When Love Intrudes (When the Mission Ends)

by Christi Snow

  “It’s okay. It’s my fault I didn’t let you know I was out here. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on a private conversation.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Jamie shot a rueful look in Trevor’s direction just as Brian came out the front door. “If it were that private, we wouldn’t have been yelling it across the side of the mountain.” Both men walked up to the cabin and Jamie reached across to hand her a bottle of red wine as Trevor shook Brian’s hand.

  “What did I miss?” Brian looked between the three of them. “What were you all yelling across the side of the mountain?”

  “Nothing that bears repeating,” Trevor said as he stomped into the house.

  Brian lifted his eyebrows in question toward Jamie.

  Jamie just shrugged and shook his head. “It’s an old argument. Sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten into it on the way over here. My fault. Give him a beer or two and he will calm down.” He turned to Toni with another apologetic look. “Damn, this isn’t a good impression for your girl. I’m sorry. We’re usually pretty calm.”

  Brian snorted in disbelief.

  “Well, it might be more accurate to say, we’re usually calmer before we’ve had drinks,” said Jamie.

  She grinned. “Really, it’s no problem. After the stress we’ve lived through the last couple of weeks, a little argument is no big deal. Come on in and we’ll get dinner going on the grill.” These three guys were obviously good friends. It would be nice to see Brian in this element. Usually she only got to see him when he had his professional façade on. Hopefully, the tension between Jamie and Trevor would relax so they could all have a good time.

  When they got into the house, they could hear Trevor with Nathan back in the bedroom. It sounded like they had fired up the gaming system and were already deep into some sort of battle so the three of them headed into the kitchen.

  Brian pulled a couple of beers out of the refrigerator while she uncorked the wine.

  Jamie took a beer from Brian. “Thanks. I had a feeling you all weren’t here just for fun. You mentioned the stress of the last couple of weeks. What’s going on?”

  At the question, Brian crossed his arms, clenched his jaw, and glared at her.

  He obviously hadn’t meant to tell his friends why they were really here. Oops. “Sorry,” she muttered under her breath so that only he could hear.

  Brian shook his head at her. “It’s okay. I needed to clue him in on part of it anyway. I think he can help with some of the situation.”

  Puzzled, she tilted her head at him. What could Jamie do to help?

  Brian gestured down the hall. “You didn’t meet Nathan with us earlier today.” He lowered his voice. “He’s a seventeen year old, emancipated kid. He’s legally on his own after his father kicked him out of their home. Earlier this month, he was attacked by homophobic punks who could have easily killed him.”

  Jamie frowned. “He’s gay?”

  “Yes, and for the most part he’s terrified of it. Obviously, he hasn’t come from the most supportive home life when it comes to his sexuality. From what I can tell, he was worried about being attacked before it ever happened which has been holding him back socially. The beating he took was bad. I’m worried he’ll never put himself out there and meet other kids and that the whole situation is going to scar him mentally and socially.”

  “What exactly do you want me to do? I’m not any kind of psychologist just because I’m gay.”

  “I don’t know.” Brian ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “He’s a normal kid, not flamboyant or flaming. Honestly, if I didn’t already know, I never would have guessed he was gay, but somehow, something he did set those kids off. He needs to know how to protect himself and send out the right signals and I sure as hell don’t know what to tell him there. I thought you might have some experience in this area and be able to offer him some advice.”

  Jamie grinned at his discomfort. “So, I’m guessing a rainbow-colored flag in his back pocket isn’t the thing you’re looking for here?”

  Brian rolled his eyes at him before he chuckled. “No, definitely not. He talks about not having a functioning gaydar. I don’t know what signals to look for,” he waved a negligent hand toward Jamie. “Damn, if I didn’t already know, I sure as hell wouldn’t guess you were gay.”

  “Thanks, I think,” Jamie said drily.

  “But the other side of the coin is that he needs to know what signals to look for that will tip him off about the homophobes, too. I don’t know how to help him on this, but I sure as hell know that that kid in there doesn’t deserve what’s happened to him. He’s a good kid. Anything you could do to help would be appreciated, even if it’s just offering him support from another gay man that he could talk to when he’s confused.”

  “Okay, I can definitely do that. Maybe we can all go fishing or something and I can talk to him.”

  “You’d want to do that with me around, too?” Brian asked.

  “Hell, yes. You said he’s seventeen?”

  Brian nodded.

  “Okay, here’s a bit of gay sex education for you. Young boys or gay guys who look like the youngsters are called Twinks. There’s a whole group of gay men out there looking to hook up with those guys. I’m not one of them, but I’m still a gay man and I am not going out alone with your young gay friend. That’s just asking for trouble.”

  Brian chuckled wryly. “I can see how that could be a concern. Okay, so all of us guys will go fishing. Are we including Trevor in this outing?”

  “Might as well. Maybe we can talk some sense into him about the sexual games he’s playing at the same time.” Jamie shook his head in disgust.

  “I just caught the tail end of that whole thing earlier. Is that what was going on out front?” Brian asked.

  “Yeah, we have a difference of opinion on the quality of his choice of bed partners. I just hate that he keeps wasting his time on these vapid women. But, he’s right, I need to butt out. It’s none of my business.”

  “Oh, God,” Trevor groaned as he strolled into the kitchen with Nathan. He didn’t seem quite as angry as he was when they arrived. The game playing must have mellowed him out some. “Jamie isn’t still going on about that, is he? Listen old man, just because you aren’t getting any doesn’t mean you have the right to cock-block the rest of us.”

  Jamie smirked at him. “And how do you know I’m not getting any? And just what do you mean by old man? I’m barely a year older than you.”

  Jamie’s features tightened slightly and Toni glanced to see if either of the other men noticed. They didn’t. Jamie was lying and no one else realized. She wondered what was really going on with him.

  “Age is a state of mind my friend, and in your mind, you are easily getting close to sixty.” Trevor frowned and tilted his head to the side. “Who exactly are you dating? I haven’t heard anything about anyone.”

  “That’s because some of us can be discreet. Something I really should teach you a thing or two about.”

  Brian quirked an eyebrow in Jamie’s direction. “I did notice you looked tired earlier. I thought it was stress, but I’m happy to hear it’s something else entirely.”

  Toni would bet good money that Jamie looking tired had nothing to do with a bed partner. It seemed to her that there was another secret at play here, but that was certainly none of her business.

  Jamie’s willingness to help Nathan was wonderful, and if nothing else, that small favor earned him the right to his privacy. She wouldn’t be the one to reveal that he was hiding something.

  At that moment, Brian slid in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re awfully quiet. Have these two scared you off?”

  She shook her head and grinned. “No. It’s just fun watching the three of you interact. How often do you see each other?”

  “Not often enough,” Trevor said. Then he gestured to Brian. “This one has always worked too hard to come and see us.”

  Brian lifted his beer to his mouth and the
n offered a small salute. “That won’t be much of a problem anymore. Who knows maybe I’ll retire to the mountain life and hit one of you up for a job?”

  “You always did a fair job swinging a hammer if I recall, but I can’t imagine you working a construction crew these days,” Jamie said.

  Brian gave a wry laugh. “Honestly, neither can I. That’s hard labor after so many years not doing it. The only hard labor I’m ready to do right now is cooking these burgers, so I had better get to it.”

  As the evening progressed, the tension surrounding their two guests eased. But there were definitely unguarded moments when one or both of the two men thought no one was looking and the stress surfaced. She felt badly for them because as guys, she knew they would probably never talk through whatever was going on between them and it sure seemed like it was more than simply Jamie not liking Trevor’s dates. But on the surface, the rest of the night went smoothly.

  After dinner, Nathan went back to his room to work on his computer. Jamie and Trevor visited for another hour before saying goodnight. Toni cleaned up the small mess in the kitchen while Brian walked the guys out and discussed the fishing plans for the next day.

  She heard him come back in, but he was doing something in the living room. Butterflies attacked her stomach. She wanted to sleep with him again, but wasn’t sure if that was presumptuous of her to assume that was on the table. Maybe it had just been a one-night stand although she didn’t think it had been.

  Finally, she had done all she could in the kitchen. The sounds coming from the living room had quieted down so she peered around the corner to see if Brian was still in there.

  She gasped. Brian lay on the floor gazing at her with eyes filled with sensual promise. While she’d been in the kitchen, he’d stoked up the fire in the huge stone fireplace, turned off all the lights, and created a cozy little nest of blankets and pillows in front of the fire. It was so romantic.

  “Are you going to stand there all night looking or are you going to come join me?” His voice was deep and sultry as he spoke.

  Currents of desire coursed through her, lighting her nerves on fire. “Oh, I’m definitely going to join you.” She flipped off the kitchen light and made her way over to his side, with a leery glance down the hall to the bedrooms.

  “It’s okay. Sam is in Nathan’s bedroom and Nathan has instructions for both of them to stay there.”

  Her stride hesitated. “You told him?” The blood rushed to her face.

  “Well, not in so many words.” The white of his teeth glowed in the firelight. “But Toni, it’s a small house and you,” he cleared his throat, “well, you aren’t quiet.”

  “Seriously?” she squeaked. Her voice honest-to-god squeaked, as if this wasn’t already embarrassing enough.

  “Come here.” He rose up on his knees and grabbed her around her waist to pull her the rest of the way over to the palette of blankets. “It’s fine. We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do, but I want to at least lay here with you and enjoy the fire. Is that okay?”

  Get a grip, Toni. This is what she wanted, too. “Yes. Sorry.” She melted into him on the blankets. “It’s just a bit mortifying to think about him sitting back there listening to us.”

  “Well, all he’s hearing so far is us talking.” Brian chuckled. “It’s fine. He said he planned to play on the online gaming system with his headphones on so he won’t hear a thing. If there’s ever anything to hear,” he added ruefully. “Now come here.” He pulled her so that she was reclining halfway on the pillows, halfway on him.

  “Hmm, this is nice,” she said as she rubbed the sculpted muscles of his chest through his shirt. She wanted to feel his skin.

  “See, I knew you would see my point.” His sentence morphed into a groan as her fingertips dipped under the fabric to explore the hollows of his abs under his T-shirt. She nipped at his neck and tugged at the fabric. “I think we should get rid of this, don’t you?”

  “Whatever you say.” His voice was raspy as he reached up behind his head to tug the garment off.

  Her pulse quickened and a shiver of arousal coursed through her at the sight of all that hard, male skin reflecting the firelight. Her fingers twitched with the need to touch him, all of him.

  “Sweetheart, if you keep looking at me that way, this is all gonna be over before we do anything.”

  She glanced down at the hard erection pressed against the front of his jeans and realized he was so aroused that he was literally coming out of the top of them. The very tip of his cock peeked over the top of his waistband, with a drop of arousal glistening there. “Oh my, you are in a bad way, aren’t you, Mr. Barnes?”

  She couldn’t resist as she dipped down to lick off the bead of moisture sitting there and stroked the full, long length of him through the denim. He groaned long and deep at the touch of her tongue to his pulsing apex, literally dripping. His breathing sped up in time with her heartbeat.

  He began to pull at her shirt. “Clothes. Off. Now.”

  She’d reduced him to one-syllable sentences. The power of that sent another shudder through her as she stripped off her clothes. He had her down to her panties and bra and she almost had his pants where she could slip them off when he flipped her onto her back. She gave a sound of protest as she lost her grip on the pants she’d been sliding down his hips. Trying to raise up to resume her quest to strip him, he stilled her with a large palm pressing down in the center of her stomach.

  “No,” he growled. “You just lay there and let me look at you and I’ll take care of these.”

  Her eyes met his and the desire and emotion reflected there held her still in a way that even his hand never could. Her breathing stopped. What was happening between them was so much more than just sex. His eyes burned into hers and a hot ache grew in her throat, in her heart.

  He didn’t let go of her gaze as he stood and stripped off his jeans and underwear in a single movement. His hard shaft stood erect against his stomach, twitching with need, leaving a wet spot where it pulsed against the rippling muscles of his abs.

  She began to reach for him, but he stopped her with a thread of steel in his low, harsh voice. “No, it’s my turn.” He loomed over her and pushed her gently back to the blankets, where he brushed his calloused hands down her arms, her legs, and her stomach. Lowering his torso between her thighs, she could feel the moist heat of his breath lightly blowing across the wet juncture of her panties. Needing to feel his touch there, her hips lifted toward him.

  Chuckling low, he lowered his face and granted her wish. His tongue pushed against her core through the fabric of her panties. Immediately, muscles tightened as shockwaves of pleasure thrummed through her. She moaned and he pulled the fabric to the side and slid a finger into her.

  “Brian!” she gasped as she shifted against the pressure of his fingers. He added another finger, stretching and massaging her. When his tongue flicked against her, her body took control as liquid fire spread and her muscles pulsed and clenched against the erotic press of him. Never had she climaxed so quickly or easily.

  A cocky smile curled against his lips as he rose over her for a kiss. “Feeling more relaxed now?”

  “Hmm,” she murmured against his lips, catching her breath as she pulled his body to hers, looking for more. “Better for me, but I think something else needs attention here.” As she traced his mouth with her tongue, she stroked his cock with her grip. She didn’t think it was possible, but he was even longer and firmer now. He had to be in a bad way and she fully planned to help him with that.

  “Where’s the condom?” she whispered into his ear.

  He leaned over and grappled for his jeans that had been tossed to the side. She took them from him and fished the little foil packet out of the pocket. She wanted to take control.

  Pressing her palm against his chest, she pushed him so that he reclined on the blankets and pillows and she stripped off her underwear.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his
eyes lighting up with desire in the golden glow of the firelight.

  Beautiful? No, not compared to him. She took a moment to examine the rugged planes of his body as she threw a leg over to straddle his thighs. Beginning at the leftover scar on his side from his gunshot wound, she brushed her fingers, laved her tongue, and nibbled him with her teeth leaving a wake of goose bumps in her path. Even scarred, he was the most exquisite man she’d ever seen.

  His light brown nipples had pebbled at her touch and she gently flicked her tongue against one. He groaned low and hard and his erection pulsed against the inside of her thigh, leaving a wet spot that scorched her desire. Soon. So soon, he would be back inside her. Her core clenched with need.

  Brian ran his hands up her back, across her arms, palmed her breasts, and caressed her face. All the time, he made guttural sounds of desire which lit her nerves up even more. Slowly she slid down his torso, knowing that there was only so much sensual torture he could handle, as he became more and more vocal under her assault.

  Hovering just above his hard length, she scraped her fingernails through the treasure trail of blond hair dusting his lower torso. He fisted a hand around the long length of her hair and as she licked her lips in anticipation of tasting him again, he tugged it so she looked at him.

  His jaw clenched in desire and his half-lidded eyes glittered with arousal. “Toni, your mouth is heaven, but I’m too close right now. I want—” He swallowed. “No, I need to be inside you when I come.”

  A ripple of desire surged through her and she automatically flexed her hips and ground against his thigh.

  A long, hard, “Please,” shuddered out of him as if ripped from his soul.

  How could she resist that? With shaking hands, she ripped the condom package open with her teeth and slowly slid the latex down his length. Lifting her hips up, she positioned him at her entrance and then looked up to him. Their gazes locked as she lowered down onto him, inch by torturously long inch, he slowly filled her.

  She pressed her palms to his chest and the tautness of his muscles there testified to how much control he used to keep from surging up into her. His jaw clenched as his breathing sped up and his grip on her hips tightened, but he left the reins of control with her. His gaze never wavered from hers, the raw sensuousness reflected there slaying her. This man was everything and he was submitting it all to her. She could see that now.