The ride back to Marshall's house was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts. When they got there, AJ cut the engine and turned toward Marshall. Marshall started to get out of the car, then realized AJ wasn't moving.

Turning back to him, he asked, "Aren't you coming in?"

"Wasn't sure if you'd want me to." AJ said uncertainly. He'd been kind of worried he'd pissed Marshall off when he'd said no since the older man had been so quiet on the trip back to his house.

"Of course I do. Fuck. You think I'm that shallow that just because you won't let me get in your pants I'm going to kick you out? I know you don't feel comfortable at your house yet. I'm betting you made Nick stay the whole time you were getting ready, didn't you?" Marshall challenged.

AJ fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, looking down at his lap. "How…"

Marshall interrupted, shrugging, "I guess I can read you as well as you can read me. Now come on. I don't want to sit in my goddamn driveway all night when we could be inside kicking back."

AJ smiled at Marshall's grouchiness as they both climbed out of the car. He was getting used to it and had figured out Marshall did it when he was nervous or unsure about something. It helped AJ feel a little more comfortable knowing Marshall was just as nervous and unsure about the whole thing as he was.

Later that night after a random movie, two bowls of popcorn, and another frustrating make-out session that ended with the both of them taking cold showers…separately, Marshall lay in bed thinking about everything that had happened that day, from AJ being slightly drunk and cooking him breakfast, to the incident at the pool, to the AA meeting, and finally to the date. He still couldn't believe he'd done that. Went out on a date with a guy. And shit. He was hard just thinking about how they'd made out on that cliff and then again in his living room.

Slowly his hand started creeping down below his sheets and inside his boxers as the memory of it drifted through his mind. Before he realized it, he'd pushed his boxers down underneath his balls and his fingers were wrapped around his length slowly stroking himself as he thought about how good AJ had felt against him all horny and hard and grinding and moaning. He wanted to be that way with him again, only with both of them naked and him inside him, something he knew should bother him…a whole fucking lot, but somehow right then it didn't.

Marshall bit back a moan as he closed his eyes and his breathing quickened. He stroked faster, ignoring the fact that he'd made a resolution not to jerk off to thoughts of the other man. It seemed like a mute point considering the fact that in less than twenty-four hours they would be having sex. His other hand crept under the covers to fondle his balls as he imagined how it would feel to fuck AJ, to feel his tight heat surrounding him, to hear him moaning his name.

He wanted more than that even. He wanted to hear AJ scream his name. The fantasy was so vivid as he got closer and closer to his orgasm, that he could have sworn he actually heard AJ scream his name.

A second later, his eyes flew open and he pulled his hand away from his aching cock. He had heard him scream his name. It hadn't been part of the fantasy. Hopping out of bed, he fixed his boxers and raced out of his room to AJ's wondering what was going on.

When he raced in the door, he found AJ tangled up in the sheets in his boxers, thrashing back and forth, screaming his name and begging for help. Marshall didn't hesitate for an instant, his hard on disappearing as he headed for the bed, climbing on it and leaning over AJ, trying to shake him awake.

"Alex, Alex, wake up. I'm here."

"No…shit…Marshall…need you…" AJ cried out, stuck in a nightmare where Kevin was raping him.

Marshall tried again. "Alex, damnit, wake the fuck up! I'm right here!"

AJ heard Marshall's voice from a distance and started to come around. Slowly he forced his eyes open and blinked up at him in the darkness of the room, confused, trying to figure out what was going on. "What…"

"You had a nightmare."

The nightmare came flooding back to AJ and he pulled away from Marshall and curled up in a ball on his side facing away from him, muttering, "Fuck, just want it to go away."

Marshall hesitated for a second, then pulled the sheets back that were still tangled up around AJ and laid down next to him, spooning him, a position that had become familiar for the both of them the last few days. When AJ didn't pull away, he wrapped an arm around him and laid his head down on the pillow behind him.

After a silent moment, Marshall mumbled against his neck, "It will. It's gonna take time, but it'll get better, I promise." He didn't even question the fact that he was getting more and more comfortable offering the other man comfort, it just felt natural to.

AJ took a deep breath, feeling safe in Marshall's arms. "Stay with me, please. I know I said earlier that I didn't need you to tonight, but I do. Fuck, I feel like such a wimp."

"Don't. You're not. Shit, you held your own with me in that bathroom that one night." Marshall said, trying to get AJ to think of something else so he'd relax. He could feel that every muscle in the younger man's body was tensed up.

AJ chuckled in spite of how upset and frustrated with himself he'd just been. "I got lucky. I was scared shitless of you."

Marshall lifted his head off the pillow and stared down at AJ's shadowy profile. "You're serious?"

AJ nodded as he stared at the chair in the opposite corner of the room. Reaching down to Marshall's hand that was pressed against his stomach, he laid his palm over the back of it and laced his fingers through the older man's. "Hell yes. I almost didn't walk in there after I saw you go in. I was sure you were going to kick my ass."

Marshall laid his head back down and stared at the back of AJ's. "Nah, I only wanted to put some fear in you so you wouldn't think it was all right to come up to me in public like that again. I didn't even hit you until you started fucking groping me."

AJ laughed. He knew what Marshall was trying to do, make him forget about the nightmare, and it was working. He was grateful. "For the last time, I didn't fucking grope you. God, conceited much?"

Marshall laughed too. After a minute, the laughter died and he asked, "How long?"

AJ's brows knit together, trying to figure out what he was asking, the sudden change of subject throwing him off. "How long what?"

"How long have you been attracted to me? Wanted me?" Marshall asked bluntly.

Without hesitation, AJ answered, "Since that first night in the bathroom…after I figured out you weren't going to beat my ass."

"I thought so."

"You did?" AJ asked, surprised by the admission.

"Yeah." After a minute's hesitation, Marshall admitted, "I saw something in your eyes, but I didn't want to think about it because I felt it too, and if I named it, I'd have to admit I wanted you too."

They both fell silent for a moment, lost in thought about that night not that long ago, although to both of them it felt like another lifetime ago in some ways. Finally, AJ yawned and said, "I'm glad you picked me up that night when my car broke down."

Marshall tightened his arm around him and yawned too. "I'm glad your car broke down."

Neither of them said anything else as they drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, AJ found himself in another dream, this time an erotic one. Marshall was pressed against him, his hard length pressing into his ass. He moaned and pressed himself back into him, wanting more. He felt a hand creep down toward his boxers just as lips latched onto the side of his neck and he realized with a start that he wasn't dreaming.

Marshall woke at the same time AJ did, feeling AJ rubbing his ass against his erection. He moaned and realized his mouth was latched on AJ's neck sucking at it and his hand was almost inside AJ's boxers. He stiffened for a second, expecting AJ to pull away, but he didn't, so Marshall moved his hand lower, wanting to touch him, needing too. He'd never touched another man before that way, and he wanted to know what it felt like. Correction. He wanted to know what AJ felt like.

AJ sensed Marshall was awake and expected him to pull away, but he didn't. Instead, AJ felt his hand creep lower. He sucked in a sharp breath, knowing he should stop what was about to happen since it hadn't been twenty-four hours yet, but unable too. He wanted it too much, ached for it too much.

When Marshall's hand crept inside his boxers and grazed the head of his cock, AJ mumbled under his breath, "Oh shit."

Marshall pressed his dick against AJ's ass through their boxers harder and started to grind on him as he nervously wrapped his fingers around AJ's dick and began to stroke him. It felt strange jerking off someone else's cock, but not unpleasant. He loved the way AJ was reacting to him too. Completely abandoned, moaning and writhing against him, begging for more.

AJ reached behind him, behind Marshall and squeezed his ass, pulling him closer yet, wanting to feel every inch of Marshall's erection against his own ass as Marshall's hand fucked his cock. "Oh fuck…feels so good….shit…close…"

Marshall's pace faltered for a second. AJ was close. He was going to cum in his hand. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but when AJ squeezed his butt again and rotated his own ass into his erection again and again, Marshall gave up trying to think about it and just started jerking him faster, his mouth once again finding AJ's neck.

AJ shivered as Marshall bit lightly at his neck. He was in sensory overload. He couldn't believe he actually had Marshall's hand down his boxers and wrapped around him, but he did and damnit he was about to cum all over that hand. He wanted Marshall to get off too though, so he increased his grinding back into him.

Marshall groaned and whispered against his neck, "Fuck…close…so fucking close…"

"Marshall…shit…going to cum…" AJ warned in a desperate voice, right on the edge, half expecting the older man to pull away at any second.

Marshall thrust against him at the same frantic pace he was jacking him and suddenly stars exploded behind his closed eyelids as he felt himself go over the edge, cumming in his boxers. He let out a low groan as he thrust a couple more times against him.

Just then he felt AJ shudder in his arms and cry out, then felt the warm sticky release of his orgasm cover his hand. Surprisingly, he didn't find it disgusting the way he'd expected to, and continued to jack him until his cock started going soft in his hand. Finally he let go and pulled his hand out of AJ's boxers, reaching behind him to wipe it off on the sheets.

AJ lay in Marshall's arms, totally relaxed for a long minute before shifting so he was on his back looking up at him. "That was…"

"Yeah…it was." Marshall responded, understanding exactly what AJ was trying to say.

Marshall leaned down and kissed AJ, communicating what he couldn't with words. AJ kissed him back and a minute later, they pulled apart to the phone ringing.

"Motherfucker." Marshall mumbled, sitting up, although he was partially relieved for the interruption. He was a little rattled after what they'd just done and needed some space.

AJ sat up and took a deep breath, also relieved at the interruption, not sure how much farthing things would have gone without it. "I'm uh…going to go take a shower while you get that."

"Yeah, ok." Marshall said, watching him climb out of bed before he himself did.

He followed AJ out of the bedroom and felt his stomach fill with butterflies as he wondered what the fuck he was getting himself into with the other man. He was completely aware he had less than twelve hours to figure it all out before the twenty-four hour deadline AJ had set for them to have sex. Not the hot rub-and-jerk session they'd just had, but full blown, up the ass sex with another man.

Marshall sighed and tried to push the disturbing thoughts from his mind as he finally reached the phone and answered it. It was going to be a long goddamn day.

Five hours and twenty-one minutes. That's how long Marshall had to wait to fuck AJ. He wasn't going to make it, he was sure. He was going to explode or run screaming from the room, or maybe both. He was standing in the doorway to the living room, staring at AJ while he moved around the room dancing to the music he'd stuck on, oblivious to his presence.

Marshall vaguely recognized it as something BsB, he was guessing the Millenium CD, and tried not to think too much about the fact that he knew that. AJ looked damn good. He was in a beater and a pair of baggy jeans. The clothes weren't Marshall's, so he figured AJ must have brought some clothes with him in his car in case he ended up staying over again.

Marshall had been studiously avoiding AJ for the better part of the day since their encounter in bed that morning, trying to figure out how he felt about what was going to happen between them that night. Finally he'd come to the conclusion that it wasn't the end of the world, him wanting to have sex with another man.

Correction. Not just any other man. Other men didn't turn him on…well, not really anyway. But there was something different about AJ. Something that took it beyond a passing attraction he could easily ignore and convince himself he didn't feel. With AJ it went deeper, and it refused to be ignored, so he'd decided that maybe fucking the younger man would get it out of his system.

He could do that, he told himself yet again. AJ hadn't said one word about wanting a relationship with him, and he figured he understood that Marshall had no intention of taking whatever was going on between them to that level anyway.

After all was said and done, he'd convinced himself that one night of sex with him would fix the ache in his pants and he'd be able to go back to being friends with the guy, and ignoring passing attractions to other guys the way he had been for years. He ignored the voice inside that said he was an idiot, that one night wouldn't be enough with AJ. That he'd want more. That voice was wrong…it just had to be.

He pulled himself free of his thoughts as AJ did a particularly sensual hip swivel in time to the music. Marshall's cock jumped in his pants and he had to bite back a moan of frustration.

Deciding AJ deserved some of the torture he was going through since the rule had been his idea, Marshall crossed the room and came up behind AJ. Snaking his arms around the unsuspecting man's waist, he pulled his wiggling butt against his crotch, pressing himself into him as he leaned in and kissed his neck.

AJ jumped in surprise as Marshall grabbed him, but then fell back against him, moaning as Marshall kissed a path up the side of his neck to his ear. He willingly tilted his head to the side to give Marshall better access and leaned his head back on his shoulder.

Just as the song ended, Marshall reached his ear and whispered in a husky voice, "Five hours, twenty minutes to go." Pausing to nip at AJ's earlobe, he added, "Enjoy."

In the next instant, AJ found himself stumbling backwards trying to regain his balance, released from Marshall's hold, hard and alone. "Fuck." He mumbled under his breath. If he wasn't so horny himself, he would have tracked Marshall down and teased him mercilessly for that. But he was so he stayed put.

Five hours and twenty minutes. Oops, now nineteen minutes. It might as well have been an eternity.

Two hours and forty-three minutes. That's how long AJ had to wait to feel Marshall inside him, owning him. He wasn't going to make it. Not watching Marshall bench press, anyway.

He was standing in the doorway of Marshall's weight room. He'd gone to track him down to find out if he was in the mood for pizza for dinner. He'd found him all right…sweaty, straining muscles and all.

AJ stood in the doorway for a long minute thinking about what was going to happen between them in just a few hours. It had occurred to him more than once since their date the night before that he was maybe rushing things, considering how soon after what happened with Kevin it was still. But then he'd see Marshall or think of that morning in bed with him, his hand wrapped around his cock and he knew he couldn't wait anymore.

AJ figured it would probably be a whole different story if Kevin had managed to rape him, but he hadn't, and AJ had Marshall to thank for that, and along with that thanks came a sort of blind trust in the other man. His brain kept telling him he shouldn't trust anyone. After all, he'd trusted Kevin, and look where that had gotten him, but his heart and his gut told him this was different. Marshall was different. He'd not only saved him from what Kevin had tried to do, he'd also saved him from drunkenly drowning in a pool, and then from himself and his relapse into alcohol. On top of that, Marshall knew exactly what he was going through, because of what his step-father had done to him.

Most importantly, the few times things had heated up between them and he'd stopped it, Marshall had backed off immediately and hadn't tried to push him at all. That more than anything else was the reason AJ felt he was ready to have sex with the other man, even if it was most likely just for one night.

AJ's cock twitched in his pants as he was pulled back to the present by a sharp grunt from the other man as his muscles strained to push up the significant amount of weight he was bench pressing. Deciding it was time to get Marshall back for torturing him in the living room earlier, he strode across the room just as Marshall was in the middle of a rep. AJ stood next to him for a second, his eyes locked with Marshall's as Marshall set the weight bar down in its holder.

When Marshall started to sit up, AJ moved fast, climbing on top of him and straddling his waist, pushing Marshall back down so he was lying down again. Slowly, he bent down, keeping eye contact with Marshall and darted his tongue out to lick a line up the center of Marshall's sweat-slickened chest towards his neck. Slowly, he ground his ass into Marshall's awakening erection, loving how Marshall's eyes fluttered shut and he moaned in pleasure.

Leaning in near his ear, he said in his best raspy sex voice, "Two hours and forty-two minutes 'til you own this ass, baby." He paused and nipped at Marshall's earlobe the way Marshall had done to him earlier. "Enjoy."

And then he was gone and Marshall was left hard and alone. "Fuck." He mumbled under his breath, much as AJ had done earlier when he'd left him that way. He thought about tracking AJ down and making sure he was just as horny as him, but he figured he'd only turn himself on more and he sure as hell didn't need that right then.

He glanced at the clock. Two fucking hours and forty-one minutes to go. It might as well have been two fucking lifetimes and forty-one years to go. He was in hell.

Ten minutes to go. Ten whole fucking minutes, and AJ actually wanted to wait. Marshall tried again.

"You're not fucking serious." He said, sitting down in a chair across from AJ in the kitchen.

AJ nodded. "Yep. I am. Twenty-four hours. Period. Besides, I'm in the middle of eating a popsicle. You don't actually expect me to toss it out, do you? It's the last one."

Marshall didn't miss the teasing note in AJ's voice. Teasing bitch. He was going to make him pay for this. First he was going to fuck him hard and fast because he was too horny not to, then he was going to tease and torture him until he begged him to fuck him again.

AJ watched Marshall glare at him and had to fight to keep from cracking up. Part of him wanted to just toss the popsicle aside and race Marshall to the bedroom, but another part was enjoying teasing the hell out of him too much to just give in.

Marshall watched as AJ shifted his attention to the red popsicle in his hand. Marshall shifted in his chair as AJ brought it to his lips and sucked it into his mouth like he was sucking on a cock. Marshall's eyes flew up to AJ's, but AJ was just staring at the clock with an innocent expression on his face.

He couldn't believe it. AJ was torturing him, and he didn't even realize it. Fuck. Shit. Ten minutes couldn't go by fast enough.

AJ continued to suck on the popsicle, savoring the cherry flavor as he counted down the minutes. Nine to go. God, he just wanted it over already. He'd wanted Marshall for weeks now, and he was finally going to get him. He pulled the popsicle slowly out of his mouth, turning back to Marshall, intent on giving in and saying fuck the last eight minutes, but the look on Marshall's face gave him pause.

What the hell? He was looking at him like he wanted to devour him or beat the shit out of him, or both. He sucked the popsicle back into his mouth as he tried to figure out why Marshall was all pissed suddenly. He watched as Marshall bit his bottom lip and stared at his mouth intently. AJ looked down and it hit him. Damn. He hadn't even realized what he was doing.

Fighting back a smirk, he decided to have some fun with Marshall for the last few minutes. Slowly he pulled the cold object from his mouth, sucking as he went, making a slurping noise as it was released from his mouth. Darting his tongue out, he traced a circle slowly around the tip of it before opening wide and sliding it back in his mouth. He sucked it all the way in, relaxing his throat as he went until his lips met his fingers at the bottom of the stick, noting how Marshall sucked in a sharp breath as he did that.

His intention was to tease Marshall, but he was getting hard himself watching how the other man was reacting to what he was doing. As the minutes went by, AJ started getting more and more into what he was doing, imagining it was Marshall's cock he was sucking on.

Holy fuck. He could deep-throat, Marshall thought. It was the only coherent thing running through his brain right then as he watched AJ pull the popsicle free and then suck at just the tip of it. It was seriously like he was sucking on a cock and Marshall was getting harder and harder by the second watching him, wanting to feel those lips wrapped around him.

Marshall bit back a moan. Pulling his eyes away from what AJ was doing to the popsicle, he chanced a glance at his eyes. The fucker. He was looking right at him and doing it on purpose. The innocent unaware expression was long gone and he had a gleam in his eyes that could only be described as sexually charged.

"You little bitch." Marshall blurted.

AJ just smirked and deep-throated the popsicle again. As he pulled it out of his mouth, he darted his now cherry red tongue out and licked his lips. "What's the matter Marshall?"

"Fuck." Marshall muttered, looking back up at the clock. Four more minutes.

AJ chuckled, deliberately misunderstanding. "Not quite yet, baby."

Marshall shot him a murderous look as AJ swirled his tongue around the tip, then started licking a line from the base to the tip before sucking on just the tip.

Pulling his mouth away, he smacked his lips together and commented, "You know, this popsicle is damn good. I don't think I'm going to be finished in time. I may have to just sit here and finish it…."

Marshall snarled as AJ trailed off to suck it back into his mouth again. Getting up, he started toward AJ, no longer caring that there were three minutes left. "The fuck you are."

AJ watched him approach, but didn't budge. Just quirked a brow and asked, "Uh, Marshall, what are you doing? It isn't time yet."

Marshall stopped in front of him. Reaching down he pulled AJ up by his arms, then grabbed the popsicle out of his hand and threw it in the general direction of the sink. Reaching around, he grabbed AJ's ass and pulled their hips together.

Just before his mouth attacked AJ's cherry red lips, he said, "Oh, it's fucking time all right. Right fucking now."


Chapter Sixteen
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