Free Make Me by Alyssa Turner

time Kyle kissed him had been kind of a joke. Alone in their barracks, he planted him with a big I’m-so-glad-to-be-alive-I-could-kiss-you smackeroo, slapping his hands onto Manny’s face and drawing him in with comedic exaggeration. Manny had laughed, but Kyle then turned serious.
    “Fuck man, if I had lost you…” His touch became molten on Manny’s face in that instant. Kyle swept his lips over his chapped, sunburned skin, and he trembled just slightly at the touch. Their mouths had then crashed into action with a roaring hunger that demanded satisfaction, no matter what.
    Manny felt carried away on a wave of desire that was at once thrilling and natural. Kyle knew him better than anyone, and the two cared deeply for one another; it wasn’t a secret. In that wooden shed of a barracks they called home, they were alone—for how long, neither of them knew for certain. But Kyle had awakened an out-of-control craving in him that didn’t really give a fuck if someone walked in.
    Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell might have just been repealed, but making out with your active-duty gunner copilot wasn’t exactly behavior befitting an officer. It had been a stupid risk, something Manny had stopped taking years ago. He liked to have his bearings, liked knowing what to expect. Kyle scrambled everything he thought he knew about himself. Was he gay now? He didn’t feel gay. He hadn’t even considered being with another man before. Deep down Manny knew it didn’t matter. Whether he’d ever want to be with another man or not, he wanted Kyle like he wanted air.
    But what now? Kyle was New York’s most eligible bachelor, for Christ’s sake, and Manny had leftovers older than whatever he had going on with Rebecca. And yet, she already felt like a part of his life. He scrubbed his face with the heels of his palms, like a revelation would magically appear if he’d only open his eyes.
    “Well, that’s done,” Rebecca said, bringing Manny back from his thoughts. She appeared from the kitchen, drying her hands. “So, umm…I’m going to do some reading.” Her thumb floated without determination in the direction of his bedroom.
    “Really? I was kind of hoping you’d check out this movie with me.” He didn’t miss the confused look on her face. With the mixed signals he was throwing at her, she had every right to be confused. He looked away. “If you want to.”
    She came closer, and he was thankful for her cheery smile. “OK, where do you want me?”
    Boy, was that a loaded question. He noticed that she stood on the outside of her feet, balancing in a way that told him pounding the pavement all day in those fuck-me-hard heels had left her hurting. He took her hand and pulled her down next to him, then clasped her left ankle in his fingers, removing her shoe. Manny raised an eyebrow at her.
    “Oh yes, please,” she said to the first pass of his thumb against the ball of her foot. She relaxed back against his pillow with a blissful expression. “How did you know?”
    He smiled, glad he had a smidgen of pleasure he could offer. “ Shhh …we’re watching a movie,” he said, but the look on her face was far more interesting. How long would he be able to keep from plundering that perfect mouth again? He’d known Rebecca Sinclair for just two days, and already he could barely keep his lips off her.
    “You keep that up and you’re going to make me fall asleep,” Rebecca murmured, patting her belly and letting out a yawn.
    “That wouldn’t be so terrible,” Manny said, keeping a steady path between her toes, while his knuckles applied just enough pressure into her arch.
    She hummed through a smile beneath hooded eyes. “No, it wouldn’t.”
     
    * * *
     
     
    Three a.m. was an ungodly hour to wake up. That is, unless you found yourself cocooned under a manly arm against a lean, muscled chest that just so happened to belong to the guy you were sure had managed to capture a bit of your heart. Rebecca didn’t dare move,