Despite It All by Reese Knightley

 

Greene

The taste of sand filled his nose and mouth; the pain in his abdomen doubled him over, the lack of oxygen fingered panic through his brain. He swung out. Noise exploded against his ears, shrapnel cleaved, driving into his flesh. The sounds amplified by flashing faces of an old movie reel, clicking along the screen, displaying bodies lying in the dirt. Ragged screams left his throat.

Jerking awake, he lay face down on the sofa, his cheek glued to the silky fabric of the pillow. The screaming voices of Jimmy, Scott, and Dean rang loudly against his ears. He blinked, and the rest of the war faded. The soft creaking of Forest’s home, with the ocean waves lapping in the distance, filtered through.

The only light was the soft glow coming from over the kitchen stove. Couch sleeping was a bitch, especially when drool stuck your face to the pillow.

He hadn’t had a dream like that in a long time and suspected it had something to do with Forest getting shot at.

The smell of vanilla was suddenly stronger than the pillow he’d gone to sleep with and he blinked, angling his head when a soft noise drew his gaze.

He found Forest sitting on the floor, leaning against the glass coffee table, toes curled against the edge of the couch with his knees pulled to his chest, chin on the tops.

“You okay?” he croaked.

“Are you?” came the soft reply.

“No, not really.” He reached out and touched the side of Forest’s jaw.

“Me neither.”

He scooted over on the cushions, it was one of those deep couches, big enough to fit his size and more.

Forest lifted to his knees and then sat on the sofa and stretched out facing him.

Flipping the blanket over them, he tucked Forest’s head beneath his chin. The man gave a soft sigh and sank into him. Warmth seeped back into his bones, the memories faded, and the only thing filling his mind was the warm body in his arms.

It was funny, really, of all the people in the world to connect with, he had never thought it would be Forest. It just went to show how wrong a man could be.

“Joshua?”

“Yeah?” He brushed his cheek against the man’s hair.

“Bad dream?”

Just a reoccurring nightmare, one where he lay helpless, unable to help his brothers-in-arms. Paralyzed and dazed as shrapnel sprayed the area.

“Yeah,” he rasped.

“I dream I died in the crash,” Forest whispered.

He tightened his arms, silently letting him know he was there, if for no other reason than human contact. To remind them both that they were still alive. That death hadn’t won.

“I’ve dreamt that I was the one who didn’t make it back from the war,” he whispered.

“Were you shot?”

He shook his head and eased back. He lifted up the hem of his shirt.

Forest glanced at the long, jagged scars where the pieces of shrapnel had gone into the flesh in his side. His fingers trailed over the raised skin.

“Suicide bomber.”

Forest’s breath caught, his eyes became turbulent pools of worry, teeth digging into his bottom lip.

“Y’all are lucky to be alive,” Forest breathed.

“That accent kills me.” His voice sounded like he’d swallowed a fistful of gravel, but was it any wonder? Looking at the man in his arms, he’d surely won the lottery. He cleared his throat.

With a slow smile, Forest’s hands gently settled on his bare stomach and he clenched his teeth.

“A lot of it’s gone,” Forest said.

That might be true, but he still heard the slight twang. He trailed his fingers over Forest’s cheek. “It’s nice.”

“Yeah?” The word was whispered, and blue eyes swept up to meet his.

“Yeah.”

He slipped his hand around the back of Forest’s head, caressing the curls at his nape, careful to avoid the small bump.

Lowering his head, he had but one goal and brushed his mouth against those soft lips before he lifted his head. When Forest gave a quick sigh of a breath, he moved in. Capturing another taste, he brushed against Forest’s mouth, and then brushed again until the man’s eyes became wide pools of darkness.

He swallowed over a dry throat and eased his fingers free of the golden mess of curls.

“Sorry,” he said gruffly.

“Don’t be, you taste good.”

Fuck. Five little words that had his heart slamming against his ribs.

“It’s just my toothpaste,” he said gruffly, trying to keep his hands still, temptation only an inch away.

“Nah. You’re a good kisser,” came the whispered teasing response.

The teasing words washed over him and Forest’s breath caressed his face. The man’s tongue darted out to lick at his own bottom lip.

“Wait here.” Forest rolled from his grip, like a dash of cold water, and ran up the stairs.

He blinked, locked his hands beneath his head, and kept his eyes on the stairs. He’d had his fair share of men telling him to fuck off, but he’d never had a lover, in the middle of making out, tell him to wait.

Forest came back down the stairs with the bottle of lube he’d noticed earlier in the shower. He’d crept up there and washed off while Forest had been sleeping. Or at least, he’d thought the guy had been asleep, but now he wasn’t so sure.

In his other hand, Forest held a string of condoms. Catching those fingers, he tugged Forest, who slipped back into his arms.

And right then and there for a brief time, he shoved away every thought of why this wasn’t a good idea. Forest leaned in and caught his mouth with a rough kiss before sliding back into his arms. And just like before, he fit into his arms perfectly.

“I want you,” Forest breathed, leaning in so very slowly and catching his lower lip between his teeth. The faint linger of mint from Forest’s own lips filled his mouth, nose, and head.

Air left his lungs in a rush when that flavorful tongue swept into his mouth. His head fogged, breath stuttered, and he barely managed to get his next words out.

“You think this is a good idea?” he asked, tightening his arms around Forest.

“It’s a horrible idea,” Forest groaned, cleaving his fingers up and through his hair, nails scraping his scalp, hips undulating against him.

He fucking melted like a cube of ice and became a puddle beneath the man’s caressing hands. Sliding his palms down the back of Forest’s sweatpants, he gripped his ass. Bare skin filled his palms, and he slid his fingers along his crack, gently kneading the tight, round globes.

With gentle hands, he pulled away and stretched Forest out on the sofa. He slowly drew the man’s sweatpants away from his body. Forest locked his fingers at the hem of his white t-shirt and held it down over his stomach.

He didn’t press. Instead, he moved his mouth down and kissed along his hands, brushing his mouth over the bare skin at his hips, and teased Forest’s cock with the brush of his chin.

Forest groaned, legs twisting, and his death grip finally eased on the shirt.

Using his mouth, he brushed upward, exposing Forest’s long, lean form to his eyes and then pulled the t-shirt up and off. When he returned his mouth to Forest, the man panted and arched his back, fisting his fingers in his hair.

With every inch of silky skin revealed, he brushed his lips and then fingers over the long scar down Forest’s abdomen.

He could only imagine the pain, and dipped his head to kiss over the raised skin, wondering if his touch helped a small bit. Ignoring the swollen cock silently begging for his mouth, he ran his lips over every bit of blemished skin, as if his lips could wipe it all away. On his way upward, he rasped his scruffy face over his quivering stomach and across each nipple before once again moving his lips downward.

Arching again beneath his hands, Forest groaned, and that sound took him back to their very first kiss, their first fumbling yet exquisite touch.

Through half closed lids, sexy as fuck ocean-colored eyes locked with his.

With shaking hands, he mapped Forest’s skin until he finally closed his mouth around the tip of his engorged cock, taking him to the root. When his back bowed, he caught those wiggling hips, laving his tongue around the crown. He pressed the head between his lips and closed his mouth down around Forest’s perfectly cut cock again, not stopping until the crown hit the back of his throat once more. Sucking hard and slicking the way, he pulled up and slipped down.

Forest, thrashing in his grip, slapped around the floor and came up with the condoms.

“Before you drive me out of my fucking mind, put this on you.”

Oh, the bossy FBI agent was out in full force. He took his time lingering on Forest’s cock before he slipped it from his mouth where it slapped, wet and shiny, against Forest’s stomach.

Standing, he pulled off his shirt beneath the man’s heated gaze. He unzipped and flipped open his jeans, baring his briefs, and then pulled them down and off his hips. He flexed when Forest’s eyes locked on his dick and he reached a hand down to give himself a few slow strokes.

“Joshua,” Forest warned.

He grinned and returned to the couch. Taking the condom, he rolled it on. Forest grabbed the lube, dumped some into his palm, and reached for him.

“Nnnnh fuuuuck.” The harsh words ripped from his throat when those lean fingers closed around his cock and slathered lube up and down his length.

Forest pushed up on the couch and urged him down on his back. He went, stretched out, his dick like an iron rod more engorged than he could remember it being in a long fucking time. He reached for Forest when the lean man straddled his hips.

“My turn.” Forest’s lips curled upward.

If Forest thought he was going to argue, he was sorely mistaken. He slipped his hands up the man’s thighs and closed them around his hips. Forest leaned forward and carved fingers through the hair on his chest, finding and toying with each of his nipples. He sucked in a quick breath when the man’s mouth locked around one tight nub.

Shit! Leaving the tempting skin of hips, he swept his hands up a sleek back and cupped the back of Forest’s head.

“Okay,” he breathed. “Enough.”

Forest laughed against his skin and lifted upward to reach a hand down. A palm closed around his cock and he was guided to Forest’s entrance. The tight ring of resistance gave way when the man pushed down, taking him in. Panting, Forest fell forward again and this time, he was waiting for him.

Taking his mouth in a deep kiss, he shoved up into the man’s body. Forest gasped into his mouth and slammed down hard, taking him in all the way. His dick was swallowed in the tight, hot channel. With strong hands, he lifted Forest up and down on his dick.

Not put off by his savagery, Forest ground his ass down on his cock, fisted hands into his hair, and sucked on his mouth as if sucking up his soul.

And at that very moment, he gladly gave it.