Then he pushed his body in tight to mine and the evidence of what he wanted was pressed against my hip and hardening fast.

“May I have your attention please?”