Pure, ecstatic bliss.
The first thing Laddin saw when he came back to himself was Bruce, still on his knees, grinning like he’d been given a bonus prize. Laddin blinked because—to be honest—he hadn’t seen a lover look like that. Not after giving so well without receiving anything in return.
“You okay there, Bruce?” Laddin asked, surprised by how breathless he felt.
“I’ve never gotten a guy off before. You looked amazing.”
“I…. That’s because… I mean… it was amazing. You were amazing.” He put a hand to his mouth, mortified by his stammer.
Bruce pulled the hand away and they kissed. Bruce’s mouth was hard, and his tongue thrust deep. His cock was there between them, thick and ruddy, and suddenly Laddin wasn’t interested in standing anymore. So he pulled Bruce to the bed.
“Want to learn how to top?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. No restraint.
Laddin grinned. “Good. Because I want to teach you. Stay right there.” Now he was the one doing the ordering as he pulled the condom and lube from his bag. Then he taught Bruce what to do. He explained things as clearly and precisely as he would a new kid in demolitions—only he was the one about to get blown apart.
He lay back on the bed, facing Bruce, and let the man find the angle and the rhythm. He let Bruce see his lust and his need, even as he felt the burn cut through him. Bruce thrust his magnificent cock in so deep that Laddin couldn’t stop squirming, thrusting his own cock uselessly into the air. And he watched in wonder as Bruce’s body flexed above him. Bruce’s chiseled face tightened, and his hard abdominals moved in a glorious display—into Laddin, deeper, harder—while Bruce’s eyes took on a laser focus and his mouth pulled back into a grin.
And Laddin watched while his heart stuttered and his body pulsed.
Raw male power in the act of possession. It was so beautiful, it tore him apart.
He watched, and he was ridden.
And when Bruce finally exploded inside him, Laddin blew apart too. And he fell in love.
Chapter 20
DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY
BRUCE WOKE to a ringtone that played “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” What was even funnier was the way Laddin rolled over, grabbed the phone, and answered with a very crisp “Yes, Captain!”
Bruce was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when Laddin leaped out of bed and gestured for him to do the same. “We’ll leave in ten minutes. Will you inform Nero, or should I?” And then he finished with “Yes, ma’am.”
He hung up the phone while Bruce was pulling on his sweats. He definitely needed to get some real clothes. But at least he had his boots, muck- and cheese-covered though they may be. “What’s up?” he asked as Laddin started grabbing his own clothes.
“The kangaroo pack has been dispersed. We’re heading in, even though it’s nearly dark.”
Bruce looked out the window, and sure enough, dusk was starting to gather on the horizon. “I don’t know how much I’ll be able to see,” he murmured.
“Your fairy sight should kick in. My guess is that you won’t need real light. In fact, you might be better off without it.”
Good point. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”
Laddin finished lacing his sneakers. Then he looked up, but not exactly into Bruce’s eyes. “So, um, did you get any clarity?”
From the sex, he meant. Had their roll in the hay helped him sort out his life? Hell no, but he didn’t regret it for a moment. “It cleared out the cobwebs,” he finally said. “Which gives room for inspiration to strike, right?”
“Right.” Laddin turned away. There was a tightness in his body that Bruce didn’t like. It could be because they were headed into the spooky dead zone known as Lake Wacka Wacka. Or was it something else?
“Laddin—”
“Listen closely. It hasn’t hit the news yet because no one wants to talk about it, but there’s this huge depressive cloud around the lake. It’s really intense. The normals are sobbing uncontrollably—there have been three suicides and dozens who just left because they couldn’t take it anymore—and even our crew is being overcome by it. That’s why we cycle people in and out fast.”
“Because they get depressed?”
“Suicidally depressed. You can laugh at me all you want, but I’m there to keep the cheerful going. One positive thought can counter a hundred dark ones.”
That really wasn’t his experience, but Bruce didn’t argue. Laddin was acting very intense right now—the exact opposite of his usual upbeat self—and Bruce wasn’t one to challenge a superior officer until he understood the situation.
But when Laddin didn’t keep speaking, Bruce scrambled to fill the silence. “Uh… yes, sir!”
Laddin rolled his eyes. “I don’t need you to salute me. I need you to not laugh when I tell you to—”
“Don’t worry, be happy?”
Laddin frowned. “Yes. That.”
“I wasn’t laughing. Certainly not at you.” He frowned. “Did I miss something or do something? You’re acting very….”
“What?”
“Commander-in-chief?” That wasn’t the right description, but he couldn’t find the right words just then.
“Because I am your trainer. I am your commander-in-chief.”
Neither of them looked at the bed. They hadn’t exactly been acting like an officer/recruit a few hours ago. And the fact that they both were avoiding the view was suddenly really obvious.
Laddin addressed it first. That was no big surprise, since the guy tended to fill awkward silences.
“I don’t know how to act right now. I’ve never been in charge of an op, and I’ve never had to train a new recruit. Hell, before a couple of months ago, the worst thing I had to do was yell at actors to get the hell out of the blast radius.”
