“I wasn’t sure Mav,” Dmitri began. “I mean, I thought maybe there was something there but I wasn’t sure.” He looked up into the light blue eyes that sparkled in the moonlight.
“Humph,” Maverick said. “Didn’t want you to. Don’t tell no one Dmitri. Dangerous round here.”
With those few words, Dmitri figured out a lot about Clementine Maverick Walker. He nodded. “I understand Mav.”
Mav looked at him again, reaching up and cupping the side of his jaw as he brushed a calloused thumb over Dmitri’s lower lip. “You gonna call me Mav now Dmitri? Don’t let no one do it but the boss.”
Dmitri nodded. He’d avoided calling him by name until now. He didn’t think he looked much like a Clem and he’d heard others, just like Jenny said, calling him Maverick, behind his back. “It suits you.” He grinned up at the newly dubbed Maverick. “As long as you promise not to kick my ass.”
The cowboy grinned. “I can think of a lot of other things I’d rather be doin’ with that fine ass Dmitri.” He pulled him closer and dropped his face, covering Dmitri’s lips with his own in a languorous breath stealing kiss. After a few minutes, he pulled away. “God damn Dmitri, you make me lose all my senses.” He stepped back, relaxing his arms as he pulled away. Dmitri pushed away from the tree only then realizing that he had scratchy bark poking into his back.
Maverick turned to walk back to the path and Dmitri stopped him with a hand on his forearm. “Mav, don’t take this the wrong way…,” he began.
Maverick schooled his expression. He folded his arms across his chest and scowled at Dmitri.
“It has nothing to do with you Mav. It’s…” he hesitated. It’s me. The fucked up victim of a pedophile who is scarred for life; a man so deeply and irreparably damaged inside and out that he will never be able to have a normal relationship with a man, a sorry excuse for a human being. “I… I don’t do relationships real well Mav.”
Maverick looked at him and smirked. “Sure. I get it.” He turned to leave. Dmitri stopped him again with a tug on the sleeve.
“No you don’t but that’s okay.” A shudder passed through Dmitri. “I just wanted you to know it’s not you.”
***
Fuck buddies, fine. If that’s what Dmitri wanted, Maverick was down with it. He liked sex as much as the next guy and Dmitri sure was the whole package. It was too bad that he didn’t want more but, anyway, it was what it was. You took what you could get when you could get it right?
“It’s all good Dmitri. I’m not looking for wine and roses,” Maverick snorted. “A good hard fuck is more my style anyway. You okay with that?” Maverick cracked a half smile and reached for Dmitri again.
