All Bets Are Off

by Marguerite Labbe

  “I’d be disappointed that you can’t wear your cammies out,” Eli said, his eyes flashing with teasing, “only you still move like a military man. Bet you were glad for a chance to relax. You looked a bit worn out earlier.”

  “It was a long weekend,” Ash admitted, pulling out a chair and angling it next to Eli’s so they both could see the giant flat-screen TV perched on the wall behind Neil. He was still exhausted. He’d never managed to get that nap, but the promise of seeing Eli had revived some of his energy. “Sometimes they bust our ass at drill and sometimes it’s dead boring, with little to do. This was one of the bust our ass weekends.”

  Lu Pelland came up then, shaking her head and leveling an exasperated glance at Eli. “Wretch,” she said to Eli and then gave Ash a warm smile. “Ash, it’s good to see you again. Do you want your usual?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Ash glanced in curiosity at Eli as she walked away. “What did you do?”

  Eli’s mouth dropped open in mock astonishment. “Me? Nothing, I swear.”

  Ash leaned back in his chair, not believing his attempt at innocence for one moment. The highlights in Eli’s hair glinted with a warm fire, and his eyes held such wicked humor that Ash wasn’t fooled. “Uh huh.”

  Eli laughed, glancing at the older woman as she reached the bar. “Lu’s my cousin, friend, incurable gossip, and mother hen all wrapped up in one. She worries about me terribly when I have a date that she hasn’t met. I hadn’t told her that I had one tonight and still she managed to guess and has been hounding me incessantly about who it was since I arrived.”

  “And you held out? Or did you deny having a date at all?”

  “I didn’t want her to start any rumors until I had a chance to warn you,” Eli said, his expression turning serious. “I wasn’t sure if you were out or not, and she’ll behave if we ask.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Ash said, touched by Eli’s forethought. “We’re a long way from my unit, and rumor would abound in a town like this whether or not your cousin talks.”

  In truth, it didn’t matter to him anymore. He was tired of hiding who he was. When he’d enlisted in the Marines, he’d thought it would be easy. After all, his private life was his own business. His parents had tried to change his mind, being far more worried about him being a gay man in the military than him shipping off to war. They’d tried to talk him into joining another branch, but in his opinion he couldn’t sit back and let others fight on the front lines for his freedom. He’d wanted to be in the thick of things.

  It had been far harder than he’d thought it would be. He wasn’t a man given to deceiving others, and it had felt like he was living in someone else’s skin. That was why he had chosen not to re-enlist a third time, instead moving to the Reserves while he attended college. Once he was done with the years he’d promised the Reserves and had his degree, he was done. It didn’t matter whether the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law had been repealed or not. Besides, the repeal was still uncertain, and people weren’t rushing to come out of the closet until it was really settled. Attitudes wouldn’t change overnight, and he was ready to move on.

  “True,” Eli said with a rueful smile. “Amwich does like to discuss who’s keeping company with whom. They’ve known all about my scandalous relationships ever since I was fifteen, after being sent here one summer in disgrace.”

  “I suspect there’s quite a story there,” Ash replied. Eli’s expression was mostly amused, though a glint in his eyes also spoke of an old anger and regret.

  “Quite,” Lu said as she appeared at their table with a loaded tray. She set a frosty glass of beer in front of Ash and a glass of red wine for Eli, followed by a bowl of popcorn. “Eli has been driving me batty ever since then. Always seems to me that he picks the perfect guy at the worst time.”

  “For the love of—” Eli broke off and flipped his hand at Lu. “I don’t need a running commentary during my date, thank you.”

  She leveled a glare at him, and he looked back at her with exasperation. “Been a mighty long time since you’ve been on a date,” Lu said. “You should’ve told me that it was Ash. I’ve been going crazy thinking that you’d hooked up with a stranger online. There’s some crazy people on the Internet, I’ve heard.”

  Ash covered his laughter with a handful of popcorn before Lu decided to include him in her dressing down.

  “Lu, the Miltons are crazy, and they live just down the street from you,” Eli said with a note of exasperation.

  “Yeah, but that’s a crazy I know.” Lu swiveled her head around as Neil bellowed her name from the bar, then huffed and tucked her tray under her arm. “I’m coming, you old goat,” she yelled over the din of the bar, then muttered as Neil shouted for her again, “Can’t give a body a rest.”

  “So what part of Georgia are you from?” Eli’s eyes flicked to Ash’s Atlanta Braves cap. “Your taste in teams must be homegrown, and then there’s your accent. My dad was stationed in Georgia for a few years while I was in high school, so I recognize it.”

  “Savannah. My family has been there for generations.” Over on the flat screen, the players started to line up for the national anthem, but Ash found it hard to put his attention anywhere but on Eli. “What base were you on in Georgia?” Ash could just imagine Eli in high school, too pretty for his own good, not gawky like Ash had been. He was a little sorry he hadn’t run into him then.

  “Moody. Savannah’s nice, we visited it a couple of times. I loved the historic feel of the place. And the architecture is amazing.”

  “Yeah, I love it. You, on the other hand, don’t have much of an accent,” Ash said. Eli’s voice was smooth and cultured. There were hints of one, but nothing like the broad Boston accent most of the locals possessed. Ash found it hard to decipher the twang at times, even as he was being accused of talking funny. “There’s a bit of a twang, but there’s also a drawl on some words. How did you do that? All the different bases you’ve been on?”

  “Mom’s from Tennessee. I spent almost as much time there as I did up here,” Eli replied.

  Lu returned and took their orders before disappearing amongst the swirl of customers crowded close to the bar. A few people glanced in their direction with disapproving expressions, but no one started any trouble or said anything. Ash wasn’t sure if it was because Amwich was more cosmopolitan than other small towns because of the college or because people had known Eli a long time and adopted an unspoken mutual agreement not to harass one another. Ash had been in town long enough to know which people were the most intolerant. He didn’t see any of them tonight, but that wasn’t a surprise. Neil wouldn’t put up with any kind of flak at Dingers.

  There had been a few families eating dinner when Ash had arrived. As game time approached, most of them had cleared out, to be replaced with an almost unbroken wall of red and white. The real disapproving looks were saved for the little knots of navy that had banded together.

  Ash shook his head. “It’s nice to see there’s still room on the bandwagon for everyone around here. How many of these people were baseball fans before 2004? I feel like I’m in the middle of a combat zone.”

  Eli chuckled and took a sip of his wine. “I would have said you should be safe, but you live on this side of town, not the school side. You keep talking like that and you’ll be setting yourself up to get as good as you can give if anyone overhears you.”

  Eli’s clear, blue-gray eyes possessed a mischievous glint as he watched Ash. Oh, the challenge was clearly there, and Ash felt it right down to his toes. And he wanted to take Eli up on it. “So are you trying to say that you’re the only man in here that won’t accost me if you lose?”

  “You’ve definitely got me thinking about accosting,” Eli replied with a smile tugging at the corners of his sensual lips. “But we’re not going to lose.”

  “Spoken like a true fan.” Ash laughed. Red Sox fans were certainly in a league of their own. He brushed the back of Eli’s hand with his fingers, savoring the little thrill of
awareness, before picking up his own beer. “You want to place a bet on the outcome?”

  “What are the stakes?” Eli asked as Lu returned and set two platters of fried whole-belly clams in front of them.

  “His hair,” Lu replied, tugging on the end of Eli’s braid. “He’d have far less problems at work if he’d just cut his hair.”

  “That would be a crime, ma’am,” Ash said, and Lu shot him a look that said not to encourage Eli. He leaned over, lowering his voice as Lu walked away again. “I have been thinking about seeing your hair loose ever since I first saw you.”

  Eli’s gaze heated as the sense of anticipation jumped higher in Ash’s gut. The crowd cheered over something that happened on the screen, and Ash was pleased to see that Eli didn’t even steal a peek. If Ash was caught up in Eli’s spell, it was only right that Eli be caught as well in Ash’s. “I’m sorry to say that my thoughts of you weren’t quite as tame,” Eli murmured.

  Well, hot damn, Ash wanted to know what every single one of those untamed thoughts were. Heat surged between them. It had been a long time since a guy had gotten Ash this worked up, and he briefly considered abandoning dinner and the game to lure Eli back to his place right now. Not that it seemed like it would take that much luring. Then he dismissed the idea. He was enjoying their date and when they did fall into bed, the experience would be all the more intense if they kept up a keen edge to their anticipation. Just the thought of leaning over to steal a kiss had Ash’s heart beating faster. He wanted to know how those lips would taste and feel. Years of ingrained discretion kept him where he was.

  “You’ll have to give me more details later on.” The gleam in Eli’s eyes, the wicked little quirk to his mouth, told Ash that he intended on doing just that. “I’m curious to find out what wicked thoughts you’ve got going on in that head of yours.”

  “Just to whet your imagination”—Eli leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper—“one involved licking every one of the freckles on your body. I hope you have them all over.”

  A punch of pure heat hit Ash right in his chest, and his dick came awake with a vengeance. Damn, Eli was a wild one. Ash could see it written all over his face. A flirtatious, playful smile hovered on Eli’s lips, and his eyes were quicksilver with humor. He was like the dancing end of a candle: impossible to catch, and if you managed it, you got singed. Ash’s thoughts scattered as he vainly tried to get his raging hormones back in control.

  Ash had been through flames before. He didn’t want to repeat the experience, ever, but Eli was a whole different kind of fire altogether.

  The bet, ah yes. That’s what they had been discussing. Ash cleared his throat and drained the rest of his beer. “How about stakes? Is there anything I’ve got that you want?”

  Eli took a sip of his wine, glancing at the screen before looking at Ash with undisguised interest. He leaned in a little closer, and his lips twisted in a teasing smile. “Your Atlanta Braves cap,” he said, flicking the brim of Ash’s hat. He grinned as Ash groaned. “If you’re going to bet, the stakes should mean something.”

  Ash had not been expecting that. Not with that gleam in Eli’s eyes. Damn, he loved that cap. It was nice and broken in, fitting his head perfectly. Still, this was not an opportunity he was about to pass up.

  “You play a hard game, but I accept your terms,” he replied, as he wracked his brain for something to demand in return. Something that would also make Eli pause. Only the fantasy of Eli naked kept intruding on his thoughts. Ash was horny and distracted, a dangerous combination.

  Why pretend this wasn’t headed where both of them knew it was going? Ash had no intention of playing it safe, and he’d bet that Eli had one hell of a wild streak in him. Either Eli would be game or he’d back off. Ash chuckled softly, his gaze intent on Eli. “But if I win, I get your boxers and I get to watch you take them off.”

  There was a moment of startled silence, then Eli laughed as well, the sound rich and wicked. “What if I don’t wear anything underneath my jeans?”

  Ash couldn’t decide if Eli was teasing him or not, and frankly he didn’t care if he was. The image of bare naked ass against soft, worn denim almost made him groan out loud. No, it was fine by him if Eli went commando. Ash gave him a crooked grin. “Then I’m sure I could come up with something else.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal. And for the record, yes, it’s boxers.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to change the stakes up a bit?” Ash offered. “A hat for boxer shorts hardly seems fair. To you, I mean.”

  “Nice try, Ash. But I’ll stick to my wager. Winning your Braves cap would be just fine with me.”

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a cruel, devious man?” Ash asked, glancing at the screen and wincing when he saw the Sox up by two runs. It was only the second inning, though. There was no telling what would happen in the next couple hours.

  “I have to protest being called devious,” Eli said as Lu returned with fresh drinks for them both.

  “Don’t believe one word of it, Ash,” Lu said, picking up their empties. “Eli doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, but he is devious. He’ll make you think he’s all laid-back and easygoing, which he is, but he’s got more layers than that. Just when you think you’ve got him going your way, he digs in his heels and gets stubborn and rebellious, tougher to get out than a deer tick.”

  Ash burst out laughing as Eli leveled a look of loving exasperation at his cousin. It spoke of a long history of teasing and banter between the two. “Really, Lu, a deer tick? You’re not helping me, here. Go harass your man before he starts bellowing for you again.”

  He watched her go and then turned to Ash. “You mentioned a sister. Can I call her and get the dirt on you to even the odds?”

  “Actually, I have two sisters, and they would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. The only problem is they expect to have all their questions answered in turn. You might be stuck on the phone for quite a while.”

  They continued to banter back and forth, watching the game as it progressed. Ash had always found baseball to be a game of anticipation and now, with the stakes involved, it was even more so. He was intensely aware of the man sitting next to him, of every expression that crossed Eli’s open face, the timbre of his voice and the way there always seemed to be laughter in it. Eli’s knee brushed his under the table, increasing his awareness of the man even more.

  Lu came and took their plates away, leaving behind another beer for Ash and a glass of water for Eli. Ash relaxed back in his chair, nursing his drink. He was already mellow enough as it was. “So which is your favorite position?”

  “That’s such a loaded question.” Eli glanced at the screen, cursing under his breath as the Yankees pulled ahead.

  “It’s meant to be,” Ash murmured.

  “Let’s see, then. I’ve always been particularly fond of third base.” He cast Ash a significant glance, an unspoken promise of what would happen when they were alone. It made it hard to have a coherent thought other than yes, please. “They don’t call it the hot corner for nothing. You?”

  Ash shifted in his chair, the insistent ache in his cock making it difficult to keep up with Eli’s sinful tongue. “I preferred batting to outfield. I loved blowing the ball out of the park.” He grinned as the sound of Eli’s soft groan sent another thrill through him.

  “How long did you play for?” Eli asked.

  “From T-ball all the way through high school. I wasn’t good enough to get a scholarship, and at the time, I wasn’t much interested in going to college, anyway. I wanted to get away from home and do something meaningful, or at least ridiculously dangerous. So I enlisted.” Ash shook his head as the Red Sox surged ahead by one, and Eli laughed with delight. “How about you?”

  Eli didn’t respond at first, and when Ash glanced at him, there was something in his eyes and in the set of his mouth that made him wonder if perhaps he’d brought up bad memories. Before he could ask or back
off, Eli shrugged. “Till my sophomore year, then we were stationed in Alaska and my dad signed me up for hockey instead.”

  “I see you managed to escape with all your teeth,” Ash said lightly, and Eli flashed him a smile.

  “My short-lived hockey career ended in an epic battle, I’m afraid,” he said, with such relish in his tone Ash was sure that Eli cherished the memory. “I don’t like being cornered into something I don’t want to do. Never have. I might’ve acted out a bit.”

  Ash reached under the table and took Eli’s hand, brushing his thumb over the knuckles. “You’ll have to tell me that story sometime.”

  “Maybe someday when we have several hours, a bottle of wine, and nowhere to be in the morning.”

  No one seemed to be paying them any attention anymore, and Eli didn’t seem as if he wanted to hide at all. He certainly didn’t pull his hand away and Ash liked the feel of it in his own. He was more aware of every heartbeat, every intake of Eli’s breath, than he was of the game. And when the Yankees tied the score in the ninth inning, the heat and tension between them had little to do with the game going on or with the bet.