The man saved his life. That much was clear. He wondered if this was the legendary Brad Colbert the locals whispered about as Nate sat their doing his best not to interfere with their lives but only observe.
"You're with that anthropological study," Possibly Brad Colbert said, inspecting a wound across his back.
"I--yes," Nate replied, watching blood darken Brad's red shirt. "Who were those men?"
"Bandits. Want to scare the locals off so that they slash and burn the forest into arable farmland." Brad shrugged, pulling off his shirt to get a better look. His skin was darkened to a gold from the sun. His eyelashes looked pale against his cheeks. This was not what Nate had expected when the locals talked about the crazy white mountainman who lived somewhere deep in the forest. He was beautiful. Undeniably powerful in form, but he'd known plenty of tall men who knew how to use a bowflex. There was some other quality that made it hard for Nate to keep from staring.
Nate swallowed. Brad was peering unsuccessfully down his own back. "Can I help?"
Brad looked like he wanted to protest, like he didn't trust Nate not to fuck everything up, but he shrugged again. He sat down on a stump and gestured for Nate.
It was a shallow wound, but bleeding freely. The flesh had been skived from the point of a machete blade when possibly Brad Colbert had saved him from certain beheading. He mopped up the blood with Brad's ruined shirt, pressing it tight against Brad's skin. Nate carried a med kit with him at all times and he pulled out the small vial of hydrogen peroxide.
Brad's back muscles trembled as he swabbed iodine down the diagonal slash, but he didn't make a sound. "I think it may need stitching," Nate said softly, fingertips light on Brad's shoulders. Brad turned his head to look back at Nate and nodded. Their faces were suddenly close, and Nate didn't know what possessed him, leftover adrenaline maybe, but suddenly he was leaning forward,brushing a kiss to the corner of Brad's mouth, remembering how Brad had held his body between Nate and the bandits until he'd sent them running.
Brad made a sound in the back of his throat and then turned further, head craning on his neck to deepen it into a real kiss, and Nate breathed a sigh of relief. Brad's mouth was warm, sweet with the taste of fruit, and he sucked on Nate's lower lip like it was candy. Nate breathed hard, hands braced against Brad's back to keep from crushing into his wound.
Finally Brad pulled away. "Shouldn't of done that," he said.
"Why?"
"Interferes with your study if I'm fucking you while you're trying to take notes on the daily habits of the indigenous population." Brad grinned. "And, make no mistake, I am going to fuck you."
A Story Nothing Like Romancing The Stone...OH WELL
"You're with that anthropological study," Possibly Brad Colbert said, inspecting a wound across his back.
"I--yes," Nate replied, watching blood darken Brad's red shirt. "Who were those men?"
"Bandits. Want to scare the locals off so that they slash and burn the forest into arable farmland." Brad shrugged, pulling off his shirt to get a better look. His skin was darkened to a gold from the sun. His eyelashes looked pale against his cheeks. This was not what Nate had expected when the locals talked about the crazy white mountainman who lived somewhere deep in the forest. He was beautiful. Undeniably powerful in form, but he'd known plenty of tall men who knew how to use a bowflex. There was some other quality that made it hard for Nate to keep from staring.
Nate swallowed. Brad was peering unsuccessfully down his own back. "Can I help?"
Brad looked like he wanted to protest, like he didn't trust Nate not to fuck everything up, but he shrugged again. He sat down on a stump and gestured for Nate.
It was a shallow wound, but bleeding freely. The flesh had been skived from the point of a machete blade when possibly Brad Colbert had saved him from certain beheading. He mopped up the blood with Brad's ruined shirt, pressing it tight against Brad's skin. Nate carried a med kit with him at all times and he pulled out the small vial of hydrogen peroxide.
Brad's back muscles trembled as he swabbed iodine down the diagonal slash, but he didn't make a sound. "I think it may need stitching," Nate said softly, fingertips light on Brad's shoulders. Brad turned his head to look back at Nate and nodded. Their faces were suddenly close, and Nate didn't know what possessed him, leftover adrenaline maybe, but suddenly he was leaning forward,brushing a kiss to the corner of Brad's mouth, remembering how Brad had held his body between Nate and the bandits until he'd sent them running.
Brad made a sound in the back of his throat and then turned further, head craning on his neck to deepen it into a real kiss, and Nate breathed a sigh of relief. Brad's mouth was warm, sweet with the taste of fruit, and he sucked on Nate's lower lip like it was candy. Nate breathed hard, hands braced against Brad's back to keep from crushing into his wound.
Finally Brad pulled away. "Shouldn't of done that," he said.
"Why?"
"Interferes with your study if I'm fucking you while you're trying to take notes on the daily habits of the indigenous population." Brad grinned. "And, make no mistake, I am going to fuck you."