Page 76

Dean’s head poked between the curtains. “Hey, having any luck?”

Troy shrugged. “Hard to tell, he’s a bit uh, covered.”

“Anything vital?”

“Nothing that can’t wait.”

Dean nodded, turning his attention to Aidan. “You two are absolutely filthy, and it’s impossible to check you over while you’re covered head to toe in mud. So do us a favor, there’s a shower room at the back of the building. There’s not much in the way of stalls, so I’m going to remind you to behave.”

Sean blinked. “Behave?”

“Yeah, there’s not much to keep you separated. And you both need to be clean,” Dean explained.

“Oh,” Sean said, realizing he was being told he and Aidan were essentially going to bathe together.

“So remember your promise about behaving yourselves.”

Sean curled his lip but nodded. “I’ll behave.”

“Good, he said the same. Now limp your way down to the showers and get yourself clean so we can make sure there’s nothing serious.”

Troy chuckled, getting out of Sean’s way. “And don’t think Dean won’t follow through on his threat either.”

Sean had no doubt that the doc would do just that and wasn’t going to tempt fate. Heaving himself off the table, he winced as he landed on his ankle, which was still tender from having rolled it. Limping his way down the hallway, he kept going until he found a door where he could hear running water. Thinking Aidan must already be in the shower, Sean began undressing.

Getting his boots off took the longest, followed by his pants and underwear. The rest came off with a slight wince as he heaped them along the wall and stepped into the next room. It was built like a smaller version of the communal showers in the barracks. Unlike them, though, little half-walls separated each showerhead, giving a measure of privacy that was relatively unknown in the military.

Aidan had claimed a corner stall, the water running down his body as he washed himself off. Sean jerked his attention away, refusing to acknowledge his presence in an attempt to keep his word to Dean. Making his way to the nearest showerhead, he fiddled with the water until it began to flow at a temperature he could stand.

Bars of soap and a small shampoo bottle were provided, so Sean set to wash as thoroughly as he could. His side still ached, making bending over and washing his lower body hard. The rest was far easier, so long as he didn’t have to bend his arms too far one way. But as the water went from a muddy brown to clear, running down the drain, he found his body relaxing under the heat.

From the other side of the room came a deep, low groan. The sound shivered from Sean’s ears and down his spine before curling in his gut. He’d never heard such pleasure from Aidan, and his eyes snapped open to see what was happening.

His heart pounded as he took in the sight of Aidan standing beneath the stream of water. He’d managed to clean himself from the looks of it and simply stood under the shower, his headbowed forward and letting the water pound against his toned shoulders.

With the way Aidan was standing, Sean couldn’t see everything, as the half-wall dividing the stalls kept the front of his lower body hidden. But Sean watched as the small rivers of water ran over Aidan’s shoulders, down his muscular back, and over the curve of his ass.

When Aidan moved, Sean jerked his attention back to his shower, clamping his eyes shut. He heard Aidan turn the water off and step across the room with soft slaps of his feet against the wet tiled floor. Sean’s heart pounded as he waited to hear the footsteps retreat as Aidan left the room, giving Sean a measure of peace.

After waiting several minutes, he turned, looking over his shoulder with a nervousness he hated. His eyes widened, heart thudding harder when he found Aidan standing in the doorway, towel in hand. The man’s dark blue eyes were locked on Sean, and Sean would swear the man looked just as startled.

Aidan blinked. “There’s a towel on the bench out here if you need one.”

Sean nodded, straining to keep his eyes on Aidan’s face. If they moved any further south, he’d be unable to stop visually exploring the planes of Aidan’s body. The man had already proven himself in good shape and capable of keeping up with the rest of them. Undoubtedly, the front of his body was as impressive and pleasing as the rest, but Sean really did not want to have to deal with the blood rushing to his groin again, not while Aidan was watching.

Damn, how long had it been since he’d gotten laid if he was getting turned on by Aidan?

“Yeah, alright,” Sean grunted, tearing his eyes away from Aidan to pretend he was still working on getting himself clean.

There was another long pause, almost a full minute, until he heard Aidan stepping out of the shower area. Sean waited another minute before turning around to check, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the empty doorway.

Taking a deep, soothing breath, Sean turned his shower off as the heat of the water began to dwindle. He had to admit if things were different, and Aidan wasn’t...well, Aidan, Sean would have found the man attractive. The fact that the man was insufferable, frustrating beyond belief, and someone who Sean swore he wouldn’t miss if he never saw him again was merely a sign that his body’s reaction to Aidan’s naked body was an indication of how long it had been since he’d had sex. That was all.

He wasnotattracted to Aidan.

Snatching the towel from the bench outside the showers, he busied himself with drying off his body, repeating the vow over and over in his head.

SEAN