Should you stay, should you go?
You're beginning to see.
I blow hot, I blow cold,
it's just the devil in me.
---Tina Turner
"What the hell just happened?" Jesse muttered, shaking his head and feeling like he'd been hit by a train.
His eyes followed Brennan's lanky form as it strode down the hall, a visible spring to the other man's step.
They'd been talking, nothing new about that, but the further the conversation had gone, the closer Brennan had come. Towards the end, he'd invaded Jesse's personal space so much that Jesse was leaning on the wall and Brennan was leaning on Jesse. And there hadn't been anything overtly sexual about the conversation, not even any innuendos, but...the way Brennan's focus had lingered on Jesse's mouth and then occasionally traveling downwards...
Jesse shivered and his cock twitched, remembering the seeming hotness to Brennan's dark gaze. Talk about drowning in someone's eyes. A few times he'd completely lost track of what he'd been saying and Brennan had had to prompt him. Was he going completely insane or had Brennan just about seduced him right there in the hallway?
Shaking his head again, Jesse cleared his throat and headed for his bedroom, though he knew it would be a good long while before he actually got to sleep.
* * * *
Nothing. Not a God damned fucking thing! No lingering look. No lingering touches. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero.
Frustrated, Jesse scrubbed his fingertips through his hair, messing it up severely and feeling somewhat better once he had. At least something reflected his imbalance. For a week now, Brennan had been driving him nuts in what he'd thought was a good way. The flirting had definitely been both ways all week. Just when Jesse had been about to up the ante, wanting to get his hands on that hard, long body, boom! Brennan the seducer was nowhere to be found.
Tempted to grab Emma and demand she scan Brennan to make sure some pod person hadn't replaced his friend, Jesse took a deep breath, held it, then released it. He could deal with this. No problem. A lot of it he could've been mistaken about, projecting his own wants into conversations that were really innocent. A few touches, some shoulder rubs when he'd been tense or sore from working out, sure. Friendly support, he could see that.
"Jesse? You all right in there?"
Startled at Adam's question, Jesse jerked upright and slammed his head into the shelf over his bed. Groaning, he clutched his head and curled into a ball. "I was."
* * * *
"Hey, Jess."
Staring almost suspiciously at Brennan as the other man walked into the library, Jesse didn't get up from his spot on the leather love seat. "Hey."
"What're you doing?"
'Hiding from you,' Jesse thought sullenly. Hot and cold. That completely described how Brennan had been behaving the last weeks. One minute they were practically caressing and the next, it was 'just buddies' with no vibes whatsoever. When Brennan sat down almost on top of him, Jesse had to refrain from groaning out loud. He really couldn't take much more of this. "Just reading. You?"
"Nothing. Adam's locked in the lab on something and Emma and Shal, well, it didn't seem like they wanted to be disturbed," Brennan answered with a sly grin.
Great. Everyone was happy except him. That figured. He yelped in surprise when Brennan's icy cold hand brushed the back of his neck and jumped to his feet. "That's it! I can't take it any more!"
"Take what?" Brennan asked, the perfect picture of innocent confusion. "What's goin' on, Jess?"
"This! You! Us! All of it!" Jesse exclaimed, pacing a short distance then rounding back on Brennan. "Do you want me, or are you just having fun teasing the shit out of me?"
Grinning broadly, Brennan stretched an arm along the back of the couch and slouched, kicking his legs out to an impossibly long length. "Actually, Shalimar want to know how long it would take you to snap. Backed me into a bet about it."
Jesse's jaw dropped. "You bet on me?"
"You don't think I'm so thick that I didn't know we were flirting, do you? I was kinda curious, myself," Brennan said, crossing an ankle over a knee.
Running a hand through his hair, Jesse exclaimed, "Congratulations! Now you know. Fuck off."
"Jess! Wait!"
But Jesse ignored the call and strode furiously down to his room, slamming the door behind him. Of all the low-down, dirty, underhanded and just plain mean things to do! A fucking bet!
A soft knocking at his door interrupted his fuming.
"Fuck off, Brennan, I don't even want to look at you!" Jesse shouted.
"Jesse, I'm sorry. Let me in, okay? Please?"
"No! I said fuck off and I mean it!"
"I'm not going anywhere until you let me in."
The determined tone to Brennan's voice set Jesse's teeth on edge. It was one of those 'iron will bend before I do' tones which meant that Brennan really wasn't going anywhere. Pissed, he snarled, "Fine! But enter at your own risk, Mulwray."
The second that Brennan was inside, Jesse let loose with a punch. He solidified his hand just enough so that it wouldn't hurt his knuckles, but would be very painful to Brennan. The taller man flew backwards at the punch, slamming into the door and then crumpling to the floor, apparently unconscious. Jesse stared at the prone figure for a full thirty seconds before getting worried. Maybe he'd phased his hand to much and done serious damage?
"Shit!" he exclaimed, rushing to Brennan's side. Carefully, he pulled Brennan onto his lap and hesitantly touched the rapidly bruising cheek. He didn't think it was broken, but then, he was no medic. "Christ! Brennan, are you okay? C'mon, man, don't be really hurt, okay?"
Brennan's eyes popped open and were completely clear. "I knew you cared."
"Son of a bitch!"
Brennan grunted when Jesse shoved him forcefully off his lap onto the floor and stalked away. Getting to his feet with a groan, he cautiously approached the blond. "Jesse, I'm sorry. I totally deserved that. I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand, honest. It's just...I really didn't expect for you to go for it, to go for me."
Frowning, Jesse demanded, "What do you mean?"
Shrugging, Brennan replied, "I'm an ex-thief, why would you go for me?"
"Emphasis on the 'ex' part," Jesse pointed out, calming down somewhat. "That still doesn't make what you and Shal did right."
"I know. But if you let me, I'll make it up to you," Brennan promised, sidling closer.
Pursing his lips as though thinking about it, Jesse allowed, "I might. What did you have in mind?"
One of Brennan's hands cupped Jesse's chin and brought him forward, pressing their lips together softly. The tension was so thick, that Jesse forgot to breathe until Brennan's tongue licked his lips and they opened automatically. Brennan's hands slid down his arms and around to his waist, pulling him in until their bodies touched. Jesse wasn't so far gone on the sensation of Brennan plundering his mouth that he didn't hiss when hard muscle impacted firmly against him. God, but he'd been fantasizing about just this forever!
Brennan pulled back and Jesse leaned forward to continue the kiss. When contact was denied, he opened his eyes, wondering briefly when they'd closed, and couldn't help but grin at Brennan's mischievous expression. "What?"
"Good thing you ran here instead of the library or the lab. Not really into public exhibitions," Brennan commented, wriggling his eyebrows.
Jesse laughed and allowed Brennan to maneuver him towards the bed. He pulled off his own shirt just about the same time Brennan did and then they were toppling onto the mattress, kissing hard once more. He was wrapped in Brennan's long arms and legs and pinned to the bed. It was an incredible feeling that he'd never actually felt before and he melted under the other man's strength, moaning into the hot, wet mouth covering his own.
"Jesse, Jesse, hang on, slow down," Brennan ordered breathlessly.
Disappointed that the kiss had been broken, Jesse looked up into searing dark eyes that held a hint of concern in them. "What's wrong?"
Smiling fondly, Brennan kissed his cheek and answered, "Nothing. Just, have you done this before?"
"Well, not with a guy, no, but everything feels great so far," Jesse said with a grin, canting his hips up to grind against Brennan.
Brennan hissed and pushed his weight up, onto his elbows. "I know it feels good, buddy, and I want it to keep feeling good. Just need to know how far you want to go, here."
The fact that Brennan cared enough to even ask melted one of the cracks in his heart into nothing. He'd been torn up one side and down the other from trusting too much, too fast, but he was safe with Brennan. Combing his fingers through soft, dark hair, Jesse brought Brennan's head down for a long, slow kiss before whispering, "Sky's the limit, Bren. Whatever you want, man."
Brennan shuddered at his words, his eyes closing for a long moment as he brought himself under control. "God, Jess, what you're doing to me."
Chuckling, Jesse promised, "Is nothing compared to what I will do to you if you don't get going here!"
This time, Brennan stole his breath away for real, sucking and devouring his mouth as though it was the only thing saving him from death. He gasped and shivered under the sensual assault as Brennan made short work of divesting them both of the remainder of their clothes. Jesse didn't bother to help, figuring that he'd just get in the way at this point. His mind was so fogged with need, that he could barely see straight.
Brennan straddled him, his bare ass covering Jesse's cock and dragging a moan from them both at the contact. Leaning down, a skilled tongue licked at Jesse's nipple and then it was engulfed, tugged on by sharp, but gentle teeth. It was all Jesse could do to stay still and not push Brennan off, the feelings were so intense. None of the women he'd been with, not that there had been a lot, had ever taken much time to explore his body. He'd always been the giver, not the receiver, and it seemed like Brennan was trying to make up for missed pleasures.
Wanting to reciprocate at least a little, Jesse took hold of the sizeable erection resting on his abdomen and squeezed it awkwardly. It was a very different angle from doing himself and took a couple of tries to figure out, but boy, when he did it right, what results! Laughing in delight, he crowed, "I've never heard you make that sound before."
Growling playfully, Brennan replied, "You talk too much, Jess."
"Yeah, right. That's what...oh God! What...Bren! God, don't stop!"
Brennan chuckled around the mouthful of cock he was sucking on and the vibrations nearly sent Jesse out of his skin. Arching up helplessly, he grabbed the bedspread and bit down on the shout trying to escape. The tickle of Brennan's tongue over and around his already sensitive skin was almost torturous, definitely maddening. His hips thrust up, aching to bury his cock into something, used to the wet heat of a woman. Then the other man did something and he was sliding all the way down Brennan's throat. The suction and tightness around him was something he'd never felt before and that it was Brennan doing it to him...
That was when Jesse did shout Brennan's name and exploded into a million pieces as the world grew dark.
* * * *
Jesse woke surrounded by strong arms and lying limp across Brennan's chest. His heart was beating normally and he was breathing fine, so he realized that he must've been out for a while. He felt utterly sated and didn't really want to move, but the thought that he'd left Brennan hanging stung his sense of fair play. Shifting onto his side, Jesse looked into Brennan's eyes and greeted softly, "Hey."
Smiling fondly, Brennan echoed, "Hey, yourself. Come back to earth, I take it?"
Jesse grinned in response. "For now. I didn't want to be the only one up in orbit."
"You weren't alone," Brennan answered, kissing him deeply. "...just a little unobservant at the time."
Startled, Jesse asked, "You came from doing me?"
Shrugging somewhat self-consciously, Brennan said, "I've been thinking about you for a long time, Jess. Just being with you like that was enough to finish me."
Jesse was stunned, but thoroughly pleased. He kissed Brennan deeply, slowly, taking time to do some of his own explorations. When finished, he was satisfied to note that Brennan was short-winded. He rolled on top of the larger man, settled down comfortably, and stated, "I think it's time for round two."
With a grin, Brennan countered, "Think you can keep up this time?"
Taking the challenge as it was meant, Jesse bit Brennan's nipple and was pleased by the sharp inhalation it provoked. "I think I can manage."
Created on ... April 29, 2003