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Category: Erotica/Gay-Lesbian Erotica/Romance
Description: In this sequel to the popular Cheek to Cheek, Mallory and Will have moved past dating, though it's still a race to hit the sheets every time they look at each other. Trouble is brewing, however, since hitting the sheets is a no-no for firefighters who work together. Will is ready to move forward, to tell the world that they're together, but Mallory is still trying to keep their private lives to themselves. With their careers on the line, Will's brother pushing his own agenda and Mallory's keen desire to live on his own terms, choices have to be made. Their work situation needs to change, and so does Mal's attitude, or he'll lose the one thing he wants more than anything in the world -- Will. Can a change of schedule save Mallory and Will's relationship and send them dancing into their future, or will tension and frustration tear them apart forever when Will's had enough? Find out in Turn the Other Cheek!
eBook Publisher: Torquere Press/Screwdriver, 2010 www.torquerepress.com
eBookwise Release Date: October 2010

38 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [224 KB]
Words: 52313
Reading time: 149-209 min.

"Were you counting from our first dance?" Mal asked. He couldn't see anything. He'd been told to close his eyes, so he had. Sometimes he was a little amazed by how easily he trusted Will, how quickly he just followed along. Of course, Will had once pouted at him and Mal had then discovered just how much easier it was to play along from the get go instead of trying to smooth things over later.

His dignity knew he was being played, but as long as Will confined his silliness to stickers and where to put them when they were alone instead of acting like he was ten when they were at work, Mal was okay with that.

The leather couch squeaked as Will settled next to him. "You mean the night you picked me up in a bar and fucked my brains out, exchanging only first names?"

"Yeah. Then. Except I didn't give you my first name." Mal swallowed thickly, his cock stretching at the memory. He was lying down, taking over the length of the couch, and Will sitting on the edge by Mal's hip. By the feel of skin, Will had finally stripped off his jeans, too.

"That wasn't a couple of months ago. It was several months ago." Will sounded so reasonable. "Are you warm enough?"

Mal nodded. They'd turned the heat up when they got back to Will's place, mostly so they wouldn't be cold when the inevitable nakedness happened. "So, were you counting from... when were you counting from?"

Will laughed softly. "You think too much. I said 'more or less' for a reason. I haven't any more idea when we became what we are than you do. Do we need a date?"

"God, no." Mal shuddered, and only half of it was due to the feeling of Will's fingers tracing over his sternum. He'd only recently been able to accept the word "boyfriend" next to Will's name in his mind; he wasn't up for tracking dates. That was far too settled in for him.

Far too close to high school, and he was many, many years out of high school.

"Do you want to talk about it now?" Will asked softly. He didn't sound worried or concerned at all, merely inquiring. His hands were warm, smoothing over Mal's bare shoulders. "What's this scar from?"

Answering the second question first, Mal said, "I fell off my skateboard when I was thirteen." He shifted a bit, settling more against the leather couch, his hip riding along Will's. "I'm not sure I want to have a big discussion."

Will laughed softly. He pressed another fire truck sticker to Mal's chest, the paper cool and alien feeling. "You never want to have a big discussion."

"True." Mal opened one eye and immediately got a disapproving glare and closed it again. "Sorry. No peeking; got it. I think the thing for me is that if we start being a couple in public spaces, we're one step closer to having to make changes at work. We should have done that long ago." He stifled a sigh, but then let it out. If there was a situation worthy of a sigh, this was it. "Cap's gonna have our balls."

"Not if we handle it right." A kiss was placed over the last sticker. "He doesn't have to know when we figured out it was serious. He doesn't need to know anything at all."

"Lie?" It had merit. "He's not going to be happy. I'm not going to be happy." That was really at the heart of the matter. He liked working with Will. He liked sharing a shift, and he liked having Will right there, all the time.

"I know." Will leaned over far enough that Mal could feel the heat of his body like a warm strip, all along his own side and across his belly. "And that's before we even start discussing the hard stuff."

"Hard stuff?" Mal was sure he didn't want to know. Instead, he let himself be distracted by Will's mouth on his left nipple.

A moment or two later Will lifted his head and said, "Yeah. Like who needs to transfer and where to. The hard stuff."

"Oh." He'd been right, he didn't want to know. "Later, okay? Tomorrow. Next week."

Will kissed him again, a trail of touches that connected one sticker to the next, all over Mal's torso and chest and then up to his shoulders. "Later. Before next week. I think I dislike not being a couple in public more than I'll dislike the thought of having to find a new station again."

Mal reached for him, but Will was faster, already moving off the couch. "No, you don't," Will said. "No protesting, no discussing, no talk about who's going to change. Later. Right now, we're going to go to bed."