[Conduct Unbecoming 01.0] Conduct Unbecoming

by LA Witt

  Our eyes met again. We exchanged grins; then I got into the cab ahead of him. He slid in beside me and said something to the driver in Japanese. The driver responded in the same language, and the car lurched into motion.

  For the entire ride, Shane and I didn’t look at each other. I didn’t look at him, anyway, and I was sure the hairs on my neck would have stood on end if he so much as glanced in my direction. Whether he looked my way or not, the only way I was staying anywhere close to sane was to stare intently through the windshield. There’d be plenty of time to look at each other when we made it to his place.

  At Shane’s direction, the cab stopped in front of a four-story apartment building. I handed the driver two thousand-yen bills, and he passed back a few coins worth of change. He could have shortchanged me for all I knew, but whatever.

  As the cab drove off, Shane led me to the stairs in front of the building. The stairwell was partly open-air, partly enclosed. At every landing, the high concrete wall curved around us like a shell, and I was tempted to grab him and pull him up against me. God damn, I wanted him, and I only barely convinced myself I wouldn’t burst into flames if we made ourselves get all the way into his apartment and into his bed before we finally got out of these clothes.

  On the third floor, Shane gestured toward the door instead of continuing up the next flight of stairs. Oh, thank God. That meant we were almost—

  Shane grabbed me and kissed me. Without missing a beat, I seized fistfuls of his shirt and hauled him to me, hoping he saw it as an aggressive move, not a bid to use him for balance before my legs gave out. Then he shoved me up against the door and pinned my arms beside my head. His kiss was so deliciously aggressive, and with his cock pressed against mine, his hands gripping my wrists painfully tight, and his mouth demanding access to mine, I was sure I’d come if I so much as moved.

  He dipped his head and kissed my neck, and I fought to stay in control.

  “I suppose I should have asked earlier,” he murmured, his breath hot against my throat, “but are you a top or bottom?”

  “Either. Both.” I licked my lips. “I don’t fucking care, just—”

  He cut me off with another violent kiss. Then he released one of my hands. I grabbed on to his shoulder for balance, and not a moment too soon, because a second later, his hand was over the front of my shorts, and my knees damn near buckled.

  “Fuck,” he growled, squeezing gently with his hand as his lips descended on my neck again. “I’ve wanted you so damned bad since you walked into the club.”

  I bit my lip and closed my eyes. I wanted to tell him the feeling was mutual and had been since I first laid eyes on him, but as he stroked me through my clothes and let his lightly stubbled chin brush over my neck, speech was impossible.

  Then his fingertips found my zipper pull, and my eyes flew open, but the air in my throat refused to move. His other hand released mine, and with both hands, he unbuckled my belt and unbuttoned the top of my shorts. All the while, his mouth explored the sides of my neck and the underside of my jaw, and I squirmed between him and the door.

  His fingers closed around my cock, and that delicious, warm contact made me gasp, which got my breath moving enough so that I could finally speak.

  I licked my lips. “Shouldn’t we…in the house…”

  “Yeah, we should.” But he dropped to his knees right there on the welcome mat, and before I could think of a reason to protest, his mouth was around my cock. One flick of his tongue, and my vision blurred. One stroke of his hand, and my spine turned to liquid. I pressed my palms against either side of the doorframe, bracing myself as my knees threatened to go slack. I gasped but forced my eyes to stay open because I wasn’t about to miss this.

  The dim light from a single overhead bulb rippled across his dark blond hair as his head moved in time with his hand’s rapid strokes. It had been too long since I’d experienced a man who sucked cock like he wanted to, not like it was just an obligatory step toward getting what he wanted. Jesus Christ, he was enthusiastic.

  I didn’t hear him make a sound, but I damn sure felt his voice vibrate against my skin, and I thought I’d go out of my fucking mind. Every stroke, every circle his tongue made around the head of my cock, every groan I felt but didn’t hear, drove me insane. I took one hand off the doorframe and dug my teeth into my second knuckle, fighting to stay quiet. I didn’t have to ask if he was just doing this to turn me on or if he intended to get me off. Nothing about this said I was going anywhere without coming, and I didn’t fight him. Probably couldn’t have if I wanted to. Maybe I was just that horny, maybe he was just that good, but holy fuck, there was no holding back.

  My back arched off the door, and my knees shook so bad I didn’t even bother hoping he didn’t notice. My palm slammed against the doorframe again, and I let go of a groan that might have made me panic if I’d given a flying fuck about anything other than coming, and coming, and coming.

  Shane stood, and I put my arms around his neck just to stay upright. We kissed breathlessly like we had at the club, except this time, there was salt on his tongue, and my head spun faster with every heartbeat as we made out against his door. I just couldn’t get enough of him.

  What had gotten into me, I had no idea. Usually once I’d come, I at least slowed down. Backed off a little, long enough to catch my breath, if nothing else. Not now. My need for release was sated for the moment, but my need for him? Not even close.

  Hope you can keep up, Shane. I dug my fingers into his shoulders. Because this is going to be a long night.

  Shane broke the kiss, and between gasps for air, whispered, “Okay, now we should get in the house.” He pressed his hard-on against my hip. As if I wasn’t dizzy enough already, he added, “My neighbors probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I fucked you out here.”

  I just whimpered and pulled him into another kiss. He didn’t let it last long, though. Using the door for leverage, he pushed himself off me. Our eyes met in the dim light, and he swept his tongue across his lower lip.

  “Bedroom,” he said and reached into his pocket. The jingle of his keys made me shiver, and while I fixed my clothes, Shane unlocked the front door.

  Inside his apartment, he led me down the dark hall into his bedroom. There, he flicked on the light, and our eyes met. Judging by the hunger in his expression, I suspected we were both very much on the same page: screw making out and slowly getting out of these clothes. Forget being coy and lovingly removing everything one piece at a time like either of us had any doubt about where this was going.

  He confirmed that suspicion when he went for the top button of his shirt. I took the hint and started on my own. The more clothing he lost, the more I struggled to navigate simple things like my belt buckle and the buttons on my shirt, because he was even sexier naked. He had the physique of a man who didn’t pass his Physical Readiness Tests by the skin of his teeth. If his powerful arms and perfectly flat abs were anything to go by, Shane’s gym routine probably made the PRT look like a leisurely stroll down the beach. And, I realized as he kicked off his shorts and briefs, I had to have that cock in me sooner than later. Oh my God.

  Once we’d stripped out of our clothes, we grabbed on to each other and kissed again with nothing between us. Hot flesh against hot flesh. Fingers digging into bare skin. Shane’s very hard cock pressed against my hip. I had to have him. Right now. Foreplay, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, fuck me now.

  I forced myself to break the kiss. “You do have condoms, right?”

  “You’d better believe it.” He drew me back a step toward the bed. “I wouldn’t have brought you back here if I didn’t have condoms and lube.”

  “Good. Put ’em on.”

  He laughed softly and kissed me again. “Eager, are we?”

  I wrapped my fingers around his cock, grinning against his lips when he gasped. “Aren’t you?” I stroked him slowly, squeezing and releasing just enough to make him squirm.

  He grabbed my wrist, exhaling sharply when my
hand stopped. “Let me get a condom.”

  I let him go, and he reached for the nightstand. He pulled out a box of condoms, freed one, and tossed the box next to the bedside lamp.

  As he tore the wrapper and rolled on the condom, I wondered what the best position would be to enjoy the hell out of him. If I was on my knees, he could fuck me hard and fast. On my back with him on top, we could keep on kissing like we had all night while he drove himself into me.

  No, no. I knew how I wanted him.

  Condom in place, Shane reached for the lube and nodded toward the bed. “Turn around.”

  “Nuh-uh.” I grinned. “Get on your back.”

  Stroking lube onto his cock, he said, “And what if I want to put you on your knees?”

  Oh, it was tempting. Especially with the growl in his voice. Tempting, but no. I wanted him on his back and at my mercy.

  I put my hands on his waist and leaned in to kiss him but pulled back at the very last second. “Maybe I want you to do things my way.”

  He grinned. “All right. We’ll do things your way.”

  He got on the bed on his back, and I sat over him, begging my knees not to shake. It was all I could do to maintain this illusion of being in perfect, unwavering control. Usually, I was in total control, and the more Shane rattled my foundations, the more he threw me off balance, the more he intrigued me. The more I wanted him.

  He put some lube on his fingers and, eyes locked on mine, reached between us. I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes as he pressed his cool fingertips against my ass. He pressed one in. After a few slow, easy strokes, he added the second. White light flickered at the corners of my vision, and I gritted my teeth every time he withdrew his fingers. Maybe he was just being careful, maybe he was a motherfucking tease; either way, I lost a little more of my mind every time his fingers slipped almost all the way out.

  He did withdraw them all the way, and I was about to protest, but then he closed his hand around his cock. Finally.

  He steadied his cock with one hand and my hip with the other, and he bit his lip as I lowered myself onto him. We both exhaled hard when I took the head of his cock, and Shane closed his eyes and moaned as I took him deeper. No more teasing or being careful. I was in control now, and I wanted every inch of him, fast and hard, and I fucking took it.

  “Oh my God,” he groaned, gripping my hips. “Oh, fuck. Faster, Eric.”

  I slowed down, rising and falling so slowly I could feel every inch of his cock moving in and out of me. He tightened his grasp on my hips and thrust up, trying to urge me into a faster rhythm.

  Oh, but I was having none of that. I grabbed one wrist, then the other, and pinned them to the bed like he’d pinned mine to the door.

  He smirked. “Like being in control, do—ooh God.” He squirmed under me, thrusting up again when I tried to rise off him. “God damn, you feel good.”

  “So do you,” I breathed. “You feel amazing.”

  “I can usually…” His voice trailed off into a moan. “I can usually go on for a while, but you…” He bit his lip, closing his eyes and lifting his hips in search of mine. “Fuck…”

  Leaning on his wrists to keep him immobile as well as give me some leverage, I rode him faster, and he rewarded me with the most delicious moans and whimpers.

  His fingers curled around empty air, and his wrists twitched in my hands. When I gave him a little more, his eyes flew open. “Jesus…”

  “I hope you have more condoms left in that box,” I whispered.

  Confusion furrowed his brow momentarily like he couldn’t even comprehend what I’d said. Then he made the connection. “Ooh, yeah. We have plenty.”

  “Good.” I leaned down and let my lips brush his. “Because I fully intend to fuck you before tonight’s over.”

  Shane groaned, and I couldn’t be sure if it was because of what I’d said or because I’d picked up a little more speed.

  “God, don’t stop, Eric,” he moaned. “Don’t…” He stared up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. His lips parted. He closed his eyes and shuddered as he murmured, “Oh God, Eric. Oh God…” His back arched off the bed, and with a soft, helpless sound, Shane completely unraveled. Brow furrowed, fists clenched, lips apart, he lost it, and I kept riding him hard and fast until he pleaded with me to stop.

  I leaned down again and kissed him. Like me, even in the wake of an orgasm, he still kissed like a desperate man, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt this night was far from over.

  He freed one arm and gripped the back of my neck with a shaking hand. “Hope you’re not ready to call a cab yet.”

  Even as I laughed, I shivered. “Not a fucking chance.”

  Chapter Four

  Shane

  Why the fuck didn’t I get Eric’s phone number?

  I rested my elbow on my desk and rubbed my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. All I’d wanted was a one-night stand. Even two nights could get too complicated for my taste, especially with men—especially with military men—and from the get-go, I hadn’t intended to see him again. I hadn’t intended to want to see him again.

  That was, until the taillights of Eric’s taxi had disappeared from my apartment’s parking lot around sunrise on Saturday morning. From that moment on, I’d been kicking myself for not getting his number. The last thing I wanted or needed right now was a relationship, but I wanted another taste of him. Sex like that was too good to end with a one-night stand.

  But with no way to contact him, that was how it had to end.

  Now if I could just stop thinking about him, I’d be in good shape. That wasn’t happening anytime soon, though. I hadn’t had sex like that in ages, and my mind kept going back for more. God, I was usually so focused at work. I never daydreamed. I didn’t get distracted.

  I also didn’t usually get laid by men like him. He was…he just…why weren’t there more men out there like Eric? One minute he was demanding I fuck him harder; the next he was begging me to come for him. I swore to God my sheets were still smoldering long after he left.

  Concentrate, Connelly. I exhaled and stared up at my office ceiling. For a one-night stand, Eric had certainly parked himself in my consciousness. After another day or two, I supposed I’d probably shake him completely so I could get on with my life without thinking about how much I wanted to have him naked and panting in my bed again. Not today, though.

  My e-mail pinged, drawing me back into the present. When I looked at my in-box, I gritted my teeth at the sight of my ex-wife’s name. Now wasn’t that just a cold bucket of water over a good, if slightly distracted, mood?

  Great. How much do you need this time?

  Taking a breath, I clicked on the e-mail.

  Shane,

  My hours got cut again. Any chance I could get part of this month’s child support early?

  Best,

  K.

  It was just as well she couldn’t see me roll my eyes or hear my profane muttering as I logged into my bank account. Four years after our divorce, we maintained one joint account so that I could transfer money if the kids needed something. When I was stationed this far from home, it was the fastest, simplest way for me to get money to her. She knew I’d never say no, and sometimes I wondered if she really needed the money, or if she just…knew I’d never say no. Whatever the case, the end result was the same.

  “Being a single parent isn’t cheap, you know,” she’d reminded me in an e-mail a few months ago.

  Yeah, I know it isn’t cheap, I’d wanted to reply. And it wouldn’t be an issue at all if you’d been a little more faithful.

  Grumbling to myself, I shifted some money around between our accounts, then replied to her e-mail.

  Katie,

  I transferred $250 into the account. Let me know if it’s enough. Won’t take it out of the child support check. Hope it helps.

  Shane

  Reading over my bland, to-the-point message, it was hard to believe there was ever a time when she and I passed our workdays exchangin
g carefully worded and subtly racy e-mails. “Checkbook’s balanced” used to mean she really, really wished I could duck out of work, like, right now. “I’m taking the car to the dealership” meant she’d be waiting in bed when I got home. And, after the twins came along, “Kids are at my parents’ house” meant it was going to be one long night.

  I read my e-mail one more time, then sent it. Sighing, I minimized my e-mail program. Those playful, suggestive e-mails were long gone. If the kids weren’t in the picture, she and I wouldn’t be in contact anymore at all. And, oh, wouldn’t that just break my fucking heart?

  “Commander?”

  I looked up to see Lieutenant Commander Gonzales leaning in my open office door. For the life of me, I couldn’t say how long she’d been there.

  She looked at me with an expression that was equal parts concerned and amused. “Rough weekend, space cadet?” Like some of the other officers in this group, we knew each other well enough to drop the customary formality when we spoke one-on-one.

  I coughed, hoping my cheeks weren’t too red. “No, sorry. Was just running some numbers in my head.” Good save, Connelly. Good save. “Anyway, what’s up?”

  She eyed me skeptically but then came in and handed me a stack of file folders. “Just a few things I need you to sign and pass on to the skipper.”

  I flipped through them. Nothing out of the ordinary; just the usual endless stream of paperwork to dump on the captain’s desk. “All right, I’ll have a look and give them to him before I leave. And while you’re here…”

  We exchanged forms, files and folders, and she left me to my lack of concentration. I could focus enough to work, just as I always could, but there was a distinct, niggling tension in the back of my mind that kept me fidgeting and irritated. Short, terse e-mail exchanges with Katie always left me in a foul mood, but I was distinctly aware of something else tugging at my consciousness. Something that had been occupying my mind before her message came through.

  When I leaned down to get a folder out of a file drawer, a twinge in my back reminded me-- Eric. Goose bumps prickled the length of my spine. It had been a long time since anyone, male or female, had distracted me like this. And the night we spent together was a hell of a lot more pleasant a distraction than my ex-wife’s e-mail, so I didn’t fight it this time.