Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 17:22:40 -0800 (PST)
From: rimpigfl <rimpigfl@yahoo.com>
Subject: MARINE HERO 2

Disclaimer: This is a story. I didn't live it - even though I wished I
had. It is purely for enjoyment. It's another of my "Marine" stories. Some
guys wonder why I keep writing about Marines. Besides the fact that they
epitomize masculinity to me, beyond the fact that they are just about the
raunchiest guys I've ever known, there is another reason.

These brave warriors are often the first defense against any enemy of my
country and my way of life. Throughout the history of this country, the
Marine Corps has produced more, oftentimes unsung, heros than any other
fighting force. And I don't know about you, but contrary to Whitney
Houston's song, my need for a hero has always been fulfilled by The Few,
The Proud, The Marines. Semper Fi!

I wish to acknowledge two people who's assistance with this story was
invaluable. First of all, Kris, who is a great writer in her own right.

And

Second, but not least, a real Marine and a beautiful man - Rich, who will
always be Jeff to me.

MARINE HERO
by RimPig (c) 2004

Chapter Two - The Trip to Dad

Josh and I woke up late the next morning. After having sex until almost
dawn, it was amazing that we both woke up with hardons and rapidly arranged
ourselves into a sixty-nine to drink down another load of each other's
cum. Of course, like all males in the morning, we both had to piss really
bad - especially after all the beer the night before so we ended up back in
the bathtub pissing on each other and drinking down some of each other's
morning piss.

We then decided that we had better shower because we both smelled of sweat,
cum, beer and piss. While it was a heady and erotic mixture to us, we both
realized that it would be a little overpowering for anybody else.

It was so luxurious and erotic to shower together. I loved running my
soapy, slick hands all over Josh's hard, muscular body. I washed him from
his head down to his feet and then he did the same for me. I was in for one
shock, however. While I figured that the most erotic part would come when
he washed my cock or my ass, far and away the most sensual part of the
shower was when we shampooed each other's hair! I loved working my fingers
through Josh's long, think hair and when he returned the favor, I thought I
would just melt into a puddle on the floor of the tub it was so incredibly
sensual! I begged him, in fact, to shampoo me two more times before we
finally got out of the shower. I guess he enjoyed it, too, because he
certainly didn't object to doing it!

We checked out of the room, got back in Josh's pick-up truck and headed
back down I-35 to Des Moines. We only had a couple of hours drive ahead of
us but I wasn't in the mood to talk. I was already feeling down about never
seeing Josh again. I knew it was stupid, after all, we'd only met the day
before, but there is something so incredibly special about the first man
you ever have sex with! And in Josh's case, it was beyond special! I didn't
figure I'd ever meet another guy who I liked as much and was so in-tune
with sexually. Josh must have known what I was feeling because he finally
broke the silence after a short while.

"Mike, are you ok?" Josh asked.

"Yeah." I answered. I didn't even sound ok to myself!

"Are you sure? Having second thoughts or guilt about last night and this
morning?" he asked quietly.

"God! NO!" I almost shouted. "Last night and this morning were about the
best times I've ever had in my whole life!"

"Oh, that's the problem. You don't want it to end and it has to." Josh
said, knowingly.

"Yeah. I guess." I said, still not quite ready to put voice to my feelings.

"Look, Mike. We had a great time. You really are a very special person and
believe me, if you were going to be around Des Moines, this wouldn't be
just a one time thing between us. But you're heading off to find your Dad
in California and I've got this new job I'm starting.  Sometimes things
work out so that you only have one night with somebody. But, I believe that
one night is better than no night at all." he said, looking at me with a
sad smile on his face.

"I know. And I agree. I'm so lucky just to have one night with you. And
maybe it is for the best because I think if I spent any time around you, I
could really fall in love with you." I finally admitted quietly, afraid to
look at him.

At first, Josh didn't say anything. And then he reached over and took my
hand in his.

"And whether you know it or not, I could really fall for you, Mike. You're
a really great guy and I'm just as sorry as you are that we're not going to
see each other again."

And pulling my hand to his mouth, he gently kissed it.

I don't know how I kept from losing it right there. I could feel the tears
starting to well up in my eyes but I was determined not to embarrass
myself. I didn't look over at Josh but out the window instead. But Josh
continued to hold my hand and I held on as tight as I could.

"Thank you, Josh. I can't think of a more wonderful guy to give my
virginity to. I'm truly feel very lucky that you were my first." I said,
finally looking at him.

"And I feel truly honored to have been the one, Mike. You may not believe
this, but that was one of the most exciting nights of sex I've ever had in
my life! I have the feeling that you're going to leave a long trail of
broken male hearts behind you!" he laughed.

I laughed as well. We rode on, talking as friends and finally reached Des
Moines. We didn't want to just let things end so I went with Josh to his
new apartment and helped him move stuff from the truck. Then he took me out
to lunch and finally, we went to the Greyhound station and I bought my
ticket for San Diego. The bus was due to leave in a hour and we sat in
Josh's truck waiting for the boarding call. Josh gave me his address so
that I could write him and I promised I would write and give him my address
when I found my Dad.

When it was almost time for them to call for boarding of the bus, Josh
reached into his pocket and pulled out a chain with a medal on it.

"This medal is of St. Christopher. He's supposed to be the patron saint of
travelers. I want you to wear it to protect you and to remind you of me."
he said, putting the chain over my head and kissing me gently on the cheek.

"Oh, Josh! This is so nice of you! But I don't have anything to give you!"
I said.

"I have wonderful memories from spending time with you, Mike. That's enough
for me." he said.

Josh leaned forward and we kissed one last time, just as the loudspeaker
was announcing the boarding of my bus. Josh broke the kiss and I got out of
the truck, lugging my backpack.

"I promise I'll write." I told him.

"I'll expect it!" he said, smiling, but with tears running down his face as
they were mine.

I walked to the bus and boarded with only one glance back at Josh. It was
tearing my heart out to leave, but I knew that at the end of this bus ride
was my Dad. It was the only thing that got me on that bus! The bus pulled
out and my last sight of Josh was of him standing beside his pick-up truck
and waving at me.

The bus hit the interstate and headed west toward Omaha, Nebraska. I took a
seat by a window in the front of the bus. It wasn't really crowded and
everybody on the bus was able to have a single seat, at least until we got
to Omaha.

Omaha was a one hour lay-over and I went into the station and went to a
news stand and bought a mystery novel to read on the way. I also bought
some snacks because I wasn't sure when the bus would stop for a dinner stop
and I bought a soft drink. It seems that after all that beer last night, I
had been thirsty all day.

I got back to the bus and decided that I would sit further towards the
back. I took a seat almost at the rear of the bus and buried my nose in my
book. Passengers started boarding but again, it wasn't crowded. There were
a few more people than there had been but not many. I returned to my book
and heard the engines of the bus start. 'On to Denver' I thought to myself.

"Is this seat taken?"

I was surprised by the deep male voice and looked up into the most
incredibly beautiful deep blue eye's I'd ever seen in my life. And when I
say 'looked up', I do mean 'up'! The guy had to be at least 6' 4"
tall. What little hair he had was dark, almost black but was almost shaved
off in what the Marine's call a 'high and tight'. His face was almost
beautiful, it was so handsome - almost too handsome - with high cheekbones
and a square jaw. His smile was broad and open and I could see dimples on
both sides of his cheeks from it. His body was pure perfection. It was very
easy to tell that because the olive green t-shirt he was wearing was so
tight it looked like it had been spray painted on him. His shoulders were
broad and heavily muscled as were his arms and chest. I could see the
ridges of a tight six-pack poking through the thin cotton material of the
t- shirt and the matching olive green fatigue pants were tight across thick
thighs. A provocatively large bulge gave me the impression of what had to
be a prodigiously large set of male equipment.

I knew immediately he was military, not only because of the olive green he
wore but because of the dog-tags that lay between the mounds of his
pectoral muscles. Peaking out from under the sleeve of the T-shirt on one
side was a tattoo which I instantly recognized as the symbol of the United
States Marine Corps! Oh, my god! A marine!!! He looked young. I guessed
that he was 20 or 21. I was right, I later found out. He was 21.

I barely found my voice after the two seconds that elapsed which allowed me
to make these observations.

"No! Nobody." I barely got out.

"Good!" he laughed and shoving a olive canvas bag into the rack above our
heads to join my backpack, he sat down in the seat next to me.

"I'm Jeff. Jeff Berringer." he said, reaching out his paw to shake my hand.

And yes, I said 'paw'. I don't know what else to call something that big!
Now, I'm not small by any means, but his hand covered mine like I was a
toddler! His grip was firm but not overpowering. He certainly had nothing
to prove in the masculinity department!

"Mike. Mike Harrison." I said, looking into his smiling face and getting
lost in those beautiful blue eyes.

I noticed that we still had our hands gripped together, longer than is
normal. He didn't seem to want to let go and neither did I! But finally, I
think we both noticed and with a shy smile, he let go of my hand.

"You're a Marine." I said.

He laughed.

"And what was your first clue?!" Jeff's face lit with his 'killer' smile
again.

"Well, probably the haircut but the tattoo gave it away." I grinned back.

"Yeah, had that done in Subic, my first deployment. Did a good job, don't
you think?" he said, reaching up and pushing the arm of his t-shirt up
further with his hand so that the entire emblem appeared.

The tattoo was really well done, but what I was looking at was the massive
development of his biceps and deltoids! God! What incredible arms this guy
had! 'The better to hold me with' the unbidden 'wolf' in my brain screamed
out. Without thinking what I was doing, I reached up and slid my fingers
over the tattoo, feeling the warmth of his skin. Skin so smooth and soft it
could almost be considered feminine but with the steel cording of tight
muscles beneath that caused a definite stirring in my crotch!

'God, what a slut I'm becoming!' I thought to myself. 'Here you just lose
your virginity to Josh the night before and I'm already lusting after
another guy this afternoon!'. I guess I could have been disgusted with
myself over my raging teenage hormones, but I was too lost in the feel of
this incredible hunk of a Marine to really bother with any regrets.

Finally coming to and noticing what I was doing - which was gently stroking
this guy's arm, a guy I'd only met minutes before, and took my hand away.

"Sorry" I said quietly.

"Hey! No problem! For some reason everybody wants to touch tattoos. I guess
they think that there will be some kind of texture to them. But everything
is under the skin and you don't feel anything on top." he said. "I'm used
to it."

"Where are you headed?" I asked, praying that he was headed to San Diego
like me.

"San Diego. Camp Pendelton actually." he answered.

Yes! There is a God!!!

"That's where I'm heading, too." I told him. "I'm going there to see my
Dad. He a Master Sergeant in the Corps. Maybe you know him. Master Sergeant
Mike Harrison?"

"I'm sorry!" Jeff said, laughing. "There are over 60,000 military and
civilian personnel working on base at Camp Pendelton every day! I'm just a
lowly Lance Corporal. There's no way I could know all of them! No, I
haven't run into your Dad."

"Oh, I had no idea that there were that many people on base! I just kind of
hoped that you might know him so I could find out something about him." I
said.

"You don't know your Dad?!" Jeff asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"No. You see, he and my mom never got married. My grandfather wouldn't let
them. They were only 17 at the time I was born. My grandfather even tried
to have my Dad put in jail! But the judge gave him the choice of that or
the military so Dad joined the Marines." I told him.

"So I take it that your Dad doesn't know you're coming to visit him." Jeff
asked.

"No. I never knew where he was until yesterday! I found this locked box in
my grandfather's study. It was filled with letters from my Dad from the
time I was born until 2 weeks ago! None of them had ever been opened! My
grandfather had intercepted them all so that I never knew that my Dad loved
me and wanted to know about me." I said, my voice starting to break.

Tears started filling my eyes at the hurt and anger I felt against my
grandfather. I didn't want to start crying in front of this incredibly
masculine Marine, but I couldn't help myself. The tears started running
down my face and I could no longer see - everything was just a blur. But I
could feel. And what I felt were the warmest, strongest set of masculine
arms gently going around me and pulling me into a gentle embrace. I lay my
head against Jeff's muscular chest and gave up fighting against my tears. I
sobbed quietly in his arms for what seemed like a long time. Jeff just
continued to hold me and gently stroked my head with his large hand.

"It's ok, Mike. You go ahead and cry it all out. I don't blame you one
bit. That was a cruel and heartless thing your grandfather did! I've never
even heard of anything so rotten to do to another person!" Jeff said, anger
obvious in his quiet voice.

My emotions were in turmoil. I was filled with anger at my grandfather and
mother for their treatment of me and my Dad, but I was also so incredibly
aware of the warm, muscular body that I was being held close to. The scent
of Jeff's body was very obvious to me and was beginning to turn me on. I
was afraid that he would notice and figure out that I was gay, but at the
same time, I didn't want this intimate contact with him to end. But I
figured I better before my own body betrayed me. After all, my jeans were
not baggy and when I got a hardon, it was very noticeable.

My tears stopped and I looked up at Jeff. He looked down at me with those
beautiful blue eyes filled with sadness and concern. There was something
else there, too. I looked to me like desire, but I told myself that it was
just wishful thinking on my part. There was no way that Jeff could want me
- not the way I wanted him!

I sat up straight and Jeff let go of me. He seemed reluctant to take his
arms from around me but finally he did. He seemed somewhat embarrassed by
his actions now. I became convinced that he must be straight and was
shocked at his holding another male so close. We sat there in silence for a
long while.

"So from what you've told me, they don't know at home that you've gone to
see your Dad." Jeff said quietly, finally breaking the silence.

"No. I just packed up all of Dad's letters and some clothes and left. I
don't care if I ever go back.  They've never wanted me. My grandfather
dislikes me almost as much as he hates my Dad. He's always bringing up that
I'm not really a part of the 'family', that I will never inherit any of his
wealth - like I want it!" I snorted derisively.

"How about your mother?" Jeff asked.

"My mother is still the spoiled only child that she's always been. She's
never had any real time for me. I was mostly raised by my grandfather's
housekeeper. Mother is too busy with shopping with her friends and all her
'charity work'. She loves to throw huge affairs to raise money for the
Junior League so she can hang out with all the rich, snobby women. I just
get in her way - as she's made abundantly clear to me on many
occasions. She's also let me know that she's been unable to find a husband
because of me! 'Who wants a woman who already has a child?' she's told me
on several occasions. I think she can't get a man because she's too spoiled
and bitchy for anyone to want!" I said, my voice rising in anger.

"Fuck!" Jeff said softly. " I'd run away from that house, too!"

I looked over at him and he was smiling at me. I somehow knew that his
words were very heartfelt. But it wasn't like he felt sorry for me or
anything. It was like he really understood all the pain and heartache I'd
been through.

"So what was your family like?" I asked.

"A lot different than yours!" he laughed. "My family doesn't really have
any money. I grew up on our ranch. My Dad breeds cattle and me and my
brothers grew up practically living on horseback.  I've got four older
brothers! My mom used to joke that if Dad had his way there would have been
nine of us - then he would have had his own baseball team! But she says she
put her foot down at just a basketball team!"

I laughed. It was obvious that Jeff really loved his family.

"So, are there any more Marine's in your family?" I asked.

"Just Dad. He was in the Marine's during Viet Nam. Won a purple heart and
the Bronze Star!"  Jeff's pride was very evident. "My brothers are all
older than me and all but one are married. My next oldest brother is
engaged to be married next year. Then that just leaves me! I didn't want to
end up living my whole life on a ranch. I wanted to see more of the world
than Nebraska so I joined the Marines when I was 17 and fresh out of High
School."

"So, do you think you'll end up getting married soon?" I asked, guessing
this hunk had to already have a girlfriend somewhere.

"Not if I can avoid it! I don't want to get married! I don't want to
'settle down' and raise a family! I'm going to make the Corps my life." he
said, but with a lot of emotion behind it. I'd obviously touched a nerve in
him.

"How does your family feel about that?" I asked, figuring there was
something behind his emotional response.

"They're not too happy. I was just home for a month and my Mom was on my
case the whole time asking 'when was I going to get married?', 'when was I
going to settle down and give her grandkids' - all that crap! I told her
that my brothers would all give her grandchildren and she didn't need any
from me!" his voice was strong and angry now. He was reliving in his mind
this confrontation with his mother. "Then she started trying to fix me up
with every single girl in the damned county! I told her that I came home to
be with her and Dad and my brothers and to see my friends from growing
up. That if I wanted a girl, I could damned well find my own!"

His breathing was heavy, his nostrils flared and his face was pinker than
it had been. This was really angering him. It must have been a very
uncomfortable visit for him. I felt very sorry for him but, at the same
time, I started to get the idea that perhaps my estimation of his sexual
orientation was not accurate after all. Something about the way he said 'if
I wanted a girl', with the emphasis on the word 'girl', made it sound more
like he didn't want one - rather than a certainty that he could get anyone
that he wanted.

 Now, I thought that Jeff was beautiful enough to have almost any girl - or
guy - that he wanted.  And I'm sure he had plenty members of both sexes
throw themselves at him at one time or another. I decided that perhaps I
should re-evaluate what was going on here.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." I said quietly.

He suddenly snapped around and looked at me. It was like it took a few
moments to remember where he was. I guess he was mentally still back having
that fight with his mom.

"God! Mike. I'm sorry!" he said sheepishly, his eyes growing much softer
and his tense muscles relaxing. "You didn't need to hear all that!"

"Yes, I did. You needed to get it out. You listened to me, it's only right
that I return the favor.  And besides, I'm actually honored that you'd talk
to me like a friend and not just a kid." I said.

His eyes raked up and down my body and I felt like I was being mentally
undressed by them! He finally looked back up - right into my eyes.

"You're certainly no kid! I figure you're what? 17, 18? " he asked.

"I'm 18." I answered.

I saw again what I had surmised to be desire in his deep blue eyes. This
time, I was almost sure of it! I was young and inexperienced, but I knew
the look of a male hunter who had found his prey! I know I blushed under
his provocative gaze because I could feel the heat rising in my face.

"I mean, you certainly don't act like a kid. You seem to have some insights
that are beyond your age." Jeff said, softening his eyes and his voice.

I got the feeling that he had relaxed his guard with me for a moment and
was now getting himself back under control again. I must admit, I was very
disappointed. I knew that I wanted him and I had hoped that he was leading
up to that. But I guess my age somewhat discouraged him and he pulled back.

"Thank you. I guess you grow up not feeling like you're wanted - that
nobody cares about you - you grow up too fast." I said, my heart heavy with
the realization that my words were true.

I suddenly felt Jeff's arms around me again, hugging me. It was such a
strong hug it almost hurt.  I'm sure he was holding back a tremendous
amount on his strength. I figured he could crush me in half if he wanted
to! But I was so surprised at this sudden affection. Not too surprised to
put my arms around his beautiful, muscular body and squeeze back! But
surprised, nonetheless.

When we broke apart, there was an almost embarrassed silence between
us. Like we had crossed a line somewhere that neither one of us wanted to
cross. Well, one of us didn't want to cross, anyway. I was more than
willing to give myself to this handsome young Marine. He seemed less sure
of what exactly he wanted from me.

The hours continued to pass as the bus wove it's way on into Colorado,
heading towards the next big city on our route - Denver. I got Jeff to talk
about his growing up years. He talked about the ranch. He talked about his
four brothers and all of the good times they'd had together. And he talked
a lot about his Dad. It was obvious that Jeff really loved his father and
that there was a very closer bond between them. From what Jeff told me, his
Dad was the only one who seemed to truly understand Jeff's desire to make
the Marine Corps his career rather than settling down on his own ranch and
raising a bunch of kids.

Finally, we arrived in Denver. It was a dinner stop so we would be there
for two hours. Jeff and I wandered around and found a diner near the bus
depot and had something to eat. Our conversation never stopped. It seemed
like we needed to tell each other everything about ourselves. That somehow
this was very necessary. But I wasn't exactly sure why. I know that the
more I learned about this gentle giant of a Marine, the more I liked him -
the more I admired him.  He was more than a masturbation fantasy - though
he was all that! - he was a man who embodied the three "Core Values" of the
Marine Corps - Honor, Courage and Commitment. A man I knew that, given half
the chance, I could love until the day that I died - and beyond.

I told him about my life, the loneliness, the feelings of being unwanted,
the pain. I told him of my isolation from other boys, but couldn't bring
myself to tell him why. Though I knew down deep in my heart that, even if
he wasn't gay, Jeff would never condemn me for being that way, I just
couldn't get up the courage to tell him. Except for Josh, no one knew that
about me. In fact, no one even guessed at it. Except maybe Jeff. He didn't
seem to want to pry into the 'why's' of my life. I guess we both were
hiding those from each other. I only wished that it was for the same
reason.

When we re-boarded the bus, the sun had set and the night sky was filled
with stars. The bus was dark inside, with only a few people using the
reading lights and they were towards the front of the bus. Our seats were
located in the darkness of the back of the bus with no one seated anywhere
around us. I suppose we each could have had our own double seat, but
neither one of us so much as thought of it. In fact, Jeff, upon our return,
made our seating even more intimate by raising the armrest between the two
seats so that now there was no physical barrier between us. Our bodies
pressed against each other from hips to knees. I could feel the warmth of
him and he was close enough that the scent of him was very apparent as
well. Not a bad odor or anything.  The scent of a man's body along with
some faint trace of some kind of cologne or deodorant.

We talked for a couple of hours more and then I found myself unable to stay
awake. I hadn't gotten much sleep with Josh. 'Had that only been last
night?' I thought to myself. 'It seems like it was days ago!'. I soon found
my eyelids heavy and before I knew it, I was out like a light.

What I didn't realize until later was that when I fell asleep, Jeff pulled
me over so that I was resting with my head on his shoulder and his arm
around me. When I awoke several hours later, during one of the bus's stops,
that's how I found myself. I apologized to Jeff and started to push myself
away from him. He kept his arm firmly around me and held me to his chest,
using his other hand to stroke my head.

"It's ok, Mike. You just lay there and sleep. You're not bothering me at
all. In fact, it feels really nice to hold you like this." he said quietly.

I must have been really tired and only half awake or that last remark would
have had me hard and all but attacking this gorgeous Marine hunk if I had
clearly understood what he said, and what it clearly meant. But, instead, I
simply put my head back on his shoulder and went back to sleep. I will
admit, it was the most comfortable sleep I could ever remember. I felt so
safe, so secure and so loved in his strong arms.

The scent of his body was like a perfume that gave my dreams color. I
dreamed about Jeff and I, naked, running across a field and jumping into a
pond and playing in the water together. I dreamed about him kissing me and,
in the dream, he picked me up in his strong arms and carried me to the
shore. He lay me down on soft grass and then proceeded to make love to me.

The dream seemed so real and then I found myself waking up and realized
that I was still in Jeff's arms but that I had a mess in my jeans - I had a
wet dream and had shot what felt like a quart of cum all over
myself. Luckily, Jeff was asleep and didn't see or hear my sexual release.
His head was tilted so that it rested on mine. I could hear his strong,
regular breathing and the beating of his heart. I knew in that moment that
I would give anything if only I could wake up like this every morning - in
his strong arms. But I knew that I was just being stupid. Nothing like that
was going to happen. Hell! Stuck on this bus, we were never going to have
sex together!

The next time I woke up, it was full morning. The sun was shining brightly
and we seemed to be traveling through dessert. Jeff was still holding me in
his arms, but he was awake. I looked up at him and smiled and he smiled
back.

"So, you're finally awake, sleepyhead!" he said.

"Yes." I said shyly. "I hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep in the past two
days. I didn't mean to conk out that way. I hope I wasn't too much of a
burden on you."

"Never! You needed the sleep. Remember, I grew up with four brothers. We
often ended up in each other's beds. No big deal!" he said.

That, unfortunately brought pictures to my mind about why Jeff and his
brothers might be in each other's beds - and it wasn't to sleep! My already
hard morning 'wood' throbbed at the vision of five 'Jeff's' having sex
together. Luckily, the usual morning call of nature came at the same time
and I pulled out of Jeff's arms and headed toward the bathroom at the very
back of the bus and by the time I returned, I was no longer sporting a
hardon. I also had the chance to clean up my crotch from the wet-dream I'd
had last night as well.

"We'll be pulling into Las Vegas soon." Jeff informed me when I returned to
our seats. "I've been thinking of stopping there for a day and catching
another bus out tomorrow. I've never seen Vegas and all the guys in my
company say it's a really fun place."

Oh, fuck! Well, there goes any chance I ever had of really 'sleeping' with
this Marine hunk!

"What do you say? Feel up to a little side-trip?" Jeff asked.

Whoa! Hold on here! He's asking me to go with him?! Oh Jesus! Yes!!!
Uhhh...no.

"I can't Jeff. I don't have that much money with me and this ticket already
cost me half of it. I wouldn't have enough to stay in one of those fancy
hotels." I said downheartedly.

"Fuck! I can't afford one of those either. But I got plenty of money on me
- didn't spend much of it on leave. We'll find someplace cheap. After all,
what more do we need than a bed and a shower, huh? And you don't worry
about anything. This is all on me!" he said, his smile bright and his eyes
sparkling.

"But why, Jeff? Surely you don't want me tagging along with you. I'll just
slow you down. I'll cramp your style. What if you get lucky?" I asked.

"Mike, I figure I already got lucky when I met you! I don't want to do this
alone. I want you along with me so I can really enjoy it! WE can really
enjoy it - together. Ok?" he asked.

The way he looked at me and the things he said, I knew right there and then
that this 'little side trip' was not going to end before Jeff and I shared
a whole lot more than just conversation! And I was more than willing for
anything he had in mind.

"Well, if you put it that way...how could I say no?" I asked, smiling back
at him.

"Great! We'll have the best time!" Jeff said, his grin almost splitting his
face apart it was so wide.

"Yes, it will be the best because I'll be with you." I said quietly,
looking him right square in the eyes.

I don't think there was any bit of doubt to my meaning or the look I was
giving him. I was determined to set the record straight before we ever set
one foot off this bus. I knew I wanted him and I was letting him know it. I
was waiting for him to let me know if he really wanted me.

I didn't have to wait long. Jeff took one look at my face and he heard my
words. The look on his face was priceless! It was like 'Damn! This boy sure
knows what he wants and knows how to get it!'. He gave me a horny little
grin and then did something I never would have expected. He leaned forward
and very gently, very chastely, kissed me right on the lips.

He drew back to see my reaction, a look of question in his eyes. I
responded the only way I could.  I leaned forward, reached my hand up to
his neck and pulled his face towards mine. I pushed my lips hard against
his and my tongue pushed at his lips for entry. I heard a small moan escape
his throat - as if of surrender - and his mouth opened to my probing
tongue. Our tongues did battle for a few minutes and then we broke apart -
grinning at each other like complete idiots!

No words were necessary or exchanged. We just sat there for a while,
grinning at each other and holding hands. Somehow Jeff's hand had reached
out and grabbed mine in his. I don't exactly remember when it happened, but
I wasn't about to break the warm, trusting connection between us.

We sat for a long time in silence, just holding hands and taking shy
glances at each other. Now that our intentions were clear, it seemed like
we both suddenly had become very timid with each other. I guess we both had
our concerns about what was going to happen and what this was going to
mean. I don't know how I knew it, but I had this feeling that Jeff was not
the kind of guy to just 'fuck 'em and forget 'em'. That going to bed with
somebody meant more to him than just 'getting his rocks off'.

We finally did start talking about Las Vegas, what we wanted to see, what
we wanted to do. Of course I was too young to be allowed in the casinos but
Jeff told me he wasn't much of a gambler anyway. We figured that as long as
I didn't try to drink, they'd let me in some of the cabarets and we could
see some of the lounge acts. But most of all, we talked about seeing some
of the incredible hotels that were on the strip - on reputed to have an
actual sea battle in which a ship actually sank - right in the lobby of the
hotel!

The End of Chapter Two of MARINE HERO

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