Page 38 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

The doorknob jiggled, and the door flew open. Sean glared at him for a moment before recognition softened his features.

“Jesus. I heard someone talking out here, and I thought it was the idiots next door.”

“They get confused every time they go out and get drunk. So they like to try to use their key in my door and argue like drunken morons every time it happens.”

“Yeah, welcome to my life.”

Aidan chuckled. “The thrills of living on base.”

Sean grunted, stepping away from the door. “Come on in. The less time you stand out there, the better.”

Aidan did as he was told, stepping through the door and closing it behind him.

He couldn’t help looking around and wasn’t surprised to find the place wasn’t all that well furnished.

The living room to his right had a couch, a chair, and a TV set on top of a cheap-looking entertainment system.

The dining room to his left had a table and chairs, but there were no additional decorations, no personal touches, and the dining set looked like it had been picked up from a local department store.

Still, it was far better than what he had back in the barracks, so he wasn’t going to cast stones.

“Not interrupting, am I?” Aidan asked.

Sean snorted, stepping out of sight and moving from the dining room into what looked like the kitchen. “No. I’ve been sitting around doing absolutely nothing.”

“How’s the ankle?”

“About as good as it was when you asked earlier.”

“Right.”

Sean reappeared, holding out an opened beer. “Here. I don’t have much to offer, but I do have this.”

“Ah, a true gentleman,” Aidan said, accepting the ice-cold bottle with a grin.

“Don’t let it be said I don’t know how to be a proper host,” Sean said as he walked into the living room.

Aidan followed him, taking a moment before deciding to sit on the opposite end of the couch to Sean.

He’d thought the hardest part would be knocking on Sean’s door, but as they settled on the couch, Aidan realized he had no idea what he was supposed to say.

He’d agreed with Sean when the man told him they couldn’t discuss things until they’d come back, and now Aidan didn’t know where to start.

Sean glanced at him, raising a brow. “I figure I know already, but...how did you know what apartment I was in?”

Aidan snorted, tapping the pocket where his phone sat. “Ricardo texted me it.”

“He gave you my address?”

“Without my asking, I might add.”

Sean snorted. “Jesus. He wasn’t fucking around.”

Aidan raised his brow in return. “What’s that mean?”

Sean sighed. “Before we got back when we were still waiting on our ride back to the base, he talked to me. Wasn’t much. He’s not exactly a wordy person. But he told me he knew there was something going on between you and me when I thought we were keeping it pretty low-key.”

“Yeah, until I got that text message, I didn’t think anyone else noticed.”

“Well, he did, and he told me you and I needed to figure shit out because the team needed to be whole and needed us.”

That was vague enough to make Aidan wonder exactly what Ricardo meant. Did he mean whatever Aidan and Sean had been up to needed to stop so the team could function? Or did he mean that they needed to find some sort of resolution that would leave them both happy and clear-headed?

“I’m guessing he didn’t tell you what that was supposed to mean,” Aidan guessed.

Sean shook his head. “I think he was leaving that up to us.”

Which was fair, but it still left Aidan wondering what the hell they were supposed to do. He and Sean had only recently learned to get along and maybe even like one another. What the hell was he supposed to do with everything else?

Was he attracted to Sean? Absolutely, there was no denying it, especially considering they’d had some fun…

twice. But what did that mean now? Before, he could have passed it off as nothing more than a bit of fun, maybe blowing off some steam to deal with their emotions toward one another while still being attracted.

But didn’t everything change the minute they decided they could stand one another?

And didn’t it mean something that they could actually like one another?

“I guess that means we should probably figure out what that means for us, huh?” Aidan finally asked after a stretch of silence.

Sean looked up, eyes distant. “Been thinking a lot about it since we got back.”

Aidan’s heart skipped a beat. “Yeah?”

“And I don’t know the answer.”

Aidan couldn’t help his sigh. “Yeah, neither do I.”

Was it just sexual attraction, or was there a chance of more? He could already acknowledge that they were physically into one another. That much was plain. But was there a chance there could be something more? Did Aidan even want that?

Then again, he couldn’t deny there was something different about Sean, and perhaps always had been.

Who else had gotten under Aidan’s skin in the same way as Sean?

He suspected he’d had the same effect on his team leader.

Despite their differences, Sean had risked his life to save Aidan and trusted him to lead the team.

And when it came down to it, Aidan had opened up and told Sean the story behind why he’d been thrown to the wolves after dealing with Jason.

So what did that mean?

Sean searched his face, chuckling. “I think you’re probably wondering the same thing I am right now.”

“Is there anything we can work with, or is it just fucking,” Aidan said.

Sean nodded. “I guess we haven’t had a chance to figure it out.”

It was strange. They knew each other better than two people who’d gone on several dates, but he still couldn’t say if that meant anything. They were teammates and, finally, teammates who could work with and trust one another. But would that translate to more?

Aidan laughed softly. “Would it be weird to admit I don’t know how to figure it out?”

Sean looked down at his beer bottle, shrugging. “I might have an idea.”

Aidan cocked his head. “What’s that?”

Sean took a deep breath, eyeing his beer before setting it on the table in front of the couch.

Aidan watched him, curious and then a little startled as Sean drew closer, his hand resting on Aidan’s thigh.

For a moment, Aidan was distracted by the warm grip before he realized Sean’s face was coming closer to his.

Oh, shit.

Aidan’s breath caught as he realized what Sean was about to do, his heart beating wildly. Without thinking, he set his beer aside, almost knocking it over in his haste to put it down. Before he could second guess himself, Aidan reached out hastily, taking hold of the back of Sean’s head.

It wasn’t the first time they’d kissed, though Aidan supposed a second time worked just as well.

And like the first time, a fire lit in his gut, spreading through his limbs and sparking in waves of electricity.

His gut tightened as he felt Sean’s body settle against his, strong and sure of himself, and the other man reached out to cup the back of Aidan’s neck.

Whimpering slightly, Aidan parted his lips, letting Sean’s tongue slide over his, tasting him.

Aidan pushed against the other man, not quite ready to be buried beneath him but craving the sensation of his body against his, hard and ready.

There was as much desire as the first desperate kiss in the alley but without the clumsy, blind desire to rut and fuck, fueled by conflicting emotions and lust.

There was passion, though, a heat shared from one body to another as they pushed against one another.

Sean’s fingers curled against his neck muscles, pulling him closer, demanding and requesting permission.

Aidan used his grip to pull the man down, laying against the arm of the couch and thrilled at the press of Sean’s body against his.

Aidan had known several partners and hadn’t gone without kissing most of them.

Yet he could easily say none of them had kissed him with the same hunger and heat that was also tempered by something else, something measured and gentle.

Where the hell Sean had been hiding this kiss, Aidan didn’t know, but he did know he wasn’t going to let it slip away from him.

Sean broke the kiss, slowly backing away from Aidan as he panted.

There was no missing the heat and burning desire in Sean’s eyes, but there was wonder and surprise as well.

Aidan didn’t think either of them had been expecting the first kiss since they’d made their peace to be as good as it was.

Deep down, Aidan thought maybe the passion and desire between them might have been a product of the mutual hate, as though that heated emotion had been what had dragged their shared desire along for the ride.

Aidan let out a long, slow breath. “I think...I might have got my answer there.”

Sean snorted, bowing his head. “Yeah?”

Was there enough for them to make a future?

Hell, if Aidan knew. It was a good enough start in his mind that they could like each other’s company but still manage the same heat and desire without the burning anger.

Whether that was enough to build something greater remained to be seen, but he was willing at least to see if they could try.

“I think...we’ve got enough to start with,” Aidan said, hesitantly running a hand down Sean’s jaw and over his shoulders.

It wasn’t a promise of forever, but Aidan didn’t think Sean was the type to look for one either.

They’d both lived the past few years knowing there was no promise of tomorrow, let alone something years later.

Perhaps it was good enough to start with just tonight and find out later what waited for them down the road.

Sean looked up, nodding. “I think you’re right.”

Aidan snorted. “Of course I am. I do that a lot, you know.”

Sean rolled his eyes. “I was about to ask if you wanted to stay the night, but apparently, you’ve decided to kill the mood.”

Aidan’s eyes widened, and he reached to grab Sean’s shoulders before he could pull away. “Stay the night, you say?”

“You were the one who made some comment about doing something to my ass. Figured, since this seems to be working out, you might want to follow through on that promise.”

Aidan’s eyes widened in delight. “You’d let me top?”

“I’m capable of bottoming!”

Aidan laughed. “I’m just surprised.”

Sean huffed, pushing up from the couch. “You have to promise to cuddle me afterward. I need to be held close and told I’m pretty after someone fucks me.”

“My God, now he’s making jokes,” Aidan said with a surprised laugh.

Sean had a warm smile on his face as he backed toward the kitchen. “It’s almost like I have a sense of humor.”

“The question is, where have you been hiding it?” Aidan said, unable to help his delighted smile.

Sean cocked his head before rounding the corner and disappearing. “Maybe there’s other things you haven’t seen.”