“No more secrets, Hardcase,” I replied meeting his gaze.
Vincent swallowed hard as his eyes dilated. It was as if no one else was in the room. “What will you do instead?”
“A research and training facility for our kind,” I replied. “I’ve given a lot of thought to this. We were Altered without any real knowledge of how it would affect us long term or even how to best utilize our gifts. You were a prime example of how little our superiors understood us. And the training always needed a lot more humanity. I have been approached by some well-heeled backers who feel the same.”
My lover smiled beautifully. “I’ve always wanted to research our phenomena.”
Lt. Remak brightened. “The training aspect would be very interesting to me.”
“I knew it would,” I replied. “You see, there are options should that time come. For now, I need help with the tea.”
“I would be honored, sir!” Remak said.
“Okay...just fill the teapot and put more on to brew,” I said.
“Yes, sir!”
Vincent gaped at me. I signaled him to be quiet. I felt like we were entertaining in-laws. We were alone long enough for me to stroke his pouty lower lip with my thumb. He licked it just before everyone returned to the room.
“Who made these trays?” Jenn asked. “They’re amazing.”
“Vincent did most of the work. I just did as I was told,” I said.
“Brother, you can cook?”
Vincent blushed. “I’m not making five star meals. We just cut stuff up. Now Eat!”
It was exactly an entreaty out of charm school, but it took the focus off our domestic life for a moment. And then Maximilian and most of the rest of the squad were in the house.
“I brought a pumpernickel!” Maximilian exclaimed “Such bread has been a tradition in my family for generations!”
“’Kay...” Vincent replied while gaping at him with his usual confusion. “Slice it up on the cutting board in the kitchen and set it out.”
“It shall be done!”
I dished a plate of my own then took a seat on the sofa slightly away from the fray. I expected Vincent to sit in the easy chair or in the dining room, but he threw himself next to me without looking obvious. I needed that. So did he, it seemed.
As I predicted, much of the time, my men interacted with each other. Jenn and Remak alternated between cleaning up after everyone and snooping around the house. Bobby spoke to his brother about his own adventures. He listened and asked questions and basked in Bobby’s enthusiasm. I even did some gentle mentoring of the young man.
Since we were more or less open for all to see and interacted when asked to, everyone was satisfied that we weren’t harming each other. In the hour it took to demolish the food, everyone was convinced that we were on the mend. Bobby, Jenn and Lt. Remak managed to remark at some point that the sleeping arrangements could hardly be adequate. All of them assumed that one of us was on the sofa. We didn’t lie; rather we maintained that the arrangements suited our needs.
The final acquiescence was allowing the ladies to clean up after lunch. I bid my men farewell then settled in a lounge chair under a shady tree in the yard where Vincent had decided to chop wood. Remak was happy to find me nearly dozing when she came to say goodbye. From what I could tell, Jenn and Bobby left content about Vincent’s well being.
I received a deep and clingy kiss in the backyard when we were finally alone. Vincent was very pleased with me for some reason. I could think about why later. I just enjoyed the kiss. I wanted to watch him chop wood especially since he was shirtless and his pants were riding very low. However, my eyelids would not cooperate.
When I woke, the sun was lower in the sky but not quite setting. It had to be late afternoon. To my delight, I found Vincent wrapped around me. The lounge chair was not very wide, but he managed to find space on it and on me. I gently stroked his silken hair.
“Sorry to fall asleep on you,” I said sheepishly. “I usually don’t nap twice.”
“You needed it,” he shrugged.
“Did you sleep?”
“No, but I wanted to hold you,” he replied nuzzling my neck.
That earned him a kiss, which he returned heatedly. When Vincent raised his head, the expression in his eyes made me moan. The tables would be turned on me that night. I really didn’t mind.
“So, our kitchen is spotless,” I murmured. “We have enough wood.”
“I’ve got plenty of wood, Colonel,” he grinned.
“I realize that, Vincent,” I replied dryly. “But shouldn’t we do something about the chicken?”
“Oh, yeah...” he replied. “But that won’t take long. Then, your ass is mine.”
I wanted to argue for the sake of not looking needy, but I really couldn’t. Instead, I let him claim my mouth. After another heated exchange, we moved to the kitchen.
“It occurs on me that our secret assailants could try to provoke us by using people we’re close to,” I said heading for the telephone. “I’ll have Lt. Remak put some men on Bobby and Ms. Saxl.”
“I’ll call them and tell them to stay away from strangers,” he said.
We made the calls in short order. Lt. Remak insisted on putting men outside of our home, and this time I agreed. It was a compromise to keep her from conducting surveillance on her own. With that, we turned our attention to the meal.
I learned to peel garlic. Vincent had me peel a lot of it. Forty cloves in all while he cleaned and prepped the chicken. I was highly dubious of the amount, but Vincent insisted that I trust him. After the garlic, I learned how to remove tiny herb leaves from delicate stalks while he peeled potatoes and carrots.
“You put the garlic and some of the herbs in the chicken. The chicken goes into the pan with the vegetables,” he explained. “Olive oil and the rest of the herbs over the chicken and veggies. Then, everything in the oven for a couple of hours.”
I was impressed. I told him so.
“But wait, my plan gets better,” he continued. “That is just enough time to fuck you and have a shower.”
“Very efficient,” I quipped even as my body was reacting to the purr in his tone.
“That’s me, Major Efficient,” Vincent replied. He snagged my wrist and dragged me to the bedroom where I was all but thrown onto the bed. He may have been convalescing, but the young man was plenty strong.
“Vincent...mmrrmph...”
I couldn’t believe how well he kissed in just a short time. He had me moaning and gasping in moments while he stripped me of my clothes. I managed to get his shirt off, but he yanked off his own pants with an impatient growl.
“Happy?” He snapped before kissing me again.
I was happy that he was naked, but I still couldn’t get my hands on him. Then, I didn’t care. My most brilliant protégé had unleashed a newfound talent with his tongue on my body. I had never been played so well before. He found every sensitive spot that heightened my arousal. All the while, those amber eyes watched me.
“I love seeing you like this,” Vincent murmured as he hovered over my abdomen. He had been tormenting my navel. “I love that you trust me enough to see you this way.”
He gently grasped my erection. I arched into his touch.
“Vince...Vince...”
“I’ll do my best, but I’m new at this,” he said lowering his head.
I was going to say something supportive, but his hot mouth thwarted my brain functions. He licked me like a lollipop humming his appreciation before taking me into his mouth. My love couldn’t take me whole, but he did well enough. He had to hold me down by the hips while he had me. Lord, that man could learn anything just experiencing it once. He worked me to climax in an embarrassingly short time.
“Oh...God...Vince...”
I came inside that beautiful mouth with those incredible eyes glittering at me. He suckled me through the waves of orgasm. Then, he crawled up my body to bring those amazing lips level with mine.
“Y
ou taste good, Rick,” he purred. “I love the feel of you in my mouth.”
“You do?”
“Oh, yeah,” he smiled. “I want to do this for you as often as possible.”
“Oh, God.”
He chuckled as he reached for the lube. “Did you like how I tasted?”
“Yes...and how you felt,” I whispered as he slicked his fingers. “You are incredible.”
Vincent smiled. “So are you.”
He kissed me then – a hot, deep kiss. I tasted myself and it was delicious. I was convinced that everything tasted good on that tongue. While I lost myself in my lover’s kiss once again, I felt his long, elegant fingers press inside me. I groaned into the kiss then relaxed against him. He gently stretched me while pressing deeper until he found my sweet spot. I broke the kiss.
“Vince...Vince...please...now!”
“Pushy bastard,” he smirked. I watched him slick his erection, and then he took me in his way – swift and sure. I let him in to the root with his first stroke.
I watched Vincent’s face with some satisfaction. He was struggling for control. His golden eyes narrowed at me.
“Don’t be so smug, Colonel,” he rasped. “You will say you are mine.”
With that he canted his hips then pumped into me. And the crafty bastard stroked my sweet spot over and over nearly robbing me of breath. Again, I felt something powerful arc between us. Our gazes locked as Vincent took hold of my re-awakened erection and started to stroke me. I have never felt like I belonged anywhere or to anyone. That was why I sought power –I wanted to control all that was around me. I felt different with Vincent. I belonged with him. I belonged to him.
“Yours...” I gasped as I felt him surge toward climax.
His eyes widened at the admission. Then the near painful pleasure of release consumed us both. Vincent sought my mouth as we rode through the crackling pulsing arc that passed between us.
Vincent collapsed on me. He nuzzled my neck when I wrapped my arms around him and stroked his back.
“What have you done to me?” He asked softly.
“Done to you?” I asked. “I believe you did me this time. Didn’t you notice?”
“Notice? How do I keep from wanting this all the time?” He muttered.
I smiled. “Most women maintain that we do want it all the time – mainly because we do.”
“How do I think about anything else?”
“It’ll help knowing that you have access to me when you want,” I said reasonably.
“True,” he admitted leaning up to look in my eyes. His were playful.
“Work helps,” I continued. “Things were so crazy two years ago that I would go for weeks without feeling remotely horny.”
“I hope that won’t happen when you go back to work!”
“Unlikely while you’re here with me.”
That placated him.
“For now, there is the wonderful smelling meal in the kitchen. Your stomach is growling,” I pointed out.
“I’m starved!” He said as if it was a revelation. “Didn’t get much at lunch. Those guys are vultures.”
He kissed me briefly before swinging out of bed.
“Shower with me.”
“Alright,” I said allowing myself to be pulled from the bed.
Once in the bathroom, we faced each other while the water warmed. He waited, gazing at me intently. After a moment, I reached up brushed back my hair. A thin scar ran from my scalp, past my temple in an arc down my cheek. For some reason, Vincent smiled.
“Leave it to you to have a sexy war wound,” He muttered tracing the scar. “You were always too perfect, too handsome...too polished...strong jaw and high cheek bones. That’s why people thought you were arrogant.”
“I am arrogant, Vincent,” I quipped, dragging him under the hot spray.
“Yeah, but you’re less perfect and more accessible,” he said. “You would have never opened up to me before.”
“No, I suppose not,” I replied while soaping his heavy hair. “I have no regrets about what happened. It reset my priorities.”
“I have no regrets either,” Vincent sighed as I massaged his scalp. “Whatever it took to get here.”
That earned him a kiss, and then we set about getting clean. I found that I loved washing his hair. It was as sensual an experience as I’d imagined it would be. Vincent easily allowed it just as I allowed him to carefully soap my damaged face. He even washed my hair, mimicking the scalp massage with his usual uncanny skill. We dried each other off, and he let me comb his hair. I could have climaxed doing that. It was like weaving thick, soft silk. Vincent was patient during this indulgence. He even hugged me close when I was through.
Robes were the attire for supper. Vincent wisely reasoned that we would be naked in bed soon, and the house was warm from the oven and the hearth. I dished out the left over salad while Vincent plated the chicken and vegetables. I opened a bottle of red wine and poured each of us a glass. The meal was delicious. I told him so.
“Is this love?” Vincent asked quietly while studying his vegetables.
Even after all we had shared, he was still nervous about being vulnerable to me. This was a brave question for him.
“Yes. It is, Vincent,” I replied, reaching out to tilt his chin up. I needed to look into those amazing eyes. “It is love for me.”
He blushed under my gaze and gave me a tremulous smile. “I didn’t know what love meant until now. I don’t want to leave you.”
“Don’t,” I replied simply. “Let’s get some more stuff for the house and get comfortable.”
“Bobby will have a fit,” he said. “The only reason he isn’t freaking out now is he thinks this temporary – like our injuries caused this.”
“He’s a big boy now, Vincent. He’ll be on his own soon,” I said. “And in the end, we just have to show them that we make each other happy. I do make you happy?”
“Who ‘da thought,” he snorted kissing my fingers. “I can’t leave you. I’m just saying you’re going to have a freaked out brother-in-law on your hands.”
I smirked at that. “And a freaked out Lieutenant-in-law.”
“With a gun,” Vincent added ruefully. “It was never dull between us before, why should it be now?”
We enjoyed the meal and the clean up in giddy silence. Before long, we were soaking up the last of the fire along with snifters of cognac while entangled on the sofa.
“Want to sleep in tomorrow?” I asked with my nose with my nose pressed in his hair.
“No, let’s go back to the Café,” he murmured. “I want to get some stew beef. We’ll be alone this time.”
I doubted that, but agreed anyway. It was hard to argue while Vincent was pressed against me. We finished the cognac, banked the fire, and went to bed. This time, we didn’t make love, but we did share long kisses before drifting off to sleep. I had no bad dreams.
3
The next morning was crisper than the morning before. We had to pull out scarves and gloves for the walk to the market. Winter would be on us in just a few weeks. I thought about extending my sick leave to a leave of absence. The idea of being holed up with Vincent in a small, cozy house for the winter was far more appealing than completing missions or investigations in snow and ice. Since we knew this was to be a permanent relationship, it was time to talk about our futures. But I would hold off on weightier matters until we were back home.
Our shopping was done much more quickly than the day before. We picked up the beef and more herbs, and then headed for the Café. Before we reached it, I noticed the elderly ladies from the day before. I turned on my heel back toward a flower stall I’d noticed earlier.
“What are you doing?” Vincent demanded. “I need sausages!”
“Patience. We’re being gallant.”
“We are?”
I purchased two small mixed bouquets and handed one to Vincent. He smiled.
“You really are sweet,” he said.
I glow
ered at him, but his smile was infectious. The ladies brightened as we approached.
“Good morning,” I said with a smile.
“Good morning,” they replied.
“We didn’t ask your names yesterday,” I continued.
“Oh, I’m Mrs. Schmidt,” the stout one said. “This is Mrs. Forrester.”
“We are pleased to meet you,” Vincent said. “These are for you.”
The ladies beamed as we gifted the flowers.
A Soldier’s Passion Page 4
