One Night Stand

One Night Stand * Clare London

EDDY

rolled on to his back, panting. The mattress dipped underneath

him, the creak of the springs sounding like a moan. The bed felt very
soft; the sheets snagging under his ass were surely thicker than usual.
A  muscle  twitched  in  the  dip  above  his  left  buttock  and  a  dribble  of
sweat ran down between his thighs, tickling the underside of his balls.
What  a  dream!  It  had  been  astonishingly  vivid,  immersing  him
completely  and  waking  him  abruptly  like  this,  gasping  and  with  a
racing heart. A  passionate dream, a  wet dream.  Dammit, wet beyond
belief!  His  cock  nestled  at  his  groin,  half-hard  with  morning  arousal,
and he didn’t need to touch himself to know it still throbbed from the
memory of a fierce climax, a swelling, a bursting, a filling…

His head throbbed and his wrists ached. The physical feelings

brought other memories rushing back. He’d held himself up on his
arms, muscles tensed, flesh hot and damp with sweat, and he’d driven
into the body beneath him, thrusting deeply, again and again, taking
his satisfaction for as long as it took.

“So good. So fine. Please….”

There had been fierce, ugly sounds—his—and grunts and moans

of unfettered desire. It had been his hand that had clutched the sheets
inside his fist; his fingers that had bruised the skin beneath him with
their desperate grip. It hadn’t been nonconsensual, he was sure, but
he’d barely recognized the sexual aggression released from him.

One Night Stand * Clare London

“You. Take it. Take me! More.”

Teddy stretched his left leg out and groaned quietly. His thigh

was  cramped,  the  muscles  weary  as  if  he’d  been  through  a  heavy
session at the office gym. It had been a while since he went there on
any  regular  basis,  not  like  Marshall,  his  boss,  who  worked  out  most
days.  Tremendous  commitment,  but  then  Marshall  was  determined
like that. Very assertive. Great body, too, of course. Yes.  A great body.
Still  very  sleepy  and  half-aroused,  Teddy  felt  a  flush  run  all  over  his
skin.

Marshall always invited his staff team along to the gym with him,

if  they  wanted  to  take  advantage  of  the  subsidized  facility.  When
Teddy  dropped  out  of  the  routine,  Marshall  had  made  a  deliberate
effort to coax him back. Came around to his cubicle at the end of the
day  and  everything.  Stupid  thing  was,  Teddy  thought  Marshall  had
looked genuinely disappointed when Teddy explained he wasn’t really
interested in going. Ridiculous, of course. Clerks like Teddy Newman
didn’t  have  any  effect  on  managers  like  Marshall  Craig,
disappointment  or  otherwise.  Teddy  had  turned  away,  clearing  his
desk, afraid that Marshall would hear Teddy’s lie in the nervous tone.
The visit wasn’t personal; of course it wasn’t. His boss was just being a
good  team  manager,  one  of  his  many  skills,  and  Teddy  greatly
admired  Marshall  for  being  so  considerate  and  confident.  He  always
had.  Admired  him,  that  is.  Teddy  smiled  drowsily,  his  thoughts  hazy.
Anyway,  thank  God  Marshall  had  given  up  on  asking  him  after  that;
he’d have run out of excuses eventually.

He stretched the right leg out as well. It was just as stiff. Dammit,

he needed something like the gym, really. His promotion to Marshall’s
team had been a great opportunity, but it’d been stressful too. In all
sorts of ways.

One Night Stand * Clare London

Dreams… laughter and satisfied smiles. Another successful deal,

the praise enthusiastic, the future plans shared. A gaze turned to him,

warm, encouraging. A lingering handshake, an arm around his
shoulders…

He’d been coming home from the office every day with tension

knotted into the muscles of his shoulders. That was bound to take its
toll on the whole of his body. Still cocooned in his half-waking state,
Teddy wrinkled his nose. Amazing how the sleeping mind could
impose such realistic physical symptoms!

Someone coughed gently. The body beside him in the bed shifted,

the springs barely acknowledging the movement.

Teddy was suddenly, totally, shockingly awake. God. Not a dream

at all!

A wave of horror washed over him. He lay as if paralyzed, trying

to calm his thudding pulse, swamped by instinctive fear. Where the
hell was he? What had happened last night? His muscles flexed,
spiking the cramp afresh, reminding him exactly what had happened.
Fierce sex: greedy and athletic. Incredibly great sex.

But with whom?

Teddy felt his whole body tense up again with self-disgust. He

hadn’t  had  a  one  night  stand  since  he  left  college.  It’d  been  tacitly
accepted  in  those  days  between  young  guys  who  were  coming  out
sexually  yet  still  growing  emotionally.  He’d  found  it  all  desperately
exciting though confusing, too, as he started to discover what his body
liked.

Memories… young, sweaty bodies, laughs, growls, the smell of skin

that wasn’t his, the taste of seed on his fingers, still warm…

Of course, he’d been glad to leave that wild scene behind him.

One Night Stand * Clare London

Hadn’t he? Casual liaisons unnerved him. They encouraged his more…
passionate  side.  But  didn’t  he  still  need  some  attention  sometimes?
Dreams weren’t all necessarily sweet, and Teddy ignored the nagging
ache inside him. It wasn’t as if he’d missed out on longer relationships,
though  admittedly  there  hadn’t  been  anyone  special  for  a  long  time.
But overall, it was easier and safer to show discretion, to keep himself
to himself. Like Marshall did. The man was so cool about it. Being gay.
No  one  ever  teased  him  in  the  office  like  they  did  Teddy.  Well,  that
wasn’t  so  surprising,  Marshall  being  such  a  great  guy  and  Teddy
himself  being  rather,  well,  shy.  But  he  wasn’t  always  shy,  was  he?
There’d been that evening a few months ago….

Teddy had an annoying itch just below his left buttock, but he

really didn’t dare reach down to scratch it. His heart was still
thumping, and he tried to quiet his breathing even more. Short of
suffocating himself, he wasn’t sure how he could. Was he going to find
suffocation a viable option?

Remember. That evening? Yes! It had been just after he joined the

company  and  in  those  days,  he  went  to  the  gym  after  work  with  his
colleagues.  Okay,  so  he’d  had  a  couple  of  beers  too  many,  he  wasn’t
used  to  drinking  much,  but  it  had  been  a  great  evening  with  new
friends.  He  didn’t  notice  when  the  others  left,  but  suddenly  finding
himself  alone  with  Marshall  Craig  had  been…  well,  fine.  Maybe  he
wasn’t  thinking  about  being  nervous  of  his  new  boss  right  then.
Marshall had been friendly and attentive and chatted easily about his
experiences  when  he  first  came  to  the  city.  He  had  great  advice  on
places  to  eat  and  good  shops,  seemed  to  have  watched  a  lot  of  the
same  movies  as  Teddy,  listened  to  similar  music.  And  he  hadn’t
seemed to mind when Teddy kept bumping into him as he leaned over
the bar counter. He even suggested where the better apartments could
be  found,  though  Teddy  had  been  embarrassed,  realizing  he’d  been

One Night Stand * Clare London

rambling on about the shitty little room he currently lived in, the
screaming neighbors and the homophobic landlord…. Yes, Marshall
had been astonishingly tolerant of him. Even when Teddy leaned one
time too many and spilled half his beer all over him.

God, how mortifying! The beer had splashed over Marshall’s

presumably very expensive clothes, staining his jacket and soaking his
shirt. The thin material had stuck to Marshall’s torso, showing the fine
definition  of  his  muscles.  Teddy  remembered  that  quite  vividly.
Marshall  had  just  laughed,  shrugging  off  his  jacket,  pulling  the  shirt
out of his jeans. He’d put a firm hand on Teddy’s arm. “No problem, it
was  an  accident.  It’ll  wash.  Dammit,  Teddy,  don’t  look  so  distraught.
I’ve  got  a  clean  sports  shirt  in  my  bag.”  He’d  gone  to  change,  and
Teddy  had  looked  around  wildly  for  some  help,  for  someone  to
distract  him,  for—oh  God—the  exit!  But  Marshall  had  come  back
before  he  could  escape,  smiling  and  looking  much  more  relaxed  in  a
very smart polo shirt that tightened across his shoulders, the fabric a
green  color  that  accentuated  his  eyes.  Teddy  remembered  that  quite
vividly too.

Marshall got them fresh beers, and then, after Teddy had

apologized  for  another  hundred  times,  they  just  talked.  For  ages!
What the hell had got into him that night? Teddy had talked about a
whole  damned  lot  of  stuff.  Being  a  klutz,  surprising  his  family—and
himself—with his bold move away from his hometown, loving his new
job, loving the buzz of the city despite getting lost on the metro at least
once  a  week,  eating  too  much  pizza  while  he  learned  to  cook  for
himself,  trying  to  find  easy-build  furniture  for  his  apartment  instead
of living out of packing cases. Yeah, lots of nonsense. It wasn’t like him
at  all;  he  was  usually  happy  to  stay  in  the  background.  Most  of  the
details he’d since forgotten… or his nervousness had pushed them to
the  back  of  his  mind.  But  during  the  course  of  that  evening,  he’d

One Night Stand * Clare London

discovered what good company Marshall could be. And how attractive
he was. The man’s voice was warm; his company was reassuring.
Teddy remembered thinking things were going to be really good in
the city after all.

It was only when they both got up to go home that Teddy

realized what a stupid mistake he’d made. Marshall offered him a ride
back to his apartment—it was on his route—but Teddy had started to
refuse politely. At that same moment, he’d seen a flicker of discomfort
in Marshall’s eyes.  Oh God. Just how embarrassing had he been? Yes,
Marshall  was  gay  as  well,  but  that  didn’t  entitle  Teddy  to  inflict  his
loneliness  and  hopes  on  him,  did  it?  And  what  was  worse,  Teddy
realized just how close he’d been to creating hopes that were entirely
inappropriate. Marshall was his boss, goddammit. He was just taking
pity on the new guy. Marshall Craig inevitably had a cute man at home
already,  nothing  like  Teddy,  but  good-looking  and  witty  and  mature
and  brilliantly  successful,  who  probably  played  competitive  sports
and  cooked  gourmet  meals  and  could  put  up  flat-pack  furniture  like
Teddy’s new bookcase with one hand tied behind his back, rather than
stabbing his thigh with the screwdriver and having to support the top
shelf  with  a  scrunched-up  cover  from  a  men’s  magazine  and  half  a
tube of wood glue. Like Teddy had.

Anyway, Teddy couldn’t get out of the sports club fast enough

that night. Luckily, a cab had been passing right outside, and he almost
leaped through the door on to the seat. He never looked back, afraid of
the relief he might see on Marshall’s face. God, that evening had
warned him to keep things on a strictly professional footing for the
future.

The bed springs moaned again, and Teddy gritted his teeth.

He must have been stupendously evil in some former life to

One Night Stand * Clare London

deserve  this  humiliation.  And  just  how  smug  had  he  been,  thinking
how well he’d managed the professional thing, at least so far. Dammit,
nowadays he was a mature, sophisticated city guy! Well, trying to be.
He  hardly  ever  got  lost  on  the  Metro,  he  had  a  great  job  with  recent
promotion,  a  small  group  of  good  friends,  his  own,  miniscule
apartment  located  in  one  of  the  better  areas  Marshall  had  so  kindly
identified  and,  oh  yes,  a  whole  bunch  of  grown-up  financial
commitments. He wasn’t as naïve or needy, like he was in the past. Not
needy at all.

He might not be the kind of guy to parade around with rainbow

flags or draw attention to himself, but he wasn’t ashamed, either. He
was  just  himself,  and  he  was  determined  to  lead  his  life  in  a  fairly
modest  but  rewarding  way.  And  that  meant  a  casual  fling  wasn’t  for
him,  not  then,  not  now.  Nothing  wild,  nothing  out  of  his  control.  He
was sure there were plenty of men who felt the same way, if he could
just find them. It wasn’t just the sex he was looking for.

Though—oh God—that’d be good too.

The annoying itch on his leg started to burn. His fingers twitched,

desperate to reach down. Beside him, there was another cough:
someone clearing his throat as he also began to wake up.

A casual fling wasn’t for him.

Who was it?

But Teddy knew who, even as he turned his head to risk a quick

glance for confirmation. The dark curls on the pillow were very
familiar, the muscular hand outstretched above the sleeping head was
one he shook hello most mornings. Marshall. Oh God.

For a few seconds, Teddy genuinely thought he was going to

throw up. And then he realized he was ashamed, deeply and horribly.

One Night Stand * Clare London

Marshall Craig was a man who deserved his respect, who might have
become  a  close  friend.  Marshall  had  supported  Teddy  at  work  and
encouraged him. He’d never made a big thing of being gay. In fact, he’d
never made any move on Teddy, never subscribed to stupid jokes and
sexual  innuendo  like  most  of  the  other  guys  at  the  gym,  never  led
Teddy to believe he considered him as anything more than a colleague
with  a  promising  career.  He  was  discreet,  just  like  Teddy  himself.
Mature, like Teddy wanted to be.

But, dear God in heaven, it was obvious Teddy had failed in all

that, hadn’t he? And pretty spectacularly.

His cheeks burned as he tried to distract himself by recalling

where  he  was.  The  hotel.  Of  course.  The  company  always  provided
overnight  hotel  accommodation  for  the  staff  after  the  annual
Christmas party. Morning light seeped in under the drawn blinds, and
Teddy  glanced  around  the  room.  It  was  small,  as  befitted  a  junior
member  of  the  team,  but  it  was  clean  and  had  all  the  refreshment
facilities and a good-sized shower room. Oh, and by the way, a big-ass
king-sized bed with a soft mattress and far better quality sheets than
Teddy could afford for himself.

Oh God.

He briefly closed his eyes. His head still throbbed painfully, and

not just from mortification. There’d been a hell of a lot of beer drunk
at the bar while they waited for the food, and then wine at the table.
He didn’t usually drink much—though how many times was he going
to say that and then proceed to make a complete ass of himself?—but
he’d been encouraged to join in the fun because of the season. All the
rules seemed to be different at Christmas. He’d been with friends and
colleagues, and they were all celebrating the end of a really good year
for the company. And Marshall had been beside him, laughing quietly

One Night Stand * Clare London

and occasionally turning those sparkling dark eyes on Teddy like he
was really interested in what Teddy and only Teddy had to say.

Teddy groaned to himself. Now he was delusional. He tried to

slide  away  from  Marshall,  to  get  out  of  bed  without  disturbing
anything.  But  his  lower  body  was  tangled  up  in  the  sheet,  and  the
other end of it was trapped under Marshall’s left thigh. Teddy glanced
over  again.  Marshall’s  naked  left  thigh:  he’d  thrust  his  leg  out  from
under  the  covers.  Fascinated,  Teddy  watched  the  pulse  twitch  under
the  flesh.  The  calf  was  tanned  from  all  the  time  Marshall  spent
outdoors in shorts. He’d occasionally told Teddy how he liked to work
on his old boat at weekends. The hairs were dark and curled around
his knee, thinning out as they ran up toward his paler hip. Then bushy
again, farther up, as they clustered around…

Teddy’s cock stirred against his own thigh, thickening. He

swallowed heavily. “Oh God” had definitely been overused this
morning, but it kept coming to mind. Things couldn’t get any worse,
could they? Self-suffocation was looking more and more attractive by
the second.

He let his head fall back on the pillow. He’d been drunk, that was

it. That was the only excuse he could think of, pathetic though it was.
He had no damned head for alcohol, but he just never learned to keep
away. Fucking Christmas parties, he thought with some venom. What a
cliché they were! He’d been looking forward to the event, because this
year his team was in the running for the “Best Campaign” staff award.
The company had hired a smart hotel in the center of town to host the
evening, and there’d been speeches and jokes from each division. He’d
even been personally mentioned a couple of times, for the success of
some of his ideas on the larger client accounts. And in the end, they
made a close second place! It had all been very exciting. He was also
excited to find that Marshall was on the same dinner table—right next

One Night Stand * Clare London

to him, actually—and Marshall had seemed really pleased to be there
with him. He’d grasped Teddy’s arm for quite a long time when they
were all congratulating each other, thanking Teddy for all his hard
work. His eyes had been very bright and his expression rather intense.
Yeah, that had been exciting too.

Pleased? Intense? Exciting?

Teddy tried to push those thoughts away. The food had been

great, the band lively, and the wine kept on flowing. Some idiots from
Data Processing had been heavy-handed with the bottles, filling up
glasses almost before the last mouthful went down. He hadn’t stood a
chance. And the atmosphere had been so agreeable. Marshall had been
great company, had been so approachable, had looked so… well, good.

Marshall grunted in his half-sleep, and his knee nudged against

Teddy’s leg.

Teddy didn’t think it was possible to blush over the whole of

one’s body, but there wasn’t any other explanation for how hot he felt
now. Dammit, the man had looked gorgeous! He had broad shoulders,
where Teddy’s were narrow. He was graceful, where Teddy was lanky,
charming  where  Teddy  was  still  nervous  on  these  formal  occasions.
Marshall’s  leg had  brushed up  against him  time and  again under  the
dinner table. On one occasion, he’d caught Marshall’s gaze, and they’d
laughed about it. But Marshall hadn’t moved away. In fact, he’d looked
flushed  and  unusually  bemused.  Teddy  had  obviously  been
embarrassing the man all damned evening, when all he’d wanted to do
was please him.

And that’s where the real problem lay, wasn’t it?

Teddy groaned to himself again. Why the hell couldn’t it have

been someone else? Why couldn’t he have fallen for anyone else?
Since the day he joined the company, Teddy’s admiration of his boss

One Night Stand * Clare London

had slowly but inexorably slid into total crush. He thought he’d kept it
well hidden, all this time: the increased heart beat when Marshall
entered the office, the delight when Marshall smiled at him or praised
something he did. The sudden, embarrassing hard-on he got
sometimes when Marshall was too close for comfort. Yes, he genuinely
thought he’d kept it under control.

So what had gone wrong last night? Too tired from late nights at

work? Too many beers? Being caught unprepared for seeing Marshall
out  of  the  office  surroundings,  so  blatantly  hot,  so  totally  relaxed?
Maybe  he  could  brush  this  off  as  one  of  those  casual  sexual
misdemeanors  that  happened  at  Christmas  parties  that  neither  of
them  really  remembered  and  both  wanted  to  forget.  Maybe  his
juvenile crush was still a secret. Maybe…

His own words—harsh, urgent whispers—echoed in his

memory. “You. Take it. Take me! More.”

Oh yeah, things could get much worse.

Marshall shifted again on the bed, blowing out gently through

pursed lips, stirring the hair that had tangled up around his ear. Teddy
stared at that hair, watching it brush gently with each breath against
Marshall’s lightly stubbled jaw. He tried to tear his gaze away. Okay,
so none of this was offering up a decent defense, was it? The only hope
he had left was to blame the champagne.

A large bottle had arrived late in the evening on their table. Most

of the other guys were away, either at the bar or dancing and mingling
with  other  colleagues.  Teddy  and  Marshall  were  the  last  two  left
sitting.  The  waiter  explained  it  was  a  gift  from  Secret  Santa;  he’d
grinned  as he  told  them, enjoying  the joke.  Teddy  didn’t know  much
about  these  things,  but  it  looked  like  a  very  expensive  brand.
Privately,  he  thought  they’d  received  it  by  mistake,  but  he  wasn’t

One Night Stand * Clare London

going to turn it down. He and Marshall poured themselves a glass and
chinked their glasses together in a self-conscious toast.

“Happy Christmas, Teddy,” Marshall said. “Here’s to a great year

and  an  even  better  time  in  the  next.”  His  voice  had  sounded  a  bit
hoarse,  which  Teddy  blamed  on  the  late  hour  and  having  to  shout
conversation  over  the  sound  of  the  band.  He’d  nodded  in  return,
guiltily letting his fingers trail over Marshall’s as they held the glasses
together. The champagne tasted extraordinarily delicious, a rare treat
for  him!  He’d  savored  it  on  his  tongue,  letting  its  fruity  aroma  and
sparkling beauty seduce his senses. But it was obviously far stronger
than  he  realized.  By  the  time  he  poured  himself  another  glass,
Marshall  had  been  leaning  against  him,  a  strong  arm  across  his
shoulders, a warm hip brushing against his own.

And then what? His mind raced, his memories tumbling

suddenly past as if they’d been freed from Pandora’s Box. The
elevator; the corridor; the room; the bed.

Fierce sex: greedy and athletic.

Teddy clamped his eyes shut again. God, God, no! He daren’t look

at Marshall again. He was no child, thinking that if he couldn’t see, he
couldn’t be seen. But he could hope for a Christmas miracle, couldn’t
he?

The body beside him yawned, a definite waking-up noise.

Teddy’s heart sank. No, no miracle for him. He wasn’t a child, he

knew  that,  and  he  was  stupid  to  think  he  wouldn’t  have  to  face  the
consequences of what he’d done. Miserably, he clenched his fists at his
sides.  To  hell with  it.  So  he’d  been  supremely, stunningly  stupid,  but
he’d  be  honest  with  it.  Marshall  deserved  that  from  him,  at  least.  He
opened his eyes and looked over at the other side of the bed.

One Night Stand * Clare London

Dark eyes looked back at him from under a clear brow and

tousled  brown  hair.  Marshall  had  rolled  over  on  to  his  side  and  was
staring  at  him.  Teddy  couldn’t  help  but  ogle:  the  sheet  covered  very
little of Marshall’s naked body. A bead of sweat glistened in the hollow
of his throat and small, pebbled nipples jutted out from the dark hairs
on his chest. His upper leg was bent over the lower one, but Teddy’s
gaze could still follow the trail of hair down over his belly to the nest
at  his  groin.  And  there  rested  Marshall’s  cock,  half-aroused  and
promisingly thick, lying comfortably on his thigh…

Teddy tried to look away. He really did, but it just didn’t work.

He had no idea what to say. Any apology would sound insincere. Any
excuse, trite. His gaze flickered over the flushed skin of his bedmate;
he felt lustful excitement clench in his groin, and he was disgusted
with himself, all over again.

“I’ll go,” he said. He wondered if he could somehow get out of bed

without  exposing  his  swollen  dick,  thickening  with  every  glimpse  of
Marshall, with every sound he made even in sleep, with the very smell
of  his  skin.  Teddy  didn’t  know  where  the  hell  he’d  left  his  pants  or
where  his  socks  were.  How  could  he  worry  about  such  mundane
things? This was all a living nightmare.

“Teddy?”

He was struck dumb, just staring longingly at Marshall’s mouth.

Couldn’t  help  himself,  could  he?  He’d  wanted  to  know  what  that
mouth  tasted  like,  since…  well,  since  that  night  in  the  bar,  when
Marshall  had  chatted  and  smiled  and  occasionally  licked  his  lips
without  realizing  he  was  doing  things  to  Teddy  that  had  no  place  in
the  staff  induction  manual.  Those  lips  were  now  damp  with  saliva,
dark red and ragged in the corner where someone had bitten through
the flesh. Oh God. That hadn’t been him, surely?

One Night Stand * Clare London

“Teddy.” The mouth twitched gently, as if Marshall had some

idea of the agonizing thoughts tumbling around in Teddy’s mind and
found them amusing. He certainly didn’t look in pain. “It’s your room,
remember? If anyone should go, it should be me.” His voice was
slower than usual, still sleepy. “But I wasn’t planning on it just yet. Did
you want me to?”

Teddy just continued to stare. He realized how much he loved

the familiar sound of Marshall’s voice. Very soft but very clear. Rich in
so many ways. Laughing with him, talking through work problems,
agreeing about things. Murmuring in his ear in the dark…

Marshall yawned and his bare torso stretched up out of the

sheet. “Sorry, I’m pretty tired.”

Teddy flushed so hotly he could feel the heat rising up his neck in

waves. “No! I mean… I’m the one should say sorry. Don’t go. I mean, I
don’t want you to go. But you should. I should. I mean….” What did he
mean?

“What’s wrong?”

He wondered where the hell he’d start. To admit he’d behaved

like  some  horny  teenager  and  Marshall  had  been  the  unfortunate
victim  of his  lust?  That  he’d abused  a  friendship  he’d secretly  hoped
would be more? That he’d never intended to act on that hope, not until
Hell  proverbially  froze  over?  Teddy  had  never  realized  that
humiliation  could  be  so  sharp  or  so  painful.  “I’m…  I  behaved
appallingly. You don’t… you didn’t deserve that.”

Marshall was silent for a moment, just watching him. He was

frowning, the skin creasing above his nose. Teddy felt the slow chill of
sweat cooling on his body, and his limbs still ached. He wanted to pull
the sheet up to his chin, to cover himself completely, but knew what a
ridiculous gesture that would be. And pointless, now.

One Night Stand * Clare London

“Teddy.” It wasn’t a question or even annoyance. In fact, Teddy

had  never  heard  his  name  in  Marshall’s  voice  in  quite  that  way.
Marshall shifted again, moving even nearer. Teddy could feel the heat
radiating from the other body; he could feel Marshall’s hand wavering
around  Teddy’s  hip,  like  he  wanted  to  draw  him  closer.  Teddy’s
reawakening desire begged for another touch.  Another? He tensed up,
hating himself and his traitorous libido in equal measure. “Don’t!”

Marshall’s frown deepened. He lifted his hand away, holding the

palm upward, as if placating. “It’s okay. Teddy, calm down.”

How could he? This was what he’d always dreaded. Dammit, this

was  why  he’d  given  up  going  to  the  gym!  Not  so  easy  to  keep  lust
under  control  when  the  subject  of  it  stripped  off  his  damp,  sweaty
shirt  in  front  of  you,  threw  you  a  towel,  and  nodded  you  into  the
shower  alongside  him.  And  he’d  definitely  avoided  being  left  alone
again with Marshall after a game, when he was tired and relaxed but
the adrenaline still hummed along his nerve endings. God knew what
other intimacies he might have shared  on later evenings. What illicit
needs he may have let slip. His passionate side just couldn’t be trusted.

Marshall gave a soft, impatient sigh. His breath was warm, the

touch of it on Teddy’s shoulder a sexually charged caress. Yes, Teddy
admitted  to  himself,  this  was  also  what  he’d  dreamed  of.  And  the
conflict  had  gradually  become  agony.  Tension  across  his  shoulders
after  a  day  in  the  office  with  Marshall  Craig  was  the  least  of  his
problems.

The man beside him shifted as if getting more comfortable.

Teddy hoped to God he hadn’t said anything out loud. “Look, Marshall.
I’m just so very… sorry.” It didn’t sound any more satisfactory than
before. When Marshall lifted his hand again, Teddy tried not to flinch
away. But Marshall didn’t touch him. Instead, he pushed his tousled

One Night Stand * Clare London

hair away from his forehead and moistened his lips.

“You don’t need to apologize.” He spoke slowly and carefully in

that soft, rich voice. “I think that you behaved….” He smiled then, so
slightly that Teddy wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been staring at
his mouth with hopeless fascination. “You behaved superbly.”

Teddy stared. “I shouldn’t have.” Dammit, he sounded like some

school boy now.

An unidentifiable emotion flickered in Marshall’s eyes. “You

didn’t want to?”

Teddy flushed even more. His cock stirred between his legs, hot

and heavy.

Marshall smiled more broadly. He must have seen the sheets

shift at Teddy’s hips. “Thank God for that.”

What the hell did he mean? Teddy was awash with an irrational

fury.  The  rest  of  his  memories  of  the  previous  evening  chose  that
moment to return, flooding in, vivid and sensual. His head started to
ache  again,  the  pain  stabbing  insistently  at  his  temples.  He  recalled
sitting at the dinner table, crowds of people around but only one man
of  interest,  for  him  at  least.  He  remembered  the  lights  on  the  huge,
artificial  Christmas  tree  in  the  corner  of  the  room  reflecting  in  the
pupils of Marshall’s eyes; the music from the band loud but indistinct,
just  a  sound  in  the  background  of  their  conversation.  The  smell  of
Marshall’s  cologne;  the  frisson  of  champagne  bubbles  on  his  tongue.
“Look, I don’t really know what happened.”

Marshall raised an eyebrow. He stretched out his arm along the

mattress. “You don’t?”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “Dammit, of course… well, of course I

know that. I just mean… at dinner.”

One Night Stand * Clare London

Marshall looked at him steadily for a few more moments. “When

the band was packing up for the night, you touched me, under the
table. You put your hand on my leg.”

Teddy felt the muscles of his thighs tighten up, trying to pull his

legs together. “It might have been a clumsy accident - reaching for my
napkin.”

Marshall nodded but still smiled, as if he knew the game Teddy

was playing. “Yes? But you slid it down between my thighs.”

Oh God.

“You leaned in and whispered to me, ‘We should leave right

away.’” Marshall’s voice was breathy, hoarse. “We left the dining room
together, your hand in the small of my back, guiding me in the
direction of our floor. We took the elevator. You said you didn’t want
to take time up the stairs.”

Teddy recalled the muted lights, the seductive atmosphere of the

hotel  elevator:  its  richly  padded  walls,  the  mirrored  surfaces  from
ceiling  to  waist  height.  He  remembered  standing  close  to  Marshall,
watching  in  the  mirrors  the  way  his  eyes  widened,  staring  over
Marshall’s  shoulder.  He’d  been  breathing  very  heavily.  There’d  been
no need to stand so close; there were no other passengers.

“You laughed a lot. We laughed a lot.” The skin around Marshall’s

eyes crinkled when he smiled. He pushed the hair back off his
forehead again, the muscles flexing under his arm. Teddy couldn’t take
his eyes off them. Off any of it.

“Your room was nearer. That’s what you said.” Marshall’s voice

was lower, softer. “You kissed me in the corridor, Teddy. Up against
the wall. God. You held me tightly and you kissed me.”

Teddy couldn’t pretend he didn’t remember now. His feelings

One Night Stand * Clare London

were as sharp as if he were still there, in the deeply carpeted corridor,
a few feet from the door to his hotel room. Pushing Marshall against
the  wall,  hard  enough  to  make  a  nearby  painting  of  a  historical
maritime scene shudder in its frame. Not caring if anyone saw them or
if anyone was scandalized. Such fierce kisses, pressed on to Marshall’s
mouth  again  and  again  as  if  a  dam  had  broken  inside  him,  the
astonishing, beautiful, sweet taste of Marshall’s lips. The sudden rush
of  desire  that  consumed  him,  burning  his  throat,  blurring  his  eyes.
He’d felt the swollen shape of his cock press against Marshall’s groin,
and  all  he’d  wanted  was  to  have  more  of  it,  of  him,  of  the  man  he’d
admired for so long and desired for only slightly less.

“Shit. Marshall.” Teddy felt his whole body wracked with misery

and horror. Had that really been him?

Marshall pulled the sheet back up to his waist. He moved

reluctantly, slowly. He hadn’t taken his gaze off Teddy all the time he
was speaking, and his eyes had darkened. “It was so damned fine. Kiss
me again, Teddy.”

“Don’t mock me!” Teddy snapped, hot and angry with fear of

himself. He’d humiliated them both, of course! It was all too, too clear.
The  time  between  unlocking  the  door  to  his  room  and  thrusting
Marshall’s  naked  thighs  apart  on  the  bed  had  been  a  matter  of
minutes.  He’d  barely  loosened  him  enough,  barely  spoken  a  word  of
request  before  taking  what  he’d  wanted  all  evening.  No,  strike  that,
what  he’d  wanted  for  months.  The  time  for  hypocrisy  was  past.
Perhaps  his  job  was  too.  And  more  tragically,  so  was  his  friendship
with Marshall.

He swallowed hard and said, “You’d better go. I made a hideous

mistake.”

But Marshall made no move to go. Instead, he spread his hand on

One Night Stand * Clare London

the tangled sheet beneath them both, looking down at his lean fingers.
“I’m not mocking you. I don’t know how you can think that. After last
night—”

“But it’s not just that, is it?”

Marshall didn’t look up but somehow, Teddy felt that his eyes

were still staring at him. “What is it, then?”

“It’s what I did. How.” Don’t make me say it aloud, he silently

pleaded. Don’t make me remember.

Marshall did look back up then, and Teddy was startled by the

sudden flare of anger in his eyes. “Stop that.”

How could he stop anything? He’d already done the damage. “I

all but attacked you. I was like an animal!”

“Yes, you were.” Marshall’s smile was lopsided, as if he didn’t

know whether to laugh or grimace. “And you know what? You were
magnificent. Strong. Greedy.”

Teddy was shocked at the description. “But I’ve never been like

that in my life.” Had he? No… never. No one had ever made him feel so
desperate, so out of control. “I’d drunk too much. That champagne gift,
the stupid thing from Secret Santa, or whatever they call it. Something
in it went to my head—”

“I said, stop it!” Marshall’s tone was sharp. “I only drank a glass

of it. You barely finished your second. Don’t look for blame where
there is none.”

Blame? Teddy was momentarily speechless.

“Isn’t that what you meant?” Marshall pulled himself up on an

elbow so that he leaned over Teddy, and the sheet slipped down his
body again. “You didn’t want it? You didn’t enjoy it? The champagne

One Night Stand * Clare London

made me do it?”

Teddy stared up at him. He was painfully aware of Marshall’s

bare skin against his own and  the muscles of Marshall’s leg pressing
against  his.  He  could  feel  hot  breath  on  his  face,  and  his  body  was
stirring  in  eager  response.  “My  God,  no,”  he  gasped,  honesty  spilling
from  him  on  waves  of  desire.  “I  wanted  it—too,  too  much!  I  wanted
you.  I  always  have.  I  enjoyed  you.”  He  turned  his  head  away,  half-
closing  his  eyes  again,  to  shut  it  all  out.  “Don’t  you  see?  That’s  the
problem. I used you.”

There was a moment’s silence. The bed dipped and Marshall

moved away at last. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the
mattress. He was going, just like Teddy had told him to. What did I
expect?

He never expected to hear Marshall laugh, even though the

sound was shaky. He was still sitting on the bed. “And I thought we
used each other.”

“What?”

“Did I say no, Teddy? Was I too drunk on champagne? Did it look

like I didn’t enjoy it?”

“No.” Teddy felt relief trickling through his misery. “No, of course

not. I’d never have done anything you didn’t want.” What’s more, he
knew without doubt that was true.

Marshall still had his back to him. “So, it was between the two of

us. Consenting adults. No apologies needed, no guilt.”

Teddy bit his lip. “But I took you. I never asked. I never….” His

whole body burned again with embarrassment. Was he really talking
about top and bottom with Marshall? His head dropped, and he
actually started to draw up his knees, trying to curl into a ball under

One Night Stand * Clare London

the sheet. “Marshall, I don’t know what you like, where you want to be
touched, whether you wanted me inside you or not. I didn’t… I can’t
remember asking permission. Asking anything.” A further, horrific
thought struck him. “Condoms! Oh, dear God. Did I…? We…?”

Marshall twisted back, the mattress bouncing under him, and he

grabbed Teddy’s arm. “Teddy, stop it, I said. Teddy? Look at me.” His
voice thickened. “Properly, goddammit!”

Teddy snapped his head back up, startled.

Marshall looked very flushed too. “Before you panic any more, I

can tell you it’s okay. You went on and on about using a condom. Not
that you had one on you, but that was why you were so insistent. You
wanted me, you said. You really wanted me. But nothing more than
kissing and touching, not without protection.”

Teddy let out a sigh of relief. But his dream…?

Marshall was still talking, quickly, as if he didn’t dare let Teddy

interrupt. “You know, I don’t know what you like, either. You’re good
fun to be with, but you seem very private too. Enthusiastic and hard-
working, but also sensitive about what to say and do. I really like that
combination. Well, to be honest, I really like you. When I first met you,
I hoped….” He shook his head. He looked annoyed with himself. “Well,
it was just that once, when I felt you opened up to me. In the bar that
night at the gym, I don’t expect you remember. I had a great time with
you until I stepped over the line, offering you a ride home. I was too
obvious, dammit. I’d assumed far too much, just on the strength of our
friendship.”

“Marshall?”

He didn’t seem to hear. “And after that, you pulled away again.

There was no way I wanted to lose you as a friend or make you feel

One Night Stand * Clare London

uncomfortable  at  work.  But  I  assumed  you  didn’t  want  any  other
attention  from  me,  that  I’d  offended  you  in  that  way,  somehow.
Pushed  things  too  quickly,  too  far.”  He  shrugged  and  looked  away.
Teddy  watched  the  movement,  Marshall’s  whole  body  seemed
resigned, disappointed. “I didn’t know what else to do. It’s… well, it’s
not  always  easy,  getting  to  know  a  guy.  Letting  him  know  I’m
interested.  I’m  out  of  practice,  you  see.  Always  so  busy  at  work,
whatever.” He bit his lip. “Who am I fooling? I’m just crap at it.”

Teddy stared at him. He didn’t really understand what he was

hearing.

“Then, last night.” Marshall smiled, a little sadly. “Hell, you were

a different man! You were much more relaxed; you actually seemed to
want my company. That speech you made when you collected the
second-place award—”

“I did?” Teddy felt nauseous.

Marshall nodded. “Just a few words, I know, and I was only sorry

people weren’t really listening. But you were confident and witty
and… you smiled right at me.”

“I did.” Teddy nodded to himself. His cheeks felt like they glowed.

“I was going to confess I changed the seating plan so I was sat

next to you, but by then you didn’t seem to mind anyway. You did put
your hand on my knee, you know. Couple of times, actually; I’d
thought the first one was a mistake, like you said. It felt so good.” He
groaned, softly. “It was just… look, if there’s any blame here, some of
it’s mine.”

“Tell me,” Teddy said. It didn’t sound like his voice at all. It

sounded suspiciously like an order.

“I was stupid, I know. I was indiscreet at a company event.

One Night Stand * Clare London

Taking advantage of my position as your boss, I’m sure some people
would say.” Marshall shook his head again. He bent down and picked a
sock up off the floor, but he didn’t do anything with it, just sat on the
bed  beside  Teddy,  nursing  it  absentmindedly  on  his  thigh  and  not
meeting Teddy’s gaze. “Look, to be totally honest, I was the one guided
us  into  the  bedroom.  When  you  pushed  me  against  the  wall  in  the
corridor,  I  was  pulling  you  just  as  much,  thrusting  my  tongue  down
your throat. When you fumbled with the key card, I just grabbed it out
of  your  hand  and  let  us  in.”  He  made  a  sound  of  strangled  protest.
“Don’t you remember? I was the one broke the zipper of your pants,
pulling them off so fast.”

So good. So fine. Please…

Teddy’s memory supplied the other details. The door slamming

shut  behind  them,  locking  out  the  rest  of  the  hotel.  The  sound  of
Marshall’s panting, the thudding of his own heart beat in his ears. He
couldn’t  remember  turning  on  any  lights  in  the  room.  Instead,  he’d
held  Marshall  close  in  the  dim  moonlight,  enough  illumination
sneaking through the blinds to see and feel flesh and desire, watching
his own excitement reflected in Marshall’s pupils. Had he realized that
was  what  he  was  seeing  at  the  time?  He  recalled  their  harsh,  urgent
breathing,  the  clumsy  struggle  to  get  his  clothes  off  fast  enough,  his
desperate  need  to  get  Marshall  equally  naked.  His  first  touch  of
Marshall’s  skin,  hot  and  smooth  down  his  muscled  back,  the  dark,
crinkled hairs on his chest. His impatience as he pushed Marshall back
on to the bed, creasing the smart bedspread, sending the ornamental
cushions  tumbling  onto  the  floor.  The  fierce  grip  of  his  fingers  as  he
reached  for  Marshall’s  legs,  pushing them  apart,  watching  Marshall’s
cock bob up from his groin, thickening against his belly, trailing soft,
sticky  pre-come  against  both  his  and  Teddy’s  hairs.  Wriggling
between Marshall’s legs, panting, pushing, possessing….

One Night Stand * Clare London

“Teddy?” Marshall looked quite pale. Teddy didn’t think he’d

ever  seen  his  boss  nervous  before.  “I  was  the  one  who  had  the
condoms,  wasn’t  I?  I  don’t  know  what  the  hell  you  thought  of  me.
Think  of  me.  I  told  you  I  didn’t  expect  to  use  them.  I  had  no
expectations at all. Just… hope, one day. Stupid, I know.”

Something eased inside Teddy; relief washed over him. The

excitement he’d felt the night before was suddenly far more important
than his embarrassment. It swelled inside him again, a strong,
stimulating feeling. “You’re not stupid,” he said quietly. “I’ve never
thought you were. Far from it, in fact.”

Marshall still looked uncertain. “But you think I should go…?”

“No,” Teddy said. He thought he sounded far more assertive than

he felt. “Please don’t.”

Marshall’s expression was still wary, but he slowly lowered his

naked body back on to the bed. “This is okay?”

“Of course it is,” Teddy said quickly. Damned right it was!

Marshall wasn’t bothering to keep anything covered. His leg brushed
against Teddy’s hip as he wriggled to get comfortable. The sheets
shifted even farther on Teddy’s lap, but he didn’t bother trying to grab
them back. He liked the way Marshall’s gaze ran down his body. In
fact, he realized he wanted to give the man something more to look at.
Much more.

Marshall cleared his throat. His eyes flickered from Teddy’s torso

to his face. His pupils looked a little dilated. “You didn’t offend me or
bully me in any way at all, you know.”

Teddy flushed. “Well, I don’t know. That’s the problem. I don’t

know anything at all, about most things.”

Marshall made a soft sound of protest. “That’s nonsense. If you

One Night Stand * Clare London

only realized—”

“You don’t have to patronize me.”

“I’m not!” Marshall made a noise of frustration, half under his

breath. He  tugged the sheet  away from  Teddy’s waist, and  the fabric
slipped  on  to  the  floor,  exposing  the  whole  of  his  body.  Marshall
stretched  out  his  hand  and  stroked  at  Teddy’s  thigh,  and  Teddy
moaned,  unable  to  stop  the  pleasure  shuddering  through  him.  “You
see?” Marshall’s eyes were very bright. “I know you like this because
when I do it, you make that sound. God, that sound… it drove me wild
last  night.  You  don’t  turn  away:  your  body  reaches  for  me.  I  know
neither of us knows much about the other, at least not intimately. But
this  is  how  we  find  out  about  each  other,  by  being  there.  By  trying.”
His voice shook. “If that’s what you want.”

He ran his hand across Teddy’s legs, trailing along the line of the

muscle.  Teddy  felt  his  cock  jerk  up,  swelling  even  more,  jutting  out
from  his  groin.  His  back  arched  instinctively,  and  he  gasped,  an
incoherent,  needy sound. Marshall moved again, closer this time with
his mouth back at Teddy’s ear, whispering, his words urgent, his voice
hoarse. “It’s what I want, Teddy. You took charge last night, and it was
fabulous. You made me come so hard, and it was the best time I can
remember.  I  came  twice.  My  dick  aches  just  from  the  memory  of  it.
You sucked me off, and then you fucked me, my dear Teddy, and it was
magnificent.”

“Good God.” Teddy’s body was alive again with desire and need.

He’d never been so aroused before, never heard anyone tell him such
things.

“But more than that, I wanted you,” Marshall’s voice continued,

lapping across Teddy’s nerves, following the path of the man’s
fingertip caresses. “I wanted you, and I have done for months. Do you

One Night Stand * Clare London

believe me? I still want you, Teddy. It’s all okay. This is just the
beginning.”

In that moment, Teddy knew just how much he wanted Marshall

in return. He turned his head so that his lips brushed Marshall’s cheek,
and he traced a kiss on the browned flesh. His ran appreciatively
down Marshall’s body, and he reached to pull himself closer. But
sudden shock made him pause.

“I hurt you!” Teddy blurted it out. He couldn’t make it sound any

less terrible, could he? He’d seen the dark discoloration on the taut
skin of Marshall’s hip. Shit. He’d never raised a hand to anyone in sex
play, never marked them. And to do that to Marshall, of all people….

Marshall growled from deep in his throat. “For God’s sake. Don’t

be afraid of this. That’s not how I see you; that’s not how you truly are.
Do you really think that’s all it’d take to hurt me? You have no idea.”

Teddy flushed. “No, I think we’ve both established that.”

Marshall leant over him, kissing him firmly, sucking Teddy’s

words into his mouth and making them sound more like moans.
“Magnificent,” he whispered. “But sometimes you’re a fool, Teddy
Newman.”

“Yes,” Teddy muttered back. “I think I am.”

“But I like that in a man.” Marshall’s whispered laugh tickled its

way across Teddy’s throat. “Give it a chance, Teddy. Us. Will you?”

Teddy swallowed heavily. He thought please might sound even

more needy, but he couldn’t remember now why he’d ever wanted to
leave all that neediness behind.

“So how do you feel about it?” Marshall was kissing the edge of

his mouth. He was panting lightly.

One Night Stand * Clare London

“It?”

Marshall pulled himself up on his arms, gazing down at Teddy.

His groin nudged against Teddy’s, pressing their cocks together. “I
want us to fuck again. And maybe again after that. I want to use you,
and you must use me. We can set our own rules.” He bent down and
nipped at Teddy’s shoulder, just a little too hard to be playful.

Teddy felt the thrill run all the way down his body. “That sounds

damned good.”

“Do you mean it?”

Teddy felt that rush of excitement and relief again. “Oh God, yes.”

He reached up and tugged Marshall down for a kiss. Dammit, the taste
was as good as he remembered. Better than the dream. Better than…
He pulled back suddenly. “Ugh. Morning breath. Marshall, God, after
the champagne and everything—”

“Shut up. I’m probably no better. You think I’m letting go of you

now?”  Marshall  laughed  and  pushed  back  against  him,  his  tongue
sliding once again into Teddy’s mouth. Teddy didn’t think the morning
breath  thing  was  any  problem  at  all.  Actually,  he  didn’t  think  much
about  anything  at  that  moment,  he  was  too  busy  feeling  good.  He
tightened his arms around Marshall and felt the warm pressure of the
other man’s cock against his thigh.

Marshall grunted. “You don’t want me to fetch the rest of the

bottle, do you? It won’t taste too good by now, though you carried it
all the way up here with us last night.”

“Did I?” Teddy felt a bubble of laughter in his throat. “A gift from

Secret Santa, they said.”

“Don’t tell me you still believe in Santa?”

“I believe in anything or anyone that brings me a gift like this,”

One Night Stand * Clare London

Teddy said quite simply.

Marshall stilled in his arms. “Dear God,” he said very quietly.

“You’re no fool at all.”

Teddy nuzzled his face against the crook of Marshall’s neck.

Excitement was coiling deep in his belly again, goose bumps running
along his skin. “Marshall, did you order the champagne for us?” For
me?

But Marshall shook his head. “I wish I had. To treat you, of

course. But also, if I’d known the effect it’d have on you….”

Teddy laughed. “Maybe we’ll never know where it came from. Or

maybe it was Santa.” When Marshall rolled his eyes, Teddy leaned up
and whispered in his ear, “You said you had condoms. Plural?”

Marshall moaned. His eyes sparkled in anticipation. “Yes. A

couple left.”

Teddy frowned. “I expect total honesty from a senior manager,

you know.”

Marshall flushed. “Maybe more than a couple.”

“Good. I’ll need them,” Teddy replied. A fierce kind of power

flowed through him, mixing up the sexual thrill of Marshall in his bed
with the delight of just being with Marshall, with their familiarity.
Their banter. Their bodies. “But first… about that morning breath
business. I could do with it someplace else.”

Marshall chuckled, pushed Teddy on to his back, and wriggled

his  way  down  the  bed.  Teddy  groaned  when  Marshall’s  mouth  slid
over his cock. Groaned loudly. But he wasn’t going to worry about the
fact  he’d  never  made  much  noise  during  sex  before.  Why  the  hell
should  he?  Especially  when  Marshall’s  lips  tightened  on  him,  his
tongue  dragging  up  and  down  the  shaft.  Hot  and  rough,  licking  over

One Night Stand * Clare London

the  slit  and  then  down  again.  His  teeth  grazed  Teddy  but  only  very
slightly;  his  lips  tugged  at  the  curled  hairs  at  the  base  of  his  dick.
Teddy’s dream flickered to life in his mind again, but this time it was
so much better. He could appreciate and savor the passion that spiked
in  his  belly,  uncurling  itself  as  if  it  had  been  sleeping  but  was  now
wide  awake  and  demanding  its  due.  It  was  just  like  those  wild  old
days when he’d been at college…

But yes, oh God, so much better!

Marshall was breathing very heavily. He continued to suck, and

he slid his hand under Teddy’s ass, his fingers caressing the sensitive
skin of his taint. One fingertip dragged along a thin, soft trail of saliva,
dampening him. “Teddy….”

“No.” Teddy spoke quietly but firmly. As Marshall’s eyes

widened, he steeled his voice even further. “Roll over for me.” He met
Marshall’s gaze. “If that’s what you want.”

The flush on Marshall’s face and the sudden flame of need in his

eyes was fabulous to see. Teddy rolled Marshall over on to his belly,
enjoying the sound of his soft moans. He spread open Marshall’s legs
and settled on his knees between them. When Marshall arched up his
hips,  Teddy  ran  his  mouth  down  the  line  of  the  man’s  spine.  Sleep-
flushed  skin,  warm  and  salty.  He  prised  open  Marshall’s  buttocks,
licking  carefully  down  between  them,  where  the  smell  was  hot  and
masculine and the sparse hairs tickled his nose.

“Oh God, Teddy.”

Teddy laughed. That was his line, surely? Marshall gasped and

groaned  as  Teddy’s  tongue  flickered  around  his  puckered  entrance.
His  outstretched  arm  fumbled  with  things  on  the  bedside  table  and
flicked  a  condom  package  on  to  the  bed.  A  bottle  of  massage  oil
followed,  settling  by  Teddy’s  knee,  the  hotel  crest  displayed  on  the

One Night Stand * Clare London

front.

This is just the beginning.

“Please,” Marshall whispered.

Teddy was physically tired. He was also emotionally drained and

still a little confused, but he was fiercely aroused again. He rolled on
the condom and slicked himself up, then slid an arm under Marshall’s
belly and pulled his hips toward him. Marshall braced himself and
spread his legs apart for Teddy to move closer. Teddy pushed into his
new lover, the sensations familiar from the night before, yet fresh
with the promise of the new morning. And hopefully so many more to
come.

“I won’t break, Teddy,” Marshall whispered. “Don’t hold back.”

Teddy had no intention of it. “I think I’ve had enough of talking

now,” he grunted. “Be quiet and let me find out what else Secret Santa
has for me.”

Marshall gasped, and his gorgeous body shuddered with

anticipation, his ass tightening around Teddy.

You’re no fool at all, he’d said.

Whether he was a fool or not, Teddy thought fleetingly, it didn’t

really matter. Because he was a needy, greedy, damned happy one.

Oh God, yes!

LARE

ONDON

took her pen name from the city where she lives,

loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-
fueled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash,
waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day
job as an accountant.

She’s  written  in  many  genres  and  across  many  settings,  with  novels
and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes
variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as
both  theories  spawn  good  fiction,  she’s  happy.  Most  of  her  work
features  male/male  romance  and  drama  with  a  healthy  serving  of
physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong,
sympathetic, and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter three
stage and plenty of other projects in mind… she just has to find out
where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home.

Visit Clare’s web site at http://www.clarelondon.co.uk and her blog at
http://clarelondon.livejournal.com/.

Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of
the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover Design by Mara McKennen

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any
means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal
prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally
loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the
express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact
Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America
December 2009

eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-324-7

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