Matthew couldn’t sleep. At least his ID and wristcom had been waiting for him at the hotel, returned by an honest citizen, so he could get into his room. He kept pacing around his room, replaying the conversation over and over. If he hadn’t thought King had someone in there with him next door, he would have considered waking him up to talk to him about it.

Daniel had never felt that aroused in his life, when Matthew had kissed and held him in the stealth pod. If only they had been able to meet and fall for each other without all the games and deceit... although, of course, without that they would never have met at all. And now Daniel had lost interest in him, two years was too long.

His door chimed softly as King flashed his ID at it. “I couldn’t sleep with all the pacing going on in here,” he explained, with a smile of concern. “It didn’t work out then? Between you two?”

“Come in, Danyel, sorry I woke you. Help yourself to a drink if you want one. I’m feeling really confused.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “First he tells me I was the one who brought him out, that he wasn’t faking it after all, and then he just stops. So I think, he blames me for not listening two years ago when he wanted to explain to me so I apologise and then he gets really angry with me and basically tells me to fuck off. So here I am, back here going round and round in a circle.”

King kept his eyes on him as he poured himself a glass of brandy and sat down in one of the two armchairs.

“Tell me exactly what he said, when he got angry.”

“He said, ‘I don’t want your damned apology,’ and do you know, before that, I was actually stupid enough to think he was going to kiss me?” Matthew was still pacing.

King looked at him over his glass. “I think I might know what the problem is,” he offered.

“Go on.”

“He wanted you to kiss him, not apologise.”

“What? You’re kidding, right?”

“The man’s a Colonel, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is. God it was bad enough when he was a Major!” Suddenly a light went on. “You think that’s the problem. You think he won’t make a pass at me because I’m a Lieutenant?”

“I think that is exactly the problem. Given the history between you, and your very public vow never to approach any man under your command, there is no way in hell that man is going to make the first move. I think he went as far as he felt he could by telling you he was attracted to you two years ago. Then he threw the ball to you hoping for some response and you blew it by giving him an apology instead of making a move on him.” King drained his glass and poured himself another.

“You think so?” Matthew was uncertain. “He’s a Colonel for god’s sake, and at least six years older than me. Do you think he’s really waiting for me to make a pass at him?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“God,” Matthew felt nervous at the very thought. Nervous and excited. He paced a bit more. “I’ll go over there right now and ask him, face to face,” he decided. “After all, if I’m wrong he can only throw me out, right?”

“Good idea. I’ll take the rest of your brandy if you don’t want it,” said King getting to his feet. He still half wished it was him that Matthew was racing off to see.

Matthew left the hotel and walked briskly to the Patrol headquarters building. King had to be right, at least about the fact that Daniel would never make the first move on him. When he thought back to what he had said to Daniel the last time they talked two years ago, he had to cringe. At the time he had been hurting and he’d wanted to hurt back. He’d been very cruel, especially in the light of what he now knew, that the other man had been struggling with his own newly awakened sexuality at the time.

A few doubts started to creep in. Would Daniel really welcome an approach, or would he take the opportunity to flatly reject him? He braced his shoulders, well he’d never know if he didn’t make the attempt.

He reached the building all too soon, took a couple of deep breaths then went up to the Corporal at Reception and asked if he could see Colonel Peters. “I’ll see, sir. Who shall I say is asking?”

“Lieutenant Ferris.”

“The Colonel says to go on up to his office, it’s on the first floor, sir, first on the left.”

Ferris climbed the stairs—everyone needed the exercise on a space station—and hovered outside the closed door for a moment. He flashed his ID and Daniel let him in. He had showered and changed into a clean Colonel’s uniform of dark grey since his return and stood up to greet him, looking very official and extremely unapproachable. He did not look remotely like a man who wanted to be kissed. Matthew was still wearing his civilian clothes that he had been arrested in. He wished he’d at least taken the time to clean up a bit, but he’d been in a hurry.

“Lieutenant? How can I help you?” Daniel asked with cool politeness.

Matthew felt his heart sink, he’d made a mistake, this wasn’t going to work. Then it dawned on him that perhaps Daniel had donned his protective camouflage, maybe he was simply protecting himself against being hurt again.

He walked right up to him, behind his desk and said, “Daniel, I need to ask you a couple of important questions. Is the difference in our rank an insurmountable barrier? Considering we’re not serving on the same ship and I’m not under your command?”

Daniel looked warily at him. “Why?”

“Because I was wondering if you’d like to have sex with me, right now.”

The other man swallowed.

Matthew took that as encouragement and moved very slowly around behind him, allowing him plenty of opportunity to move away if he wanted to. He put his hands gently on his shoulders and continued, “Your quarters or my room? Whichever you prefer.”

Then he bent his head and licked the back of his neck, just like he had the time before. “Or right here.”

His hands had moved to the front of the Colonel’s uniform and he carefully unfastened it, slowly drawing it down over his shoulders. This was where Daniel had said “no” before. He didn’t say “no” this time. He was totally motionless, frozen in place. Matthew kissed the bare skin in front of him, breathing in the faint scent of citrus from his shower, tracing the golden line of muscle from his neck to his shoulder with his warm tongue.

“Tell me if you don’t want this,” he whispered. Silence. Now he had him bared to the waist, his hands caressing Daniel’s chest and stomach, his thumbs rubbing over the flat nipples that were as hard as two small pebbles. His lips and tongue explored his smooth shoulder blades and the hollow of his spine. Matthew was still fully dressed, breathing hard. Hands trembling slightly, he peeled the uniform down over Daniel’s hips to his ankles so that he was almost completely naked in front of him, in the middle of his office. He licked the spot at the base of his spine. Daniel quivered violently.

“Do you think now might be a good time to set the privacy seal?” Matthew asked softly.

My god! How could he have forgotten? thought Daniel. Here he was, standing almost nude in the middle of his office, mesmerised, wholly focussed on what Matthew was doing to him. Anybody could walk in on them at any moment.

He fumbled blindly for his wristcom and set the seal as Matthew kissed his way back up his body. Daniel couldn’t move, couldn’t think beyond the overwhelming sensations flooding through his body, the almost excruciating anticipation of what was to come. For two years he had wanted Matthew to kiss him, dreamt about it, imagined them going to bed together, holding each other, but he had been a little hazy on what would happen next.

He now knew exactly what was going to happen. Matthew was going to finish what he had started two years ago in the stealth pod. Unless he said anything to stop him, Matthew was going to fuck him, right here, right now.

Matthew reached around to take each hand, dangling helplessly at his sides once again, stroking each palm with a thumb and placing them flat down on the desk so that Daniel was bending forward ever so slightly. Matthew was still fully dressed and Daniel felt the rough scrape of material over his bare skin. He felt as if every small hair and nerve on his body was standing to attention, his breath had stuck somewhere in his throat.

Matthew slid one warm hand around to cup and feel him, his fingers first exploring then tightening as he found Daniel’s rigid length. Daniel’s head was slightly bowed, exposing the sensitive nape of his neck and Matthew kissed it, nipping and licking his way around to the delicate spot under his ear.

Matthew couldn’t wait any longer, this was all so much hotter than his wildest fantasies. He pulled open the front of his own trousers with his other hand, too impatient to take them off. Then he braced himself, pushing ever so slightly against where he wanted to enter. Daniel sucked in his breath audibly, his buttocks clenching. Matthew stopped.

“I need you to tell me. Do you want this? To have sex with me?” he asked, his voice harsh with strain. Waiting for the words he wanted to hear.

“Yes. Yes, I do.” There was a pause, then, “Don’t stop.”

Matthew drew in a great shuddering breath and pulled back, just a fraction. Much as he longed to thrust himself into Daniel, right where he was, bent over his desk, he knew he needed to be more gentle. In the heat of the moment he had almost forgotten it was Daniel’s first time.

Ever so slowly he pushed a finger inside, feeling the tiny muscles tighten and clench around him. In and out.

“Matthew!” gasped Daniel, “I’m... I’m going to...” and came in a messy rush. “I’m sorry!”

Matthew managed a grin, despite his raging hard-on. “Don’t worry. You have a shower here, don’t you and a bed, for emergencies? Well, I think this qualifies as an emergency. Let’s go and check them out.”

The End