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“Wake up, princess, I’m taking you to Jake’s,” Leon whispered in your ear Saturday morning, leaning in so close his lips brushed against the sensitive shell.
You mumbled a barely coherent protest, trying to pull the covers up over your head. You’d worked at both jobs yesterday and he had been insatiable all week following the make-up, so he’d kept you up late. It hadn’t bothered you at the time, because you thought you’d get to sleep in the next morning. But here he was, sickeningly refreshed and trying to get you out of bed.
You heard him chuckle softly an instant before the mattress shifted as he climbed in next to you, slipping under the covers as his arms snaked around your waist and pulled you back against him. “Of course, I wouldn’t mind staying in bed either,” he murmured as he pressed his hips up to your ass, slowly rubbing back and forth so you could feel his dick hardening.
Your eyes flew open as you protested, “You’ve got to be kidding me; we just stopped having sex like four hours ago.”
“Plenty of time for me to get ready for you again,” Leon replied as he nibbled the nape of your neck, grinning against your skin when you moaned.
“Forget it,” you squealed, trying to free yourself from the steely strength of his embrace, your fingers plucking ineffectually at his solid arms. “I’m not sure what’s more sore, my mouth or my vajayjay.”
You felt his smile widen as he licked your shoulder and whispered, “Well, there’s always other options-“
You snorted at that and cut him off with, “I’ll agree to it, if you will too.”
Leon’s eyebrows furrowed as he considered what you’d said. He’d never been with a lover that was as compatible with him as you were; nor long enough to feel comfortable to try as many things as he’d experienced with you. He’d had anal sex a couple of times, but he’d never had anything of that nature reciprocated on him. He wasn’t sure if he’d like it or not. And he also felt absurdly jealous any time you talked about trying new sexual things, because it made him wonder about your past lovers.
“Have you done it before,” he groused, resting his chin on top of your head as his hips stopped grinding into you.
You rolled your eyes at his petulant tone before turning your head to glance back at him. “You mean having it done to me, or doing things to someone else?”
His gorgeous face crinkled up into a frown, his arms tightening around you as he muttered, “Both.”
You were curious by nature, physical intimacy with your partner something you’d always delighted in exploring and indulging in, and you weren’t at all ashamed of your sexuality nor your past. “I tried receiving it once, but we were both way too young and had no idea what we were doing. It hurt, a lot, and I had him stop almost immediately. That sort of thing requires training and a ton of lube; we had neither. I’ve never done any kind of anal play to a man; I guess I just never felt at ease enough for it. It also requires training, obviously. But if that’s something you’d want to explore, I’m willing to try as long as it goes both ways. We’d train together.”
Your frank honesty made him feel a bit ashamed of his unreasonable jealousy; which was mollified anyway as soon as he heard you had virtually no experience in the area. There was a lot of societal stigma attached to that kind of thing for straight men, but he didn’t care about that. He was more focused on your admission that it had hurt you; he was concerned it might be the same for you again or that it might hurt him since neither of you knew what you were doing.
Although with research, he supposed the two of you could figure it out.
He hummed to himself as he thought about what you’d offered, before replying, “I’m really not sure how I feel about receiving it, but if the idea grows on me, I’ll let you know.”
You kissed him on the lips, light and quick, before yawning and saying, “What’s Jake’s?”
Leon loosened his hold on you as you rolled out of bed and headed for your closet. You were naked, and he propped himself up on an elbow as his gaze followed you, tracing every line of your body as you moved. He was already aroused from cuddling with you, and his cock throbbed with every swaying motion of your hips as you walked. He was tempted to go after you, but you’d already said you were sore everywhere, so he silenced the selfish inclination. “It’s a pool hall; opens at 10 on the weekends.”
You paused to glance back at him over your shoulder, the importance of this outing not lost on you. He’d been wildly jealous of the fact Redfield had shown you how to play the game, clearly he was taking you today to try and supersede those memories. When you looked, you caught him staring at your ass. You laughed under your breath at his enraptured expression and said, “So dress like I’m going to a bar or…?”
Leon blinked as he pondered your question; he hadn’t really paid much attention to what other people were wearing when he went to play pool. He’d only gone to halls on his own; he didn’t have much in the way of friends and he’d never taken a date with him before because when he went to play, he meant business. He wasn’t a casual player; he got a thrill turning the random angles of balls on the table to his advantage. It was survival of a different kind, going up against his opponent in a test of skills and to a lesser extent luck. “I have no idea.”
You stuck your tongue out at him as you teased, “You’re no help.”
His eyes darkened, zeroing in on your mouth as he shifted on the bed and replied, “You’re asking me advice on how to cover up that beautiful body, I’m not sad at all that I can’t help you.”
You shook your head at him, familiar with his tells by now, the man was practically itching to fuck you right this moment. “You’re the one who wanted to go to Jake’s,” you chimed at him as you continued on into the closet and started perusing your clothes.
“Yeah, yeah don’t remind me,” he called from the bedroom, his voice so petulant that you laughed out loud as you reached for a slightly fancy article of clothing.
You weren’t sure if the place had a dress code or not and you doubted Leon would know if he hadn’t even bothered paying attention to what other patrons wore. So you decided to wear something that put on a show for your sweet, somewhat sex crazed lover boy.
You pulled on a corset top dress that was a similar shade of blue to his gorgeous eyes. The black lined hem fell just a few inches above the knee. The strapless neckline was low enough to draw the eye but not too outrageous; the black band along the edge making the way it clung to your curves even more accentuated. You were smiling as you slid on sheer black suspender stockings that had straps which started below where the hemline of the dress fell. You slipped on black heels and then fastened a wide blue choker around your neck, smirking as you ran a fingernail over the tiny handcuffs charm that hung from the front of the necklace.
You twirled in front of the mirror hanging in the closet, feeling a feminine sense of power rush through you as you knew without a doubt, your pretty boy was going to lose his shit when he saw you.
You came gliding out of the closet with a long, confident stride. You’d heard him getting ready while you did, followed by the slamming of a door, and knew he’d already gone to the garage to wait for you. You went to the entry and picked up your clutch, making sure you had enough cash for emergencies and then you grabbed a coat to wear. Because it was November, he wouldn’t be suspicious when he saw you wearing it. You instinctively knew if he got a look at the outfit you were wearing, you’d never leave the apartment.
Leon was waiting for you in the garage, like you’d thought. He’d already opened the garage door and started the car so it would be warm by the time you got there. He looked positively edible, wearing a tight black sweater that did wonderful things for that delicious chest of his, and khakis that hugged every curve of his thighs. He smiled at you as you walked up to him, and he opened the passenger door for you, waiting until you were situated and buckled in before closing it and then getting in on the driver’s side. “I think you’re going to like Jake’s, it’s a nice place and a friend of mine has ties to it so I was able to get a table area for us.”
You smiled at his enthusiasm as he fastened his seatbelt and backed out of the garage, closing the door once you were at the end of the driveway. As soon as he switched from reverse to drive, he put his hand on your thigh like normal, absently smoothing it over the material of the coat. You silently giggled to yourself because you knew he’d go rabid if he had any idea there was bare skin under that coat; the actual material of the stockings only went a couple of inches above the knee before it tapered into just the straps that then widened again at the waist.
The trip was a short one, the pool hall being surprisingly close to your place. Every time you took the car together, you alternated who got to pick what music was played and the two of you sang together the entire way to your destination. If you didn’t know the words, you made them up. In the beginning, it had taken some convincing on your part to get him to sing, he was very shy and embarrassed that he wasn’t the best singer. But you weren’t either and once he’d heard you belt out a few horrible songs, he was relaxed enough to join in.
It was always fun, and today was no exception, Leon coming up with some truly outrageous lyrics that had you dissolving in laughter by the time he pulled the vehicle into a parking lot in front of a large, sleek, modern looking building that was all brick and glass.
He hopped out of the car, closing his door behind him as he raced around to get yours. It was like he constantly worried you’d try to get out by yourself; and while it was true you were capable of it; you found his desire to do it for you rather charming. He helped you out of the vehicle and as you stood up, your coat fell open above and below the belted waist, because you hadn’t bothered zipping it up.
Leon casually glanced at you as he shut the passenger door, before tucking your hand into the curve of his elbow, placing his hand on your waist, and then heading for the entrance. He’d taken maybe two steps before he ground to a halt, head whipping back in your direction as his eyes shot right down to the sexy stockings and the skin bared by them, his lips parting on a swift intake of breath. You watched with amusement as his gaze traced up, over the skirt of the dress, to the neckline where his eyes paused to linger on your breasts. He swallowed hard, pupils wide, as he forced himself to look higher.
And you knew the exact second he saw the choker with the little cuffs, because his entire body went rigid, his teeth coming down hard on his bottom lip. He started breathing roughly, electricity crackling on the air between you as he took a step closer to you, his hand tightening on your waist. “Holy fuck,” he whispered, raking his eyes over you again as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Leon frequently wondered if you were trying to kill him, and tonight was no exception. You looked like walking sex, from your fuck me heels, to the scandalous stockings, to the riveting hint of cleavage that seemed to expose more by showing hardly anything, to the scrap of material around your neck decorated with handcuffs. As an agent, he had some, but he’d yet to use them on you, he generally kept them at his office, and they weren’t suited for playtime. Sadly, he didn’t own any that were. That shit was going to change, and soon.
And to top it all off, you were in blue, a nod to his eye color. A teasing little way of saying you were dressing just for him, that he almost found hotter than everything else.
Then his gaze narrowed as he wondered if you’d worn something like this the night you went to play pool with Chris and Claire. But he wasn’t stupid enough to say anything about it out loud, because he knew it was his own insecurity coming up with thoughts like that.
“How the hell am I supposed to concentrate enough to teach you anything when you look like that,” he demanded as he drank the sight of you in again. “And how do you expect me to stay out of fights all day when other guys can’t keep their eyes off you?”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s a thing or two you could teach me,” you purred at him as you leaned in close and touched the tip of your tongue to his ear lobe. His body jolted like you’d shocked him, fingers convulsing on your arm and waist. You took advantage of his distraction to add, “And I know you’d never do anything like that, because those men can look all they want, but I’m only going home with you. They can’t have me, I’m all yours.”
Your flirtatious statement made him picture eating you out on a pool table for everyone to see before fucking you until you begged for mercy, showing everyone who you belonged to.
“I swear to god if there weren’t cameras all over the place here, I’d lick that pussy of yours right now until that teasing mouth was screaming,” he groaned, reaching down to palm the conspicuous outline of his cock that was straining against the front of his pants.
“Mmmm and you’re so good at it, I’m sure I’d come for you a few times at least,” you assured him with a seductive smile. “But unfortunately for both of us, there are. So be a good boy and take me inside.”
Every word that left your lips was deliberately enticing, and you felt Leon’s arm tremble under your hand before he drew in a deep breath and resumed walking you to the pool hall.
Leon was internally panicking. He had no idea how he was going to focus, let alone be able to show you anything useful about pool. It was taking all his brain power to keep from jumping on you like a lust crazed lunatic. You’d dressed this way to drive him wild and weren’t even bothering to pretend otherwise. So if he did, in fact, end up bending you over a pool table and fucking you senseless, he really couldn’t be blamed.
But he managed to pull his shit together and escort you to the pool hall, the need to teach you more about the game overriding his distraction. He couldn’t tolerate the idea of Chris instructing you how to play, if you were going to learn from anyone it would be him.
Still, his resolve almost faltered when the two of you entered the hall, and the bouncer who’d been leaning his stool back with two legs off the ground, almost fell over when he saw you. The big man didn’t even seem to register Leon’s existence as he hurriedly righted himself and hopped to his feet with a dazed smile.
“Welcome to Jake’s,” he greeted you, his eyes struggling to stay on your face as he spoke. “I need your number, uh, I mean from your license not your phone, huh actually I have to see a picture for verification so what I need is, the card,” he babbled, looking miserable and embarrassed by the time he managed to end his rambling.
“Seriously dude,” Leon growled under his breath, as he reached into his pocket for his own license.
You fought down a laugh, because you knew it would be rude even though the guy’s behavior was a touch hilarious. “Of course,” you said, to let him know you understood, pulling out your card and handing it to him.
He blushed when his fingers brushed yours and hurriedly scoped out the date and state number, jotting it down before returning it to you. And then he reluctantly turned to Leon, finally acknowledging his presence, both men wearing cooly neutral expressions as they eyed each other. Once he had the necessary information, he waved both of you in, and you could almost feel his eyes on you as you walked away. Ok, maybe the outfit was a bit much, you silently conceded with a smile.
But it was worth it, to get under your lover’s skin.
Leon stalked through the familiar building, heading straight for a pool table, his had firmly resting on your lower back as the two of you moved. He was staking a claim, loud and clear, his body language exuding hostility. He recognized this outing was going to be an exercise in self-control over his new intention to not be so possessive and jealous when it came to you.
A majority of the people there were men, but he’d seen women check you out in the past, so he didn’t consider them safe either with the way you looked today.
So he was a bit distracted when he supervised you in racking the balls and had you show him your stance. It was quite good, he had to admit, Redfield having clearly gone over technical aspects of how to hold the stick and position your arms and hands. He didn’t let that stop him from coming up behind you and wrapping his arms around you while he made slight adjustments to your form, his hands lingering on you afterwards.
Leon loved the softness of your skin, the sweetness of your scent tantalizing him as he leaned over you. His body responded instantly; he’d been partially aroused ever since he saw what you were wearing. You could feel his cock pressing against the curve of your ass, his hard heat searing you through your clothing. Your pulse kicked up into overdrive, you were painfully aware of the numerous other players in the hall.
You pretended like you didn’t notice his arousal and he followed suit as he helped you break, lazily sauntering behind you as you moved around the table to line up for a shot. When you bent down to the table, you almost jumped up onto it as you felt something brush against the strap of your stocking. You glanced back at him in surprise, barely holding back a gasp as he slid the cue up under the hemline of your dress, teasing along the soft skin of your thighs, until the bumper grazed your panties.
You bit your lip to try and steady your shaking hands, scowling when you heard him chuckle quietly behind you. The man knew exactly what he was doing to you.
“Do you need my help,” Leon murmured as he stepped closer, using his body to conceal what he was doing, and angled his cue higher.
You whimpered as the stick rubbed up between your thighs and over your clit, the sensitive flesh protected by your underwear. The slight pressure and friction felt incredible, made more intense by the very real threat of being caught. You were wet after only a couple of passes, the nails of your bridge hand curling down into the tabletop.
“If you need assistance, all you have to do is ask for it,” he rumbled, voice low and taut, his own desire climbing as he took in your body bent over before him.
All his to play with, to please.
Fuck, he wanted you.
“I thought you were going to teach me how to play,” you managed to calmly answer as he continued to slowly glide the wrap back and forth over you, each teasing motion causing your pussy to clench eagerly, already almost desperate to feel him inside you.
“I am,” he assured you, pressing the slightest bit harder, noting the way your hips quivered where they rested against the edge of the table. “Being able to shoot while ignoring distractions is a key component to the game.”
What game he was referring to at that point was debatable.
You gritted your teeth and forced your hands to relax, lowering your head to check your line of sight for the shot.
Leon applauded your attempt to carry on, but he was grinning devilishly as he roughly rubbed the cue over your clit again, the sight of your back arching enough to make him moan under his breath as precum started trickling from his dick. His pants were going to be a mess after this, but he didn’t really care.
He was going to get you off here, in front of all these unsuspecting people, so that whenever you played pool you thought of no one but him.
He knew the element of danger turned you on, it would make it far easier for you to orgasm. He’d planned on it when he decided to bring you here. Your sexy little outfit had only reinforced his intentions.
You swallowed down a whine as he moved even closer to you, swinging the stick downwards so just the top of the bumper was repeatedly grazing over your clit. He had no choice but to reposition it thus, it would have been noticeable otherwise. This way the cue was almost perpendicular to the ground and would be difficult to see from behind him.
“I bet that pretty pussy of yours is drenched right now baby,” Leon quietly told you, “You like when I play with you like this and no one knows.”
Spikes of pleasure pulsed through you in time to the rubbing motion of the stick, making it difficult to listen to what he was saying. But when he rotated the top just enough to make you see stars as he demanded, “Don’t you? Hmm? Tell me,” you immediately nodded in response.
“How naughty you are, wanting to come in front of this crowd while they’re clueless,” he whispered, his voice growing thick with his increasing lust, loving the way you gave yourself over to him so trustingly.
You shuddered at his teasing tone, rocking down onto the cue, softly keening when another wave of exquisite sensation washed over you. Yes, you wanted him to take you apart right there, their eyes on you as they wondered why he was standing so close, some of them maybe even knowing but doing nothing about it.
“Sweetheart you are so fucking gorgeous,” Leon moaned, slipping one hand up under your skirt, growling low when he reached your panties and felt how completely soaked they were.
You silently sobbed when you felt his hand slide between your legs, his fingers yanking your underwear to the side before plunging inside you. Your body tightened at the penetration, he always knew just how to touch you, all the right ways to bring you to rapture.
“I want to be inside you right now,” he muttered, his body straining towards yours as you braced yourself against the pool table and took everything he gave you. “To feel this hot pussy make me come. Do you think they’d notice if I pulled up your skirt, just a little bit, and stuck my cock inside? Could we get away with it?”
You curled your nails under until they dug into your palm, but he gave a low laugh as he felt you flutter around his fingers. “Would you even care if we got caught? Or would that make you come for me even harder than you’re about to?”
You were taking short, shallow breaths, trying so very hard to keep quiet and inconspicuous but what he was doing felt so amazing, his fingers stroking in and out faster and faster, the cue pressed up against your clit making you lightheaded. And the things he said to you were so very enticing, the tremble in his words letting you know how very turned on he was right now.
“That’s right good girl, relax and let go,” Leon praised you, a rough edge to his voice now as his fingers curled up to find that spot that always set you off. “Come for me, and when you finish, I’m going straight to the bathroom to lick it from my hand while I jerk off.”
You choked back a scream as his erotic declaration flooded your brain with delicious images, and when his fingers thrust inside you again, the twisting pressure in you burst, bringing in its wake dizzying spasms of pleasure. Leon groaned as he felt your pussy clench and contract around his fingers, diligently maintaining his pace until the last quivering motion subsided.
His eyes were wild as he withdrew his hand from you, stepping back to toss his pool stick onto the side of the table. He stared at you for a split second as if he was considering claiming you right there, before abruptly turning on his heels and heading for the restroom.
You straightened up as you watched him go, cheeks flushed as you realized he was off to finish himself, certain that someone must know what had just happened. But you brazened it out and went to one of the small tables nearby, where you had set down your purse and drinks. And you waited for him there, your heart hammering and your body singing with the serenity that came after release.
When Leon returned a few minutes later, looking much more relaxed himself, you couldn’t help bounding up from your chair and placing a kiss on his lips, smiling when you caught a faint taste of yourself. “You spoil me.”
“And I always will,” he assured you with a wink, before leading you back over to the pool table. “Ok, now the real lesson begins.”
***
From the far side of the hall, a big blond man watched the pair flirt and play with a heat that threatened to burn down the whole building, and he experienced a fierce rush of malicious joy. For years, he’d kept an eye on Kennedy, watching, waiting for something to use against the agent. But Leon was careful to keep his personal life under wraps; all his attention seemingly fixated on work.
Little things had tipped Krauser off otherwise, though. The time he’d walked in on Kennedy in his office and the man had been chatting up some woman. The night at the work party when Leon had stalked Redfield’s date. The time the agent had been caught staring at someone on his phone in a mission meeting with Benford. And the strange looking second watch the guy always wore, that seemed as if it’s primary use wasn’t for telling time.
He’d been suspicious for some time, and now his hunch was confirmed. The man had a woman, and one he seemed head over heels for. You were an obvious and easily obtainable liability.
A small, sardonic sneer pulled up one corner of Jack’s mouth as he chuckled, “Got you, rookie.”
He whipped out his phone and fired off a short text, advising his new boss of his recently acquired intel. Kennedy has a girl we can use against him.
And then he leaned back in his chair to wait, tossing the phone on the table and pulling out a small switchblade to clean out his nails. He propped his feet up on another chair, his lips curling down as he eyed the two while the other agent tried teaching his date how to play pool. You were lousy, clearly a beginner, your shots off and your stance uncertain. But your hand and arm positions were surprisingly correct; with practice you might one day be decent.
Nowhere near as good as the kid though. Krauser had seen him here before, working the tables with a truly impressive skill. It was one of the few things he admired about the punk. It was amusing, watching a high caliber player trying to guide an amateur through the proper steps of the game. Even more so, when the guy kept pausing to glare around him while everyone checked out his woman.
Jack had to admit the agent had taste. You were a pretty thing, apparently adventurous too if your choice in outfits was any indicator. Maybe he could have a little fun with you, after he grabbed you. He let his eyes catalogue your body from head to toe while he waited, and a couple of minutes later his perusal was interrupted by a chime from his phone.
I asked you not to contact me unless it was something urgent, came a terse response. I’m already aware of Miss Wong’s existence and will be utilizing her to our advantage soon enough. I’d advise you to focus on your upcoming task and leave the rest of the planning to others.
Krauser glared down at the message that reeked of dismissiveness and gritted his teeth in annoyance. He had to remind himself that dealing with a pompous ass was well worth the security of what he hoped to obtain for himself. He could have tried again, let the other man know that Ada was no longer first in Leon’s heart, but the way he’d just been talked down to made him decide against it.
He glanced over at the couple a final time, the way they stood so close they were almost on top of one another, and pocketed his phone as he headed for the back door. “Looks like you got lucky today, rookie.”
***
After the exciting day of lessons at the pool hall, Leon ravaged you into a state of exhaustion when the two of you went back home. He promised you he’d be bringing handcuffs to his place, along with other items from his line of work, for future use. You were as aroused as you were terrified of his exuberant enthusiasm when he made the declaration.
Sunday morning, you were burrowed underneath the covers, having sent him from the room with threats of death when he tried petting you awake. You were well on your way back to sleep, cozy in your little cocoon, when you heard a text alert.
Sighing to yourself and uttering promises of swift retribution if it turned out to be Leon, you opened your phone and your eyes widened in surprise as you saw a message from Claire. You’d been expecting to hear from her ever since the disaster at the restaurant, but you thought it wouldn’t be for a few more days.
I just want to say that I am so, so sorry for what happened the other night. It was my fault, I was out of line, and I know it, but you and my brother are the two most important people in my life. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being with a guy who treated you like a booty call when I know Chris would do anything for you, was the opening explosion of explanatory words.
It was quickly followed by I had no idea how close you and Leon had become, or that he loved you.
Your eyebrows rose to your hairline in shock; Claire thought he loved you? Lusted after you, yes. Liked you, certainly. But love, well, that was questionable. He cared about you, but you weren’t his priority. It wasn’t something to obsess over right now, given the stage your lives were in, but it was an irrefutable fact and best for you to keep it in mind.
You sighed, absently rubbing your forehead as another text popped up. I hope I haven’t fucked things up for the two of you. My brother feels awful too, he has been chewing my ass out for days, if that makes you feel any better. I hope you know I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you.
You did know that. Claire just wanted to help, even if her idea of lending assistance was spectacularly awful. She was earnest and sincere, but she tended to go with her gut a lot, and said things she didn’t really think through. She enjoyed teasing those she loved, but could sometimes get extreme. And while it was true that her behavior had been unacceptable and inciting the night of the dinner, you recognized that the fault of the incident lied with you.
It had been your responsibility to confide in Leon about what went on while you were around Chris, and you hadn’t done it.
And as awkward as that night had been, it had all worked out for the best. You were closer with Leon than ever before, and he had started to show you a side of himself you’d begun to give up on ever seeing.
It’s alright, I understand your intentions were good, you replied, smiling slightly as you pictured the relieved look your friend would probably be wearing after reading that. Just make sure something like that never happens again. And please tell Chris I’m not upset with him at all, give him a hug for me. Now, leave me alone I’m trying to get some rest before Leon attacks me again.
Oh you poor baby, being at the mercy of a beautiful sex god, your friend sardonically replied, but it was followed by a heart and hug emoji and then blissful silence.
And you fell back asleep in a matter of minutes, genuinely exhausted after the roller coaster of a week you’d had.
***
The next several weeks went by in a rush as you prepared for your future and juggled your jobs with finding time for your lover while he was home. Because he was traveling for missions so much, when he was back, he was voracious, and you were surviving on the bare minimum of sleep. You had fallen into a busy if manageable routine, one day blending into the next in an endless blur of sameness.
And then one evening, you were awoken by a pair of strong arms encircling your waist, pulling you flush to a familiar chest. You blinked blearily as you struggled to shrug off the grogginess of sleep long enough to look at the dim outline of Leon. He was supposed to be gone another couple of days, you were confused as to why he was back early.
You reached up to kiss his cheek and then paused when your lips brushed across a salty wetness there. You immediately stiffened, asking. “What’s going on?”
“There was an incident and we lost Krauser today,” came the softly uttered response as he buried his face in your hair.
The name was familiar to you; Jack was the one who had helped Leon through some of his more extensive training when he was starting out. You didn’t know the details, of course, but you knew the two men had worked closely together on and off over the years. He was the one who had gone to South America with Leon a couple of years back; just before you became friends with benefits.
You had no idea what had taken place on that operation, but you knew that what they did was dangerous and outings like that forged strong bonds.
“A helicopter he was on went down,” Leon mumbled into your hair as you placed soft kisses on his chest. “He could be an absolute asshole, but still, I respected the hell out of him, and he was a good soldier.”
And this accident had no doubt reminded him of his mortality, because it sure as shit was doing that to you right now. Every time he went out into the field, his life was at risk. You knew that, but you could ignore it when you were busy and the two of you had been in each other’s lives so long now that suppressing those kinds of worries were almost second nature.
But a tragedy like this brought it back front and center.
“I just wish everyone in my life would stop dying,” he groaned, holding you tighter, and you knew he was thinking of his family now. “That’s probably too much to ask, given the life I lead though, isn’t it?”
The question was rhetorical, and you remained silent, comforting him with affectionate nuzzles and soothing strokes on his back. And when he eventually kissed you breathless before making love to you like his life depended on it, you understood.
***
The very same week, you received word that you’d been accepted into the Franklin College of Medicine for the Fall semester. Located just outside D.C., it was perfect for your plans and you’d immediately set up a meeting with your boss at the lab to let them know of your schedule change after next summer. He’d been delighted to hear you’d made it into the school but sad to see you go.
You’d always intended to keep your job at the hotel, since it was so much more flexible.
Leon was thankful you’d gotten into a program so close to home; he’d never told you, but he’d started to worry if he would even get to see you once your next leg of schooling began. Classes would be hard, leaving little time for meeting up, and he knew you’d be spending most of the time at your own place since it was nearer to the colleges you’d been aiming to get into. It was a relief to know you weren’t going to be hours away. He’d still be able to visit you.
The two of you went out to dinner to celebrate, it was far quieter and more tranquil than the last time.
Although you had gotten to spend Thanksgiving together, Leon was gone for the winter holidays. You used the free time to put in as many hours at the lab as possible, learning as much as you could before your job there ended. You were blessed to work with numerous brilliant colleagues, people you knew you’d miss when you left. And you valued everything they had to teach you.
The months began to rush past, broken up between times when you were able to be with Leon and when he was away on missions. He hadn’t opened up to you again since the passing of Krauser; in his defense the two of you were incredibly busy and usually your time together was brief. You both preferred to spend it having fun, going out to play pool, catch movies and dinner.
Eventually Winter gave way to Spring and then Summer.
And somehow, the two of you were suddenly 27, the next stage of your lives looming on the horizon.