Mission: Without a Trace - Nicole Edwards Page 0,21
me to be curious about you.” He met Brantley’s gaze again. “It was more than that. I wanted to know when I would see you again. I didn’t want to walk away until I was certain I would.”
He shifted his attention back to Brantley’s hand.
“It’s not that I haven’t felt a pull toward a woman before. I have. Couple of times. But nothin’ like what you make me feel. I didn’t understand it. Still don’t. It scares me shitless. Not just because you’re a man, but because it’s so powerful. This feelin’…” He locked eyes with Brantley, his voice dropping to a whisper. “It’s so fuckin’ powerful.”
Brantley moved, shifting his upper body, angling toward Reese. The hand he’d been exploring moved to cup his cheek, pulling him closer.
“It’s mutual, Reese. The feelin’s mutual.”
When Brantley’s lips brushed his, Reese exhaled slowly, letting himself get swept away by the current.
His hands slid to Brantley’s neck, curling around it, feeling the strain of the muscles in his shoulders, the rasp of his stubble against his thumb. He was aware of this man on every level and it didn’t scare him. That wasn’t the right word. It confused him, sure. But at the same time, it settled him.
“I want to touch you,” he said softly, pulling back and meeting Brantley’s stormy blue eyes. “Let me touch you, Brantley.”
“Whenever, however you want,” Brantley replied.
So Reese did.
Right there on the couch in what was their new office, Reese touched him. He maneuvered Brantley down to his back, settling beside him, curling one leg around Brantley’s to keep from falling to the floor. They kissed, but it wasn’t rushed. Brantley was giving him full control, something Reese had gotten used to. He knew the man was holding back so much for him, letting him explore.
Flattening his palm on Brantley’s stomach, he dipped his fingers beneath his T-shirt, working the fabric up, revealing all the hard ridges of his torso.
“You don’t have any tattoos.” He lifted his gaze to Brantley’s face. “Why not?”
“Too distinctive.”
He nodded, understanding. Brantley had been a SEAL, which meant he knowingly put himself in dangerous situations. Situations that could’ve easily ended with him being taken by tangos. Made sense that he wouldn’t want any identifying marks that might give the bad guys insight into who he was if they somehow were able to connect the dots.
Reese propped himself up so he could watch his hand as it glided over smooth golden skin. Brantley helped him along, tugging the T-shirt off, letting it fall to the floor. He admired the flex and pull of muscles, the delectable musky scent that was unique to this man. His head was spinning, his body hardening.
He continued to trail his fingers over Brantley’s chest, across his nipples, watching the small discs harden from his touch. His mouth soon joined the exploration, gliding over warm, supple skin as he licked and tasted. All the while, Brantley remained where he was, watching, never rushing him, never guiding him elsewhere. He seemed content to let Reese do what was necessary for him.
It would’ve been easy to push this to the point of no return, but Reese didn’t want that. Not yet. Not here. He wanted to be somewhere he could spread out, so he forced himself to stop, to pull back. He kissed Brantley again, shifting so he was over him, letting the man bear his full weight.
“Let’s take this into the house,” he whispered.
“Lead the way.”
So he did.
***
Not since he was a teenager had making out been something Brantley had looked forward to. With Reese, it was a constant thought in his head.
It wasn’t only the touching, the teasing. He enjoyed that part, of course, but it was watching Reese, the heated gleam in his eyes, the way he would lick his lower lip as though he wanted to taste but wasn’t sure he should that enraptured him. And if this was all Reese wanted, Brantley was more than willing to lie there, to let him explore for as long as necessary.
Once they’d made it to Brantley’s bedroom, he continued to let Reese lead. He had no desire to control this moment. No, he happened to enjoy being at this man’s mercy. There would definitely come a time when the roles would reverse, when Brantley would take back the control he was loaning out. But for now, he didn’t mind it.
When they were stretched out on his bed, they picked up where they’d left off in the barn. Reese’s body covered