Changing Tides (12 page)

“I’ve got him,” Thompson murmured, gripping the rifle.

Brett nodded.

One of the men opened the top of each carton and searched them briefly before giving the go ahead to grab them. Stepping up, Brett lifted a box as did Orion. Everyone but Thompson, Jackson and Liz carried a box. Orion led the way back with Thompson by his side and Liz and Jackson bringing up the rear. Once back into the maze of tunnels, Brett let himself relax slightly. After the supplies were deposited in the right areas, Thompson and Jackson accompanied Brett and Orion back to their room before disappearing. It was well into the early morning before they dropped into bed.

Chapter Eight

Orion pushed himself up onto his elbows and watched the man sleeping next to him. Even in exhaustion Brett’s dreams came, haunting him. Orion couldn’t help but wonder who this Doctor Taren Prescott was, what he had been to Brett and what had been on the video. He was certain it concerned the man Brett had asked about, but neither Brett nor Paul had been willing to tell him what was on it. Orion tamped down his rising jealousy. He had no rights to Brett. Past, present or future, it was all beyond him and what he wanted or felt.

Brett’s face distorted in pain and fear as he silently battled his dreams. Whoever the man was, whatever was in that video, Orion’s man wasn’t talking. Not to him at least. Frowning, Orion recalled the conversation between Brett and Paul. Whatever was said, any hint of mistrust Paul had once was gone.

Orion shoved a hand through his hair and forced several calming breaths. He wanted Brett to trust him, to talk to him. Already, Brett had insinuated himself into Orion’s life. He was always nearby, watching. Orion caught his bottom lip between his teeth. Was it out of control or concern? Now more than ever, he needed to know what Brett thought. Too much was riding on the coming events. He wanted, no he needed, to be able to trust Brett. To know he could lean on the older man.

Orion had gone years without getting close to someone, yet Brett had burrowed into his heart without his consent. They hadn’t even dated, not like he knew his friend Jonah Miller had dated his boyfriend, now fiancée. There had been no dinners, no movies and no long walks anywhere. Just snatches of time when he was supposed to be exercising. There had been no long conversations. There hadn’t been a lot of anything between them, only secrets and missed opportunities. It couldn’t have been helped then.

He ached to reach out and touch the other man. He prayed there wasn’t too much between them for it to work. He was quickly falling for the older man. It was too easy to imagine Brett with him always.

Brett groaned in his sleep, and Orion reached out and ran a hand along his cheek, soothing him. Brett’s eyes opened, and he stared up at Orion, taking several minutes to focus on him as the last of the dream faded.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Orion said softly, pushing himself to a sitting position.

“It’s okay. I’m glad. My dreams haven’t been the best lately,” Brett admitted, pulling Orion down until he was atop him. “God, you’re gorgeous.” Brett ran his hands up and down Orion’s arms before running them over his chest. “I’ve never seen a chest this bare on a man before. Not that I don’t like it. I do.”

Orion bit his lip.
Trust
. It had to go both ways.

“I did it on purpose.” Orion held his breath. He could do this. He could tell at least one person about part of his life. Eventually, he wanted to be able to tell Brett the whole story. Everything in his life was intertwined with the movement and his future. One step at a time.

“Why, baby?” Brett’s hands rubbed over Orion’s torso and hips before playing at the sensitive part of his inner thigh.

Orion sucked in a breath. He loved the way Brett touched him. “I wanted people to think I was stupid.”

“You don’t have hair anywhere but on your head, though.”

“I had it permanently removed.”

“How?”

“Creams and this electrical thing at one point,” Orion answered, biting his lip to suppress a groan when Brett cupped his cock and balls. The creams hadn’t been too bad. There had been stinging and some burning, but the machine had been pure hell. He’d bitten down on gag in an effort to stop screaming. It had been worth it. The lack of hair reinforced the idea that he was stupid. He had no idea where the correlation had come from, only that his parents and their friends had mentioned it on more than one occasion to him. His father had taken him aside when he was younger and had told him that he needed to remain hairless no matter what and how he could accomplish the task he needed to.

“What about the long hair then?”

“That was Reynolds’ idea. He wanted to remind me that I wasn’t the same as everyone else, that he had control of every part of my life.”

“Take them off for me,” Brett said, pushing at the shorts Orion had worn to bed and pulling him from his thoughts.

Orion nodded and jumped down, making quick work of his clothes before climbing back onto bed. Brett had removed his own shorts and shoved the bedding aside. Orion stopped, staring down at the powerful body openly displayed for him. Sharply defined muscles alluded to a strength that could be utterly devastating.

“How old were you?” Brett asked, tugging Orion back onto him. Orion’s legs settled on either side of Brett’s hips.

Orion sucked in breath. Brett’s long, thick cock pressed against his ass. He took several breaths before he trusted himself to speak in full, coherent sentences. “I’ve never had much hair. I think it was a side effect of something, so I shaved it or pulled it out for a while before I was able to have taken off permanently.”

“A side effect of what?” Brett asked flatly.

“Just before my parents died, I was given this vile concoction to drink. It paralyzed my vocal chords. I also think it stunted my growth and stopped my body hair from growing.”

“Why would your parents allow that?”

“They told me it was stop the stuttering,” Orion said, wincing internally at the half-lie. His parents had told him it was keep him from stuttering, but there had been more to it than that. It would help him attain a position they could benefit from.

“I see.” Brett ran his fingers up and down Orion’s body. “Were you—did you get picked on because of it?”

“Yes and it sucked, but I don’t want to talk about that right now. I just want to enjoy you and your fantastic hands,” Orion said. He didn’t want to open those doors. The memories. He’d been called names, pushed, kicked and shoved while adults had looked away. He was different. He knew it. He might not have expected what had happened, but it didn’t change why he did it or what he needed to do with his life.

“Why did you want people to think you were stupid, sweetheart? How did they not know the incredible intelligence you have?” Brett rubbed Orion’s back, his fingers played with Orion’s ass.

“If people assumed I was too stupid to understand what was going on, they would talk freer. They didn’t see anything different because they didn’t want to and because I did nothing to change their opinions.”

“I knew from the beginning you were intelligent.”

Orion nodded then gasped as Brett wrapped a hand around his cock. Brett’s other hand cupped his ass, pulling him closer. Orion closed his eyes as sensations ricocheted through his body. He’d never once believed anything could be so good, could feel so right. Brett found a reason to touch him even when they weren’t alone. It made Orion feel cared about. Wanted. Any questions he had about Brett’s comment dissolved in a haze of sensory overload.

Orion groaned as Brett stroked his cock. Brett rolled them over so Orion was lying on the bed under him. Orion loved the weight pressing down on to him and wondered how it would feel to have the other man fuck him. Would Brett slam into him? Would Orion feel him all day? Would Brett be slow and gentle, ensuring they both were satisfied? Would Brett want Orion to fuck him? Orion bit his lip. He didn’t have any experience topping someone.

Brett kissed him and pushed aside any thoughts he had.

Orion ran his hands up Brett’s back, pulling him closer as the older man devoured his mouth. He wove his hands through Brett’s short, light-brown strands. Brett released him and kissed a trail along Orion’s jaw and down his chest to his left nipple, catching it between his teeth. He bit gently, laving and sucking on it before biting it again. Orion squirmed and called out, arching his body, wanting and needing more.

Brett shifted positions taking most of the weight off Orion. Shock and deprivation circled Orion then fled as Brett squeezed his cock. Brett released his nipple only to attack the other one. Orion hissed, yelled Brett’s name.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Brett said, releasing Orion’s nipple and blowing across it.

Enveloped in growing need, Orion relaxed and allowed Brett to guide him.

“Wrap your legs around my waist.”

Orion obeyed. The movement put their cocks together. Orion moaned his pleasure. A cap opened and closed out of his line of sight. A slick hand wrapped around his shaft, pressing it together with Brett’s. Bliss ricocheted off every nerve ending.

Brett leaned down and kissed him as his hand began moving. Slow and gentle, Brett’s grip changed slightly and stroked them from base to head. Orion arched his back and called out as Brett’s thumb grazed the tip, pressing down on the slit before moving back down.

“More. Please more,” Orion begged, his hands digging into Brett’s back. He wanted more. Needed more.

Brett increased his speed and pressure. Orion called out Brett’s name. The tingling at the base of his spine grew, racing through his body and igniting every nerve ending as Orion headed toward the cliff and into oblivion. Atop him, Brett tensed and yelled. Orion shuddered and came. Long ropes of cum landing on his chest. Brett continued stroking their cocks several more times before collapsing on the bed next to him. Still breathing hard, Brett reached out and pulled Orion close to him until Orion was half-laying on the older man.

“Never…so good,” Orion stammered. He tried, unsuccessfully, to bully his brain and body into cooperating.

“Shh. Relax, we have time,” Brett said, hugging him tighter.

Orion nodded and snuggled into Brett. He enjoyed this. Just being able to cuddle with someone, to know that he could trust them. There was safety in Brett’s arms that he couldn’t remember feeling before. For now at least, he could believe that Brett was all his and that nothing else mattered.

* * * *

“Sir, there’s a man here demanding to see Special Staff Member Hellman,” Thompson said, his voice low enough that both Brett and Orion could here.

“Did he ask for him by name?” Brett asked.

“Yes, Lieutenant DeMarco, he did.”

Brett’s gaze swung to Orion. He was getting better at reading his lover, but the younger man had years of covering his reactions and ensuring people saw only what he wanted them to see. There was a slight pull on the right side of Orion’s face. Brown eyes flashed up at Brett, steeled then turned to Thompson.

“Who is he?”

“Sergeant Aaron Davis. He says he’s Corporal Jonah Miller’s fiancé.”

It wasn’t a name Brett had heard before, but he’d heard of Corporal Miller. He’d been the one driving the truck the night they’d left the base. He’d been shot by security forces before they made it into the underground network.

“What do we know of Sergeant Davis?” Orion asked.

“I haven’t heard of him. He’s not someone I remember researching,” Brett answered.

“And you remember everyone you’ve ‘researched’?” Carter asked, disbelief coloring her voice.

“Yes. Digging through people’s lives, knowing that what you learn could change their lives forever, weighs on some people,” Brett admitted. “I’ve only forgotten once.” Those people been names and nobody he’d known. He’d been naive about his job, about what would happen with the information. He’d prepared dossiers on three people, found their connections and enough evidence to warrant further investigating. He’d assumed more questions would be asked and a more thorough investigation would be done. His boss had asked him for a sentencing recommendation after reading the report. Brett had shrugged and replied that treason was a capitol offense, punishable by death. Ten days later the trio had been marched into the square outside the regional government office where they’d lived and shot. It hadn’t been mentioned in the news feeds. Brett had only found about it a few days later when his boss had come by and told him “good call”. Brett had been confused but accepted the words. He’d been more than confused when he’d found out no other investigation had been carried out. He’d returned to his quarters that night and thrown up.

Orion held up his hand. “Fine, Carter, what do you know about him?”

The woman turned to a computer before answering. “Artillery. Youngest of five. Engaged to Corporal Jonah Miller. Informant.”

“That’s it?” Brett asked.

“I can pull up more. But it’s enough to establish he probably isn’t working with the government,” Carter replied, returning to her seat.

“Let him in then,” Orion answered.

Thompson nodded and retraced his steps to the door. Brett stood, positioning himself between Orion and where Miller’s fiancé would stand. He was taking no chances with his lover’s safety. Orion was his, and he had no intention of letting anyone hurt his man.

Several long minutes passed before a man was shown in. He wasn’t what Brett had pictured. Davis’ camouflage uniform was wrinkled and stained. The man’s normally black boots were scuffed and dirty. There was a cut above his eye and blood at the corner of his lip. There was no visible holster for a weapon, but he looked as if he was used to having one or being around them. The name on the uniform matched what they’d been told. The soldier delved into his a pocket and retrieved a billfold, even as Thompson and Jackson’s weapons were drawn and pointed at him. Thompson moved and forced Davis to his knees.

Brett stepped forward, retrieved the wallet, opened it and looked through the contents. There were creases where the leather was worn from use and an indention where a wrapped condom sat. Several dollars sat along side a folded piece of paper and a worn photograph. Several strands of hair were tucked inside a small translucent envelope. Brett unfolded the letter and read it quickly, before nodding to Orion.