by HJ Raine
Ed stared at the nearly empty shelves in dismay.
"Hey, tryin' to make up for forgettin' Valentine's Day, mister?" The vendor was a teenager with a green mohawk and a ring through his nose. "I'm clean outta roses, even the yellow ones."
"Not really. The..." Ed hesitated and then plowed on ahead. "The guy I'm buying for hates Valentine's anyway. You have something that's not roses or red?"
"Oh, huh." The kid's gaze assessed Ed quickly and seemed to like what he found and relaxed. "Sure. Fresh mums'll last a couple weeks. Got some gold ones."
The vendor went to a shelf that wasn't completely empty and came up with a bunch of spiky flowers that glowed with fire colors: yellow, orange, and at the heart of them, the russet of smoky sunsets. The warmth reminded Ed of Anthony's mouth for no good reason, and Ed smiled.
"I'll take 'em."
"Enjoy!"
Going back into his one-room, three hundred square foot living space, Ed tried to see it with a stranger's eyes. The interior apartment was perfect for Ed's crazy work schedule, since it could be as dark as a tomb whenever he needed to sleep. The far wall had the kitchen along half of its length, some of it behind decorated panels that could be used to hide storage and pantry. To the right, his king-sized Murphy bed was put away, and now served as closet space and a small reading desk with lighting. His entertainment center rested against the near wall, and could be swung out so that the bed could double as a lounge.
Since Ed usually ate breakfast standing at the sink, he now got out the folding table, put his desk chair and his guest chair beside it, and set the table the way his mother had taught him. The flowers ended up in the one vase Ed owned, on the corner of the table. When he finished, the buzzer sounded. Ed checked his watch, it was exactly 8:30.
He went to the speaker and pushed the button. "Hey."
"Hey. It's Anthony. Buzz me in?"
"Sure thing." Ed pushed the unlocking mechanism and tried to calm his pulse with slow breathing. It had been years since he'd invited anyone to his apartment. Ever since his promotion, work had taken first seat in his life.
The knock on the door still made Ed jump, but he managed to walk over, throw the locks, and open the door. Anthony stood on the other side, looking like death warmed over. The big Italian rested against the doorjamb. He carried a gym bag and was still dressed in pirate garb under a khaki green camo down jacket.
"Come on in," Ed invited. "I've got breakfast and..."
"My God, so you did, with flowers," Anthony said in awe. He walked in and looked around. "Nice place. Compact. No sunlight, that's good."
"You, sir," Ed said closing the door and locking it, "are the first person in existence to say that last bit. Even my mother complained about how tomb-like this place is."
Anthony grinned. "And I'll bet that I'm also the first to say, damn it, Edward, show me your shower before I fall off my feet after a twenty-four hour shift."
Ed pretended to think about it and got tackled into the wall by the door. The kiss was just as spectacular as the one in the hospital. They both groaned when it broke.
"Can I join you in the shower?" Ed growled.
"Of course." To Ed's surprise, Anthony started shucking clothing right there. He left everything in a heap by the door, and Ed could admire every detail of his long, lean form. Anthony's big hands were echoed by his bone structure, ropes of muscle played along ribs, hips, arms, and legs in stark relief under black-furred skin. A long heavy cock, half-turgid already, hung by Anthony's thigh.
Ed grinned, and a long-buried portion of his heart got up out of its early grave and danced in glee. Ed wasn't much slower in his efforts to get out of his suit, and he grinned self-consciously at Anthony. The delay and the efforts cooled Ed's ardor, but it got another boost when Anthony's hand circled Ed's upper arm and pulled.
"You are healed here?" A thick thumb stroked along the scar tissue of the old bullet wound. The chunk of metal had torn through muscle, but missed the bone and big veins and arteries.
"Yeah. Got full range of motion within a week, thanks to you." Ed remembered PT, the gradual rebuilding of his strength. "I still lift, even after therapy. It seems to help the aches on rainy days."
"Good." Anthony looked at Ed, and Ed's anxiety eased at the heat in those dark eyes. "Which way?"
In answer, Ed padded to the left, went into the one enclosed area of his apartment and flicked on the light. Every surface of the bathroom was tiled so that it could double as the shower, with a drain in the floor.
"Very nice."
Ed grabbed the ceramic cross-style faucets and turned on the hot water. "This is what sold me on this apartment. We're right next to the water heater for the whole floor." Instantly, steam filled the tiny space.
"Oh, Heaven on Earth," Anthony muttered and got under the scalding spray.
It only took a single step, but Ed had to gather a surprising amount of courage to take it. Ed finally managed it and pressed close to wet, solid flesh for an instant before Anthony turned and wrapped Ed up in a hug. Ed closed his eyes and breathed deep, feeling tension run from him and go down the drain.
"Anthony," Ed murmured, doing his best to catch the musical cadences of the name, and was well rewarded by the rumble of laughter that came from Anthony's chest.
"You say my name as if it were covered in gold." Big fingers cradled Ed's jaw, and tender lips caught his in a slow kiss that should have melted the tiles.
Ed rubbed his cheek against heat-softened scruff, and felt Anthony's hands span his back, caressing and rubbing. He reached beyond Anthony to squirt liquid soap onto his hands and started massaging the lather all over Anthony's muscular shoulders, back, and ass. The big man arched and groaned.
"Nnn... good. Let me have some of that." Anthony twisted, and the heat and soap-slicked touch pressed and eased the tension in Ed's neck and shoulders before sliding down Ed's sides. Long fingers wrapped about Ed's erection, and he nearly lost his footing. Anthony put a steadying arm about Ed and chuckled. "Good?"
"Uh... gah." Ed struggled to catch his breath, but his hips pumped with abandon into the sure hold. "Aah. Yes. Very good. Nnhhh... almost too good. It's been too long. I'm gonna..."
Anthony sped up, adding a wicked twist and a stroke of thumb against slit. Ed leaned against Anthony's broad chest, as his cock swelled, his balls tightened, and on feeling Anthony cradle him even closer, Ed let go. With a yell, Ed came, the pressure shooting in hard spurts that made him buck against Anthony's grip in desperate shudders.
Hot water sluiced over them both, as Ed caught his breath. Anthony ran his thumb over too sensitive skin, picking up just a bit of Ed's come. Ed gave a soft sound in protest, but then watched, fascinated, when Anthony brought the white speck to his tongue to taste.
"You are delicious, Edward." Anthony rolled the 'r' with relish.
Ed chuckled against Anthony's throat and tried to find control of his knees again. "Thanks, I think I want to have a taste of you."
Anthony gave a low moan, body rolling against Ed's. "I'm... clean. I want you to use your fingers in me, too."
"Sure."
Ed gave up controlling his knees and slid to them on the tile. He ran his left hand up the inside of Anthony's thigh, fingertips resting on taint. Letting the running water flow into his palm, Ed pressed against the hard ring of muscle at Anthony's entrance and watched Anthony's head go back, mouth opened, eyes closed, fists clenching against the tile.
The sight alone made Ed bite his lip hard, and he kept applying steady pressure until he felt Anthony give, saw muscles go lax all over the big body, and dark hair rested against white tile as a slow sigh gusted from Anthony's lips.
"Ahh... yes. Like that..."
Ed moved the single finger and watched Anthony sway with the rhythm and spread his legs further, putting more body weight against the wall. Constant heated water gave easy access to two, then three, then four fingers, and Anthony's breathing turned into constant groa
ns. Dark lashes dewed with droplets fluttered open.
That was when Edward grasped Anthony's cock in his right hand, opened his mouth, and took Anthony to the back of his throat. It was easier moving both hands and head at the same time, so he plunged deep into Anthony's body, stroked in double time, and swathed the head of Anthony's cock with his tongue.
"Mother Mary have mercy," Anthony babbled. "F--faster, damn it."
Ed had to come off for that. "Pushy bastard," he bit out.
"For sex? Always. It's one of my... nnngh... God!"
Gratified by Anthony's response to swallowing his cock completely down Ed's throat, Ed started to move faster. Anthony's voice took on tones of frustration and need, each louder than the one before. One hand splayed against the tile, and the other cupped the back of Ed's head, not forcing any action, but holding. Ed felt Anthony's cock harden just that bit more, tasted pre-come, and his grip suddenly shifted to Ed's shoulder.
With a shout that echoed fiercely in that tiny room, Anthony came, hips spasming in quick tremors, and Ed winced when Anthony's hand closed hard enough to bruise. Swallowing and gently licking Anthony's softening cock, Ed was surprised when Anthony bent nearly double to rest his forehead against Ed's back and squeezed him in an upside-down hug.
"Good God, Edward, you have a wicked tongue," Anthony murmured breathlessly.
"All the better to eat you with, my dear," Ed quipped.
A chuckle rolled from Anthony's chest, and he managed to get upright again and lean against the wall. The water, thank God, was still coming out hot, and Ed found the conditioning shampoo. Together, they washed, traded the scrubbing and drying of backs, and headed out into the living area wrapped in nothing but towels. Anthony sat down at the tiny table and ate a pastry in three bites.
"You have orange juice?" Anthony asked, looking sleepy and bear-like.
"Yeah, sure." Ed got out the fresh-squeezed stuff. "The rigors of night shift. No coffee until after sleeping."
"It is good to have someone who understands the problems," Anthony sighed, and rolled his neck. Tendons popped. "May I sleep here?"
"I was planning on it. I have some things I could follow up on, or I could just..."
"Share the bed?" Anthony said with a smile. "I promise to snore and sleep like the dead even if you read or write."
"I think that's the best Valentine's Day proposal I've ever had," Ed said, deadpan.
Anthony laughed that big rolling laugh that Ed wanted to hear again. "Well, then Happy Valentine's, my Edward. I hope we have many more."
End.
If you liked this book you might like: Hearts Under Fire, The New Deal, and Luck In The Making.
Swing Shift
Copyright © 2012 by HJ Raine
All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680
Printed in the United States of America.
Torquere Press, Inc.: Sips electronic edition / February 2012
Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680
