DISCLAIMER : This story refers to characters and concepts from the television show "The Sentinel," which do no belong to me. No profit has been made from the writing of this story. It was created expressly for fans of "The Sentinel" who can't get enough romantic fanfic about Jim and Blair.

Warning : Explicit m/m sex

Blair had never made it home the night before. Now Jim was at the station for their early morning appointment with Simon, and the young man still hadn't shown up.

Jim sat at his desk and stared at the door into the bull pen. He trusted Blair's promise to show up on time, but he wasn't sure what his attitude would be when he actually saw the man... and most of all, he wasn't sure that he could keep himself from wringing Samantha's neck when he saw her...

He was so jealous that he could feel the blood throbbing in his temples, and his teeth were grinding so hard that he was afraid he was going to chip one.

He knew he hadn't said anything to Blair about being in love with him. And Blair certainly hadn't said anything about "love" to Jim. As a matter of fact, Blair was still having trouble coming to terms with being bi. He guessed it was logical for Blair to want to go prove that he was still basically heterosexual outside of the Sentinel/Guide connection, but... but it hurt so bad that the kid had actually done so!

Maybe if it had been someone besides Samantha, it wouldn't have hurt so much. An anonymous "babe of the night" wouldn't really mean all that much... But Sam was a good friend to both of them... and the only woman Blair kept going back to.

Jim's fingers curled into claws as he realized that Sam might be real competition. She never let Blair get away with treating her carelessly. She was the one girlfriend he didn't take for granted... because she paid him back for every inconsiderate action with her own form of retribution. She made sure that she stood out from all the shallow women who flocked after Sandburg, swooning over his gorgeous eyes, sexy lips, great butt and flirtatious manner

Yup, Samantha was going to have to be dealt with if Jim wanted his relationship with Blair to follow the path he'd planned.

Just then Blair and Samantha stepped from the elevator. For a moment Jim's vision went red as he saw them arriving together. He found his eyes locking with Samantha's.

She raised her chin and gave a smug smile.

She knows, he thought. She knows how I feel. And she's going to fight me for him.

Never taking her eyes from Jim's face, Sam leaned over and kissed Blair tenderly on the cheek. "Thank for a heavenly night, lover," she said, exaggerating her words to permit Jim to read her lips. Even at that distance, he could read the triumph in her eyes.

"See you for lunch, darling," she added, trailing her fingers across Blair's cheek.

Then she walked away, swinging her hips seductively in a black skirt that was far too tight for the workplace.

Blair stared after her, the expression on his face curiously blank. Then he turned and walked slowly into the bull pen.

Sandburg's face turned fiery red as he realized Jim had been staring at him the whole time he'd been standing there with Samantha. His steps grew slower and slower the closer he got to his partner's desk. He found himself staring guiltily at the floor.

Blair could feel Jim's eyes on him. He found himself inordinately aware of every hickey and bite mark that Samantha had left on his body.

Why am I feeling guilty? he though. It's not like Jim and I are in love or anything like that. It's just biology.

After all, Jim's the one who told me yesterday morning that I'm still the same person I've always been. I mean, it's never bothered me before when he saw love marks on me. He always winks and laughs... except, he's not laughing now...

"Jim?"

"Yeah, Sandburg?" Jim's voice was gravelly with some suppressed emotion.

"Uh, sorry I didn't make it home last night."

At Jim's non-committal grunt, he continued, "But I figured you'd know where I was and wouldn't worry."

"Worry? Sandburg, I wasn't 'worried'," Jim grated. "I know you're a big boy and can take care of yourself... after all, Sam hasn't injured you permanently... yet."

Unconsciously Blair raised a hand to his neck and rubbed one of the bite marks.

Jim's face went blank, and the pupils of his eyes went wide. His vision zoomed in on the dark bruise decorating the young man's slender neck.

Mine! he thought. I don't want anybody putting marks on my Blair but me!

He decided that he was going to cover every one of Sam's marks with a imprint of his own. He was going to brand Sandburg as his and his alone. If Samantha thought she'd caught Blair, she was badly mistaken.

And by the time he was through with Blair, the kid would know that what was between them was far more than just some chemical reaction.

"Sexual reciprocity between Sentinel and Guide" -- that's what Blair had called it. Maybe that's what the attraction had been in the beginning. Leastwise it had been for Jim.

However, their relationship had gone too deep now for it to be simply no more than lust.

Maybe it's the fact that Blair's having so much trouble with the male/male thing that's causing him to miss what's there between us.

Jim made a deliberate effort and relaxed the muscles his face into a semblance of calm. "Sorry, Chief," he said. "It's just that I missed you last night. I've kinda grown into the habit of listening to your heartbeat 'til I go to sleep."

"Huh, how can you get used to something in only one night?"

Ellison looked around, but no one seemed to be paying attention to them. He lowered his voice anyway. "Blair, this is probably not the best place to talk about it. But I've been dreaming of you and going to sleep to your heartbeat for a long time now. You're my Guide. I'm incomplete without you," he whispered.

Careful, Jim, he thought to himself. Don't use the "L" word yet. Blair's going to have to analyze this to death before he can ever admit it's more than genetics. But we're going to get him thinking in the right direction...

"You will be home tonight, won't you?" He reached out and stroked Blair's arm lightly.

Blair's long lashes brushed his beautiful cheekbones as he gazed down at Jim's hand, mesmerized by the sensual pleasure in his lover's gentle caress.

"Oh, yes," he breathed. "Of course, I'm going to be home tonight."

He looked up then, with a rather shy smile. "Do you have something special in mind?"

"Oh, yes, Chief. Something very special."

So special, Jim thought, that you'll not only forget all about Samantha, you'll forget your own name by the time I'm through with you.

"Hey, Blair," Samantha's voice interrupted them. They'd been so intent on each other that neither one had noticed her enter the room. "I forgot to tell you that I've got tickets for us to the foreign film festival tonight. What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Uh, uh..."

Come on, my little guppy, Jim thought. Close your mouth and tell her you've already got a commitment... please...

Then Blair did just that. "Sorry, Sam. You should've said something earlier. I've already got plans that I can't back out of."

"Come on, Jim," Samantha said, staring him in the eyes, "You don't really need to drag Blair along on stakeout tonight."

"Uh, it's not stakeout..."

"Then if you're not working tonight, Blair..." She turned to the anthropologist and let her voice trail off questioningly.

"Uh, Samantha, it's something personal. Uh, uh..."

Darn! He was so caught up in the scent and presence of his Guide that he was having trouble thinking up an appropriate excuse. Maybe it was a Freudian slip. Maybe he wanted Samantha to know that it was him -- Jim -- that Blair would be with that night...

Blair came to his senses first. His job was to look out for and protect his Sentinel. Letting the office know that the cop was sexually involved with his male partner was definitely not protecting him. He was pretty sure that Simon -- and maybe Taggert -- knew that Jim was bi, but he was fairly certain that no one else knew... and that spreading that kind of information around a homophobic police department would spell the end to Jim's career.

"We're going to a wake," he said, his facile mind quickly coming up with a logical explanation. "It's the husband of a real good friend, and we promised that we'd be there for her."

Jim's eyes filled with pride at Blair's quick rescue. He never failed to be impressed at his darling's creativity.

Samantha's face fell. Jim could tell that she'd been ready for a whole different tact.

"Well, then," she said reluctantly, "I'll see about getting them changed to another night."

"Sure," Blair replied, smiling back at her happily, as his dilemma over having to choose was solved.

Over my dead body! Jim thought.

"So you figure out what's the best time and we'll work it out at lunch."

Jim started to interrupt, but a new voice joined the conversation. "Sorry, Samantha, Blair, but lunch is out."

Simon stepped in between the young man and woman. Jim wanted to cheer. "They moved the Sorensen trial up, Samantha. You're going to have to be at the court all day to be ready to testify."

The expression on Sam's face was priceless. Jim drew great satisfaction in seeing her so successfully thwarted.

"As for you two," he added to Jim and Blair, "there's been a robbery down at the diamond exchange. I want you two down there now! We'll put our meeting off 'til later."

"Sure thing, boss," said Jim. His smile was so wide that he thought his face might split in half. "We're on our way."

"Come on, Darwin," he said grabbing Blair by the sleeve. "Let's get out of here before Simon docks my pay."

As they left the bull pen, Jim cast a glance over his shoulder at the glowering Samantha. By the time you see him again, Medusa, I'll have knocked all thoughts of you out of his mind.

He gave her a triumphant grin and walked out, pushing Sandburg along ahead of him.

Blair had an afternoon class to teach. As soon as the anthropologist left for the university, Jim poked his head into Simon's office and announced that he was taking the rest of the day off.

When the captain opened his mouth to object, Jim cut him off. "This is urgent, Simon. Something I've gotta do... now... before it's too late."

"Too late? Jim, what's this about? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Sorry, Captain, but it's a private matter. But thanks for the offer."

You've already helped more than you can know, he thought, but did not speak the words aloud. Your getting Samantha out of the way this morning was perfect timing... even if your intervention wasn't intentional. I really appreciated it. Ellison tried to prevent his face from taking on a smug expression as he remembered Sam's obvious frustration at being packed off to court just as she'd thought she'd maneuvered Blair away from Jim for lunch.

"You're sure?"

Jim simply nodded his head and ducked out of the office before his friend and boss could pose any more awkward questions. He grabbed his jacket as he passed through the bullpen and shrugged it on as he stepped into the elevator. Once the doors closed, he allowed his facial muscles to relax into a wide smile. Like a predator, he licked his lips as he anticipated the evening's seduction.

Jim lit the last candle with satisfaction. The loft had been turned into a dreamscape with lighting from scented oil lamps and flickering candles. He'd strategically placed small mirrors around the room so that the light from the flames was captured and reflected in sparkling cascades across the walls and ceilings.

There were several bowls of potpourri scattered about, their aromas chosen to blend with the sensual fragrance of the scented lamp oil.

An erotic, sensual Bolero with a hypnotic beat throbbed softly in the background.

With the loft now arranged to his satisfaction and Blair's favorite casserole (tongue in cranberry sauce) ready and keeping warm in the oven, Jim settled onto the couch to await his roommate's arrival home.

He picked up the most recent issue of Time and started thumbing through it, but found himself too fidgety to concentrate on any of the articles. After reading the same paragraph for the fifth time without taking in any more than he had the first four times through it, he pitched the magazine onto the end table in exasperation.

The irritation grew as the magazine slid across the slick wooden surface and knocked over the small cactus, sending it rolling onto the floor. Muttering a string of imprecations under his breath, he cleaned up the mess. Luckily the pot had landed without breaking, so only a little loose soil had spilled out. A careful examination of the plant revealed that only a few spines had been broken. He carefully returned the spilled dirt to its container, then placed the cactus back onto the table, turning it so that the broken spines were hidden.

Returning to his seat, Jim considered trying to read again, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. He shifted and squirmed about until he was comfortably settled against the sofa arm with both long legs stretched out on the cushions. He then found himself assuming a seductive pose, left leg cocked at the knee so that his denim jeans were stretched tightly across his thighs and groin.

The white of his cotton socks caught his attention, and he suddenly decided that bare feet would be sexier. Laughing at himself, he stripped off the offending socks and carried them to the clothes hamper in the bathroom.

Glancing into the mirror, he decided to strip down to his forest green muscle shirt so his muscles would show to more advantage. Just as he placed his sweater into the hamper, he heard the whine of the elevator starting up from the ground floor.

The Sentinel felt his heart rate double as he dashed back into the living room, took a flying leap onto the sofa and resumed his seductive pose.

Jimmy, boy, he thought to himself as he heard the elevator door open, stop acting like a teenager on his first date. This is Sandburg, not some girl you want to impress.

There was a light thud of sneakered feet as Blair crossed the hallway, then silence as the young man hesitated outside the door.

Yeah, it's Sandburg alright. It's the man you love... the man you want to love you! The breath caught in his chest, and a cold sweat broke out on his palms. It's the most important date you've ever had in your life!

As the pause lengthened, Jim found himself trembling. What if Blair decided to turn around? What if the connection between them scared him so badly that he didn't want the relationship to continue? What if his deep-rooted heterosexuality had turned him towards Samantha and away from Jim? What if...

The sound of the key in the lock broke the paralyzing spiral of fear, and he took in a deep breath, feeling the sudden intake of oxygen go to his head like fine wine.

His beloved stepped through the door, and Ellison felt his heart expand until his chest felt several sizes too small to hold it. In the flickering lamplight, Blair was a creature from a fairy tale, too beautiful to belong on this earth. Dimly Jim was aware that Sentinel/Guide pheromones were adding to the effect, but he didn't care. Tonight Blair was the most gorgeous, bewitching person in the whole world.

Jim was unaware that his eyes devoured his roommate as the anthropologist paused on the threshold. Blair's lean frame brimmed with vitality and masculine grace. Jim found his gaze first drawn to the square, elegant hands. Then his eyes traveled up a flannel-covered arm to a long, elegant neck graced by a braided leather band, with a golden ank hanging from it, sliding silkily into the dark chest hair peeking from the cleft of the young man's open shirt collar.

Jim could see the pulse beating erratically in the shadowed hollow of the kid's throat. There was a light shadowing of bruises that had been left by the amorous forensics technician from the night before. Jim licked his lips as an almost irresistible urge seized him and demanded that he eradicate Sam's marks with his own. Only a small sane corner of his mind kept the older man seated, remembering Blair's fragile acceptance of his bisexuality.

Reluctantly he dragged his eyes from that enticing neck to look his partner in the face. Blue eyes locked with blue for an instant of eternity. Whether the exchange lasted a second or a thousand years, Jim could not say. He only knew that a piece of soul had traveled along each gaze and been exchanged.

He found himself rising from the couch and approaching Blair as if in a dream. The grad student gravitated forward as well, until they met in the center of the distance that had separated them.

Neither one made a move to break the charged eye contact.

Blair's face was titled upwards so that he could stare more easily into his tall lover's beautiful face. As Jim leaned forward hungrily, Blair rose to his toes and slid his arms around the taller man's neck.

Their lips came together in a kiss that started out chastely, then transformed into a flame of passion. Blair's lips parted beneath Jim's, slowly and sensuously allowing access to his lover's hungry tongue, offering himself up completely and unrestrainedly.

Jim felt his own body jerk as if a jolt of electricity had been generated by the kiss and transmitted to every cell in his body. He brought his own arms up and wrapped them around the smaller man, drawing their bodies as well as their lips together. Even through the layers of clothing, he could feel the heat building between them.

The kiss -- as everything in life must do -- ended, leaving both men shaken to the core.

Jim wondered if his own face sported the same stunned look that Blair's did.

Pulling himself together with difficulty, he turned the smaller man around and pushed him in the direction of the bathroom. "Go take a quick shower while I finish putting dinner on the table."

Blair slowly drifted down the short hallway, looking over his shoulder at his partner the whole time. His eyes were huge and shadowed with a passion that hadn't been there before. The silence was uncanny. The normally voluble young man had apparently been struck dumb by the intensity of that kiss. The bathroom door closed slowly behind the stunned grad student.

Ellison found himself smirking as he realized the young man had been too bemused to even take his backpack off as he'd passed his room.

Jim was turning toward the kitchen when his Sentinel hearing picked up a swift intake of breath, followed by a softly exhaled, "Wow!" Then the word was repeated louder, the husky voice vibrating with wonder, "Oh! WOW!"

Yes, that's the reaction I was going for, Jim thought. Now if the rest of this evening goes as well...

By the time Blair emerged from the bathroom, Jim had begun to fret that the casserole would be overcooked. Actually, he was troubled that Blair might be reconsidering the situation, even if the young man had seemed more than enthusiastic over the kiss; but Ellison found himself pretending that it was the meal he was really worried about.

The kid didn't look like he'd changed his mind, although his shyness had returned while he was in the bath. He appeared almost bashful as he nervously walked down the short hallway, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

Blair was wearing the cornflower blue teeshirt Jim had laid out for him, along with his favorite stone-washed jeans, threadbare and velvety soft with age and starting to wear out at the knees. He too had decided to go barefoot.

The young man stopped directly in front of his friend. He looked up shyly through his unusually long lashes, and Jim's heart skipped a beat.

Jimmy-boy, your heart is going to give out if it keeps reacting to Sandburg this way! he thought to himself, while he drank in the sight as though this were the first time he'd ever seen his Guide. He'd spent so long lusting after his roommate in secret that being able to look his fill openly was a heady delight.

Jim tried to take in everything at once in a total gestalt of love. He imprinted himself with the sight of the damp ringlets framing the fine-boned intelligent face, the sleek play of lean muscles beneath sun-kissed skin, the toned torso and taut butt, the jeans-clad slim legs ending in small high-arched feet.

He hadn't realized he'd begun to zone until Blair's light touch brought him back to himself.

"Hey, big guy. Stay with me, huh?" Square, elegant fingers stroked Ellison's cheek gently, sliding almost to the man's lips, then drawing back tantalizingly.

Jim covered Blair's smaller hand with his own large one and pressed the lithe fingers against his cheek while nuzzling into the warm, sweet-smelling palm.

"I'm here, Chief... with you. There's no other place I'd want to be."

He felt Blair flinch back slightly at the words, so he pressed the captured digits to his lips. Slow down, man, he reminded himself. The kid's not ready to talk about love. Show him how you feel instead of telling him.

He drew first one finger and then another into his mouth and sucked on them sensuously. He laved the finger nails and cuticles with his tongue and rubbed his teeth lightly against the pads until he heard his beloved hiss with pleasure. Then he took the whole hand between both of his and rubbed it tenderly while staring deeply into the smoky blue eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you've got really sexy hands, Chief?" He planted a kiss on the knuckles, then on the smooth palm.

"Ah... nooooooo..." The answer trailed into a whimper. Blair stared at his own fingers as if he'd just discovered a brand new erogenous zone.

Jim gave the fingers a reluctant last pat, then released the trembling hand.

"Come on, Chief. Let's eat before I get so carried away that I decide to have you for my whole meal." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively, while guiding the young man over to the table with a gentle hand on the small of his back.

Blair did a double-take at the elegant table arrangements, white wine chilling in an ice bucket, sparkling china and crystal.

"Ho, man! You went all out, didn't you?"

Jim pulled out the chair for the anthropologist, bowing ostentatiously like a prim and proper butler. "Only the best for my Guide," he stated with serene pride.

The kid rewarded him with a luminous smile as he took his seat.

The spinach and mushroom salad was quickly consumed in companionable silence, the two men doing all their talking with their eyes.

Then it was time for the main dish. Blair lifted the lid of the Corning Ware dish and started to serve them both as usual. Jim sat back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Blair scooped up a large portion of the food and ladled it onto his partner's plate. He was turning back to the pot to serve himself when the nature of the dish hit him. He froze in place, the dripping ladle held at a comical angle.

"Tongue!" he exclaimed. "Tongue in cranberry sauce! How'd you know this is my favorite dish?"

"I remembered how much you enjoyed the tongue when your mom made it for you. So I called Naomi up and got a few recipes from her. She said this was the one you liked best."

"Aw, Jim, you shouldn't have gone to all that trouble." The words were belied by the greedy look on his expressive face as he helped himself to a huge portion of tongue.

Jim chuckled fondly as Blair dived into his food with a passion. The Sentinel loved having been able to surprise his Guide with an unexpected treat.

The big man leaned back and sipped his wine. Although he'd learned to eat tongue, he hadn't developed a real partiality to it. So he toyed with his own portion, eating only a bit, and derived his own pleasure from Blair's very evident enjoyment of the unusual dish.

As he ate, the irrepressible grad student began to recount his afternoon on campus, punctuating his narration with eloquent gestures of his fork. He'd taught two classes, counseled a couple of students, met with his dissertation director, and done some research at the library -- an unusually slow day, he called it.

Jim watched the bobbing fork with fascination as it waved in the air to punctuate a point, dived into the plate of food, then rose with a succulent morsel of meat to be enveloped by luscious lips.

Ellison stared at the captivating mouth, imagining the exuberant flow of words halted by another kiss, the generous lips softly parted under his own, their tongues tangling in an ageless rhythm as he tasted traces of wine and cranberries overlying the predominant essence of Blair himself. He licked his tongue over his own lips as Sandburg took another bite, closing his eyes in bliss as he savored the special treat. Jim found himself growing hard at the sight. He'd never imagined that the simple act of eating could be so erotic...

Calm down, he warned himself. Don't spook him by rushing things.

He shifted in his seat, trying to ease the pressure of stiff cloth against his groin. A wiggle to the left, a wiggle to the right, then a tilt of the pelvis, and he started to feel some relief -- until he caught the knowing spark of mischief in Blair's eyes.

With a malicious grin, the young man reached down and dragged his index finger through the smear of gravy on his now empty plate, coating it liberally with the sticky sauce. Bringing the finger to his full lips, he began to lick it clean with deliberate, sensual swipes of his tongue, staring Jim in the eye the whole time. Finally, he sucked the finger into his mouth and started to slowly pump it in and out, giving his roommate an incredibly sultry look.

The Sentinel gulped. His erection had grown to the point that he thought his pants were going to burst! The unexpected shift from shy innocence to worldly seductor aroused him even more than he would have ever believed possible.

"What's for dessert, big guy? You?" He continued to suck on his own finger as though he were giving head.

'B... Buh... Blair?"

The young man responded with a giggle. "Come on, Jim. We both know where we're headed. And this time, I know what I'm doing. I did some research this afternoon."

"Research?" Jim echoed foolishly. There was no blood left in his brain. It had all descended to his nether regions.

"Yeah." Blair leaned his chair back and spread his legs wide, displaying the fact that he was equally turned on. "They've got books on everything at the university library." He continued to tongue his finger while allowing his eyelids to drift half closed, giving his lover a hooded, sultry look.

This was starting to get out of hand. Just who was supposed to be seducing whom?

Jim found he'd risen from his chair without even being aware of the action. He stumbled around in a daze and knelt in front of his young lover, resting his hands on the wide-spread thighs and leaning forward to stare upward into the hooded eyes.

"Imp!" he breathed. "You have no idea what you do to me."

Silence hung heavy between the two men, then Sandburg leaned forward laying his warm fingers on the broad shoulders. His lips drifted down to Jim's, a light contact that started tentative, then turned ardent.

As the kiss deepened, Jim closed his eyes and concentrated on his sense of touch. The hands on his shoulders felt so hot the caress branded him with Blair's essence. The tightly muscled legs beneath his hands scorched him through the jeans. Waves of heat radiated from the young man's loins, igniting a head-to-toe conflagration within the detective. But hottest of all was the kiss itself. Blair's scalding lips alternated between soft and giving, then hard and demanding. Jim could have sworn he heard the roar of an inferno consuming the two of them.

Only when it felt as if all the oxygen in the room had been depleted did they break apart.

Blair drew back panting. "Touch me, Jim. Show me what I do to you." He leaned back in to graze his lover's lower lip with pearly teeth. "Make me feel the way you do."

It was all the invitation the man needed. He gathered the smaller body to him, drawing Blair from the chair down astride his own legs. The heat between them increased as two bodies tried to melt into one.

Jim cupped his hand behind the curly head, drawing Blair's mouth to the juncture between his throat and shoulder. Immediately the Guide began to lick and nip at his Sentinel's neck.

Jim shuddered and arched backwards. "Dammit, Angel, but that feels good!"

" 'Angel'?" The kid's laugh was husky with suppressed passion. "I thought I was your 'Imp'," he whispered against the big man's skin.

"Imp... angel... scubbus... All I know is that you're the sexiest man I've ever had in my arms."

The falter before Blair resumed his wet kisses was infinitesimal, but Jim was so attuned to the exquisite body in his arms that he noticed the hesitation instantly.

Shit, thought Jim. He's not as okay with this man/man thing as he's pretending to be.

The older man gently caressed the silky tresses. He'd come to terms with his own bisexuality years ago. He kept forgetting how new this type of relationship was to Blair.

"Yeah," he murmured into the earring-laden ear, "you're the sexiest man or woman I've ever met."

Carefully he brushed a curl back and proceeded to lave the exquisite curve of ear with a hot, wet tongue. "You'd tempt a statue made of stone."

He jumped when the anthropologist blew a raspberry against the hollow of his neck.

"Laying it on pretty thick, aren't you?"

Blair arched backwards in Jim's embrace so that he could look at the face of the man holding him. The magnificent wide eyes twinkled with humor.

Underneath the teasing manner, Jim could hear Sandburg's heart beating erratically. He grinned back giving the kit time to relax.

"Imp! There's no question about it. An angel would know I'm telling the truth."

"Truth is relative." A spark of mischief gleamed in the back of the brilliant blue eyes.

Ellison took up the challenge, allowing the edge of desire to blunt a little, giving Blair more time to adjust and accept.

"Relative to every other person I've ever met, you are without question the sexiest..." He punctuated the statement by pressing his lips to Blair's hairline. "...most beautiful..." This time the kiss fell upon Sandburg's forehead. "...smartest..." A kiss on the left eyelid was followed by one to the right. "...enchanting..." He gave a swipe of tongue to the turned-up nose. "...exasperating..." A tiny nibble at the corner of the luscious full lips. "...seductive..." He nuzzled the chin dark with five o'clock shadow. "...tease I've ever met." His gaze lit on a pale bruise in the hollow of the kid's throat. "And you're mine!" he finished without thinking of his words.

Jim swooped in upon the reddish mark determined to eradicate it with his own brand. He felt his embrace grow decidedly possessive. His mouth suctioned against the vulnerable neck, and he sucked and licked until a large purple bruise covered every trace of Samantha's making.

"Jim!" Blair gasped.

With difficulty Jim regained control of himself. "Do you want me to stop?" he husked, moving his mouth away from the neck only far enough to speak.

"N...no...oooooo..." The grad student's heart was beating strongly and his breathing was rapid. The earlier signs of nervousness were almost gone.

"Good," Jim replied with satisfaction. He found another of Samantha's leavings, and began to cover it with an even larger hickey.

Slowly he worked from beneath the left ear, across the thudding pulse, underneath the adams apple, then up behind the other ear. By the time he was through, every mark left by Samantha had been eradicated by an imprint of his own.

Jim lifted his head and examined his work with satisfaction. Blair's breathing was shallow and his eyes were glazed. Evidently the young man had enjoyed being possessed as much as Jim had enjoyed the possessing.

"More," Blair breathed. "I want more." He reached down and tugged at Jim's shirt. "More skin," he husked. "Your skin."

"Your skin, too, luv. Yours too." Jim pulled away slightly to allow access to their torsos.

The Sentinel shivered as Blair's fingers insinuated themselves under the loose shirt and grazed the sensitive skin of his stomach. Then Blair was pushing the material up with both hands while making hungry little sounds in the back of his throat. The big man gasped at the sensation of cold air against his suddenly bare and heated flesh. He raised his arms and allowed his partner to tug the shirt off over his head.

The young man tossed the shirt onto the floor with a happy grin. "That's better."

As Blair leaned back in to Jim ready to begin stroking the glistening muscular chest, the big man grasped his wrists, blocking the action. "Your turn, Chief," he growled.

Jim released his grip and glided his hands sensuously up the quivering arms, before trailing his fingers tantalizingly down the front of Blair's chest, stopping momentarily to tease the peaked nipples beneath the cloth. Then he reached down to take the hem of the kid's tee-shirt in his hands. In one smooth motion, he pulled the sweaty garment over the young man's head and tossed it on top of the other shirt.

"Hmmmm, beautiful, Imp. I could look at you all day."

"Look?!!! I can think of better things to do than look."

At that, Blair dove in for another of those earth-shattering kisses. At the same time his fingers flew over Jim's chest as though he were trying to map every rib and muscle.

Jim reciprocated, ruffling the springy chest hair with the palm of his hand. When he stroked with the grain, he could have sworn that Blair purred like a big cat.

The bolero playing in the background grounded the two men in its rhythm. Their hands slid across each others' bodies in a dance of erotic discovery. Action mirrored action.

Jim took a hard, brown nub between his finger and thumb and began to knead it gently, imprinting himself with the heat and texture.

Blair's hand slid across his lover's glistening pecs and came to rest over a peaked nipple. He traced around it with a soft fingertip, then grasped the nub and squeezed.

"Ohhhhhhhh..." came a muffled groan in stereo.

Then Jim's mouth slid from Blair's. "I want..."

"What? What do you want?" the young man panted, trying to recapture those bewitching lips.

"This!" Ellison hissed, and moved down the seductively masculine body in his arms to take Blair's other nipple in his mouth. He flicked the tip of the nub with his tongue, delighted to hear Blair's answering moan. Next he trailed wet kisses around the aureole, matching motion for motion Blair's finger movements against his own chest.

When Blair began to pinch again, Jim took Blair's nipple between his teeth and bit down carefully. He slid his teeth back and forth across the sensitive skin, reveling in the salty taste of his love. He nibbled and sucked until the young man was writhing so hard that he slipped from the detective's grip.

"God, Jim, that's... that's..."

"That's what, luv?"

"That's..." The anthropologist seemed to be at a loss for words. "Intense," he replied at last.

"More intense than this?" Jim asked, moving to the other nipple.

Without warning, he bit down again, stopping just short of breaking the skin. He felt the heat in the slender body start to concentrate beneath his mouth. He released the hot little nub and licked it until it glistened with saliva. Then he blew on the hot wet skin.

Blair groaned at the suddenness of the cool air blowing across his superheated skin.

"Jimmmmmmmmmm," he wailed and brought himself up on his knees to grind his pelvis against Jim's groin.

"MMMmmmm, lover," the big man gasped, "I think we'd better take this somewhere more comfortable."

"Nooo..." Blair groaned. "Here. Now!"

Jim threaded his fingers through the thick curls, "We've got time, angel. And it will be a lot more comfortable in bed."

He detached the young man from his body despite Blair's attempts to attach himself to his Sentinel like a limpet. Jim stumbled to his feet and reached down for the grad student's hand.

"Imp," Blair muttered. "Imp, not an angel." He tried to pull Jim back down to him on the floor.

Jim laughed deep in his throat, a sound of triumph. All traces of Samantha had been driven from Sandburg's mind. The young man's world had narrowed to his Sentinel and to the erupting volcano of passion between them.

When it came to strength, there was no contest. Jim grasped both of Blair's wrists and hauled him to his feet.

"You asked for it, Imp."

With that, he swooped Sandburg up into his arms and crushed him to his chest. Blair struggled for a moment, but Jim could tell it was just for the heck of it. Then the young man relaxed into his hold and wrapped his arms around the broad shoulders.

"Okay, Conan. I'm yours. Do with me what you will." His hot eyes dared Jim to do his worst.

Jim found himself growling in the back of his throat like a panther in triumph at the end of a successful chase. Mine! Mine! He's given himself to me. He's all mine!

He ground his lips against Blair's and started blindly for the stairs.

"Mmmmm, yes," Blair murmured against the bruising lips.

Jim had no memory of climbing the steep wooden stairs. He knew he hadn't watched where he'd put his feet, because all his attention had been directed at the prize in his arms. And then they were in Ellison's bedroom, and he was tenderly placing his Guide in the center of the bed.

Blair pushed himself back and spread himself open languidly. He lowered his eyelids, until he was looking through the thick curtain of lashes.

"Show me now, Jim. Show me how to make love."

Jim drew in his breath in a ragged whistle. Blair was asking him for exactly what he wanted to give.

He undid his pants, cursing under his breath as the zipper threatened to stick. He gave a jerk and ignored the tearing sound. Then the jeans were pooling around his ankles and his boxers quickly followed.

He heard Blair gasp at the sight of his naked erection.

Then the Guide was tearing at his own clothes, undoing the fastenings with trembling fingers.

Jim bent over his lover and encouraged the man to raise his hips so that he could help slide the butter-soft worn jeans off. He gave an appreciative smile as Blair's cock sprung free. The kid hadn't bothered to put on any underwear.

The big man's fingers ached to reach out and touch that hot rod of flesh, but he restrained himself long enough to draw the jeans the rest of the way down, dragging his fingers provocatively across the hot flesh as he descended Blair's body.

Once Blair's legs were freed, Jim shoved them apart and knelt back down between them. He paused for a moment and stared down at the delectable sight before him. Mine! The litany returned. Mine, and I don't intend to share!

Blair was spread out before him, open and vulnerable, his eyes wide and trusting. Drops of sweat glistened on the smooth brow and glinted among the downy chest hairs like a scattering of diamonds. That glorious mane of curls was spread across the pillow. There was a matching mass of pubic curls from which a long, thick penis rose proudly.

Blair shoved his hips upwards. "Come on, Jim. Take me," he pleaded.

Jim's eyes slid over the bites and bruises left during their foreplay. He had truly marked Blair's body as his. Now he was going to mark his beloved's soul.

He stretched himself out over Sandburg, blanketing the lithe form with his own big, hard body. Slowly he lowered his pelvis until his penis touched Blair's.

The young man jerked as though a spark of electricity had jumped between their bodies.

Jim kept the greater part of his weight on his forearms placed on either side of his lover's body as he slowly pumped himself up and down, sliding their two shafts together, molten hot steel against heated silk-covered iron.

Blair's arms wrapped about Jim's body, and he thrust upwards, matching stroke for stroke.

For someone who talked so incessantly, Blair was a surprisingly inarticulate lover. The air was filled with little whimpers and groans, gasps and long indrawn breaths; but he never uttered a word. His grip on Jim's shoulders was so strong that the big man knew there would be hand-shaped bruises on his arms in the morning.

Sensations were so concentrated, so powerful, Jim felt himself trembling on the edge of climax. So it was like a splash of ice water when Blair suddenly stopped moving and then slid his hands under Jim's chest to push him up off of him.

"Blair?" he babbled in confusion.

"Inside me, Jim. Please. I want you to take me completely."

"Inside?" Jim wondered if he sounded as confused as he felt. This was only their second time together, and the first experience had been so profound for both of them that they had come from friction alone. Besides, Blair seemed to still be having trouble accepting the male/male part of the relationship. He was truly surprised that the young man was asking for penetration when they hadn't even had oral sex yet.

"Blair, are you sure? You don't know anything about anal intercourse?"

He shifted all his weight to one arm and stroked Blair's cheek tenderly. He remembered Blair's confession two nights before when the kid had admitted that he'd concentrated so hard on getting up his courage to accept Jim as a lover than he'd never "researched" the mechanics of it.

Blair's eyes were wide, the pupils huge. The Sentinel could hear the increased heart rate, but the nod was firm and decisive. "I'm sure."

"I want this, Jim," he continued. "I need to go all the way. I can't just work up to this. I need to find out if this thing between us is really as strong as I think."

It's love, Blair, not a 'thing.' But Ellison did not speak the words aloud. It seemed that the young man needed to accept the whole physical side of their relationship before he could he could even consider that there was an emotional side as well.

"Blair, I don't want to hurt you. You're still a virgin when it comes to this kind of love. We both need to know what we're doing before we try what you're asking."

"You know," Blair whispered as his own hand came up to stroke Jim's cheek in return. "And I did my research while I was at the library this afternoon. I know what's involved. Believe me, big guy, I've really thought about this, and I want it. I want you. All of you."

Jim felt his will slipping. Blair's fingers were leaving a trail of fire across his face, and his erection rested hard and firm against Jim's stomach.

"Blair, baby," he made one last effort, "there are certain preparations that we need to make... especially for the first time."

"I'm prepared." Blair's response was so soft that only a Sentinel could have heard it. He reached down between their bodies and drew a silky finger along Jim's hard cock.

"Blair, I mean more that just prepared emotionally. There's... there's..."

Blair cut off the big man's embarrassed stutter with a finger across the lips. "Jim, I know what you mean. I really did research it. I bought an enema on the way home. That's why I was in the bathroom so long. I wanted to be ready for you if I found that I did want this."

He looked up at his blessed protector, his eyes serious and shy, yet determined. "And I do want this, lover. I want you to come inside me. I want to see stars and hear chimes. I want you."

Jim found tears spilling from his eyes at this beautiful, unanticipated offer.

"Whatever you want, angel. Whatever you want."

He rolled off Blair and reached inside the night stand for the condoms and tube of lube he always kept there.

As he slid back onto the bed, Blair smiled up at him. "I knew you'd be prepared."

"Yeah, always prepared. That's my motto. How'd you know I used to be a boy scout?" The humor was an attempt to lighten the tension.

"Take's one to know one," Blair laughed back, his eyes hotly following Jim's big hands as the man rolled the condom down his seeping erection.

"You mean your mom let you join a fascist group like the scouts. I'd think she'd consider an organized group like that almost as bad as she does cops..."

He considered Blair for a moment, then decided that he'd probably prefer his first experience to be face-to-face. Jim got on his knees and slid between the young man's thighs. Then he reached down and took Blair's right leg and placed it over his shoulder, pulling the young man up until his butt rested on Jim's thighs.

"Mom didn't have any choice in the matter," Blair returned, speaking with difficulty. He wiggled into a more comfortable position, but seemed unable to decide what to do with his other leg. He allowed it to splay out to one side as Jim took a big dollop of lube on his index finger and rubbed it across the puckered opening of the young man's anus.

"I always get what I want," Blair continued. He gasped as Jim slowly slid his index finger inside him. "And I wanted to learn all about camping and knots and boating and stuff like that... things she didn't know anything about to teach me."

Blair closed his eyes, evidently concentrating on the never-before-experience sensation. "Ohhhhhhhhh...." his voice trailed away as Jim began to pump his finger in and out, stretching the tight opening.

"And it looks like I'm no more proof against your wiles as your mother was."

Jim added more lube and a second finger. This time Blair whimpered softly.

Jim hesitated. "Am I hurting you?"

"No," Blair shook his head vehemently. "You could never hurt me, Jim."

Ellison was shaken to his core by the matter-of-fact trust in his Guide's voice.

"I want this to be good for you, Blair. Please don't let me go too fast."

Jim heard a roaring in his ears. This went so far beyond what he'd expected of the evening. His cock was aching with need and he didn't know how much longer he could last.

But Blair was relaxing surprisingly quickly. Perhaps it was his utter level of trust -- or maybe it was the Guide/Sentinel pheromones. Whatever it was, Blair's inner muscles responded quickly to the stimulation and the spincter muscle relaxed surprisingly fast.

With a groan Jim added a third finger and probed rapidly.

The kid raised his hips and began to thrust back in response.

"Your cock, Jim. Put your cock in me now!"

Blair's own penis was weeping copiously with pre-cum and it twitched in sympathy with Jim's.

"Okay, lover," Jim replied.

He positioned the head of his shaft at the puckered opening, then lifted the left leg to lie on his shoulder as well. Grasping Blair's now writhing hips, he and pulled the young man forward as he thrust slowly into the waiting body.

"Aiiiieeee," Blair cried, whipping his head back and forth and clawing up the sheet with both hands. His back arched off the bed so that all his weight rested on his shoulders and on Jim's thighs. He reached for his own cock and began to stroke it urgently.

Jim realized that the cry had been as much from passion as from pain.

He held still trying to allow Blair's body more time to adjust to its filling, but Blair's frenzied thrusts were starting to drive him over the edge.

"Jimmmmmmmm!" Blair pulled away, then thrust back, impaling himself completely on Jim's cock.

Feeling his balls thump against the smooth, rounded ass cheeks, Jim could constrain himself no longer. He began to thrust back into his beautiful lover, driving his penis in deeper with each shove. He was enveloped in a tight hot channel of spasming muscle that robbed him of all coherent thought.

With a shout Blair came, spurting across his and Jim's abdomens.

The sharp muscle contractions signaled Jim's own eruption. He exploded into Blair's body, spurt after spurt of liquid lava exiting his loins.

As the world went black, he had just enough presence of mind to slide sideways so that he wouldn't crush the beloved body beneath his own.

He came to with Blair crouched over him frantically shaking his shoulders.

"Jim! Jim! Are you all right? What happened, man? Did you zone?"

"No, Chief. Definitely not a zone."

He pulled Blair down onto his chest, cradling the hard male body against his own.

"I passed out. That was the most intense orgasm I've ever experienced. You are..." he searched for a way to express himself, finally settling for "...the finest lover I've ever had."

Blair laid his face against Jim's shoulder and rubbed against him lovingly. "And you are the best lover I've ever had. Wow!"

They snuggled into each others arms, drifting off to sleep contentedly.

Jim's last thought before sleep overtook him was, "He's mine now. All mine. He just has to recognize it for himself."

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