by Mary Winter
“With your numbers,” Mack called after him.
“Yeah, with my numbers. I’m sorry, Mack. I really am.” Without waiting for a reply, Adrian returned to his den and wondered why he felt like a complete and utter ass.
* * *
Mack watched Adrian leave, determined not to let that be the final word on their relationship. Adrian might be sorry, but Mack sure as hell wasn’t. Striding to the dining room where he’d seen a phone and some numbers on a board there, he decided he needed to call in reinforcements. A moment later Van’s phone rang, and he picked up the line.
Mack quickly introduced himself as the friend of Adrian’s who had been at the store earlier, and then, without preamble, laid out the entire truth. “…sounds crazy, I know. But I need Adrian to trust me, to believe in me when I tell him that I care, and to believe in us. He’s a stubborn man.”
On the other end of the phone, Van chuckled. “Don’t we know it. Look, let me tell you something that’ll probably shed some light on why Adrian no longer trusts people. He had a comic store before The Fantastic Five. It was his pride and joy. He’d built it into a large gaming center and was planning on expanding. One of the men who worked for him ran away with the money, and Adrian lost the store. Adrian had been in love with him. It was the only completely spontaneous thing Adrian ever did, and it bit him in the ass.”
Mack sucked in a harsh breath, awaiting some kind of disbelief, some reaction to his story.
“Since then, Adrian doesn’t give his heart to anyone. He calculates, and usually finds some reason to not continue the relationship. You have to show him you believe. You have to give him something to believe in. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, it does.” Even before the phone call, Mack had known he had his work cut out for him. Now, listening to Van’s words, he really knew. “And about the second issue. What can we do about giving me all the numbers Adrian thinks I need?”
“Well, it’s not just Adrian. You do need them. Let me do some research. I think we can come up with something,” Van replied. He gave no other sign whether he believed Mack or not.
“Really? I appreciate it.” For the first time, Mack felt hope. He grinned, thinking about showing his new social security card to Adrian.
“Sure. If you can bring Adrian out of his shell, it’ll be worth it. I’ll get back in touch with you in a few days, okay?” Van shuffled papers on the other end of the phone.
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“No, we owe you if you can get Adrian to free his heart.” With those words, Van disconnected the call.
Mack stared at the phone. Make Adrian believe. His mission. His duty. His desire.
Chapter Six
When three hours had passed and Adrian still hadn’t emerged from his study, Mack knew he had to take action. The sandwiches they’d eaten, and he’d put away, hardly seemed filling. One of the things Mack knew he could do was cook. His men had called him a damn good cook out in the field, and he bet with the modern conveniences in Adrian’s kitchen he could do even better. Adrian’s stove looked like a sleek space-age appliance, and Mack hoped, prayed, he could figure it out.
Twenty minutes later he’d done more than decipher the controls. He drained the whole-wheat pasta he’d found, put the finishing touches on a large salad, and placed chicken and a marinara sauce over the noodles. He’d found plates and silverware, even a bottle of wine stashed in the back of the fridge. Popping the cork, he let the vino breathe while he arranged everything on a tray. Then, half afraid to ask Adrian to come into the dining room where he could set the table and make a real meal, he carried it to the table before proceeding into Adrian’s den.
“Something smells wonderful,” Adrian said as Mack entered. Brow furrowed, he bent over his computer, no doubt deciphering the store’s numbers.
Mack hovered in the doorway. “I made dinner. It’s in the dining room unless you want to eat in here.” He eyed the stacks of paper and the computer dubiously. Though he didn’t know how to run one -- yet -- he figured it wouldn’t like having food spilled on it.
“Dining room would be better,” Adrian admitted. “Can you give me a moment?”
Mack paused. A part of him wondered if Adrian would exit the den in the “moment” he’d asked for. Van had told him to believe, and to show Adrian he believed in him. “Sure,” he relented. But if you’re not out in a few I’m coming in after you.
Adrian’s eyes widened, almost as if he hadn’t thought Mack would allow it. “Okay. Thanks. I’m almost done.” He turned back to the computer.
Mack watched a moment longer, wanting to massage the tension from Adrian’s shoulders. Kiss his nape, stroke his chest, maybe even make love right there on the carpet. Like a feral kitten, he needed to allow Adrian to come to him. And perhaps this dinner would be the way to do it. He hurried back to the dining room. Just as he pulled out his chair to sit, Adrian appeared.
His eyes widened. “You didn’t have to go through all of this. It looks amazing.” He sat down. “I haven’t eaten a home-cooked meal like this in ages.”
“So what do you eat?” Mack passed him a platter of garlic toast he’d made.
“Sandwiches. Cereal. Sometimes the bacon and eggs like we had for breakfast. Nothing too serious or time-intensive.” He brought a forkful of pasta to his mouth and moaned at the taste.
Mack beamed with pride. “So why don’t you cook?”
“Cooking for one sucks,” Adrian succinctly answered.
“Yeah, it does. I did it on too many nights, though most of the time it was homework.”
“Homework?” Adrian arched an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I had just started college to be a chef when I was drafted. I was on my second tour in Nam when I was killed. I remember lying in my foxhole thinking that we were all kernels of popcorn. If the heat got to be too much we’d jump up out of our hiding places. Some of us would make it, the heat turning us into something we weren’t before. Some of us wouldn’t. We’d stay exactly as we were, as dead and unwanted to the military as an old maid.” He shook his head. “I suppose that sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
Adrian’s fork stilled. “No, it doesn’t.”
“No, the crazy part is that I’d do it all over again if it brought me to you. I know you don’t believe me when I say that you’re my mission, but I truly believe this is what I was brought back for, to be with you, to teach you how to love. You’ve locked yourself away with your numbers for so long, Adrian. Do you really know how to feel?”
“Yeah, I still remember how to feel.” His gruff admission startled Mack. He’d expected something different, maybe a harsh rebuttal.
His food forgotten, Mack focused on the man sitting across from him. “I know this is a crazy, strange situation. But I also know that I love you, Adrian. I love you for your too-serious demeanor, for the way you make love. I love you. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make you believe it.”
Adrian dropped his face into his hand, and for a moment Mack feared he’d pushed him too far. Then he looked up, and the same love that he felt was reflected in Adrian’s eyes.
Mack’s breath whooshed from his lungs. “Tell me you feel the same. I’ve already spoken with Van. If a birth certificate and social security number mean so much to you, he can make those things happen. He said he would.”
“No, they don’t mean that much to me,” Adrian said in the silence that followed Mack’s admission. “Not as much as you.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love. It didn’t even indicate the full depth of his feelings, but for Adrian, it was a start. Mack accepted that. “Finish your dinner,” he said with a smile. “I think you’re going to need your strength later.”
“Yeah, I think I might,” Adrian agreed.
* * *
Truth be told, Adrian knew he needed the time to finish his dinner, then silently help Mack put the leftovers away as if they’d worked together in that kitchen many times before. When Mack had called him for dinner
-- he didn’t think too hard on how nice that had been – Adrian had been staring at the computer. Last quarter’s numbers compared with today’s and the week to date. It appeared that the store’s fortunes were turning around.
Mack’s insistence on believing hammered inside Adrian’s brain. Surely it couldn’t be that easy. Bringing the store’s profits back in line took word-of-mouth, advertising, planning, budgeting, maybe even a firm reevaluation of the various lines the store carried. Simple belief wasn’t enough. The numbers told the story. Whatever had caused the upswing in sales, they were there. Nearly ten percent worth, and from the look of today’s sales, due to maintain or increase over the coming weeks.
Adrian grinned, looking at the man sitting next to him on the large couch in the living room. They’d moved there after finishing up in the kitchen. He rested his arm on the back of the couch, his fingers playing with the nape of Mack’s neck. They sat there, watching the gas fireplace. There wasn’t anything on television, and Mack admitted he didn’t have a clue about the sports teams. Adrian never did follow sports much.
Whatever light had dawned on his dark soul during Mack’s kiss only illuminated it more. He liked this. He wanted this. He easily saw Mack by his side, now, forever, always. It sounded sappy, like something out of a chick flick, and Adrian wasn’t sure how to say it. Maybe he didn’t have to. Maybe what they had was enough.
No, Mack deserved to hear the words.
His gut churning like it had before his first performance on the freshman debate team, he leaned over and blew a puff of air across Mack’s earlobe. Before he could lose his nerve, Adrian lipped it. He drew the fleshy pad into his mouth and sucked, his hand creeping across Mack’s abdomen. Muscles contracted beneath his touch.
Mack wrapped his right arm around Adrian’s shoulders, his other hand reaching for Adrian’s biceps. Pulling Adrian to him, he tilted his head, giving him greater access to his neck.
Adrian hummed as he tongued Mack’s earlobe. He released it with a pop, his lips trailing down Mack’s neck to his clavicle. There was one service he hadn’t performed for Mack. His hand hovered just above the waistband of Mack’s pants.
“Do it,” Mack growled.
Adrian flipped the button open. He worked his thumb into the opening, caressing the wiry hair that surrounded Mack’s cock. He nipped Mack’s shoulder, drawing a groan as he laved the possessive mark with his tongue. Lowering his head, he slid to the edge of the couch. Mack’s nipples drew his attention. Adrian licked and sucked each one, marveling at how the buds tightened against his tongue.
Feel for Mack. Hell, he loved him. The words tumbled on the edge of his lips, hesitant to be said. Adrian hoped he could show him with actions, instead. Finding the valley between Mack’s flat pectorals, he followed it down, bisecting his abdominal muscles with licks and kisses. The swirl of Mack’s navel demanded his attention, as did the arrow of hair leading down into the waistband of his pants.
Adrian slid to his knees. He pushed Mack’s knees apart and made room for himself between them. His hands shook as he finished unfastening Mack’s pants and opened them.
Mack’s cock pushed through the opening, a tiny drop of pre-cum beading on the head. His musky aroma tantalized Adrian’s nose. He stroked his lover’s cock from root to tip, then down again. The gentle touches had the shaft twitching and Adrian’s cock throbbed inside his jeans. He willed his body to behave and bent his head to the tantalizingly close shaft.
The first taste of Mack’s salty fluids burst on his tongue, thick and heady. He swallowed, unable to suppress a moan. Adrian refused to think about how long it’d been since he’d given a blow job, only knew that the cock just barely in his mouth was one of the finest ones he’d tasted. This time was most definitely for Mack.
Adrian worked his lips and tongue down the shaft. One hand slid beneath his chin to cup Mack’s balls, the other splayed across Mack’s lower abdomen. Strong fingers covered his own, holding his hand to Mack’s skin, and another hand fisted in his hair. Fingers clenched, and Adrian relished that small sign that Mack was losing control.
Mack leaned back and thrust his hips. Both hands tangled in Adrian’s hair as he fucked Adrian’s mouth.
Relaxing his throat muscles, Adrian took him deeper. He moaned, vibrating his throat against the end of Mack’s cock. It’d been so long since he’d done this, and he needed it so much. His balls tightened, an all-too-familiar pressure building just behind them. Damn, he was going to come just from giving Mack a blow job.
Wrangling some will, he stroked his tongue along the bottom of Mack’s cock. Above him, Mack’s breathing grew harsher, his moans deeper.
“Oh, yeah,” he growled as Adrian tongued the spot just behind the head. In the palm of Adrian’s hand, Mack’s balls tightened. He stroked the skin behind them, willing his lover to come.
With a hoarse shout, Mack did. Warm jets of seed splashed against the back of Adrian’s throat, and he swallowed them greedily. Licking Mack’s cock, he felt every twitch, every shudder, until finally, the GI’s muscles relaxed and he lay still.
Adrian wasn’t finished.
He released Mack’s cock with a long, slow lick, then leaned back and unfastened his pants. “Turn around,” he growled.
“Is that an order?” Mack arched an eyebrow.
“It’s an order,” Adrian confirmed as he shoved his pants down around his knees. Not bothering with taking off his shoes, he waited for Mack to present his buttocks.
Kneeling on the couch, Mack looked over his shoulder. “It’s been a while since I’ve had this.”
“Me, too,” Adrian admitted and moved forward. He reached around Mack and caressed his half-hard cock. Slicking his hand with lube, Adrian stroked his own shaft, adding his pre-cum to the mix. He squeezed the base of his cock as he aimed it at Mack’s tight hole. “Ready?”
“Hell, yeah!” Mack yelled.
Adrian thrust forward. He moved slowly, unable to help but watch as his cock disappeared into Mack’s ass an inch at a time. At last, he was seated fully inside Mack. A low groan issued from his throat. He started to pull back.
“Wait,” Mack ordered. He reached for Adrian’s hands, covering them with his own and pulling them toward his cock. “You feel so good.” He curled Adrian’s fingers around his erect shaft.
Adrian stroked him, resisting the urge to plunge repeatedly into Mack’s body. He had to take this slow. Not just for Mack, but for him, too. Adrian wanted to savor this moment, to fully realize what it meant to care for another person more than life itself. When Mack nodded, Adrian pulled back until just the tip of his shaft rested inside Mack.
Adrian thrust forward again. The surge ignited something deep inside, a hot churn of pressure and pleasure that detonated just behind his balls and raced throughout his entire body. Sweat coated his skin.
Beneath Adrian’s hand, Mack’s cock hardened. And Adrian realized he literally had everything he’d ever wanted, here against his palm. Adrian deepened his thrusts.
He rode the waves of pleasure pulsing in his body. Changing his angle, he brushed against Mack’s prostate, eliciting a groan from the man beneath him. Muscles bulged in Mack’s arms, his thighs hard against Adrian’s.
Adrian drove into Mack. His guttural moans vibrated through his chest. They echoed around them, mingling with Mack’s sounds of pleasure. In Adrian’s hand, Mack’s cock tightened. This was what it meant to join with another person. This was what it meant to love.
And then, he was there. His release soared through him, lifting him higher than he’d ever gone before. With a cry, he came. He spilled himself inside Mack, feeling the man’s flesh tighten, his breathing deepen. Harsh rasps of panting breaths echoed around them. Adrian rested his head against Mack’s shoulder, three little words tumbling from his lips. “I love you.”
Mack stiffened. He shouted as he came in Adrian’s hand. His seed filled Adrian’s palm, a life-giving offering. Drawing a deep breath, he looked over his shoulder. Blue eyes met
brown, two men connected, and Mack smiled. “I love you,” he replied.
Still locked together, they tumbled down to the couch.
For long moments, neither said a word.
“Did you mean it?” Mack croaked at last. He struggled to sit, his pants still wadded down around his knees. Carefully, he pulled them up.
Adrian smiled as he adjusted his jeans. “Yeah, I meant it.” He reached out and touched the shadow of stubble on Mack’s cheeks. “You told me to believe. Guess I finally figured it out.”
Mack snaked his fingers around Adrian’s wrist and pulled him against his chest. “Guess you did.”
Adrian sprawled against Mack’s chest. “Do you think it’s always going to be like this between us?” He glanced down at Mack’s pants, where his cock was hardening once again.
“Like what?”
“All sex, all the time.”
“And that’s bad?” Mack flipped open the button on his pants. “Because really, I don’t mind.”
Adrian laughed. “Guess I don’t mind either.”
The ring of the phone halted Adrian’s hand as he reached for Mack’s fly. He waited, listening to it ring three times. After his message, a very familiar voice spoke.
“Hey guys, I made it to the tropics. Looks like there’s some crazy guy in the villa next to mine. Oh well, I’ll be out windsurfing anyway. Hope you’re treating my action figure all right. Still not sure why Mack wanted me to take this one. Hope you guys are having fun.” Dean’s message ended.
Adrian’s cheeks flamed.
Mack just grinned, and Adrian wondered what his lover was thinking. It didn’t matter. Tonight, Adrian had something a bit more carnal in mind.
Live Action Hero
Mission: Raw
Too late, Dean arrives for his windsurfing vacation and realizes his “secluded” Caribbean villa isn’t. He has a neighbor who just happens to look exactly like a certain action figure left with Adrian’s lover, Mack. Finding out his neighbor shares Dean’s passion for extreme sports only reopens wounds Dean had thought healed.