Sean shifted his position so his chest brushed against Bash’s, and he ran the handkerchief along Bash’s jaw to his chin. “If you can’t talk about your work, why don’t you tell me aboutyou? Who is Bash when he’s not being a highly skilled badass?”
Bash rested his hands on Sean’s hips. The question made him uncomfortable, but he answered truthfully. “Sad to say, but my work is my life.”
“But you’ve got friends and family, right?” Sean fixed him with an intense, questioning look. “A lover?”
“Sure, I have friends, but not a steady lover. At least not now.” Bash watched Sean closely, and then he trailed his finger across Sean’s cheek. “What about you, hm? Is there a potential new prince waiting back in England?”
Sean leaned into the touch, smiling slightly. “No potential prince. I was involved with another doctor for a while. We even lived together, but we drifted apart. He worked in emergency medicine, and at one point, I didn’t see him for two weeks because he picked up extra shifts, and I realized I didn’t much care. There’s been no one since.”
Bash couldn’t believe someone as attractive and intelligent as Sean wasn’t attached, although Bash was a bit glad about it. He thought about the men he’d been with over the last few years. Another squad leader at Fortress, one of the technical crew, a pilot… once the initial lust had worn off, that had been it. No bad feelings — at least Bash didn’t have any — but with the danger they all faced every day, it was hard to invest an enormous amount of emotional energy in a single person. Not when they might be shot or die in a crash or go missing for months.
“I guess being in the same occupation doesn’t guarantee things are going to work out,” he said, brushing his thumb across Sean’s lower lip. Starting something with Sean was dangerous, too, although in a different way. But Bash had never been the sort to run away from danger.
Sean’s breath hitched, and his blue eyes darkened as he met Bash’s gaze. “Then maybe we ought to try something different,” he said, dropping the cloth and sliding his arms around Bash’s broad shoulders.
It was probably foolish, and it was certainly risky, but for once, Bash didn’t care. He wanted to kiss Sean, and Sean wanted it too, so he threw caution to the winds, pulling Sean down into his lap and lowering his head to capture Sean’s lips in a hard kiss. Moaning, Sean parted his lips and surrendered to the kiss eagerly, pressing as close to Bash as their body armor would allow.
Bash claimed Sean’s mouth, giving a little growl of satisfaction at the way Sean responded so willingly. He took his time, kiss flowing into kiss as he tasted and explored, wanting to learn exactly what Sean liked, what made him arch in pleasure. Sean threaded his fingers in Bash’s hair, soft moans and whimpers escaping him as the kisses continued, slow and deep.
The sounds of the storm had faded from Bash’s consciousness, but he was abruptly reminded when something slammed against the building hard enough to make it shake.
He pulled back from the kiss with a gasp, every nerve on alert as he tried to identify what was happening. He wondered if, by some awful twist of fate, someone might have followed them into the storm. If so, he could only hope whoever it was didn’t know how to pick locks — and didn’t have a gun to shoot it open, followed by shooting him and Sean both.
But there were no further sounds beyond the muted shrieking of the sandstorm, and he glanced down at Sean with a wry smile. “I thought we were goners for a moment.”
Sean was still wide-eyed with alarm, but he loosened his death grip on Bash’s shoulders. “So did I. That scared the shit out of me. What do you think it was?”
Bash shrugged slightly, although his heart was still pounding. “Something blown by the storm,” he replied, not minding how Sean was clinging to him. “There’s probably all sorts of loose debris in this installation. Let’s just hope the power doesn’t go out.”
“We’ve had decent luck so far,” Sean said. “Maybe it’ll hold out a little while longer.”
“I sure hope so.” Bash caressed Sean’s cheek again. “Maybe we shouldn’t tempt fate too much, though.”
“Probably not.” Sean regarded Bash somberly, his expressive eyes full of mute appeal. “But I don’t want to pretend this didn’t happen. I’d like to see where this could go.”
This wasn’t the first time Bash had felt desire amid an uncertain, chaotic situation. Sometimes danger could act as a rather potent aphrodisiac. It was unusual for the focus of his attraction to be a non-combatant, rather than one of his own cadre, but this was different. There had been an awareness between them from the moment their eyes first met. He’d tried to ignore it, to pretend he’d rescued Sean and brought him along for practical reasons, but if he were honest with himself, it was more than that. There was something about Sean he found dangerously appealing, so much so he’d risked both their lives to discover what it was.
It was incredibly tempting to pull Sean into his arms and see where things went. And yet… Bash wanted something more than a quick fumbling encounter on a dirty floor. Sean was better than that. Hedeservedbetter than that. Bash would be happy to give it to him, too; all he had to do was make certain they both got out of this alive and in one piece.
Lowering his head, Bash kissed Sean gently, then pulled back again. “If you still feel the same way once we’re back in civilization, we can do something about it.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Sean said, licking his rosy lips as if he wanted to catch a lingering taste of Bash.
It was an erotic sight, but Bash forced himself to ignore the clamoring of his body. He gently lifted Sean back to a sitting position, though he didn’t move away, not wanting to lose the sense of connection. “So, what should we do to pass the time?” he asked. “I didn’t pack any decks of cards.”
“We could talk.” Sean scooted to sit beside Bash and leaned against him. “You could tell me about the unclassified parts of your life. I can tell you about mine.”
Bash snorted. His life didn’t make for a happy or light conversation. “Why don’t you start?”
Sean rested his hand on Bash’s thigh, as if wanting to maintain their connection. Or maybe he wanted to draw strength and comfort from the touch. “My childhood was a happy one. My father gave up his own family and his country for my mother, and even though he spoke of Akkadia with a certain wistfulness, I don’t believe he ever regretted it. They were very much in love. I hope to have a relationship like theirs myself one day.”
Bash watched the play of emotions on Sean’s face; after so many years of associating with men like himself, it was fascinating to watch someone who wore their thoughts so openly and unreservedly on their face.
Yet he wasn’t sure what to say in reply; he was a man more of action than words, and when he did speak, it was usually some smartass comment. He was out of practice at conversing with normal people, yet there was something about Sean that made him want to try.
“I never knew my father,” he admitted. He felt awkward, but Sean’s gaze was open and encouraging, and Bash saw no judgment on his face, so he took a deep breath and continued. “It was just my mother and me, but I never felt the lack of a masculine role model. Mom is a force of nature. She was an Olympic track and field athlete, then she opened her own gym, which she soon expanded into a survival school. I grew up running marathons and obstacle courses, surrounded by a bunch of ex-Special Forces guys who didn’t know the meaning of the wordfail.”
“Well, that explains where the ninja skills come from.” Sean smiled. “You had a happy childhood, then?”
