One-Two Punch (14 page)

As she headed for the shower, much more cheerful than she had been when she first dragged herself out of bed, she glanced back to see Ky glowering at Harry, who grinned.

“Way too affectionate,” Ky growled. Harry just laughed.

As Beth got off the bus that evening, her eyes immediately caught on Ky, who was slouching, legs sprawled, on the bench. Her stomach jumped at the sight of him, her heart speeding up way more than was justified by the short walk from her seat to the sidewalk.

This isn’t good
, she thought, trying to shove the reaction away.
I love Harry and Ky’s
gay, for God’s sake! And in love with my boyfriend
, she told her disobedient body sternly.

He was just so freaking beautiful. She sighed silently, unable to stop staring.

His slanting eyes were unfocused as he gazed off into space, his arms crossed over his chest, tightening the fabric of his shirt across the definition of his upper arms. His face was all sharp angles except for the sulky curve of his lips, a mouth so full and sullen that it made Beth want to bite it.

Stop
, she commanded her brain, swallowing hard against the threatening drool and squeezing her thighs together, as if she could push back the arousal that had soaked her panties.
How can two men turn me on so quickly?
she wondered, firming her spine and plastering a friendly smile on her face as she walked toward Ky.

He glanced at her and focused, a half-smile kicking up one corner of his mouth for a fleeting second before his habitual scowl replaced it. That flash of a smile was enough to twist her heart and she moved behind him to hide her expression, slipping an arm around his neck in a playful headlock.

“Hey,” she greeted him, sneaking in a quick kiss that bounced off his ear as he pulled away from her and stood in one smooth motion. “This will be fun—I haven’t been walked home from the bus stop since I was six and Nancy Sawyer threatened to beat me up. She was eight and quite a
large
girl, so I was understandably terrified.”

“Are you ever quiet?” Ky asked grumpily as he walked beside her.

“Actually, I’m usually pretty shy. Especially when I first meet someone,” Beth chatted on, not at all offended.

He made a disbelieving noise. “You weren’t quiet around me.”

Shrugging, Beth considered that for a moment. “You don’t seem like a stranger—I mean, Harry talked about you so much that it was like I knew you, and then when I learned your nickname was Pokey—how can you be nervous around someone named Pokey?”

With a growl, Ky knocked against her with a light bump of his shoulder. “The nickname is not common knowledge. I had to threaten the guys in my unit to get them to keep quiet. Cap’n never could keep his mouth shut.” He glanced at her sideways, obviously trying to hold his indifferent expression. “So…what did he say about me?”

“Harry?” Beth asked.

“No, the fucking mailman. Who do you think?” Ky growled, kicking at a small piece of concrete that had crumbled off the edge of the sidewalk.

“Manners, Pokey, manners,” Beth tutted, holding back a grin at his glare. “My, you’re a surly one. Let’s see…what did Harry mention…”

“Fuck it—just forget it,” he muttered, walking faster.

Beth laughed but relented. “I’m just kidding. He said—” She broke off abruptly, wondering how much to share with Ky. The DVD rental store was just ahead and this probably wasn’t the best conversation to be having in a crowded aisle. Serious now, she grabbed his arm and tugged him toward a low wall bordering a parking lot. “Let’s sit.”

Ky looked at her askance but allowed himself to be pulled over to the wall. “That bad?” he asked, not really sounding as if he was joking.

“No, just…private.” Beth pushed herself up to sit on the brick ledge and watched her dangling feet as she put the words in order in her head. Ky leaned against the wall next to her, watching her face warily. She took a deep breath and plunged in. “I asked him one night if, well, if he had ever been with a man.” Her face was already bright red and she couldn’t meet Ky’s eyes, so she stared at her sensible black heels, took a deep breath and continued. “He said he hadn’t but…”

“But?” Ky’s voice was tight and Beth could actually
feel
his eyes boring into her.

“Well, he said ‘no’ but then started talking about you.” She snuck a quick look at his stunned expression. “About how close you guys got and how you were together in Afghanistan—not in that way—”
God
, she thought, flushing even more brightly,
this
conversation is full of minefields.
“And there wasn’t any privacy and maybe nothing would have happened anyway but there was something between the two of you. I believe he also called you a mean son of a bitch, but it was in an affectionate tone.”

There was silence and Beth bumped her heels against the wall.
Probably scuffing
them
, she thought ruefully.

“Why are you telling me this?” Ky finally asked.

“I have no idea,” she said. And then admitted, “Okay, maybe one or two ideas.

Before I actually got the balls, so to speak, to walk into the gym, I had been walking by the place twice a day just to stare at Harry. I mean, I had to get to the bus too, so it wasn’t
just
to stare at him, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that I know what it’s like to want something that seems unobtainable.”

“And you want me to obtain him?” Disbelief coated his words.

Beth shook her head. “I don’t want to lose him, if that’s what you mean. I love him.

It terrifies me to think that someday he might not want me anymore or find someone else or…” Her stomach was clenching just talking about it, so she stopped. “It’s just that I love him and I like
you
—even though you can be a total asshat—and I know what it’s like to be crazy about him and I can’t imagine how it feels to love him and not have him, that’s all.”

The words fell out of her mouth in a chaotic tumble, dropping off into complete silence. She risked a glance at Ky’s face and saw a dozen emotions pass through before his expression settled into its usual unreadable lines.

“Shit,” Beth groaned, pressing her hands to her flaming cheeks. “You must think I’m insane. I didn’t mean to tell you all of this. Just forget I said anything.” She hopped off the wall.

“Right, just like that.” His smile held no humor.

“I won’t say anything to Harry about it—how you feel, I mean,” she promised, searching his face for a reaction, any reaction.
God, he’s hard to read
, she thought.

Ky nodded and took a step toward the rental store and then stopped. “Just for the record, I think you’re okay…” He trailed off in a mumble.

“Wow—okay. I’m…flattered?”

He shot a look out from under his eyelashes. “No need to get all sarcastic.” He ignored her indignant sputters at that pot-calling-the-kettle-black statement and continued. “You’re good for him. Not all girly and annoying.”

Beth had to grin. “You’re the king of damning with faint praise, aren’t you?”

Scowling at her, Ky turned and started walking away. “Fine, I won’t say anything then.”

Laughing, Beth chased after him. “Kidding! I’m kidding! Come on, tell me nice things about me.”

“They’re not that nice,” he grunted but stopped walking so she could catch up with him and latch onto his arm.

“Fine—tell me okay things about me,” she wheedled, blinking up at Ky as innocently as possible and drawing a reluctant half-smile from him.

“I don’t know,” he started with a shrug. “You’re just…what you see is what you get. You’re not all manipulative and makeup-y and frou-frou. You’re more like a guy—

well, a guy who smells good.”

Beth beamed at him. “You think I smell good?”

Hunching his shoulders up to his ears, Ky shook her hand off his arm and strode toward the store. “Jesus Christ, Barbie—you’re like fucking Rainbow Brite. Are we going to get a movie or not?”

“Language, Pokey!” Beth called after him. He flashed a glare over his shoulder and stormed into the rental store. Smiling to herself, Beth followed more leisurely. A scowling Ky was waiting for her just inside and they both made their way to the new-release section.

“Hey, I want to see this one.” Beth grabbed an action movie from the shelf. “It’s supposed to be mindless yet entertaining—my favorite.”

“See!” Ky said triumphantly. “You’re a guy. You just proved my point.” Beth stuck her tongue out at him as he pulled the DVD case from her fingers and put it back on the shelf. “I’ve had enough explosions for a while. Let’s get this one.”

Standing on her tiptoes to read the back cover of the movie in Ky’s hands, Beth groaned. “Please. A romantic comedy? That’s so gay.” Although she clapped her hand over her mouth, a giggle still escaped.

“It’s supposed to be good.” Ky put it back on the shelf sulkily.

“Fine,” Beth gave in, rolling her eyes. “But only if we can get this one too.” She held up a martial arts film. “All the violence is punching and kicking, so there will be no explosions or firing of guns. I might even learn something about self-defense too—it’s educational,” she finished primly.

“Fine.” Although he pretended to give in grudgingly, Beth could tell that he was pleased with the movie selection. She had to be careful—making Ky happy could prove to be addictive.

When Harry finally locked the gym and flicked off all but the security lights, he wearily climbed the stairs and let himself into the loft. Beth and Ky were sprawled on the couch in the darkened living room, watching the martial arts movie. Beth was stretched across the entire sofa, her legs tossed casually over Ky’s lap. Surprisingly, Ky hadn’t shoved the offending limbs away but instead draped one arm across her knees and had his other hand absently wrapped around her bare foot.

Harry watched them for a few minutes, warmed by their careless intimacy. He liked seeing them together, he realized. It was comforting to see the two people he loved more than anything else in the world so relaxed and safe. He wanted to freeze the image in his brain, to extend the moment forever, before reality got in the way.

Beth glanced up and smiled when she saw him in the doorway. She shifted, attempting to sit up to make room for him next to her. Instead, Harry climbed over the back of the couch, lifting Beth onto his lap as he settled next to Ky, who grunted a distracted greeting, his eyes never leaving the screen. Beth curled against Harry’s chest, her soft curves molding against him, stretching her legs across Ky’s lap again.

Harry watched the movie for a few minutes and then glanced at Ky. “Beth’s choice, I presume?”

The corner of his mouth twitching up, Ky nodded. “I see why you don’t let her go to the video store by herself.”

“Yep,” Harry grinned down at Beth’s indignant face. “Bloodthirsty little thing.”

“And here I thought you were concerned about my safety, not your movie selection. You should have seen what Pokey here picked out,” she retorted, her eyes returning to the TV.

“Hey,” Ky protested, throwing a pillow at her. “You liked it. You even
cried
.”

Beth threw the pillow back. “I did not—I
told
you that I have
allergies
!”

Rolling his eyes and smirking, he gave Harry a look. “Whatever.”

Grinning, Harry relaxed against the back of the couch. He stretched the arm not wrapped around Beth across the back of the sofa behind Ky, who gave him a quick sideways look before his eyes fastened back onto the television. If Harry didn’t know him better, he would have thought that a hint of a smile touched Ky’s mouth.

The curve of Beth’s ass nestled in his lap. That, combined with the heat from Ky’s thigh radiating along the length of his, hardened his cock.

Despite his arousal, Harry was happier than he could remember being in a long time. Dropping a kiss onto the top of Beth’s head, he settled in to watch the movie.

“Strip,” Harry commanded once they had reached the privacy of his bedroom. Beth had felt how hard he had been through the majority of the movie. From the rough edges of his voice as he barked out that single word, she could tell that his patience had worn thin.

Immediately, Beth began to melt, that strict tone sending shockwaves of arousal through her body and a trickle of moisture from her heating pussy. Although it wasn’t very modern-woman of her, she loved when Harry used that stern voice with her.

Obeying, albeit slowly, she grasped the hem of the camisole top she had changed into after she and Ky had gotten back from the rental store.

A fraction at a time, her fingers pushed the fabric higher, revealing the shadowed hollow of her bellybutton, the peach sheen of her skin. By the time Beth’s hands had traveled high enough to let the bottom curves of her breasts peek out, Harry was breathing hard, his chest heaving with the need for air.

“Off. Now.” His voice was gritty, his eyes fixed on the gradual unveiling of her skin. Beth pulled the top over her head, her full breasts naked and swaying a little from her movement. Tossing her camisole to the floor, she stood in just her drawstring pajama pants. They were pink with tiny white poodles on them and Beth had never thought of them as especially sexy but Harry was staring at her in a way that made goose bumps rise on her naked skin.

“Everything,” he said hoarsely, unblinking. With a tiny smile, Beth turned her back to him, revealing the smooth line of her back. Untying the ribbon that held the pajamas in place, she loosened the fabric, running her fingers just below the waistband. Just that small touch on her skin increased her excitement and she could feel the dampness spreading between her legs, seeping into the soft, cotton fabric.

The loose pants clung for a bare second around her hips but a small wriggle made them slip to the floor, exposing the round curves of her ass. Beth peeked over her shoulder, creaming at the sight of his enraptured expression, his eyes fixed on the generous flesh of her bare bottom.

She knew he loved her ass—loved to look at it, knead it, fuck it, smack it—a shiver ran through her at the thought of his broad hand spanking her, reddening her cheeks until they were so sensitive that just a brush of his fingers was almost enough to make her come. She was so caught up in the memory of that sexy punishment that his voice made her start.