Chapter Fifteen #3
“No, I’m serious. Do you think I’m an over-protective jerk?
After Alexis lost Jon—” Shane couldn’t help but tense as he waited for Matt to charge into the opening he’d just given him.
He wasn’t ready to talk about this, not now, and especially not with someone who’d eventually disappear from his life. No fucking way.
He blew out an unobtrusive breath when all Matt said was, “I don’t think you give her nearly enough credit, but as you’ve pointed out numerous times, I don’t know the story here. I do know that SEAL women are pretty fucking tough.” He snickered. “My Aunt Lillian is a force of nature.”
Shane closed his eyes briefly. “Well, the thing is, she’s tough, but being with Jon almost broke her. I can’t stand by and watch the same thing happen again. I can’t.”
“I get it.” Matt turned on his side to face him. “And no, I don’t think you’re an asshole.” He paused. “Are you still pissed at me?”
“Well, I was until about an hour ago. But no, not anymore.”
Matt bristled. “Why? Because you feel sorry for me?”
No, because you finally let me in. Because you told me something I don’t think you’ve ever told anyone.
“Feel sorry for you? No way, I wouldn’t dare,” Shane said drily.
“I guess I just got over it, Matt. It happens.” His voice hardened.
“But I meant what I said. If you ever don’t want to be around me, just tell me that.
Come in and say, ‘I changed my mind’ or ‘I gotta go’ or ‘Fuck you, clown,’ but don’t ever leave me hanging like that again. Okay?”
“Okay.” Matt reached over and put his hand on Shane’s arm. “I’m sorry.”
“I know. And now it’s over and done with. Truce?”
Nodding, Matt said softly, “Truce. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. And hey. Our weaknesses are what make us human, you know.” Shane scooted a little closer. “I’m finding I much prefer Matt the human to Matt the superhero.”
Matt smiled at that. “So what are your weaknesses, Shane?”
“Oh, way too many to count,” Shane said lightly, rolling to his back to avoid Matt’s gaze. “But right now the biggest one is a prickly dark-eyed hottie who’s on my mind a lot more often than he should be.”
“On your mind a lot, hmm?”
“A lot.”
Matt leaned over him. “Dark-eyed hottie?”
“So gorgeous he steals my breath.”
Matt closed the last of the gap between them, his mouth soft on Shane’s, his tongue gently seeking. They tasted each other with long, deep, unhurried kisses that curled Shane’s toes and made his cock ache.
“Well.” Matt pulled slightly away, his breathing ragged and eyes glittering with arousal. “Here’s another thing checked off my bucket list.”
“Yeah?” Shane nuzzled his nose against Matt’s cheek. “What’s that?”
“Making out with a sexy man on the beach.”
“Really? So any sexy man will do?” Shane pretended to pout, loving how Matt’s gaze dropped to his mouth.
“Nah.” Matt rubbed his thumb over Shane’s lower lip. “I kinda like this certain clown. Maybe you know him.”
Shane studied him in the moonlight, the relaxed openness on his face, the softness in his eyes. Matt with his guard down was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen in his life. He ran his palm along Matt’s hip, under his tank top and around to the small of his back. “Wanna make out some more?”
In answer Matt pulled Shane’s mouth to his. When the kiss ended, Shane buried his face against Matt’s shoulder. “If we don’t stop now,” he whispered, “I’m not gonna want to stop. Public indecency much?”
Matt stroked his hair, giving a husky chuckle. “In a public park, on a public beach, in your backyard…with us the stupidity factor is pretty high, isn’t it?”
In more ways than one.
Unable to keep from drifting his lips along Matt’s collarbone, Shane whispered, “Seriously.” He lifted his head and looked at him. “But if you come home with me tonight, we can crawl into bed and not come up for air until we have to.”
He knew what Matt’s answer would be even before Matt pushed him away to sit up and link his arms around his knees.
“I know this’ll come as a complete shock to you, but I don’t open up to people all that much.”
Shane quirked his lips. “No, not a shock.”
“Adding sex to the mix right now, I don’t think—”
“I understand.” And he did. Intimacy and vulnerability went hand in hand for Matt, and he’d obviously reached his vulnerability quotient for the day.
With a smile of relief, Matt got to his feet and helped Shane to his. They took turns brushing the sand off each other’s backs, making sure to include a few playful gropes in the process.
“I think I’ll just run back to the base from here,” Matt said, patting a zippered pocket on his shorts. “Got my ID.”
He started to turn away but Shane reached out and caught his hand. “Hey, thanks for—you know.” He cleared his throat. “What you told me tonight, about yourself, well, you made me see things from a different perspective at least.”
“Good” was all Matt said, and he squeezed Shane’s fingers once before letting go of him to make his way across the sand and up toward the road.
Shane watched him until he disappeared off into the distance, and he just knew…
Someday Matt was going to break his heart.