Chapter Sixteen
Drew stood at the stove, stirring some eggs.
He couldn’t remember if Brody liked his eggs scrambled or not but this was what he’d made so…
The past few days at Brody’s reminded Drew that he really didn’t like living alone.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed having someone else around, even if they weren't doing anything. Just the presence of another in the house settled him. Maybe he needed to look at getting a pet. He'd love to adopt a retired MWD like Uncle Mackey had done multiple times. If he couldn’t work with them, he could have one waiting for him, though. Drew needed to reach out to Uncle Mackey and find out where he’d gotten his dogs.
Of course, with the hours he was working these days, a cat would be more practical.
His nose wrinkled at that thought. He was not a cat person.
“Whatever you’re thinking? Yeah, I need to know what brought that look to your face,” Brody said as he walked into the kitchen.
Drew looked over his shoulder and had to fight to hold in the groan that filled his chest. There Brody was, low slung sleep pants on his body again .
How much was he supposed to fight himself?
Drew blinked as he tried to figure out the answer to Brody’s question which apparently made Brody laugh.
“Okay, that look is even better. Care to share your thoughts with the class?” Brody teased as he stepped up to the counter and poured a cup of coffee.
He took a sip then sighed. Two thoughts went through Drew’s brain simultaneously — eww, black coffee, and hmmm, wonder what I needed to do to Brody to make him sigh like that.
Taking another leap of faith, Drew turned off the burner and closed the distance between him and Brody.
Instead of answering vocally, he put his hands on Brody’s hips and lowered his head to kiss him.
It was a small brush of his lips against Brody’s; asking for permission for more.
He didn’t have to wait for an answer. He heard Brody’s cup hit the counter right before Brody’s hands were on either side of Drew’s face, pulling him closer…
if that was even possible. Either way, Drew wasn’t a fool.
He opened his mouth slightly and ran his tongue along Brody’s bottom lip before biting it.
The sound that came out of Brody wasn’t the sigh he’d made for the coffee; it was low and dirty and Drew felt it to his core.
Drew pressed up against Brody and forced him into the counter.
He attacked Brody’s mouth with a harsh kiss.
All teeth and tongue and lips. Their heads shifted one way then the other, searching for the best angle.
Brody slipped his arms around to Drew’s back and when his hand touched the bandage, Drew almost jumped out of his skin.
“Shit,” he hissed, dropping his head to Brody’s shoulder.
“Fuck, I forgot.” Brody lowered his hands to the top of Drew’s ass, rubbing slowly. “I’m sorry. I just…” Brody trailed off.
“Halt. I don’t need nor do I want an apology from you for putting your hands on my body. I am one hundred percent consenting to you doing just about anything you want to do to me. We probably need to wait until I get the stitches out, though,” Drew said, barely restraining a pout.
Brody dropped his hands to Drew’s ass and gripped hard.
He pulled Drew as close as he could get.
When Drew moved his hips, he could feel the answering hardness against his cock.
As if their hips had minds of their own, they were bumping and grinding against each other to an unheard rhythm that was pulsing between them.
A pull on Drew’s stitches made him stop. “When is my appointment to have these out?” he grumbled, more to himself than to Brody.
“Next Thursday at ten hundred with Doctor Gable’s assistant,” Brody answered as he stepped out of Drew’s arms. He picked up his mug again and took a long sip.
“Go out with me that night?” Drew asked, hesitantly. He thought his odds of Brody accepting were high after their morning excitement, but you never knew.
Brody moved over to the fridge and ran his hand over something there.
He nodded and then met Drew’s eyes. “Calendar says I’m not on shift.
Yes, I have to keep a paper calendar, marking off the days since night shift kicks my ass enough that I lose track of the days.
” Brody picked up a pen and wrote on the calendar.
When Drew looked over at the calendar, in big red letters it said, “DREAM DATE WITH DREW”. No pressure there.
§ § § §
The appointment that morning had gone well.
Drew’s incision was healing exactly as they wanted it to.
He was going to be on restricted duty assignment for another few weeks, but they didn’t expect any long-term effects.
He’d gone and had lunch with Aunt Trish at her coffee shop after his appointment.
She hadn’t smothered him which he appreciated.
A few times it looked like she was going to say something but held herself back.
Nova was supposed to join them but hadn’t been able to.
Nicole had spiked a fever and had to be picked up from daycare.
Drew knew that Aunt Trish normally would be the one to pick up Nicole.
She loved being able to spend afternoons with her grandbaby.
But the coffee shop was shorthanded today so she was filling in. Hence, lunch there.
Drew was on his way to pick Brody up for their date.
He’d figured they could drive down to the Riverwalk and decide which restaurant they felt like trying.
Drew hadn’t gone down since he moved there.
He remembered visiting for a memorable weekend when he was in college.
It was before Noah had moved to D.C. They’d gone to a popular spot and Noah “spied” on the guys at the end of the bar.
It paid to have a cousin who was fluent at reading lips.
Experiencing the morons attempting to pick them up after they’d said that Drew and Noah looked like sure things because they were ‘new’ had tried all of Drew’s control not to laugh in the man’s face.
Seeing Noah go off on the other guy in sign was priceless.
Drew had begun to translate but couldn’t once Noah started with all the insults.
Drew broke from his memories as his phone rang through his speakers. “Hello?” he answered without looking at the screen. Family had been calling on a rotation that he knew they’d worked out. If he’d figured out the rhythm correctly, it should be Cam on the line.
“Why the fuck did you not come see me today to fix your hair?” Nova demanded over the line.
“Excuse me? I just saw you last week. My hair doesn’t grow that fast,” he said, defending himself.
“You’re taking Brody out tonight. You need to be spot on,” Nova argued as he heard Nicole fussing, then quieting, as Nova shushed her. “It’s okay, snuggles. Mama’s upset with Uncle D for being a moron.”
Drew preened a bit being called ‘Uncle D’ just like Uncle Danny before he realized what Nova called him.
“Moron? What the hell?” Oh, he knew he was the fuck-up but how was he being a moron today?
He was dressed in a white long-sleeve shirt, sleeves rolled up, with a vest buttoned over it.
Jeans weren’t pressed — who really did that anymore anyway?
— but they were his nicest, and he was wearing a good pair of shoes.
“Don’t you want to impress Brody even more than he already is? Well, at least I’m going with what his nerves today were because he wants to connect with you as more than a friend. Now, where are you taking him? And if you say to Olive Garden, I might reach through this phone and strangle you.”
Drew heard Keith’s voice come over the phone, “Nova, leave Drew alone. He knows what he’s doing.
He is an adult who is an officer in the Army.
He is not a moron, although, he might be considered a bit slow since he’s waited more than six months to date Brody.
I could see the attraction he had for his classmate last May. ”
Keith’s comment had Drew’s eyes popping wide. Holy shit. Keith had picked up on feelings that Drew hadn’t even realized he had.
“What are you talking about?” Nova demanded as Drew pulled into the parking lot of Brody’s complex.
“Nova, gotta go. Love you all,” Drew said as he hit the hang up button on his steering wheel.
He took a deep breath as he stepped out of his Jeep and climbed the steps to Brody’s landing.
He pushed the doorbell, then turned his back to the door as he looked over the common area.
He should look over here for a place when his sublet was over.
He liked the looks of it and it was close to base.
Drew heard the door open behind him. He turned and anything he would’ve said dried up in his mouth. Brody was standing in the doorway in only a towel. Dropping to his knees sounded like a good thing to him.
“Ummm, I know I said casual dress but…” Drew was impressed with himself that he formed words when all the blood in his body had traveled to his cock.
“Ha, ha. I got a strange message this afternoon. Got tied up in the details and lost track of time. Come in. It’ll only take me a few minutes to get dressed,” Brody said holding the door wide for Drew.
Drew might be the low man on the accomplishment list, but he was no dummy. As he was stepping into the condo, he made sure to rub slightly against Brody and murmured, “For the record, you can dress like this any time you’d like.”