Squared Away (Out of Uniform 5)

“Ha. They’re never selling the yacht. But I wish he’d taken more lessons before getting his own plane. I worry.” Mark led Isaiah further down the path, smooth fluid movements.

“Hey, don’t you like jump out of planes?” Isaiah gazed up at Mark. He was exactly the perfect amount taller, looming over him without giving him a crick in the neck or anything.

“I do. But my buddies all give me shit because it’s not my favorite thing.”

“What part is?”

“I love dives and long swims. Love the burn that comes after you put in the miles.” Mark got the same dreamy look on his face that Bree got when she talked about spinning. Fitness freak people were like alien creatures.

“I hear all you SEALs have nicknames. What do they call you?”

“Oh, man.” A reddish tinge crept up Mark’s neck. “We’ve all got stupid ones...”

“Come on. Tell me.” Isaiah really wanted to know something secret about Mark, something that maybe Cal and Danielle didn’t even know.

“Okay, okay.” Mark spun him around as the song sped up. “They call me Wizard. Which is silly—”

“No, it’s not.” It was perfect because there was absolutely something magical about this man. He had the ability to captivate Isaiah’s attention like nothing else ever had.

“It’s just because I’m good at stitching them back up.” Cheeks still pink, Mark gave a little shrug like he wasn’t all that. Didn’t matter. Isaiah was still impressed that Mark wasn’t that much older than him and was already a SEAL medic, out there putting guys back together in the field. That shit was real.

“I bet you are. What’s the grossest injury you’ve had to treat?”

“Oh, man. You do not want to know that.” The song had changed, but Mark kept right on dancing with him. Isaiah wasn’t ever forgetting this night. Mark was indeed a wizard, casting a magical spell over them both.

“What? I like horror movies. Gross shit doesn’t bug me.”

“Real life isn’t like the movies.” Mark’s voice turned stern again. “It’s life or death out there, and I’m just trying to keep people alive. I’m not stopping to get grossed out or impressed by the gore.”

“Yeah.” Duly chastened, Isaiah tightened his grip on Mark’s shoulder. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Mark’s tone softened. “We’re just back from a hard deployment. Didn’t mean to unload on you.”

Please. Please unload on me. “You need some stress relief.” This was the opening Isaiah had been waiting for.

“Ha. I finally get leave and it’s all for the wedding. Not that I’m complaining.” His smile was indulgent, and the hope monster fluttered in Isaiah’s gut.

“Hey, weddings can be fun.” Isaiah let his voice get a little more flirty.

“For you maybe. All the champagne you can sneak and pretty...people to ogle.” The way he quickly corrected himself said that he’d heard from Cal or Danielle that Isaiah was gay. And he was still dancing with him, so that had to be a positive sign, right?

The moonlight and low garden lights reflected in Mark’s hair, giving him a halo effect. God, he was so sexy it hurt. Made Isaiah’s breath come faster, muscles trembling under the force of wanting.

“Lots of hot guys.” He looked right at Mark as he said it, then when Mark didn’t react, he quickly added, “Bree’s having fun with it too. How about you? See anyone hot?”

Please pick me. Please. Mark looked away. “Not really. Guess I’m still wound up from my mission.”

“We should unwind you.” Isaiah forced himself to laugh, to put the kind of swagger into his voice that all the older guys had when they hit on someone. He’d been taking notes, but this was the first time he’d really tried.

“Isaiah...”

There was a warning there, but it wasn’t a flat-out no, so Isaiah moved closer, letting their torsos brush, making the dance more intimate. Fuck. Mark felt so good, muscular chest against his own, body so warm and solid.

Mark inhaled sharply, but didn’t pull away, didn’t stop dancing. Surely he felt it too, felt this magic. His head turned, and then he was right there, looking into Isaiah’s eyes, and fuck but Isaiah could drown in that heated look and die a happy, happy man.

“I’m eighteen now. In case you were worried.”

“I’m not into guys.” Mark dropped his hands and stepped back. “Sorry.” He was lying. That look hadn’t been nothing. He’d been tempted, maybe even on the verge of doing something, and Isaiah had ruined it with his ill-timed blurt about his age.

“You are too. I’ve seen how you look at Cal.”

“I do not... I’ve never...” Mark scrubbed at his hair. “Cal’s been a friend a long time. Practically a brother.”

“Ha. You don’t want to bone your brother. And that’s how you look at him. Like you’re pissed as hell that Danielle got to him first.”

“They’re perfect for each other. Maybe too perfect.” Mark gave a shaky laugh. “Like you said, they party too much, and I’m worried about that. That’s probably all you’re seeing.”