“Hardly,” Aiden said witha shake of his head.“I might have outranked you, but I was neverout of your league.”
“It wasn’t your rank thatmade me nervous, babe,” Nick said as he leaned forward.“You arehotter than hot, and I always thought you’d realized you could dobetter than me.Add to that your nature and your personality andyou pack a pretty powerful punch.”
Aiden held Nick’s gaze for a momentthen nodded.“I find it funny that I was thinking the exact samething.Here you were, this powerful, forceful man, who woreauthority like a goddamn jacket.That dominance and confidence thatyou exude is a real turn-on for me.”
Nick sat back and grinned.“Yeah, Ikinda noticed how turned on you got when I ordered people around.Iknew that you’d love it in the bedroom, too.And how right Iwas.”
The two of the laughed, then becameaware that they were no longer alone almost at the exact samemoment.Nick turned to the man who stood beside their table holdinga beer in his hand, and a carefully blank expression.
“Hey, it’s good to seeyou,” Aiden said first and slid further into his side of the booth.“Have a seat.”
Sam hesitated for a moment, and Nickshot a quick glance to Aiden.He had no idea what the hell wasgoing through the man’s head, but Sam seemed like he regrettedhaving turned up.Sam’s face cleared to a friendly expression, asmile on his handsome face, but it didn’t reach his browneyes.
“Good to see you, too.”Even Sam’s tone sounded off to Nick, and his frown deepened.“Therest of the team are just coming in, and Dev wants to catch up onsome business stuff, so I thought I’d come over and say hey.Sorry,I can’t join you for that drink, but maybe some othertime.”
Nick caught Aiden’s look of confusionand knew that his lover was just as confused as he was on how tocontinue.So, Nick knew that if they were going to get to thebottom of Sam’s sudden change of heart, it would be up to him.Heshould probably go softly, try to coerce Sam into taking a seat andtalking about things calmly, but that just wasn’t him.
“Sam, sit down in thebooth.”Nick’s voice automatically dropped to the tone he employedwhen he was delivering his men’s orders.Sam’s eyes widened alittle, but Nick noticed that his relaxed posture, as fake as itobviously was, because the man was anything but, seemed to snaptaller as if he were standing at attention.“Now.”
Sam slid into the booth immediatelyand seemed both shocked to find himself sitting there and pissedoff at himself for complying.“I really should—”
Nick figured Sam was about to launchinto a reason why he should leave and cut him off before he coulddo it.“Unless the end of that sentence is ‘tell you both what wasjust going through my head’, then we don’t want to hear it.”Nicklocked his gaze to Sam’s and held it.
Aiden chuckled, drawing his and Sam’sattention.“Christ, are you two gonna just stare at each other,waiting for the other to blink?Let me tell you something you mighthave suspected about the good sheriff here, Sam.He is stubborn ashell and won’t ever back down.Especially when it is in regards tosomeone he wants.”
Nick saw Sam shoot him a quick glanceas if to see how he would react to Aiden saying Sam was someonethat Nick wanted, but his expression remained clear.Aiden spokethe truth, and as soon as Sam came to realize that, thebetter.
Sam sat back in the chair, his eyesnarrowing.“You know, I’m a Marine rifleman.I can be pretty damnstubborn myself.”
Nick grinned.“Hell, I know that.Aiden and I witnessed that in Afghanistan, but this is different.Iwant you enough to fight to get you to tell me what happenedbetween the phone call this afternoon, and you standing by thisbooth tonight.And I reckon you want me and Aiden enough to putaside that stubborn streak of yours and tell us.The attraction wehad for each other was immediate and off the charts.The night thethree of us got together was pretty fucking powerful, too.Aidenand I want the chance to see if the three of us can have that withyou on a more permanent basis, and I reckon that phone call thisafternoon, and the fact that you’re sitting with us now, means thatyou do, too.”
Nick waited, and hoped like hell hewas right.
****
Hearing Nick talk about the night thethree of them had been together, drove Sam’s mind straight backinto that memory.
It was six days after theattack on the base, and things were still a little tense.Sam hadbeen working long shifts, walking the perimeter of the base as wellas routine checks in the villages near them.Because of theincreased possibility of IEDs on the roads, they had gone with anEOD.It seemed to Sam that God had been feeling more than a littleunfavorably toward him because Aiden was the man assigned to histeam every damn shift.
Nick even managed tosomehow end up coming with them on occasion, and the three of themhad worked seamlessly together, clearing the roads, keeping theteams safe, and removing each and every threat they encountered.Despite working with the two of them being as easy as it wasworking with any of his Bravo team, Sam had become increasinglytense.It didn’t affect his actions or the role he had to dobecause he wouldn’t let it, but having the two of them in his facetime and time again was wearing his patience thin.
At the end of the sixthday, he’d had enough.He’d marched over the Aiden’s quarters,knowing that the two of them would be there together to demand thatthey ask to be reassigned to another team.He only had one more dayon this base, and he wanted it to be free of the tension that hadbeen building within him over the past few days.He knew he wasbeing ridiculous, but he didn’t give a fuck.It just seemed so damnunfair that everywhere he looked Aiden and Nick were there, staringat him with hunger in their eyes, even though he knew the two ofthem were committed to each other.
Reaching the door, henodded his head at the dog in the kennel at the front of thebarracks and damned if the dog didn’t seem to nod his head inreturn.Sam lifted his hand and knocked on the door, then steppedback to wait.He heard heavy footsteps approach.Then the dooropened, and Aiden’s welcoming expression morphed intosurprise.
“Hey, what—”
Ignoring Aiden’s welcome,Sam pushed past him and walked into the quarters behind him.He hada moment to look around and notice Nick sitting shirtless on thecot, looking at the sutures Sam had given him earlier in theweek.
His intention and hisanger fled and he stepped closer.“Are you in pain?”Sam asked ashe knelt in front of Nick and reached for the bandage protectingthe wound.He pressed his fingers gently against Nick’s skin butfroze when the man inhaled sharply.“Shit, did that hurt?Itdoesn’t feel warm, so I don’t think there is an infection, but ifthere is pain to the touch then I might have missed a fragment andit’s pushing on your clavicle.Damn it, I should have checked itbetter.”
Sam went to stand, intenton heading back to his shared barracks and grabbing his med kit butstilled when Nick gripped the back of his hand with his own.“Wait,there is no pain, I was simply checking it, making sure it wasstill clean,” Nick explained.“A certain Marine medic told me I hadto keep it clean, or he’d sew it again with a largerneedle.”
Sam grinned, rememberingthe shocked look on Nick’s face when he’d threatened him.“And Iwould have.”Sam’s smile slipped from his face as his eyesremaining locked to Nick’s and he read the arousal and longing thatshimmered there.“It—um, it looks fine, and there is no swelling.You’ll heal up fine.”
Nick nodded and gentlypulled Sam’s hand from his shoulder, but he didn’t release it.“Youdid a good job.”
Sam sensed Aiden move fromthe door then he was sitting beside Nick.“What’s brought you here,Sam, and why were you so pissed?”
