Page 146 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

If he allowed himself, he would even say it felt as though they were exactly where they were supposed to be, exactly as they were meant to be.

“So, how do you think the team will react?” Matt asked.

Because there was an us, and Matt was sure there would always be an us.

“Yeah.”

“Ricardo will snort and probably say something about how they should have known. Sean will be confused as hell because he thought it was one way, and now we’ve changed the script on him.

Aidan will probably point out and shout dramatically that he knew it.

Then proceed to ask if we need any pointers about how to have sex before Sean finds some way to shut him up,” Nick recited without hesitation.

“It’s disturbing how accurate that is,” Matt said with a light laugh.

“I’d like to think after so long, I know them pretty well.”

Matt’s smile went soft. “What do you think Clint would have said?”

Nick squeezed Matt’s hand, remembering the hurt of their fallen brother all too well. It wasn’t the sharp, all-consuming pain they’d suffered. Maybe the ache would never disappear, but he could finally think of Clint and smile.

“I think he’d be proud of us. He’d get that secret smile of his and nod before asking us what took so long,” Nick said softly.

“Sounds like him. If there’s an afterlife, I hope he’s happy with what we’ve all done with ourselves,” Matt said.

“Yeah, and if anyone deserves a nice, cushy afterlife, it’d be him.”

“He’d probably also slip me some lube.”

“No condoms, huh?”

“He’d trust you the same way I would with that.”

Nick glanced at him. “You...really don’t have a problem with that?”

“Going bareback? Eh,” Matt answered with a shrug.

Nick laughed. “No, I mean, you talk as though you’re the one who’s going to end up on the receiving end. Ignoring everything about how a straight guy being comfortable with gay stuff is strange enough. It’s even weirder to think you automatically assume you’ll be the bottom and have no issue.”

Matt looked at him. “Do you bottom?”

“No,” then he thought about it. “I haven’t. But for you? Yeah, I would.”

Matt hummed. “Good to know. We’ll have to see how that goes one day.”

“Just like that?” Nick asked, knowing the answer already.

Matt chuckled. “It’s what you’re most comfortable with, and really? What do I care? If that’s what you’re into, that’s what you’re into. I don’t think I’m that picky about it. I don’t feel that picky about it. To me, it’s just...you and me.”

“You and me,” Nick repeated, growing to love the phrase.

“And if that means you doing the fucking, then so be it. Hell, if you’re as good at that as you are at blowjobs, I’m not going to complain.”

His cheeks burned, but Nick laughed anyway. “I’m not even going to try to say if I am.”

Matt stopped as they approached the front door of Dakota House. He wrapped his hands around Nick’s waist and pulled him close. His dark eyes caught the moonlight overhead and positively burned with intensity.

“Show me?” Matt asked in a low voice.

“Tonight?” Nick clarified.

“It’s just us,” Matt said.

And, oh, kissing him was the easiest thing in the world. He could taste the faint hint of scotch on Matt’s tongue. He could feel the way Matt folded against him, giving in to the moment without a hint of hesitation.

He could hardly break the kiss, but he allowed himself to be led into the house, stumbling through the front door with a thump and a crash.

They worked to remove their hats and gloves, haphazardly kicking their boots away as they pawed at one another.

At one point, Matt made a reedy little gasp that electrified Nick from head to toe.

He had no choice but to pin the man against the wall beside the stairs, kissing him soundly and hard.

“Fuck,” Matt spat out, grinding against Nick.

“That’s kind of the idea,” Nick told him, pushing back.

“Then let’s get up the stairs and see if I’m right,” Matt hissed, pulling at Nick’s shirt.

“About what?” Nick asked, hesitating.

Matt’s eyes narrowed and he gripped Nick’s face. “Thinking, you’re always thinking.”

“It’s kind of my thing,” Nick reminded him.

“Drag me upstairs, Nick,” Matt hissed, fumbling with the button of Nick’s pants.

There was no way in hell Nick could resist a request like that.

He did as he was bid, dragging Matt upstairs with him.

He almost tripped over one of their bags in the middle of the room but recovered, twisted around and pushed Matt onto the bed instead.

Matt hit the bed with a heavy bounce and yanked at his shirt without missing a beat, pulling it over his head and tossing it aside.

For a moment, Nick gazed down upon him, watching the miles of skin on display.

There was a treasure trail of dark hair leading from the top of his stomach and disappearing beneath the waistline of Matt’s pants.

Nick ran his fingers over it, barely noticing as Matt reached out to undo the zipper on Nick’s pants and give them a yank.

That was until he felt warm hands shove into his underwear and grip him.

Nick hissed, almost stopping Matt but holding back as the other man fished his cock free. Matt’s eyes swept over the display held in his hands, and Nick groaned as he watched Matt’s tongue flick over his bottom lip eagerly.

Before he could wonder what the other man was up to, Matt leaned forward, closing his lips over the head of Nick’s cock. Warmth surrounded the thick head, drawing a faint noise of approval from him. True to his promise, Matt wasn’t the porn star, experienced man Nick had run into a time or two.

But it was Matt. It was him, running his lips down the length of Nick’s cock, not with hesitation born from worry but with the careful enthusiasm of someone who was unsure but determined to try.

Nick’s head spun as he watched his best friend, and now lover, bob forward, testing the lengths he could dive to, before backing away and sucking gently on the tip.

“Jesus Christ,” Nick muttered, eagerly running his hands through Matt’s hair.

He could easily come like this, with Matt’s lips wrapped around his cock and bobbing with all the passion and inexperience of an eager beginner.

But he didn’t want that, and it wasn’t what he had promised Matt.

With a low growl bubbling in his throat, he pulled Matt off his cock, kissing him soundly before he could protest. They fell backward, Nick pinning him to the bed as he tasted himself on the other man’s tongue.

“Fucking beautiful,” Nick hissed, shoving at Matt’s pants and underwear to get rid of them. “You’re fucking beautiful.”

Matt arched his back, helping with the process. “God, is this what you’re like during sex?”

“With you?” Nick asked, yanking Matt’s clothes off with a jerk of his wrists. “Fuck, yes.”

He spared only a moment to yank his bag close and delve into the side pocket.

When he found the bottle of lube, he tossed it onto the bed and dove down to kiss Matt again.

The other man flailed briefly, figuring out where to put his hands and legs before yanking Nick down eagerly into his returning kiss.

Heat radiated between them, and Nick spared a moment to shove at his clothes, yanking them off and leaving them wherever they fell.

Pushing them back, he placed Matt in the center of the bed, on full display. Kneeling before him, Nick snatched up the bottle of lube and cracked it open. Letting a healthy amount coat his fingers, he tossed it aside for later.

“Trust me?” Nick asked, chest heaving.

“Always.”

And because he couldn’t help himself, he gently eased the first slick finger into Matt while watching his face eagerly. There, Matt’s eyes widened as Nick’s digit slid in, not out of pain or shock, a little surprise, but Nick could see the intrigue there.

“Different,” Matt grunted.

“Wait,” Nick promised, hooking his finger as he slid deep enough, brushing the bundle of nerves when he knew he was in far enough.

Matt gave a low gasp, fingers clenching the bedspread. Only Nick’s other hand holding his waist kept Matt from completely pushing up. The grip around his fingers went taut, released, and tensed again. Grinning wickedly, Nick curled his finger to stroke once more, earning a deep shudder from Matt.

“Oh, okay,” Matt gasped out.

Which was all the permission he needed to add another finger.

Matt’s lip caught in his teeth as he stretched under the extra digit.

But just as before, when Nick curled his fingers, he earned another shuddering gasp.

The grip around his fingers was tight, but Nick would swear the other man was trying to pull him in deeper.

He sawed his fingers, spreading them apart, savoring the sensation of Matt stretching beneath his ministrations.

When the third finger was added, Nick pulled his hand from Matt’s waist and wrapped it around his cock.

Almost immediately, the flagging length sprung to life in his grip.

Matt gave a low cry as the third finger stretched him, and Nick’s other hand stroked his shaft.

He shuddered and moaned as Nick’s thumb brushed against the underside of the head.

Despite using only his hands and little else, Nick found his breathing heavy and sharp.

He carefully drew his fingers from the other man, noting Matt's ragged gasp. If there was ever a time to get to the full show, it was then, but his heart pounded and he pressed his hand against Matt’s chest, soothing him.

“You sure?” Nick asked hoarsely.

Matt breathed hard. “Fuck. Do it. Just...yes, yes, do it.”

And as much as it was his instinct to question everything, Nick pushed it aside without a thought. If Matt was sure, then he sure as hell would be.