Page 25 of Shock & Awe

Nick began to laugh, the sound kicking Kelly off into a fit of giggling too. Nick pulled Kelly closer. He turned his head, pressing his face against Kelly’s. “That’s not what I meant.”

Their lips met, and before Kelly knew what was happening, they were curling around each other, kissing more, their legs tangling, their bodies aligning in ways Kelly had never realized they could.

“This is good,” Kelly whispered. “What do we do about it?”

“Wing it,” Nick growled. “It’s what we’ve always done.”

Kelly nodded. “You promise to fuck me eventually?”

He felt Nick smile into the kiss. “Promise.”

When Kelly woke, the sun was streaming through the loft of the cabin and he was alone in bed. Again. He glanced around. Music was playing downstairs. On the table beside his bed was a bottle of water and his pills all lined in a row, waiting to be taken. There was also a packet of string cheese. A note was propped against the lamp, telling him to call for help before he tried to get out of bed, and to eat the cheese before taking his pills.

Kelly laughed and disregarded the note in every way, throwing his covers off and using the edge of the mattress to pull himself out of bed. He had to sit and gather his strength before he was able to push himself to stand, and once he was up he immediately regretted his intense meeting with the wall last night. But he padded into the bathroom, proud to have done it without having to call for help.

A quick examination in the mirror showed prominent bruises under his chin and around his neck. That was good, he supposed, it meant they weren’t too deep. He also had several red welts where he remembered Nick’s teeth digging in on his shoulder and neck. He found he didn’t care. In fact, he was as proud of those battle injuries as he was of the rest.

He took care of business, giving himself one more look in the mirror before stepping back into the bedroom. Nick was sitting cross-legged on the bed, eating a piece of toast and scrolling through something on his iPad.

“Morning, Irish,” Kelly said, his voice hoarse and scratchy.

“You think I can’t hear you moving around from downstairs?” Nick asked without looking up from what he was reading.

“Are you getting crumbs in the bed?” Kelly asked.

Nick nodded without looking up from what he was reading. “Sheets need washing anyway,” he said as he chewed. He finished what he was doing and raised his head, his eyes raking Kelly up and down as he set the iPad aside.

Kelly shrugged. He shuffled back to the bed, and Nick moved to help him. Kelly tried to swat him away, but Nick easily grabbed his hand and wrapped an arm around him. His chest fluttered. Nick’s scent now reminded him of everything good in the world. He turned at the edge of the bed, looking into Nick’s eyes and putting his arm around Nick’s neck so Nick could help him sit. Nick’s arms tightened around him.

He leaned in and kissed Kelly gently. Kelly could feel him smiling into the kiss, and it made him grin too.

Nick finally let him go, leaving them both gasping. “Good morning.”

“Pretty spectacular one.”

Nick helped him sit, his hands lingering when they probably didn’t need to. Kelly gritted his teeth with the pull in his chest. Mornings were always worse because the painkillers in his system were running low and his body was stiff and stubborn. It was also a little embarrassing not to be able to sit down by himself, but he supposed that was what happened when a bullet tore through you and then you decided you were tougher than your painkillers.

Nick piled the pillows for him, and Kelly rested against the headboard, watching Nick unabashedly.

“You feeling okay?” Nick asked, and the gravel in his voice sent a shiver up Kelly’s spine.

“Not as good as I was last night, unfortunately.”

Nick’s fingers were gentle as he brushed them over Kelly’s neck. “How about you take your pills instead of trying to prove how tough you are?”

Kelly snorted.

Nick moved the breakfast tray he’d brought up so it was beside Kelly on the bed, making sure everything was within arm’s reach, then rounded the bed and crawled into the other side, sitting against the headboard with his iPad.

Kelly crunched down on a piece of bacon. After living together for five years while they’d been stationed at Lejeune, Nick knew exactly how crispy he liked his bacon. He knew a lot of things. Kelly waved his bacon at the iPad. “Anything interesting going on?”

Nick nodded, still chewing. “Ty sent a message earlier saying he was heading back to Baltimore. Digger’s convinced he’s being watched by the CIA. And Owen came out of it smelling like roses and got a fucking Easter bonus. Asshole.”

Kelly chuckled.

“I’ve been suspended,” Nick added after a moment, still smiling at the iPad as he checked his email.

“What?”