At My General’s Command Page 10

  He was led into a small entryway where he kicked off his shoes and carefully aligned them with the pair of boots and another, ratty pair of shoes. There wasn’t much of a hallway, only about four or so feet before it opened up into the rest of the house. More specifically, it opened up into what looked like a spacious dining room with a solid table, and a heavy set of eight chairs in the middle of it.

  David chuckled, waving a hand toward the house. “I’m sure you’re just dying for the chance to look around, so go ahead.”

  “You know me too well,” Christian said.

  Christian wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity, and he moved to the left of the table where the space continued on into another room. Just before the next room, which had a small loveseat, bookshelves, and a desk with a computer, was a set of double doors to his left. They were closed, and Christian would hazard a guess that they led to the master bedroom.

  He continued, looking around as he passed through from the dining room and spotted the kitchen to the right of where he’d entered. The only thing separating it from the rest of the house was a wall where the appliances, a fridge, and stove, sat, and the large counter space, set up with three tall barstools facing toward the dining room. General Winter stood at the stove, bent over out of sight as he fussed with whatever was cooking.

  To the right of the dining room, an arch opened up and dropped down into the living room. The furniture was covered in dark leather, the large coffee table in front of the couch was glass-topped, and it looked like the legs were made out of genuine wood. Against the far wall was a sizeable TV set into an entertainment system lined with even more books than Christian thought he’d seen in the study.

  Going a little further past the living room, there was another hallway, far longer and wider than the others. It stretched back, and Christian could see two doors at the end, one on each side, and another identical set halfway down.

  General Winter’s voice piped up from behind him. “That’s only a couple of guest rooms, my workout room, and the second bathroom.”

  “Only?” Christian asked, thinking of his one-bedroom apartment with what was essentially a half bath.

  “This was the house they gave me when I was first stationed here, so I’ve done what I can to try and make it a little more me,” David explained.

  Christian turned, deciding he probably didn’t need to see any of the bedrooms. “I figured this was the one you chose.”

  David chuckled, disappearing back into the kitchen as he spoke. “Truth be told, this isn’t too far off what I’d have liked for my own home if I’d had a choice. And really, I could have had a choice, but this was the first place that opened up that they thought ‘suited my position’, and I took it. Been here for years, and I’ve been steadily working at it the whole time. The deck alone took me almost a year to finish, and it’s not even that big.”

  Christian rounded the corner standing at the counter to watch David cook. He stood on the dining room side to make sure he stayed out of the way.

  “I didn’t even see a deck,” Christian admitted.

  David nodded over Christian’s shoulder. “I keep the windows on that side of the house shuttered at this time of night. There’re so many windows in this house you’d be blinded at sundown.”

  Christian turned, realizing he was facing west and nodded. Most of the west side of the house was covered in large windows.

  “Great during the morning and daytime, not so much in the evening,” David continued.

  “Is the back yard as nice as the front?” Christian asked.

  “I certainly hope so, though Sara tells me that no one is going to notice the actual plants when I’ve got a jacuzzi on the deck.”

  Christian’s eyes widened. “You have a hot tub?”

  David chuckled. “I know it sounds a little hedonistic, but it serves a practical purpose. One of the things about getting older is, even if you keep yourself in decent shape, your body does start to protest what you’re doing to it. That thing has saved the muscles of my back more often than I could probably tell you.”

  “Doesn’t hurt that it probably attracts people too,” Christian teased.

  David looked up after flipping something in the pan. “I told you, I rarely bring people here. If I’m going to be...entertaining, I prefer to do it in a hotel room.”

  Christian smiled. “Is it because you have a thing for younger guys? You don’t want to be seen?”

  “I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said that wasn’t one of the reasons, and thank you so much for saying it with all the grace and subtlety I’ve come to expect from you,” David said wryly.

  “Hey, I’m not saying it to judge you,” Christian told him.

  And that wasn’t just because Christian knew damn well that if circumstances were different, he’d want to be one of those younger guys the general was into.

  Christian drummed his fingers on the countertop. “Alright, so, what’s the main reason you don’t bring people here?”

  “As much as I made it sound like this wasn’t the home I chose, I have made it mine. Sara always said that even as a child, I was pretty territorial, and I preferred to have my own space. I suppose that’s only gotten all the more intense as I’ve aged.”

  Christian plopped down on one of the benches. “You know, that’s twice you’ve mentioned getting old, but you uh, shouldn’t.”

  David raised a brow, pulling the pan off the heat. “Oh? Closer to fifty than forty doesn’t count as getting old?”

  “I’m pretty sure you could still run paces around many of the soldiers on the base.”

  “Hm, I should up the training schedule for them then.”

  “And you’re not exactly carrying a lot of fat on you.”

  “A good diet and proper exercise will carry you for decades.”

  “And you’ve got the stamina to keep up with people younger than me.”

  “And there’s the tact again.”

  “General.”

  “I told you to call me David.”

  “David.”

  “Yes?”

  “You’re a damn good looking man, who’s in great shape, stop talking like you’re getting ready to keel over and die at any moment.”

  The small smile that had been forming on the general’s face faded, and he looked up at Christian. There was something in his pale green eyes that made Christian’s stomach tighten as he stared back at the man. Christian didn’t want to swear by it, but he couldn’t help but think there was something heated behind the cautiousness in the general’s narrowing eyes.

  “You know what they say about flattery, don’t you?” General Winter asked.

  “Reports are conflicting. At this point, I’m hoping the ones telling me it’ll get me anywhere are the accurate ones,” Christian said with a cheeky grin.

  “I suppose you’ll have to find out.”

  “A little mystery in life never hurt anyone.”

  General Winter chuckled, pulling the pan from the heat and turning back toward the far corner, his back to Christian. It was the first time Christian could remember seeing the man in anything other than his uniform. Not that Christian could argue at the older man in his uniform, it was a good look for him. Yet the sight of him in a pair of jeans and a loose button-up shirt was even more enticing than the sight in the video.

  Well, in the immediate sense anyway.

  General Winter looked over his shoulder, smirking. “You’ve grown quiet.”

  “And you look like you’re focusing.”

  He chuckled. “I hardly need to focus while I get the food onto plates.”

  Christian smiled. “Maybe I’m just thinking.”

  “I would say that’s a dangerous task, but so far, it hasn’t meant any danger for me.”

  “Maybe you just don’t know what I’m thinking about.”

  “Or, maybe I do.”

  That stopped Christian short, and he gazed at General Winter with undisguised curiosity. If the other man
could sense his stare, he was doing a damn fine job of pretending he didn’t. It gave Christian a chance to watch the general as he leaned over the plates, piling up what looked like greens and a few bits from the pan on top of a beautifully seared pair of fish, and a few other odds and ends that were hard for Christian to identify. Watching him work steadily in the kitchen was oddly calming, even as he found his eyes constantly drifting down to where the man’s jeans hugged his ass just right.

  “Do you think this is common?” Christian asked suddenly.

  General Winter looked up, frowning. “Hm?”

  Christian motioned between them. “I mean, I know people in our position are bound to be a little close, kind of just...part of the job, you know? As your assistant, I’m going to have access to you constantly, seeing you in all sorts of moods and whatnot, but...do you think everyone with a working relationship like ours also has...I don’t know, uh…”

  He trailed off, realizing what he was about to say. As comfortable as he felt, the sudden realization that the entire situation felt oddly intimate left Christian tongue-tied and with red cheeks.

  General Winter chuckled. “Is it as personal?”

  “Yeah,” Christian said, now studiously admiring the countertop in front of him.

  “No, I don’t think so. Not that I possess the necessary statistics to be able to say for sure, but I’d hazard a guess that few generals, or bosses for that matter, could depend on their assistants to have the sort of unwavering loyalty and desire to help as you’ve shown. And I imagine even fewer can count on their assistants to become something like a friend to them over time without realizing it.”

  Christian looked up, not sure how to feel about such a platonic title. “Something like a friend.”

  General Winter turned around, holding two plates in his hand and a mysterious smile. “Something.”

  Christian followed after him, again finding himself not sure what he was supposed to say. There was clearly more going on between them than a casual dinner, yet neither of them was quite willing to say it aloud. If it was clearly one situation over the other, Christian would know exactly how to act, or at least have a better idea. As it was, he wasn’t sure if he should be treating him as General Winter, his obvious superior and a man due a great deal of respect and deference, or as David, a good looking man whose green eyes sent a pang of longing through him whenever David looked at him.

  “Would you prefer to eat in here or out on the back deck?” General Winter asked him.

  “Didn’t you say that the sun was blinding at this time of day?”

  “I did, but it’s a bit later now.”

  Christian smiled. “Then lead the way.”

  Dinner had proven to be better than he’d expected. Christian was no expert, but he knew good fish when he tasted it, and when it was cooked properly. The fish had been rich, cut through with flavors of citrus and just a hint of spice to catch at the back of the throat. The greens had been refreshing, with a slight zing of some vinaigrette that he’d savored. The wine David had pulled out of the cellar had been fantastic and complimented the dish perfectly with its rich, fruity flavors and complex sweetness.

  And to go with the meal had been a magnificent sunset. By the time they’d come outside, the brightest colors had faded away, allowing them to see perfectly. As they chewed through their meal, Christian savoring every bite, the bright orange, and vibrant red had given way to deep purple and the faintest trace of a mellow blue. The stars peeked out, one by one, reflecting off the ocean a few dozen yards away, and the fireflies had come out in full force.

  All perfect, and all before he could even address the company.

  David chuckled. “So, you managed to sneak all those boys into the basement, and your foster parents never realized?”

  Christian shrugged. “They were uh, not the most attentive people. Okay, fine, Alice, the mom, had to take sleeping meds to get through the night, and her husband, uh...Andrew, was a bit of a drinker. If you didn’t make an entire herd of elephants go through the house, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted after eleven at night. So yeah, me and the other two foster kids dragged some guys back to the house.”

  “I can only imagine what sort of trouble you got up to while unsupervised,” David said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  Christian held a hand to his chest in mock affront. “Me? I was a perfect little angel. I enjoyed long, philosophical conversations with them, discussing current events. No misbehaving or excessive making out ever happened.”

  David smirked. “I know things change with every generation, but I have a feeling that teenage late-night parties haven’t changed that much.”

  “Probably not,” Christian said with a laugh.

  David eyed his glass. “More wine?”

  Christian eyed his already empty glass and gave it some thought. “I don’t know if I should, or I’ll have to be wheeled out of here.”

  “Goes right to your head, eh?”

  “Something like that.”

  “A good thing I have guest rooms then.”

  Christian hesitated. “Are you inviting me to stay the night?”

  The older man cocked his head slowly. “I’m saying you are welcome to.”

  Was that the same thing as being invited, or just a simple courtesy? Christian knew which one he wanted it to be, and he knew damn well he did want more wine. The two of them were finally getting to the point where they didn’t have to skip and swerve around every conversation, feeling as if they had to keep it going in one specific direction. Maybe it was the wine, but if that was the case, Christian would happily accept more of it.

  “Pretty sure we polished off the bottle already,” Christian pointed out.

  “And I’m quite sure I have a few more bottles like it. I rarely dive into my wine supply, having good company over to indulge in it sounds like a wonderful excuse,” he said.

  Christian watched General Winter for a moment, who was quickly becoming David in his mind. The older man was watching him in return, a wary hope in his eyes as the alcohol worked to bring down the layer of emotional barriers he kept up through his everyday life. David had undone the top button of his shirt, and Christian could see the sparse hair that he knew peppered his chest. It was a reminder of what he’d accidentally seen in that video, and he felt his gut tighten.

  There was no way for him to be sure, but Christian just knew that to accept the general’s offer was to accept another invitation. The one they’d been working their way up to for who knew how long, and Christian wasn’t even sure he could trace how long even if he tried. They had both been playing with fire from the moment they’d agreed to put themselves alone together in a casual environment, with no chance of anyone coming across them. Now was the moment where Christian had to choose, just as David did by offering, if he would stay or if he would go.

  Christian smiled. “No need to let a good opportunity pass, right?”

  David

  The second bottle had been a good choice, in his opinion. Much like second bottles went, it had tasted so much better than the first. If the eager way Christian was drinking was any indication, David wasn’t the only one enjoying himself. He’d never realized how much he would enjoy the sight of Christian sitting on his patio, legs resting on the table, bare feet sticking up in the air as they talked. The man looked completely at home, and David found himself hoping they could do this more often.

  Even better, they’d decided to position their chairs close together, facing out toward the sea. As they talked, Christian’s arms and hands grew more animated as they emptied more glasses of wine. He’d pulled the sleeves of his shirt up, exposing the light blond hair on his toned arms. It meant that every time Christian gestured wildly, his arms would bump against David, momentarily passing their warmth to him as Christian talked.

  Christian hummed to himself as he thought. “Did your dad get to see you become a general?”

  David nodded. “I was general here for a few years befo
re he passed. Told me that seeing his son do better than he did was something every father wanted to see. One of the only times I ever saw him with tears in his eyes.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet.”

  David shrugged. “I suppose that’s one way of putting it. I honestly just stood there in complete shock when it happened. I barely managed to return the salute he gave me and almost broke into tears myself when I finally did.”

  It felt strange, talking about his parents when Christian’s only measure of family were the two sisters he’d met in the foster care system. If it bothered Christian in the slightest, it didn’t show. On the contrary, David couldn’t help but notice anything but happiness on his handsome face. There was a wide, warm smile as he shared in David’s story. David wanted to blame the alcohol for the extreme urge to cross the distance between them and kiss the man stupid, but he knew the drinks were only making what he’d wanted in the first place even stronger.

  “My parents were good people, and they loved me a lot. They had been trying for years, but two years before they had me, my mom was told she was never going to have kids. Then boom, a year and a half later, I came along. I guess I was spoiled, being a bit of a miracle child and all,” Christian said with a light laugh.

  “I think most people would be a little indulgent.”

  “Probably, maybe, I don’t know. But I wasn’t spoiled rotten, I got taught to say please and thank you, learned my manners, and not to act like a total brat. My mom was super into reading, and she was always trying to get me to read books. She started with reading to me when I went to bed. I think she wanted me to eventually want to read them myself, but I just loved the way she read. She always did these little voices, and sometimes brought my dad in to act stuff out. I think she was an actress in another life or something. But hey, why would I want to read them myself when my mom was better at it than I would ever be?”