moment. When he met Tony’s eyes again it was as if he’d pulled down every wall he’d ever built between himself and the world. It was as if he were standing there, with his soul bared for Tony to see.
And time freaking stopped, and the entire world faded away, along with every other stupid cliché that Tony had ever heard describing the phenomenon known as Falling in Love at First Sight, previously believed to be completely fictional. It was crazy, but for the first time in his relatively short life, the restrictions and impositions of
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
didn’t matter.
Not one bit.
All that mattered was this intense connection with this incredible, beautiful, fascinating man—a connection of the type that he’d been waiting for, since forever.
And okay. He may have been nuts, but he wasn’t a fool.
He knew that Adam was a hot mess. He could see the marks made by hard living, see the ravages of fear and disappointment both on the actor’s face and in the way he stood—so seemingly defiant. And even if Tony couldn’t see all that, he’d read enough about Adam in the supermarket rags and online gossip sites to know thatany kind of relationship with the actor would be an adventure. And probably not always a good one.
But God, the possibilities …
So he’d laughed—it was hard not to—the absurdity factor was just so high. Why this, here and now? It didn’t make any sense at all. And he laughed because he was suddenly just so unbelievably happy, because he’d never been so certain of anything. Still, he kept his words light.
I’m a SEAL
, he’d told Adam.
I like trouble
.
His flirtatious words made Adam look at Tony—really look. And Tony knew that he, too, liked what he saw. For a heart-stopping moment, there was a very solid
yes
in the other man’s hazel eyes.
And Tony also knew—just as clearly—that they’d start with rebound sex, which was okay with him. But it wasn’t going to end there. He wouldn’t let it.
It’s Adam, right? Wyndham
, he’d said as the actor’s name came to him in a flash, while he tried to remember when the first shift ended—at midnight or 0100. When the senior had told them, Tony hadn’t paid attention. It hadn’t mattered back then.
But it sure as hell did now.
Except Adam surprised him.
I’m kind of nursing a broken heart
, he’d admitted, and then looked a little surprised himself. But he was determined to turn Tony down despite the attraction that jumped and sparked between them.
So okay. Tony would be remembered as the guy Adam
didn’t
screw to make himself feel better. That was okay, too. Everything was okay. It was that simple.
He could wait. He
would
wait. Still, the devil in him had reached for a pen and taken one of Adam’s extremely nice hands. And he’d written his cell number right there, on Adam’s palm.
Give me a call if it mends
.
It was only after that, when Tony was walking away—walking backward so he could keep smiling at Adam—that Adam finally smiled, too. Smiled and even laughed, as he held Tony’s gaze.
Adam was going to call him. He
was
. Maybe not tonight or tomorrow. But sooner or later. And then …
“That’s one hell of a grin,” Izzy said now, as they stood together on that Boston sidewalk. “Huh. I guess it really
doesn’t
suck to be you.”
Thursday, January 17, 2008
“Hi, yeah, Adam. This is Tony, um, Vlachic, although as I’m telling you that, I realize I never gave you mylast name and, um … Well, we met in Boston? I’m the SEAL with the, um, pen. And yeah, I know it’s only been a month, and you’re probably still not over what’s-his-name, but my team’s on the verge of heading out for a little non-recreational camping, and I just wanted to let you know, in case you saved my number and actually tried to give me a call sometime in the next few months, while I’m gone. I won’t be able to call you right back, and yeah, who am I fooling? We both know my real goal here is to maybe hit
And time freaking stopped, and the entire world faded away, along with every other stupid cliché that Tony had ever heard describing the phenomenon known as Falling in Love at First Sight, previously believed to be completely fictional. It was crazy, but for the first time in his relatively short life, the restrictions and impositions of
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
didn’t matter.
Not one bit.
All that mattered was this intense connection with this incredible, beautiful, fascinating man—a connection of the type that he’d been waiting for, since forever.
And okay. He may have been nuts, but he wasn’t a fool.
He knew that Adam was a hot mess. He could see the marks made by hard living, see the ravages of fear and disappointment both on the actor’s face and in the way he stood—so seemingly defiant. And even if Tony couldn’t see all that, he’d read enough about Adam in the supermarket rags and online gossip sites to know thatany kind of relationship with the actor would be an adventure. And probably not always a good one.
But God, the possibilities …
So he’d laughed—it was hard not to—the absurdity factor was just so high. Why this, here and now? It didn’t make any sense at all. And he laughed because he was suddenly just so unbelievably happy, because he’d never been so certain of anything. Still, he kept his words light.
I’m a SEAL
, he’d told Adam.
I like trouble
.
His flirtatious words made Adam look at Tony—really look. And Tony knew that he, too, liked what he saw. For a heart-stopping moment, there was a very solid
yes
in the other man’s hazel eyes.
And Tony also knew—just as clearly—that they’d start with rebound sex, which was okay with him. But it wasn’t going to end there. He wouldn’t let it.
It’s Adam, right? Wyndham
, he’d said as the actor’s name came to him in a flash, while he tried to remember when the first shift ended—at midnight or 0100. When the senior had told them, Tony hadn’t paid attention. It hadn’t mattered back then.
But it sure as hell did now.
Except Adam surprised him.
I’m kind of nursing a broken heart
, he’d admitted, and then looked a little surprised himself. But he was determined to turn Tony down despite the attraction that jumped and sparked between them.
So okay. Tony would be remembered as the guy Adam
didn’t
screw to make himself feel better. That was okay, too. Everything was okay. It was that simple.
He could wait. He
would
wait. Still, the devil in him had reached for a pen and taken one of Adam’s extremely nice hands. And he’d written his cell number right there, on Adam’s palm.
Give me a call if it mends
.
It was only after that, when Tony was walking away—walking backward so he could keep smiling at Adam—that Adam finally smiled, too. Smiled and even laughed, as he held Tony’s gaze.
Adam was going to call him. He
was
. Maybe not tonight or tomorrow. But sooner or later. And then …
“That’s one hell of a grin,” Izzy said now, as they stood together on that Boston sidewalk. “Huh. I guess it really
doesn’t
suck to be you.”
Thursday, January 17, 2008
“Hi, yeah, Adam. This is Tony, um, Vlachic, although as I’m telling you that, I realize I never gave you mylast name and, um … Well, we met in Boston? I’m the SEAL with the, um, pen. And yeah, I know it’s only been a month, and you’re probably still not over what’s-his-name, but my team’s on the verge of heading out for a little non-recreational camping, and I just wanted to let you know, in case you saved my number and actually tried to give me a call sometime in the next few months, while I’m gone. I won’t be able to call you right back, and yeah, who am I fooling? We both know my real goal here is to maybe hit
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