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FIC Update! Angels Ain't Easy, Chapter 2 (That's My Line)
Title: Angels Ain’t Easy
Author: Archet
Pairing: OMC Jody McKinnon/Matt Hawkes
Fandom: High Mountain Rangers
Summary: a story of falling in love, figuring things out and just holding on.
Disclaimer: I did not create the High Mountain Ranger character/s, only this fic and the Original Male Character, Jody McKinnon, and any other original characters in supporting roles. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: this fic is set in 1989, approximately a year and a half after the events of the final episode of High Mountain Rangers. There will be no acknowledgment of the events of the spin-off show Jesse Hawkes.
Warnings: none as yet
Note: this fic takes place a little over four months after Bad Luck, Bad Guys and High Mountain Rangers and is a sequel to that fic, so reading that first is recommended.
Additional: this fic will depict same sex relationships. If this ain’t your thing, venture no further.
***Additional story notes and etc at end of chapter***
Chapter 2: That’s My Line
Trailing Matt across the parking lot, Jody’s gaze moved over the ranger’s tall form, to the fit of the black leather jacket, settled perfectly over Matt’s wide shoulders, to the grey pants he wore. Stretched snug around strong thighs, and over the sweet swell of his ass the pants were tucked into knee tall black boots, and striding across the lot, Matt seemed to have legs for days. Jody allowed a hazy moment of imagining those muscled thighs parted, of those long legs wrapped tight around him before shaking off the consuming imagery.
Fuck. Get hold of yourself, man.
But damn, the kid looked good enough to eat, and Jody had been looking since the moment Matt had shuffled into the ranger station juggling papers, a briefcase, and fuck all what else. Jody had been looking, and he couldn’t seem to stop. He cleared his throat, raking a hand through his hair, wondering ruefully if he would be able to get through lunch without making a damn fool of himself.
On the drive from Las Vegas he’d considered that, perhaps, his attraction to the young ranger had been a fluke. Had been borne of the stress of the situation they’d found themselves in, that fateful day, now months past. He’d analyzed his memory, and confronted the possibility that his fixation on Matt had been a stress reaction, a groping reach for something pleasant out of the unpleasant, but fuck, one look at Matt’s crooked smile, and that theory evaporated like frost on a warm day.
Now Jody felt even more certain, he needed to see what this was between himself and Matt Hawkes, because underneath the rolling attraction and sweet flirtations, there lay something else, a stronger, earthier current, much more potent than just passing desire. The feeling was tied up in his need to return to Bear Valley and it was all looped together in a steady, warm rhythm that felt familiar and necessary and that kept a constant pull upon him. Pulling him closer to what, Jody didn’t know, but he felt he was on the proper path.
It just felt right.
Matt’s long legs carried him easily up the short flight of steps to the diner’s entrance, and he held open the door, ushering Jody in ahead of him. Jody went, nearly groaning when the enticing aroma of fresh bread and freshly ground coffee hit him. He drew in a long breath, stomach rumbling.
The diner was one long rectangle with a low, paneled ceiling and a counter stretching along one side of the building, behind which a couple waitresses moved back and forth. Ruby red upholstered stools with brass bases stood in a line along the length of the counter. The lunch rush had passed, but a few patrons sat on the stools, lingering over pie or a second cup of coffee. A row of tufted booths, also upholstered in red, stood opposite the counter, each containing a varnished wood table situated underneath a window. Each window was framed by velvet curtains all in the same ruby hue. Over each table hung a hooded pendant lamp from a brass chain affixed to the ceiling.
Matt waved Jody forward, indicating he should select a booth. Jody chose one near the end of the diner, its table pooled in sunlight streaming in through the window. Sliding onto the thick cushion, he glanced at the jukebox standing in the corner, its wooden case polished and gleaming. The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody emanated softly from the speakers hidden behind an elaborate filigreed grill.
“This place hasn’t changed much,” Jody noted. He remembered the red cushions and curtains from his youth, remembered begging his mom for change to feed to the jukebox. He wondered if the diner still served the same banana split that had been his favorite dessert as a kid.
Matt, settling in across from him, looked around before turning back to Jody. “Yeah, thank goodness. The food is just as good now as when I was a kid.”
A waitress with jet black hair coiled neatly atop her head appeared at the end of the table, handing Jody a laminated menu. Jody noted that she didn’t offer Matt one. She tossed Jody a curious glance, and slanted a pleased smile at Matt.
“Hey, Matty Hawkes. A little late for lunch isn’t it? You want the usual?”
Jody’s brow lifted at the teasing tone as Matt shrugged, holding up his hands and smiling.
“Couldn’t be helped, Del. Yeah, give me the usual.”
Del’s smile widened as she made a notation on the notepad she held. Her lacquered nails, painted a deep indigo, matched her lipstick. She wore a black pencil skirt and a black blouse with red buttons, tucked neatly into her skirt. An enameled pin affixed to the blouse at her shoulder and fashioned in the shape of a sprig of cherries, sparkled in the sunlight as she turned to Jody. She could’ve been twenty-five or thirty-five, it was impossible to gauge. Her blue eyes, lined with black eyeliner, sharpened as she looked down at Jody over the top of her notepad.
“You need a minute, handsome?”
Jody smiled briefly, considering the menu in his hands a moment before asking, “What’s the usual?”
Matt's mouth curled up at one corner. “Bacon cheeseburger, well-done, steak fries, and a Coke.”
Jody mulled it over, and handed the menu back to Del. “Make that two, please.”
Del accepted the menu with an approving nod. “Good choice, you won’t be disappointed. I’ll be right out with your drinks.” She added a notation to her pad, and then glided away to the next table.
“Matty Hawkes?” Jody asked with a raised brow.
Matt laughed. “Del has a pet name for all her regulars. You’ll get one too, if you come by often enough.”
There was a question implicit in the statement that Jody didn’t want to address, not quite yet.
“You eat here a lot, I take it?” he asked, watching as Matt slipped his jacket off, bundling it up and placing it on the seat by his side. The white collarless shirt he wore looked soft and warm, and clung to his torso and biceps in a way that sent Jody’s thoughts careening off in directions having nothing to do with food but a wholly different type of hunger.
“Oh, yeah. Best lunch in town,” Matt said, crooked grin widening, straightening out. The sunlight streaming in through the window lay bright against his blonde hair and the side of his face, snared in the green of his eyes.
Something in Jody ached, just a little.
“So, what did you need to run past me?” Matt asked as he shucked up the sleeves of his shirt.
Jody watched the flex of Matt’s forearms as he pushed the long sleeves up around his elbows, revealing a light dusting of blonde hair along tanned arms. Jody’s gaze trailed down to the black digital G-Shock wrist watch, strapped around Matt’s wrist, and lingered there, on the strong wrists, on the long fingers of Matt’s hands where he rested them on the tabletop.
“Say again?” he asked hoping he didn’t sound half as distracted as he felt.
“Just, wondering what brings you by, I guess.”
The even, careful tone garnered Jody’s attention, and he gave himself a mental shake. He looked up to find Matt watching him, head tilted, waiting. “I need some advice, actually,” he managed finally, and focused on the flash of puzzlement on Matt’s face.
“Okay,” Matt said. “I’m all ears.”
“I’m looking for a place to live. I’m moving here,” Jody announced, scanning Matt’s face as he blinked, brow furrowing, and leaned back against the cushioned seatback on his side of the booth. He regarded Jody with no small amount of surprise.
“Not what you were expecting?” Jody asked. In fact, it felt a little exhilarating having said the words out loud to someone other than his sister. He’d declared his intention, and now it felt real.
He was moving back to Bear Valley.
It felt good.
“Well,” Matt said as he nodded. “Yeah, that wasn’t what I was expecting at all.” He looked across the tabletop speculatively. “I guess I thought you were just passing through.”
Jody fiddled with the napkin in front of him, spreading it out only to fold it back up again as he searched for a way to explain his decision. “It just feels right,” he finally said, realizing even as he said the words it really was just that simple.
Matt leaned forward. “Well, hell, that’s the best reason to do anything, I guess.” He smiled, green eyes as warm as the late afternoon sunshine flooding through the diner’s window.
“I was hoping you could help me out? I mean, I’d like to start off renting, until I decide on something permanent.”
Matt’s expression turned thoughtful. “Sure, I know a few people that do rentals, mostly for the busy season, the holiday season, you know, but I’m sure one of them would be glad to rent something long term. Do you know what you’re looking for?”
Flattening the napkin against the table, and pressing his palm down against it, Jody gauged the scant distance between his fingertips and Matt’s. His gaze lifting, he took in the open curiosity on Matt’s face, breathing out slowly as warmth rose over his skin.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I know exactly what I want.”
Jody caught the slight widening of Matt’s eyes, and the subtle blush coloring his cheekbones. A deep, pleasurable yearning folded over in Jody just from watching the reactions pass over Matt’s face. Brows raised, Matt smiled, a quick, closed mouth curl of lips as he looked away, down at the table. After a slight hesitation, he looked back up through his long lashes at Jody.
“Is that a fact?” he asked.
Jody nodded, holding steady. “It is. Are you free tonight?”
Matt opened his mouth, but snapped it shut and sat back as Del reappeared, sitting two tall, wide-mouthed glasses brimming with ice and soda on the table. Her gaze darted between them, a hint of a smile teasing her lips. “Food will be right out, boys,” she said, and tossing them wink left them alone.
“So,” Matt said slowly in her wake, absently drawing circles on the tabletop with his index finger.
“You asking for that third date? Shouldn’t that be my line?”
Jody flashed back to their time in the cavern, and Matt’s teasing that their third date would be ‘on him’. It’d been one of a collection of easy, playful moments from their time together Jody had taken out and replayed during the tense, uncertain days during his and his family’s seclusion. In a way, Matt had helped get him through that excruciating time without even knowing it.
“Let it be my line,” he said, honest intent making his tone huskier than normal. “I want to take you out. Is that okay?”
Matt’s eyes widened, and as he looked down, blonde hair fell across his brow. He bit his bottom lip, and Jody’s eyes were drawn to the unconscious movement. The unthinking, sweet reaction brought Jody to the realization that he’d agree to just about any stipulation Matt threw down, if only he’d say yes.
“That’s okay,” Matt said, looking up and meeting Jody’s eyes. “I’d like that a lot.” The corner of his mouth curled, on the verge of breaking out into a full-fledged smile. Jody waited on the edge of it, drinking it in.
“So,” Matt said, tilting his head as he settled his elbows on the tabletop and leaned in, folding his arms in front of him. “What did you have in mind?”
Reaching out Jody drew his glass closer, fingertips brushing through the condensation forming on the smooth side of the ice chilled glass. “Well, I am sorta new in town, so nothing too revolutionary just yet. Dinner. Maybe take in a movie.”
If disappointed, Matt didn’t show it. If anything, he smiled wider. “Sounds great. Except for when I’ve been able to sneak over here for lunch, I’ve been living on take-out the last couple weeks.”
Jody asked, “Things been that busy?”
Drawing his own soda to his side of the table, Matt nodded before ducking his head and closing his lips around the plastic straw and taking a long pull. Sitting back with a satisfied sigh he said, “Yeah, we’ve been shorthanded. Jim’s been out with the flu, and Robin had to fly back east for a family thing. Thankfully the busy season is winding down, and they’re setting up another ranger station over on Mt. Rose, so we’ll get to share some of the load with those guys pretty soon.”
Jody nodded, and finding his mouth suddenly dry, took a sip from his own straw. “How big is your squad here?”
“Counting me, we’ve got five total, plus Izzy, who you met today. He’s technically still a probie. He’s got, oh, about another month to go, and then he’ll be out in the field full time. This summer we’ll start accepting applications to fill his spot, once he’s completed his year of probationary training.”
“Who backs you guys up? That’s a small group to cover this much area,” Jody asked, wondering as to how the outfit was structured.
“Well, we’re typically called in for specialized stuff, you know? High terrain search and rescue, sometimes water rescues. Bear Valley PD and the local EMT handle things like car accidents, domestic situations, robberies, things like that. They’re a small police force, and they’ll call in Tahoe if needed.”
“All these resorts keep you guys hopping, I’d imagine,” Jody guessed.
Matt laughed shortly. “You know it. You wouldn’t believe the amount of people that come up here with no mountaineering or skiing experience and the shit they’ll try.”
“I bet,” Jody said. Before he could offer more Del arrived with a round tray laden with food. They both sat back as she unloaded their plates. Matt’s face practically glowed with anticipation as the stacked bacon cheeseburger was placed in front of him along with a basket of thick, golden fries. Jody took another sip of soda, hiding his amusement.
“Enjoy boys. You need anything else just give a yell,” Del said, placing a slip of paper face down on the table before moving to her next customer. Before Jody could investigate the ticket, Matt snatched it away.
“Lunch date’s on me, so third date is on me after all,” he said triumphantly, folding the ticket and tucking it under the edge of his plate.
Jody started to argue but the pleased grin, and the playful light in Matt’s eyes moved him to let the matter go. They both tucked into their meals, Jody actually groaning when the juicy flavor of grilled beef, melted cheese and crispy bacon hit his tongue. Del was right; he wasn’t disappointed.
Across from him Matt was doing the same, eyes sliding shut with his first bite, tongue darting out to lap a dab of ketchup from the corner of his mouth afterwards. Pausing with a fry halfway to his lips, Jody stared, and realizing he was staring, dragged his gaze away. He wolfed the fry down and reached for the stack of napkins Del had left them, wiping the salt from his fingers, then folding the napkin into a precise square afterwards.
Elbow propped on the table, burger held aloft, already a quarter of the way demolished, Matt watched the procedure with interest. “Let me guess, you are a neat freak.”
It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement, and Jody sat back a little, suppressing a smile. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He already knew Matt to be particularly astute and observant of the places and people around him.
Bemused, Jody asked, “What gave it away?”
Matt held still a moment before gesturing vaguely in the direction of Jody’s folded napkin with his burger. “Just certain things,” he said offhandedly with a shrug of one shoulder. He gave Jody a little smile, and sitting his burger down, selected a fry, biting the end of the thick slab of potato, jaw working as he chewed, tongue darting out to lick the salt from his lips.
Jody tried to remember the last time he’d found someone so effortlessly, goddamned sexy, and failed.
Jesus, this boy.
“Well, I hope this doesn’t put you off our date,” Jody teased, rescuing a strip of bacon that was in danger of slipping from his burger and on onto his plate.
Matt chuckled. “Hardly. Actually, maybe you can be a good influence on me.”
“Baby, I’ll be any kind of influence on you that you want me to be,” Jody said, weighting the tease in his voice with something warmer, more intentional.
The note seemed to touch something in Matt, and while he didn’t immediately respond the color in his cheeks appeared to heighten, and the corners of his mouth curled upwards as he ducked his head and took a long, deliberate pull from his straw. He looked away as he drank, long lashes sweeping down for a moment before he looked back up.
“Something to look forward to, then,” he said quietly, and Jody experienced a throb of want so sudden and pure, it took him a second to remember he was in the middle of a moderately crowded diner, and Matt wasn’t yet his to lay hands on as he pleased.
Jesus, when was the last time he’d had someone flirt with him just for the pleasure of it?
Jody couldn’t recall. The last couple years had been more about necessity, meeting needs than seeking any real connection with a man. After a moment observing Jody with that inviting warmth in his eyes, Matt went back to perusing the dwindling fries in his basket. There remained a pleased curve to his lips that caught and held Jody’s attention.
Little shit knows exactly what he’s doing.
Suffused by warmth from the sun, from the food, from the company, Jody leaned forward, picking up his burger. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, watching as Matt glanced up from his fries. “I’ll let you cover the meal, if you’ll let me cover dessert.”
Matt’s brow rose at the suggestion, and Jody asked, “Baby, how do you feel about cherry pie?”
Green eyes darkened, and Matt tilted his head, fixing Jody with a long look before replying, “It’s my favorite, actually.”
Jody looked back, and ached, just a little more.
***Additional Notes****
A couple quick edits to report for the previous chapter: the name of the diner has changed from Joan's Diner, to Cherry's Diner. Also the mention of the 'best pie' has been changed from peach to cherry.
Just a fun interval with my boys being stupid for one another. I was really sick last week for a couple days and so my motivation to write was knocked back, and I'm a behind where I want to be, but I'm hoping to keep up with the regular posting.
Last time I posted I had massive issues with the formatting, and it took forever to correct it, but so far so good this time around. Maybe I got that worked out.
Not much else to report right now, laters gators!
Author: Archet
Pairing: OMC Jody McKinnon/Matt Hawkes
Fandom: High Mountain Rangers
Summary: a story of falling in love, figuring things out and just holding on.
Disclaimer: I did not create the High Mountain Ranger character/s, only this fic and the Original Male Character, Jody McKinnon, and any other original characters in supporting roles. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: this fic is set in 1989, approximately a year and a half after the events of the final episode of High Mountain Rangers. There will be no acknowledgment of the events of the spin-off show Jesse Hawkes.
Warnings: none as yet
Note: this fic takes place a little over four months after Bad Luck, Bad Guys and High Mountain Rangers and is a sequel to that fic, so reading that first is recommended.
Additional: this fic will depict same sex relationships. If this ain’t your thing, venture no further.
***Additional story notes and etc at end of chapter***
Chapter 2: That’s My Line
Trailing Matt across the parking lot, Jody’s gaze moved over the ranger’s tall form, to the fit of the black leather jacket, settled perfectly over Matt’s wide shoulders, to the grey pants he wore. Stretched snug around strong thighs, and over the sweet swell of his ass the pants were tucked into knee tall black boots, and striding across the lot, Matt seemed to have legs for days. Jody allowed a hazy moment of imagining those muscled thighs parted, of those long legs wrapped tight around him before shaking off the consuming imagery.
Fuck. Get hold of yourself, man.
But damn, the kid looked good enough to eat, and Jody had been looking since the moment Matt had shuffled into the ranger station juggling papers, a briefcase, and fuck all what else. Jody had been looking, and he couldn’t seem to stop. He cleared his throat, raking a hand through his hair, wondering ruefully if he would be able to get through lunch without making a damn fool of himself.
On the drive from Las Vegas he’d considered that, perhaps, his attraction to the young ranger had been a fluke. Had been borne of the stress of the situation they’d found themselves in, that fateful day, now months past. He’d analyzed his memory, and confronted the possibility that his fixation on Matt had been a stress reaction, a groping reach for something pleasant out of the unpleasant, but fuck, one look at Matt’s crooked smile, and that theory evaporated like frost on a warm day.
Now Jody felt even more certain, he needed to see what this was between himself and Matt Hawkes, because underneath the rolling attraction and sweet flirtations, there lay something else, a stronger, earthier current, much more potent than just passing desire. The feeling was tied up in his need to return to Bear Valley and it was all looped together in a steady, warm rhythm that felt familiar and necessary and that kept a constant pull upon him. Pulling him closer to what, Jody didn’t know, but he felt he was on the proper path.
It just felt right.
Matt’s long legs carried him easily up the short flight of steps to the diner’s entrance, and he held open the door, ushering Jody in ahead of him. Jody went, nearly groaning when the enticing aroma of fresh bread and freshly ground coffee hit him. He drew in a long breath, stomach rumbling.
The diner was one long rectangle with a low, paneled ceiling and a counter stretching along one side of the building, behind which a couple waitresses moved back and forth. Ruby red upholstered stools with brass bases stood in a line along the length of the counter. The lunch rush had passed, but a few patrons sat on the stools, lingering over pie or a second cup of coffee. A row of tufted booths, also upholstered in red, stood opposite the counter, each containing a varnished wood table situated underneath a window. Each window was framed by velvet curtains all in the same ruby hue. Over each table hung a hooded pendant lamp from a brass chain affixed to the ceiling.
Matt waved Jody forward, indicating he should select a booth. Jody chose one near the end of the diner, its table pooled in sunlight streaming in through the window. Sliding onto the thick cushion, he glanced at the jukebox standing in the corner, its wooden case polished and gleaming. The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody emanated softly from the speakers hidden behind an elaborate filigreed grill.
“This place hasn’t changed much,” Jody noted. He remembered the red cushions and curtains from his youth, remembered begging his mom for change to feed to the jukebox. He wondered if the diner still served the same banana split that had been his favorite dessert as a kid.
Matt, settling in across from him, looked around before turning back to Jody. “Yeah, thank goodness. The food is just as good now as when I was a kid.”
A waitress with jet black hair coiled neatly atop her head appeared at the end of the table, handing Jody a laminated menu. Jody noted that she didn’t offer Matt one. She tossed Jody a curious glance, and slanted a pleased smile at Matt.
“Hey, Matty Hawkes. A little late for lunch isn’t it? You want the usual?”
Jody’s brow lifted at the teasing tone as Matt shrugged, holding up his hands and smiling.
“Couldn’t be helped, Del. Yeah, give me the usual.”
Del’s smile widened as she made a notation on the notepad she held. Her lacquered nails, painted a deep indigo, matched her lipstick. She wore a black pencil skirt and a black blouse with red buttons, tucked neatly into her skirt. An enameled pin affixed to the blouse at her shoulder and fashioned in the shape of a sprig of cherries, sparkled in the sunlight as she turned to Jody. She could’ve been twenty-five or thirty-five, it was impossible to gauge. Her blue eyes, lined with black eyeliner, sharpened as she looked down at Jody over the top of her notepad.
“You need a minute, handsome?”
Jody smiled briefly, considering the menu in his hands a moment before asking, “What’s the usual?”
Matt's mouth curled up at one corner. “Bacon cheeseburger, well-done, steak fries, and a Coke.”
Jody mulled it over, and handed the menu back to Del. “Make that two, please.”
Del accepted the menu with an approving nod. “Good choice, you won’t be disappointed. I’ll be right out with your drinks.” She added a notation to her pad, and then glided away to the next table.
“Matty Hawkes?” Jody asked with a raised brow.
Matt laughed. “Del has a pet name for all her regulars. You’ll get one too, if you come by often enough.”
There was a question implicit in the statement that Jody didn’t want to address, not quite yet.
“You eat here a lot, I take it?” he asked, watching as Matt slipped his jacket off, bundling it up and placing it on the seat by his side. The white collarless shirt he wore looked soft and warm, and clung to his torso and biceps in a way that sent Jody’s thoughts careening off in directions having nothing to do with food but a wholly different type of hunger.
“Oh, yeah. Best lunch in town,” Matt said, crooked grin widening, straightening out. The sunlight streaming in through the window lay bright against his blonde hair and the side of his face, snared in the green of his eyes.
Something in Jody ached, just a little.
“So, what did you need to run past me?” Matt asked as he shucked up the sleeves of his shirt.
Jody watched the flex of Matt’s forearms as he pushed the long sleeves up around his elbows, revealing a light dusting of blonde hair along tanned arms. Jody’s gaze trailed down to the black digital G-Shock wrist watch, strapped around Matt’s wrist, and lingered there, on the strong wrists, on the long fingers of Matt’s hands where he rested them on the tabletop.
“Say again?” he asked hoping he didn’t sound half as distracted as he felt.
“Just, wondering what brings you by, I guess.”
The even, careful tone garnered Jody’s attention, and he gave himself a mental shake. He looked up to find Matt watching him, head tilted, waiting. “I need some advice, actually,” he managed finally, and focused on the flash of puzzlement on Matt’s face.
“Okay,” Matt said. “I’m all ears.”
“I’m looking for a place to live. I’m moving here,” Jody announced, scanning Matt’s face as he blinked, brow furrowing, and leaned back against the cushioned seatback on his side of the booth. He regarded Jody with no small amount of surprise.
“Not what you were expecting?” Jody asked. In fact, it felt a little exhilarating having said the words out loud to someone other than his sister. He’d declared his intention, and now it felt real.
He was moving back to Bear Valley.
It felt good.
“Well,” Matt said as he nodded. “Yeah, that wasn’t what I was expecting at all.” He looked across the tabletop speculatively. “I guess I thought you were just passing through.”
Jody fiddled with the napkin in front of him, spreading it out only to fold it back up again as he searched for a way to explain his decision. “It just feels right,” he finally said, realizing even as he said the words it really was just that simple.
Matt leaned forward. “Well, hell, that’s the best reason to do anything, I guess.” He smiled, green eyes as warm as the late afternoon sunshine flooding through the diner’s window.
“I was hoping you could help me out? I mean, I’d like to start off renting, until I decide on something permanent.”
Matt’s expression turned thoughtful. “Sure, I know a few people that do rentals, mostly for the busy season, the holiday season, you know, but I’m sure one of them would be glad to rent something long term. Do you know what you’re looking for?”
Flattening the napkin against the table, and pressing his palm down against it, Jody gauged the scant distance between his fingertips and Matt’s. His gaze lifting, he took in the open curiosity on Matt’s face, breathing out slowly as warmth rose over his skin.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I know exactly what I want.”
Jody caught the slight widening of Matt’s eyes, and the subtle blush coloring his cheekbones. A deep, pleasurable yearning folded over in Jody just from watching the reactions pass over Matt’s face. Brows raised, Matt smiled, a quick, closed mouth curl of lips as he looked away, down at the table. After a slight hesitation, he looked back up through his long lashes at Jody.
“Is that a fact?” he asked.
Jody nodded, holding steady. “It is. Are you free tonight?”
Matt opened his mouth, but snapped it shut and sat back as Del reappeared, sitting two tall, wide-mouthed glasses brimming with ice and soda on the table. Her gaze darted between them, a hint of a smile teasing her lips. “Food will be right out, boys,” she said, and tossing them wink left them alone.
“So,” Matt said slowly in her wake, absently drawing circles on the tabletop with his index finger.
“You asking for that third date? Shouldn’t that be my line?”
Jody flashed back to their time in the cavern, and Matt’s teasing that their third date would be ‘on him’. It’d been one of a collection of easy, playful moments from their time together Jody had taken out and replayed during the tense, uncertain days during his and his family’s seclusion. In a way, Matt had helped get him through that excruciating time without even knowing it.
“Let it be my line,” he said, honest intent making his tone huskier than normal. “I want to take you out. Is that okay?”
Matt’s eyes widened, and as he looked down, blonde hair fell across his brow. He bit his bottom lip, and Jody’s eyes were drawn to the unconscious movement. The unthinking, sweet reaction brought Jody to the realization that he’d agree to just about any stipulation Matt threw down, if only he’d say yes.
“That’s okay,” Matt said, looking up and meeting Jody’s eyes. “I’d like that a lot.” The corner of his mouth curled, on the verge of breaking out into a full-fledged smile. Jody waited on the edge of it, drinking it in.
“So,” Matt said, tilting his head as he settled his elbows on the tabletop and leaned in, folding his arms in front of him. “What did you have in mind?”
Reaching out Jody drew his glass closer, fingertips brushing through the condensation forming on the smooth side of the ice chilled glass. “Well, I am sorta new in town, so nothing too revolutionary just yet. Dinner. Maybe take in a movie.”
If disappointed, Matt didn’t show it. If anything, he smiled wider. “Sounds great. Except for when I’ve been able to sneak over here for lunch, I’ve been living on take-out the last couple weeks.”
Jody asked, “Things been that busy?”
Drawing his own soda to his side of the table, Matt nodded before ducking his head and closing his lips around the plastic straw and taking a long pull. Sitting back with a satisfied sigh he said, “Yeah, we’ve been shorthanded. Jim’s been out with the flu, and Robin had to fly back east for a family thing. Thankfully the busy season is winding down, and they’re setting up another ranger station over on Mt. Rose, so we’ll get to share some of the load with those guys pretty soon.”
Jody nodded, and finding his mouth suddenly dry, took a sip from his own straw. “How big is your squad here?”
“Counting me, we’ve got five total, plus Izzy, who you met today. He’s technically still a probie. He’s got, oh, about another month to go, and then he’ll be out in the field full time. This summer we’ll start accepting applications to fill his spot, once he’s completed his year of probationary training.”
“Who backs you guys up? That’s a small group to cover this much area,” Jody asked, wondering as to how the outfit was structured.
“Well, we’re typically called in for specialized stuff, you know? High terrain search and rescue, sometimes water rescues. Bear Valley PD and the local EMT handle things like car accidents, domestic situations, robberies, things like that. They’re a small police force, and they’ll call in Tahoe if needed.”
“All these resorts keep you guys hopping, I’d imagine,” Jody guessed.
Matt laughed shortly. “You know it. You wouldn’t believe the amount of people that come up here with no mountaineering or skiing experience and the shit they’ll try.”
“I bet,” Jody said. Before he could offer more Del arrived with a round tray laden with food. They both sat back as she unloaded their plates. Matt’s face practically glowed with anticipation as the stacked bacon cheeseburger was placed in front of him along with a basket of thick, golden fries. Jody took another sip of soda, hiding his amusement.
“Enjoy boys. You need anything else just give a yell,” Del said, placing a slip of paper face down on the table before moving to her next customer. Before Jody could investigate the ticket, Matt snatched it away.
“Lunch date’s on me, so third date is on me after all,” he said triumphantly, folding the ticket and tucking it under the edge of his plate.
Jody started to argue but the pleased grin, and the playful light in Matt’s eyes moved him to let the matter go. They both tucked into their meals, Jody actually groaning when the juicy flavor of grilled beef, melted cheese and crispy bacon hit his tongue. Del was right; he wasn’t disappointed.
Across from him Matt was doing the same, eyes sliding shut with his first bite, tongue darting out to lap a dab of ketchup from the corner of his mouth afterwards. Pausing with a fry halfway to his lips, Jody stared, and realizing he was staring, dragged his gaze away. He wolfed the fry down and reached for the stack of napkins Del had left them, wiping the salt from his fingers, then folding the napkin into a precise square afterwards.
Elbow propped on the table, burger held aloft, already a quarter of the way demolished, Matt watched the procedure with interest. “Let me guess, you are a neat freak.”
It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement, and Jody sat back a little, suppressing a smile. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He already knew Matt to be particularly astute and observant of the places and people around him.
Bemused, Jody asked, “What gave it away?”
Matt held still a moment before gesturing vaguely in the direction of Jody’s folded napkin with his burger. “Just certain things,” he said offhandedly with a shrug of one shoulder. He gave Jody a little smile, and sitting his burger down, selected a fry, biting the end of the thick slab of potato, jaw working as he chewed, tongue darting out to lick the salt from his lips.
Jody tried to remember the last time he’d found someone so effortlessly, goddamned sexy, and failed.
Jesus, this boy.
“Well, I hope this doesn’t put you off our date,” Jody teased, rescuing a strip of bacon that was in danger of slipping from his burger and on onto his plate.
Matt chuckled. “Hardly. Actually, maybe you can be a good influence on me.”
“Baby, I’ll be any kind of influence on you that you want me to be,” Jody said, weighting the tease in his voice with something warmer, more intentional.
The note seemed to touch something in Matt, and while he didn’t immediately respond the color in his cheeks appeared to heighten, and the corners of his mouth curled upwards as he ducked his head and took a long, deliberate pull from his straw. He looked away as he drank, long lashes sweeping down for a moment before he looked back up.
“Something to look forward to, then,” he said quietly, and Jody experienced a throb of want so sudden and pure, it took him a second to remember he was in the middle of a moderately crowded diner, and Matt wasn’t yet his to lay hands on as he pleased.
Jesus, when was the last time he’d had someone flirt with him just for the pleasure of it?
Jody couldn’t recall. The last couple years had been more about necessity, meeting needs than seeking any real connection with a man. After a moment observing Jody with that inviting warmth in his eyes, Matt went back to perusing the dwindling fries in his basket. There remained a pleased curve to his lips that caught and held Jody’s attention.
Little shit knows exactly what he’s doing.
Suffused by warmth from the sun, from the food, from the company, Jody leaned forward, picking up his burger. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, watching as Matt glanced up from his fries. “I’ll let you cover the meal, if you’ll let me cover dessert.”
Matt’s brow rose at the suggestion, and Jody asked, “Baby, how do you feel about cherry pie?”
Green eyes darkened, and Matt tilted his head, fixing Jody with a long look before replying, “It’s my favorite, actually.”
Jody looked back, and ached, just a little more.
***Additional Notes****
A couple quick edits to report for the previous chapter: the name of the diner has changed from Joan's Diner, to Cherry's Diner. Also the mention of the 'best pie' has been changed from peach to cherry.
Just a fun interval with my boys being stupid for one another. I was really sick last week for a couple days and so my motivation to write was knocked back, and I'm a behind where I want to be, but I'm hoping to keep up with the regular posting.
Last time I posted I had massive issues with the formatting, and it took forever to correct it, but so far so good this time around. Maybe I got that worked out.
Not much else to report right now, laters gators!