Where You Least Expect It - 1 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and 
incidents either are the product of the author's 
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to 
actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living 
or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of 
either the author or the publisher. 

Where You Least Expect It 
TOP SHELF 
An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers 
PO Box 2545 
Round Rock, TX 78680 
Copyright 2011 by M. Durango 
Cover illustration by Alessia Brio 
Published with permission 
ISBN: 978-1-61040-536-2 
www.torquerepress.com 
All rights reserved, which includes the right to 
reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form 
whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright 
Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO 
Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680. 
First Torquere Press Printing: November 2011 
Printed in the USA 

Where You Least Expect It - 2 

Chapter One 

As Matt Halston left his condo building for his 

weekly basketball game with his best friend, Sam 
Bishop, he was happy to note that the October weather 
was mild enough for an outdoor game. In the two years 
since Matt had left the Army, he and Sam had rarely 
missed a game, playing indoors at the YMCA during the 
winter. 

Autumn in the Pacific Northwest could be 

unpredictable and the prolonged summery weather was 
definitely not unwelcome, even if it meant Matt would 
have to wait to test out the new wiper blades he'd put on 
his black Ford Ranger yesterday. 

Matt knew he was cutting it close by stopping for 

breakfast instead of just grabbing something to go, but 
he worked hard enough at his IT job during the week 
and refused to be rushed on his days off. By the time he 
got to the park, he realized he'd underestimated how 
scarce parking would be; people were out in droves, 
taking advantage of what might be the last nice weekend 
for months and months. 

Oh, well. Sam would bitch about having to wait, but 

he'd live. Matt could see him already on the court, 
shooting free-throws. 

After parking, Matt waited against the fence until 

Sam sauntered over, lazily dribbling the basketball. 

"Hey, man. You're late." 
Matt pushed off of the fence. "That's because you 

kept me out 'til after midnight." 

"Dude, the bar was hopping. It's not my fault you 

lack a social life." Sam spun the ball on his middle 
finger. 

"I have a social life." Matt made a lunge for the ball. 
Sam snorted and danced backwards. "Lifting weights 

Where You Least Expect It - 3 

at the gym and playing basketball don't count as a social 
life." 

"Sure they do," Matt countered. "Give me the ball." 
"Bullshit, Mr. Responsibility." Sam taunted him, 

keeping the ball just out of reach. 

"Hey, I've got a mortgage to pay." Matt got into 

Sam's personal space, trying to knock the ball out of his 
hands. 

"Oh, right, Mr. Brand-new-yuppie-condo owner." 
Matt wasn't having any luck getting the ball. "Fuck 

off. Who the hell says yuppie anymore?" 

"Oooh, sensitive." Sam jumped away, passing the 

ball between his hands. 

"Hey, if my boss wants to pay me for my highly 

valuable skills, I'm not going to live in a dump." 

Sam looked affronted. "Dump? Are you calling my 

place a dump?" 

"Dude, your place should be condemned." Matt knew 

the rent was dirt cheap for a reason. 

"Oh, that's it. Prepare to pay for your slander." Sam 

still hadn't let go of the ball. 

Matt sprang first, knocked the ball out of Sam's hand 

and took off for the net. He needed to make the most of 
his offense to combat Sam's extra height. Matt wasn't 
small -- not by a long shot -- but Sam's six-foot-three 
left Matt at a three-inch disadvantage. Matt's bulk, 
honed by the Army and hours spent in the gym, made 
him just a tad less agile than tall and skinny Sam. 

After Sam beat him soundly two games out of three, 

they collapsed next to the fence. 

Sam reached into his bag for a bottle of water and 

took a long drink. "Where the hell did you disappear to 
last night, anyway?" 

Matt almost choked on his own water. He thought he 

would have a few minutes of peace before Sam started 

Where You Least Expect It - 4 

giving him crap for ducking out of the bar early. 

"Me? I was there until almost last call. Besides, I 

turned around ten minutes after you introduced me to 
your 'friend' and you were nowhere to be seen." 

Sam shoved his light brown hair off his forehead. 

"Dude, I wasn't gone that long. Sara and I were just 
talking." 

"Right, talking." Matt was relieved he wouldn't have 

to hear any lurid details, at least. "I left after getting 
bored to death by Misty." 

"Mindy," Sam corrected. 
"Whatever. She basically asked me how much money 

I make and if I'd killed anybody in the Army." Matt 
rubbed a hand across his eyes, remembering his aborted 
attempts at small talk with the latest woman Sam tried to 
set him up with. "Then she told me all about the fashion 
industry. Fucking fashion, Sam. Jesus, I shop at Target. 
You have a shitty-ass record with trying to set me up, 
you know." 

"You, my friend, are entirely too picky. She was hot 

and you probably could've fucked her." 

Typical Sam: no discretion when it came to picking 

up women for random sex. Since Matt's girlfriend Katie 
had left him, Sam had been berating him to get out and 
"mingle" more. Sam had been the one constant in his life 
since they'd met in high school and had seen Matt 
through pretty much everything -- Humanities class, his 
parents' death, his break-up with Katie; still, the concern 
was starting to wear thin. 

"You know I'm not into that, man," Matt explained 

for possibly the millionth time. "I want to at least be able 
to have a conversation with the person I'm sleeping 
with." 

"Whatever, man. When your balls explode from lack 

of sex, don't come complaining to me." 

Where You Least Expect It - 5 

Matt snorted. "Trust me, you're the last person I'm 

going to talk about the state of my balls with." 

"Thank God for small favors." Sam shifted and 

grabbed a towel out of his gym bag. "You know, you 
could at least try to make an effort--" 

"Don't start that shit, man." Matt shifted against the 

fence, irritated that Sam wouldn't drop it. "That's the 
crap Katie always gave me. It has nothing to do with 
whether or not I want to make an effort. We had nothing 
in common." 

"You talked to Mindy for twenty minutes." Sam 

shoved his water bottle back in his bag. 

Matt rolled his eyes. "And how long does it take to 

determine whether or not you have something in 
common with someone? It's not fucking rocket science." 

"Fine, you want to keep hiding in your apartment 

avoiding anything that takes a minimal amount of effort, 
go ahead." Sam stood up and grabbed his bag. "I've got 
to go. I have a date." 

"Jesus, you're storming off? What the fuck is your 

problem?" Matt stalked after Sam. They'd had a few 
knock-down, drag-out fights over the last decade, but 
storming off wasn't Sam's usual style. 

Sam turned around. "Look, I have shit to do. I'm 

fucking tired of your attitude. You've been grouchy as 
hell since Katie dumped you over your commitment 
phobia. I figured you'd get over it, but you don't really 
want to, do you? You're fucking miserable for no 
apparent reason and it's a fucking downer." 

Sam thought he had commitment issues? "I don't 

know what the hell you're talking about." As a defense, 
it was weak comeback, but it was the best Matt could 
come up with. 

Sam started to say something, shook his head, and 

then tried again. "Matt... Look, you just... I don't know. 

Where You Least Expect It - 6 

You want to get a beer? I have a couple of hours before I 
have to pick Kim up." 

"Sure. Who the fuck's Kim?" Matt was glad to be 

back on more normal ground, however sudden and 
inexplicable. He didn't like to talk about his social life or 
sex life -- with Sam or anyone else -- under the best of 
circumstances. 

Sam's lascivious grin was back. "Didn't I tell you 

about Kim?" His grin got bigger. "Dude..." 

*** 

Matt tapped his finger absently to the AC/DC track 

playing on the truck's stereo as he followed the 
directions his GPS spoke at him. Sam had cajoled him 
into attending an "awesome" party across town; given 
their earlier argument, Matt acquiesced, even though he 
knew it would be like all the other parties Sam had 
dragged him to over the last ten years. Still, Matt wasn't 
a complete jackass and was willing to make concessions 
for his friend. 

That didn't mean he wasn't annoyed by the fact that 

he would be wasting Saturday night watching people he 
didn't really know drink too much and try to hook up. 
He didn't have any other plans, but damn it, keg parties 
just weren't his thing. 

He was so focused on being annoyed that he almost 

didn't see the bicyclist until it was too late. Matt's quick 
reflexes saved both of them. 

He leaned on the horn and shouted at the rider, 

adrenaline overcoming his common sense. "God damn 
it! Watch where you're going." 

Matt could just make out the biker's features in the 

evening light as the man regained his composure and 
snapped back. 

Where You Least Expect It - 7 

"I had the right of way! Maybe you should check 

your blind spot, asshole." He didn't seem very shaken in 
spite of almost being flattened. 

Stupid biker was probably used to almost getting 

himself killed, Matt thought. "Try paying attention to 
traffic and maybe you'll live longer." 

The biker rolled his eyes dramatically. "Don't fucking 

lecture me about how to ride." 

A horn blared behind Matt, cutting off any further 

argument. Matt swore and continued making his turn, 
leaving the biker behind to shout expletives at him. 
Fucking asshole bikers thought they owned the God 
damned road. 

He managed to get to his destination without further 

incident and squeezed into one of the last parking spots 
in the apartment complex's lot. He pulled out his cell 
phone and hoped Sam's ringer wasn't drowned out by 
the din of the party. 

Sam didn't bother with a hello. "You'd better not be 

bailing on me." 

"I don't know why I let you talk me into these 

things," Matt said. 

"Because you need to have a freaking social life, 

man. You've been wallowing since Katie broke up with 
you and it's getting boring. Now get your ass up here 
and meet people." 

"I know lots of people," Matt countered. 
Sam's words came clearer, the background noise of 

the party fading as Sam presumably moved outside. 
"You know lots of the same people that you've known 
for years. Half of them are friends with Katie and 
probably aren't even talking to you anymore." 

Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose, knowing his 

oldest friend was right. Just for the record, Matt added, 
"And you know I'm not into parties." 

Where You Least Expect It - 8 

"Not into parties, not into bars. Whatever. I'm here, 

you're here. Get up here." 

Matt held back a sigh. "What apartment?" 
Sam told him the number, adding, "Just follow the 

noise, man." 

At least Sam wasn't coming out to drag Matt from his 

truck. Hell, at least Sam trusted Matt enough to drive 
himself and not come up with a last-minute excuse; Matt 
supposed that was a testament to their long-time 
friendship. 

Matt found the apartment easily enough, the sound of 

music spilling through the closed door. He had to knock 
twice before it was opened by a young blond guy with 
spiky, bleached hair, who was clearly more concerned 
with the conversation going on in the living room than 
with Matt. 

Matt was about to push his way in when the man 

finally turned, eyes narrowing. It took Matt a minute to 
recognize the biker who had tried to cut him off earlier. 

The man crossed his arms. "Are you here to lecture 

me about how to ride my bike in traffic?" 

The anger that had dissipated on the drive over 

bubbled up and Matt had to force himself not to mimic 
the other man's stance. "I'm here for the party," Matt 
said flatly. 

The blond quirked his head, demeanor suddenly 

changing from annoyance to curiosity. "You know 
Paul?" 

Matt frowned. "My buddy Sam knows him." Matt 

scanned the room, wondering if he would find Sam or if 
his friend had managed to disappear in the two minutes 
it took Matt to get from the parking lot to the apartment. 

"Oh, he's here somewhere," the blond answered, 

making a sweeping gesture with a hand holding a pink 
glass. No, Matt realized, the glass wasn't pink, the drink 

Where You Least Expect It - 9 

was. 

"Matt!" Sam's voice carried over the noise, drawing 

Matt's attention. Matt smiled in relief when he saw his 
friend pushing through the crowd toward him. 

"Hey, man. I told you to just follow the noise." Sam 

clapped Matt on the shoulder, pulling him farther into 
the apartment to the kitchen. Matt turned to say 
something to the guy who let him in, but biker boy had 
already disappeared back into the crowd. 

And "crowd" was certainly an apt description. The 

small apartment was packed with people standing and 
sitting on almost every available surface. Just as he 
expected, it was remarkably similar to every party Sam 
had taken him to since they were barely old enough to 
drink. 

Sam headed directly for the keg and handed Matt one 

of the ubiquitous red plastic cups. "Grab a beer. There's 
some people I want you to meet." 

Matt tossed him a glare before filling his cup, 

knowing that Sam's words were code for "there's this 
chick I want you to meet." 

Christ, not again. It was going to be a long night. 
He would kill Sam later. 
Matt did the obligatory small talk, knowing he had no 

intention of pursuing anything more, no matter how hot 
the women Sam introduced him to were. He knew Sam 
meant well, but he just wasn't in the market for one night 
stands. Maybe he was picky, maybe he was old 
fashioned, but there it was. And he could do just fine on 
his own, thank you very much, regardless of what Sam 
thought. 

The woman wanted a Cosmo, so Matt found himself 

at the makeshift bar, full beer in one hand and empty 
martini glass in the other, staring at a dizzying array of 
alcohol and mixer bottles. 

Where You Least Expect It - 10 

A sudden voice in his ear startled him. "So, I didn't 

catch your name when you tried to run me over earlier." 

Fuck. Matt turned around, prepared to defend 

himself, but the other man didn't look nearly as angry as 
Matt expected. "You mean when you almost ran into my 
vehicle." Matt held out a hand. "Matt Halston." 

The other man switched his drink to his left hand and 

accepted Matt's offer. "Christian Flannery. You're not 
one of those drivers who hates all bikers, are you?" 

"As long as you're not one of those bikers who thinks 

he owns the road." When he wasn't in the process of 
almost running one down, Matt was generally tolerant of 
bike riders. 

"Oh, please, it's not like I want to get myself killed." 

Christian skirted out of the way of someone trying to get 
to the vodka. "But you totally didn't see me." 

Christian was being too friendly for Matt to continue 

arguing. "I might have been a little distracted. Sorry 
about that." It was as close to an admission of guilt as 
Matt planned to get. 

It seemed to satisfy Christian. "I guess I can forgive 

you, since I'm still in one piece and all. You looked a 
little overwhelmed by the booze selection." 

It took Matt a second to catch up to the quick change 

of topic. "I know how to get beer out of a keg, not how 
to mix drinks." 

Christian laughed. "Lucky for you my sister's a 

bartender. What do you need?" 

"A Cosmo." Matt knew it started with vodka and was 

pink, but that was as far as he got. 

Christian took the empty martini glass from Matt's 

hand and started grabbing bottles, making it look easy. 

"Did you learn this from watching your sister?" Matt 

asked, curious. 

Christian finished up and handed Matt the glass. 

Where You Least Expect It - 11 

"Watching, reading the bartender's guide. I made her 
teach me some basic stuff." Christian shrugged. "You 
never know when you're going to have to help someone 
get a drink for his girlfriend." 

"Not my girlfriend," Matt answered automatically. 

"Sam's trying to fix me up with his date's friend." Matt 
wasn't sure why he'd added the latter; apparently, yelling 
at a guy in the street helped break the ice. 

"Ugh, I hate when my friends do that." Christian 

rolled his eyes dramatically. "I can meet my own dates, 
thank you very much." 

Finally, someone who agreed with him. "That's what 

I keep telling Sam, but he's a little too single-minded to 
listen." 

"Some people think everyone needs to be paired off, 

even temporarily." Christian took a sip of his own drink. 
"Not that I'm against pairing off, but I can handle a few 
nights solo." 

"I should have you tell that to Sam." Matt glanced 

across the room to see if the man in question was still 
there or had already disappeared with Kim. He realized 
he was still holding the Cosmo and turned back to 
Christian. "I should get this drink back." 

"Cool. I'm glad I could help. See you around." 

Christian smiled. 

Matt watched Christian disappear back into the 

crowd. 

Where You Least Expect It - 12 

Chapter Two 

Aerosmith woke Matt bright and early Monday 

morning. He lay in bed for a few minutes listening to 
Steven Tyler beseech him to dream on and wondering 
why Mondays always came so quickly. Not that he 
hated his job or anything, but he wouldn't mind more 
time away from his cubicle. 

The DJ's voice cut into his musing and forced him to 

roll out of bed. One of these days, he would get a new 
alarm clock with the option of waking up to his own 
CDs rather than the chatter of bland morning radio 
shows. 

Fortunately, he'd long ago sprung for the fancy coffee 

maker with automatic turn-on, and a strong brew of 
French roast was waiting for him in the kitchen. A quick 
glance through the CNN and NPR websites provided his 
morning dose of news, which was just more of the same 
old, same old. 

He didn't take long getting out of the house most 

mornings. A fast shower -- a habit left over from the 
service -- teeth cleaning and flossing, some gel to keep 
his dark brown hair tame, and he was ready to make the 
ten-minute drive to his office. 

Traffic was light, many people still biking or 

walking. Matt had tried biking to work a few times, but 
he often ended up working late and he didn't like riding 
home in the dark; it wasn't safe, as his own distracted 
driving proved. That, and he absolutely hated getting 
rained on, which would be unavoidable come winter. 

He stopped at the café -- The Coffee Hut -- near his 

office building for his usual cup of coffee; as always, the 
place was packed with people in business suits waiting 
in line and a handful of telecommuters sitting at tables 

Where You Least Expect It - 13 

with their laptops, coffees, and bagels. 

Matt made polite conversation with the people he 

recognized from work as the line edged forward. He was 
staring at the pastry counter debating between pumpkin 
bread and pumpkin scones when the barista caught his 
attention. 

"What can I get started for you this morning?" the 

friendly male voice interrupted his thoughts. 

Matt looked up, immediately encountering the spiky 

blond hair and blue eyes that he'd seen at Saturday's 
party. What was the guy's name? 

Christian, his name tag read. He smiled at Matt. 

"Hey. Fancy meeting you here. What can I get you?" he 
repeated. 

Matt couldn't remember seeing Christian working 

here before. "Oh, hey. I almost didn't recognize you." 
Matt ordered his usual twenty-ounce black coffee and a 
pumpkin scone. 

Christian was still smiling as he handed Matt the 

pastry. "Have a good day, Matt." 

Christian hurried off to help another customer before 

Matt could respond. Autopilot kept him moving forward 
to pay the cashier. As he stood with the crowd waiting 
for his drink order, Matt glanced over and caught 
Christian smiling at him. Matt smiled back, almost 
missing it when his order was called. 

Yanking his attention back to what he was doing, 

Matt grabbed his coffee and headed to work, 
immediately banishing Christian from his mind and 
focusing on his projects for the day. He had several 
deadlines coming up and if he didn't make some serious 
headway this week, he would be working weekends. 

*** 

Where You Least Expect It - 14 

The week passed in a daze; Matt worked close to 

sixty hours to get everything done and put out a few 
fires along the way. 

He hadn't seen Christian again, although, oddly, he 

had noticed he wasn't seeing Christian. Matt wasn't one 
to keep track of his close friends' schedules, let alone 
one of the baristas at the coffee shop. Matt chalked his 
sudden interest up to the unusual circumstances of their 
meeting. Besides, Christian seemed like a nice enough 
guy. 

As much as he disliked doing so on principle, Matt 

decided to head into work on Saturday after his game 
with Sam to deal with the routine things that got pushed 
aside during the week's crises. He stopped for his usual 
coffee both out of habit and to avoid the poor excuse for 
coffee in the break room. 

Matt noticed Christian's blond head as soon as he got 

close to the counter. 

Christian looked up and smiled. "You're not working 

on a Saturday, are you?" 

Matt returned the smile, feeling only mildly off 

balance. He still couldn't figure out why Christian kept 
popping into his thoughts at the oddest moments. "We 
had a crazy week and I wanted to try to clean off my 
desk before Monday." 

"Wow, that's dedicated. What can I get you?" 

Christian picked up one of the pens they used to mark 
cups. 

Without thinking about it, Matt started making small 

talk while Christian rang him up. "Have you worked 
here long? I don't remember seeing you before last 
week." 

"I usually work in the afternoon or at night, 

depending on my class schedule. I was only here 
Monday morning to cover for someone who was sick." 

Where You Least Expect It - 15 

"Oh." Matt wasn't sure what to say next, his lack of 

social graces rearing its head. He wondered how other 
people made it seem so easy to strike up conversations 
with strangers. 

Christian seemed to be one of those people. "So, you 

fled the party pretty quickly." 

The change of subject caught Matt slightly 

unprepared. "Yeah, I only went because Sam wouldn't 
let up about it. Once he disappeared with his conquest of 
the week, I decided to get out of there." 

"No date with the Cosmo girl?" Christian teased. 
"No, definitely not my type. Thanks for helping with 

the drink, by the way. I was completely clueless." 

"No problem; I'd lose my gay card if I couldn't make 

a Cosmo." Christian smiled at him again and motioned 
toward the pick-up area. "Your drink's ready." 

"Cool. I'll, ah, see you around." Matt felt further off 

kilter, like he'd been caught doing something he 
shouldn't have been. 

"Definitely. You should stop by some afternoon." 

And did Christian just wink at him? 

Matt found himself smiling back again -- how odd 

was that? -- and actually considering it. "I might do 
that." 

Although it was another unseasonably warm day, 

Matt wasn't the only person at work. He spent some time 
cleaning up his desk and sorting through the things 
needing to be filed, which admittedly wasn't much. Five 
years in the military had taught him to stay organized 
and avoid clutter. While he waited for his reports to run, 
he rinsed out his skull and crossbones coffee mug and 
cleaned the shelf where he kept his random collection of 
die-cast model cars and the foam ball for the miniature 
basketball net that hung on the wall of his cube. 

It took Matt fewer than three hours to feel like he was 

Where You Least Expect It - 16 

ready for Monday, but it was long enough for the 
weather to change drastically. The sky was dark gray 
and the air felt charged, wind starting to pick up and toss 
the fallen leaves around. He was typically more 
prepared, but he hadn't bothered to bring a jacket with 
him, wearing only a long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and 
sneakers. Matt took a deep breath and hurried toward the 
parking lot, hoping he could make it home before the 
storm broke. 

He was almost to his truck when light rain started to 

fall. He could see Christian at the bike rack and had the 
sudden urge to offer Christian a ride. Matt hesitated but 
decided they were well enough acquainted that Matt 
could share his dry truck. Besides, riding in the rain was 
dangerous. Matt called out across the short distance to 
grab Christian's attention as he retraced his steps. 

Christian looked up, frowning for a second until he 

recognized Matt. "Oh, hey. What's up?" 

"The weather looks like shit, man. Do you want a 

ride somewhere? We can put your bike in the back of 
my truck." 

Christian looked surprised. "I ride in the rain all the 

time, but I guess I wouldn't turn down a ride. You're not 
a serial killer or a stalker, are you?" 

Matt laughed. "Nope. Apparently, I'm just a good 

Samaritan today." 

Christian returned his smile. "Okay, then. Where are 

you parked?" 

Matt pointed. "A couple of rows that way." 
Christian finished unlocking his bike. "Cool. Let's 

go." 

Matt led the way to his truck, surprised at his own 

actions. Offering a ride to someone he only knew as "a 
guy who can make mixed drinks and coffee" was 
something that had never occurred to him before. 

Where You Least Expect It - 17 

He dug his keys out and clicked the button to unlock 

the doors. Lifting the tailgate, he turned to Christian to 
ask if he needed help; if there was one thing he could do, 
it was lift shit. 

"You can grab the back. It's pretty light, actually, just 

a little awkward and I don't like to toss it around. It's my 
only transportation." 

Once they got the bike situated and settled 

themselves in the cab, Christian turned to him. "Thanks, 
man. I appreciate this. It really does suck to ride in the 
rain." 

"No problem. I tried it a few times myself, but I hated 

getting to work soaking wet. Made me feel like I needed 
to start my morning over, you know?" Matt refrained 
from mentioning the fact that he considered bike riding 
in bad weather to be risky. 

"Totally!" Christian agreed. 
"So, where are we going?" 
"I live right near downtown, kind of close to the 

college." Christian gave him an address not far from 
Matt's condo. 

"Those orange stucco apartments, right?" Matt 

looked over at him to confirm. "I live a couple of blocks 
away in the condos on Albert." 

"Oh, I know where those are. They look cute. Way 

better than my building." 

"Cute" wasn't exactly how Matt would describe them, 

at least not his particular unit, but he let it go. 

Christian didn't give him time to respond, anyway. 

"So, what do you do besides show up at parties you hate 
and give random guys rides home?" 

"I work over at Elston and Downs, in the IT 

department." Matt flicked on the defroster as the 
windshield started to fog. 

"Yeah? I was thinking about doing computers for 

Where You Least Expect It - 18 

school, but it sounds kind of boring. I decided to go with 
history instead." 

"You're in school?" Sometimes, Matt's struggle with 

small talk appalled even him, but he thought he was 
doing pretty well. 

"Well, obviously." Christian's tone of voice was 

teasing. "I'm a senior. I actually have a double major, so 
it's taking a bit longer, but I should graduate next 
spring." 

Matt almost asked how old he was -- he didn't look 

much more than twenty-one, which didn't seem too old 
for a college senior; of course, Matt was judging based 
on second-hand experiences. 

Christian hardly took a break between sentences. 

"Where did you go to school?" 

Matt was glad Christian kept them from lapsing into 

one of those incredibly uncomfortable silences that 
usually caused Matt to want to get away. 

"I didn't," he answered. "I joined the Army right after 

high school and basically got all my training there." 

That caused Christian to pause. "So, um. You did 

computers in the Army?" 

Matt nodded. "Telecommunications, networking, that 

kind of thing." 

"Like in those commercials?" Christian asked. 
Matt knew exactly which commercials Christian was 

referring to. "It wasn't nearly that glamorous, actually. 
Mostly a lot like what I do now. Sit at a desk, make sure 
things are running properly, fix them when they break, 
get bitched at by people who think things should run 
better than they actually do. That kind of thing." 

"So, just like a regular job? I always thought it would 

be different than that. More... I don't know." Christian 
gestured with his hand as he tried to find the words. 
"Dangerous, I guess." 

Where You Least Expect It - 19 

"Don't get me wrong, it was dangerous. But most of 

what we do -- did -- was pretty routine, actually, unless 
we got deployed." He shrugged. "Even that could get 
monotonous." 

"Did you? Get deployed, I mean?" Christian's interest 

seemed genuine. 

"Yep." Matt generally avoided this part. It was 

enough that he knew what went in to coordinating teams 
in combat or what responding to IEDs was like; there 
was no reason to tell other people about it. He'd 
encountered too many people who either wanted to 
glorify his experience or vilify the military. Matt chose 
to remain silent and let people think what they wanted. 

Christian was polite enough that he didn't push. "But 

you don't like to talk about it with strangers." 

Matt snorted. "I don't like to talk about it with 

friends." 

"Gotcha." He changed the subject. "What do you do 

when you're not working?" 

Matt shrugged. "I don't know, the usual stuff people 

do? Read, watch TV, play basketball with Sam." 

"Go to parties you hate," Christian suggested. 
Matt laughed. "Go to parties I hate." 
They pulled up outside Christian's apartment and 

Matt killed the engine so he could help Christian with 
his bike. Given how quickly the rain had picked up, he 
figured he'd made the right choice giving the kid a ride 
home. 

Christian shouldered his bike as Matt locked up the 

tailgate. "Thanks again, Matt. I guess I'll see you 
around." 

"Yeah. Take care. Maybe I'll stop in for coffee 

Monday afternoon," he added on impulse. It would be a 
good way to break up his day, and he wouldn't mind 
another opportunity to get to know Christian better. It 

Where You Least Expect It - 20 

wasn't often he met people he could connect with, after 
all. 

Where You Least Expect It - 21 

Chapter Three 

"I'm really sorry about the short notice, Matt," Alison 

apologized for what Matt counted as the fourth time. In 
addition to being Elston and Downs' Customer Service 
Manager, she had also been a friend of Matt's and Sam's 
since high school and had put in a good word for Matt 
when he was looking for work after the military. 

Matt shrugged; he was used to last minute, need it 

done yesterday requests. "It's okay, really. I know you 
didn't come up with this on your own. Like I said, it'll be 
time consuming but not too difficult." 

Alison's high-heeled shoes clicked loudly on the tiled 

hallway floor. "I don't know why these last minute 
projects surprise me anymore. Phil seems to come up 
with a new one every month or so. His expectations are 
completely unrealistic." She gestured with her coffee 
cup for emphasis, hot liquid splashing over the rim. 

Matt moved easily out of the way of her hand. "I 

think your manager spends too much time trying to 
justify his latest great idea and forgets the work takes 
time." 

Alison turned into an empty conference room. "And 

you get the blame for his lack of planning." 

Matt tried to assuage her concern. "Hey, I'm used to 

it. Phil can bitch at me all he wants. He's not my boss." 

"Try not to sound too happy about that." Alison 

smiled wryly. 

Matt laughed. "Sorry. What's our next step?" 
They spent a few minutes planning before Alison 

asked, "Still glad you traded your Army career for the 
private sector?" 

"You would be amazed at the similarities. 

Bureaucracy and disconnect between the people making 

Where You Least Expect It - 22 

the decisions and the ones handling the actual work is 
everywhere." 

"You're always so encouraging." Alison stood up and 

gathered her papers. "I'll make sure you're kept in the 
loop, at least." 

"Thanks." Matt followed Alison out of the conference 

room. "I'll get you the preliminary requirements 
tomorrow." 

"You're a miracle worker." Alison waved as they 

headed off in opposite directions. 

It was going to be another long night. Realistically, 

Matt could do much of what needed to be done 
remotely, but he tried to keep his evening 
telecommuting to a minimum. He had learned the hard 
way that working from home in the evenings ate into his 
gym time. On the other hand, it limited the amount of 
time Matt got his ass kicked at pool by Sam, which 
wasn't such a bad thing. 

Late hours meant more coffee. Even though he 

suspected Christian's suggestion to stop by in the 
afternoon was an attempt to drum up business for The 
Coffee Hut, a two-dollar drink sounded a lot better than 
the sludge his company provided. 

Sure enough, Christian was behind The Coffee Hut's 

bar making over-priced flavored coffee drinks. 

Christian looked up from wiping down the espresso 

machine and smiled when he recognized Matt. "Ah, so 
you fell for my devious attempt to increase our 
afternoon business?" 

Matt returned the smile. "I knew that's what you were 

up to," he accused. 

Christian gave him a contrite look. "I'll have to try to 

be more subtle next time." 

"I wouldn't think coffee would require a hard sell. 

Anyway, I'm planning on working late and need the 

Where You Least Expect It - 23 

extra caffeine." 

"That's too bad. About working late, I mean." 

Christian kept chatting as he made Matt's drink. "Thanks 
again for the ride Saturday. It really did save me a lot of 
time." 

"No problem. I was going the same way, anyway. 

And it's not like we're complete strangers." Matt's 
awkwardness faded the more they talked and he found 
he was enjoying getting to know Christian, even if it 
was in bits and pieces. 

"Well, it was definitely cool of you. Not many people 

are willing offer rides to their barista." 

"I figured I owed you since you saved my ass Friday 

night by making that drink." Matt pulled out his wallet 
to pay and dropped a buck in the tip jar. 

"Oh, I get it, so now we're even and I shouldn't 

expect any more rides?" Christian put a sleeve on the 
cup he had just finished filling and handed it over to 
Matt with a flourish. 

Matt laughed, both at Christian's words and his 

display. "I don't know, maybe you'll catch me in a 
generous mood." 

Christian smiled sweetly. "I'll just have to hope 

you're around the next time it's pouring rain." 

Christian's smile drew an answering one from Matt 

and left Matt with an oddly pleased feeling. "You'll just 
have to hope your luck holds out. Thanks for the 
coffee." Matt raised his cup in a salutary gesture. 

"It's what we're here for!" 

*** 

The project Matt and Alison were working on 

continued to take up more of Matt's time as it grew in 
complexity. Sometime around the third week of back-

Where You Least Expect It - 24 

and-forth meetings with the vendor and Alison's boss, 
Matt realized he should have expected it. 

Long days punctuated by more unforeseen changes 

and new demands from Phil found Matt visiting the 
coffee shop more frequently during the afternoons. 

"Back again?" Christian asked. "That's every day this 

week. Did Phil change the requirements again?" He 
grabbed a cup and poured Matt's drink. 

Matt handed over a five and dropped some of the 

cash in the tip jar. "No, just the deadline. And the 
vendor's being slow setting up the reports." 

Christian made a face in sympathy before turning to 

Alison and ringing up the double tall, extra hot, two-
percent, one-pump vanilla latte she ordered. Matt wasn't 
even sure what half of that meant. 

"Sometimes I'm glad I sell coffee for a living." 

Christian handed Alison her change. "Good luck with 
your vendor." 

"Thanks. Good luck with the afternoon rush," Matt 

teased as a group of six or seven people entered through 
the far door. 

Christian rolled his eyes. "Thanks." 
Alison was silent throughout their exchange and Matt 

caught her watching him as they walked outside. 
"What?" 

"What do you mean, what? I've known you for ages 

and I've never seen you all gabby like that." She pulled 
her suit jacket around herself against the chill in the air. 
"Are you actually starting to come out of your shell?" 

Was he that unsocial that a few conversations 

warranted notice? "I'm in there practically every day, 
Alison." He didn't want to get into the whole story about 
almost hitting Christian with his truck before 
discovering that they shared common friends. 

"You're carrying on full-blown conversations with 

Where You Least Expect It - 25 

that cute barista. You told him about Phil! You never do 
that." Alison liked to talk in exclamation points when 
she was excited. "What gives, Matthew?" 

Matt held back his groan. "You sound like my 

grandmother when you call me Matthew. And nothing 
gives. Christian and I met at one of those parties Sam 
likes to drag me to. And I do know how to be polite, 
believe it or not." 

"Polite, yes. But gabby?" Alison raised her eyebrows. 
Matt was almost offended. "I am not gabby. And 

contrary to my reputation, I'm not a complete asocial 
hermit." 

Alison made a noncommittal sound. "I'll keep that in 

mind next time I need a date." 

Great. "I bet you will. Let's just spend less time 

psychoanalyzing me and try to get out of here on time 
tonight." 

"Matt, it's Friday. Some of us have dates." Alison 

pulled open Elston & Down's lobby door. 

"Oh, right. Dates," Matt replied sarcastically. 
Alison looked like she might pat him on the head for 

his cluelessness. 

Four hours later, Matt left work before six for the 

first time in weeks, the same time Christian ended his 
shift. 

"Hey!" Christian sounded cheerful, as always. "First 

The Coffee Hut, now the parking lot." 

Matt succeeded in summoning a smile. "Just get off 

work?" he asked. Man, he needed to work on his 
conversation skills. 

Christian pushed his bike as he walked next to Matt. 

"Yeah. I actually have a whole two days off, too. Pretty 
sweet." 

"A regular weekend when everyone else has 

weekends? How did you swing that?" As difficult as his 

Where You Least Expect It - 26 

job could be sometimes, Matt was glad for the fairly 
predictable routine. 

Christian tilted his head, looking thoughtful. "My 

innate charm?" 

Matt laughed, feeling lighter than he had all day. 

"You want a lift home?" The words were out before he 
even realized he'd thought them. 

"That would be awesome! I mean, are you sure it's 

not a big deal? I hate to inconvenience you." 

"Well, we're going the same way and I don't mind the 

company, so nope, not a big deal." 

"Excellent! You can just drop me off downtown, 

though. I need to grab some food before heading home." 

Matt nodded; downtown was even easier. "Sounds 

good; just let me know where." 

Matt helped Christian put the bike in the back of the 

truck and they headed out through the leaf-strewn 
streets. Fall had finally arrived -- with a vengeance. The 
temperature had dropped, the winds had picked up 
steadily, and the trees had shed most of their leaves in a 
few days. 

"God, I love this weather, don't you? It's so crisp and 

the leaves are so pretty. Much better than winter. Fall 
always feels so charged, and those days when it's still 
warm are the best. I mean, look at the way the sunset 
reflects off the yellow in those leaves; isn't it gorgeous? 
Although I'd love to do the whole touristy thing in 
Vermont where the leaves actually turn colors instead of 
just going from green to yellow to dead." 

Matt glanced over and watched Christian stare out 

the window. He was reluctant to admit his own 
utilitarian approach. "I don't pay that much attention to 
the weather beyond how I should dress. Although I 
guess I prefer spring and summer, once it's warmed up 
and I don't have to carry a coat or worry about the rain 

Where You Least Expect It - 27 

as much." 

Christian fidgeted in his seat, something of a feat 

given the restraint of the seatbelt. "Oh, I like all the 
seasons; they all have their own special things, you 
know? Fresh snow in the winter, watching the flowers 
and trees bloom in spring, really long summer nights, 
even if they are chilly." 

Matt thought about that for a minute. "I guess I never 

really considered it that way. I was trained to be aware 
of my surroundings and to consider how conditions can 
affect things like transportation. When I was a kid, I 
liked summer the best and thought snow was cool if 
school got canceled." He shrugged. "Weird, huh? Maybe 
that's why people think I'm sullen." He didn't realize he'd 
said the last part out loud until Christian spoke again. 

"Well, I certainly don't think it makes you defective if 

you don't have a favorite season. I mean, it is just 
weather, after all. I'm probably a little bit of a freak, 
anyway." 

"Nah, it just makes you interesting." And Matt meant 

it; one of the things that drew him to Christian in spite of 
the lack of obvious commonalities was Christian's 
enthusiasm and curiosity. Like Sam and Alison, 
Christian had a way of getting past Matt's shell and 
wasn't put off by his gruff exterior. 

"So, how was the rest of your day?" Christian asked. 

"Oh, I love this song. Can I turn the radio up?" 

Christian liked Judas Priest? "Sure." Matt tried to 

hide his amusement. 

"Just because I have Lady Gaga as my ring tone 

doesn't mean I can't like Priest, too," Christian informed 
him. 

Matt laughed at the haughty expression on Christian's 

face. "Okay, okay. It was just unexpected." 

Christian settled back in his seat. "After six months 

Where You Least Expect It - 28 

with a roommate who listened to nothing but metal, 
some of it grew on me. I played a lot of techno to drive 
him crazy." 

"A music war, huh?" Matt glanced over at Christian 

as he drove into downtown proper. "Where do you want 
me to take you?" 

Christian shifted in his seat again. "You can just drop 

me off on Main near the Thai place. I can lock my bike 
up while I eat." 

"You got it." 
Matt found a spot a couple of doors away from the 

restaurant and pulled in smoothly. "You want help with 
your bike?" 

Christian shook his head and unbuckled his seatbelt. 

"I can get it." He put his hand on the door handle and 
hesitated. "Um. Do you have plans? Do you want to 
maybe grab some dinner? Unless you hate Thai food. Or 
we could get something else. Unless you think it's weird 
to have dinner with me." Christian paused briefly before 
continuing. "Am I babbling? I tend to babble when I'm 
nervous." 

Matt was sure his surprise showed on his face. "I 

actually don't have plans and I love Thai." 

"Really? Cool." Christian started to open the door but 

turned back toward Matt again. "You don't think I'm 
some kind of crazy stalker, do you?" 

Matt laughed. "No. Besides, I think I can handle 

myself. Army, remember?" 

Christian's face flushed. "Right. Army." Christian 

jumped out of the truck and headed into the restaurant. 

They were seated quickly and ordered drinks. 

Christian picked up his menu, chewing on his lower lip 
as he read. 

Matt opened his menu as well; he knew what he was 

ordering, but he needed something to focus on. "Do you 

Where You Least Expect It - 29 

want to split an appetizer?" he asked. 

Christian glanced up at him. "Okay. Like what?" 
This Matt could do; he could talk about menu items 

and debate appetizers without feeling awkward and 
having to search for words. Luckily, he and Christian 
shared similar tastes, which made it easy to decide. 

After the server took their orders and left their drinks, 

they looked at each other for a minute. 

"So--" They both started at once and laughed. 

Christian looked embarrassed. 

"Go ahead," Matt said. 
"Oh. Um, okay. What was the last movie you saw?" 

It seemed like Christian felt a little awkward as well. 
Matt took a drink of his beer, relaxing, and answering 
Christian's question. 

Once they got started, they were able to keep the 

conversation going without much difficulty. They 
covered their favorite movies, books they had read 
recently -- Christian's were mostly for school, Matt's 
were bestseller thrillers, they both liked action and 
horror movies. 

Somewhere during the course of their dinner, one of 

their early conversations flashed into Matt's head. "I'd 
lose my gay card if I couldn't make a Cosmo." The fact 
that Christian was openly gay hadn't been more than a 
basic piece of information until now. Matt found himself 
wondering if Christian was getting the wrong 
impression. It was obvious that Matt was straight, wasn't 
it? 

"Matt? What's wrong?" Christian broke into his 

thoughts. 

Matt shook his head. "Um, nothing. Just thinking 

about work," he lied. There was no way Christian could 
have the impression that Matt was interested in anything 
beyond friendship. "I'm sorry, I missed what you said." 

Where You Least Expect It - 30 

Christian looked mildly concerned but thankfully 

didn't pursue Matt's distraction. The rest of the dinner 
passed with relative ease, although with a bit more 
conscious effort on Matt's part. He tried to hide his 
discomfort behind eating and left as quickly as possible 
without being rude. 

Christian was a nice enough guy and Matt enjoyed 

the company, but what did they have in common, really? 
Matt was better off sticking to his usual routine. 

*** 

Matt jerked awake, covered in sweat and still trying 

to get away from the images in his dream. It was early --
too early for a Saturday -- but he knew from experience 
he was unlikely to get back to sleep. This was the first 
time the nightmares had returned in over a year. He 
swore at himself for not managing his stress better and 
got up to take a shower. 

The hot water helped to relax him and wash away the 

memories of IEDs exploding and the sounds of grown 
men screaming in agony. His conscious mind could still 
clearly remember all the details from that day, details he 
didn't even realize he'd noticed at the time. He hadn't 
been close enough to be injured himself, but he'd been 
part of the response and cleanup. 

By the time the water ran cold, the images had faded 

but he was still feeling unsettled and unsure of the 
dream's cause. Stress from work had never been a 
trigger, which left his personal life. Matt had been too 
busy to do much of anything lately; Sam had even taken 
a break from the endless quest to get Matt laid. Sure, 
dinner with Christian was out of the ordinary, but it was 
just dinner. 

Matt tossed his towel in the hamper and decided to 

Where You Least Expect It - 31 

see if this was one of the rare times when sleep wouldn't 
elude him. The nightmare was obviously a fluke. 

Where You Least Expect It - 32 

Chapter Four 

That night found Matt at another one of those too-

loud, too-many-people-he-didn't-know parties that Sam 
always had lined up. Matt had been so busy lately, he 
was actually looking forward to getting out of the house 
for a change. Besides, it was Halloween weekend and 
even Matt wasn't boring enough to stay home. 

They arrived together, albeit in separate cars, sparing 

Matt the initial moments of awkwardness as he tried to 
find a familiar face in a crowd; there were several 
people in costumes and some in standard jeans and T-
shirt attire. He used Sam as a shield as they made their 
way through the crowd to the beer. Matt was relieved to 
see he recognized several people and wouldn't have to 
rely solely on Sam, who would inevitably wander off. 

They took up a place near the drinks and chatted with 

various people who came for refills. As usual, Sam did 
most of the chatting while Matt tried to remind himself 
to relax. At least he no longer stood in the "at ease" 
position the Army had drilled into him. 

Matt noticed Mindy and Sara across the room at the 

same time Sam did, if the elbow in Matt's ribs was any 
indication. 

"There's Mindy," Sam practically yelled in Matt's ear 

to be heard over the music. 

"I see that," Matt shouted back. He knew what was 

coming next. 

"You should go talk to her." Sam nudged Matt's arm. 
"Why?" 
"Because she liked you." Matt was about to ask how 

Sam could possibly know that when Sam continued, 
"Sara told me when we had dinner. Come on, she's 
nice." 

Where You Least Expect It - 33 

Matt opted for a deflection. "When did you have 

dinner with Sara?" 

The look Sam gave him let Matt know his attempt to 

change the subject didn't pass unnoticed. Matt knew he'd 
never be able to explain his aversion to one-night stands 
to Sam. While Sam was happy to find a pretty face to 
pass a few hours with, Matt wanted someone he could 
be friends with. 

Matt turned to grab another beer and promptly 

collided with another person. "Sorry," he started to 
apologize but was interrupted. 

"Hey! Watch it -- oh, it's you," Christian said. 
He was dressed in tight jeans with strategically 

placed holes and a worn concert T-shirt; Matt didn't 
recognize the band name. His blond hair was spiked 
more than it was during the week and Matt thought 
Christian wore a hint of eyeliner. 

Matt felt off balance. He was glad he hadn't pissed 

off a stranger, but he was uncomfortable given how he'd 
acted the last time he'd seen Christian. What kind of 
impression was he giving people, spending so much 
time with the younger man? 

Christian smiled brightly, seemingly oblivious to 

Matt's discomfort. "I see Sam hasn't deserted you yet." 

"No. Not so far, anyway." Matt tried to think of 

something else to say but came up blank. Just because 
he was straight and Christian was gay was no reason 
they couldn't have a casual conversation at a party, he 
told himself. It was ridiculous to think that everyone 
would start assuming Matt was gay just based on whom 
he talked to. 

Sam's voice startled Matt. "Hey, I don't desert him. I 

just get sidetracked. Besides, it's not like I don't do my 
part to keep him entertained." 

Matt snorted. "You have bizarre sense of what I find 

Where You Least Expect It - 34 

entertaining." 

"You just need to relax, man." It was a common 

refrain from Sam. 

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Is that what they're calling 

it now?" 

Christian laughed. "You know, Sam, not every party 

has to be a meat market." 

"What? Meat market?" Sam feigned offense. "You 

make it sound so crass. Group gatherings are part of the 
traditional mating process. In fact --" 

Matt cut him off. "Oh, no. No lectures on mating 

rituals. I can watch that shit on the Discovery Channel, 
which is probably where you heard that, anyway." 

"Okay, man. Your loss." Sam turned to Christian. 

"How's life in the coffee shop? Is he as much of a pain 
in the ass as a customer?" Sam jerked his head toward 
Matt. 

Christian shrugged. "It's a job. And he's not too bad." 
Christian and Sam proceeded to talk as if they knew 

each other well. He remembered Christian mentioning 
meeting Sam before, but there was still something 
mildly unsettling about it. 

A familiar laugh caught Matt's attention and he 

realized Alison was here, as well. It was almost too 
weird for Matt. Alison had already made it clear how 
novel Matt making new friends was; how would she 
react if she realized his new friend was not only 
younger, but gay and out? He didn't have much time to 
think about it before Alison made her way over to him. 

"And I thought you were going to be a homebody all 

weekend," she teased, leaning against the counter next to 
Matt. 

Matt took a swallow of his beer. "Sam can be 

persuasive." 

"I see, that's your way of saying 'Sam nagged me to 

Where You Least Expect It - 35 

come to another party.'" Alison pushed her auburn hair 
behind her ear, her normally conservative style replaced 
with a more relaxed, mussed look. 

"You know, I'm not nearly as grouchy as the two of 

you make me sound." He didn't give her the chance to 
contradict him. "So, how was your date?" 

"Ugh," Alison said with a mild shudder. "Sometimes 

I wonder what people are thinking." 

"This wasn't another guy from some dating website, 

was it? Seriously, Al, when are you going to give up on 
those?" Matt knew finding people to date was difficult --
for everyone except Sam -- but finding dates on the 
Internet seemed too sketchy. 

"Yes, it was a guy from a dating website. And don't 

be so damn skeptical. I mean, look around this room." 
She gestured with her glass; one of these days, she was 
going to douse someone. "These options aren't much 
better." 

"Yeah, but at least you've seen these people before." 

He held up a hand when Alison started to protest. "And 
a few emails and IM conversations don't count. You 
have no idea what kind of freaks you might meet." 

"Thank you, Dad. I'll be sure to run a full background 

check next time." She finished her drink. "Where's 
Sam?" 

Matt looked around and realized Christian had moved 

to another group that Matt didn't recognize and Sam was 
nowhere to be seen. 

He shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. At 

least I have my own car." 

"He's such a player. I can't believe I dated him, even 

if we were only sixteen. Come on, mingle with me." 
Alison tugged on his sleeve and pulled him into the 
party. 

By the time Sam turned up, Matt was getting ready to 

Where You Least Expect It - 36 

leave. 

"Dude, it's not even twelve-thirty!" Sam had a 

reputation for being one of the last guests to leave a 
party and always wanted Matt along with him, 
something that hadn't changed in ten years. 

"I know, I know, but I had a shitty week and I really 

need to get some sleep." It was true enough, and last 
night's broken sleep didn't help matters. "Call me 
tomorrow and we can watch the game." 

Sam was about to say something else when Alison 

walked up and handed Matt his coat. 

Matt caught Sam's raised eyebrow and clear look of 

interest. "We are not leaving together." 

Sam laughed at him. "Man, you are so paranoid. I 

was just going to say hi to Alison." 

"Hi, Sam." Alison kissed his cheek. "Bye, Sam." 
Once out the front door, they were immediately hit 

by a cold wind. Alison wrapped her coat tighter and 
Matt wished he had worn something warmer. At least it 
wasn't raining yet. 

"Where are you parked?" 
"I'm right there, actually, so don't worry about being 

chivalrous." She winked. 

"I just wanted to know if we were walking in the 

same direction. I'll see you on Monday." 

"Sadly, yes." Opening the car door, Alison pointed 

behind Matt. "It looks like our barista could use a ride." 

Matt turned around to see Christian walking out of 

the alley with his bike. "Man, I can't imagine having a 
bike as my only transportation." He waved good-bye to 
Alison and walked over to Christian. 

Apparently, Matt's good Samaritan was back. "Are 

you okay to ride that thing?" 

Christian looked up from struggling with his helmet 

straps and frowned. "Are you asking if I'm too drunk to 

Where You Least Expect It - 37 

ride my bike?" 

"I'm offering to drive you home." Matt tried to sound 

friendly, but he thought he might have sounded 
inexplicably annoyed. 

"I'm fine." Christian's words were slightly slurred. 
Matt knew Christian might think he was fine -- might 

even be fine for the moment -- but Matt didn't think 
Christian could make it all the way back to his 
apartment. "Let me drive you home. You can't ride your 
bike like this." 

"Nah, I'm fine." Christian shook his head and 

staggered slightly. 

Matt placed a hand on the bike's handlebars. "You 

can barely stand. Besides, it's freezing and the ride will 
just make you colder." Matt cut off Christian's protest. 
"Come on. My truck's warmer and safer. And I'm 
sober." 

Christian finally nodded his assent and Matt grabbed 

the bike by the bar, carrying it with one hand while 
keeping an eye on Christian. He was parked close and 
Christian tagged along silently. Matt loaded the bike 
easily before opening the passenger door. 

Alison honked and waved as she drove past. 
"Do you like her?" Christian asked suddenly, one 

foot on the running board and half in the passenger seat. 

"What?" 
"That woman. Alison. Do you like her?" 
Matt frowned, confused. Christian must have known 

he and Alison were friends. "Sure. We've been friends 
for a long time." 

"No, I mean, do you like her, like her? Are you 

sleeping with her?" 

Matt's jaw clenched. "No. Not that it's any of your 

business. Get in the truck, Christian." 

Christian looked at him for another minute before 

Where You Least Expect It - 38 

settling in the passenger seat and allowing Matt to close 
the door. 

Christian was fumbling with the seatbelt when Matt 

got in but brushed off Matt's attempt to help. "I can get 
it." 

Matt sighed, frustration leaking out as he grabbed the 

strap. "Just let me help." When he looked up from 
clicking the belt in place, Christian's face was inches 
from his. Caught for a second, Matt stayed where he 
was, returning Christian's gaze. 

"I like you," Christian said suddenly, softly. 
Matt blinked. "What?" 
"I like you." Christian repeated. Matt felt Christian's 

hand on his thigh, fingers just barely touching him. "A 
lot." 

Matt was frozen, unable to pull back and unable to 

form the words to ask Christian what the hell he was 
doing. 

Christian leaned forward, eyes still locked with 

Matt's until he was a breath away from Matt's lips. Matt 
saw Christian shut his eyes, watched him close the scant 
inch still between them, watched as Christian touched 
his surprisingly warm lips to Matt's. 

The shock holding Matt still wore off almost 

instantly and he jerked back, defenses kicking in. "What 
the fuck?" 

Christian tried to follow Matt across the console but 

was caught by the seatbelt. "What's wrong?" Christian 
looked genuinely confused and Matt realized he was 
probably too drunk to reason with. 

"Just..." Matt was at a loss, more surprised than 

angry. He put a hand on Christian's shoulder and pushed 
the other man firmly back into the passenger seat. 
"Look. I'm straight. You're really drunk and you need to 
stop. I'm driving you home now." 

Where You Least Expect It - 39 

Christian was silent on the ride home, presumably 

either too drunk or too embarrassed to say anything. It 
was a marked contrast to Christian's usual up-beat 
personality and Matt found himself missing the 
talkativeness. 

Matt didn't bother to look for a parking spot on the 

street, instead pulling into Christian's parking lot. The 
shorter distance Christian had to walk, the better. 

He shut the engine off and turned to see Christian 

fumbling with the seatbelt again. Matt rolled his eyes; at 
least getting it off should be easier than getting it on and 
he was glad he didn't have to help again. 

Matt got out and made sure he was there to help in 

case Christian fell out of the truck. The guy might be 
pissing him off, but he didn't want to see Christian get 
hurt and he certainly didn't want to have to deal with an 
emergency room visit with a drunk college student. 

Christian jumped down and leaned against Matt. At 

first, Matt thought it was just for the support, but when 
Christian looked up at him, Matt knew Christian had 
other things in mind. 

"Are you going to take me upstairs?" Matt had an 

idea that Christian was trying to sound seductive, but 
wasn't sure it would have come across that way even to 
a receptive audience. 

"I'll walk you to your apartment." He tried to sound 

firm, but his voice was suddenly husky. "I need to get 
your bike." 

Christian grinned at him and Matt moved quickly to 

get the bike out of the back, leaving Christian leaning 
against the side of the truck for support. Once he had the 
bike in hand, he motioned Christian toward the stairs. 
Christian pushed away from the truck with a bit too 
much force and stumbled against Matt. Matt's bulk kept 
them upright; he swore under his breath as he grabbed 

Where You Least Expect It - 40 

Christian around the waist and tried to balance the bike 
at the same time. 

"Ooh, I love when you talk dirty." 
Matt almost laughed, his earlier annoyance replaced 

by the absurdity of the situation. "Come on, kid. Let's 
get you inside before you pass out and I have to carry 
you." 

"Carry me!" Christian tried to throw himself at Matt. 
"God damn it, walk! I can't carry you and the bike 

and I'm not making two trips." Matt used the voice he 
used to motivate his team in the Army and found that it 
seemed to work almost as well on Christian as the 
younger man moved quickly up the stairs. Standing in 
front of Christian's apartment door, Matt put the bike 
down and waited as Christian unlocked and opened the 
door with a dramatic flourish. 

Christian crossed the living room and flopped down 

on the couch. "My hero." 

Matt sighed again, standing the bike out of the way. 

Christian could deal with it in the morning. "Are you 
going to be okay? You should drink some water before 
you pass out." 

"'M good. What 'bout you?" Christian's speech was 

becoming even more slurred. 

"I'm fine. Unlike you, I can hold my alcohol. I'll get 

you a glass of water." Matt searched through the kitchen 
cabinets until he found a glass. 

"I can hold my alcohol. Just didn't want to." Christian 

sounded petulant. 

When Matt came back from the kitchen area, he 

found Christian actually pouting. "Drink this." Matt held 
out the glass, but Christian didn't move. "Christian. 
Drink the water so I can go home." 

Christian reached for the glass and started sipping, 

then suddenly downed the whole thing at once. "Um, 

Where You Least Expect It - 41 

good." He wiped his chin. "Can I have some more?" 

Matt took the glass and went back to the kitchen. 

"Jesus, are you always a high-maintenance drunk?" 

"I'm not high maintenance!" Christian protested, 

taking the second glass of water out of Matt's hand. "Just 
thirsty." 

Matt laughed. "Okay, fine. You're not high 

maintenance. Look, are you going to be okay once I 
leave? Do you have roommates or anything?" 

Christian looked confused and frowned. "Um. Yeah. 

He's not around." 

"Will you be okay if I leave you alone? Christian?" 

Matt was failing at being patient, but he was pretty sure 
Christian didn't notice. 

"You could stay." Christian looked up at him finally. 

"I'd like it if you stayed." 

Matt suddenly knew that Christian wasn't talking 

about keeping vigil so that he didn't hurt himself in his 
drunken state. 

"I don't think so. You'll be fine. Go to sleep." Matt 

kept his voice firm. 

Matt stood there looking down at Christian, close 

enough that Christian reached out and put his hands on 
Matt's thighs. 

"Don't go. You liked it when I kissed you." 

Christian's thumbs rubbed along the inner seam of 
Matt's jeans, slowly moving higher. 

"Christian, stop." Matt's voice sounded strained even 

to his own ears. 

Christian's hands slid higher as he leaned forward and 

ran his mouth over Matt's crotch, the move incredibly 
erotic in spite of the circumstances. 

Matt could feel the heat from Christian's breath 

through the material of his jeans and boxers. He gasped 
when Christian mouthed the head of his cock, hands 

Where You Least Expect It - 42 

continuing to move over Matt's hips and thighs. 

Christian moaned softly and the sound made Matt 

even harder than the feel of Christian's mouth. 

"I don't want to stop," Christian muttered, continuing 

to nuzzle at Matt as he moved his hands around to Matt's 
ass. "God, you're so hot, Matt. Wanted to do this the first 
time you drove me home. Want to suck your cock." 
Christian looked up at Matt, eyes hot, as Christian's 
restless hands moved to the waistband of Matt's jeans to 
tug the button open. 

Matt stared down as if mesmerized. Never in his life 

had he imagined this, yet his balls were tight and his 
cock was hard, pressing against his zipper, throbbing in 
time with his pulse. Christian's hands felt good, strong 
on his body. Matt felt lightheaded, dizzy. Christian 
looked wanton, lips slightly parted and so, so close to 
Matt's dick. Matt groaned as the tip of Christian's tongue 
peeked out, suddenly imagining what Christian's mouth 
would feel like. 

"Going to make you feel good, Matt." Christian's 

hand moved from Matt's now-open button to his zipper, 
brushing against Matt's length. Matt groaned again and 
thrust his hips involuntarily, pushing himself into 
Christian's hand. 

Christian grinned and pressed harder. "Oh, you like 

that, don't you?" He rubbed his palm against Matt before 
moving back to the zipper. 

A noise outside and the sound of a key in the lock 

brought Matt back to his senses. He jumped away from 
Christian and refastened his pants. 

The door opened to admit a guy around Christian's 

age who Matt assumed was the roommate. 

"You're home. I thought you were gone this 

weekend." To Matt's ears, Christian's words sounded 
accusatory and he felt his palms start to sweat at the 

Where You Least Expect It - 43 

possibility that they'd been caught. The roommate didn't 
even look at him, however. 

"Nah, we decided to wait 'til next weekend." He 

tossed his keys on the counter and headed into one of 
the bedrooms without further comment. 

Christian blinked up at Matt and started to say 

something. 

"I've got to go." Matt cut off whatever Christian was 

about to say. Ignoring the ache in his balls and cursing 
himself for thinking with his dick, he fled as fast as he 
could from the apartment and back to his truck. 

Once home, Matt shed his clothes and crawled into 

bed, determined to forget about what had just happened. 
Almost happened, he reminded himself. Nothing had 
happened. 

Sleep proved elusive. Matt was usually good at 

making his mind go completely blank, a trick that had 
come in handy during his Army years; it allowed him to 
focus and keep himself and his unit safe. There had been 
plenty of times when he'd had to push his own fear aside 
to make snap decisions without thinking about all the 
different "what-ifs." He'd learned to quiet his thoughts 
and forget about his personal concerns. 

It wasn't working this time. As hard as he tried to 

clear his thoughts, they kept coming back to Christian 
and how far Matt would have let things go. He knew 
some guys experimented but still married women, but he 
didn't know if that meant they really weren't gay or if 
they were closeted, and fuck, Matt wasn't going to spend 
the night thinking about what made people gay. He 
really didn't give a shit. He was straight and not attracted 
to Christian. 

Matt got up, grabbed a pair of sweats and headed to 

the fridge for a beer. If he couldn't sleep, he could find a 
better way to waste time. 

Where You Least Expect It - 44 

He flipped channels for a while, watched part of a 

show on the History Channel, which he changed as soon 
as the narrator started talking about the homosexuality 
of some random Roman emperor. 

Which brought his mind back to the image of 

Christian opening his pants. He had finally managed to 
distract himself, and now he was thinking about it again, 
thinking about it enough that his cock was hard. 

Matt ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. 

Maybe if he jerked off, it would stop replaying in his 
head. He grabbed another beer and rifled through his 
porn stash for something to watch. Maybe Sam was 
right; maybe he needed to get laid. 

*** 

Matt woke Wednesday morning in a cold sweat, heart 

pounding, breath coming in rough gasps. As usual, he 
didn't remember much about the dream other than vague 
images, the sounds of gun fire, and the sense of being 
unable to move fast enough as sand pulled him down. 
He could hear people shouting, some screaming in pain, 
but he couldn't get to them. 

Matt's stomach clenched at the combination of the 

dream paralysis and the clear-as-day memories. He 
knew if that had ever happened in real life, people might 
have died. 

This was the third night in a row. The nightmares 

hadn't come this frequently since Matt had first 
separated from the Army and was still learning to 
manage his stress and settle into a new routine. 

He was exhausted. Sam came over to watch the game 

on Sunday and they had stayed up too late drinking. 
Matt's dreams kept him from catching up on his sleep as 
it became obvious that trying to pass them off as a fluke 

Where You Least Expect It - 45 

wasn't working. He was going to have to deal with them 
sooner rather than later. 

It was late enough -- early enough? -- that the 

breakfast place would be open by the time Matt was 
showered and dressed. He would get something to eat 
and head into work early. He had enough to do between 
his current projects and new regulatory changes that it 
wouldn't raise too many eyebrows. 

*** 

Christian's hand moved from the button on Matt's 

jeans to the zipper, palm rubbing against the bulge and 
making Matt groan. "Going to make you feel good," 
Christian said. 

Christian looked up at Matt through heavy-lidded 

eyes, lips slightly parted. He lowered Matt's zipper 
slowly, eyes dilating as Matt's breath came faster. 

Christian moved his other hand from Matt's ass, 

lowering his eyes so that he could watch as he opened 
Matt's jeans. 

Matt's cock was throbbing and he could see the damp 

spot forming on his boxers. Christian groaned and 
pushed Matt's pants off his hips, mouth teasing Matt's 
cock and hands running up and down Matt's thighs. 

Christian reached into the waistband of Matt's boxers 

and slowly pulled them down, freeing Matt's aching 
erection. The sound of his own breathing was loud in 
Matt's ears, matched by Christian's. 

Matt moaned at the feel of Christian's tongue licking 

a trail of wet heat up the length of Matt's cock. Christian 
swirled his tongue over the head before slowly moving 
down. 

Matt watched Christian's lips stretch and cheeks 

hollow as Christian sucked. Christian's hands moved 

Where You Least Expect It - 46 

randomly across Matt's ass, hips, balls. Matt couldn't 
remember the last time he had felt anything this good. 

His breath was coming in a series of gasps and 

moans. He tangled his hands in Christian's short hair, 
keeping Christian's head in place as he started thrusting 
into Christian's mouth. 

Christian moaned and opened further, taking Matt in 

deep. Matt could feel the moan vibrate along his shaft 
and felt himself getting closer. 

Christian held him by the hips now, guiding his 

movements. Christian swallowed and Matt felt his balls 
pull tight, felt his orgasm tear through him as he shot 
down Christian's throat. Christian kept swallowing as 
Matt shouted. 

Matt woke up thrusting against the sheets, cock still 

rock hard, the image of Christian's mouth on him almost 
unbearable. He was so fucking close. 

He reached down with one hand and grabbed his 

cock, squeezing hard and jerking, while cupping his 
balls with the other hand. The dream was fresh enough 
that he could feel Christian's mouth, feel the sucking as 
he shot, come spilling across his hand. 

Matt lay there panting, realizing that it had been ages 

since he'd come so fast or so hard. He thought about the 
dream, feeling hot again. 

Jesus, he needed to get laid. 

*** 

Matt felt refreshed for the first time all week. As 

many wet dreams as he'd had in his life -- and he'd had 
plenty -- they had never been that detailed. 

Or about another guy. 
He couldn't get the image of Christian sucking him 

off out of his head. Every time he thought about it, he 

Where You Least Expect It - 47 

felt a corresponding twitch in his cock. By the end of the 
day, he was starting to get sore and frustrated. 

Walking by the coffee shop toward his truck, he 

caught a brief glimpse of Christian laughing with one of 
his coworkers. It was enough to make him hard, forcing 
him to hurry to the truck before he embarrassed himself. 

Stop thinking about it. It's just a coincidence. It 

doesn't mean anything. What was wrong with him that 
he was getting turned on by another guy? Matt forced 
the thoughts down, refusing to think about what it might 
mean for his sexuality and the image of himself he'd had 
for years. 

Matt managed to ignore his cock until after dinner. 

Once his body realized there was nothing else to claim 
Matt's attention, it started making demands, cock rising 
to tent the front of his pajama pants. He flipped channels 
for a bit, idly stroking himself before finding something 
more adult to watch. He hated the stereotypical image of 
the single guy sitting at home alone jerking off to porn, 
but he enjoyed it anyway. Porn may be fake, but it was 
better than picking up random women in bars. 

He liked to watch from the beginning, letting the 

anticipation build. He was still hard and could feel the 
tightness in his balls as he rubbed the fabric of his 
flannel pants lightly across his inner thigh. When the 
actress took off her shirt, Matt moved his hand closer to 
his balls. 

Matt found his gaze caught by the actor's body. Matt 

slid his pants down and reached for the hand lotion 
stashed in the side table. He stroked himself slowly as 
he watched the actress' hands slide over the man's chest 
and shoulders, watched their tongues as they kissed. 

He moved his free hand under his shirt and 

unconsciously mimicked the path that the actress' hands 
were taking over pecs and nipples. Pinching his own 

Where You Least Expect It - 48 

nipple made him moan and slide farther down on the 
couch, legs spreading. 

Matt watched as she went down on the actor, 

fascinated by the sight of his waxed groin area, 
wondered how smooth it was. Matt wanted to see him 
shoot, but he knew it was too soon. 

The male actor was moaning and encouraging the 

woman as she sucked him off. The sounds -- moaning, 
sighing, heavy breathing -- always went straight to 
Matt's cock. 

The scene changed suddenly to show the woman on 

her back with the actor standing over her, thrusting his 
hard cock into her. 

Matt felt himself getting closer. His hips rocked, 

pushing his shaft through his fist. He tightened his grip 
slightly and increased his pace, moaning as his orgasm 
tore through him. 

As his breathing returned to normal and he refocused 

on his surroundings, the scene on the television had 
changed again. Matt watched a few more minutes as the 
actor changed positions several times. Once his own 
need had passed, however, Matt started to feel like too 
much of a voyeur and turned the movie off. 

His sleep was dreamless that night. 

Where You Least Expect It - 49 

Chapter Five 

The dreamlessness didn't last. The nightmares 

returned the next night, the sex dreams involving 
Christian a few nights later. Sometimes, Matt was lucky 
enough to get almost an entire night's sleep, but often he 
woke much earlier. 

After almost two weeks, the lack of sleep was 

beginning to take its toll. He was able to stay focused 
enough that his work didn't suffer, but he found himself 
snapping at Alison about things out of her control. It 
frustrated him that he took his moodiness out on his 
friend but he convinced himself that a good night's sleep 
would go a long way toward fixing things. He was 
looking forward to relaxing during next week's 
Thanksgiving break. 

Matt's cell phone rang as he was leaving work Friday; 

he wasn't surprised to see Sam's number and flipped the 
phone open. 

"What?" 
"Jesus, you're cranky." Sam sounded only mildly 

annoyed. "What the fuck's your problem?" 

"Nothing. Sorry." Matt scrubbed a hand across his 

eyes and tried to shake off his bad mood. "What's up?" 

"What are you doing tonight?" 
Fuck, Matt was too tired to deal with one of Sam's 

parties. "I'm going home and watching a movie." 

"Come down to Riley's." Riley's was their local pub, 

a place that had been around for ages and tended to 
attract a mix of young professionals and some of the 
older college crowd. 

It was a better suggestion than a party, but Matt 

begged off anyway. "Not tonight, man. I'm too tired." 
Matt waited for Sam's usual good-natured protest. 

Where You Least Expect It - 50 

Sam was silent for a moment. "Yeah, okay. I'll call 

you tomorrow." 

Matt closed the phone when Sam ended the call, 

surprised to be let off so easily. Maybe his bad attitude 
was finally taking its toll on their friendship. It was just 
one more thing Matt didn't want to deal with right now. 

Later that evening, Matt was loading his dishwasher 

when the door buzzer sounded. He knew it was Sam. 
Resigned to having to argue further, Matt clicked on the 
intercom. 

"Yeah?" 
"Hey, it's me. Can I come up?" Sam's voice echoed 

through the tinny speaker. 

"Sure." Matt buzzed him in and made sure the 

apartment door was unlocked. 

Sam walked in a minute later. "Hey, man. I would 

have used my key, but I wanted to make sure it was cool 
to come up." 

Matt was going to argue, tell Sam he was too tired to 

be social, but shrugged instead. "Sure." 

Sam frowned but didn't say anything. He pulled a six 

pack out of the bag he was carrying, took two bottles 
out, and put the rest in the fridge. He handed Matt an 
open bottle and walked into the living room. 

"What are we watching?" Sam dropped down onto 

the couch and propped his feet up. 

"I hadn't decided yet." Matt left his bottle on the 

coffee table and crouched down to rifle through his 
DVD collection. "Any preferences?" 

Sam shrugged. "Dunno. Comedy? Action? Romantic 

Comedy?" 

Matt flipped him off at the suggestion of romantic 

comedy. "You know the rule -- no chick flicks. 
Comedy." 

They argued good naturedly for a bit before deciding 

Where You Least Expect It - 51 

to watch Caddyshack for the millionth time. They could 
both recite it verbatim, but that was part of the fun. 

Once the movie was over and the six pack almost 

finished, Sam brought up the very subject Matt had been 
hoping to avoid. "So, tell me what's going on." The way 
Sam said it, Matt knew it wasn't a casual question, but 
decided to dodge the question. 

"I've just been busy at work. That project I've been 

working on with Alison is taking up a lot of time." It 
wasn't a lie by any means, just not the whole truth. He 
knew Sam meant well, but Matt wasn't ready to talk; he 
was too conflicted over his reaction to Christian and all 
of the questions it was forcing Matt to ask. He'd never 
thought of himself as anything other than heterosexual; 
he'd never allowed himself the opportunity to consider 
an alternative. 

"God damn it Matt, I've known you since you were, 

what? Fifteen years old? You're having nightmares 
again, aren't you?" 

Matt's first instinct was to deny it, but this was Sam, 

the one person who'd seen him through pretty much 
everything. But he sure as hell wasn't going to mention 
the other dreams. "Yeah. I am. They started a couple of 
weeks ago. It's not a big deal." 

Sam's expression turned from angry to concerned. 

"Are you talking to anyone?" 

Matt raised his eyebrow. "You mean other than you?" 
Sam threw his hands up, obviously frustrated with 

Matt's response. "Yes, other than me. You know, a 
professional?" 

Of course, Matt knew what Sam meant and he also 

knew Sam was overreacting. He didn't blame Sam; with 
so much misinformation and sensationalist Hollywood 
depictions of veterans, Matt was accustomed to having 
to clear up misconceptions even among those closest to 

Where You Least Expect It - 52 

him. "No. You know I went through all the assessments 
already. It's a reaction to stress; it doesn't mean I'm 
going to go all Rambo." 

"Yeah, I know. I also know that you had a shitty year 

when you first got back and I don't want you to go 
through that again. What do you think caused them to 
come back?" 

Matt shrugged. Admitting he was confused by his 

attraction to another man wasn't an option. 

Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I, uh, I did 

some research." He looked sheepish. "I'm worried about 
you." 

"Oh, hell, Sam. Tell me you're not reading crazy 

blogs; you know half of those people don't know what 
they're talking about and the rest have an agenda. I'm not 
going to do anything dangerous or stupid. I didn't last 
time, either, and that was worse. And I've been through 
the coaching on how to manage stress." 

"I know, Matty." Sam took a drink of his beer. "Shit, 

it just worries me and I can't do anything about it. And I 
know you hate talking about it, but you know trying to 
bury it just makes it worse." 

Matt grudgingly acknowledged that Sam had a point. 

"I'm not trying to bury it, and I'm not trying to be an ass, 
Sam. I'm dealing with it." 

Sam's smile was genuine, if a bit resigned. "Okay. 

Look, you know you can call me if you need anything, 
right?" 

"Yeah, Sammy, I know." Matt couldn't stay annoyed; 

he knew Sam was just worried about him. 

"Okay. I'll lay off. What are you doing for 

Thanksgiving?" 

"Sleeping," Matt answered. "And not working." 
"Mom's having a thing. You can always come over 

for dinner." 

Where You Least Expect It - 53 

Matt was grateful for the offer, but he didn't want to 

spend the day answering Sam's family's well-meaning 
questions. "No, man, I need the vacation. Next time, 
okay?" 

"She's going to nag," Sam warned. "She hates the 

idea of you being alone on the holidays." 

"And I promise to be nice to her when she calls. Just 

bring me leftovers on Friday. And don't eat all the 
stuffing." Matt loved stuffing. 

Sam laughed. "I can make no promises, dude." 

Where You Least Expect It - 54 

Chapter Six 

Sam called on Tuesday to try one final time to 

convince Matt to join him at his parents' house on 
Thanksgiving. Matt begged off again but reminded Sam 
to bring leftovers. 

Matt hadn't been lying; he was fucking exhausted and 

planned to use the long weekend to catch up on his 
sleep. He was determined to just relax, watch movies, 
and nap. He was getting through work by drinking too 
much coffee and energy drinks. 

Luck must have been with him; there were no last-

minute fires, no database crashes, no life-or-death 
reports and he was able to leave work at a decent hour 
on Wednesday. 

He was surprised to run into Alison on the way to the 

parking lot. "I thought you were leaving early?" 

Alison made a face. "Don't remind me. I still have 

three freaking pies to make for tomorrow but got stuck 
running reports that no one will ever look at but can't 
wait for." 

Matt laughed. "Oh, I know all about that, trust me." 
Alison looked at him in mock sympathy. "Poor, 

abused IT guy." 

"Hey!" Matt feigned outrage. "Do you know how 

many hours I worked last week?" 

She shook her head, reaching back to pull out the 

pins keeping her hair back. "I don't want to know, 
because if it was fewer than I did, I'll be pissed." 

"Gee, thanks, Al. Go bake your damn pies." 
She gave him a sideways look. "I bet you say that to 

all the girls." 

"Get out of here!" They both laughed as they parted 

ways. 

Where You Least Expect It - 55 

Matt stretched before getting into his truck and 

settling behind the wheel. Four days to do absolutely 
nothing! Matt was truly looking forward to this 
weekend. 

*** 

He set his DVR to record the parade so he didn't have 

to worry about getting up on time; being able to skip the 
boring parts was also a plus. 

He slept late, dreamless -- finally. Maybe all he 

needed to do was relax and take some time off. 

He decided to make a quick trip to the store to pick 

up some deli turkey and cranberry sauce. Maybe he 
wasn't having a full Thanksgiving dinner, but he could 
have a reasonable facsimile. 

He threw on some clothes and grabbed his jacket; it 

wasn't quite raining, but who knew what it would do by 
the time he got back. 

Every time he thought about the weather, he thought 

about Christian, the dreams, and the last time they saw 
each other. Still not sure how to deal with his feelings, 
Matt had decided the best approach was to simply ignore 
them. 

Fate, apparently, had ideas of its own. 
Turning into the canned vegetable aisle, he stopped 

short. There was Christian, looking at canned cranberry 
sauce, as if Matt's thoughts had conjured the other man. 

Christian grabbed a can and stood up, eyes widening 

and face paling ever so slightly when he saw Matt. 

They stood there staring at each other for what 

seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a matter 
of seconds. 

"Hi," Matt finally managed. 
"Hi." Christian smiled, looking nervous but hopeful 

Where You Least Expect It - 56 

at the same time. 

Matt searched for something to say to break the 

tension. "So, uh, did you get stuck with the last-minute 
store run?" 

"Huh?" 
Matt motioned to the can Christian was holding. 
"Oh, this." Christian held it up and looked at it 

intently. "No. I just, well, I thought it would go well 
with my frozen dinner." 

Matt frowned. "Aren't you having Thanksgiving with 

your parents?" Matt just assumed he was the only one 
spending the holiday without family, even though 
logically he knew that wasn't true. It didn't help to make 
him feel any less alone. 

Christian looked awkward, standing there staring at a 

can of cranberry sauce, shuffling his feet and biting his 
lower lip. 

"No. I'm, well, I couldn't afford to go home and miss 

work, so I'm here by myself." He looked up suddenly, 
eyes wide. "God, tell me that didn't just sound as 
pathetic as I think it did. It's no big deal, really. And I'm 
sure you have a thing to get to, so I won't hold you up." 

Christian turned to leave, but Matt surprised himself 

by stopping him. Christian caused Matt to surprise 
himself a lot lately, Matt noted absently. 

"I don't have plans," Matt stated. 
"What? Oh, I'm... are you having a frozen turkey 

dinner, too?" That hopeful look Matt had become used 
to was back, along with some curiosity. 

"No. Turkey sandwich, actually." He held up his 

basket. "I was just picking up some cranberry sauce to 
go with it. Not that weird stuff shaped like the can, 
though." 

Christian frowned. "I like the stuff shaped like the 

can." 

Where You Least Expect It - 57 

Matt smiled. "The stuff made with real cranberries is 

better." 

Christian diligently read the label on the can of 

cranberry sauce he was holding. "This has real 
cranberries. They've just been turned into a jelly." He 
narrowed his eyes and looked at Matt closely. "Do you 
have something against jelly?" 

Matt laughed this time. "I have nothing against jelly. 

But cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving calls for better than 
just jelly." 

Christian held the can closer. "This is what my mom 

always buys. If you cut both ends off, it slides out and 
retains the shape of the can." 

"And you're okay with that?" Matt had always been 

mildly fascinated by the cranberry sauce shaped like a 
can phenomenon, but it also freaked him out. 

Christian rolled his eyes. "Hello, it's jelly." 
Matt laughed again. "Okay, I'll tell you what, I'll get a 

can of good cranberry sauce and we can compare." 

Christian cocked his head to the side. "Are you 

inviting me over for Thanksgiving frozen dinner?" 

"No, I'm inviting you over for Thanksgiving 

sandwiches." Matt hid his embarrassment by bending 
down and picking up a can of cranberry sauce made 
with whole cranberries. 

Standing up, he said, "I bet we can even find some 

instant stuffing to go with the sandwiches." 

Christian seemed to brighten. "Can we get instant 

mashed potatoes, too? It'll almost be like a real 
Thanksgiving if we do that!" 

Matt smiled, feeling suddenly light. 
Or maybe just lightheaded. 
What the hell did he just do? 
By the time they left the store, they had deli turkey, 

instant stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, a can of green 

Where You Least Expect It - 58 

beans, two kinds of cranberry sauce, a pumpkin pie, two 
kinds of whipped topping, beer, and snacks. Matt wasn't 
sure when this had turned into a real holiday, but he was 
feeling good enough about it to just be happy that he 
wouldn't be alone. 

Christian's bike was once again loaded into the back 

of Matt's truck for the short drive to Matt's condo. 

As they pulled into the parking garage, Christian 

asked, "Is there someplace I should leave my bike?" 

Matt glanced behind him. "It should be fine where it 

is, or you can bring it up if you don't want to leave it 
lying on its side." 

Christian thought for a minute, chewing on his lower 

lip again. "Is it okay if I bring it up? That way I'll have it 
when I need it and don't need to deal with the lock." 

Matt could see the logic in that. Having it handy gave 

Christian an easy escape if he wanted to leave. "Sure. It 
won't be in the way." 

They managed to carry everything up in one trip, and 

Matt hung up their coats. 

"Nice place," Christian said as he looked around the 

spacious living area. 

It had been a while since Matt had someone new 

visit. He took a look around, wondering how it appeared 
to Christian. He'd bought the place using the money he'd 
inherited from his parents' estate when he decided not to 
reenlist in the Army. The beige wall-to-wall carpeting 
was already installed and he hadn't gotten around to 
painting the white walls, although he had a stack of 
paint samples somewhere. 

Most of the furniture was new. He had sprung for the 

slightly more expensive microfiber sectional and 
matching chair in a deep blue; the sectional and coffee 
table took up most of the space in front of the 
entertainment center. The king-sized bed in his bedroom 

Where You Least Expect It - 59 

was definitely an extravagance, but after spending so 
much time in Army bunks, he wanted the extra space. 
He had kept a few things from his parents' house, 
including the bookcase and the desk he kept in the 
second bedroom and the few paintings on the living 
room walls. 

"Thanks." Matt picked up one of the grocery bags --

he'd only gone out for cranberry sauce and turkey! -- and 
gave Christian a quick tour. "It's a little bigger than I 
need, but it gives me plenty of room for the big screen 
TV and surround sound." Matt pointed to the left. "The 
master bedroom and bath are through that door," he 
pointed to the right, "and that hall on the right has a 
spare bedroom and bath. The kitchen's through here." 
The kitchen was directly to the right of the living room, 
sharing a wall where Matt indicated the second 
bedroom. 

"Thanks for inviting me over." Christian followed 

Matt into the kitchen. "I really wasn't looking forward to 
spending Thanksgiving by myself." 

"It's no problem." Matt put the last of the non-

perishable items on the counter. "I recorded the parade 
from this morning if you want to watch before we make 
dinner." 

Christian positively beamed; Matt thought he might 

have been bouncing. "You did! I don't have TV. That's 
so cool. Can we watch?" 

Matt found Christian's enthusiasm infectious. "Sure. 

Grab the chips." Matt pulled a couple of beers from the 
fridge and followed Christian to the couch. 

"I haven't seen the parade in forever," Christian said, 

taking a beer from Matt. "I love the floats." 

Matt couldn't help but smile. Christian had to be the 

most enthusiastic person he had ever met. "I like the 
balloons," he admitted. 

Where You Least Expect It - 60 

Dinner was quick and easy; instant potatoes and 

stuffing hardly took much time at all. Matt got that all 
set up while Christian laid out the sandwich fixings and 
cranberry sauce. They both laughed at the obscene 
sound the cranberry jelly made as Christian slid it out of 
the can. 

Before Matt even realized it, they were sitting on the 

couch, stuffed, watching football and waiting to digest 
enough to eat dessert. 

Christian shifted, suddenly seeming restless again. 

He fidgeted but Matt didn't have a chance to ask him 
what was wrong. 

Christian turned to face him. "I. Look, I just wanted 

to apologize for that night. It was, God, I think it's got to 
be the stupidest thing I've ever done. I'm really sorry. I 
get that you're straight and that you're not interested in 
me, and I understand if you don't want to speak to me 
ever again. But I like you. As a friend, I mean. I -- I 
heard that you stopped coming in for coffee in the 
morning, but I'm almost never there that early, and I 
won't bother you again. I'm sorry." 

Matt was a little stunned, a little taken aback. He 

hadn't been expecting an apology. He was perfectly 
content not talking about it until he figured out how he 
really felt. He wasn't sure why Christian was bringing it 
up now. 

Matt took a deep breath. "I really don't know what to 

say. I mean, shit. I'm obviously not mad at you. I was, at 
first, but..." Matt didn't want to explain that he was more 
confused than angry. "I was kind of hoping we could 
just, I don't know, forget about it." 

Christian was frowning and worrying his bottom lip 

again in what was clearly a nervous habit. He looked at 
Matt cautiously. "Does that mean you didn't invite me 
over to poison me with that weird cranberry sauce?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 61 

Matt laughed, glad for the change of subject. "It's 

way better than that can-shaped stuff!" 

"I happen to like that can-shaped stuff!" 
"Well, you're welcome to eat as much of it as you 

like." 

Christian looked inordinately pleased with himself. "I 

think I will." 

Matt laughed again and turned his attention back to 

the game. 

Christian curled up in the corner of the couch, 

looking content as he hugged a pillow. 

As football games went, it was pretty dull; low 

scoring and slow moving as a result. It didn't help that 
Matt didn't care about either team. 

During the break between the third and fourth 

quarters, Christian stretched and nudged Matt with his 
foot. 

"There was something about pie?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 62 

Chapter Seven 

If he had any dreams Thursday night, Matt didn't 

remember them. Mid-afternoon restlessness motivated 
him to get out of the apartment Friday. He ran a few 
errands and stopped by the local bookstore to pick up a 
new thriller to read, but he was at loose ends for the rest 
of the day. 

He knew Christian was working. He'd enjoyed their 

impromptu Thanksgiving celebration the day before; he 
liked Christian's sense of humor and his enthusiasm. He 
still thought his physical reaction to Christian was a 
fluke, but the more he forced himself to face the fact that 
there had been a definite reaction, the more he wondered 
how much of a fluke it was. 

Matt entered The Coffee Hut and was disappointed to 

see Christian nowhere in sight. He placed his order with 
one of Christian's very perky coworkers, who promptly 
disappeared into the back as Matt waited for the other 
barista to make his drink. 

Christian came out of the back a moment later and 

smiled at Matt. "Hey. How's your day off?" 

Matt was surprised at how pleased he was to see 

Christian. "Not bad; how's your day working?" 

"Not that bad actually. It's been pretty slow this 

afternoon." Of course, just as Christian said that, a large 
group of people entered, talking and laughing loudly. 

Matt picked up his drink. "Really? Have fun, then." 
"Thanks." Christian rolled his eyes and hurried to 

start taking orders. 

Matt found a table near the window and settled in to 

start his new book, glad he had arrived before the 
afternoon rush. 

Eventually, the crowd started to thin and the baristas 

Where You Least Expect It - 63 

began cleaning tables and putting the condiment bar 
back in order. Matt looked up as Christian wiped the 
tables nearby. 

"What are you reading?" Christian asked and Matt 

held up his book. "Oh, I read that a few months ago. It's 
a great book." 

"Yeah, I really like the way she's weaving all of the 

characters together." 

They chatted for a couple of minutes about the book 

and what else they had read by the author. Matt asked 
Christian what time his shift ended. 

Christian looked at the wall clock. "In about forty-

five minutes." 

Matt made a decision. "I could give you a ride." 
Christian tilted his head as he considered Matt's offer. 

"You wouldn't mind waiting?" 

Matt shook his head. "I wouldn't have offered if I 

minded. Besides, it's not like I have big plans today." 

"No hot Friday night date with the Cosmo girl?" 
"Oh, very funny. Don't you have work to do?" 

*** 

Matt was absorbed in his book when Christian 

dropped into the chair across from him; he noticed the 
lack of Christian's apron and realized he'd lost track of 
time. 

He glanced at his watch. "Are you done already?" 
"Yep." Christian stood and waved to his coworkers as 

they left. "Are you in your usual spot?" 

"Am I that predictable?" Matt asked as he led the way 

across the lot. 

"What? Oh." Christian looked embarrassed as he 

shrugged. "You were in the same spot the two other 
times you drove me home. I know a lot of people park in 

Where You Least Expect It - 64 

the same spots. At least you never have to think about 
where your truck is parked." 

"That's true." Matt unlocked the tailgate for 

Christian's bike. 

Once they were both settled, Matt started on the short 

drive toward Christian's apartment. "You want to grab 
something to eat?" They both had to eat, right? 

"Um." 
Matt waited as Christian seemed to think. Maybe this 

was a bad idea. Maybe he should have just forgotten the 
whole thing. 

"If we can keep it cheap, yeah," Christian finally 

answered. 

Matt looked over at him. "Are you sure?" 
"Yeah. I don't really have any food at home, 

anyway." Christian looked mildly embarrassed again. 

"Okay." Maybe it was a good idea. "How about 

Mexican?" 

"I love Mexican," Christian told him. "I eat refried 

beans a lot, because they're cheap, and then I just end up 
craving real Mexican." 

Matt nodded. "Mexican it is, then." 

*** 

"This is one of my favorite restaurants. I love the 

cheesy decor and the little sombrero hats on the tables," 
Christian commented once the hostess had left. 

"I come here every couple of weeks. I'm not a big fan 

of cooking." Matt could make a few passable meals, but 
it had never been his strong suit. He kept meaning to 
learn but never seemed to get around to it. Restaurants 
were just so much more convenient than planning meals 
and he always seemed to be missing some critical 
ingredient. 

Where You Least Expect It - 65 

"I actually like it, but I can't really afford to do 

anything fancy and it's kind of a drag to cook for one 
person. Sort of depressing, you know? I mean, if you put 
all this time and thought into making something, there 
should at least be someone to share it with." Christian 
shrugged, blushing slightly. 

Matt didn't want him to feel embarrassed. "I can see 

that. I just don't really have the patience. There's usually 
something else I'd rather be doing." 

"Oooh, you want to split an order of nachos as an 

appetizer?" 

Matt blinked at the complete change of subject, then 

laughed. "Sure. Jalapeños?" 

"Definitely. Chicken or beef?" 
"Either." 
Once their orders were placed, they settled back with 

their drinks. They had spent enough time together that 
Matt didn't feel pressured by the need to make small 
talk, but Christian jumped in before Matt could think of 
anything to say. 

Christian rested his arms on the table and leaned 

forward. "So, I know you like football, read some of the 
same books that I do, and spent time in the Army." 

Matt took a sip of beer. "There's not much else to tell. 

Work takes up a lot of my time, and when I'm not 
working I just hang around my place, go to the gym, 
play ball with Sam. Let myself get dragged to parties. 
Fight off Sam's attempts to set me up." 

"Which you obviously don't like." 
Matt shrugged. "I was in a long-term relationship that 

ended about a year ago. Sam thinks I'm missing out on 
something by not dating a new woman every month." 

"I only had one long-term relationship. It lasted a 

couple of years before we split up. We were really 
young." Christian grimaced. "Not that twenty-two is 

Where You Least Expect It - 66 

old." 

Matt took a helping of nachos that the server left on 

the table. "When I was twenty-two, I was just back from 
being deployed and trying to decide if I should reenlist. 
Katie, my ex, argued about that a lot." 

Christian made a pleased sound as he took a mouthful 

of nacho and toppings. "Did she want you to get out?" 

"She did. She didn't really give a shit about the war 

until I was in it and then she was totally against it. It 
pissed me off, you know?" Matt always found it difficult 
to explain his conflict with Katie; most people thought 
she was just worried for him, but Matt didn't see it that 
way. 

"Because she wasn't supporting what you did?" 

Christian asked. 

Matt toyed with his beer bottle. "Partly, but it was 

more that her reasons were completely selfish and not 
because she thought it was the right thing to do. It was a 
knee-jerk reaction." 

"Well, sure," Christian agreed, "But you know there's 

a huge psychological aspect to people's beliefs that have 
nothing to do with reason or logic, right? As much as we 
may be able to rationalize our opinions, there's still an 
emotional component." 

The server brought their food while they were 

talking, causing a brief lull while they dug into their 
dinner. The food was excellent and the selection of hot 
sauces to choose from just added to the flavor. 

"I know what you mean." Matt said, picking up the 

conversation from where they had left off. "There was 
more to it than that, obviously, but it felt like she didn't 
respect what I was doing. She was waiting for me to get 
done and decide to settle down. She wanted to get 
married, buy a house, have kids. I felt like she thought I 
was playing soldier, not doing something important." 

Where You Least Expect It - 67 

"Would you have stayed together if she had felt 

differently about the war? If she had an opinion beyond 
how it affected her?" Christian's eyes widened. "Oh, 
wow, did that sound as obnoxious to you as it did to 
me?" 

"It's okay." Matt laughed and returned to their 

original conversation. "I don't think I'd have felt 
differently. I don't mean to sound like an ass, but we 
were just looking for different things, you know? She 
hated the giant TV and stereo system." Matt added, 
remembering the fights they had about his spending 
habits. 

Christian nodded. "Maybe we should talk about 

something besides our exes." 

"You might be right about that." Matt smiled to try to 

take the sting out of his words. "I actually don't like 
talking about it that much." 

"God, I'm sorry. I'm just a dork." Christian made an 

embarrassed grimace. 

"It's no big deal." Matt switched to a neutral topic. 

"Tell me about your classes." 

"Okay." Christian ate a few more bites before 

continuing. "I'm a dual major in History and Journalism, 
but I think I told you that. I'm kind of fascinated by how 
people can be compelled to follow political movements 
that have no value to them personally." 

Matt thought he knew what Christian meant, 

although it wasn't something he thought about much 
himself. "You mean like poor people voting for 
corporate tax cuts?" 

"Exactly! It seems completely counterintuitive, but 

it's based on emotional and psychological needs. People 
look to something outside of themselves to provide a 
sense of stability and immutability that they can hold on 
to when things are uncertain. It benefits them 

Where You Least Expect It - 68 

psychologically, but not economically or socially." 
Christian stopped and chewed his bottom lip. "Tell me if 
I'm boring you. It's easy to forget sometimes that other 
people don't share my level of obsession. Trent, my 
roommate, has to listen to a lot of this." 

Matt smiled, enjoying Christian's enthusiasm and the 

easy conversation. "It's not boring. Do you know what 
you're going to do when you're done?" 

"My plan is to go into journalism -- not that fluffy 

news casting crap, but real investigative journalism. I 
probably need my Master's degree in order to really get 
into it and get as far as I want." Christian paused again. 
"Do you think I'm a freak? Most of the people I'm in 
school with do. And I keep talking about myself so that 
must kind of be boring for you." 

Matt found himself laughing again, amused by the 

look on Christian's face, like he must think Matt thought 
he was a total weirdo. "No, I don't think you're a freak. I 
think it's kind of cool that you know what you want to 
do." 

"Yeah, but you already have a job," Christian pointed 

out. 

"True, but I joined the Army when I was eighteen 

because I didn't know what I wanted to do. They, well, 
and my test scores, decided that I would be best working 
with computers and telecommunications, so I just sort of 
fell into it." 

"So, it's not what you want to do?" Christian 

frowned. 

"I don't dislike it and I'm good at it," Matt explained. 

"I don't always like the hours, but other than that, it's not 
bad." 

They both declined the server's offer of dessert and 

settled the check quickly, heading back into the cool fall 
weather. 

Where You Least Expect It - 69 

Sometime during dinner, Matt's mind wandered to 

the dreams he had been having about Christian and his 
body started to remind him, rather insistently, that his 
recent bout of celibacy was getting to be a nuisance. He 
wasn't ready for the evening to end, so he said the first 
convenient thing that came into his head. 

"So, I have this leftover pie." 
Christian grinned at him from the passenger seat. "Do 

you? You going to go back to your condo and have 
some dessert?" 

Jesus, was he that obvious or was he reading into 

Christian's response? "I was thinking about it, but it's 
kind of a lot for just me. You wouldn't be interested in 
any, would you?" And was he actually flirting back? 

"I do like me some pumpkin pie. You sure there's 

enough for both of us?" 

"Well, except for the piece I had for lunch, there's 

still about half left, so I think there's enough to share." 

"Cool. I accept." 
Matt was at once relieved and anxious. He knew he 

wasn't going to stop things if they went the way he 
hoped they would. He forced himself to focus on the 
road and not think about the growing heat in his groin, 
or the warring voices in his head. Just because Matt was 
horny was no reason to assume Christian was going to 
do anything more than eat a slice of pie and leave. 

Preoccupied as he was, Matt managed to get them to 

his condo in one piece. They brought Christian's bike up 
and parked it in the same place it had been yesterday. 

"Can I help?" Christian asked as he followed Matt 

into the kitchen. 

"Grab some plates out of the cabinet." Matt motioned 

to the cabinet next to the sink as he took the pie and 
whipped cream out of the fridge. "Beer?" 

"Sure." 

Where You Least Expect It - 70 

When Matt turned back suddenly to grab a napkin, he 

almost collided with Christian. He was acutely aware of 
how very close they were standing. 

"Sorry," Matt said, stepping around Christian to pick 

up the napkins he'd forgotten. He handed one to 
Christian as they settled on opposite ends of the couch. 

Matt picked the remote up out of habit. "I don't mean 

to be a shitty host. Let me know if there's anything you 
want to watch." 

Christian shrugged. "I'll watch whatever's on. I don't 

have TV, so I don't get to watch much."

 "I, ah, I was planning on watching Top Chef. Do you 

mind?" 

"Oh, is it the new season already?" 
Matt smiled, vaguely relieved that Christian didn't 

laugh at him for watching reality TV. "It is. Have you 
watched it?" 

"Only last season. My roommate was kind of 

obsessed with it and downloaded it. It was a fun way to 
procrastinate." 

"Cool." Matt switched to the DVR and started the 

first episode. 

They watched mostly in silence, commenting 

occasionally on the new cast and the judges. Matt had 
gotten them each another beer and Christian had 
eventually migrated from his corner of the couch to sit 
closer to Matt.

 Matt noticed Christian starting to fidget. "Hey. You 

okay? You look kind of stressed." 

"What?" Christian jumped. "I do? Oh. I." Matt 

watched as Christian emptied his beer and stood. "I 
should go. I need to go. I have to study and stuff." 

Matt was only half listening. When Christian stood, 

Matt was suddenly eye-level with Christian's very 
obvious erection. At least he had his answer about 

Where You Least Expect It - 71 

whether or not Christian was still interested. 

Matt looked up. He didn't really want Christian to 

leave. "Do you want to know why I stopped coming in 
for coffee?" Matt asked. 

Christian shook his head. He looked nervous, which 

Matt found ironic. Matt was the straight one, wasn't he? 

"Why?" Christian finally asked. 
Was he really going to do this? "Because I couldn't 

stop thinking about you, about what happened when I 
drove you home from that party. I." Matt took a breath; 
in for a penny, as they say. "That's why I invited you 
over." 

Christian's expression was more relief than surprise. 

"Really? Would you think it was terrible of me if I told 
you that's why I said yes?" 

"No." Matt watched Christian's gaze follow his hand 

as he adjusted himself. He rubbed his hand over his 
erection, the anticipation becoming almost too much. 

Christian bit his lip and pulled his gaze up to meet 

Matt's, blue eyes intrigued. "No?" 

It took Matt a minute to remember what they had 

been talking about. "No." At least this time, he had a 
reason for his inability to carry on a conversation. "I 
keep wondering what would have happened if your 
roommate hadn't come home." Matt lowered his eyes; he 
could see the outline of Christian's erection pushing 
against the zipper and his own cock throbbed in 
response. 

Christian dropped to his knees and placed his hands 

lightly on Matt's jean-clad thighs. "I want to suck you." 

Matt moaned and spread his thighs wider to give 

Christian better access. 

Christian edged forward, sliding his hands slowly up 

Matt's thighs, thumbs rubbing along the inner seams of 
Matt's jeans. He followed with his mouth, kissing his 

Where You Least Expect It - 72 

way up toward Matt's bulge. Christian's hand briefly 
cupped Matt's erection before reaching higher to push 
Matt's shirt up. 

"So hot. I knew you'd have a perfect six pack." 

Christian leaned forward so he could run his tongue 
along the outlines of Matt's muscles. 

"Oh, fuck." Matt wasn't sure what he had expected 

and certainly hadn't anticipated how good just this little 
bit of contact would feel. 

Matt flexed for Christian, resulting in a sound 

somewhere between a laugh and a moan. Christian 
nuzzled into Matt's stomach, kissing and nipping along 
Matt's waistband. Christian looked up at Matt as he 
opened the button and zipper on Matt's jeans, slowly 
spreading them open and sliding his hands to the edge of 
the waistband. 

"Can I take these off?" 
Matt licked his lips and nodded, raising his hips 

enough for Christian to strip him. Christian teased along 
Matt's legs and placed light sucking kisses on the 
sensitive insides of Matt's thighs. 

When Matt felt Christian's lips and tongue playing 

with his balls and sucking gently, he groaned and 
dropped his head back against the couch. "Fuck, that 
feels good." 

Christian's hands were still touching Matt, roaming 

over his thighs, hips, chest. Matt felt Christian's tongue 
on his erection and looked down to see Christian licking 
up the side of his cock and along the edge of the head. 

Christian opened his eyes as he licked sensuously 

around the head, catching a drop of precome. 

"Does that feel good?" Christian licked again, making 

Matt's cock glisten. "Does it make you hot?" Matt could 
feel Christian's breath as he spoke. 

"Oh, fuck, yes." Matt's heart was pounding and his 

Where You Least Expect It - 73 

whole body was tense. "Please, Chris. Suck me." 

Matt wanted Christian to swallow him, but Christian 

kept teasing, sucking and licking until finally taking 
Matt in slowly. Matt made a sound embarrassingly like a 
whimper as he felt himself engulfed. 

Matt brought his hand up and ran his fingers through 

Christian's hair as he started gently grinding his hips. 
When Christian moaned instead of moving away, Matt 
thrust harder, letting the sensations overwhelm him. 

"Oh, God." Matt looked down and saw Christian's 

hand working between his own legs. "Oh, fuck, fuck, are 
you..." Matt trailed off and Christian stopped sucking 
long enough to show Matt what he was doing. 

Christian leaned back and Matt could see Christian 

jerking himself. "I've wanted to taste you for weeks. I 
get hard just thinking about it. I went home and jerked 
off last night thinking about sucking you." 

"Do it, please, don't stop. I need to come." 
Matt moaned as Christian swallowed him again, 

sucking harder. 

Words kept pouring from Matt as he thrust into 

Christian's mouth. He cock was throbbing and his balls 
ached. He was so close. 

Matt shouted as he came, shooting into Christian's 

mouth. Christian's moan vibrated along Matt's cock as 
Christian continued sucking and swallowing. Matt 
released his grip on Christian's hair as he started to 
soften. After one final lick, Christian leaned back and 
stroked himself. Shit, Matt had just let another guy suck 
him off and now he was watching that guy jerk off. Matt 
wasn't sure what to do next. It was odd -- and oddly hot -
- to watch Christian bring himself off with a strangled 
moan. 

They sat there breathing hard and staring at each 

other until Christian bit his lower lip and asked, "Um, do 

Where You Least Expect It - 74 

you have a towel?" 

Matt blinked and let out a shaky laugh. "Sure." He 

stood up and put his pants back on, only feeling mildly 
self-conscious. He made a quick detour through his 
bedroom after getting a towel. 

"I thought you might want a fresh shirt." Matt handed 

Christian a worn ARMY sweatshirt. "It'll be big on you, 
but it's warm." 

"Oh, that would be awesome. Way better than a damp 

T-shirt." Christian stripped off his shirt and exchanged it 
for Matt's sweatshirt. Matt tried to be casual about 
stealing a look at Christian's chest. He wasn't nearly as 
well-defined as Matt, or even Sam, but Matt could see 
muscles flex under Christian's pale skin. 

Christian folded the T-shirt up and finally looked at 

Matt again. "We're good, right? I mean, I really do like 
hanging out with you." He smiled slightly. "And not just 
because you have cable and beer." 

Matt nodded, still feeling awkward and not ready to 

think too much about what just happened. "Here I 
thought you were using me for Top Chef." 

"Well, I'm not saying I'd turn you down if you invited 

me over to watch the next episode. Not that I'm trying to 
get you to invite me. I mean --" 

Matt laughed and cut off Christian's babble. "Are you 

always this neurotic?" 

"I am not neurotic!" Christian was mildly indignant at 

the suggestion. "I just don't want you to think I'm 
pushy." He frowned. "You don't, do you?" Christian 
asked and rolled his eyes. "Fine, maybe I'm neurotic." 

Matt laughed again. "No, I don't think you're pushy. I 

kind of like hanging out with you, too." Matt would 
have to think about the rest of it later. 

Christian smiled. "Okay, good. So, I should probably 

go. It's getting late and I've still got studying to do." 

Where You Least Expect It - 75 

"Come on, I'll drive you." Matt stepped around 

Christian, his hand almost reaching out to touch. 

"Oh, you don't have to. I really don't mind riding." 
Matt didn't like the idea of Christian riding his bike at 

night. "Are you sure? It's dark." 

"I have lights and stuff. I do it all the time." Christian 

looked at the dishes on the coffee table. "Do you want 
help cleaning up?" 

"Nah, it'll give me something to do tomorrow." 
"Okay." Matt watched as Christian gathered his 

things and got his bike. "Thanks for the pie." 

"Um. Yeah." What was he supposed to say? "Thanks 

for hanging out." Fuck, that was weak, but, "Thanks for 
the blow job" didn't sound any better. 

"Bye." Christian smiled again as he walked into the 

hallway. 

"See you." Matt closed the door behind him, 

suppressing the unaccustomed urge to watch as 
Christian walked away. 

*** 

Matt dropped down on the couch, wondering what in 

the hell he had just done. He had intentionally made a 
point of spending time with Christian to get off. Even 
now, he was having difficulty admitting that Christian 
was a bigger factor than the easy orgasm. He'd never 
done anything remotely like that; even when other guys 
in high school and junior high talked about who had the 
bigger dick, he had been too shy to get involved. 

He could convince himself -- if he tried -- that the 

dreams were just frustration and Thanksgiving dinner 
had been out of pity. 

But that was without a doubt the best blow job he'd 

ever had. Christian had been at least as into it as he had 

Where You Least Expect It - 76 

been and hadn't backed off at all when Matt started to 
get aggressive. Hell, it hadn't taken much for Christian 
to get off, either. 

The more Matt thought about it, the closer he was to 

getting it up again. 

The phone rang, distracting him from his fantasy. 

Matt readily agreed to Sam's invitation to play pool at 
Riley's, glad for the distraction. 

Where You Least Expect It - 77 

Chapter Eight 

Matt's next week at work seemed like the busiest yet. 

He was only able to escape one afternoon when Alison 
needed to vent about their never-ending project. The line 
at The Coffee Hut was short; Matt watched the two 
female baristas work the register and bar easily, half-
listening to Alison. 

Maybe Christian was in the back. Matt placed his 

order and waited by the pick-up counter, shifting his 
weight impatiently. He couldn't stay away from his desk 
for long. 

"Hello?" Alison waved her hand in front of his face. 

"Where'd you go?" 

"What? I'm right here, Al." Matt hadn't realized he 

was so distracted. 

"Could've fooled me. How's Christian?" 
Matt was completely thrown by the non-sequitur. His 

pulse sped up. "What?" 

Alison looked at him curiously, lips pursed in 

thought. Finally, she shrugged just as their drinks were 
ready. "Just curious." 

Matt stepped forward and grabbed their drinks. "We 

should get back." He walked quickly to the exit; he 
missed seeing Christian, but he didn't want to answer 
questions from Alison. 

Nor did Matt want Christian to think Matt was trying 

to avoid him, but Matt had no good reason to try to get 
in touch with him, either. Besides, other than The Coffee 
Hut, Matt had no way to reach Christian. It was an odd 
situation, and it reinforced Matt's reasons for avoiding 
Sam's attempts to get him laid; Matt had never quite 
figured out how to deal with the whole "morning after" 
issue. 

Where You Least Expect It - 78 

It wasn't until Matt was dragging himself to his car 

Friday night that he finally saw Christian. 

"Hey!" Matt called out, too tired to try to move any 

faster. 

Christian turned from the bike rack and smiled, 

waiting for Matt to get closer. "Hey. You look tired." 

"It was a long fucking week. I stopped in on 

Wednesday but you weren't there." 

Christian made a face. "I had an exam." 
"Which you don't look happy about." 
Christian finished unlocking his bike. "I think I did 

okay, but it was an essay test and those are exhausting. I 
just want to crash after, you know?" 

Matt shrugged. "I never did school, but I can relate to 

the exhausting part. Sounds pretty much like how I feel 
after weeks like this." 

"Well, I'd rather do school than the Army." Christian 

looked at him, quick to add, "No offense." 

"None taken. It's definitely not for everyone. I knew 

guys who went in because they thought it would be cool 
and glamorous. It was probably toughest on them." 

Christian was still watching him. "But I get the 

feeling you liked it because it was difficult." 

"Like I said, it's not for everyone and I've learned not 

to expect people to understand why I went in, but I liked 
the challenge." 

"Hmm." Christian tilted his head, looking at Matt 

thoughtfully. "You can tell me about it over dinner. I 
assume you haven't eaten. Unless you have plans, in 
which case, forget I said anything." 

Matt smiled as Christian bit his lip to stop the flow of 

words. 

"No plans," Matt answered. "Grab your bike. Where 

do you want to go?" 

They settled on pizza, but found themselves in a very 

Where You Least Expect It - 79 

loud and crowded restaurant filled with a bunch of little 
kids running around celebrating what was obviously a 
birthday. Christian appeared unfazed, but Matt was 
definitely out of his element. 

"If we get it to go, we can go back to the condo and 

watch the next episode of Top Chef." Matt said. 

Christian looked at him and Matt could swear he was 

trying not to laugh. 

"Too noisy for you?" Christian asked. 
Matt jumped out of the way of a charging little boy 

brandishing some kind of balloon animal. 

This time, Christian did laugh. "I could probably be 

convinced to come and watch Top Chef," he responded 
to Matt's earlier suggestion. 

They stood as out of the way as possible as they 

waited for their order, watching parents try to keep their 
rambunctious kids out of the way of servers and other 
patrons. Their food was ready surprisingly quickly and 
Matt hurried them out to the truck. 

"Sorry, man," Matt said once they were driving to the 

condo. "Too many little kids give me a headache." 

"No worries. They were pretty boisterous. Plus, I bet 

there's beer at your place." 

It was a short drive between the restaurant and Matt's 

condo. Once they were settled with beer and pizza, Matt 
forced himself to focus on pizza and Top Chef --
anything to avoid the vague sense of awkwardness he 
felt. Convincing himself that he wasn't attracted to 
Christian was useless. He found himself thinking about 
Christian at the most inopportune moments, getting hard 
and aching in the middle of the day and jerking off 
almost as soon as he got home. He wondered if he 
should give in to Sam's attempts to set him up, but that 
idea didn't hold much appeal. 

Three beers later, they found themselves flipping 

Where You Least Expect It - 80 

channels and sprawling next to each other on the couch. 
Christian's sudden laughter made Matt realized he'd 
been lost in his thoughts again. Matt watched as 
Christian giggled, but looked away quickly when he was 
caught. 

"Does it really bother you that much?" Christian 

asked suddenly. 

Matt frowned, confused. "Does what bother me?" 
"That I'm gay. That we fooled around. That I'm 

attracted to you." 

"I don't want to talk about it." Matt turned resolutely 

back to the TV. 

He thought Christian was going to let it drop, but 

instead he felt Christian's hand on his thigh. "You 
shouldn't feel uncomfortable." 

Matt tensed, entire body suddenly going hot. "I never 

said I did." 

"Then what's the problem?" Christian moved closer. 

"I know you liked it when I sucked you off." 

"There's no problem. Move your hand." He sounded 

pissed. At least he thought he sounded pissed. He knew 
he wanted to sound pissed. And he purposefully ignored 
what Christian said about Matt liking the blow job. 

"Where do you want me to move it? Here?" Christian 

actually moved his hand up Matt's thigh. 

God. "Stop." 
"Matt." Christian leaned even closer, close enough to 

brush his lips across Matt's jaw. "Do you really want me 
to stop?" 

The hot brush of Christian's breath against his neck 

made Matt groan. He could have sworn he felt Christian 
smile. 

"It doesn't sound like you want me to stop." Another 

kiss, this time closer to his neck. "It sounds like you 
want me to keep going." 

Where You Least Expect It - 81 

Christian's hand was still on Matt's thigh, fingers 

gently rubbing. Matt felt Christian's tongue on his neck 
as Christian left wet kisses. 

Matt swallowed, managing to suppress the moan that 

was trying to escape. "I said stop." 

"I really don't want to." The words were mumbled 

against Matt's skin. 

Matt turned to look at Christian and suddenly felt 

caught. When he saw Christian's tongue snake out, Matt 
did moan, remembering what Christian's tongue felt like 
on his cock. 

Christian leaned up and kissed Matt, gently at first, 

lips barely brushing his. After a moment the kiss became 
harder, more insistent as Christian leaned into him. 

Matt couldn't stop himself. He leaned into the kiss, 

gasping at the sensation of Christian's lips parting and 
tongue tracing Matt's lips. 

Matt gave in and pulled Christian more fully against 

him, wrapping his arms tightly around Christian as he 
stroked Christian's tongue with his own. Christian kissed 
him back just as hard, never once complaining about the 
pressure or the scrape of stubble on his cheeks. 

Christian's hand was still firmly on Matt's thigh, but 

his free hand moved up to tangle in Matt's hair, not hard 
enough to hurt but definitely hard enough for Matt to 
feel it. 

Matt dug his fingers into Christian's side, feeling hard 

muscles under warm skin. He moved his hands over 
Christian's chest and stomach, making Christian moan 
into their kiss and pull harder on Matt's hair. 

Matt's cock was hard as stone, pressing against his 

zipper and pulsing in time with his heartbeat. Matt 
started to move, trying to get more contact. 

The sound of the door buzzer made them jump away 

from each other. Christian looked at him wide-eyed as 

Where You Least Expect It - 82 

Matt ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself 
down and remember how to respond. 

The buzzer sounded again. 
Matt knew it was Sam, and he knew he could choose 

to ignore it, tell Sam he was asleep or in the shower or 
something, but Sam had a key. Which he thankfully 
hadn't used. Besides, the spell was broken. 

Matt got up and pressed the intercom button. "Yeah?" 

He was proud of himself for being able to keep his voice 
steady. 

"Hey, it's me. Let me in." Matt glanced quickly at 

Christian, who was still flushed but presentable. He 
could blame it on the liquor. He pressed the buzzer, 
triggering the lock mechanism and letting Sam in. 

Christian turned away from him and finished the last 

of his beer. "I should go." 

Part of Matt wanted to tell Christian to stay, that there 

was no real reason for him to leave, but he didn't. 

Christian was already pulling on his coat when Sam 

opened the door. 

"Hey, man. I'm in search of --" Sam hardly missed a 

beat when he noticed Christian, "Oh, hey, Christian. I 
didn't realize you guys hung out. Anyway, I'm in search 
of a pool partner. You guys interested?" 

Christian's posture was stiff and he was chewing his 

bottom lip. 

"I was just leaving." Christian spoke before Matt 

could think of a response that wasn't obnoxious. 

Sam was looking at them both curiously, which 

irritated Matt further. He wasn't sure if Sam's surprise to 
find that he was hanging out with Christian said more 
about Matt's limited number of friends, or Sam's 
nosiness. 

Then Sam shrugged. "Okay. What about you, Matt? 

Want to knock some balls around?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 83 

Not with you was the first response that popped into 

Matt's head. "Sure, what the hell." Christian was already 
leaving and playing pool would keep him from thinking 
about Sam's shitty timing. "Just give me a second." Matt 
felt bad leaving Christian and Sam standing awkwardly 
by the door, but he needed a minute to breathe and 
splash some cold water on his face. Sam really did have 
shitty timing. 

When he returned from the bathroom, Christian and 

Sam were talking about some people Matt didn't know, 
reminding him that Christian and Sam shared a circle of 
friends Matt was unfamiliar with. Matt grabbed a jacket 
out of the closet and opened the front door. 

Christian seemed relieved and muttered a "thanks" as 

he passed Matt into the hallway. 

Once they were on the street, Christian bid them both 

good night and rode off. Matt's eyes fastened on 
Christian's disappearing form until he turned the corner. 

"Guy's not usually that tense," Sam commented. 
Not knowing what to say to that, Matt changed the 

subject. "Where are we going, anyway?" 

Sam shrugged. "Riley's. I probably won't make much 

money there, but you kind of suck anyway." Sam 
grinned unrepentantly. 

"Thanks, asshole." Matt rolled his eyes and followed 

Sam to the bar. 

*** 

As the weather suddenly turned into full-blown fall, 

windy and rainy and cold, Matt hoped Christian had 
switched to a more sensible form of transportation. Matt 
could appreciate Christian's self-reliance, but bike riding 
in this kind of weather seemed extreme. Still, Matt 
wasn't all that surprised to find Christian unlocking his 

Where You Least Expect It - 84 

bike under what felt like buckets of rain one particularly 
stormy night after work. 

Christian laughed as soon as he saw Matt's 

disheveled appearance. 

"Don't laugh, I'm soaked." Matt tried to sound 

grumpy but Christian's good mood proved infectious. 

Christian placed his hands on his hips. "Do I look dry 

to you? And, damn it, there goes my bus." 

Matt took a good look and grinned. "You look like a 

drowned rat. C'mon." He gestured toward where the 
truck was parked. 

"You are a life saver," Christian said as he settled in 

the passenger seat. 

Matt pulled into traffic, the rain and glare combining 

for horrible visibility. "You're lucky I got out when I 
did. I almost got stuck for another hour but managed to 
convince my boss I can handle it from home." 

Christian made a face. "At least when I leave work, I 

get to actually stop working." 

"I don't know, it's kind of like school, right? 

Homework." 

"Yeah, but you expect it with school, not so much 

with work." 

"True, but it's not like I've got anything else going on 

tonight." 

"Does it get lonely living by yourself? Or am I 

prying?" He added when Matt didn't answer right away. 

"A little," Matt admitted. 
Christian tilted his head. "A little I'm prying, or a 

little it gets lonely?" 

Matt smiled. "A little it gets lonely. It doesn't usually 

bug me, but it does get boring sometimes. Mostly I like 
it because there's no one to argue about TV or music or 
bitch if I don't pick up my laundry." He shrugged. 
"Besides, I spent enough time living with other guys in 

Where You Least Expect It - 85 

the service. The privacy is still a novelty sometimes." 

"I never thought of that. That must get awkward, 

never having any privacy." 

"It could get... yeah, it could get awkward. Mostly we 

pretended not to notice a lot of shit so there was some 
illusion of privacy." 

Christian shifted in his seat and abruptly changed the 

subject. "So, how was your pool game?" 

"Not bad. We won a few bucks, nothing spectacular. 

You okay?" Matt thought Christian seemed 
uncomfortable. 

"Huh? Yeah, I'm good." 
Matt couldn't spare a glance from the road to confirm 

Christian's words. They fell silent for the rest of the 
drive to Christian's apartment. 

"Come upstairs? I mean, do you want to come up for 

a drink or something?" Christian asked as Matt pulled 
into the lot. 

"Sure." Matt wasn't sure which of them was more 

surprised by his answer, but he was becoming good at 
not thinking about certain things. 

"Cool." Christian sounded pleased. 
The rain had let up a little during the drive so they 

didn't get pummeled during the walk from the truck to 
the apartment. 

Christian seemed a little nervous as he offered Matt a 

drink. "There's beer in the fridge, and maybe some juice 
or something." 

"Beer's fine." Matt hung his jacket on the coat rack 

next to the front door. 

"Okay. Go ahead and have a seat. Sorry there's no 

TV." 

Matt found the couch surprisingly comfortable, given 

that it had clearly seen better days, its orange fabric 
showing wear. He picked up a copy of Wired from the 

Where You Least Expect It - 86 

assortment of magazines on the coffee table. 

Christian came in a minute later and handed Matt a 

beer, then sat down. From the look on Christian's face, 
Matt didn't think his dress pants were doing a very good 
job of hiding his half-hard cock. 

"Thanks." Matt took a drink and searched for 

something to say. "So, what did you do after you left the 
other night?" 

Christian chewed on his bottom lip. "Came home and 

thought about making out with you." 

"Yeah?" Heat pooled in Matt's stomach at the 

unexpected response. 

"Uh-huh." Christian took a sip of beer. "I was hard 

the entire ride home." 

The thought made Matt harder. "Must have been a 

challenging ride." 

Christian bit his lip. "My roommate's not home." 
Matt felt himself grin. "No? Is he going to show up 

during a really awkward moment again?" 

"Fuck, I hope not." Christian leaned in and kissed 

Matt, gently sucking on Matt's lower lip. Christian 
reached out to touch and giggled when his beer bottle 
encountered Matt's chest. Christian broke the kiss long 
enough to put both of their bottles on the table. 

Matt slid one arm across the back of the couch and 

the other around Christian's waist. He gave up playing 
hard to get and kissed Christian hungrily. 

Christian ran his hands over Matt's chest, fingers 

teasing over Matt's nipples. Matt's own hands wandered 
under Christian's T-shirt, feeling the warm skin of 
Christian's back and ribs. 

Christian started unbuttoning Matt's shirt, breaking 

off their kiss and watching as he bared Matt's chest. 

Matt watched Christian work open the buttons of his 

dress shirt. The intent look on Christian's face almost 

Where You Least Expect It - 87 

made him groan. "Fuck, you look so turned on." 

"Do you have any idea how hot you are?" Christian's 

hands moved lower and he leaned forward, placing wet 
kisses on Matt's chest. Christian pulled one of Matt's 
nipples into his mouth, circling the hard peak with his 
tongue and sucking gently. When Matt's fingers 
threaded through Christian's hair, he sucked harder and 
pinched Matt's other nipple. 

Matt thrust his hips up. "Oh, fuck. That's..." He 

leaned back, giving Christian more access. Christian 
groaned and kept kissing Matt's chest and abs. 

Christian's hand on Matt's thigh drew more sounds 

and encouraged Matt to spread his thighs wider. 
Christian slid up Matt's body, pushing him further down 
against the couch. Matt felt Christian's fingers graze 
over his cock before Christian was on top of him, 
kissing him again. 

Matt pulled Christian tight against him, one hand still 

on Christian's head and the other on Christian's ass. He 
tugged on Christian's shirt. "Can I take this off?" 

Christian sat up and pulled the T-shirt over his head, 

tossing it on to the floor. 

"Eager?" Matt teased. 
"I want you." Christian leaned back down and kissed 

Matt again. Matt wrapped his arms around Christian's 
back and ass, rocking his hips up rhythmically. 

If Matt didn't slow down, he would come just from 

this, and he definitely wanted more. He pushed them up 
into a sitting position and moved his mouth to 
Christian's throat, working his way down to Christian's 
chest and nipples, the hard muscle and flat planes so 
different from the women Matt was used to. 

Christian moaned and arched, pushing against Matt's 

mouth. Matt could see how hard Christian was as he 
pulled Christian into another kiss. 

Where You Least Expect It - 88 

"I want to touch you," Matt muttered, reaching to rub 

his hand over the front of Christian's jeans. He didn't 
know if it was the novelty of being with a guy, but Matt 
felt like a teenager, hot and horny and eager. 

Christian rested his forehead against Matt's shoulder 

as his hips moved rhythmically against Matt's hand. 
"Oh, God. Please, please. I want you." Christian 
whimpered as Matt undid the button of his jeans. 

Just the idea of what he was doing had Matt panting; 

the reality was even better. He watched, almost 
mesmerized by his own actions as he touched Christian 
through the worn denim. He could see Christian's cock 
throbbing and see the wet spot starting to form. He 
pulled Christian's zipper down and moaned as he 
exposed Christian's erection. 

Matt wrapped his hand around Christian's cock and 

started slowly jerking him. The desperate sounds that 
Christian was making and the feel of Christian's 
incredibly hot shaft made Matt's own dick swell. 

"Oh, fuck, Matt. More. I'm so close." Matt kissed 

Christian hard and sped up his strokes. He felt Christian 
tense and broke their kiss so he could watch Christian 
climax. He released his grip as Christian started to relax. 
Matt rubbed his hand across Christian's stomach and 
leaned in for another kiss, trying to be gentle even 
though he felt a little desperate. 

Christian kissed him back before asking, "What do 

you want?" 

Matt knew exactly what he wanted, what he kept 

dreaming about. "Suck me." 

Christian let out a soft moan and slid to the floor 

between Matt's legs. Matt knew he wouldn't last and was 
thankful Christian made short work of getting Matt's 
pants and boxers out of the way, swallowing Matt 
without hesitation. It didn't take much for Matt to come, 

Where You Least Expect It - 89 

shooting into Christian's throat with a strangled moan. 

Christian backed off as soon as Matt started to soften 

and placed a kiss on Matt's thigh before moving back to 
the couch. 

"You look so fucking hot like this." Christian was 

still touching Matt's chest. 

Matt kissed him again, tasting his own come in 

Christian's mouth. Matt dropped his head back. "Hey." 
His voice was rough. 

Christian smiled, looking thoroughly sated. "Hey. Do 

you want to order pizza or do you need to get home?" 

Matt wanted to stay and do more than eat pizza. But, 

"I can't, I really do have to get some work done tonight." 
Matt grinned. "Maybe next time I rescue you from 
drowning in a rain storm." 

Christian laughed. "Deal." 
Matt let Christian kiss him again, even though it was 

making it difficult for him to leave. 

Christian seemed to sense Matt's discomfort and 

pulled away, standing to retrieve the shirt he'd thrown 
haphazardly. 

Matt started to adjust himself and realized that his 

hand was still covered in Christian's come. "Um. Can I 
use your bathroom?" 

Christian laughed again. "Sure, it's right through 

there." 

It only took a moment for Matt to make himself 

presentable again. Christian was waiting for him, 
wearing a clean T-shirt, when Matt returned. 

Matt was never good at this part. "So, um. Thanks for 

the beer." 

"No problem. Thanks for coming up. And for the 

ride." 

"Cool. I'll see you." 
"See you." Matt heard the door shut behind him as he 

Where You Least Expect It - 90 

jogged down the steps. 

*** 

Matt was at Riley's Saturday night with Sam and 

Alison, playing pool and unwinding from another crazy 
week. He froze momentarily when he saw Christian 
walk in with the guy he thought he recognized as 
Christian's roommate. Shit. His pulse sped up -- he 
wasn't sure if it was nervousness, anticipation, or both --
and his fingers clutched his beer glass as he watched the 
two men walk up to the bar, clearly having a good time 
and oblivious to Matt's presence. 

What was he supposed to do now? 
He couldn't remember if he'd told Christian he and 

Sam hung out here a lot or if Christian had no idea Matt 
would be here. Women Matt had casual relationships 
with always seemed to want him to acknowledge them, 
unless they were on a date with someone else. 

Would Christian expect something? Or was Matt 

going to have to watch Christian on a date? Matt had the 
sudden sickening realization that the latter would be at 
least as bad as the first option. 

Fuck. He was getting in way over his head. 
It didn't take long for Christian to notice him, 

probably because Matt was staring. When Christian 
waved in his direction, Matt responded with a slight 
acknowledgment but looked away quickly, trying to rein 
in his thoughts. Maybe Christian wouldn't stay long and 
Matt could avoid any awkwardness. 

Sam whapped him on the side of his head. "Dude. 

Are you listening to a word I say?" 

"Ow." Matt rubbed the spot Sam had hit. "Shit. I'm 

sorry, I spaced. What?" 

Sam rolled his eyes. "I was talking about the 

Where You Least Expect It - 91 

Martinez trade." Sam continued on and Matt made 
himself focus, arguing good naturedly with Sam and 
Alison about whether the trade would backfire on both 
teams. Twenty minutes later, it was Matt's turn to pick 
up the next round. Christian stepped up next to him 
while he was at the bar waiting for his pitcher. 

"Hi." Christian sounded nonchalant. 
Matt's jaw clenched reflexively. "Hey. I didn't know 

you came here." Matt thought he might have sounded a 
little accusatory. 

"I don't usually. Trent discovered it last week and 

insisted I come out before my brain has a meltdown 
from studying too much." 

The bartender returned with Matt's pitcher, collected 

his money, and took Christian's order. 

"Exams?" Matt asked, hoping Christian didn't notice 

how uncomfortable Matt was, but not wanting to just 
walk away. Fuck, he could not figure things out with 
this guy. 

"Soon. Mostly papers. It kind of sucks, but it'll be 

over soon." Christian folded and refolded the ten-dollar 
bill he was holding. 

"Cool." Matt picked up the pitcher. "I should get this 

back before Sam gets cranky." 

"'Kay. See you." 
Matt threaded his way through the crowd, carefully 

carrying the pitcher and avoiding any spills. He was 
filling their glasses when Alison pointed out Christian. 

"Is that our barista?" 
"Yeah, that's Christian." Matt placed the pitcher 

carefully on the table, the unease from earlier returning. 
Alison had teased him before about his friendliness 
toward Christian and he didn't know what Sam thought 
about finding them hanging out together. 

"You should invite him over." She took a drink, 

Where You Least Expect It - 92 

holding his gaze over the rim of her glass. 

"I think he's with friends, Al." Deflect, Matt. 
"We don't count as friends?" Sam asked. "Hey, we 

need a fourth for pool." 

Before Matt could even begin to formulate a 

response, Sam was on his way over to where Christian 
sat. 

"So you and Christian have started hanging out a lot, 

huh?" Alison asked. 

Fuck. "I guess." Matt tried to shrug off the question. 

"I drove him home a couple of times." This night was 
definitely not going the way Matt expected. 

"Sam said you and Christian were hanging out last 

weekend when Sam was looking for someone to play 
pool shark with." Alison had the uncanny ability to 
sound casual when she was grilling him. 

Matt really hated being the subject of his friends' 

gossip. 

Sam returned, followed by Christian and his friend. 

"Come on, let's go stake out a table." 

Matt had no option but to follow and try to ignore his 

racing pulse. He was tempted to make an excuse and 
leave, but that would make him seem like an asshole. He 
had no idea how he was supposed to act and he was still 
unsure of what to make of the physical part of his 
relationship with Christian, who definitely gave the best 
head Matt had ever had. 

They didn't have to wait long for a table to open up 

and Matt was relieved that everyone seemed to get along 
okay. He was able to relax a bit after a quick round of 
introductions proved that Sam knew both Christian and 
Christian's roommate, Trent, through a mutual friend's 
parties. He felt less like he was on the spot and was able 
to enjoy the rest of the night, even if his cock did stay 
half-hard. 

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They stayed through last call, later than Matt had 

planned on being out. Once the lights turned on, 
everyone scattered quickly. Alison was Sam's 
designated driver, and Trent and Christian had plans to 
meet other friends at a diner. Matt parted ways and had 
started to walk the few blocks home when he heard 
Christian telling Trent he was going to pass on the diner. 

Matt reached the corner and waited for the light to 

change, hoping Christian would catch up with him. Shit, 
he was getting hard just thinking about it. He was so 
wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear Christian 
walk up next to him. 

"Hey, again," Christian said. 
Matt turned and smiled at him. "Hey. Change your 

mind about going to meet your friends?" 

Christian looked at him. "I did. It didn't sound like 

much fun." 

The light changed and they walked across the street. 

One more block and they would turn in separate 
directions. 

"Are you heading home?" Matt asked. 
"Unless I get a better offer." 
Matt hoped he wasn't misreading things. "You could 

come back to the condo." Matt looked over at Christian 
in time to see him bite his lip. 

"Okay." 
Matt turned and led the way, trying not to rush but 

wanting to get home quickly. Christian was right there 
beside him, not saying a word, so he figured they were 
on the same page. 

The cold kept Matt's hard-on mostly at bay until they 

were inside Matt's condo. They just stared at each other 
for a minute before one of them moved -- or maybe it 
was both of them -- and they were pressed together, 
mouths hot and hands searching. There was no attempt 

Where You Least Expect It - 94 

at seduction this time, no half-hearted attempt to give 
one another a chance to back away, just heat and need. 

Matt turned and pushed Christian up against the wall. 

Christian used the leverage to wrap his legs around 
Matt's waist, pressing their erections together. 

"Oh, fuck." Matt broke the kiss, gasping for air. 

Christian didn't stop, just moved to suck on Matt's neck 
and earlobe. The heat was almost unbearable. 

Christian was struggling to get Matt's shirt out of his 

pants but they were pressed so tightly together that there 
wasn't much room to maneuver. Once it was finally 
untucked, Matt helped yank it over his head. 

"Oh, God, you're so fucking hot. Look at you." 

Christian's hands were all over Matt's chest and arms. 
Matt leaned his hands on either side of Christian's head, 
holding the smaller man up with just his thighs. 

"You think so?" Matt was surprised at the husky 

sound of his own voice. 

Christian rested his head on Matt's forearm, hands 

travelling over Matt's belly. "You have no idea. I 
thought sucking you off would get it out of my system, 
but I can't stop thinking about you. You looked so hot on 
my couch the other night." He paused before adding, "I 
thought I was going to embarrass myself watching you 
play pool earlier." 

Matt's laugh turned into a groan when Christian 

flicked his thumb over Matt's nipple. Matt kissed him 
again, harder this time, pent-up need taking over and 
making him uncharacteristically aggressive. Christian 
responded by digging his fingers into Matt's shoulders 
and grinding against Matt. 

"That's so hot," Matt muttered as he kissed Christian's 

neck. Christian tipped his head back with a soft thump, 
giving Matt better access. 

"Oh! What?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 95 

"That. They way you get so turned on and don't tell 

me I'm being too rough." 

"God. No. Fucking amazing." 
Matt tried to get Christian's shirt off but realized he 

had no room. He stepped back reluctantly and let 
Christian down. "We should move this somewhere else." 

Christian nodded and it only took Matt a second to 

opt for the bedroom over the couch. He wanted to get 
Christian naked, wanted to find out if there was more to 
this than just desperate blowjobs. 

Matt stopped near the bed, arms around Christian's 

waist. Christian's hands were still sliding over Matt's 
chest and arms like he couldn't get enough. Christian 
leaned up and kissed Matt softly. "We don't have to do 
anything you don't want." 

Jesus, wasn't that his line? It was fucking weird, but 

he kissed Christian back. "I want to touch you. I want to 
get naked with you and not worry about getting 
interrupted. I want to do more than jerk you off on the 
couch." 

Christian groaned. "It makes me fucking hot when 

you say things like that." 

"Yeah?" He pulled Christian's T-shirt off. "You want 

me to tell you how I never thought guys were sexy and 
now I can't stop thinking about you?" He mirrored 
Christian's movements and touched Christian's chest and 
arms. He moved his hands down to Christian's jeans, 
opening the button but stopping, instead wrapping his 
hands around Christian's hips, down to cup firm ass 
cheeks. He kissed Christian's neck and shoulder. 

Matt pulled away long enough to tug the blankets 

down on the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed to take 
his boots off. 

Christian toed his sneakers off and crawled on the 

bed behind Matt. Matt couldn't see him, but could feel 

Where You Least Expect It - 96 

his breath as he lay close and traced the muscles on 
Matt's back. 

"God, even your back is ripped. I didn't know real 

people looked like this." 

Matt turned and lay next to Christian, reaching out 

and putting a hand on Christian's hip. "I'll have to 
remember to go to the gym more often." He ignored the 
implication that he was planning on messing around 
with Christian again and leaned in for another kiss. Matt 
moaned at the feel of their naked chests rubbing 
together. 

"If you get any hotter, I might come just from 

looking at you," Christian managed to gasp out. 

Matt was half on top of Christian now, one of 

Christian's legs wrapped around Matt's, pressing them 
together. Matt rubbed his prick against Christian's hip, 
not enough to get off, but enough to make him ache. 

"Is this okay?" he asked, suddenly wondering how 

fast he should be moving and wanting to make sure 
Christian was with him. 

"Oh, God, yes, anything you want to do is okay. Do 

you have any idea how badly I want you?" 

Matt kissed him again, unable to get enough and 

reveling in the taste and the sharp pressure of teeth 
clashing. 

"I just. God." He was kissing Christian's chest now, 

supporting himself on one elbow as his leg slid along 
Christian's thigh. "I want you so much." He trailed his 
tongue around Christian's nipple, making Christian 
whimper. "I've never wanted anyone like this." He was 
placing little sucking kisses on Christian's stomach, not 
hard enough to leave a mark, but enough to make 
Christian writhe. As he moved lower, Christian's 
moaning got louder. 

Matt touched Christian's inner thigh gently, 

Where You Least Expect It - 97 

wondering if it turned Christian on as much as it did 
him. He was rewarded with a sharp gasp as Christian's 
hips started thrusting, a string of breathless words falling 
on Matt's ears. 

"Feels so good. Been hard all night." 
Matt moved his hand over Christian's balls, causing 

Christian to hump him harder. He opened Christian's 
jeans as Christian implored him to touch more. Matt 
kissed Christian as he teased Christian, grinding against 
Christian's thigh in earnest now. 

Christian broke the kiss suddenly. "No, wait, naked, 

please." Christian started fumbling with Matt's zipper, 
touching his aching shaft inadvertently and making Matt 
lose focus. He wanted Christian, wanted them both 
naked. Now. He managed to get Christian's jeans and 
boxers off before practically tearing his own off. 

Once naked, he crawled back up the bed and 

Christian pulled him in for another mind-blowing kiss as 
they ground furiously against each other, sweat and 
precome making their shafts slide together. 

Christian rolled them suddenly, pushing Matt onto 

his back and straddling him. Matt grabbed Christian's 
ass, fingers digging in as they both rubbed and moaned, 
seeking release. Matt tore one of his hands away from 
Christian's ass and wrapped it around their cocks. He 
alternated between watching himself jerk them off 
together and watching Christian's face, both equally 
fascinating. Matt felt it the moment Christian started to 
come, prick pulsing and body going stiff. The sensations 
combined with the warm come on Matt's hand triggered 
Matt's own climax and he threw back his head as he 
thrust up hard against Christian and came all over both 
of them. 

When the world stopped spinning, Matt opened his 

eyes and realized Christian was still on top of him and 

Where You Least Expect It - 98 

his hand was still wrapped around their now-soft cocks. 

"You're going to get stuck to me," Matt chided. 
He felt Christian's smile against his chest as the other 

man spoke. "Well, you're pretty comfy." 

Christian showed no signs of moving and, oddly 

enough, Matt didn't do anything to separate them. He 
did, however, slide his hand out from between them. 

Matt started to doze as they continued to lie there for 

a few more minutes. Eventually, Christian shifted to the 
side, head pillowed on Matt's chest and arm stretched 
across his stomach. 

"We probably should clean up so I can head home." 

Christian's words sounded sleepy. 

"Yeah, okay." Matt wasn't sure if he should be 

disappointed or relieved. He was perfectly comfortable 
the way they were, but it had been ages since he'd 
actually spent the night with anyone. He didn't want 
Christian to start getting the wrong idea about what was 
going on. 

Whatever the hell that was. Spending the night 

always led to questions and expectations that Matt 
wasn't ready to address. All he could say for sure was 
that he liked Christian, liked spending time together. 
He'd also admit that the sex was damn good, but waking 
up with Christian in his bed would make Matt ask 
himself too many questions about why he wanted to 
have sex with Christian almost constantly. 

Instead, he watched silently as Christian stretched, sat 

up, and went to use the master bath. 

"Shit, you have two bathrooms for one person. I 

would kill to not have to share with Trent." 

Matt looked at the clock and realized it was almost 

three a.m. Christian declined Matt's offer of a ride home, 
which Matt was grateful for. 

"Thanks for the offer, though." Christian looked 

Where You Least Expect It - 99 

almost shy. "I'm glad I ran into you." He leaned up and 
kissed Matt quickly before leaving. 

Matt sighed at the sudden odd turn of his life; he 

wondered if this was what it meant to be a closet case. 

*** 

It became a routine. Matt would "run into" Christian 

outside of the coffee shop on the way home, load 
Christian's bike into the truck, and they would have 
dinner somewhere. After dinner, they would go back to 
Matt's and inevitably end up fooling around on the 
couch. They never talked explicitly about what they 
were doing; Matt always invited Christian over on the 
pretense of "hanging out." 

Matt didn't particularly want to discuss the fact that 

he was having the best orgasms of his life with a very 
out gay man that he had met at a party. He couldn't lie to 
himself anymore about his attraction to men, but he 
certainly didn't need to tell the world. He wasn't ready to 
label himself gay, but he couldn't very well deny the 
direction his fantasies -- and his porn -- were taking. It 
was a fine line he was walking, but he still saw no 
reason to look at things too deeply. 

Leaving work late once again on a Friday night, Matt 

was surprised to find Christian unlocking his bike. 

"Hey," Matt said as he walked up. 
"Hey." Christian smiled at him. 
"You look tired. You want a ride?" 
"I would love a ride, but I really do have to get home. 

I have finals next week and I'm totally behind on 
studying." 

Matt tried to push down the flash of disappointment 

that he felt. He was coming to expect to see Christian 
and it hadn't occurred to him that he would get turned 

Where You Least Expect It - 100 

down. "Well, that sucks, but I can still drive you." 

Christian unlocked his bike and started walking 

toward Matt's usual parking space. 

"One of these days, I'm going to have to park 

somewhere else just to confuse you." 

Christian laughed. "Just wait until after finals or you 

might send me over the edge." 

"That bad?" Matt opened the truck and loaded the 

bike. 

Christian gave him a curious look before answering. 

"Well, I've been a little distracted." 

"Oh." Matt was pretty sure he blushed. He bit his lip, 

unconsciously mimicking Christian's nervous gesture. 

Christian giggled. "It's okay. Come on, drive me 

home." He walked around Matt and got in the truck. 

Matt shook himself out of his temporary shock and 

embarrassment and locked up the tailgate. 

When Christian fell asleep in the passenger seat on 

the short ride to his apartment, Matt couldn't help but 
notice how cute Christian looked. 

Shaking his head at himself, Matt leaned over and 

shook Christian gently. "Hey. We're here." 

Christian blinked awake. "Oh. Shit, sorry. I'm not 

very good company." He undid his seatbelt and looked 
up at Matt. "Thanks for the ride." 

Matt smiled, tempted to kiss him. "No problem. Go 

study and good luck with your finals." 

"Thanks." He could see Christian hesitate before he 

turned and got out. 

"See you next week." 
"Bye." 
Matt tried to not be disappointed and waited until 

Christian was up the stairs before pulling out and 
heading home. 

Matt spent the evening flipping channels and, oddly 

Where You Least Expect It - 101 

enough, missing Christian. Mystery Diagnosis. What fun 
was a "slightly bizarre but you already know the 
answer" diagnosis? *click* Bridget Jones' Diary 
followed by Bridget Jones' Diary's sequel. Fuck, no. 
Why was that movie always on, anyway? *click* A 
Rocky movie, followed by ten other Rocky movies. 
*click* Star Trek. Guy in a red shirt dies. *click* News. 
*click* News. 

God damn it, there was fuck all on. It made Matt 

wonder why he even paid for cable. 

He thought about Christian and wondered how 

studying was going. 

Jesus, he was getting pathetic. 
He threw the remote down with a sigh and decided to 

distract himself with a book. 

Where You Least Expect It - 102 

Chapter Nine 

For once, Matt found himself with nothing to do all 

weekend. Sam had some new girlfriend taking up his 
time, Alison had plans, and Christian was studying. His 
boredom Sunday afternoon sent him to the coffee shop 
in hopes of seeing Christian. 

Christian was indeed working, looking frazzled and 

even more tired than he had on Friday, but he still 
managed a smile when Matt got in line. 

"Hey. The usual?" Christian was already grabbing a 

cup. 

"Yeah. How's your day?" 
"Long, and I've still got a ton of stuff to do tonight." 

Christian sounded distracted. 

Matt waited as Christian rang him up. "When's your 

first exam?" 

Matt thought Christian looked annoyed. "Tomorrow 

at ten, another on Wednesday and two on Thursday." 

"Ouch. What time do you get off?" He handed over 

cash for his drink. 

"In an hour. Your drink's ready." Christian turned and 

disappeared into the back, leaving Matt frowning at his 
uncharacteristic terseness. 

"He's been bitchy all weekend," the woman -- Sally, 

according to her name tag -- behind the counter said. 

"It's probably his finals. Thanks for the coffee." He 

barely heard her reply as he went to sit at one of the 
tables near the window. He considered leaving, since 
Christian was obviously in a bad mood, but he'd driven 
across town for coffee he could get a block from his 
apartment. 

It seemed like ages since they'd hung out and Matt, 

well fuck, he just missed Christian. Missed the sex, but 

Where You Least Expect It - 103 

missed the just hanging out and bullshitting, too. 
Christian had started to become a good friend. 

Of course, he'd never exactly missed Sam like this. 

Then again, he'd never been attracted to Sam. 

Shuddering slightly at that thought, Matt opened his 

book, keeping half an eye on the time so that he didn't 
miss Christian. He looked up about forty minutes later 
and saw Christian walking out the far door. He got up 
and followed, annoyed at being intentionally ignored. 

"Christian!" He saw Christian tense before spinning 

around. 

"What?" 
"I thought I could give you a ride home." He 

frowned, confusion warring with anger at Christian's 
response. 

Christian shrugged, arms folded across his chest. 

"You don't have to." 

Wow, Christian could do pissed off extremely well, 

Matt noted. 

"I know." Anger won out. "Forget it." Matt started to 

leave but Christian called out and stopped him. 

"Wait. I'm sorry." Christian seemed to deflate. "Can 

you really give me a ride?" 

Matt sighed. Fuck, he hated shit like this. "Yeah, 

come on." 

Christian nodded silently and started walking with 

him. 

They were on the road before Matt bothered to try 

and break the silence. "Do you want to get some food?" 

"Which part of 'I have to study' don't you understand? 

Look, I get that you didn't go to college, but I can't just 
coast by and I've wasted a bunch of time not studying." 

Matt clenched his jaw and counted to ten. That was 

definitely not the response he was expecting to his peace 
offering. "Fine, forget I asked. Christ, you still need to 

Where You Least Expect It - 104 

eat, don't you?" 

"I can eat while I study. It's not like I can afford to eat 

out all the time, anyway." 

"What the fuck is your problem?" 
"What's my problem? Jesus, Matt, how oblivious are 

you? We've been fucking around for weeks, I spend 
more time with you than anyone else, and you don't 
have a clue when my finals are. You've never even 
asked for my phone number, but you show up at work 
and expect me to be able to just rearrange my schedule 
and do whatever the hell you want." 

"That's bullshit, Christian. I never forced you to do 

anything. You don't want to hang out, fine." 

"I didn't say that. All I said is that it would be nice if 

you had a fucking clue about me." 

"Shit, do you think I know Sam's fucking schedule? 

No, I call him, he calls me, we hang out if we're free. 
What the hell do you expect?" 

"Oh, so you're sleeping with Sam, too? You've got 

me all fucking compartmentalized. You hardly even talk 
to me in public unless you're buying coffee." 

Matt almost stopped the car. Instead, he kept driving. 

"That's bullshit and you know it." 

"Is it? You want to know what I think?" Christian 

didn't wait for an answer. "I think you're so freaked out 
by the fact that you're fucking around with a guy that 
you're trying to hide from everything. I think you're 
afraid that someone might notice you're hanging around 
with a fag and it might hurt your fucking image." 

Matt didn't say anything; he had no response to that. 

Matt couldn't say for certain that Christian was that far 
off base; after all, Matt was putting a lot of energy into 
keeping Christian separate from the rest of his life. He 
pulled up in front of Christian's apartment complex a 
few minutes later. 

Where You Least Expect It - 105 

"Matt." 
Matt was done listening and he refused to be forced 

into a conversation about whatever it was they were 
doing. Shit, this was exactly why he tried to avoid 
relationships. He needed some distance before he said 
something he'd really regret. "Get out." 

"Matt." Christian tried again, sounding almost 

contrite. 

"Get the fuck out of my truck, Christian. You're right, 

I don't know your God dammed schedule and I don't 
know your phone number, and I don't really fucking 
want to." Well, so much for keeping his mouth shut. 

"Fuck you." Christian got out of the truck. "Open the 

fucking tailgate so I can get my bike." 

Matt popped the gate and pulled out as soon as 

Christian slammed it shut again. 

He drove home, having to focus hard on the driving. 

He hated being this pissed off, and he hated driving 
when he was pissed. 

He made it home without getting anyone killed and 

stormed into his apartment, slamming the door behind 
him. Hanging his coat up, he continued into the kitchen 
in search of a beer. 

What the fuck was that about, anyway? All he did 

was ask Christian if he wanted to get dinner and 
suddenly he was the inconsiderate bad guy. God damn 
it. 

*** 

Alison stopped by Matt's desk Monday afternoon and 

leaned against his cube. "I need some coffee. Want to 
take a walk?" 

Matt leaned back in his chair. "I don't know, I'm 

pretty busy. Rain check?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 106 

"Oh, come on. It'll only be fifteen minutes. You can 

chat with Christian and I can get my caffeine fix." 

Matt startled at Christian's name, but tried to hide it. 

"I don't even know if he's working." 

"Huh. I thought you were driving him home on a 

regular basis?" 

Matt shrugged. "When I run into him in the parking 

lot sometimes. It's not like we're carpooling." 

"Well, whatever. Come get coffee with me. We can 

talk about the database conversion and call it an off-site 
meeting." 

Knowing that arguing was pointless, Matt turned off 

his computer screen and followed Alison, keeping the 
conversation focused on work topics. 

Christian was behind the counter, but was apparently 

still angry at Matt, rebuffing his attempts at small talk 
but chatting easily with Alison. Christian's slight wasn't 
lost on either of them; Matt hoped Alison wouldn't 
mention it. 

No such luck. "He didn't seem very happy to see 

you," she commented. 

Matt shrugged. "He got pissed at me because I didn't 

know his finals schedule." 

Alison looked at him, frowning. "Really? That seems 

kind of random." 

Matt sighed, trying to explain without giving too 

many details. "I was here for coffee and asked him if he 
wanted to grab dinner. He got all pissed because he's got 
finals and apparently I'm supposed to be a mind reader." 

"Huh." Matt hated when she said that; he knew it 

meant she didn't really believe him. "Did he not tell you 
his schedule?" 

"I don't know. Maybe. What difference does it 

make?" 

Alison gave him her patented "poor clueless Matt" 

Where You Least Expect It - 107 

look and shook her head. "Matty, honey. I know you 
could give a damn about whether or not I know what 
nights you go to the gym and what sports shows you 
schedule your time around, but most people do actually 
care about things like that." Alison continued over 
Matt's attempt to respond. "And don't give me that 'I 
don't know anyone's schedule' crap, because we both 
know that's not true. You're fine with it as long as it's me 
and Sam because you trust us, but you won't find other 
people to trust unless you put a little something out there 
in exchange." 

"Put something out there? Al, he's a guy I give a ride 

to occasionally." Matt defended himself even as he 
wondered if Alison suspected his relationship with 
Christian went beyond the occasional ride home; he 
quickly pushed the thought aside. "Besides, how am I 
supposed to guess what's important to people?" 

"It's not that difficult, Matt. If you claim to be friends 

with someone but show no real interest in their life, 
you're not going to have a very long friendship. Look, 
I'm not trying to lecture you, but you're always a little 
clueless when people get pissed at you and you need to 
get over that." 

Matt begrudgingly agreed, feeling like he was being 

scolded for being immature. "Katie did say I could be an 
insensitive asshole." Leave it to Alison to point out his 
flaws. 

"So, are you going to apologize?" Alison stopped 

outside the door to their building. 

Matt was almost convinced that Alison knew he and 

Christian were maybe more than just friends. He wasn't 
comfortable with the idea, but she didn't seem to be 
judging him -- not for that, anyway. "Maybe," he finally 
conceded. 

Alison looked like she wanted to say more, but 

Where You Least Expect It - 108 

changed the conversation back to their project as they 
entered the building. 

Maybe Christian did have reason to be angry with 

him; maybe he was being insensitive and inconsiderate. 
And maybe it was weird that they were spending so 
much time together -- much of it naked -- and they 
hadn't exchanged phone numbers or emails. 

Where You Least Expect It - 109 

Chapter Ten 

Matt spent a lot of time over the next few days 

thinking about what Alison had said and tried to sort out 
his feelings about Christian, about their relationship, 
about himself. He suddenly felt like he was at a 
crossroads and the options were moving forward or 
staying stuck. His liked his life before he met Christian 
just fine; now, though, considering staying on that path, 
he wondered how he'd feel years from now. Would he 
still be content or would he just be alone and grumpy? 

Of course, once he had decided to talk to Christian 

the next chance he got, work refused to cooperate; it was 
Friday by the time Matt managed to leave work on time 
and catch Christian at the end of his shift. 

Matt only had to wait a minute or two before 

Christian came out of the café. Matt watched the 
conflicting emotions cross Christian's features when he 
saw Matt -- surprise, caution, settling on a wary smile. 

Matt shoved his hands in his pockets as Christian 

crossed the short distance between them. 

"Hi, Matt." 
"Hi. I. Um." Matt's carefully prepared words flew 

from his mind in the face of his nervousness. He tried 
again. "I was wondering if we could talk." 

Christian's eyebrows shot up. "Talk?" He turned 

away from Matt and unlocked his bike. "I don't know." 
He paid great attention to coiling the lock around the bar 
and securing it in place. 

Matt ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm really 

not good at this. I want to talk about what you said last 
week. If you have time. We don't have to do it now." 
Shit. Matt felt himself on the verge of babbling and 
clenched his jaw to keep more words from spilling out. 

Where You Least Expect It - 110 

Christian looked at him for a long moment, seeming 

to assess him before agreeing. "Yeah, okay. I don't have 
any plans, anyway." 

Matt's jaw unclenched and he let out an audible 

breath of relief. "Cool. I can drive." 

Christian nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips. 

"Okay." 

Matt was unaccountably nervous waiting for 

Christian to put his bike in the truck and buckle himself 
into the passenger seat. 

Matt stopped and turned before pulling out of the 

spot, reminding himself that assuming where they stood 
with each other was what got him into this predicament 
in the first place. "Is it okay if we go to my place? Or 
would you rather go somewhere else?" 

Christian shook his head. "No, your place is fine." 
They rode in silence; Christian's uncharacteristic 

stillness letting Matt know the other man was as tense as 
he was. 

"So. How were your exams?" Matt grabbed on the 

first semi-neutral topic he could think of to cut through 
the awkwardness. 

Christian made a pained sound and dropped his head 

against the seat dramatically. "Horrible. Long. I had 
writer's cramp by the end." 

"Oh. So does that mean you didn't do as well as you 

wanted?" Matt hated to think that Christian did poorly, 
especially if he was to blame somehow. 

Christian rolled his head to face Matt. "I said they 

were horrible, I didn't say I did badly. Probably a couple 
of As and a B. All of my papers are done, too, so now I 
just have to wait a couple of weeks for grades to come 
out." 

"Cool." Matt didn't know what to say next and 

Christian didn't offer any helpful conversation starters. 

Where You Least Expect It - 111 

The rest of the drive passed in awkward silence. 
Once inside Matt's condo, Christian made it obvious 

Matt needed to make the first move. 

Matt took a deep breath. "Um. I guess. Shit. Are you 

hungry?" 

"No, I'm okay, but I'll take a beer if you have any." 
Matt almost laughed from nerves. "I think I can 

manage that." 

When Matt came back from the kitchen, Christian 

was still standing where he had been, eyes flicking 
between Matt, the entertainment center, and the floor. 

Matt gestured toward the couch. "You can sit." 
Christian blushed. "Okay. Sorry." 
"You don't need to apologize. I know this is weird." 
Matt handed one of the bottles to Christian and sat 

next to him. Matt took a swallow and watched Christian 
pick at his beer label. 

"So. I don't really know where to start." 
Christian settled more comfortably on the couch. "It's 

okay. Just -- start." 

Matt took a deep breath. "Were you really pissed or 

were you just stressed about your exams and looking for 
somewhere to take it out?" 

"Does it matter?" 
It was a fair question. "I don't know. Probably not. I 

still want to say some stuff, so I guess not." 

Christian stared at his beer bottle, seeming to gather 

his thoughts before speaking. "I... didn't realize I was 
angry until I started talking. I wanted to get in touch 
with you on Saturday but I didn't know how you would 
react if I showed up on your doorstep. So when you 
came in on Sunday, it just really annoyed me that you 
could do that, and when you asked about my exams, it 
really pissed me off that you didn't know a damn thing 
about what was going on. And I know we never talked 

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about having any kind of relationship or whatever, we 
never had any pretenses of being more than casual fuck 
buddies. I don't really have any right to be pissed." 

Christian stopped and looked back down at his beer 

and shrugged. "So, I bitched at you and I shouldn't 
have." 

Matt took another drink. "I don't know about that. 

Like I said, I'm not good at this, but it's shitty of me to 
consider us friends but not know what's important to 
you." He rubbed his eyes, trying to refocus on what he 
had brought Christian here to talk about in the first 
place. 

"Why the sudden change?" Christian asked. 
Matt was relieved that Christian seemed genuinely 

curious. "Alison lectured me about being a shitty friend 
after we left the coffee shop on Monday." 

Christian was silent for a while. He finally looked 

back up at Matt. "Can I ask you something?" 

"Sure." Matt nodded. Maybe that would make it 

easier. 

Clearly hesitant, Christian wrinkled his brow. "Is it 

just because you're fooling around with me?" 

Matt thought he knew what Christian was trying to 

ask and decided to make it a little easier. "Or am I 
always an asshole?" 

"I didn't say you were an asshole!" Christian asserted. 
"No, you didn't. I did. Alison made it clear that I'm 

inconsiderate and clueless, and she's right. I get caught 
up in my own head sometimes and ignore how that 
affects people." 

"I don't think you're an asshole. I don't think Alison 

does, either. I think that you've considered yourself 
straight until a couple of weeks ago and that you might 
not know what to think now." 

That pretty much hit the proverbial nail on the head. 

Where You Least Expect It - 113 

"Yeah, well, it's not something I ever thought about 
before I met you and I don't know what I'm supposed to 
do about it, really." 

Christian sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest. 

"What do you want to do?" Christian laughed when Matt 
cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll rephrase. What do you 
want to do about how you feel?" He tilted his head. 
"How do you feel?" 

Matt sighed, got up, and started pacing. "I don't 

know." He leaned against the window, staring out at the 
lights and traffic flowing past. "What am I supposed to 
do? What am I supposed to tell people? Jesus, I'm not 
even sure what I think. Am I gay? Bi? What?" 

"I know how difficult this is, Matt, really." Christian 

sounded sympathetic. 

Matt turned and looked at Christian. "How old were 

you when you figured it out?" 

"Probably thirteen. Trent and I were, well, curious, I 

guess." Christian picked at the fabric on the couch. "I 
came out to my parents when I was fifteen after -- after 
some shit happened at school." 

Matt frowned. "What happened at school?" 
Christian tried to brush it off. "Just stupid shit, kids 

mouthing off at me. I came home with a black eye and 
Mom asked me why. I think they were more upset that I 
was getting hassled. I got the whole 'we love you no 
matter what' speech." Christian shrugged again. "I was 
lucky, but Trent's parents freaked and kicked him out 
when he turned eighteen." 

"That sucks. My parents died years ago, so at least I 

don't have to worry about that. I think Alison might have 
guessed, but I have no idea what Sam will say." 

Christian looked thoughtful. "But you're still worried 

about what other people will think, aren't you?" 

Matt sighed heavily. "Yes, I am. People at work, 

Where You Least Expect It - 114 

people who keep trying to set me up with women 
because they feel bad that Katie left me -- am I supposed 
to tell them I'm dating a man? I don't have a fucking clue 
what to expect." 

Christian looked surprised. "Are you?" 
"Am I what?" Matt hadn't quite realized what he'd 

said. 

"Dating a man?" 
Matt didn't know what to make of the neutral 

expression on Christian's face. "I don't know," he said 
honestly. "I don't know how to do this." 

Christian smiled slightly. "Probably the same way 

you date women." 

Matt rolled his eyes. "I suck at dating women." 
"Well, then maybe we should back up a little." 

Christian shifted on the couch, sitting up straighter. 
"Look, can I be completely honest with you?" 

Matt braced himself for the pending rejection and 

immediately realized he didn't want that. "Sure." 

"I like you. A lot. Maybe more than a lot. And I get 

that you're scared and not ready to come out. But I don't 
want to be your dirty little secret, either. I can handle 
being friends with you, but I don't think I can handle 
being just an easy blow job." 

Matt turned and stared out the window again, 

knowing he had a decision to make. He had two options: 
he could apologize to Christian, part amicably, and act 
friendly if they saw each other around town. That was 
the easy way out. 

The other option -- the one that was still making his 

head spin -- was to take a huge fucking leap and admit 
he wanted more than clandestine blow jobs. 

Matt watched the traffic on the street below. Fuck it. 

I've done scarier shit than this. 

When he finally turned around, Christian still sat up 

Where You Least Expect It - 115 

straight, no longer trying to sink into the cushions, but 
his expression was pensive. Matt took a deep breath. "I 
don't want that either," he admitted. 

"What do you want?" Christian asked. "Just so we're 

on the same page." 

Matt crossed the room and sat next to Christian. "I --" 

the words got stuck and he had to swallow and start 
again. "I want to see where this goes. I guess I want to 
try having a relationship with you." Matt felt his face get 
hot, but the world didn't end. He had never, ever done 
something like this; even in his relationship with Katie, 
he'd felt like a passive observer sometimes. 

Christian grinned at him. "Are you asking me to go 

steady?" 

Matt blinked and laughed. "Maybe. Do adults even 

do that?" 

Christian giggled. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to 

see." 

Matt smiled back. "Now what?" 
"Well, we could keep talking about how you feel 

about coming out. Or you could kiss me." 

"I like the second option better." Christian was still 

smiling as Matt leaned in and kissed him, lightly at first, 
just a brush of lips. 

Christian uncurled himself and wrapped his arms 

around Matt's neck. Matt responded by putting his arms 
around Christian's waist and pulling Christian into his 
lap so he could deepen the kiss, holding Christian 
against him and running his palms over Christian's back. 

Eventually, they had to part for air. 
Christian leaned their foreheads together. "Hey." 
"Hey." Matt nipped at Christian's chin. 
"You're sure?" 
"Yeah, I'm sure. That doesn't mean I might not fuck 

up at some point, because I probably will, but hopefully 

Where You Least Expect It - 116 

it won't be too bad." 

Christian kissed him again. "I'll try to keep you in 

line." 

"Does that mean I can have your phone number?" 
Christian laughed. "I don't see why not." 
"Oh, good. Then I won't have to stalk you at the 

coffee shop anymore, I can just text you." Matt wrapped 
a hand around the back of Christian's head and 
proceeded to kiss him thoroughly. 

"Fuck, I missed you." 
"Yeah? I missed you, too. Made it hard to study." 
"Sorry." Matt pulled back suddenly. "Did I say I was 

sorry for being an ass? I am, you know." 

"I know. Did I mention that I forgive you? Because I 

do." 

"Good. Now more kissing, less talking." 
Matt felt slightly silly that Christian's laughter made 

him get all warm inside, so he focused on kissing 
instead of thinking. Christian's laughter subsided into 
soft moans of pleasure, which Matt liked even more. 

Matt wanted to spend more time kissing Christian, 

feeling him push into the kisses. Matt slowly devoured 
his mouth, looking for more moans and sighs, loving 
how Christian didn't hold back. 

The kiss went from a slow burn to hot faster than 

Matt expected. He put his hands under Christian's ass 
and stood up, making Christian moan, legs wrapped 
tightly around Matt's waist. 

"Fuck, you're strong." 
"Uh-huh." Matt was already on his way to the 

bedroom, holding Christian firmly and trying to stay 
focused as Christian sucked on his neck. God damn, that 
was hot. 

Matt put one knee on the bed, dropping Christian 

lightly before lying down next to him and kissing him. 

Where You Least Expect It - 117 

Christian groaned and started stripping Matt, yanking 

his shirt over his head and starting on his pants. Matt 
tried to push his cock into Christian's hand as it fought 
with his zipper. 

"You're not helping," Christian admonished. 
Matt stilled his movements. "Sorry." 
Christian got Matt's pants halfway down his legs and 

stopped. "Shit. Shoes." 

Matt groaned in frustration. It had only been a week 

since he'd seen Christian but he was ready to bust, he 
was so turned on. Christian fumbled with his shoes, 
eventually getting them off, followed closely by the rest 
of Matt's clothes. 

Christian turned and just stared for a minute. "God, 

look at you." He ran a hand slowly up Matt's thigh. "So 
hot, so fucking hard." The last was accompanied by a 
quick swipe of Christian's tongue across Matt's cock on 
his way up to straddle Matt's hips. 

"You're still dressed." Before Christian could 

respond, Matt flipped them over and started pulling at 
Christian's clothes, finally getting him naked. Matt 
crawled back up the bed and shoved the covers out of 
the way, making Christian squirm to accommodate the 
sudden movement of the bedspread they were on top of. 

"Picky," he teased. 
"Practical," Matt corrected. "I don't want to have to 

drag the bedspread down to the laundry room. Now 
what did I say about less talking?" 

Christian ran a hand up Matt's chest. "Don't you like 

it when I tell you how fucking amazing you look, how I 
love all your muscles?" Christian pinched a nipple and 
Matt groaned. "How I love hearing you moan?" 

Matt responded with a kiss, hard enough that their 

teeth clashed. Christian's leg wrapped around his, one 
hand twisting in his hair and the other grabbing his ass 

Where You Least Expect It - 118 

as they moved together. 

Matt broke the kiss and gasped out, "Oh, God, I'm 

close." 

"Oh, fuck, yeah, honey. Do you want to come, Matt? 

Fuck, honey, do it." Suddenly Christian was in charge, 
grinding them together and panting in Matt's ear about 
how hot Matt was, how he thought about Matt when he 
touched himself. 

Matt lost it, shouting something that might have been 

Christian's name and might have just been nonsense. 
Christian followed a second later, hot come mixing on 
their stomachs. 

They both collapsed, panting, still touching. 
"I -- is this okay?" Matt stayed close, not quite 

snuggling, but not too far away, either. He could just 
make out Christian's features in the dim light coming in 
through the windows. 

"I think so," Christian said. "Remember, I said we 

don't have to do anything you don't want to." 

Matt had a sudden flash of insight, one that had 

seemed to elude him in all of his previous relationships. 
"I think I like it. Besides, if we're going to make this 
work, we'll have to figure all of this out anyway, right? I 
mean, we need to figure out what each of us likes and 
how it works together." 

Christian smiled. "Right. I like snuggling and 

napping after sex." 

Matt couldn't resist kissing Christian's smile. "I like 

snuggling and napping with you after sex." 

"Good deal." Christian curled into Matt, wrapping an 

arm around Matt's waist and burying his face in Matt's 
neck. 

*** 

Where You Least Expect It - 119 

When Matt woke up a few hours later, he was alone. 

After a quick trip to the bathroom, he found Christian in 
the kitchen, looking through his cabinets. He slipped his 
arms around Christian's waist. 

"Oh, hey." Christian leaned back against his chest. "I 

didn't mean to wake you. I was hungry." 

"Not trying to sneak out?" Matt teased. 
"Nope. Not a chance. I was just hoping to steal some 

of your food before you woke up." 

"What were you going to do when I noticed?" Matt 

didn't mention the fact that he probably wouldn't have 
noticed. 

Christian looked up at him. "Deny all knowledge and 

blame it on gremlins, maybe." 

Matt laughed. "I might have some spaghetti we can 

make, or I can order us something." 

"Spaghetti's fine. I'm kind of low on cash anyway." 

Christian nuzzled against him. 

"Okay." Matt dropped a kiss on Christian's shoulder. 

"I'll buy you real food tomorrow." 

Christian smiled and turned around. "You mean like a 

real date?" 

Matt's eyebrow went up as he looked at Christian 

with mild incredulity before laughing. "Yeah, like a real 
date. Assuming you want to go out on a real date with 
me." 

"Well, I don't know if I have anything to wear and I 

was planning on washing my hair, but I suppose I can 
rearrange my schedule." 

Matt poked Christian in the ribs causing Christian to 

squeak and stick his tongue out at Matt while jumping 
out of Matt's reach. "No tickling." 

Matt pretended to think about it for a minute before 

conceding. "Okay, no tickling. Cooking." He looked 
down at himself. "Pants first, though, I think." Matt 

Where You Least Expect It - 120 

winked at Christian and went to find clothes. Christian 
followed a few moments later and practically bumped 
into Matt as they passed in the living room. 

"Lights, too." Matt paused to kiss Christian before 

turning on a lamp on his way to the kitchen. 

Matt started water boiling and hunted through the 

cabinet for a jar of sauce. When Christian returned, he 
held up the jar for approval. "You don't have any food 
allergies or weird aversions do you? 

"Nope, none. What are we having?" 
"Mushrooms and garlic sauce. That work for you? 
"Perfect. Can I do anything to help?" 
"I think I have it under control. I'm a bachelor --

spaghetti and take out are my specialties." He dumped 
the sauce into a pan and turned it on low to simmer. 

He could feel Christian's eyes on him as he moved 

around the kitchen, getting plates and silverware, 
occasionally stirring the noodles and sauce. He'd chosen 
the tight T-shirt he wore on purpose, knowing how well 
it showed off his muscles, but he hadn't expected 
Christian's gaze to be so distracting. 

Finally running out of things to do while they waited 

for the food to cook, Matt leaned against the counter and 
looked over at Christian. "Have you registered for 
classes next semester yet?" 

Christian shook his head. "Not for a couple of weeks, 

but I already know what I'm taking." 

Christian filled in some more details about what 

classes he was taking and what his recent exams had 
been in. 

"I tend to babble about stuff I'm interested in so just 

stop me if I get boring," Christian said as they dished out 
their spaghetti. 

Matt shook his head, wanting to convince Christian 

he really was interested. "No, I really do find it 

Where You Least Expect It - 121 

interesting. I'm not just pretending. I only got into 
computers because I tested well and it was available 
when I went in the service." 

"So, if you could do it again, would you do it 

differently?" Christian asked between bites of pasta. 

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. I really didn't have a 

clue what I wanted to do after high school and wasn't 
really into spending more time in school, you know?" 

"I take it you didn't like high school very much?" 
Matt twirled his spaghetti around his fork. "It was 

just something I had to do. I played sports, but I didn't 
really run with that crowd. Mostly kept to myself, 
studied, got good grades. Hung out with Sam and 
Alison." 

"What did you play?" 
"Football and baseball. I ran track one year but I 

hated it. Football was my favorite." 

"Really? Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Or 

maybe that's my own fantasy of you running around 
with a bunch of sweaty guys." 

"You're a perv." 
"Maybe. You give me lots of material to work with." 
They made short work of cleaning up and storing the 

leftovers. Matt pulled Christian close and kissed him. 

"Mm, tomato." 
Matt laughed. "What do you want to do now that I've 

fed you?" 

"What time is it?" 
They both looked at the clock on the microwave. 

"Almost eleven," Matt said. 

Christian fiddled with the hem of Matt's shirt. "I 

guess I should go." 

Neither of them made any move to separate. 
"You could stay," Matt said finally. 
"I could?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 122 

"You could. If you want." 
Christian smiled. "Okay. Want to watch TV and 

make out on the couch?" 

Matt grinned. "You have excellent ideas." Holding 

Christian's hand, he led the way into the living room. "I 
still have that episode of Top Chef recorded." 

"That works for me." 
This time, instead of pretending they were just 

hanging out, Matt pulled Christian close and let him curl 
up against his side. 

"Comfortable?" Matt asked. 
"Yes, thank you. Did I mention that I like to 

snuggle?" 

"You did." Matt kissed the top of Christian's head 

affectionately. Matt was pretty confident he liked it, too. 
Especially when it was Christian curled up against his 
side, warm and sleepy. 

Where You Least Expect It - 123 

Chapter Eleven 

The warm body in his bed momentarily disconcerted 

Matt. He rolled over and took a minute to watch 
Christian sleeping beside him, hair mussed and blankets 
half thrown off. 

Even though it was well after nine, Matt didn't want 

to disturb Christian. He expected to feel strange waking 
up with someone in his bed -- particularly a man. 
Instead, he liked having Christian around and didn't feel 
pressured, unlike his experiences in the past. 

Christian was starting to wake up, blinking open his 

eyes and smiling at Matt. 

Matt returned the smile and reached out to touch 

Christian's jaw. "Morning, sleepyhead." 

Christian nuzzled into Matt, almost purring. 

"Morning." 

Matt nuzzled him back and kissed along his jaw line. 

"Sleep okay?" 

"Mmm-hmm. You're warm and your bed's way nicer 

than mine." Christian stretched, starting to wake up 
enough to kiss Matt lightly. "You?" 

"I did." He kissed Christian again, cock starting to 

take an interest. 

Christian pressed up against him. "Want to take a 

shower? Get all wet and soapy?" 

"That sounds like an excellent idea." After one last 

kiss, Matt rolled out of bed before they got too 
distracted. 

Matt got the water running and Christian joined him 

after a minute, hands sliding around Matt's waist and 
mouth sucking up a mark on Matt's shoulder. Matt 
rumbled happily and leaned back against Christian, 
lacing their fingers together and enjoying the feel of the 

Where You Least Expect It - 124 

warm water cascading down his chest. 

He could feel Christian's erection pressing against his 

ass. He pressed back just enough for Christian to feel it. 

Christian moaned softly as his hands caressed Matt's 

chest and his hips rocked forward. 

Matt let his head fall back as he reveled in the feeling 

of Christian's hands touching his chest. He could feel 
Christian's tongue and lips licking drops of water from 
his skin and he turned so he could steal a taste of 
Christian's mouth. 

Matt captured Christian's mouth and used his hands 

on Christian's ass to push their erections together. 
Christian rocked against him for a minute before pulling 
back and reaching for the soap, lathering Matt's chest, 
shoulders, and belly. 

Christian traced the curve of Matt's hip and down to 

the tops of Matt's thighs. 

Their tongues tangled wetly, water pouring around 

them. Matt took the soap from Christian and ran his 
hands over Christian's body, following the paths of the 
bubbles as they ran down Christian's chest. 

Matt moaned as Christian cupped his testicles with 

soapy hands and slicked the soft skin behind Matt's 
balls, shivering as Christian's fingers moved further 
back, almost but not quite touching his hole. After 
teasing Matt, Christian wrapped a hand around Matt's 
cock and slowly started jerking him, still kissing him 
and sucking on his lower lip. 

Matt breathed heavily, suddenly achingly hot. The 

soap made Christian's hand slide easily up and down 
Matt's cock, made it easy for Matt to thrust through 
Christian's fist. His own hands were still moving 
roughly over Christian's chest, fingers digging in 
slightly. Christian pushed into the touches, grip 
tightening as Matt teased a nipple. 

Where You Least Expect It - 125 

"God, Matt, I want you." 
Matt's whole body was on fire. Christian was still 

jacking Matt slowly, running his thumb over the head 
and the sensitive skin just below it. Matt reached up and 
wrapped one hand around Christian's neck, thumb 
stroking his pulse point, while reaching for Christian's 
hard-on with the other, fingers finding slick precome 
and soap. Christian whimpered. 

"Oh, fuck yes, so fucking hot, so hard for me. Can't 

believe how much you want it." Matt tried to match the 
pace of Christian's hand on his cock, slow and firm, 
enough to make his balls ache but not enough to make 
him come. 

"I want it. I want it bad." Christian leaned his 

forehead against Matt's chest, watching them jerk each 
other. His hand slid around Matt's ass, teasing along the 
crease. 

"Tell me." Matt was so hot he was going to come, 

just like this, standing in the shower stroking each other 
slowly. 

Christian let out a long groan, panting out his words. 

"I want... everything. I love when you touch me. I want 
to feel your mouth on me, sucking me." Christian was 
shaking and Matt could feel that he was close. They 
started to move faster, hips rocking. "I want you to fuck 
me, Matt, want you inside me." 

The words alone would have been enough to make 

Matt lose it, but the combination of Christian's hands on 
him, stroking his cock and teasing his ass, and the heat 
and pure need behind the words pushed Matt over the 
edge. He tried to keep jerking Christian as he came, 
wanting Christian with him. 

When Matt's head started to clear, he realized that 

Christian was still leaning against him. He let go of 
Christian's cock and wrapped around him, holding him 

Where You Least Expect It - 126 

loosely as the water sluiced over them, rinsing away the 
come. Christian leaned up and kissed Matt's chin. "I 
think I like waking up with you." 

Matt chuckled. "We should get clean and try to find 

some food." 

Christian stretched, wrapping his arms around Matt's 

neck. "Good plan." 

They shared kisses and touches, cleaning up quickly. 

Matt shut the water off and handed Christian a towel. 

"Do you want me to see if I have a T-shirt that might 

fit you?" 

Christian shrugged. "If you can, but it's no big deal. 

We can head to my place after we eat." Christian pulled 
on his boxers and jeans and flopped down on the bed, 
lying on his stomach and watching Matt dig through the 
dresser drawers, finally pulling out an old blue T-shirt. 

"This hasn't fit me in a while. Here." He tossed it at 

Christian, who rolled into a sitting position and pulled 
the T-shirt on. It was still a little big, but it mostly fit, 
and it was clean. 

"What do you want to do for breakfast? There really 

isn't much food here." 

Christian made a face. "If we're going out, something 

not too expensive. I'm a poor college student, 
remember." 

Matt walked into the bathroom to mess with his hair. 

"I can buy breakfast." He tried to make it nonchalant, 
but he was feeling a little like he was in new territory. 
He was never very good at navigating the whole who-
should-pay subject and now it had a new twist. 

Christian waited to respond until Matt came back into 

the bedroom. "You don't have to, you know." 

"I know. I want to. It's not... charity or whatever, and 

it's not because I feel like I have to. I know I make more 
than you do and I don't have a problem spending it." 

Where You Least Expect It - 127 

Christian looked at him thoughtfully for a minute. 

"Okay. I don't want to take advantage of you, though." 

Matt grinned. "You can just make up for it later." 
"Sex in exchange for breakfast, huh? Isn't that 

illegal?" 

Matt laughed and pulled Christian to his feet. 

"Maybe. Come on, I'm starving." 

He led Christian into the living room. "So, what do 

you like?" 

"Dude, did I mention I'm a poor starving college 

student who thinks a cheeseburger is a treat? I'll eat 
pretty much anything." 

Matt took their jackets out of the coat closet and 

handed over Christian's. Matt mentioned the name of his 
usual breakfast place and Christian agreed. "I love their 
bacon." Christian started to unlock the door but Matt 
stopped him. 

"Wait. I don't think I'm ready for public displays of 

affection, so we should do this first." He leaned down 
and kissed Christian thoroughly. When Matt stepped 
back, he laughed at the slightly dazed look on Christian's 
face. "We can go now." 

Christian blinked. "Oh, right." 

*** 

"How was everything?" the server asked, bringing 

them the check. 

"Excellent, thanks." Matt passed over his debit card. 

He usually liked eating by himself because he got to 
read the paper and settle into his weekend, but he found 
he enjoyed the time with Christian at least as much. 
Maybe more. 

Matt turned back and caught Christian trying to 

watch him inconspicuously. 

Where You Least Expect It - 128 

"What?" Matt asked. 
Christian shook his head. "Nothing." He fiddled with 

a random crumb on the table. "So I guess we should 
head back to your place so I can get my bike." It 
sounded more like a question than a statement to Matt. 

"Right. Do you need to leave? I didn't even ask if you 

were working, did I?" 

Christian smiled at him. "No, you didn't, and yeah, I 

have to go in from three to ten. A couple of people have 
already headed home for Christmas break, so I'm 
picking up extra shifts this week." 

Christmas. Shit, Matt hadn't even thought about that 

yet. "Are you staying here for Christmas?" 

"No, I'll head home on the twenty-third. My parents 

really want me to stay through New Year's, so I 
probably won't be back until the third. I hate missing the 
work, but I want to avoid the argument, you know? 
What are you doing for the holiday?" 

"I have no idea," Matt said honestly. "I mean, I don't 

have family and last year I was still with Katie. Sam's 
mom usually invites me over, so I might do that, but it 
might seem a little odd. I don't know." 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something 

awkward." 

The waitress brought Matt's debit slip back for him to 

sign and left them alone again. 

"No, it's fine. You ready?" Matt didn't want Christian 

to feel the need to tiptoe around him. 

"Yeah, sure." Christian took a last swallow of his 

coffee and stood to follow Matt out of the restaurant. 

"I can drive you to work if you want," Matt offered. 
Christian looked at Matt out of the corner of his eye. 

"Yeah? Trying to keep me around for a few more 
hours?" 

"Maybe." 

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"You'll have to pick me up, too." 
"I can do that. Maybe I'll even buy food and feed you 

again later." 

"Cool." Christian smiled and shoved his hands in his 

pocket, matching Matt's pace as they walked back to the 
condo. 

*** 

It was Tuesday before they were able to see each 

other again. Once safely behind closed doors, Matt 
grabbed Christian for a kiss, cold lips warming up 
quickly. 

Matt pulled back finally. "Hey," he said softly. 
"Hey." Christian smiled happily, checks and nose red 

from the cold. 

"I should change." Matt was still wearing his work 

clothes. 

"Okay." Neither of them made any move to separate. 
Matt kissed Christian again, finally pulling back. "I'll 

be right back." 

"I'll be here." 
Matt changed into jeans and a sweater and took a 

quick look around the bedroom. Of course, it was 
spotless. 

When he got back to the living room, Christian was 

sitting on the couch flipping through one of the books 
Matt left on the coffee table. Christian smiled up at him. 

"I have food. Want to help me cook?" "Nurturing" 

wasn't a word anyone would have used to describe Matt, 
but here he was, shopping so that Christian would eat 
decent food and worrying about Christian bike riding at 
night. 

Christian stood and put his arms around Matt's waist, 

seeming to take Matt's offer to eat a home cooked meal 

Where You Least Expect It - 130 

in stride. "Sure. But first I want to kiss you again." He 
leaned up and kissed Matt, slowly sucking on Matt's 
lower lip. 

Matt returned the embrace, and the kiss, lips parting 

to pull Christian's tongue into his mouth and swallowing 
Christian's moan. 

Christian's stomach rumbled at almost the same 

moment. Matt laughed and Christian buried his face in 
Matt's chest. "Sorry." 

"It's okay. Let's make dinner. We can make out later." 
"I certainly hope so." Christian looked expectant. 
Matt gave Christian one last quick kiss before leading 

the way into the kitchen. 

"So, um." Matt paused, wondering if Christian would 

find this weird. "I picked up some chicken and a couple 
of other things at the store. I thought maybe we could do 
chicken and potatoes. I even got some cans of 
vegetables." 

Christian was smiling at him again. "That sounds 

fabulous. What do you want me to do?" 

Just like last time, Matt found he liked cooking with 

Christian. The little kisses and touches certainly didn't 
detract from things, either. 

They tried to watch TV while dinner cooked but were 

making out on the couch when the kitchen timer buzzed. 
Matt was glad he hadn't tried to rely on his ability to 
watch the clock or they would be eating overcooked 
chicken. 

They chatted through dinner and cleaning up, trading 

stories about Matt's job and Christian's upcoming 
classes. They ended up ignoring the television again. 

"Been thinking about you." Matt kissed Christian's 

ear and was rewarded with a shiver. 

"Yeah? What about me?" Christian stretched to give 

Matt better access to his neck. 

Where You Least Expect It - 131 

"About you sucking me. About how fucking good it 

feels. Keep thinking about what you said in the shower." 
He moved his hand down to rub Christian's erection. 
"Can I suck you?" He felt Christian's dick throb at the 
words. 

"Oh, shit. Are you sure?" 
"I am. I keep thinking about it. I want to know what 

it's like, what you taste like." 

Christian groaned, a long and pleading sound. "Matt. 

Love the things you say." 

"Yeah? You like it when I tell you that I can't stop 

thinking about your mouth on me? I touch myself and 
think about my cock sliding in and out of your mouth. 
About what it would be like to do that to you." Matt 
started nibbling on Christian's Adam's apple, moving 
down and running his teeth over Christian's T-shirt 
covered nipple. 

Christian groaned. "Good." 
Matt slid his hand lower to cup Christian's balls 

briefly before sitting up and pulling Christian's T-shirt 
off, baring the smooth chest. He moaned when he saw 
one of the marks he'd sucked onto Christian's stomach 
the other night. 

Christian slid down on the couch, legs spreading for 

Matt. Matt moved his hand back to Christian's cock, 
rubbing a couple of times before relenting and 
unbuttoning Christian's jeans like they both wanted. He 
leaned up and kissed Christian again before pulling off 
his sweater. 

Christian moaned and dropped his hand to his own 

cock. 

Matt knelt on the floor in front of Christian, pulling 

Christian's jeans off on the way and watching Christian 
stroke himself for a minute before taking over. Matt 
kissed Christian's thighs, nuzzled and licked Christian's 

Where You Least Expect It - 132 

balls, drawing out more needy sounds. 

"Matt." Christian spread his legs wider. 
Matt looked up as he sucked on Christian's balls. 
"Oh, fuck, Matt. That's the hottest thing I've ever 

seen." 

"Is it?" Matt asked before licking around the base of 

Christian's cock. 

"Oh, God. Suck me, honey, please." 
Matt kept licking Christian's cock, slowly moving up 

the length before gripping the base so he could wrap his 
lips around the head. 

Christian moaned loudly. 
Matt slid his mouth down Christian's cock, letting 

himself adjust to the girth and the flavor. Matt couldn't 
go as deep as Christian could, but he compensated with 
his hands and tongue. 

He chanced a glance up at Christian, whose head was 

thrown back, eyes shut tight, lips slightly parted on a 
moan, rocking gently. 

Matt kept sucking and licking, bringing Christian 

closer to the edge. He could taste the precome leaking 
from Christian's cock and concentrated on getting more 
and making Christian's moans louder. 

"Matt. God, close. Soon." 
Matt kept sucking, using Christian's moans to guide 

him. He felt Christian's cock get even harder before 
starting to pulse, hot come shooting out over his tongue. 
He was momentarily startled, but swallowed all of it. 

Matt kept licking through the aftershocks, just like 

Christian had done for him, careful not to over 
stimulate. When he looked up to meet Christian's 
slightly dazed expression, he felt suddenly self-
conscious. 

He swallowed. He knew there was no such thing as 

bad head, but still. "Was that good?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 133 

Christian smiled brightly. "That was amazing. When 

I can move, I'll return the favor." 

Matt laughed and kissed Christian's hip before 

settling himself on the couch. He pulled Christian into 
his arms and kissed spiky hair. His own cock was 
pushing insistently against his zipper, throbbing in time 
with his heartbeat as he waited for Christian to recover. 

Christian's hand moved up Matt's thigh to his 

erection. Matt couldn't hold back his groan. Christian 
twisted to suck on Matt's nipple, drawing it into a tight 
peak. 

"Christian," Matt pleaded; he might have been 

embarrassed if he had been less turned on. 

"Don't worry, honey, I'll take care of you." Christian 

opened Matt's pants and pushed them out of the way, 
lowering his head and sucking Matt in deep. 

Matt cursed and thrust forward, trying to pull his 

jeans the rest of the way down. Christian helped, getting 
his jeans low enough to fondle Matt's balls while 
sucking him off. 

Matt didn't last long. He'd been horny all day and 

waiting through dinner had only made him more eager. 
Christian swallowed around him as he came, gentling as 
Matt's orgasm subsided. Christian licked the last drops 
of come from Matt's prick before moving up to curl 
against his chest again. 

They sat there together dozing slightly, Christian 

drawing random patterns on Matt's chest as Matt rubbed 
his hand along Christian's arm. 

"Want to go to bed?" Matt finally asked. 
"Hmm. Okay." Christian stretched and stood up, 

pulling Matt along with him. 

They both laughed when Matt's jeans fell down 

around his ankles as he stood, almost tripping him. Matt 
finished stripping and picked up his clothes before 

Where You Least Expect It - 134 

heading into the bedroom. 

Christian followed a minute later with his clothes and 

backpack. He blushed when Matt looked at him with a 
raised brow. 

"I figured I might end up staying and brought clothes 

for tomorrow. Is that okay?" 

"Yeah, you know, it actually is." They crawled into 

bed together, kissing softly. 

"It's kind of early to be going to sleep," Matt pointed 

out. 

"Yeah, I noticed that, actually. Want to make out 

again?" 

"Definitely." 
All in all, Matt thought it was a damned fine way to 

end a Tuesday. 

Where You Least Expect It - 135 

Chapter Twelve 

Later that week, Matt let Sam prevail on him to spend 

Christmas Day at Sam's mom's house, but that didn't 
stop him from waiting up until after midnight for 
Christian to call Christmas Eve. 

"Hey, I'm sorry it's so late. Mom had a ton of stuff for 

me to do and I kept thinking I was going to get time, and 
I didn't, and then there was this thing at my aunt's house, 
and I know it's only been a day but I miss you." 

Matt laughed at the rush of words. "I miss you, too. 

And it's okay that it's late; I'm just glad I got to talk to 
you. Are you having fun at least?" 

He could almost hear Christian's shrug. "Mostly. I've 

got family stuff all day tomorrow, but Trent and I will 
probably manage to shut ourselves up in my basement 
and play video games on Friday, which will be cool." 

The tiniest ripple of jealousy went through Matt. 

"Yeah? That sounds like fun. How was the drive?" 

Christian picked up on it. "You're jealous!" 
"I am not!" Matt's protest may have been a bit louder 

than he anticipated. 

Christian laughed. "I think it's sweet. And don't 

worry, I don't plan on screwing around with Trent." 

"I know. I just... I don't want to come between the 

two of you." 

"Now you're being silly. You're not. And you won't. 

And I don't want him to come between us, either." 

"He won't." Matt missed Christian and was 

disappointed they couldn't spend the holiday together, 
but didn't feel threatened by Trent. 

"Good. How was work? No one came up with some 

crazy project for you, did they?" 

Matt wondered if he spent too much time 

Where You Least Expect It - 136 

complaining about his job. "Work was remarkably quiet. 
I got out at four." 

"Oh, cool." Christian yawned loudly. "Shit, I'm 

sorry." 

"It's okay, it's late. You should get some sleep." Matt 

didn't want Christian to fall asleep during his family 
Christmas. 

"I'd rather talk to you, but you're probably right. Can 

I call you tomorrow?" 

"Absolutely. Leave a message if I don't answer. And 

have a Merry Christmas." 

"Merry Christmas, honey." 
It was only after he ended the call that Matt 

registered Christian's use of "honey" when they weren't 
having sex. He thought maybe he didn't mind it. 

*** 

On Christmas, Sam made a couple of comments 

about what a good mood Matt was in; Matt tried to blow 
it off, which worked for the most part. He had fun with 
Sam's family, exchanged a few gifts, teased Sam's sister, 
ate too much. He and Sam both dodged questions about 
whom they were dating. 

Matt talked with Christian every day, however 

briefly. Christian complained about being away through 
New Year's, but Matt convinced him to spend the time 
with his family. Although not saying so, Matt wasn't 
sure they should be rearranging their holidays for each 
other just yet. Christian relented, admitting that his 
dependence on Trent for a ride was the deciding factor. 
Christian promised to call when he got back to town on 
Saturday. 

Matt spent New Year's Eve at Riley's with Sam and a 

woman named Leah. Like most of Sam's girlfriends, 

Where You Least Expect It - 137 

they had nothing in common, but Matt wasn't as 
bothered by it as he usually was. 

The surprise text he received from Christian shortly 

after midnight made him smile. 

"Who's sending you text messages at midnight?" Sam 

was suddenly at his shoulder. 

Shit. Matt snapped his cell phone closed. "No one. 

It's nothing." 

Sam looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Who is 

she?" 

"What?" 
"Oh, come on," Sam gave him a knowing look. 

"You've got that whole happy distracted I'm-getting-
laid-look. Who is she?" 

Matt hadn't realized he was being quite so 

transparent. "No one," he repeated. "Trust me, there is 
no woman." That much, at least, was the truth. 

"Fine, be that way. But I will figure it out, you 

know." 

Matt tried to laugh it off, consoled by the fact that 

Sam would almost certainly never figure out whom Matt 
was sleeping with. 

Saturday night found Matt waiting for Christian to 

call and confirm their plans for Sunday. 

When the phone rang right around eleven, Matt 

answered on the second ring. "Hi." 

"Hey. Um, so, I know it's late, but I'm here." 

Christian sounded tired. 

"Back at your apartment?" Matt asked. 
"No, I mean I'm here. Downstairs. Can I come up? If 

not, Trent's still here, so it's not a big deal if you're tired 
or whatever." 

Matt cut Christian off before he could continue 

babbling. "No, it's fine. I'm still awake. I'll let you in." 

"Awesome." Christian clicked off and Matt only had 

Where You Least Expect It - 138 

to wait a second before the buzzer sounded. Christian 
must have been pretty sure Matt would welcome him. 
Matt let him in and opened the door into the hallway, 
waiting for Christian to make it upstairs. 

Matt smiled as soon as Christian walked off the 

elevator, lugging his duffel bag and backpack behind 
him. He looked slightly rumpled from spending five 
hours in a car, but Matt thought he looked great. 

Matt closed and locked the door as Christian dropped 

his bags in the spot usually reserved for his bike. 

"Hey." 
"Hey." Christian moved immediately into Matt's 

arms, letting Matt kiss him before cuddling in for a hug, 
relaxing in Matt's embrace. "Fuck, I missed this." 

"Me, too. Are you hungry? Or just tired?" 
"We stopped on the road. I really just want to go 

snuggle and fall asleep, if that's cool." Christian looked 
cautious, as if he was concerned that Matt might be 
expecting more. 

"That sounds excellent." Matt kissed him again. "Go 

ahead in, I just want to shut the lights and stuff off." 

Christian grinned tiredly. "Okay." He kissed Matt 

before slipping out of Matt's arms and heading into the 
bedroom. 

Christian was already under the covers when Matt 

joined him. 

Christian was immediately in his arms, head pillowed 

on Matt's shoulder and arm wrapped around Matt's 
waist. Matt settled the blankets around them and let 
himself relax with his lover. 

*** 

Matt woke up to the feeling of Christian's mouth on 

his chest, tongue trailing along the outlines of his 

Where You Least Expect It - 139 

muscles. Matt stretched and rumbled, reaching out to 
stroke Christian's hair. Christian slowly moved up the 
length of Matt's chest to kiss his lips. 

"Morning," Christian greeted him. 
"Morning. Been awake long?" 
"Long enough." Christian pushed his morning 

erection into Matt's thigh. "Got any plans for the day?" 

Matt rolled them over. "I can probably come up with 

something." He pressed Christian into the bed. 

Three hours later, they were lying on the couch 

watching football and digesting breakfast as rain 
pounded against the windows and the wind howled 
loudly. Christian was practically asleep on Matt's chest. 

"So, I know we didn't talk about it or anything, but I 

got you something for Christmas." 

Christian's head popped up. "Really. Cool, 'cause I 

might have gotten you something, too." 

Matt smiled at him. "If you want to get off me, I'll 

even go get it." 

"I don't know, you are awfully comfortable, but I 

guess I can make an exception for presents." 

Christian climbed off the couch and headed over to 

his bag. Matt watched him for a second before getting 
Christian's present out of the coat closet. 

Christian dropped back down on the couch and 

looked as though he was barely restraining himself from 
bouncing as he waited for Matt to sit back down. 

"So, uh, you were talking about this a couple of 

weeks ago and you didn't mention getting it from your 
family, so I thought I'd take a chance. We can always 
exchange it if you want." Matt handed Christian his gift. 

"Okay." He handed Matt a brightly wrapped package. 

"I hope you like it." 

Matt watched as Christian tore into his present -- a 

new game for his console system that Matt had lucked 

Where You Least Expect It - 140 

upon. "Oh, wow, you found it! You rock!" Now 
Christian was bouncing, looking like a little kid. "Thank 
you." He leaned forward to give Matt a kiss. "Open 
yours." 

Matt took another kiss. "You're welcome. Are you 

going to wait to play it, or do I have to take you home 
now?" Matt teased. 

"I guess I can wait." Christian grinned and pointed at 

the present Matt held. "Open!" 

Matt laughed. "Okay, okay." Matt looked at the 

wrapping carefully. "I like the paper." 

"Matt! Stop torturing me!" Christian said 

dramatically. 

Matt kept laughing at Christian as he opened the 

paper with slightly more control than Christian had 
shown, finally revealing an AC/DC box set, complete 
with DVD. "Oh, Christian, this is awesome. I've been 
wanting to get this forever." 

"You like it?" Christian looked so happy that Matt 

had to kiss him again. 

"I love it. I'll put it on in a minute." Matt tangled his 

fingers in the hair at the nape of Christian's neck and 
leaned down for a kiss, tongue slipping out to taste 
Christian's lip. Christian purred and teased back, 
drawing a soft moan from Matt. 

Matt chuckled and pulled away. "Hold that thought." 

He got up and moved to the stereo system, putting the 
discs into the CD changer. 

Christian curled back up against his chest as soon as 

Matt sat back down. All in all, not a bad way to spend a 
belated Christmas. 

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Chapter Thirteen 

Matt knew Christian was anticipating a heavier 

workload during the upcoming Winter quarter. Their 
relationship was all still so new, Matt wasn't sure how 
things would end up, but he was prepared to work 
around Christian's schedule as much as he could. He met 
Christian by the bike rack after work on Tuesday. 

"How were classes?" Matt asked, making a conscious 

effort to make sure Christian knew he was interested. 

"Good. It's going to be a lot of work." 
Matt picked Christian's bike up and loaded it into the 

back of his truck before getting behind the wheel. "We 
can either go shopping or I can treat you to dinner to 
celebrate the new quarter." 

Christian stretched his legs out. "Let's see, a home 

cooked meal or dinner out. I think I opt for eating out. If 
this quarter ends up as busy as I expect, I might as well 
take advantage of it while I can. How about Thai?" 

"We can do Thai. Can I take you home with me 

later?" 

Christian looked at him sideways. "Maybe. If you're 

lucky." 

"Well, I'm hoping to get lucky." 
Christian laughed again. "Like I said, you better take 

advantage of me before I get sucked into studying 
constantly." 

"Are you still on track to graduate after Spring 

quarter?" 

"Should be," Christian answered before changing the 

subject. 

Dinner was quick; Christian seemed just as eager as 

Matt to get back to the condo. 

Christian dropped his backpack inside Matt's door 

Where You Least Expect It - 142 

and turned for a kiss. "I've been waiting to do that for 
hours." 

"Sorry." 
"It's okay. I get that you're not ready to be out in 

public yet. It kind of makes me appreciate it more." 

"Until it starts to become an issue." Matt knew in the 

back of his mind that it would become an issue at some 
point. He knew it wasn't fair to ask Christian to hide 
their relationship; Christian was used to being out and 
would likely grow tired of pretending. 

Christian cut into his thoughts. "Let's not worry about 

it yet, okay? I think you were planning on getting 
lucky?" 

"I'm hoping. It's been since Sunday, after all." Matt 

leaned down to kiss him, hands stroking Christian's back 
and making him moan softly. 

"Couch or bed?" Matt asked. 
Christian pressed close. "Bed. More room to play." 

Christian turned and picked up his bag, blushing. "I, 
um." He bit his lip, "I brought condoms." 

Matt thought he might have blushed, too. "Oh. 

Okay." Holding out a hand for Christian, he drew 
Christian into the bedroom. Christian followed easily, 
crossing to the other side of the bed and placing the 
condoms on the nightstand within easy reach. 

Matt watched, vaguely amused at Christian's 

embarrassment considering Christian was the more 
experienced one. Matt was less nervous than he 
expected. 

Matt pulled the blankets back and knelt in the center 

of the bed, reaching out for Christian. He moved easily 
into Matt's arms, smiling, but still blushing, letting Matt 
kiss him, pull off his T-shirt, and open his jeans, rubbing 
lightly at Christian's erection. Christian moaned as Matt 
massaged the sensitive skin underneath the head. 

Where You Least Expect It - 143 

Matt pushed Christian's jeans and boxers down below 

Christian's hips, rubbing and squeezing his ass. 

Christian kissed him hungrily, tongue stroking Matt's 

roughly, hips grinding against Matt's. "Matt," the word 
almost a plea. 

"God, you're fucking hot." Matt pulled his own shirt 

off, tossing it over his shoulder. He grunted when 
Christian's mouth landed on one of his nipples, sucking 
and licking before switching to the other one. 

"Oh, yeah, so good, Christian. Love when you do 

that." Christian rubbed his hand over the bulge in Matt's 
jeans. Christian unfastened Matt's pants, pulling them 
down, dipping his head and sucking gently on Matt's 
penis. Matt groaned when Christian pulled off and lay 
down, stroking himself. 

"Touch me, Matt. Please." 
Matt made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, 

dropping down half on top of Christian and kissing 
Christian, letting his hand roam across Christian's chest 
and hips. Christian's legs moved restlessly. Matt stopped 
what he was doing long enough to finish stripping both 
of them. He kissed his way back up Christian's body, 
keeping most of his weight on his arms so as to not 
crush the smaller man. 

He paused from kissing Christian long enough to say, 

"You have to tell me what to do, babe." 

"You're doing a really good job so far." Christian 

kept kissing Matt as he reached for the lube. "Watch 
me." He pushed at Matt's shoulders until Matt was 
kneeling between Christian's legs. 

Matt watched as Christian spread the lube on his 

fingers and pulled one of his knees up to give himself 
access. He reached down and slowly started stroking the 
skin behind his balls, moving further back and circling 
his hole before pushing one finger in. 

Where You Least Expect It - 144 

Matt groaned out loud, enthralled by the sight of 

Christian lying with his legs spread, sliding a slick 
finger in and out of his ass, then adding a second finger 
along with the first. 

Matt tore his eyes away from Christian's ass to steal a 

look at Christian's face. 

Christian was stretched out on the bed, a thin sheen 

of sweat on his chest and belly. His eyes were hot as he 
watched Matt watching him. 

Christian handed over the lube. "Slick your fingers." 
Matt fumbled with the tube, finally getting it open 

and spreading some of the cool liquid on his fingers. At 
Christian's encouragement, Matt slowly slipped one 
finger inside Christian. 

Christian moaned. "More. You won't hurt me." 
Matt added another finger, slowly fucking Christian. 

Christian's whole body jerked and he swore as Matt 
found his prostate. Christian started writhing, humping 
Matt's hand as Matt moved gently inside Christian, not 
really knowing how much was enough or too much, 
using Christian's movements and sounds as a guide. 

His own cock was leaking and throbbing, aching to 

be inside Christian. 

"Another." Christian gasped. 
Matt spread more lube and added a third finger, 

feeling Christian's muscles flutter and clench around 
him. Matt moaned as Christian ground down on his 
hand. 

"God, Matt. So good. Will you fuck me? Please, I 

want to feel you inside me." 

Matt stilled his hand, gently withdrawing his fingers 

and reaching for the box of condoms. He rolled one on 
quickly, the friction of his fingers on his dick making 
him moan. 

Christian grabbed his legs behind the knees. "In me. 

Where You Least Expect It - 145 

Please." 

"Like this?" Matt leaned over Christian, lining his 

cock up and pressing in. 

"Oh! Yeah." Christian shifted impatiently. 
Matt slid the rest of the way inside, holding himself 

still, feeling the incredible heat of Christian's ass 
surrounding his cock. He found Christian's mouth with 
his, sucking on Christian's tongue hungrily as he started 
to thrust, slowly at first. Christian moaned into his 
mouth, meeting Matt's thrusts. Matt felt Christian's legs 
wrap around his waist, fingers digging into Matt's back. 
Christian's urgent movements pushed Matt to increase 
his speed. 

"Fuck, yes, like that." 
Matt stared down at Christian, holding his weight on 

his hands and thrusting into Christian. 

"Harder. Fuck me." 
"Fuck, fuck. Tight." Matt started thrusting harder, 

faster, slamming his hard cock into Christian. 

Christian reached down and started stroking himself 

in time with Matt's thrusts, babbling about how good it 
was, how hot. 

Christian's muscles clamped down on Matt's dick as 

Christian came, jerking himself furiously and shouting. 

Matt thrust twice more before going still, his cock 

pulsing as he came. 

Christian dropped his legs down, lying pliant beneath 

Matt. After tossing the condom, Matt collapsed next to 
him, both of them still breathing hard. 

"That was amazing." Christian gasped out. 
"Fuck." Matt wasn't at his most articulate. 
Christian chuckled. "So you wouldn't be adverse to 

trying it again?" 

Matt finally managed to turn his head and look over 

at Christian. He was a little bit stunned by just how good 

Where You Least Expect It - 146 

it felt to be inside Christian, somehow more intense than 
what he was used to, but he didn't have the brain cells to 
figure it out just then. "We can definitely do that again. 
Give me about ten minutes." 

Christian laughed and rolled over toward Matt, lying 

his head on Matt's shoulder and yawning. 

Matt wrapped an arm around Christian, holding him 

close. "You're okay?" 

"More than okay. Did I mention that was amazing?" 
"You might have." Matt grinned, relieved that he 

hadn't been too rough. 

They lay there together for a while before Christian 

stirred. "I should get some reading done. Do you mind?" 

"Nope. You going to read in here or in the living 

room?" 

"Living room, I think. Want to keep me company for 

a bit?" 

"You mean I have to move?" 
Christian laughed and kissed Matt. "Yep." He found 

his jeans and T-shirt, grabbed his bag and headed back 
into the living room. 

Matt dragged himself from the bed, found his own 

clothes, and followed, settling next to Christian on the 
couch. 

*** 

They quickly found their routine again. Christian 

spent most of his time at Matt's, laptop and books taking 
up a semi-permanent place on Matt's coffee table. 

That led to the inevitable misunderstandings as Matt 

tried to incorporate Christian into his life. 

"You can use the desk in the guest room to study." 

Matt thought the offer was innocent enough and was 
surprised when Christian stiffened. 

Where You Least Expect It - 147 

"I didn't realize I was in your way," he said flatly. 
"I'm just trying to be nice, Christian." 
"No, don't worry about it, I can leave." 
What the hell? "When did I say I wanted you to 

leave?" 

"You said you don't want me studying in your living 

room." 

"No, damn it, I didn't say that! I said I can set up the 

fucking den so you can study in there so you have some 
quiet and not get distracted by me or the TV or 
whatever." 

"I -- oh." Christian blinked and tilted his head. 

"Really?" 

It was impossible for Matt to stay mad when 

Christian looked at him like that. "Really. I like having 
you here, Christian." 

"Oh. Okay. Sorry. I'm not usually such a freak. Um, 

is it okay that I like staying in here with you? I mean, I 
might change my mind, but I like the company." 

Matt kissed him. "I like it too." Matt settled back on 

the couch with his book while Christian went back to 
studying. 

*** 

As Matt found himself spending several nights a 

week and most weekends with Christian, he spent less 
time with Sam and Alison, although he still took regular 
coffee breaks with Alison. She never mentioned the fact 
that he was even less social than normal, nor did she 
raise the question of his friendship with Christian again. 
Sam, oddly enough, pressed Matt less frequently about 
going to parties and didn't argue when Matt said he had 
plans. 

It was clear from their conversation at New Year's 

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that Sam thought Matt had a girlfriend. Even as private 
as he was, Matt hated keeping things from Sam. He felt 
like he was sneaking around, which was exactly what he 
was doing. His relationship with Christian was the first 
serious thing Matt had ever withheld from his best 
friend. 

Matt also knew Christian was starting to realize 

something was troubling him when Christian crawled 
into bed at one-thirty and Matt was still awake. 

"What's wrong, honey?" Christian curled up along 

Matt's side and kissed his shoulder. 

Matt shifted and put his arm around Christian. 

"Nothing. Just can't sleep." Matt nuzzled Christian. 
"Maybe you can help." 

"Hmmm," Christian almost purred. "You mean by 

doing something other than making you talk about why 
you're still awake." 

"Maybe I was waiting up for you." 
Christian grinned and leaned over Matt, stroking 

Matt's hair. "Yeah? You miss me when I'm not in bed 
with you?" 

Matt tried to hide his smile. "Maybe." 
Christian giggled. "Well, I'm here now." Christian 

kissed him, making Matt forget his stress for the 
moment. Christian settled more firmly against him and 
kissed Matt with great thoroughness, slowly licking and 
sucking on his lips, his chin and jaw, taking great care to 
make Matt melt into the kisses. 

Matt let Christian lead the kiss before starting to kiss 

back just as slowly. He stroked his hand slowly up and 
down Christian's arm, feeling firm muscles underneath 
incredibly soft skin. He sucked along Christian's jaw, 
reveling in the freedom to do this, to lie in bed and just 
kiss and touch without any pressure or expectations. 

Christian kissed his way slowly along Matt's neck 

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and chest as his hand wandered lower. 

"Christian," he moaned softly, legs moving restlessly. 
"Yeah, honey?" His fingers trailed lightly through 

Matt's pubic hair. 

Matt groaned. "Do you know what you do to me?" 
Christian sucked on his rib cage. "Uh-huh." The hand 

that was torturing him moved to his balls, making Matt 
gasp as Christian rolled them slowly. "I think I turn you 
on." 

"God, yes." Matt wasn't sure if he was responding to 

Christian's words or touch. 

Christian pushed the blankets the rest of the way 

down so he could continue the journey with his mouth 
along Matt's navel and hip bones. Finally, he relented a 
little and licked a wet stripe up the length of Matt's cock, 
pulling more moans from Matt. Christian teased the slit, 
licking up a drop of precome. 

Watching Christian suck him was still one of the 

hottest things Matt had ever seen. Enjoyment obvious, 
Christian made sure Matt got a good look at his cock 
sliding in and out of Christian's mouth before beginning 
to suck in earnest, taking Matt deep and swallowing. 
Matt moaned and placed his hands on Christian's 
shoulders, slowly thrusting in and out. He wanted to 
make it last, but it was so good that he felt his balls pull 
up as his orgasm crashed through him. 

Christian kept sucking until the last of the aftershocks 

had subsided. When Christian kissed him, Matt could 
taste his own come in Christian's mouth, making him 
moan. "God, that's hot." 

Christian grinned and kissed him again as Matt 

reached for Christian's cock only to find it already soft 
and sticky with come. 

He stretched his neck so he could look at Christian. 

"Were you humping the bed again?" 

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Christian buried his head on Matt's chest. "Maybe." 
Matt laughed. "You're insatiable." 
"You love it." 
"Maybe," Matt echoed. 
Christian laughed and gave Matt another kiss. "I'm 

sticky." He crawled out of bed and headed into the 
bathroom. "I think we need to buy more towels." 

Matt cocked an eyebrow. "We do?" 
He could tell Christian was blushing. 
"You need to buy more towels?" He cleaned up the 

come on the sheet and tossed the towel back in the 
direction of the bathroom. 

"Come here." 
Christian pulled the blankets up around them and 

curled back into Matt's arms, settling down sleepily. 

"Thanks, babe." Matt kissed Christian's temple. 
"Anytime." 

*** 

Matt woke a few hours later from his first nightmare 

in weeks. It wasn't as bad as some, but it disturbed his 
sleep enough that he needed to get up and distract 
himself. Thankfully, he hadn't woken Christian. 

Christian found him in the living room a little while 

later. "Hey," Christian said sleepily as he sat down next 
to Matt. 

Damn. He didn't want to talk about this. "Hey." 
"What's wrong?" Matt felt Christian's hand on his 

arm. 

"Nothing." Maybe Christian would take the hint and 

go back to bed. 

"You seem really upset, Matt. Do you want to talk?" 
"Look, I said nothing's wrong. Go back to bed." The 

words came out harsher than Matt intended, but they had 

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the desired effect. 

"Fine. You don't have to get all snarky at me for 

being concerned." 

Feeling like an ass, Matt briefly considered following 

Christian to apologize. But that would only lead to 
questions Matt wasn't ready to answer. 

Morning came quickly; Matt managed to doze a little 

on the couch but was wide awake well before his alarm. 
He was already showered and getting dressed when 
Christian rolled over. "Time is it?" 

"Almost seven. If you want a ride home, get ready." 
Christian yawned. "It's early." 
Matt didn't respond, but Christian kept asking 

questions. 

"Did you sleep at all?" 
"I'm fine, Christian." 
Christian sat up, concern clear on his face. "Matt. 

Don't shut me out." 

That just pissed Matt off more. "What the fuck are 

you talking about? I told you, there's nothing wrong." 

"Matt --" 
Matt cut him off. "Do you want a ride home or not?" 
Christian sighed. "Okay, yeah. Can you wait until I 

get dressed?" 

"I'll be in the living room." 
Matt left the bedroom without giving Christian a 

chance to respond. He waited impatiently, eager to drop 
Christian off and get to work without any drama. 

"I just need my books." Christian wasn't looking at 

him, but Matt nodded anyway. Neither of them spoke 
until Matt pulled up in front of Christian's apartment. 

"So, should I meet you after work or do you want to 

call me?" It was the first time in weeks either of them 
had explicitly made plans about meeting after work and 
Matt grabbed the opportunity. 

Where You Least Expect It - 152 

"I'll call you." 
"Okay." Christian leaned over and kissed Matt's 

check. "Have a good day." 

Matt didn't go out for coffee in the afternoon and he 

stayed late at work to avoid running into Christian, 
feeling cowardly even as he did it. He knew he was 
intentionally shutting Christian out to avoid an 
uncomfortable conversation -- and he knew doing so 
would probably increase his stress and make the 
nightmares worse, but he didn't seem to have the energy 
to stop himself. 

He saw Christian's name flash on his Caller ID 

around seven-thirty, but he let it go to voicemail. It took 
another two days of avoidance for Christian to show up 
at the condo unannounced. 

Matt answered the buzzer reluctantly, knowing it was 

either Sam or Christian, and not wanting to see either of 
them. 

"Hey. It's me. Can I come up?" Christian sounded 

hopeful even through the tinny speaker. 

"Now's not a good time." 
Christian's response surprised Matt. "Alright, you 

know what, fine. It's not a good time. I won't stay, I just 
need to get a couple of things that I left and then I'll 
leave. Okay?" 

Matt pressed the buzzer and waited the few minutes it 

took Christian to get to the door and knock. Matt pulled 
the door open and moved out of the way to let Christian 
in. 

Christian looked hesitant. "Hey." 
"Hi." Matt watched as Christian walked halfway into 

the living room before turning to face Matt. Matt 
crossed his arms defensively. "What do you need, 
Christian?" 

"I need you to tell me what's wrong, why you've been 

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ignoring my phone calls." 

Matt shrugged. "I'm busy." 
Christian threw up his hands. "Matt, come on. Tell 

me what the fuck is going on. Three days ago, things 
were fine and now you're shutting me out, blowing off 
my phone calls, and avoiding running into me in the 
parking lot. Either something's wrong or I imagined the 
last month. You can't treat me like shit and expect me to 
ignore it." 

"There is nothing wrong," Matt repeated. "Do you 

need to get something or not?" 

"Fuck. Is this how it's going to be? Something's 

wrong and you just ignore me until, what, until you feel 
better? Or is this your fucked-up way of getting rid of 
me?" 

"Jesus, Christian, you don't have to be all fucking 

melodramatic." 

"Melodramatic? Nice. Fine, I give up. Can I get my 

stuff out of the bedroom?" 

"Go ahead." 
Christian stormed past Matt into the bedroom. Matt 

let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hands through his 
hair. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He knew he was about to blow it 
with Christian if he didn't do something now to fix it. He 
had wanted Christian to just go along with Matt's 
distance and wait patiently for Matt to decide he was 
ready to talk, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. 

It was a stupid, childish idea anyway. Matt made 

himself walk into the bedroom and try to give Christian 
some kind of explanation, even if Christian was still 
pissed. 

"I have nightmares," he said without preamble. 
Christian jumped and turned around at the sound of 

Matt's voice. Matt held eye contact as he walked the rest 
of the way into the room and sat on the bed. "They don't 

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happen a lot, but... I don't sleep for a couple of nights." 
Matt shrugged, not sure how to explain and not wanting 
to go into detail. 

"About the Army?" Christian asked. 
"Mostly. Sometimes there's other stuff mixed in, 

random stuff that doesn't make any real sense. They're 
not horrible, but they remind me about..." Matt made a 
vague gesture with his hand, unsure how to explain. 
"Just remind me of things." 

"Matt." Christian crawled into the middle of the bed 

and sat by Matt's side, rubbing a hand across his back. 
"Why didn't you want to tell me?" 

Matt shook his head. "It's not something I talk about. 

Sam's the only one who knows and I've never given him 
a lot of details." 

Christian kept rubbing Matt's back. "What can I do? 

Can I help?" 

"I don't know." Matt finally looked up to meet 

Christian's eyes. "Will you stay?" 

"Of course I will." Christian reached up to cup Matt's 

jaw. 

"I'm sorry." Matt rested his forehead on Christian's. 
"I know, honey. But you can't shut me out like that." 

Christian shifted and brought Matt along with him so 
that they were lying in the center of the bed facing each 
other, legs entwined. 

Matt reached out and wrapped his hand around 

Christian's waist, rubbing his thumb in circles. 

"Do you want to talk about them?" Christian asked 

after a short silence. 

"Not really. It's not like they're all that bad, just --" 

Matt paused, looking for the right words. "I don't wake 
up screaming and shit like that, it's just images, really, 
and impressions. Sometimes it feels like I'm trapped, 
sometimes there's gun fire. I've seen guys have a lot 

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worse." 

Christian kissed him. "It's okay. You don't have to 

talk about them if you don't want to, but I don't mind if 
you do. You can wake me up, or you can call me if I'm 
not here." 

Asking for help or comfort wasn't something Matt 

was accustomed to doing, but he said anyway, "Yeah? I 
might just do that." 

Matt leaned forward and kissed Christian, pulling 

him close. 

"I am sorry," he said once they parted for air. "I told 

you I wasn't good at this whole relationship thing." 

Christian smiled again and stroked Matt's cheek. "It's 

okay. I think we just need to remember to talk about 
stuff. I'm kind of used to talking about everything with 
Trent, so I kind of run my mouth off sometimes. I was 
just feeling really shut out and -- I -- I didn't know what 
had happened, if you were having second thoughts or --" 

Matt kissed him suddenly, hard, cutting off the flow 

of Christian's words. "No. Absolutely not, I promise. 
And I wouldn't do that to you. I told you, I want this to 
work. I guess I just need you to be patient." 

"I can be patient. I just need you to not completely 

shut me out." 

Matt nodded. "Okay. I warned you this wouldn't be 

easy." 

"That's okay, too." Christian leaned close enough so 

that their noses were just touching. "I haven't really done 
this before, either. We'll just have to figure it out as we 
go." He kissed Matt, pressing closer and wrapping his 
arm around Matt's neck. The kiss started slow but built 
quickly, stress and relief and emotion taking over. 

Matt took control, thrusting his tongue into 

Christian's mouth and gripping Christian's ass in his 
hands, pulling them together before rolling so the 

Where You Least Expect It - 156 

smaller man was underneath him. Christian thrust up, 
cock as hard as Matt's. Matt could feel fingers teasing 
along his crease through his jeans. 

"Christian. Fuck. Missed this." Matt pushed up onto 

one elbow and ran a hand down Christian's chest and 
stomach, along his hip and thigh, and back up over his 
cock. The sound that escaped Christian's throat sounded 
almost like a whimper. Matt started fumbling with the 
zipper on Christian's jeans and kissed Christian's throat, 
tongue playing over Christian's Adam's apple. 

Christian arched back and moaned when Matt finally 

pushed Christian's boxers out of the way. He watched as 
his hand moved over Christian's cock, feeling the skin 
move over Christian's hard shaft. He thrust his own hips 
against Christian's body, arching as the friction brought 
him close. 

Christian shifted and suddenly he was opening Matt's 

zipper and circling Matt's cock with his hand. 

Matt's mouth crashed down on Christian's, tongue 

plundering his mouth as they pulled and thrust 
frantically. With their clothes out of the way, Matt could 
feel heat and precome from both their cocks mixing. 

Christian wrapped a leg around Matt's thigh, grinding 

them together, hands bumping as they moved. 

Matt moaned and pulled away long enough to push 

their jeans down so Matt could straddle him, body 
pushing Christian into the mattress. Matt felt the clash of 
teeth as they kissed. 

Christian broke the kiss. "Fuck. Matt. Close." 
"Oh, fuck yes. Do it." Matt's voice was husky, harsh 

with his breathing and his own need to come. 

Christian grabbed Matt's ass, hard enough to leave 

marks. Matt's balls were so tight they almost hurt and he 
could feel his orgasm starting to take over. He threw his 
head back and shouted as he shot, cock throbbing over 

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and over, come landing warm and wet on his stomach 
and chest. He heard Christian's answering shout and felt 
more come hit his chest a split second later. 

They lay there, Matt's head buried in Christian's neck 

and Christian's arms wrapped tightly around Matt until 
the need to move finally drew them apart. Matt flopped 
on his back next to Christian and they both moaned at 
the lack of contact and cold air. 

Matt looked over at Christian and grinned. "We're a 

mess." 

Christian laughed. "We're good at that." Christian 

stretched and made a sound close to a purr. "Nap?" 

"You're over-dressed." 
Christian made short work of his already askew 

clothing and curled up on his side. 

"Motivated, I see." Matt settled next to him and 

pulled the blankets up, even though he knew Christian 
would just kick them off in his sleep. 

"Hmm. Motivated and sleepy." Christian snuggled up 

against Matt and rested his head on Matt's shoulder, arm 
wrapped around Matt's waist. 

Matt hoped his conversation with Christian, not to 

mention the orgasm, was enough that he could sleep 
without being woken by phantom screams. He had 
hoped they'd fade away, at least for a while, once he'd 
admitted he wanted a relationship with Christian, but he 
realized now that there was still more work to be done. 

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Chapter Fourteen 

Seeing Christian waiting for him by the bike rack 

after work the next day brought a smile to Matt's face. 
He quickened his pace. 

"Hey, you," Matt greeted him with a small pang of 

regret that he couldn't give Christian a more tangible 
display. 

"Hey." Christian smiled and pushed away from where 

he was leaning. "How was your day?" 

Matt shrugged. "Decent but getting better. Yours?" 
"Buses, classes, fancy coffee drinks. The usual. 

Busy." 

Matt jerked his head in the direction of his truck. 

"Come home with me and I'll feed you." 

"Okay, but I need to go home at some point tonight. 

I'm pretty much completely out of clean clothes." 
Christian fell into step with him as they headed through 
the parking lot. 

"Deal." Matt could sympathize with the need to do 

laundry. 

"Do you want to do anything this weekend or do you 

need to study?" Matt asked once they were on the road. 

Christian was silent for a moment before saying, "I've 

been thinking." 

Matt frowned. "That doesn't sound good. What's 

wrong? I thought we were doing okay." 

"Oh, shit, I don't mean like that. I'm sorry." 
"What then?" Matt stole a glance at him. "You're 

chewing your lip, you know." 

That got a small smile from Christian. "Sorry. I was 

thinking that you need to talk to Sam." 

Matt was silent as he thought about that. He knew 

he'd need to talk to Sam eventually, he just hadn't 

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figured out what to say. "Hey, I know we've known each 
other for more than a decade, but I think I might be gay 
and I'm sleeping with a guy." That certainly didn't seem 
like the way to go. 

Christian broke the silence nervously. "I figured that's 

what's been bothering you lately, and I know you're 
worried about it, but I think it'll be okay. I mean, he's 
known you since you were kids, right?" 

"Yeah." Matt looked over at him. "I'm just -- I don't 

know. It's just weird and freaking me out a bit." 

"I know, honey. But the longer you wait, the weirder 

it's going to get. I mean, eventually he's going to try to 
set you up again." 

Matt grimaced. "Yeah. That'll be awkward." Matt 

reached out for Christian's hand. "Thanks." 

Christian kissed his knuckles. "No problem. So what 

are you feeding me?" 

"How do you feel about pork chops? I though we'd 

try something besides chicken or spaghetti." 

"Works for me." 
Dinner was easier to cook than Matt had hoped. He 

was starting to enjoy cooking, particularly since it meant 
Christian ate more than ramen and baloney sandwiches. 
Once everything was cooking, Matt joined Christian in 
the living room. 

Christian looked up from his book. "How's it 

coming?" 

"Good. We have about twenty minutes to kill." 
Christian grinned. "Yeah? That gives me time to read 

a couple of pages then." 

Matt leaned in and kissed Christian's neck. "Or we 

can fool around. Since I have to take you home tonight, 
and all." 

Christian hummed happily and closed his book. "I 

can read later." 

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Matt grabbed Christian around the waist and dove in 

for a passionate kiss. It still amazed him how worked up 
Christian got him. Just being in the same room was 
enough to make him hard some days. 

Christian responded eagerly, pressing close to Matt 

and taking equal control of the kiss. 
He moved to straddle Matt's lap and Matt took 
advantage of the change in position to grab Christian's 
ass. Christian found one of Matt's nipples and squeezed, 
causing Matt to moan and thrust his hips up. 

"So fucking sensitive," Christian murmured. 
"Want you." Matt figured they had just enough time. 
Christian tugged his shirt off and Matt leaned 

forward to tease Christian's nipple while working 
Christian's pants open. Christian arched and gripped 
Matt's head in place against Christian's chest. Matt 
opened Christian's zipper, seeking skin. 

Matt didn't hear the key in the door, but he did hear 

Sam's sudden exclamation of "Holy crap," followed 
immediately by the sound of the door slamming. 

"Shit." Matt turned his head, but Sam was gone. 

Christian scrambled off his lap and Matt hurried to the 
door, just having a second to take in the mortified look 
on Christian's face. "I'll be right back," he said. 

Sam was standing in front of the elevator when Matt 

walked into the hall. Matt called out to stop him from 
leaving. Sam turned around, hands on his hips and eyes 
wide and shocked; he looked almost as freaked out as 
Christian had been. 

"Wait," Matt said. Matt felt like there was a rock in 

his stomach. 

"Dude," was all Sam managed. He shook his head, 

opened his mouth, closed it again. "Dude." 

Matt ran a hand through his hair as he stopped in 

front of Sam. "Shit. I. You weren't supposed to find out 

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like that." 

"I bet." Sam restated the obvious, voice a little more 

high pitched than normal. 

"Look, I was going to tell you." Fuck, this was going 

badly. 

Sam put up his hands, palms out. "You don't owe me 

an explanation." 

"Bullshit," Matt responded. "I owe you something, at 

least. Do you want to come back inside? I'd rather not do 
this in the hall." 

"You looked kind of busy, man." 
Matt didn't know what to say to that. If Sam had 

walked in on him with a woman, they certainly wouldn't 
be having this conversation. And he certainly didn't 
want to tell Sam that he'd killed the mood and Matt 
would just spend the rest of the night stressing about 
what Sam had seen. "Look, just come inside for a 
minute." 

Sam relented and followed Matt back to the 

apartment. Christian was no longer in the living room, 
but Matt knew he couldn't have gone far. He didn't want 
Christian to worry, but he didn't want Sam to skip out on 
him. 

"Just. Wait here a minute, okay." Sam nodded and 

Matt went to check the den for Christian; the door was 
closed and Matt assumed Christian was hiding behind it. 

"Hey," he said from the doorway. "You okay?" 
Christian looked up from his textbook. "Yeah, I 

guess. Completely freaked, actually. You?" 

"I'll let you know after I talk to Sam." 
Christian bit his lip. "Okay." 
"What?" 
"Nothing. I'm sorry." 
"So not your fault," Matt managed a grin. "I'll be 

right back." 

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Sam was in the kitchen drinking a beer. Matt picked 

up the one Sam put out for him and leaned against the 
counter. 

"I. Fuck." He took a swig of beer and shook his head. 

"Look, I don't know what I'm supposed to do here." 

"You don't know what you're supposed to do? I just 

walked in on you with your hands down a guy's pants. Is 
this a new thing or have you been keeping this from me 
for the last ten years?" 

Okay, Sam was angry. That at least gave Matt a place 

to start from, however unprepared he was. "It's a new 
thing, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to explain it or 
what you want to know. But it's only been going on for a 
couple of months and I wasn't ready to tell you. Hell, at 
first I didn't think there was anything worth telling." 

"So, what? You're bi? Gay? You better not just be 

using him to get off, 'cause he's a good guy and doesn't 
deserve that." 

"Fuck, Sam, no I'm not using him. I've barely had 

enough time to wrap my head around it. You know my 
relationships with women have always sucked." Matt 
shook his head, still confused. "I'm not running out to 
define it just yet." 

Sam narrowed his eyes and looked at Matt closely. 

"Are you telling me you're actually dating Christian?" 

Matt frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" 
"You used the 'R' word, man." Matt thought he saw 

the hint of a grin and rolled his eyes. 

"Yes, fine. We're dating." Matt's annoyance softened 

as he said it. Weird. "I need to know if you're going to 
be freaked out about this." 

"That you're gay? No. But I'm pissed that you think I 

would be and that you didn't trust me enough to talk to 
me about it. Hell, if I'd known, I wouldn't have wasted 
time trying to find chicks for you, I would've found 

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dudes to hook you up with." 

Matt didn't even want to think about Sam fixing Matt 

up with guys. "It's not that I didn't trust you or thought 
you'd judge me." He tried to explain what he'd been 
thinking. "I was, I don't know, judging myself, I guess. 
And freaked out that I could be so far out of touch that it 
took me until now to figure out why I didn't want 
relationships with women." 

The timer on the stove beeped and Matt turned to 

take the chops out of the oven. 

"You're cooking?" Sam sounded incredulous. 
Matt placed the pan on the stove and turned off the 

potatoes. "I've cooked before." 

"No, you made frozen pizza. That's..." Sam went 

closer to the stove. "That's pork chops! Jesus, did you 
make a vegetable, too?" 

Matt crossed his arms. "No, I did not make a 

vegetable. I made meat and potatoes. If you stop being 
an ass, I'll even offer you some." 

"For free food? I'll totally behave myself." 
"Good. Set the table." Matt clapped Sam on the 

shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen. 

Christian was on his cell phone when Matt opened 

the door. "Got to go." Christian clicked the phone off. 
"Hey. Everything okay?" 

Matt walked the rest of the way in and shut the door 

partway. "Think so. I offered Sam dinner." 

"Okay." Christian bit his lip again but didn't move. 
"You're invited, too." 
Christian stood up and moved quickly to hug Matt, as 

if he was afraid Matt might get away. "I'm sorry." 

"What? Why?" Matt hugged him back. He'd never 

been so confused, so often since puberty had hit. 

Christian took a deep breath but didn't look up. 

"Because I started all this and I don't want to ruin 

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anything for you." 

Matt tilted Christian's head up and kissed him. "Shut 

up. You didn't ruin anything." Matt kissed him again 
before pulling away. "Let's go eat." 

Matt took Christian's hand and led him into the living 

room, simultaneously emphasizing their relationship for 
Sam's benefit and not allowing Christian the opportunity 
to hide in the den from a misplaced sense of guilt. 

Sam was standing awkwardly in the kitchen, table 

already set. 

"Hey, Sam." Christian sounded embarrassed. 
Sam looked a little like a deer in headlights. "Hey, 

Christian." 

Matt's own feeling of awkwardness was pushed aside 

by a vague sense of amusement at Christian and Sam; 
the usual exuberance each man typically displayed was 
gone as they both muttered their greetings and seemed to 
want to look anywhere but each other. 

Matt took action before things could degenerate. He 

let go of Christian's hand and moved to the stove, taking 
one last look at everything before putting Christian and 
Sam to work moving the food to the table. He knew it 
would take a bit for Sam to adjust to his new perspective 
on Matt and Matt's relationship with Christian, but 
standing around dithering and avoiding eye contact was 
not the way to make that happen. 

"So, Sam," Matt said once they were all settled at the 

table. "You have plans later?" 

"Not really. Uh. I was going to head over to Riley's. 

A couple of guys from work are playing pool." He 
shrugged, still obviously feeling awkward. "I stopped by 
to see if you wanted to come along. Well, you and 
Christian," he was quick to correct. 

"I'm not staying. I mean, I have to do laundry. And 

study," Christian answered before looking back at his 

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plate, blushing. 

"I'm driving Christian home after dinner, but I'm up 

for pool." 

Sam turned to Christian. "You sure you can't hang 

out? You're a way better pool player than this guy." Sam 
pointed at Matt with his knife. 

"I play for fun," Matt said, only slightly defensively. 

If Sam was impugning his pool playing abilities, things 
were on the right track. 

Christian laughed. "I could come down for a game. 

But I can't hang out late. I'm really, really running out of 
clothes." 

Sam made a dismissive sound. "Just throw stuff in 

the dryer with a sheet of fabric softener. Good as new." 

Christian looked like he was considering it. "Does 

that actually work?" 

Matt started to relax. It might take some work to find 

common ground, and for Sam to get used to Matt being 
in a relationship with a man, but Matt was confident 
they could figure out what their new normal was. 

*** 

"You're awfully quiet." Matt nudged Christian. It was 

a few days after their unexpected outing to Sam and 
Matt suspected Christian was still freaked out. 

"Oh. Am I?" Christian sounded distracted. 
Matt smiled, moving closer. "What's on your mind?" 
"I was, well, I was thinking about the nightmares you 

have. I know that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder --" 

Matt made a frustrated sound and moved away. 

"Have you been reading about PTSD on the Internet?" 

"Not just the Internet!" Christian said indignantly. "I 

did some library research, too." 

"Christian. Don't." 

Where You Least Expect It - 166 

"Don't what? Give a shit about you having 

nightmares?" 

"Make assumptions that because I saw combat that I 

have PTSD. You don't know what you're talking about." 

"I know nightmares are a main symptom." 
Matt realized he should have talked about this sooner. 

"One symptom, Christian. You do realize that there are 
others, right?" 

"Of course I do. Nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, 

depression." Christian ticked each word off on his 
fingers. 

Matt moved across the couch and crossed his arms 

defensively. "Don't you think you're over-simplifying?" 

"What if it is PTSD? It can get really bad and --" 
Matt cut him off. "They're just dreams." 
"Right, just dreams that you have and don't sleep for 

days after because why? Because you're afraid if you go 
back to sleep, they'll start again?" 

"God damn it." Matt jumped up and started pacing. 

"Look, they're nightmares. I told you about them 
because... because you were here when one happened 
and you'll probably be here when another one happens. I 
don't sleep, but they don't interfere with the rest of my 
life. I still go to work and get my job done. Hell, there 
have been times that I've worked on less sleep because 
of some server issue that we're having, never mind the 
dreams." 

"I don't want to fight with you," Christian sounded 

resigned. 

"I'm not fighting." 
Christian cocked an eyebrow. "No? You look pretty 

pissed off." 

Matt sighed. "I just don't like talking about it." 
"Talking about it might help. You might figure out 

what's triggering them. Have you thought about seeing 

Where You Least Expect It - 167 

someone?" 

Matt gave Christian a cocky grin, hoping to diffuse 

the conversation. "I thought I was seeing you?" 

The joke didn't have the desired effect and merely 

caused Christian to throw up his hands in frustration. 
"Fine. Forget it. God, you're so fucking stubborn, you 
think you have to shut everything inside and act all 
macho. Do you think people are going to think less of 
you or something? Fuck, I need to study." Christian got 
up and started walking toward the hall to grab his pack. 

Matt caught his arm as he walked passed. "Wait. 

Just... sit back down, okay?" 

Christian hesitated but agreed. "Okay." He settled 

back on the couch with his legs curled up underneath 
him. "I get that it bothers you to talk about it, but you're 
going to have to get used to me making sure that you're 
taking care of yourself." 

Matt sat next to Christian, putting his arm around 

Christian's shoulders. "There's a lot of misinformation 
out there -- about the military, about combat, and about 
PTSD. A lot of people have agendas. I've been screened, 
Christian. Stress is a trigger, I know that. Stress about 
work, stress about," Matt made a general motion with 
his hand, "Us, coming out to Sam. It doesn't mean I'm 
crazy and it doesn't mean I need a shrink." 

Christian started to speak, but Matt cut him off. 
"Do you know what PTSD is really like? What some 

of the guys I was in with have been through?" 

Christian pulled back far enough so that he could see 

Matt's face. "You mean you don't want to get help 
because you're not the worst off? Matt, you're just as 
deserving of help as they are." 

Matt shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean. I 

mean I saw a lot of shit and I made a point to educate 
myself about it. And, yes, I'm aware that the onset can 

Where You Least Expect It - 168 

be delayed, but if I worry about that every time I have a 
bad dream, I will go crazy." 

Christian still didn't look convinced. "Look, I know 

you're concerned and I know PTSD is what everyone 
thinks about when they hear the words soldier and 
nightmare in the same sentence, but it's not always the 
case. You have to trust me on this, Chris. Real life is 
more complicated than the movies." 

"I know that. And you have to talk to me and, I guess, 

educate me." 

"I can think of a few ways to educate you." Matt 

pounced, kissing Christian until he was good and 
distracted. 

Matt knew they'd talk about it again, but Matt would 

be prepared next time. He'd also find a way to get the 
right information to Christian before Christian was able 
to panic. 

*** 

As the quarter wore on, Christian was working more 

and taking more late shifts. Matt insisted on picking him 
up most nights, even if it was after ten by the time 
Christian was ready to leave. Christian argued that he 
liked biking because it got him exercise and saved on 
pollution. Matt's counter-argument that some days the 
ride home was the only time they got to see each other 
won Christian over. 

"Do you want to do something Friday night?" Matt 

asked as they started the short drive home. 

Christian leaned back against the headrest, 

uncharacteristically still. "I can't, I have to work." 

"Damn. On a Friday? I feel like I haven't seen you in 

forever." 

"I need the extra money," Christian said with a yawn. 

Where You Least Expect It - 169 

Matt frowned. "Money might be tight, but there has 

to be a better alternative than working yourself into 
exhaustion. I can lend you some if you need it." 

"I don't need charity, Matt." 
"How is lending my boyfriend money so he isn't 

working his ass off charity?" They'd had this 
conversation before when Matt insisted on paying for 
dinner and were obviously still hitting the same wall. 

"It just is. Look, you knew I was in school and 

working when we first met, so don't give me shit for not 
being able to hang out all the time." 

"I'm not giving you shit, I'm just disappointed. And I 

don't understand why you won't let me lend you 
money." 

"I'm not taking your money." Christian said it with 

such finality that Matt let it drop for the time being and 
switched to a subject he thought was safe. 

"Do you need to go home or are you coming back to 

my place?" They had more or less established a routine 
with Christian usually spending the entire weekend and 
a few nights during the week. Matt liked the company 
and he was more than willing to read while Christian 
studied; he enjoyed the normalcy and never felt 
pressured to entertain Christian. 

"Just take me to my place." 
Matt tightened his grip on the steering wheel, willing 

himself not to fight with Christian while he was driving. 

Christian was halfway out of the truck before Matt 

turned the engine off. "Hey, hold on." 

Christian sat back in the passenger seat and turned to 

face Matt. "I'm sorry. I'm just so fucking stressed." 

"I know. I'm not mad." Matt tried to keep his voice 

gentle. "I'll meet you after work tomorrow, okay?" 

Christian closed the distance between them and 

kissed Matt goodnight. "Okay. 'Night." 

Where You Least Expect It - 170 

"'Night." 
Christian slipped out of the truck after one more kiss. 

Matt watched him walk up the stairs and head inside 
before driving away. 

Where You Least Expect It - 171 

Chapter Fifteen 

Matt was surprised to find Christian already waiting 

for him after work the next day; he thought he'd 
managed to leave a little early. 

"Hey. No bike?" 
Christian shook his head. "The bus was faster." He 

smiled. "Want to give me a ride anyway?" 

Matt smiled back. "I think I can manage that." His 

fingers brushed Christian's as they walked toward the 
truck. It wasn't the kiss Matt wanted, but it would do for 
the moment. 

By the time Matt pulled into his parking garage, 

Christian was asleep. Matt leaned over and brushed a 
kiss across Christian's forehead. 

Christian's eyes fluttered open and he gave Matt an 

embarrassed smile. "Sorry. Are we there?" 

"It's okay," Matt replied softly. "You were asleep 

before I could ask where you wanted to go, so I just 
came to my place. I can take you to your place instead if 
you want." 

Christian undid his seatbelt and stretched. "If you'll 

feed me, I can stay for a little while." 

"Deal." Matt would have taken Christian home if 

asked, but he definitely preferred this option. 

Once upstairs, Christian dropped his bag and flopped 

down on the couch. "If we order takeout, we can make 
out before they get here." 

"You're a genius. What do you want?" Matt rolled his 

eyes at Christian's leer. "For dinner." 

Christian leaned his head back and stared at the 

ceiling as if seeking the answer. "Good question. Pizza? 
Thai? Chinese?" 

"Thai," Matt decided. "The usual?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 172 

"Sure." Christian's eyes had drifted shut again. 
Matt let Christian nap while he called in the order 

and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. 

Matt sat down next to Christian, hand on the inside of 

Christian's thigh and mouth on his neck, drawing a moan 
from Christian, who spread his thighs further to allow 
Matt more access. 

"Hi." 
"Hi. Want me to let you nap until the food gets here?" 
Christian snuggled into Matt, nuzzling along his jaw. 

"Not really. I think you should take advantage of the fact 
that I'm not working or studying." 

"I like taking advantage of you." 
Christian's laugh turned into a groan as Matt moved 

his hand higher to cup the growing bulge in Christian's 
jeans. 

"Nice. Been a while." Christian arched his back and 

pushed into Matt's hand. 

Matt grinned and pushed his tongue into Christian's 

mouth for a taste. Christian kissed him back, hard, 
sucking on Matt's tongue and moaning. Matt responded 
just as aggressively, cock going from interested to hard 
as nails. He could feel Christian throbbing under his 
hand. He undid the buttons on Christian's jeans, fingers 
lightly touching Christian through the thin barrier of 
Christian's boxers. He broke the kiss and pulled 
Christian's shirt off. 

"God, look at you. So fucking hot." Matt traced the 

wet spot on Christian's boxers, making Christian moan 
and his cock jump. 

"Don't tease." Christian shifted restlessly under Matt's 

hand, trying to increase the friction. Matt touched him 
gently before relenting and pulling Christian's boxers 
off. It had only been a few days, but Matt was already 
aching and Christian was almost desperate. 

Where You Least Expect It - 173 

Matt wrapped his hand around Christian's dick and 

bent to suck on one of Christian's nipples. Christian's 
hips started rocking in time with Matt's strokes, breath 
coming in pants and a litany of "yes, yes, please, fuck 
yes, close" spilling from Christian's lips. Matt felt 
Christian's cock harden even more and changed 
positions to watch Christian come, mouth open and neck 
muscles taut. 

Christian finally opened his eyes. "God, that was 

amazing. Tell me what you want, honey." 

"I want your mouth on me." Matt still couldn't get 

enough of that. 

Christian kissed Matt sloppily before slipping to the 

floor between Matt's knees. Matt groaned as he watched 
Christian open his jeans. "Mmm, boxer briefs. Sexy." 
Christian grinned up at him before continuing to work 
on Matt's pants, taking Matt's jeans and underwear off at 
the same time. 

Matt watched as Christian started kissing the 

sensitive spot on the inside of Matt's thigh before slowly 
dragging his tongue up the center of Matt's hardness. 
Matt tried to watch as Christian ran his tongue around 
the head, but was quickly overcome by need, head 
dropping back and eyes closing. 

"Fuck, yes." Matt tangled his fingers in Christian's 

hair, careful not to pull too hard. 

Christian alternated between sucking lightly on the 

head and licking up and down the shaft. Matt slid further 
down on the couch, spreading his legs to make sure 
Christian had room to play. Christian moaned happily 
and started nuzzling Matt's balls, slowly sucking on each 
one, hands wandering freely up and down Matt's thighs. 

"Christian. God, that feels so good. I've been thinking 

about this all week." 

Christian released his nut with a pop and looked up at 

Where You Least Expect It - 174 

Matt, eyes hot. "Yeah?" Hot breath ghosted through 
Matt's pubes. 

Matt managed a weak grin. "Are you going to tease 

me now after I took pity on you?" 

"Oh, I see, it was a pity hand job." The twinkle in 

Christian's eyes belied his words. 

"God, Chris." 
Christian chuckled and swallowed Matt down 

without warning, drawing a long moan from Matt, who 
dropped his head back on the couch again with a 
muffled thud, hips rising to meet Christian's mouth. 
Christian stopped teasing, using one hand to cup the 
base of Matt's cock while the other traced random 
patterns on the inside of his thigh and the sensitive skin 
behind Matt's balls. 

"Good, babe." Christian responded by pushing a little 

harder, drawing another moan from Matt. Matt felt 
Christian's fingers move further back, slowly brushing 
over the puckered skin at Matt's entrance. Christian 
pushed gently before the finger disappeared, returning a 
moment later slick enough that he slipped easily inside, 
fingering Matt slowly as he continued to suck. 

Matt was breathing hard, moving between Christian's 

mouth and the finger moving in and out of his ass. Matt 
could feel his balls pull up, his orgasm building. 
Christian swallowed around the head of Matt's dick 
while rubbing his fingertip across Matt's prostate. Matt 
arched his back and held Christian's head in place as he 
shot. 

Christian's finger slipped out of Matt's ass while 

Christian continued to lick Matt's softening cock. Matt 
relaxed his grip, gently rubbing Christian's scalp as his 
breathing returned to normal. 

Christian released Matt and leaned back against his 

thighs. When Matt looked down, Christian was smiling 

Where You Least Expect It - 175 

at him. "Better?" he asked. 

Matt returned the smile. "Better." 
The buzzer rang, letting them know that their dinner 

had arrived and making them both laugh. At least the 
delivery guy had better timing than Sam. Christian 
crawled out of Matt's way so Matt could get dressed. 
While Matt paid, Christian put his clothes back on and 
busied himself in the kitchen getting plates, forks, and 
beer. 

Christian powered though his Pad Thai and half of 

the rice before finally putting the empty carton down 
and leaning back against the couch. 

"Thanks for dinner, Matt." 
Matt smiled around a mouthful of curry and winked. 

"It's in my best interest to keep you fed." 

Christian smiled and stretched. "This isn't the only 

time I eat, you know." 

Matt placed his empty carton on the coffee table and 

leaned back next to Christian. "I don't think ramen 
actually has any nutritional value, you know." 

Christian shrugged and looked away. "It's cheap." 
"If you need money --" 
Christian cut him off, turning to face him. "I don't 

need your money, Matt. I told you, I'm fine." 

"You don't need to get pissed, Christian, I'm just 

offering to help." 

"Whatever. I should go." Christian stood up and 

walked passed Matt, heading toward the door. 

"Hey! Don't just storm off." 
"Fine." He turned around. "What?" 
"Jesus Christ, Christian, what the hell is going on?" 
"Nothing's going on. I'm busy. I have to work. I have 

to study. Why is this suddenly an issue?" 

"You're stressed the fuck out every time I see you 

lately. You're irritated, working your ass off constantly, 

Where You Least Expect It - 176 

and you won't let me help." 

"I told you, I don't need your help. I'm fine. And you 

fucking knew when we hooked up that I'm working 
through school." 

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Christian, that's not my point 

and you know it." Matt stepped closer to Christian. 
"You're way more stressed than you were last quarter 
and you're working a hell of a lot more. All I'm asking is 
that you tell me what's going on." 

"I told you --" 
"Come on, Christian. You didn't let me get away with 

not telling you about my nightmares. Stop being 
hypocritical and be honest." 

Matt waited, watching as conflicting emotions played 

over Christian's face. Matt wasn't sure if Christian was 
going to open up or would continue evading the issue. 
Matt saw Christian's face fall as he made the decision. 

"Fine." Christian sighed. "I'm not sure how I'm going 

to come up with the money to pay for next quarter. And 
I need new brakes for my bike, and my damn laptop is 
acting funny." 

"Can't you take a quarter off to save up?" 
"No! No, damn it, I can't take another fucking quarter 

off! And I can't ask my parents for money and I can't get 
enough financial fucking aid. I've thought of all that 
already." Christian was shouting now. 

"Why the fuck won't you let me help?" 
"I don't need a fucking hand-out!" 
"God damn it, it's not a fucking hand out, Christian, I 

love you and I want to help. Why the hell won't you let 
me?" 

Christian blinked, looking shocked. "What?" 
Matt frowned, confused. "What?" 
"You love me?" 
"I --" Matt took a breath. "Yeah. I do." 

Where You Least Expect It - 177 

Christian stared at him for so long that Matt started to 

get nervous. He hadn't really intended to just blurt his 
feelings out like that. 

Finally, a smile broke out on Christian's face. "Oh. I 

love you, too." Christian bit his lip and laughed. 

Matt let out the breath he didn't realize he was 

holding and returned Christian's smile before closing the 
rest of the distance between them. Matt pulled Christian 
close, kissing the top of Christian's head. Christian's 
arms slipped around Matt's waist. 

Stepping back, Matt tugged Christian toward the 

couch. "C'mere." They sat, Christian curling next to him. 
Matt tilted Christian's head up and kissed Christian 
before turning serious. 

"I want to help, Christian. And I want to be able to 

spend time with you. We can figure something out." 

Christian frowned again. "I don't want to take your 

money, Matt. That's not why I'm with you." 

"If I thought that was why you were with me, I 

wouldn't be offering. Besides, if you were looking for 
someone to use for money, I doubt I would be your first 
choice." 

"Unless I was trying to be subtle." 
"Christian. Stop. Are you trying to change my mind?" 
"No! No, I just... Shit." Christian leaned back, 

increasing the space between them. "God, no. I wasn't 
lying, Matt. I love you. I --" He closed his eyes. "What if 
you change your mind and decide it's too difficult?" 

"Why? Because I spent years trying to be straight 

before I met you? I came out to Sam and Alison, and 
you know I'm trying to deal with coming out in public." 
Matt still wasn't sure if Alison knew about his 
relationship with Christian before he told her, but she 
certainly hadn't been surprised or upset. 

"I know. But what if you decide you can't? What if 

Where You Least Expect It - 178 

you decide I'm too fucking immature or young or 
whatever for you to be with?" 

Matt leaned over Christian. "No. Stop it. Look at me. 

I'm not going to change my mind. I keep telling you, I 
want this. I want you. I wouldn't be arguing with you 
over this if I didn't." 

Matt could see Christian visibly relax. "Okay." He 

curled back into Matt. "I want to let you help." 

Matt kissed his forehead. "Okay. We'll figure 

something out. Do you need me to let you study?" 

Christian sighed. "Yeah. I should." He kissed Matt. 

"Thank you." 

Matt kissed him back, pulling away before it could 

get too serious. "Study. I'm going to clean up and take a 
shower." 

Christian smiled, looking obviously relieved. "'Kay." 

Matt kissed him one last time before getting up and 
leaving Christian to study. 

Matt was reading when Christian came into the 

bedroom a couple of hours later, hands shoved in his 
pockets. 

"If I stay, will you drop me off at home in the 

morning?" 

"Or you can drive me to work and take the truck." 
Christian's eyes went wide for a second. "Yeah?" 
"Sure, why not? I can pick the keys up from you in 

the afternoon." 

Christian smiled. "Cool." 
"Come to bed?" 
"I should study some more." Christian hesitated. "I 

could read in here, though." 

"I wouldn't mind the company." 
Ten minutes later, Christian was sitting next to Matt 

wearing just his boxers and reading one of his textbooks. 
Matt smiled to himself and got more comfortable. 

Where You Least Expect It - 179 

Chapter Sixteen 

Matt knew the solution to helping Christian pay for 

school was obvious, but he had to overcome his own 
reluctance and misgivings before he could approach 
Christian. He'd made life-or-death decisions in the 
military without hesitation but now found himself 
struggling to take the next step with Christian. 

The reluctance Christian had shown further 

complicated things. Matt fully understood the pride and 
fear they both had to deal with, the what-ifs. Unlike his 
previous relationships, Matt knew he was thinking about 
things with Christian in the long term; he had to 
overcome his own issues with commitment and with 
opening himself up to rejection. They may have said "I 
love you," but that didn't mean they were both looking 
for the same thing. 

Matt knew the best chance to talk to Christian was on 

his day off on Sunday, after a decent night's sleep and a 
late breakfast. Matt even managed to get Christian to 
take some time walking around window shopping before 
finally heading back to the condo. 

Matt followed Christian to the couch, lying with his 

head in Christian's lap. 

Christian smiled down at him, running the fingers of 

one hand through Matt's hair while the other stroked 
over Matt's ribs. "Thanks for breakfast," Christian said 
softly. 

Matt smiled, raising one hand and rubbing along the 

nape of Christian's neck. "You're welcome." He allowed 
himself to enjoy the moment a little longer before 
saying, "I've been thinking." 

Christian's fingers stilled. "Okay." 
"You should move in with me." 

Where You Least Expect It - 180 

"What?" 
"Move in with me." 
"Matt, we both know I can't afford half of the rent on 

this place." 

Matt sat up so he could face him. "I didn't say pay 

rent. I said move in with me. Look, if you can save on 
the money you're paying on rent, it'll help with your 
tuition, right?" 

Christian looked flustered. "I can't just move out on 

Trent." 

"And I didn't say it had to happen this second or that 

you should screw Trent over. But he can find a new 
roommate." 

"I." Christian frowned. "He's been my best friend 

forever. I can't just leave him with all of the rent." 

"I know. Will you think about it?" 
Christian bit his lip. "You really want me to move in 

with you? For real?" 

"For real." 
Christian leaned into him. "Okay. I'll talk to him. It 

would save me a lot of money." 

Matt tried to hold back his smile, but failed. He 

pulled Christian closer. "Good," he said, trying to sound 
matter-of-fact, but he couldn't hold back his grin. Rather 
than being freaked out at offering to support Christian, 
Matt felt at peace for the first time in ages. 

Maybe he was figuring this whole relationship thing 

out, after all. 

*** 

In an effort to have more time together, Matt agreed 

to spend the evening at Christian's apartment while 
Christian did laundry, but not before trying to convince 
Christian otherwise. 

Where You Least Expect It - 181 

"You could just bring your laundry to the condo. 

Since you're going to have to move all your clothes 
anyway." 

"Please. I am not lugging a sack of dirty clothes 

around with me. The laundry at my apartment is just 
fine, and you can hang out at my place for once." 

"Fine." Matt tried to suppress his grin. "We haven't 

had sex in your bed yet, anyway." 

Christian stuck his tongue out but didn't argue the 

point. 

Matt sprawled on Christian's futon -- which he was 

forced to agree wasn't nearly as comfortable as his bed --
while Christian sat at the desk. He stole a glance at 
Christian when the sound of the front door announced 
that Trent was home; Matt knew Christian hadn't 
discussed their plans with Trent. Christian remained 
steadfastly focused on the laptop screen. 

"Honey, I'm home!" Trent stuck his head in the 

bedroom doorway. "You are not going to believe -- oh, 
hi, Matt." Trent was obviously surprised by Matt's 
presence. 

Matt decided to let it slide; he knew he and Christian 

had a habit of hiding themselves at Matt's condo. "Hey, 
Trent. What wouldn't we believe?" 

Trent immediately launched into his story, relating 

his latest adventures in the club scene. Matt didn't know 
any of the people he was referring to, but could certainly 
appreciate Trent's animated recitation. 

"So, what's new with you two?" Trent asked. 
Matt glanced at Christian and started to respond 

when Christian jumped up, telling Trent, "We so have to 
talk," as he grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him 
from the room. Matt chose to accept that as a good thing 
and went back to reading his book when he heard the 
door to Trent's bedroom close. 

Where You Least Expect It - 182 

The walls of the apartment were thin, but not thin 

enough for Matt to hear their conversation. It only took a 
moment for Trent to reappear. 

"Oh my God, you asked him to move in with you!" 

Trent practically threw himself on the futon next to 
Matt. "That is so awesome!" Christian looked almost 
sheepish as Trent continued to gush at Matt before 
turning back to Christian to exclaim, "Honey, we have 
to get you packed." 

"Trent, chill out. I'm not going this second." 
"What? Why? Honey, if some hot stud like Matt 

asked me to move in with him, I'd be all over that." 

"I'm not jacking you on my half of the rent. Besides, 

he just asked me the other day." 

Trent made a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about 

the rent." 

Matt watched as they continued to argue. Christian 

finally prevailed, convincing Trent that he wasn't 
prepared to just up and move everything at a moment's 
notice. 

"We can talk about it Friday at dinner, when I'm not 

trying to study." Christian looked pointedly at Trent. 

"Oh, all right." Trent rolled gracefully off the bed. 

"But don't feel like you have to stick around on my 
account." 

Christian let out a sigh as Trent left the room. "Sorry. 

I didn't think he was going to be quite so..." 

"Enthusiastic?" 
"Right. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was trying 

to get rid of me." 

"He's just being supportive in his own Trent-like 

way." 

Christian laughed. "That's one way of looking at it." 

Christian glanced at the time. "Come on, you can help 
me fold my laundry." 

Where You Least Expect It - 183 

*** 

They had plans to have dinner with Sam and Trent on 

Friday at Riley's, since they all knew each other from 
different places. Matt was making an effort to blend 
their lives together more and stop hiding. As far as Matt 
knew, Trent had dropped the subject of when Christian 
was going to move out; Matt let it alone as well, 
knowing it would just stress Christian out. 

While they waited for Sam to arrive, the three of 

them settled into their table to work out the details of 
Christian's move. Christian was still adamant that he 
wouldn't move out until he knew his part of the rent 
would be covered; Matt intervened by offering to help 
Christian financially so he could focus on studying and 
not work so many hours. 

"Besides," Matt told him, "The less you work, the 

more I get to see you." 

"So you're paying me for sex?" Christian teased. 
"Isn't that what all long-term relationships are based 

on?" Trent added his two cents, making Christian roll 
his eyes. "Well, isn't it?" 

"You're such a cynic," Christian told his friend. 
"I thought I was a slut?" Trent pretended to look 

confused. 

Christian tilted his head in thought. "A cynical slut?" 

he suggested. 

Matt shook his head. "I thought we were trying to 

come up with a plan?" 

Christian tried to look repentant. "Sorry, honey. It 

just freaks me out a little to take rent money from you. I 
don't want you to think I'm just using you for money." 

"Christian, I told you, if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't 

offer. I want to help." 

Where You Least Expect It - 184 

Christian blushed and smiled. "Okay." 
Sam dropped down in the empty chair. "God, you 

two, we're in public." 

Christian's blush deepened. "Sorry, Sam." 
"Nauseating, aren't they?" Trent said. 
"Completely," Sam agreed, reaching for the empty 

glass and draining the pitcher of beer. 

"Dude, you look like crap. What's up?" Matt asked. 
Sam took a long drink. "My apartment building is 

being condemned." 

"What? Why?" 
"Remember that flood two years ago? The one they 

did the shitty-assed job cleaning up? Fucking black 
mold. A couple of people got sick and ended up calling 
the Health Department." 

"I told you that place needed to be condemned," Matt 

said. "When do you have to be out?" 

"They're giving us a week. Where the fuck am I 

supposed to go in a week?" 

"You can move in with me," Trent piped up. 
Sam frowned. "I thought Christian lived with you?" 
"He's moving in with Matt. Apparently, true love 

trumps best friend." Trent sighed dramatically and took 
a sip of his drink. 

Sam blinked, looking mildly stunned as he turned to 

Matt. "He's moving in with you? You mean you're 
committing to a relationship and you didn't bother to tell 
me?" 

Matt shrugged, trying to play off the awkwardness. 

"Because I knew you would give me shit. I was hoping 
you wouldn't notice." 

"Jackass." Sam kicked him in the shin. "Go buy us 

another pitcher so I can talk about you behind your 
back." 

"Oh, fuck, no." Matt loved Sam like a brother, but he 

Where You Least Expect It - 185 

wasn't leaving himself undefended. 

"How am I supposed to threaten Christian with 

bodily harm if he hurts you if you won't leave us alone?" 
Sam made it sound like a reasonable question. 

Christian choked on his beer. "What?" 
"Ooh, does that mean I get to threaten Matt if he 

hurts Christian?" Trent asked, suddenly intrigued. 

Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. "For fuck's sake. 

No one's threatening anyone. And Trent? Really?" Matt 
clearly had about fifty pounds of muscle on the other 
man. 

"You spoil all my fun, dude." Sam turned to Trent. 

"How much is the rent? When can I move in?" 

Trent rattled off the rent and security deposit. "You 

can move in as soon as we can get Christian's stuff 
moved to Matt's, which depends on Christian's work 
schedule." 

"I don't have that much to pack. We haven't talked 

about whether I should move my desk and futon, or my 
bookcase, but the rest of the stuff can stay in the 
apartment. I have Sunday off, so we can do it then if 
you're ready." 

"It's not like I have that much of a choice. I'm going 

to put most of my stuff in storage, anyway. I just have to 
get it packed." 

Christian looked at Matt, bottom lip caught between 

his teeth. "Assuming you're ready for me to move in that 
soon." 

Matt smiled. "I think that's a brilliant idea. Do you 

need help packing?" 

"I can help Christian," Trent said. "You should 

probably help Sam." 

"That would be awesome, man. I owe you." 
Matt was pretty sure Trent was getting the easy job. 

"You'll pay me back." Matt waved Sam's concern off. 

Where You Least Expect It - 186 

"Who wants food?" 

*** 

Matt spent hours Saturday night helping Sam pack 

most of his belongings into a rental truck destined for 
storage. By the time he got back to the condo, it was 
after midnight, but Christian was still awake, watching a 
science show on TV. 

"Hey, honey, how's Sam?" Christian looked over the 

back of the couch as Matt hung up his coat. 

"Stressed and tired. And pissed, in case you hadn't 

gotten the memo." Matt leaned in to kiss Christian. 

Christian hummed happily and moved closer. "I think 

people Sam doesn't even know got the memo. How are 
you?" 

Matt smiled and wrapped an arm around his lover. 

"Tired but not stressed or pissed off. Looking forward to 
having you here every night from now on." 

Christian made a happy sound and pulled Matt down 

for another kiss. "Good. Me, too." 

"Yeah?" Matt knew the answer, but having it 

reinforced didn't hurt. 

"Uh-huh. I've stopped stressing that you might think 

I'm doing it for the wrong reasons. You don't think that 
makes me too sappy, do you?" 

"Not too sappy, no." Matt's hand slid up Christian's 

shirt, rubbing along his back and rumbling happily. 
"You're warm." 

Christian giggled. "I turned the heat up." 
Matt laughed and kissed him hard. "We should crash. 

It's late and we still have a lot left to do tomorrow." 

Christian smiled. "Okay." 
"What?" 
"Nothing." He smiled again and buried his head in 

Where You Least Expect It - 187 

Matt's neck. Matt hugged him before pulling Christian 
to his feet. 

"Bed, babe. Turn the TV off." He kissed Christian 

again. 

"I can't turn the TV off if you're kissing me." 
After one more kiss, Matt moved away and headed 

toward the bedroom, pulling his shirt over his head. 
"Hurry up." 

Christian giggled again before searching for the 

remote, turning the TV off, and following Matt into the 
bedroom. 

When Christian got to the bedroom, Matt was 

sprawled on the bed, one leg bent at the knee causing the 
fabric of his jeans to stretch over his groin. Matt's hand 
rested on the top of his thigh, thumb rubbing back and 
forth. 

Matt shifted slightly. "You okay?" His hand moved 

upward ever so slightly. 

Christian shook his head. "You look hot." 
Matt stretched. "I do?" His hand moved to rub his 

balls through the thin denim. 

"Oh. Yeah." Christian just starred at him for a 

minute. "Yeah, you look hot." 

Matt grinned. "You think?" Christian watched as 

Matt cupped his balls, spreading his legs to give himself 
more room. Christian leaned back against the dresser. 

"Matt." Christian pressed his hand against his own 

growing erection, causing Matt to moan. 

"Fuck." Matt gasped and undid the button on his 

pants, slowly pulling his zipper down. Christian was still 
watching, seemingly mesmerized. 

"Oh, God, Matt, please." 
"Please what?" Matt's jeans were open, his cock 

pushing up through the opening and straining against his 
boxers. His hand was inches from his erection, fingers 

Where You Least Expect It - 188 

moving restlessly. 

Matt watched as Christian pushed his hand harder 

against his own erection. "Touch yourself. Let me see." 

Matt's moan surprised him. He shoved his pants and 

boxers down below his hips, baring himself.  Matt 
wrapped one hand around his straining cock and fondled 
his balls with the other. 

Christian moaned again as he watched Matt. Matt 

stared back at him, gaze shifting between Christian's 
eyes and the hand rubbing against his erection. Christian 
leaned back against the dresser and opened his own 
pants, grabbing himself and stroking. 

Matt started to move faster, rubbing his thumb over 

his cockhead and moaning again. "Close." 

"Oh, fuck. So fucking sexy." Christian sped his 

strokes to match Matt's. Matt rolled his balls and pushed 
against his perineum, finally losing it and shooting over 
his stomach. Christian came a second later. 

Matt looked over at him and chuckled. "Come here 

before you fall over." 

Christian laughed and crossed the few steps to the 

bed, flopping down next to Matt. "That was hot." 

"Uh-huh. And now we're all sticky." Matt laughed. 
"I'm too tired to shower." 
"Too lazy to shower." Matt jumped out of the way of 

Christian's half-hearted swat. 

"Hey! I worked and studied all day!" 
"I know, babe." Matt leaned down and kissed 

Christian. "Get naked, now." 

"Matt." The word sounded more like a moan. 
"Sleep, Christian. It's late." Matt kissed him one more 

time before crawling under the covers. 

Christian sighed dramatically. "I see how it's going to 

be. I'm moving in and you're losing interest already." 

Matt just laughed at him. "Yep. No more sex or 

Where You Least Expect It - 189 

snuggling and I'm going to start reading the paper at 
breakfast and ignoring you." 

Christian pulled the covers up and curled up on 

Matt's chest. "Damn. I guess I need to make the most of 
this, then." 

Matt's arms tightened around him. "Yep." 

*** 

When Matt got home from work Monday night, he 

could smell tomato sauce simmering. He dropped his 
coat on the couch and went to watch Christian bounce 
around the kitchen stirring the pots and pulling a loaf of 
bread from the oven. Christian smiled at Matt standing 
in the kitchen doorway. 

"Hey, you. Ow." Christian dropped the bread on the 

counter. 

"Don't burn yourself." Matt crossed the room and 

kissed Christian's fingertips. "You didn't have to cook." 
He leaned down and kissed Christian gently. 

"I know." Christian blushed. "I wanted to. It's the first 

thing we made together, well, except for Thanksgiving, 
but that seemed like a lot more effort." 

"You're a sap, and I think your noodles are going to 

boil over." 

"Crap." Christian turned the stove down and grabbed 

the colander. "Go change, honey, it's almost ready." 

Matt watched Christian fuss for another moment 

before going to change out of his work clothes. When he 
got back, Christian was placing serving bowls on the 
table. Christian smiled and walked into Matt's embrace, 
arms wrapping around his neck and face tilting up for a 
kiss. 

Matt happily obliged, pulling Christian close and 

kissing him thoroughly. "Mmm, spaghetti sauce and 

Where You Least Expect It - 190 

garlic. Yum." 

"Let's eat so I can have my wicked way with you 

later." 

Matt grinned. "Wicked way, huh? What do you have 

in mind?" 

Christian tilted his head and Matt could practically 

see the wheels turning. "Whatever you want, honey. I 
can think of lots of things." 

"Yeah? I can think of a couple of things we haven't 

done yet." Matt felt his face grow warm; he hated 
blushing, but damn, the things he was thinking about 
doing with Christian. He didn't miss the heat that flared 
in Christian eyes. 

"Oh." The sound was soft. Christian kissed him and 

pulled away. "Come on, before it gets cold." 

They sat at the table and chatted about their day; Matt 

tried to ignore the feeling of anticipation. Matt moaned 
over the garlic bread and stole the last bite of spaghetti 
from Christian's plate. Christian rolled his eyes and got 
up to look through a cabinet for storage containers. Matt 
stepped up behind him and pulled a couple of containers 
down. 

"You cooked. I can clean this up." 
Christian leaned back against him. "It'll be faster if 

we do it together." 

"True." Matt leaned down and kissed him, fingers 

splayed across Christian's stomach. 

Christian covered Matt's hand with his own. "Nice." 
He held Christian for another minute before moving 

away to start cleaning up their dinner. Christian loaded 
the empty plates and bowls into the dishwasher while 
Matt took care of storing the leftovers. He watched as 
Christian added soap and set the cycle. 

Christian smiled over at him. "Hey." 
Matt reached out and tugged Christian up against 

Where You Least Expect It - 191 

him. "Hey." Christian's hands landed on his shoulders. 
Matt kissed him once before pulling away and leading 
Christian to the bedroom. 

He stood by the bed and held Christian lightly, hands 

rubbing up and down Christian's back. He felt 
Christian's hands rest just above the curve of his ass. He 
leaned down and kissed Christian gently, starting with 
barely-there brushes of his lips against Christian's and 
slowly increasing the pressure, letting the heat between 
them build. Christian responded eagerly, hands sliding 
down to cup Matt's ass. Christian's lips parted slightly, 
encouraging Matt's tongue to slip in and taste. 

Matt moaned as his tongue stroked through 

Christian's mouth, tasting the wine they had with dinner 
and the sweet taste that was unique to Christian. He 
pulled Christian closer and deepened the kiss. Christian's 
hands moved over his ass, moving lower to tease him 
through his jeans. Matt thrust his hips forward to rub 
against Christian. He pulled back and rested their 
foreheads together as he tried to catch his breath. His 
tugged Christian's T-shirt up and off, missing the loss of 
Christian's hands on his ass. 

Christian didn't hesitate in pulling Matt's shirt off as 

well, running his hands across Matt's pecs and 
shoulders. "Damn you're hot, Matt." 

Matt flexed before kissing Christian's shoulder. 

"You're not so bad yourself, you know." 

Christian shuddered. "Not too skinny?" 
"Uh-uh," Matt muttered against Christian's skin. 

Christian tilted his head to give Matt more room, letting 
Matt trail kisses up Christian's neck to suck on his 
earlobe. Christian let out a startled yelp when Matt 
nipped at him. Christian's mouth found his again and the 
next was harder, more forceful. Matt's hands moved 
along Christian's spine, feeling muscles flex. Christian's 

Where You Least Expect It - 192 

fingers dug into Matt's muscles. 

Matt moved a hand around Christian's waist and 

rubbed Christian's erection through his jeans. "I want 
you." 

Christian responded with a moan, cock jerking hard 

under Matt's palm. "Matt. I -- are you sure?" Christian 
looked up at him, eyes hot. 

"I'm sure. I trust you. You always look so hot when I 

fuck you, I want to know what it feels like, Chris." 

Christian moaned again and kissed Matt, tongue wet 

and hot in Matt's mouth. Christian's hands grabbed 
Matt's ass again, pulling Matt against him and grinding 
their cocks together just for a minute before undoing the 
button and zipper on Matt's jeans. 

Matt kept the kiss going while Christian opened his 

pants and slid them over his hips. "You, too," he 
mumbled, undoing Christian's pants and shoving them 
out of the way. He reached around and wrapped a hand 
around both of their pricks, the heat of them together 
making him ache. 

"You're making it hard to go slow." Christian was 

practically panting. 

Matt gave them another squeeze. "Well, something's 

certainly hard." 

"Oh, fuck. Bed, honey." 
"Yeah." Matt threw the blankets back and knelt on 

the bed, pulling Christian with him. He picked the kiss 
up where it had left off, letting their bodies rub together. 
Breaking the kiss, Matt lay back and stretched. Christian 
followed, lying half across Matt's chest, one hand 
stroking through Matt's hair and the other moving 
aimlessly over Matt's chest. Christian kissed him, 
fingers finding a nipple and tweaking it, drawing a gasp 
from Matt. Christian kissed down Matt's body, pausing 
to pay attention to both nipples, his navel, the spot just 

Where You Least Expect It - 193 

above Matt's hip that made him writhe. He moaned as 
Christian bypassed his cock to focus on the crease where 
his thigh and pelvis met. Christian crawled back up and 
kissed Matt again while grabbing the lube and condoms 
from the nightstand. 

"Let me know if it's too much, okay?" 
Matt brushed his thumb against Christian's lower lip. 

"I will." 

Christian nipped Matt's fingers and started kissing 

him again. Matt's heart rate sped up when he heard the 
sound of the lube opening but he focused on their kiss, 
trusting Christian to take care of him. He could feel the 
wet trail of precome that Christian's dick was leaving on 
his hip. He shifted, bending one knee, making the 
invitation obvious. Christian sucked on his bottom lip 
and Matt felt slick fingers touch the sensitive skin 
behind his balls. He spread further, wanting Christian's 
touch. Christian's fingers moved further back, circling 
his hole and making him whimper before one finger 
slowly stroked in and out. Matt started thrusting against 
Christian. 

"More. Please." 
A soft moan escaped Christian as he added a second 

finger, waiting for Matt to adjust before beginning to 
stroke again, spreading Matt slowly. 

Christian broke the kiss and sat up. "I want to watch." 
Matt rocked himself onto Christian's fingers, shouting 

when Christian found his gland. "Oh, God, Christian." 

"So hot." Matt could see Christian's cock leaking, 

could feel his own cock throb in response. 

"In me, Christian. Please." 
Christian stroked a few more times before pulling his 

fingers out and positioning himself between Matt's legs. 
He reached for the condoms, eyes locked with Matt's as 
he tore one off and rolled it on. 

Where You Least Expect It - 194 

Matt picked the lube up and squirted some into his 

hand. "Let me." 

Matt reached out to slick Christian up. Christian 

closed his eyes momentarily as Matt stroked up and 
down his shaft. 

Matt let go and spread himself wide. "Chris." 
"Oh, fuck, yes. God." Matt watched as Christian 

started pushing forward. Christian was definitely wider 
than two fingers and the stretch burned for a minute as 
Matt's muscles adjusted. Christian leaned forward to kiss 
Matt, arms braced on either side of Matt's shoulders. 
Matt relaxed into the kiss, letting it distract him. He 
slowly started rocking against Christian. 

Christian looked down at him. "So tight. Hot. Ready, 

honey?" 

"Fuck yes. Do it." 
Christian groaned in answer and started thrusting. 

Matt let out a long groan and rocked his hips, meeting 
Christian thrust for thrust. It wasn't long before 
Christian's speed increased and he started fucking Matt 
in earnest. Matt started babbling, encouraging Christian. 
He wrapped one hand around his own cock and stroked 
himself in time, moving between his fist and Christian's 
prick. 

"Oh, fuck, babe. Good." 
"Matt. It's fucking good." 
"Yeah. Yeah. Close. Fuck me. Fuck. Oh, fuck." 

Matt's balls started tingling and he couldn't hold back 
anymore. He threw his head back and shot, Christian's 
cock hitting his gland and making it that much more 
intense. 

"Matt!" Christian shouted and went still. Matt could 

feel Christian pulse inside him. His own dick gave one 
final twitch in response. 

Matt wrapped his arms around Christian when he 

Where You Least Expect It - 195 

collapsed on Matt's chest. Matt's breathing slowly 
returned to normal and he nuzzled Christian's spiky hair. 
"Hey. No falling asleep with the condom on." 

Christian rewarded him with a startled laugh. "Okay." 
He shifted up, kissing Matt before taking care of the 

condom and crawling back into Matt's arms. They 
curled together, kissing slowly. 

"You're okay? I didn't hurt you?" Christian asked. 
"I'm good. You didn't hurt me." Matt kissed him and 

grinned. "I might even let you do it again." 

Where You Least Expect It - 196 

Epilogue 

As Matt left work the first Friday in May, he was 

pleased that the weather was finally turning mild after a 
long and wet winter. Early spring could be almost as 
unpredictable as fall, but today was sunny and almost 
warm, trees beginning to put on new leaves and early 
flowers blooming. 

Christian was waiting for him when Matt got out of 

work, sitting at one of the outside tables reading a 
textbook. Christian looked up as Matt got closer and 
smiled. 

"Hi." 
"Hi. How was class?" 
Christian rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder how 

some of these people got this far." Matt laughed as 
Christian started ranting about his less than stellar 
classmates as he shoved his books into his bag. Christian 
stood and hefted the bag over his shoulder. "Ready?" 

"Yep." Matt leaned down for a quick kiss. He still 

wasn't completely comfortable being out, but he had a 
hard time not kissing his lover hello. Christian blinked at 
him and smiled. 

"So what do you want to do for dinner?" Christian 

asked as they walked toward Matt's truck. 

"I don't know. I wanted to stop somewhere first, but 

we have time to figure something out." 

Christian looked at him with curiosity. "Where are 

we going?" 

Matt glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, 

suppressing a grin. "It's a surprise." 

"Really? I love surprises." 
They settled in the truck and Matt leaned over to kiss 

Christian again. "I know." 

Ten minutes later, Christian was looking at him 

Where You Least Expect It - 197 

curiously when Matt parked the truck. 

"The park?" Christian seemed confused. 
"Yep." He caught Christian's eye roll out of the 

corner of his eye. 

Christian followed him out of the truck. "So, what are 

we doing?" 

Matt shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets, 

suddenly feeling self conscious. Maybe this was a dumb 
idea after all. "I thought we could go for a walk." He 
relaxed when Christian smiled. 

"Okay." 
Matt realized he was staring at Christian with what he 

suspected was a very sappy expression. "Okay." He 
turned and started walking toward the lake. He still felt 
silly, but Christian looked happy, so that made it 
worthwhile. 

The park was busy; kids ran around and rode their 

bikes, college students lounged around on blankets 
pretending to study. Matt and Christian were only one of 
the couples walking around the lake. 

"So, what's up?" Christian finally asked. 
Matt smiled. "Can't a guy just want to go for a walk?" 
Christian was still looking at him. "Okay." 
Matt laughed; he enjoyed teasing Christian. "The first 

time I drove you home, you managed to sound 
completely enthralled by that horrible fall weather. I 
thought you might want to experience something, I don't 
know, less wet." Matt winked. "Besides, it's been, what, 
three months since you moved in? That's kind of a 
milestone, don't you think?" 

Christian beamed at him. "An anniversary walk?" 
"I thought it was more like an anniversary date. 

Come on, walk around the lake with me and I'll buy you 
dinner." 

"Thai?" 

Where You Least Expect It - 198 

"Sure." Matt took Christian's hand and continued 

their walk as the sun set over the lake. Three months 
certainly wasn't a lifetime, but they'd come so far from 
where they were Matt was confident this was only the 
first of many anniversaries. 

END 

Where You Least Expect It - 199 

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