by L. A. Witt
At the end of the day, it didn’t make a difference that Dalton and I weren’t dating. Or that I wasn’t out as gay. If Lasby so much as thought there was any truth to the joking and rumors, he could do plenty of damage to our careers.
It also dawned on me that Chief Lasby had never asked us to confirm or deny if we were dating. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. My only guess was that he knew he couldn’t tell us not to date—only that he didn’t want to hear heads or tails of it in his command.
“Fuck, that was some bullshit.” Dalton’s voice startled me. Apparently too restless to stand still, he started pacing beside the bank of lockers. “I can’t believe he said all that shit.”
I chewed my lip. “You can’t? This is Lasby we’re talking about.”
He swore quietly as he kept pacing, boots thunking hard on the concrete floor. “Someone needs to give him the memo that DADT is gone.”
I grunted. “He doesn’t give a shit. The son of a bitch is trying to get you to say MA1 Anderson didn’t fuck up and almost get you killed. Making our lives hell for being gay isn’t exactly below him.”
Silence again. Nothing but Dalton’s boots on the floor. Then, he stopped pacing. Back to me, he rubbed his neck. “I’m sorry about what happened out there. What those idiots have been saying. You were saving my ass, and I—”
“It’s nothing doing. You said yourself you were out of it. Didn’t know what was going on or what you were saying.”
Dalton’s posture tensed. His knuckles turned whiter as he kneaded his neck harder. He was silent, though. I could feel some sort of unspoken thought radiating off him like a fever, but he didn’t speak.
“Talk to me.” I stepped a little closer. “What’s going on?”
Slowly, Dalton faced me, and I couldn’t read his expression. It was hard to tell if he’d actually gone pale, or if it was just the harsh fluorescent lights over our heads.
“You sure you’re okay, man?”
He swallowed hard. “What I said on the boat, yeah—I was delirious. I don’t even remember it. But . . .” He dropped his gaze, and his cheeks colored. Speaking so softly his voice was almost lost in the buzz of the lights, he said, “But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t . . .”
My heart sped up. “It wasn’t . . . what?”
He chewed his lip but kept his eyes down and said nothing.
I took a step closer. “Dalton. Look at me.”
His spine straightened a little. Then, slowly, he raised his head. The panic in his eyes made my breath hitch.
Fighting the urge to put a hand on his shoulder, I said, “Come on. Talk to me. It’s just us. Whatever it is, tell it to me straight.”
He held my gaze, and he started and stopped a few times, but never got more than a syllable out. I swore I could feel his pulse accelerating with each false start. Or maybe that was mine.
Then he muttered, “Fuck it.”
Crossed the space between us.
And kissed me.
For a single second, I was too stunned to respond. My brain caught up, though, and realized I had Dalton’s lips against mine, and I came back to life, wrapping my arms around his solid torso. A soft moan vibrated between us. Whose? Who cared? I cradled the back of his head as Dalton teased the corner of my mouth with the tip of his tongue.
The kiss deepened. We both staggered a little, and I pushed him up against the lockers for support. He wrapped his arms around my neck, tilted his head, and let another moan escape as he kissed me hungrily. Oh God. Oh God. All my fantasies about kissing Dalton were pathetic compared to the real thing. I hadn’t imagined his fingers trembling against my scalp or my neck. It hadn’t crossed my mind how hard it would be to breathe with him against my chest and his mouth claiming mine. Or how little I’d care about oxygen. Or how fucking frustrating it would be to have our police vests and both our bulky utility belts keeping us so far apart. Oh God oh God oh God.
The need for air finally forced me to break the kiss, and I drew back enough to meet his eyes. Panting, we stared at each other in disbelief. Was he shaking? Because I was shaking. And I was pretty sure he was shaking.
Holy fuck—what just happened?
Dalton slowly ran his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip. “What I did on the boat,” he whispered unsteadily, “I might’ve been out of it, but it wasn’t fake.”
“Y-yeah.” I licked my lips. “I’m getting that impression.”
“I’ve been wanting to do that forever,” he breathed.
“Me too.” My heart thudded so hard, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he could feel it. God knew we were pressed close enough together.
Dalton kissed me again, and this time, he didn’t hold back. He slid his tongue past my lips and encouraged me to do the same. He moaned—damn near purred—into my kiss, sliding his hands up my back and pressing his body against mine. He could be almost timid sometimes, especially for a cop, but wind him up and turn him loose like this? Holy fuck. I could only imagine what he’d be like when we were alone and—
The locker room door swung open, and we jerked apart. We each casually adjusted our uniform pants. A second later, MA3 Switzer appeared at the end of the aisle. He gave us a curt nod and continued toward another bank of lockers without a word.
We stood there in annoyed silence, both craning our necks as Switzer opened his locker, riffled around, and closed it again. There was some rustling and movement. Then more footsteps.
Switzer walked past, focusing on his phone, and a moment later, the locker room door swung shut with a heavy thud.
Dalton faced me, and a shy grin played at his lips. “We’re going to get caught if we keep making out in here.”
I laughed. “And Lasby will shit himself.”
Dalton smirked. “That would almost be worth it.” We both chuckled, and he stepped closer. He slid his hands up the front of my blouse, a finger catching on the embroidered police badge. “Any chance we can pick this up after our shift is over?”
“I’ll be lucky if I last that long.”
His playful grin made my legs shake.
He pushed himself up and kissed me lightly. “We should get to work.”
“Yeah, I know.” I wrapped an arm around his waist. “Just a second, though.”
And I kissed him again.
No shift in the history of the Navy ever dragged on as long as ours did that night. There was next to nothing going on, and our shipmates had been—whenever Lasby was out of earshot—relentless as usual. They’d caught on that our chief wasn’t having it, so at least they were discreet, but it was still fucking irritating. The whole thing had taken on an entirely new level of annoying, too. They weren’t just ribbing us about some imaginary thing anymore. Every time they made a comment, it was all I could do to keep my focus off all the things I needed to be doing to Dalton right then. Making out for five minutes against a locker just wasn’t cutting it.
Finally, at 0630, half an hour after I came in from my last watch, turnover was done and we got the hell out of there. Neither of us said a word to each other. We’d texted while I’d been on the boat, and we already had a plan. Dalton would shower at the HPU building while I headed home. When he left, he’d go through a different gate just to make sure none of the sentries caught on—sentries were usually bored senseless this time of night after all—and he’d meet me at my apartment off-base. If anyone saw his car there, well, they’d either gossip or they wouldn’t. I was too horny to worry about any more cloak-and-dagger shit like hiding his car at another complex or something.
At my apartment, I had just enough time to strip out of my uniform, grab a shower, and throw on some gym shorts before he showed up.
When I opened the door, our eyes locked, and his grin made my whole body heat up. He was insanely hot anyway, and standing there in the hallway, dressed in some black shorts and a black Under Armour shirt that fit him just right, with a we’re about to fuck grin on his face? Holy shit.
I waved him inside. As soon as
the door was closed, Dalton’s arms were around me and his mouth was against mine. I staggered back, hit the door, and let it support me while we picked up where we’d left off earlier. Except this wasn’t where we’d left off. There were no police belts between us anymore. No thick uniforms. No one who might bust in and catch us. Just some thin shorts, one shirt, and not a damn thing else. When my hands slid over his clothes, the heat of his skin radiated right through the fabric and into my palms. God, he might as well have been naked. He needed to be naked. Like, now.
I nudged him back and took his hand. “Come on.”
As I started to lead him toward the bedroom, Dalton wobbled slightly, putting his free hand on the wall for balance. I stopped, my gut clenching. Was it too soon for us to be doing this? It hadn’t been that long since he’d fucked up his head.
“You sure you’re up for this?” I asked.
“I’m good.” He reeled me in and kissed me softly. “Might not be quite a hundred percent yet, but I am definitely up for this.” He pressed his erection against me, emphasizing the double meaning of his comment.
“Just don’t want to push you too far.” Except . . . how far was too far when a guy’d had his bell rung like he had? “You sure you’re . . .” I kissed him lightly. “I don’t want to go too fast with all this.”
“Chris.” He smiled, trailing his fingers down my cheek. “Do I look like a blushing virgin to you?”
I dusted a kiss across his lips. “No, but it hasn’t been that long since a damn boat hit you upside the head.”
“I’m fine,” he whispered.
“But your head. Are you—”
He kissed me, gripping the back of my neck tightly. Then, still holding on to my nape, he panted, “Yeah, my head still hurts sometimes. Yeah, I still get dizzy.” He trailed his thumb along my lower lip. “But I’ve been wanting you for way too long to wait.”
“Likewise, but I also want you to enjoy it. If you’re hurting . . .”
Dalton held my gaze, and to my surprise, he deflated a little. “Okay, so maybe we can’t get too rough or anything quite yet. But I’m good with that if you are.”
“Yeah, of course.” I just want you. I want you so bad I can barely stand up. No throwing each other around? Roger that. As long as I’ve got you in my bed tonight.
“We just have to take it a little easy for now. That’s all.” Dalton licked his lips. “Another week or two, and we can get as rough as you want.”
My whole body responded to that mental image, and I gasped as I shuddered. “You say the word when you’re ready for that.”
He moaned as he brushed his lips across mine. “I so will.”
“Good,” I murmured. “When your head stops acting like a dick, I’m going to make you come so hard you feel it for days.” Instant embarrassment heated my face—I wasn’t usually one for talking dirty—but the soft little groan that slipped past his lips made my blood rush.
Pressing his erection against mine, he growled, “I am so looking forward to that. Now let’s get to the part we can do right now.”
“Good idea.” I led him the rest of the way to my bedroom.
The second we were through that door, everything ratcheted up. We kissed harder. Deeper. I peeled off his shirt. He toed off his shoes. The waistbands of our shorts snagged on our dicks, but only for a second, and finally those were out of the way too. Before I knew it, I was on my back with Dalton—naked, hard, and hot—stretched out on top of me.
Fucking Christ, he was definitely not one of those guys who looked better with clothes on. He spent a lot of time at the gym, and it showed in the smooth muscles and gorgeous contours.
He had a tattoo on his back. An eagle. I’d seen it before in the locker room, but now the lines were subtly raised under my fingers. Because I was touching him. I had my hands on his bare, warm skin.
I shivered under him and held him tighter and kissed him harder. How the fuck was this real?
Didn’t matter. It was.
Dalton broke the kiss with a gasp. “Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing.” He shook his head, then grinned. “I’ve just been wanting this forever, and . . . fuck, I’m horny.” The sheer desperation in his voice brought a moan out of me, and I almost melted when he whispered, “You have condoms?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay. Get . . . get one. Like now.” He closed his eyes, shuddering as he rubbed his dick against me. “Tell me you top.”
I just about lost my damned mind. “You better believe I do.”
Dalton whimpered, then got up off me. “Condom.”
I pushed myself up and reached for the bedside table. I fumbled around, found the pack, and tore off one rubber. Then I paused and squinted at it.
“Looking for the directions?” Dalton teased.
I glanced up at him, cheeks burning. “Just, uh, checking the expiration date.”
He slid a hand up my thigh. “Been a while?”
“You could say that.” I found the expiration date, and thank God, it was still a few months off. “So.” I tore the wrapper with my teeth. “How do you like it?” I was already breathless. All it would take was one stroke inside him and I was going to pass out, I just knew it.
Dalton watched me rolling on the condom, gazing at my hands like the motions hypnotized him. “Doesn’t matter. Just want you to fuck me.”
“Hmm . . .” I reached for the lube. As I slicked up my cock, I could think of a hundred different ways I’d like to ride this man’s gorgeous ass, but I wanted to be careful. How much he could handle and how much he’d say he could handle might not be the same thing, and I’d feel like hell if I hurt him. Probably better to let him be in control at first.
So I rolled onto my back. “Why don’t you get on top?”
Dalton grinned. “I like where this is going.” He straddled me. Biting my lip, I steadied my cock and guided him down, and Oh my God is this really happening?
Uh-huh. It was. Dalton was naked and hard and over me and just needed to relax a little more so he could—
“Oh, yeah,” he whimpered as the head of my cock slipped into him. “Fuck . . .” He lifted up, and as he eased himself down, his head fell back and he released the sexiest groan I’d ever heard. “Oh God, Chris . . .”
“Jesus,” I whispered.
Dalton swept his tongue across his lips. His eyes closed, and they stayed that way as he continued taking me a little at a time. When I was buried to the hilt, he stopped for a couple of seconds. Then he started moving. Slowly at first, rocking, letting me slide almost all the way out before he started coming down again, and then taking every inch until I had nothing left to give him.
I rested my hands on his hips and didn’t—couldn’t—make a sound. He was so tight and hot, but it was the sight of him that drove me wild. He looked so good like that, sitting up over me, impaling himself as ecstasy played out on his features. The pale skin of his neck and chest were starting to flush, and sweat beaded along his hairline. His cock jutted out between us, fully hard with pre-cum gleaming on the tip.
I’m doing this to him? I get to see him like this and have him like this? Whoa.
Another shiver ran through me, and my hips bucked, pushing me into him. That involuntary movement made him curse, so I did it on purpose this time, and he said something soft, incomprehensible, but definitely profane.
I had to hold my breath as my orgasm nearly broke loose without warning. No way in hell was I coming yet. This was too good to rush.
Sliding my hands up and down his thighs, I willed myself to stay in control. “I never thought I’d be thankful we’re using condoms,” I ground out. “But goddamn, I’d have come already if we weren’t.”
Dalton laughed, and it sounded free and relaxed. Almost delirious with pleasure. God, yeah. I hadn’t thought it was possible for him to be any more attractive, but there he was. Holy crap.
He slowed abruptly, squeezing his eyes shut, and a subtle winc
e flickered across his face.
I put a hand on his hip. “You okay? Getting dizzy?”
“No.” He licked his lips and looked down at me, laughing softly. “Quads are getting tired.”
“Already?”
“Hey, shut up.” He rolled his eyes. Leaning on his hands, he started riding me again, a little slower this time. “I’m the one doing all the work, you know.”
“Yeah.” I slid my palms up his sweat-slicked chest. “Maybe we should switch.”
Dalton grinned. “Mmm, maybe. I like this, but something tells me it would be a seriously good ride with you in control.”
“Only one way to find out?”
His grin got bigger. He leaned down for a long kiss, then groaned as he lifted himself off my cock. “How do you want me?”
“On your stomach.”
Dalton bit his lip, and I thought he might’ve been trying to suppress a shiver. We switched positions, and we both sighed as I pushed back into him.
“Oh God,” he murmured into the pillow. “That’s . . .” He trailed off into a happy, wordless noise. “Fuck . . .”
I buried my face in his neck, barely keeping myself from sinking my teeth into his skin, and groaned as I thrust harder.
“Oh yeah, baby,” he breathed. “Yeah, that’s . . . that’s so good . . .” His moans sounded so deliciously and perfectly helpless, they just about made me come, and I held my breath as I fucked him as hard as I could in this position.
Then his entire body tensed. He clenched around me and his muscles seemed to turn to steel under me, and he choked on something that sounded like, “Don’t stop,” so I didn’t stop, and then he jerked under me, nearly levitating both of us off the mattress as his release reverberated through him.
That was all I could take. My rhythm went out the window, and nothing mattered except getting as deep as he could take me, and his neck muffled my cry as I came inside him.
I pulled out and dropped onto the mattress beside him, gasping not only because I was out of breath, but from the sudden absence of his hot skin against mine. “Holy . . .”