Page 20 of The Team

And that first time in the barracks showers, when Rhett came out with nothing more than a towel around his waist and Jay couldn’t make himself look away...

Rhett noticed. Because, of course he did. They stared at each other in the silent, knowing way that closeted men might. But they were interrupted and Jay got himself busy and gone, heart hammering.

Such a dangerous game.

The very next day, Rhett wasn’t in the showers, and Jay had wondered if he was avoiding him. Disappointed but not surprised, he’d stripped off and hit the showers. With his hair full of soap and eyes closed, he hadn’t noticed anyone using the shower next to his.

“Pass me the soap,” a deep, quiet voice had said.

Jay’s eyes had shot open to find Rhett next to him, naked under the steaming jet of water, semi-hard. His eyes dark, his hand out.

Jay handed him the soap, fingers brushing, electric and exhilarating, and for one second, forgetting where he was.

“You’re in late today,” Jay said, no clue why.

Rhett had smiled as he scrubbed himself. “Wanted to get you alone.”

Jay stared at him, his heart skidding to a stop. He glanced around the open showers.

“They’re all gone,” Rhett said casually. “I made sure of it.”

Nerves flooded Jay’s belly. He was about to get jumped or railed. “Look, I...”

“You what?” Rhett smirked. “You keep looking at me like you want something.”

Jay’s breath hitched.

Fuck.

“Do you want something, Petty Officer Lin?”

Jay’s eyes met his—those cool grey-blue eyes were storming. He knew that look. He felt it down his spine, to his core, his blood was scorching hot. He could barely get his breath out to form words. “Not sure what you mean.”

Rhett slammed the water off, grabbed Jay’s hand, and dragged him to a toilet stall. He pushed Jay against the cold concrete wall and crushed his mouth down on his, forcing his tongue inside.

Jay grunted and took it, head spinning, heart screaming. But then Rhett took Jay’s cock in his hand, and he swallowed Jay’s muffled cry.

Once his brain had kicked in that this was actually happening, Jay wrapped his hand around Rhett’s rock-hard cock, and they devoured each other’s mouths while jerking each other off.

Jay came first, bucking into Rhett’s fist, and Rhett followed a moment later. His mouth on Jay’s, breathing hard, eyes closed as he spilled all over Jay’s hand.

When he opened his eyes, Jay saw the grey storm clearing, revealing sated blue skies. And then Rhett was gone.

He heard the shower start, and Jay took a second tocatch his breath. He wiped their come off his belly, then went back out to the showers.

Rhett was gone.

Confused, satiated, but still wanting more, Jay rinsed off and got dressed. He was last and late for dinner. He found the mess hall mostly empty but grabbed a tray and a seat at a table by himself, trying not to think about what had just happened when a tray slid next to his at the table and a familiar body fell into the seat beside him. “Seat taken, Petty Officer Lin?”

Jay looked over at Rhett, trying not to smile, pretending he didn’t blush. “It is now.”

And it was taken almost every day after that. They were mess hall buddies, every chance they got. They were in the same squad, same team, same bunkhouse. Same bathroom cubicle every chance they got as well.

Same weekends’ leave too. Same hotel bed. Then, as the months and years rolled on, Rhett would join Jay when on leave, visiting his family. Rhett had no family, and Jay’s mum made quick work of rectifying that. She included him in her entire clutch of kids; when you already had five kids plus their partners, what was one more? And if that wasn’t overwhelming enough, the first time Rhett had met the extended Lins—a dozen aunts and uncles, twenty-something first cousins—had been funny as hell.

Sid’s boot tapped Jay’s. “Stop it. Scares me when you smile like that.”

Jay laughed. “Just remembering back to the only time I ever saw Captain Ouston scared.”

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