Riding the Waves

This was written for the Harlequin Challenge 2011 over at Livejournal. It is of course Eames/Arthur slashy goodness.

Prompt used: All uptight workaholic Drucilla Robichoux wants is to experience incredible sex, at least once in her life. So she heads off to Mexico for some sun, sand and sin. And she finds the perfect playmate in sexy surf instructor Alex. Her temporary boy toy teaches Dru to ride the waves, all right…right into the most intense climaxes she's ever had! But all vacation flings must end. When Dru heads home, she buttons up tight again. Might as well keep this delicious fantasy right where it belongs…in her naughty memories. So it sure is a shock when she walks into work Monday morning and finds her secret fling is her new boss! And he's definitely still interested in catching the big one with Dru.

I fell in love with this prompt the moment I read it, so I went ahead and bought the book that the prompt came from. I greatly enjoyed it! So my fanfiction has a few similarities to the book, but enough differences that its not a rewrite. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Eames and Arthur are my OTP and I adore them. I welcome all thoughts and criticism, though try to be gentle. It's my first big one. :)

This was betaed by my best friend in RL, I've been trying to get her to make a livejournal account, no success yet but I will win in the end! So anyway, thank you M for your patience in beta' this long piece of word. haha you are my hero!

I made the Cover Art myself, I wouldn't mind ( Which means I would LOVE) if anyone else wants to do some fanart or a fanmix or anything for this fanfiction. I would bloody love you forever if you did.

There are two covers-
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.com/art/Riding-the-Waves-Cover-1-199156556

Arthur Quinn rubbed his face tiredly as he leaned back in his chair, he'd been up since five o'clock this morning working in the office in the hopes that he would be able to finish the last minute paperwork that had been thrust onto him by his lazy co-workers.

The sound of knocking made him look up, and a small smile lit his face when he saw who it was.

"Hey Arthur, you want to grab a bite to eat? If you keep skipping your lunch breaks like this you're going to become a skeleton." Arthur's best friend and fellow co-worker, Ariadne Remir, asked.

Arthur looked over the papers scattered around his desk and made up his mind quickly.

"Let's go." Standing up from his desk before he could change his mind he put on his suit jacket and walked out of his office.

"So how did your date go last night?"

Arthur let out a weary sigh and slowly shook his head.

"Maybe I should just give up and join a monastery. It's clear that I'm never going to find a man who knows how to show a guy a good time."

Ariadne winced and patted his arm in sympathy.

"Can't say I'm surprised, I still can't believe you went out on a date with that guy." Arthur had met Gary Brien at a work convention and gone on three dates with the guy. Arthur had thought he would at least be an interesting conservationist but apparently the man was as dull and boring with conversation as he was at sex. Arthur had almost told the guy to get lost when he'd taken his suspenders off.

"Yea he was a bawler."

"Ooh, bet that sucked."

"Oh you have no idea. The idiot didn't even get his dick touched before he was bawling."

Ariadne handed him a sandwich and took a seat. Arthur sat across from her and continued to talk.

Arthur wanted sex, and not just any sex, great sex. Mind-blowing, orgasm-screaming sex. Something he'd never had and considering his luck so far might never have. He'd been fourteen when he realized that he liked dick instead of cunt. But he was a very intellectual person, he needed his lovers to have a brain when they had sex, so he never had sex with any of the buff but idiotic boys and later men. But all his lovers so far had been terrible at sex, they might have a P.H.D in something or other but they certainly failed grade school in the intimate class.

He knew he was missing out but…it wasn't like he had many choices. Arthur wasn't a very social creature and was in fact very shy. But since he hid his shyness well, everyone figured he was just an unapproachable bastard at the best of times and at the worst of times he was the devil himself on ice.

"Well, he couldn't be any worse than the whiner could he? You know the one who had a picture of Tyra Banks pined on the ceiling over his bed."

Arthur grimaced in remembrance, and finished his sandwich in record time. He needed to get back to his office to finish off some paperwork before he could call it a day.

"No, they were both equally as bad."

Ariadne was the only person who he could would talk with like this. When Arthur had first come to work for Inception Inc. Ariadne had been the first person who had talked to him without giving him a cold shoulder after his less then friendly hello. It hadn't been his fault entirely, whenever he got nervous or unsure he tended to clam up tighter then a Victorian woman. Ariadne had looked past all that and had taken him in, so to say. She'd become his best friend and his only true confident. Arthur was grateful, more then he could ever say for Ariadne's kindness.

"You know what you need?"

"What?"

"You need to find someone who can make you orgasm without even touching your dick."

"Ariadne!"

"No hear me out, you need to give up corporate junkies because clearly they don't know shit about sex and find yourself a hunky piece of man flesh that will leave you screaming in multiple orgasms."

"You do know I'm a guy right? We can't have multiple orgasms."

Ariadne winked. "Shows how much you know. If a guy's doing it right then they so can have multiple orgasms. It's all about how fast the guy can get it back up after coming."

Arthur shook his head. He couldn't believe they were having this kind of conversation in the mess hall. Actually…Arthur looked over at Ariadne who was smirking at him while dipping her spoon in a cup of yogurt. He could believe it.

"Even if that was true, which I don't believe it is, the chances of me finding a guy who can do that for me is slim to none."

Ariadne sighed...then a devious glint shown in her eye.

"Maybe not here but…if you were on vacation, let's say somewhere hot and exotic then maybe…just maybe…"

Arthur shook his head. "No, I know where you're going with this and my answer is no. You forget that next month is when I start Project Totem. It's the most important event in my entire life. I have so much paperwork and preparations that I need to catch up on, not to mention the charts I need to draw up."

"I haven't forgotten Arthur, but what I do know is that you've already been preparing for the project for six months already. You're all caught up with your paperwork, and you haven't had a vacation in…well since I've known you! A vacation will do you wonders. It'll help you relax and get some great sex, plus by the time you come back, you'll be a limp noodle of a man who can talk his way into grants like they were a girl's panties."

"I don't like girls."

"Not the point Arthur! You know what I mean! Come on, you have to see the upside of this!"

Arthur paused in thought; he did see the upside of this, which entirely annoyed him while also giving him pause for thought.

"Well…I guess I can see the perks for such a thing."

Ariadne pumped her fist in the air. "YEA!"

"Hey I haven't decided yet if I'm actually going to do it! I just said I know the pros, but there are a lot of cons too you know!"

Ariadne waved away his protest. "Please, the moment I mentioned hot, sweaty, gay sex you were all over it like a dog with a juicy bone."

Arthur didn't even try to protest, he knew it would be of no use against Ariadne and truthfully she was right, it had been so long since he'd had a vacation. It was a chance to unwind and relax. Something he desperately needed…well, that and mind blowing sex.

As if she could read his mind Ariadne stood up. "I'll go look up good places out of the country. Hmm, how about Mexico? Beach, beautiful sunsets…and hot tan men?"

"Sounds good."

It sounded more than good. It sounded like just the thing that Arthur Quinn needed in his life.

Arthur inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, running a hand through his ungeled hair as he looked out onto the ocean, watching the waves crash onto the white sanded beach.

Oh yes, this was so much better than sitting in his office chair and fixing other peoples spelling problems. Instead of his usual suits, he was dressed in jeans and a tight shirt that showed off his chest muscles.

Just because he was desk chained didn't mean he didn't work out, he believed in a healthy body, healthy mind.

Ariadne had booked him a week's stay at a Resort named Arena Blanca in México. The name meant White Sand, and it was correctly named. The whole area was like some kind of a magical region. Arthur had just arrived at the hotel, he'd come straight from the airport and he hadn't even gone up to his room yet. The moment he'd checked in he'd walked out the back doors and onto the beach.

Arthur scanned the waves in front of him, not really looking for anything in particular, just enjoying the view. The sun was setting in the background and the sky was a wonderful array of color.

That's when he saw him. What could only be a god on water…

Oh my fucking…Arthur's mind couldn't think after that. The surfer was riding the waves in such a way that Arthur's pants were getting tighter by the second and had his mouth drying faster than a desert.

The light from the sun was fading as evening approached but Arthur could still make out the man's sleek muscles and mouth-watering six pack.

Not to mention the black markings on the man that could only be tattoos. Arthur had never thought the idea of tattoos would make him hard enough to rip his pant seams but you learn something new every day and what Arthur wanted to learn right now was just how those tattoos would taste on his tongue.

Arthur felt his body freeze as the man came back in from the surf. He watched him go to the surfboard shed and store his board.

A regular then, not just another tourist.

The man suddenly looked Arthur's way and Arthur felt his whole body go hot and cold at the same time. The man's gaze was like a burning ray and yet it sent shivers down his back.

It was the good kind of shivers too.

Suddenly the man smiled and Arthur melted, on the inside at least, on the outside he was aware of his blushing face and meek position.

The man suddenly began to walk towards Arthur who in turn stood frozen to the spot like he was glued there. He could only watch as the man walked closer and closer.

The closer the man got the more Arthur could see of him. He was shorter then Arthur by an inch or so and was of a stockier build, which included a lot of muscles and tattoos. He looked to be around Arthur's age; early to mid-twenties at most.

There was a slight scuff of facial hair on his face which could be the beginning of a beard, either that or the guy just forgot the shave for a day or two. His light caramel hair was short cropped in the back but floppy on top. Arthur's fingers itched to pet that hair.

This was just the kind of distraction Ariadne had been talking about and the kind of distraction Arthur craved.

The man stopped about a foot away from Arthur and let his eyes travel up and down. Arthur felt that his face was going to combust, but in a show of bravery he gave the surfer the same treatment.

He really, really liked what he saw.

"Well, hello darling."

"Hi." Arthur squeaked when he heard the British accent and then internally cursed himself for his awkwardness. Here was a hot man who was actually talking to Arthur and what does he do? He was freaking squeaking!

The man didn't seem to mind, his smile just widened and his eyes twinkled.

It was frankly, adorable.

"So, what's your name gorgeous?"

Arthur's eyes widened at the man's bluntness and the fact that he called Arthur gorgeous.

"Uh…Arthur. And you are sir?"

The man's head fell back as he laughed at Arthur's politeness. Arthur felt a sting of annoyance.

"Oh pet, you are a treasure. I'm Eames. I'm going to take a guess and say that you're a tourist right?"

"Yes…" Arthur said cautiously, not seeing where this conversation was going.

"And I'm also going to guess that you've never surfed before."

"What are you trying to say?" Arthur was slightly annoyed with the man now. While he was gorgeous in a muscular kind of way, his pick up lines could use some work.

Arthur didn't want to converse with Eames, he just wanted to fuck him.

"Just that I would love to give you one-on-one lessons, totally free of charge of course. Just being in your presence would be charge enough."

"Does that line usually work?"

Eames laughed. "Most of the time darling."

Arthur couldn't help but smile. While the man had pretty bad pick up lines and was kind of cheesy, he had a certain charm that kind of voided everything else.

Without even realizing it, Arthur had relaxed and calmed down. He wasn't nervous or embarrassed anymore and despite being somewhat annoyed at the man, he found himself enjoying the banter. Not that he wouldn't enjoy going down on the man at the moment but…well maybe talking wasn't too bad.

"So darling, is that a yes to those lessons?" Eames all but purred.

Arthur shivered and once again became aware of his pressing erection in his pants.

Arthur wanted to say yes, oh did he want to say yes, but…he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was scared. Not of the sex exactly, because he was no blushing virgin, but Eames was someone way out of his league. He was so far he might as well be on the other side of the universe.

Here was Arthur who was a pencil pusher and kind of an icy bastard and then there was Eames…who was hot and buff and a surfer and had a British accent and…really hot…

"Darling, you still there?"

Arthur was startled out of his thoughts and realized that he had been standing there in silence for who knows how long. He blushed and tilted his head down.

"Ah, sorry about that. Umm about those lessons…I'm not sure if I can learn to surf."

"Oh darling, it's not that hard, I'll totally teach you. It'll be fun, come on." Arthur looked up and wished he hadn't. Eames was pouting…was pouting for god's sake…and his full lips made it devastatingly effective.

"…Shit…if you bottled that pout you'd make a fortune on selling it as a weapon of mass control."

Arthur only realized what he said as Eames laughed so hard he had to lean forward and brace himself on his knees.

"Oh darling that's hilarious!"

Arthur was mortified; he couldn't believe he had said something like that out loud. He was already backing away in order to make a full strategic retreat when Eames suddenly stopped laughing.

"Don't leave sweetheart. I'm sorry I laughed but you have to admit that was pretty funny. Look, how about you think about it and I'll see you tomorrow and you can give me your answer then? Is that alright?"

Arthur looked into Eames' eyes and knew the answer; he would say yes, would always say yes to this man and that's what truly scared the hell out of him. He needed to leave before he broke…he was already questioning himself on why that would be a bad idea.

"…Sure, I can do that. Look I need to go back, jetlag and all that."

Eames looked only mildly disappointed which brought the annoyance rearing back its ugly head in Arthur.

"Right, well till tomorrow. Have sweet, naughty dreams of me darling."

Arthur couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he watched Eames turn and walk away down the beach. Arthur stood there until the man was out of sight then sighed and turned back to the hotel.

It was going to be a long night for Arthur. Maybe a cold shower wouldn't be erroneous…

Arthur woke up early and decided to just lay about for a while, something that he would never do at home; there was always somewhere he had to be or something that needed doing.

Not here though, here he could relax and just let time pass him by without even thinking about it.

Well that and he had morning wood from a fantastically realistic wet dream about Eames and a bottle of coconut oil.

Arthur groaned and rolled over onto his back, slipping his hand down his chest to twist his nipples until they peaked and hardened. While one of his hands did that he let the other one slide down further until he wrapped it around his hardened cock.

Slowly stroking his hardened length, Arthur closed his eyes and envisioned that it was Eames' hand on his cock instead of his own.

"Mmm…ah…" Arthur began to jerk off, his hand alternating between squeezing his cock and stroking it.

"Oh gods…" Arthur moaned out loud as he fantasized about how Eames' mouth would feel on his hot dick, his slick tongue caressing up and down alongside Arthur's length and teasing the head and slit as pre-cum leaked continuously.

It didn't take long for Arthur to come after that. His back arched off the bed as thick ropes of cum splashed on his hand and stomach.

Arthur fell back onto the bed with a huff, more relaxed and satisfied then he'd been in a long time and if it was that good just fantasizing about Eames…well the real deal might just kill him, or at the very least send him into a coma.

It would be so totally worth it.

After awhile Arthur got up and took a shower, then debated on whether to shave or not when he got out. On one hand he loved being clean shaved but on the other hand he was on fucking vacation and if he wanted to walk around with day old stubble on his face then he could and fuck anyone who would tell him different.

Finally though Arthur decided to shave the short stubble on his face because while he could remain unshaved he had no real desire too.

Arthur dressed in a pair of khakis and a tight dark blue shirt, then he slipped on a pair of sandals and grabbed a beach towel before he left his room.

Arthur absentmindedly wondered if he would run into Eames but he didn't get his hopes up, for all that Arthur knew Eames was already gone.

Walking out of his room he debated on where to go. He wasn't particularly hungry so he decided to skip the breakfast in the dining area. That left the beach or…well it basically left the beach. Arthur thought about getting a message but decided that he would do that tomorrow instead.

He was all about spacing out his activities over the course of the week.

So Arthur began to walk at a brisk pace towards the beach. It was late enough in the morning that there were more than a few hotel guests already at the beach. Some laying out on beach towels and others swimming and surfing in the crystal clear water.

Arthur walked out and down the beach a bit until he came to a spot that had fewer people on it.

He snapped out the towel and placed it onto the ground. Then kicking off his sandals he sat down facing the water.

It was nice and relaxing and it made Arthur take in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. He leaned back a bit on his elbows and closed his eyes as he listened to the waves.

"Ah sweetheart, fancy seeing you here." A voice purred next to him.

Arthur's eyes snapped open and his mouth opened in a wordless cry of shock as he threw himself to the side without thought, and coughed up a mouthful of sand while a pair of hands patted his back and head.

"I'm sorry darling, I didn't mean to frighten you."

Arthur automatically began to protest as he pushed Eames back and sat up. "You didn't frighten me, only startled."

Arthur looked up in time to see Eames crouching over him with a amused smile on his face and because Arthur had always been a very self-conscious person took it to mean that Eames was laughing at him.

Arthur's pride reared its head and he scowled at Eames as he stood to his feet, his mouth tasted uncomfortably like sand and felt terrible and being laughed at by this man was something he did not need right now.

"I'm glad I amuse you Mr. Eames. Now if you'll excuse me, there's somewhere else I need to be." The away from you clear in his tone.

Eames' surprised face quickly morphed into slight panic as Arthur began to walk away.

Well…more like stomped away.

"No, wait sweetheart! I wasn't laughing at you…well, okay I was, but I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry, please don't go."

Arthur made the mistake of looking back over his shoulder. He stopped walking as his eyes took in the sad pouting look Eames' was sporting.

Oh that's not playing remotely fair…

Arthur took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Even if he was still embarrassed he turned back around to face Eames.

"Fine, is there something I can do for you Mr. Eames?"

Arthur finally got a good look at Eames and felt his mouth go even dryer. Eames was clad in a tight t-shirt that displayed every fucking muscle on the man. His abs and arms looked like they were made of steel and the tight jeans showed off the man's…impressive package.

Arthur's mouth which had been dry suddenly began to fill with saliva. He was so intent on staring at Eames body that he almost missed what Eames' was saying.

"….and I was talking to Yusuf about…darling? Have you been listening?"

"Of course." Arthur lied. He didn't want Eames to know that he had been paying more attention to Eames fucking hot body then the words out of his mouth.

"So then, is that a yes?"

"Uh…" Arthur said elegantly, truthfully he hadn't heard a single word that Eames had been saying and was frankly scared to say anything least he say something stupid.

Eames though seemed to sense Arthur's turmoil and with only a small grin he continued to talk in order to catch Arthur up to speed.

"I was just wondering if you would prefer learning now or later tonight. The surf is good right now but there are quite a lot of people around, and I don't know about you but surfing in the evening is quite an experience." Eames said with a leer on his face.

Oh he was talking about surfing lessons. Arthur didn't remember agreeing to them but…well what the hell did he have to lose? Well other than making a complete fool of himself when he totally sucked in front of Eames.

Arthur looked around the area, Eames was right, there were a lot of people around and while Arthur really didn't mind learning to surf during the daylight hours he knew that he would much prefer to have Eames with him later when it was darker and there were less witnesses around for when Arthur lost his shit and jumped the British man.

"I guess later would be alright, I'm not sure if I'm cut out for surfing but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try new things." Arthur said smoothly.

Eames' smile widened even further if that was possible. He clapped his hands once in delight and Arthur couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for the silly man in front of him.

"So darling, now that we got that out of the way, I was wondering if you would like to join me for lunch?" Eames asked gently as if he was afraid that he might scare Arthur off by asking.

Arthur, while startled by the question, agreed readily though he didn't know why. He was already going to sleep with the man, the surfing lessons and all that, while interesting, wasn't something that Arthur would have regularly done without some other kind of incentive. But he found himself wanting to spend more time with the man, and that interest seemed to be mutual.

Lunch passed quickly as Eames and Arthur chatted and ate. Arthur was startled by how easy it was to just talk to Eames.

They both talked about their favorite movies and types of music, they debated good naturally on books and an array of different topics. Arthur found out that Eames had an unhealthy fascination with paisley pattern shirts but Arthur wasn't too put out about it considering his own obsession with ties and tailored suits.

Arthur hadn't even realize that almost an entire afternoon had passed them by as they sat at their table and talked, but as a loud crowd of young adults past by them Arthur took a moment to look around.

The sun was hanging low in the sky and everything was shaded in yellows and oranges, there were also fewer people around as well.

"Wow, how long have we been here?" Arthur was astonished, he never lost track of time, mostly because back home time meant money and deadlines.

Eames looked around himself, he didn't seem as surprised as Arthur but he did raise an eyebrow at the almost deserted dining room.

"Well darling it seems that we both lost track of time. Crying shame that." He grinned at Arthur who couldn't stop a blush from rising in his cheeks at the sly wink Eames sent him.

Arthur coughed discreetly and slowly got up to his feet. He'd meant to check his e-mail today, even though Ariadne had threatened to castrate him if he did. Despite being on vacation, Arthur was co-head of his department and had certain responsibilities.

"Well Mr. Eames, if you are still up for my surfing lesson I hope you don't mind waiting a bit longer. I have a few things I need to do first, if you don't mind."

"Oh darling, I'm so up and ready that I can hardly contain myself." Eames purred with low leveled eyes.

Arthur squirmed a little on his feet. His blush which had started to fade came back with a vengeance. He had been having such a good time talking to Eames and gotten comfortable that he'd almost forgotten how sexy the man was.

Well that wasn't completely true, he hadn't forgotten how sexy Eames was, he had just gotten very comfortable with it.

But Eames seemed to have a thing for corny lines, and for the life of him Arthur couldn't believe that they seemed to work on him.

For pride's sake Arthur rolled his eyes at Eames' clichéd line.

"Really Mr. Eames? That's the best you can do?" Arthur said dryly.

Eames eyes narrowed dangerously and then flashed Arthur a devilish smirk, the likes of which caused Arthur's legs to go weak at the knee.

"Oh I can do much better than that darling. I'll be happy to demonstrate so tonight. How does an hour sound? Is that enough time for you to get your little errands done?"

Now Arthur's eyes narrowed at the slight condescending tone in Eames voice. But even as Arthur prickled at Eames arrogant manner the blood in his veins boiled hotter and his heartbeat sped up.

Well two can play this game, Arthur may not have as much practice as Eames seemed to, but Arthur knew he was attractive and he knew how to use that to his advantage too.

Arthur's eye lids lowered and he allowed his facial muscles to relax. He leaned back on the balls of his feet and crocked his mouth into a smirk.

"I think, Mr. Eames, that if you really want me out in the waves…" Arthur purred and was delighted to see Eames' face slacked in shock and arousal. "…you'd better go tidy up and bring out your best. I know I will." And with that Arthur allowed his hand to come up and slowly drift down his chest, touching lightly.

The way Eames reacted it was like Arthur dropped pants and touched himself. The man's face was red and his eyes became glazed as they followed the slow trail of Arthur's hand.

Arthur felt empowered and not a little turned on by how much he seemed to affect Eames.

Arthur turned and walked away, he didn't trust himself now that the heat and lust was fully back. He also didn't trust Eames, the way the man had been looking at him Arthur wouldn't be surprised if the man manhandled him onto the dining table and had his way with him right there.

Arthur wasn't sure if he would have protested much if the man did such a thing, which should have worried Arthur, if he didn't find it incredibly hot instead.

Before he had left though, he made one more parting remark to the gapping man behind him.

"I trust that I'll be seeing you in an hour? With the proper equipment?" Arthur couldn't help but snicker as he listened to Eames choking behind him.

Oh yea, Arthur definitely had it. He didn't even mind that Eames was watching his ass as he walked away.

Hell, at this point he wanted Eames to look at his ass…maybe it will give the man ideas, ideas that Arthur could totally get behind.

"Okay darling, now lift your body up with your legs and-"

"Damnit Eames! I thought the whole point of learning to surf would mean I would be in the actual water! Not on the beach looking like some kind of idiot!"

Arthur was laid atop of a surf board on the sand ten feet from the water. Eames was surprisingly patient while teaching Arthur how to balance on a surf board.

This wasn't how Arthur had pictured his evening turning out. Maybe he hadn't truly believed Eames when he said he wanted to teach Arthur to surf, he hadn't believed the man would actually show up with two surf boards and dressed in swimming trunks.

Luckily Arthur had dressed casually enough with a pair of swim trunks underneath his pants. While he might not have believed in the lessons he had thought that they might end up in the water for one reason or another.

Even after being surprised, Arthur had agreed to being taught and he was both pleased and irritated. While he wanted to just get to the main course and fuck Eames -and Eames seemed to know that with the heated looks he kept on shooting Arthur- Arthur also liked how Eames seemed to want more, wanted to show Arthur that it wasn't just the sex he wanted.

Although Arthur wouldn't protest the sex part, if they ever fucking got around to it.

"Darling, I know this can be frustrating but you need to learn how to balance on a board first, otherwise you're going to have a bunch of unpleasant wipeouts."

Arthur grinded his teeth together as he glared at Eames and spoke through clenched teeth. "Look, I don't care about that, it's not like I'm trying to become a pro or something. I have excellent balance and I'm just saying that I think I can handle small waves at the very least."

At Eames' unsure look Arthur decided to try a different approach.

"Look Eames, its late enough that if we don't go far out then the waves are hardly taller then you or me. Besides, I have you there don't I? If I wipeout you can just pick me back up, also it's late enough that we're going to lose daylight. If you want to do anything else tonight we should be heading in soon anyway."

Arthur's mouth stretched into a come-hither smile. Eames' eyes zeroed onto it like a laser point. Arthur had the pleasure of seeing Eames flush and swallow harshly.

"Well I—if you think you're up to it darling then I guess we can go out. Just take it easy though, okay?"

Arthur waved his hand in a 'sure, sure whatever you say' kind of way.

Eames gave him one more uncertain look before grabbing his own board and heading towards the surf, Arthur followed dutifully.

Being out in the water…on a surf board…it was nothing like Arthur had imagined it would be…it was indefinitely better.

"Oh my god!" Arthur gasped out, sputtering out sea water as he fell over for the millionth time, once he resurfaced though he couldn't help but laugh with glee.

This was the most fun he'd had in…well years.

"Are you alright darling?" Eames asked but didn't seem overly concerned judging by the big ass grin on his face.

"Am I alright? Yea fuck I'm alright! Jesus…" Arthur breathed out as he climbed back on his board.

They've been out on the water for a quarter of an hour now and Arthur had only managed to stay on his board once on a wave, the rest of the time he spent falling heels over head into the water with Eames next to him laughing loudly.

Arthur didn't mind the laughter, well mostly. At first he'd been annoyed and embarrassed but after a while even he could see the humor of the situation.

Arthur sucked at surfing and he didn't even mind that fact.

Taking a deep breath Arthur pushed his wet hair out of his eyes. His body was aching and he was sure that he had at least a gallon of sea water stuck in his lungs.

After a minute deliberating with himself he decided it would be best to take a break.

"Hey Eames, I'm going to head back in for a moment, I need to catch my breath."

Eames, who was floating next to Arthur on his own surf board nodded his head.

"That's alright darling, I was just thinking to myself that it was getting a bit too dark. We should probably call it for tonight."

Arthur sighed but agreed to call it a night. He had been enjoying himself despite his recurring habit of sailing off his board and into the water.

They both swam back inland, Arthur whose brain and body had been enjoying being out on the water suddenly got a more carnal craving.

Arthur jammed his surf board into the sand as they arrived on the beach and watched Eames do the same next to him.

"So darling, I was thinking…" Eames began but he never got the chance to finish his sentence as Arthur all but flew at the man.

Arthur pressed his lips tightly against Eames'. For a moment nothing happened and Arthur feared that he had moved too quickly. That fear flew out the window when not a second later Eames hands came up and gripped Arthur's forearms tightly as his mouth slotted over Arthur's in a wet mess.

Arthur moaned softly as Eames' hot tongue glided over Arthur's lips, requesting entrance to the hot depths within. Arthur's lips parted and Eames took that as invitation to slip his hot dripping tongue down Arthur's throat.

Arthur didn't care that they were out in the open for anyone to see, usually he would be mortified at the very idea of public displays but at the moment he couldn't be bothered to give a fuck, not with Eames' tongue winding itself around Arthur's.

Arthur tried to press closer to Eames' body which seemed to be radiating heat like some kind of furnace.

He didn't know for how long they stood there kissing, it could have been mere minutes but it felt like hours.

Finally though they both had to break for air, Arthur pulled back and gasped for breath while Eames' chest heaved heavily.

Arthur took a step backwards, trying and failing to ignore the way Eames' arms tried to stop his retreat.

"Wait, wait. Hold on a moment." Arthur backed away again as Eames tried to get closer. "We can't do this here, not where anyone can see us."

"Darling, I hate to point out the obvious but you did kiss me first." Eames said helpfully.

Arthur glared at him, "Yes Eames, I'm aware of that fact, thank you very much."

"I have a small summer cabin about half a mile from here, if you'd rather go there."

Arthur hesitated for a moment, on one hand he would be going with this man who he barely knew someplace he'd never been. On the other hand he would be going with this hot man to someplace they could be alone and hopefully have hot passionate sex.

Oh the decisions.

"Sure, why not." Arthur shrugged his shoulders, trying to go for nonchalant but he had a hunch that it didn't work, Eames' smile was way too wide for that.

"Oh darling." Eames breathed and without even realizing it Arthur was already back into Eames arms being kissed with a passion that sent his skin sizzling.

It took them a while but they finally managed to break away from each other long enough to put the surf boards away in the shed and make their way to Eames cabin.

Before leaving, Arthur redressed into his loose shirt and pants. Eames hadn't brought anything else other than a t-shirt, and Arthur's mouth couldn't help but water as he watched Eames' muscles flex as he brought up the t-shirt and slipped it on even though his torso was still damp from the ocean.

"Shall we darling?" Eames asked, Arthur nodded his head and they walked side by side down the beach.

"Nice place." Arthur remarked as Eames' held the door open for him. The cabin was indeed small with only two rooms. The first room held everything; it had a small kitchenette in one corner and a queen size bed in another. A small love seat and an end table were the only other furniture in the room. Arthur took a guess that the door to the side held the bathroom.

All in all it was quite cozy and held hints of Eames all over. The couch and quilt on the bed were both patterned paisley and mugs filled with the remnants of tea were scattered around the kitchenette and the table.

Arthur took it all in as he walked inside and stood next to the couch. Despite it being less then clean Arthur felt more comfortable in here then he did his own hotel room, which was almost sterile in its cleanliness.

"I know it's not much but its home for the moment. I usually spend a few months here and head back to the states the rest of the year." Eames said casually as he picked up two mugs and dropped them in the small sink.

Arthur turned to Eames who continued to walk around, trying to clean up some. "Oh? So you don't just surf all year long?" Arthur's tone was teasing but he was genuinely curious. Eames hadn't talked much about himself despite the rather long lunch break they had today.

"Hmm? Oh no, surfing is more of an enjoyable hobby of mine. I live in New York most of the year and they don't really have beaches made for surfing. So when I come down here I make sure I get my fill of it to hold out the rest of the year."

"New York? Really? I live in Manhattan myself." Arthur said.

"Really? Huh, I guess we're practically neighbors then." Eames seemed to have finished with his little cleaning streak and was now stalking up to Arthur.

"Yes I guess we are…and as neighbors we should of course get to know each other a little more." Arthur purred out as Eames wrapped his large arms around Arthur.

"Oh darling that's the plan." Eames mumbled as his lips descended onto Arthur's.

Soon clothes were flying through the air and Eames was pressing Arthur's naked body onto his paisley covered bed. Eames' mouth hardly left Arthur's as they tried to devour each other.

Arthur allowed his hands to wander like they've been dying to since he'd first caught sight of Eames' naked chest. They caressed across Eames' shoulders and then down to his chest. Eames let out a pleased rumble as Arthur's agile fingers caught and plucked at his nipples until they were hard in his hands.

Eames broke the kiss and Arthur was horrified to hear himself whine in need. He ignored that though as he tried to recapture Eames' mouth but Eames was having none of that. He lowered his head until his mouth was breathing hotly on Arthur's neck. Arthur continued to whimper until Eames pressed his mouth down and began to suck.

"Ah!" Arthur cried out as his neck was sucked and nipped harshly. It was shockingly arousing and Arthur couldn't help but writhe in Eames' arms.

Arthur's hands decided to retaliate. They left Eames' nipples with reluctance and moved to Eames' back, gripping the hard muscles tightly before descending downward until they touched Eames' ass. Once there they tightened their hold until Arthur had both ass cheeks fully in his grasp.

"Ah! Darling!" Eames gasped and lifted his head from Arthur's throat to kiss him vigorously. When they parted they were both panting for breath.

Arthur kept his tight grasp of Eames' ass but Eames seemed to want to explore more of Arthur. His mouth descending down Arthur's neck, sucking and kissing until he reached Arthur's shoulder, where he spent a ridiculous amount of time sucking hickies into his skin. After he was satisfied that he had covered Arthur enough in mouth sized bruises, his lips went further down and began to suckle on Arthur's nipples.

"Oh gods…" Arthur moaned and gripped Eames' ass harder, but as Eames' moved down his body he lost his grip, so he placed his hands on Eames' back instead, dragging his nails across the sweat slicked skin. His head was thrown back and he could only writhe and moan as Eames' mouth worked on him. His dick felt like it could explode at any moment and he hadn't even touched down there yet!

Was this what Ariadne meant about orgasming without touching? Arthur thought hazily and quickly banished the thought, while he loved Ariadne in a totally platonic way she really had no business being in his thoughts while Eames' was sucking his soul out of his nipples.

If he was this determined with Arthur's chest he couldn't even imagine what Eames' mouth could be like around his cock.

Okay that was a lie, he could imagine Eames' mouth on him and it was something he wanted very, very much right now.

"Eames…please…uhn…" Arthur panted as sweat dripped hair fell into his face. He took one of his hands off of Eames' back to push it aside.

Eames mouth came off Arthur's nipple with a popping sound. His mouth was stained red and looked even more swollen than usual. Arthur moaned wantonly at the sight.

"Yes darling? Did you want something?" Without even waiting for an answer Eames pressed his head down on the other nipple and began sucking it until it resembled Arthur's abused one.

"Ah! Eames godamnit!" Arthur choked out as Eames bit down hard. He placed his hand on top of Eames' head, just allowing it to sit there, caressing the sweat-drenched locks. After a moment however he locked his hand in place between the strands of hair and held on.

"Eames…" Arthur began dangerously but choked once again as Eames's hands, which hadn't been doing much except holding onto Arthur's hips, lifted Arthur's thighs into the air, exposing his lower body entirely.

Eames' face lifted off of Arthur's chest and smirked at his dazed expression.

"Oh pet, I haven't even started yet."

Eames' lips moved down Arthur's stomach, tonguing long strips and leaving love bites until he reached Arthur's pelvis where his mouth sucked hard enough to hurt.

"Ah! Eames!" Arthur yelped. His hand tightened on Eames' hair and while the other one clawed harshly at Eames' back creating red welts that would take days to heal.

Eames chuckled and blew lightly onto Arthur's sensitive skin causing Arthur to squirm at the sensation.

"Don't worry darling, I'll take care of you." Now usually that kind of talk would irritate Arthur but the way Eames said it…well, Arthur could tell that he really meant it, at least at the moment.

So instead of getting aggravated he just tightened his hand on Eames' head and tried to push him further down. Eames chuckled again but went where directed. Arthur watched mesmerized as Eames head became leveled with Arthur's cock.

Arthur's dick was already leaking pre-cum and was a nice shade of dark red. Eames clucked wordlessly over it for a moment before swiping his tongue over the tip. Arthur's hips instinctually bucked upwards but Eames' hands held him down firmly as his tongue continued to torture Arthur's cock with quick licks around the head.

"EAMES! Please…godamnit you motherfucker, just fucking suck me already!" Arthur all but screamed out.

It was like a cue for Eames because not a second later his hot mouth was open wide and taking Arthur's cock deep.

"Ahn!" Arthur tried to muffle his voice but it was impossible with Eames working his cock with his mouth and tongue. Eames' mouth was open wide and his lips looked stretched out and while Arthur was by no means little, Eames was sucking him like he was born for cock sucking.

Arthur could feel that he was close, he'd been close for ages now and with Eames' mouth on him it was only a matter of time before he came. He tried to hold out for as long as he could though. Eames' mouth felt divine and it would be disappointing, not to mention embarrassing, if he came too soon.

Arthur's hand fell from Eames' back, which was slick with sweat and maybe a bit of blood from Arthur's clawing, instead of scratching at Eames' skin again he gripped the blanket below him tightly, causing it to wrinkle and twist in his grasp. He tried not to rip out Eames' hair with his other hand as Eames' began to deep throat him.

"Eames…I can't…" Arthur gasped out and tugged on Eames hair in warning.

Eames pulled off for a moment and spoke. "Darling, I want to taste you, to feel you shoot down my throat as hard as you can, please." And with those sexy, dirty words ringing in Arthur's ears not to mention that Eames was once again shoving Arthur's cock down his throat Arthur came harder then he'd ever came in his life.

His muscles jumped up and his mind exploded in a brilliant haze of white as he shot hot semen down Eames' clenching throat muscles.

Finally, Arthur's orgasm ended and his head fell back onto the bed. His limbs felt weak and shaky. He unclenched his hand from Eames' hair and let it fall onto the bed next to him. His legs which had, unknown to him, wrapped around Eames earlier fell back onto the bed as well.

Arthur panted and blinked the sweat from his eyes. After a moment he directed his gaze to Eames who was still crouched between Arthur's legs.

Eames had a big shit-eating grin on his face. His lips looked totally abused and there was a small glob of white on the corner of his mouth.

Arthur felt a distant glow of arousal as he gazed up at Eames, which shocked him, yet at the same time he wasn't really surprised at all.

"Darling, you have no idea how sexy and beautiful you look right now, do you? All fucked out and relaxed. It almost pains me to tell you that it isn't over yet." Eames said before crawling up Arthur's body and kissing him.

Arthur could taste himself on Eames' tongue so he licked Eames' lips and the side of his mouth, catching that missed piece of cum and swallowing it down. For a moment they lazily kissed, just exploring each other's mouth to their contentment.

Arthur became aware that Eames hadn't come yet when he pressed down and Arthur felt Eames' hot dick press into his hip. Eames began to rub against him for a minute, just sliding back and forth, leaving a trail of pre-come on Arthur's skin.

Arthur knew what both of them wanted. He wasn't sure if he could get it up for a while but he was surprised at how much he didn't care. He wanted to be held down by Eames and fucked until he was seeing white again.

"Eames, if you don't fuck me this minute I won't be held responsible for my actions."

Eames raised an amused eyebrow. "As much fun as it would be to see you pull off that threat dear I have to agree with you this time."

"Only this time Mr. Eames?" Arthur baited.

"Oh darling, where is the fun in us agreeing all the time?" Eames countered.

Before Arthur could answer his body seized up in alarm. Without Arthur realizing it, Eames' fingers had already began their little trail towards Arthur's asshole, circling it.

"You alright there darling?" Eames asked him, concerned. Arthur nodded tensely and Eames continued moving after a moment's pause.

Eames' finger was slick as it gently pressed against Arthur's opening, rubbing it around the tense muscles, massaging and smoothing, until Arthur gradually began to relax.

For a moment Arthur had to wonder when and where Eames had found the time to get lube but the thought was blown from his mind as Eames pressed gently inside.

"Oh…" Arthur breathed out and mentally told his muscles to relax and not clench around the finger as it moved gently in and out of Arthur's hole.

Eames added a second finger and then a third soon after. Arthur was panting once again and writhing on Eames' fingers, he just felt so good and full but he was craving something more.

Arthur's cock was already on its way to filling up again and Arthur was impatient to continue. Eames on the other hand, seemed to have the patience of a saint or something.

"Eames, come on already, just fuck me." Arthur grunted out.

"You don't have to tell me twice darling." Eames breathed, and pulled out his fingers, causing Arthur to groan at the loss.

It seemed that even Eames' patience had a tolerance. He quickly wrapped Arthur's legs around his shoulders and soon enough Arthur could feel something much bigger at his entrance, something a lot bigger then Eames' three fingers.

Arthur took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Eames breached him. Eames cock was huge compared to what Arthur was use to and Arthur could feel the burn as his muscles stretched.

Eames pushed all the way in and for a moment they were still, Arthur adjusting to Eames girth and Eames trying not to come right away inside Arthur's hot channel.

"Ready darling?" Eames got out between clenched teeth.

"Yes Eames…fuck me." Arthur managed to get out before he lost his voice. Eames eagerly complied with Arthur's demand.

Eames pulled back until he was almost out of Arthur's ass before pushing forward hard. Arthur shrieked in shock and pleasure.

Eames fucked him hard without rhythm. They were both too far gone to take it slowly this time, maybe later they'd take their time but they both needed to come right now and the only way they knew how was to do it fast and dirty.

Arthur was totally okay with that.

Soon though, they could both feel the end coming, muscles tensed and Arthur reached out and grasped blindly for Eames, pulling him down until their mouths clashed together. With teeth and tongue they kissed viciously, the bed underneath them squeaking and quaking fiercely as Eames fucked Arthur harder and harder.

Soon Arthur was shouting as he came for a second time, his vision once again exploding into a white haze. His dick shot ropes of cum on his stomach and chest as his ass clenched down tightly onto Eames' cock, pulling a deep groan from Eames as he thrust once more into Arthur's clenching asshole and came violently into him.

Eames breathed out Arthur's name as he continued to pump his cum into Arthur's tight ass for a moment more before finally coming to an end. After another minute, Eames leaned down onto Arthur, not placing his full weight on him, but resting some of his body on Arthur.

Arthur didn't mind, even though Eames was kind of heavy, he liked having the solidness of Eames on top of him.

They were silent for a while as they both tried to get their breath back. Arthur's chest was heaving up and down for breath and his body was entirely soiled with sweat and cum. It was a delicious feeling and one that, if Arthur wasn't careful, he could fully get addicted too.

But soon enough Arthur's need to be clean won out his need to just lay there and sleep.

"Eames?"

"…hmm? Yes darling?" Eames murmured into Arthur's chest and Arthur was helpless against the rush of affection he felt for the man.

"I need to get up and rinse myself off." Arthur said, and ignoring the moan of protest from Eames, pushed at the man until he untangled himself from Arthur.

Arthur winced as Eames' cock left his sensitive hole, Eames noticing and a look of concern flashed in his eyes.

"Alright there darling?"

Arthur huffed and slowly got up from the bed, waving away Eames who tried to help him.

"I'm fine Mr. Eames, just a little sore."

Arthur walked naked to the door leading to the bathroom. It was a small room, barely bigger then Arthur's closet back home. A small bathtub with a connecting showerhead and a small toilet made up the entire room.

Turning on the water in the tub Arthur didn't fail to notice Eames walking up behind him. Arthur turned around at the same time Eames walked inside the small area.

"Why hello there darling, fancy meeting you here." Eames said.

Arthur snorted in amusement and wrapped his arms around Eames.

"Will you be joining me for a bath, Mr. Eames?" Arthur whispered into Eames' ear.

"Oh darling, just try and stop me."

Arthur laughed with delight and yanked Eames forward in a kiss.

After that, the week time seemed to pass quickly, not that Arthur noticed much. He spent almost all his time with Eames and every night at the cabin, only returning to his own room to change clothes.

He hadn't even checked his e-mail since the first night, which would have astounded him had he bothered to even notice.

Arthur even went back out onto the water with a surf board. He still wasn't very good at it but never let it be said that Arthur backed out of a challenge.

He did it mostly for fun, though only later in the evenings when there were less people around to see him fall over and over again.

Eames continued to mark his body with his mouth during sex and since they had sex at least twice, sometimes more, a day Arthur's body was continuously covered in hickies and finger shaped bruises. It seemed that Eames got possessive in bed and strangely Arthur didn't mind that fact, hell he'd felt the urge to mark the man himself a few times and took great pleasure out of biting at Eames' tattoos.

But even great things must come to an end and it was on the night before he was due to fly back to Manhattan that Arthur finally acknowledged that he'd gotten fond of Eames.

He hadn't yet told Eames that he was leaving tomorrow and Arthur didn't know why he was making such a big deal out of telling him.

Maybe he was afraid that Eames would have stopped their little affair sooner if he knew that Arthur would be leaving after only a week. It was selfish of Arthur but he knew that Eames was getting attached to him, just as Arthur was getting too attached to Eames.

At the moment, Arthur and Eames were laid out on the beach on one of Eames paisley quilts. They were watching the sun set over the ocean, their limbs curled up next to each other in what could only be described as cuddling.

Arthur rested his head on Eames' bare chest, lightly running his fingers through the sparse hairs dusting Eames' upper body.

Throughout the week Arthur had relaxed and enjoyed himself more then he'd ever done in his entire life. His face felt stretched from all the smiling and laughing he'd experienced while he'd been here. He was kind of afraid that his face might freeze mid-smile or something.

There had been no deadlines, no worries; no pandering to others expectations, just him and Eames on a beach and to say that Arthur enjoyed himself would be such an understatement that it was likely to get someone shot.

Arthur was more than a little afraid that he was falling in love with Eames. Not really realizing that he had fallen long ago when he'd first set his eyes on the man surfing the first day.

Even though he knew that Eames cared for him he didn't know the extent of how the man felt. At times, over the week Arthur felt compelled to tell Eames that he cared…might even love him but each time Arthur bit his tongue before he could blurt something out. He didn't want to ruin the only thing he had with Eames over something that would be over once the week was done.

Arthur had thought about giving Eames his phone number and apartment address but the same excuse he gave himself for not telling Eames about his feelings also stopped him from giving Eames the information to contact him.

What if he did give Eames his information only to be laughed at? Eames was…well the man could have any man or woman that crossed his path. Why would he want Arthur?

Hell, Eames didn't even know who Arthur really was. He was used to seeing Arthur laughing or snarking good naturedly and that wasn't who Arthur really was…not really.

Arthur Quinn was an uptight, workaholic, classily-dressed asshole. Eames wouldn't want anything to do with Arthur if he knew how he really was; the Arthur that Eames had gotten to know was someone who Arthur usually kept buried deep down inside himself.

While Arthur enjoyed his time relaxing and being free to smile and laugh he could feel a bit of anxiety creep in. His fingers began to itch and his mind was once again trying to focus on work.

Arthur enjoyed his work and he was good at it which was a plus. He loved to bury himself in projects and stay there for days, reading reports and filling charts. Researching was his favorite, there wasn't anything that Arthur couldn't find or calculate.

How could Eames want that? Eames, who while smart, seemed to enjoy a simpler lifestyle? Eames enjoyed mismatching and Arthur enjoyed symmetrical. Eames liked paisley and Arthur…didn't.

They were completely different and the only reason they haven't clashed yet was because they were too busy having scorching, sweaty, passionate sex for it to come up, and Arthur knew that if they were to stay in touch it would come up.

What Arthur was truly terrified of was that even if they did clash it wouldn't be enough for either of them to tire of the other. Hell, the make-up sex might even be hotter after a good fight.

Even when Arthur left in the morning he knew that he wouldn't regret meeting Eames, no matter the heartache he knew he would experience later.

Arthur softly kissed Eames' chest causing him to chuckle. Eames' hands, which had been wrapped around Arthur, came up and lifted Arthur's head gently.

"Darling, I had a thought earlier." Eames began.

"Did it hurt much?" Arthur said without thinking, then cursed himself for being a sarcastic bastard. He was about to apologize but was stopped by the quiet laugh that came from Eames.

"Oh darling, I love that wit of yours. You are such a sarcastic kitten."

"Shut up Mr. Eames." Arthur grumbled to hide the way his heart had speed up.

Chuckling softly, Eames continued. "Anyway darling, I was thinking that we might go boating tomorrow if that's alright with you? I have this friend who owns this really nice sailboat and he gave me permission to use it. So what do you think? Want to sail away with me?"

Yes, gods do I want to…Arthur had to swallow the lump of distress in his throat. His eyes stung a bit and he felt like a complete dickhead. How could he do this to Eames? What kind of icy bastard was he? Maybe his co-workers were right about him and he wasn't truly human, just a pale imitation of one.

"Darling? You alright? We don't have to go if you don't want to…" Eames asked with a slight worried tone.

"No! I mean, no…I want too. Go sailing with you that is." Arthur's mouth spoke before his brain could catch up. He cursed himself when he realized what he said.

It was true in a way. He did want to go sailing with Eames, he just wouldn't have a chance on account of him leaving the next day.

"Great! I can't wait to take you out on the water. I'm quite the sail master if I do say so myself. I've thought about buying my own sailboat but I always that it would be a waste of money if I'm just going by myself…but I guess I'm not anymore."

"Not what?" Arthur said over the lump in his throat, his heart beating fiercely in his chest and feeling a bit dizzy. Eames couldn't mean what Arthur thought he meant, could he?

"Not alone silly. I've my darling Arthur by my side." Eames squeezed Arthur in a hug and relaxed back on the blanket to watch the water.

Eames didn't realize how frozen Arthur had become. Arthur's eyes were wide and he felt like his heart had stopped.

"Eames…" Arthur began but hesitated, then took the coward's way out. He didn't want to acknowledge that he was leaving, that everything would change in the morning. He didn't want to think about it, so he decided to distract the both of them.

"Yes darling?"

Instead of talking, Arthur stretched his head and kissed Eames firmly on the lips. Eames let out a startled noise and then kissed back with equal ferocity.

Arthur crawled up until he was straddling Eames' waist. Licking at Eames' mouth with his tongue until Eames opened up for him with a groan. Arthur slid his tongue inside of Eames hot mouth, entwining it with Eames' and then gliding wetly over his charmingly crooked teeth.

Pulling up with a lewd wet sound Arthur nearly groaned at the hot imagine Eames made, all wanton and ready underneath him.

"Eames…Eames…" Arthur repeated again and again as he sucked down Eames neck and chest.

"Arthurrr…" Eames purred and moaned at the same time.

Arthur smirked against Eames' stomach before biting down. He was rewarded with a startled yelp.

"Naughty minx." Eames swore as he watched Arthur with pleasure filled eyes.

Arthur just hummed in acknowledgement and glided downward. He tugged impatiently on Eames' trousers and Eames laughingly helped him. Once Arthur got him naked he didn't waste any time in licking his way towards Eames' erect cock.

Once his mouth was level with his shaft, he took his time teasing and licking the head and length with only his tongue, ignoring Eames' suggestions and hands.

"Darling—Arthur, if you don't suck me I'm going to choke you." Eames warned in a growl that sent shivers down Arthur's body.

As much as Arthur would like to continue teasing Eames, he knew that Eames would make good on his threat and while Arthur got kind of hot thinking about Eames fucking his mouth without restraint, he wanted something else right now.

Pulling back, he gave Eames a sultry smile before taking his cock deep in his mouth, pushing his mouth down until Eames' soft curls tickled his nose. Eames made a soft choking whine as Arthur pulled up then pushed back down. Lifting up, Arthur curled his tongue around the head then licked and sucked wetly along the length.

One of Arthur's slim hands joined his mouth, pumping the hard flesh roughly as he sucked. Meanwhile, Arthur's other hand came around and cupped Eames' heavy balls, tugging and squeezing them until they tightened up.

Arthur realized that Eames was on the verge of coming so he pulled off, once again ignoring Eames' protests.

"Shut up Mr. Eames." Arthur murmured into Eames skin before sitting up and taking off his own clothes.

"Darling." Eames rumbled in enthrallment as Arthur threw his clothes to one side and sat naked in Eames lap.

Arthur smiled shyly as he leaned forward to leisurely kiss Eames. His hand sneakily picked up the small tube of lube near Eames' head as he broke the kiss to lean back.

Eames gazed up at him, eyes gone dark with arousal and delight.

Arthur smirked slyly at him before lifting the small tube of lube and wetting his fingers. Making sure that Eames was watching as he slowly reached back and touched himself.

"Oh darling…" Eames breathed, mesmerized as Arthur slowly stretched himself open.

Arthur leaned his head back and closed his eyes to fully focus on the stretch and burn of his own fingers in his ass. He could feel the heat of Eames' eyes on him, which made his whole body feel like it was on fire.

Only once all three of his fingers were inside of him did he reopen his eyes and tilt his head back down to gaze at Eames.

Arthur's breath caught in his throat as he found himself trapped in Eames' eyes. They were dark with arousal but…there was also a deep set of affection and…some other emotion. Arthur turned his face away quickly. He didn't want to identify that emotion. He didn't think he could leave tomorrow if he acknowledged that light in Eames' eyes.

Before Eames could say anything about Arthur's obvious emotional retreat, Arthur pulled his fingers out, mourning the loss for a moment before reaching back to grab Eames' cock.

He lined it up to his dripping hole and slowly sunk down.

"Ah, Eames…" Arthur moaned as Eames bucked up. Arthur fell down the rest of the way and marveled at how full he felt.

For a moment Arthur was completely still as he enjoyed the feeling of having Eames completely inside of him. It didn't matter that they've been doing this continually for the whole week, each time felt like it was the first; marvelous and wonderful and the most frightening experience that Arthur ever experienced.

Finally though, the need to move won out and Arthur pulled up until only the head of Eames' dick was inside him, then he let gravity take over.

"Oh! Arthur…you dirty cock slut…" Eames growled as his hands wrapped around Arthur's hips with bruising force. He steadied Arthur but didn't direct him, which pleased Arthur. Eames seemed to know when Arthur wanted control and gave it to him willingly.

Arthur had found out earlier in the week that Eames was particularly weak against any kind of dirty talk, especially if it was Arthur who got filthy mouthed.

"Eames…gods…your fucking cock…nghh…it's so big…and wet in my ass…ahh- fuck…god I feel so filthy...with your fucking cock…huhh…dirtying the inside of my ass." Arthur erotically whispered.

Eames moaned and bucked his hips a few times, hitting Arthur's prostate head on and causing Arthur to gasp and his vision to go hazy at the edges.

Arthur decided to bring out the big guns, he loved it when Eames lost control and Arthur knew that if he talked dirty enough Eames would lose control.

"Hey Eames...want to eat out my asshole afterwards? Suck your dirty cum right out of my hot, swollen hole?" Arthur purred darkly as he rode Eames hard.

Arthur squeaked as he suddenly found himself on his back. Eames had flipped them with an ease that sent a sizzling shot of hot desire through Arthur.

"God pet, that dirty mouth of yours…I could fucking listen to it all day." Eames grunted as he adjusted them comfortably before thrusting violently into Arthur.

Arthur tried to smirk but failed when Eames hit his prostate again. Instead he threw his head back and cried out in pleasure. Eames thrust into Arthur continuously, each time hitting his prostate causing Arthur's gaze to turn white and hazy.

Arthur could feel that he was close and reached down to take a hold of his neglected cock. Eames knocked his hand away though and instead took a hold of Arthur's cock himself, pumping it fast and hard.

"Ah! Eames!" That was the only warning he could get out before Arthur was coming all over Eames' hand; white, hot cum spilling over them both.

Eames' face was strained as he continued to fuck him through Arthur's orgasm and his pulsing, clenching muscles. Eames managed three more thrusts before coming into Arthur's relaxed ass. They groaned simultaneously at the feeling.

Eames pulled out gently before flopping next to Arthur's exhausted body. It was lucky that Eames' cabin was far away from the resort, erotic or not, Arthur would have been horrified if anyone had seen them.

"Darling never let it be said that you don't have the best ideas." Eames panted out.

Arthur just smirked victoriously. All previous thoughts of what would happen tomorrow banished from his mind.

Arthur packed up the last of the clothes and looked around the room. He'd hardly used his guest room at the hotel but he was happy that he kept it, even when Eames had told him that he could just stay at the cabin with him and not waste his money on a room he never used.

It almost made it easier to leave. Almost. He'd left Eames sleeping back at the cabin earlier that morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet but Arthur had found it hard to fall asleep, lying awake most of the night.

After they'd gone back inside the night before and Eames cooked them a delicious dinner of lemon fish, Arthur's dark thoughts had come back. He knew that he'd been too quiet during dinner but Eames didn't say anything about it and Arthur was grateful for his tactfulness even though a part of Arthur wanted Eames to demand to be told what was wrong. Arthur wasn't sure what kind of response he would have had but he liked to think that he would have told Eames the truth instead of getting defensive and leaving.

They'd gone to bed shortly afterwards. Arthur curled up on top of Eames' warm body with his strong arms gently wrapped around him. It took all of Arthur's self restraint not to burst out crying like some kind of woe begotten little girl.

When Eames had kissed the top of his head Arthur had almost lost it then, he could hear Eames mummer something but it was so quiet that Arthur couldn't make out what he said. Before he could ask Eames to repeat himself, Arthur heard his quiet snores, telling him that the man had already fallen asleep.

While Arthur had been sneaking out that morning he debated with himself on whether he should leave some kind of note explaining why he left without telling Eames anything. It seemed kind of rude and cruel if he just up and left without leaving Eames at least some kind of excuse, but he also knew that it would be equally cruel to give some half-ass justification of why Arthur was a coward and asshole.

So in the end he didn't leave Eames a note. He picked up his clothes, got dressed and walked back to the bed silently where Eames was sprawled out and snoring away.

He looked like some giant teddy bear and Arthur couldn't help but stare at him with fondness. He bent down and placed a small fleeting kiss on Eames lips and whispered three words that he didn't have the courage to say when Eames was awake.

Arthur fled quickly after that, not bothering to look back at the inviting sight of Eames and the soft bed, because he knew that if he looked back, even once, then he wouldn't have left. He would have deliberately missed his flight and…well it didn't matter, because Arthur hadn't looked back.

He was all packed and had a car waiting for him out front. His plane didn't leave for a couple of hours but Arthur couldn't bear to stay here a moment longer. Eames would be awake soon and would notice him missing and…Arthur just had to go now before Eames found him.

Arthur was already dressed in one of his pressed suits that he had packed but hadn't worn at any time this week. His hair was gelled fiercely back and gave him a look of seriousness and profession, while also making him look completely unapproachable as well.

Arthur slowly walked down the hallway and into the elevator at the end of the hall, his suitcase dragging limply behind him. The elevator took him to the first floor quickly and he stepped out. As he was walking past the front desk he paused.

Yusuf, Eames' friend was manning the desk and seemed to be engrossed in some kind of book. He hadn't yet looked up to see Arthur.

Arthur was suddenly seized with an idea. If he left a note with Yusuf to give to Eames' then maybe Arthur wouldn't come off as a complete dickhead. Arthur quickly walked up to the desk before he could change his mind.

"Hi, it was Yusuf right?" Arthur asked politely.

Yusuf looked up and grunted some kind of affirmative answer then went back to his novel. Arthur felt annoyed at the man's unprofessional behavior but he had to concede that it was really early in the morning. He could overlook it this once.

"May I ask you to pass on a message to Eames for me?" Arthur asked, his words icy.

The man looked up again from his book and put it down with a sigh.

"Sure, it's Arthur right? Damn you're all he ever talks about nowadays. I swear, I've never seen him this besotted on one person before. Why don't you give the man this message yourself?"

Arthur felt like the world's biggest asshole and a sharp pain spread through his chest. He looked down and wouldn't meet Yusuf's eyes.

"I…I can't. I-" Arthur paused in conflict. What did he want to say? What could he say? No matter what he said it wouldn't justify what he was doing and how he was doing it.

"Look, never mind. If you see him just tell him that I hope he has a good life. Also, I'll ask you not to give out my personal information, especially to him."

Yusuf was silent but Arthur didn't dare to look up from where his eyes were suddenly fascinated with the tile on the ground between his shoes.

"Okay, look man, I don't know you and I don't know what happened with you and Eames. What I do know is that in just this one week Eames has looked happier than in all the years I've known him. I can't say for sure that you're the reason he's been happy, but it would be a pretty safe bet that you are. I will do what you asked about the information but only because it's my job. Other than that, all I can say is that I hope you know what you're doing and that if you leave him you are making the worse mistake of your life."

Arthur nodded his head slowly but kept his head down, he heard Yusuf sigh and some shuffling. It seemed that Yusuf had said all he was going to say to Arthur and had gone back to his book.

Arthur turned around and was about to walk away.

"…he wasn't the only one who was happiest." Arthur whispered sadly before walking away.

"Hey Arthur, long time no see!" A loud shout filled the room.

"Hello Ariadne." Arthur spoke monotonously.

Ariadne pouted but it quickly dissolved into a sly smirk. Arthur was instantly put on edge.

"Sooooo Arthur…did you managed to find your prince charming on your exotic getaway?"

Arthur's heart seized up and he had to close his eyes so that the rush of emotions didn't show in his eyes. He knew that he tended to have emotional eyes. While he had a damn good poker face it was his eyes that told a person what he was feeling.

And what he was feeling…well, sadness, regret and self-hatred were a few that he could name right off the bat, but there were also fond memories whenever he thought back to that small cabin on the beach.

"Arthur? Hey are you okay?" Ariadne's worried tone brought Arthur back from the swirl of emotions.

"Yes, I'm alright." Arthur lied.

Ariadne's worried face told him that she didn't believe him. Truthfully he would have been shocked if she had.

It had been almost two weeks since he'd been back home. On the plane, he had decided to extend his vacation for another week when he got back to Manhattan, so instead of heading back into work where he'd be forced to sit behind his small office desk for hours he decided to stay at home and work instead.

Today was the day that Project Totem began and Arthur was both elated and worried sick about it. It was his first big project for the company and it was his baby. He'd designed it with his own two hands and brought it to Chairman Cobb about six months ago.

When Arthur had finally come back home he checked his e-mail for the first time in seven days. He'd been surprised to see a message from the Chairman waiting for him. It was dated three days before.

At first he hadn't really believed it and then later on when it had sunken in he'd been enraged.

Chairman Cobb had decided to bring in an outsider onto Arthur's project. Apparently this Edward E. was some kind of big corporate hotshot and an old friend of the Chairman's.

What the hell did some kind of outsider know about Arthur's work? Nothing! It had taken three days and a lot of alcohol before Arthur could accept the fact that he had to suck up to some rich bastard just because the Chairman seemed to not trust Arthur with his own project.

It still sent shivers of anger down Arthur's body whenever he thought about it.

The entire time since he'd been back he had tried hard not to think about Eames. He had to stop himself a couple times from picking up the phone and calling the resort to try to get a hold of Eames.

He had hardly slept since he'd been home, his large empty bed felt cold and very uninviting. The only upside to that was he spent more time on catching up with his work instead of lying in bed awake and alone.

Arthur shook his head to get rid of the memories and tried to smile convincingly at Ariadne. The pitying headshake from her though told him that it wasn't working, so Arthur did what he did best, redirect.

"As a matter of fact I did find myself a man." Arthur smirked at Ariadne's astounded expression.

"Really?" Ariadne's squealed high pitched. Arthur winced slightly at the noise but kept his smirk firmly in place.

"Yep, found him on the first day and spent the entire week over at his place." Arthur continued smoothly.

"Wow, he must have been good for you to stay with him continuously instead of trying to find another man." Ariadne said.

"…the best." Arthur said softly.

"Um…Arthur I don't mean to pry or anything but you look like you haven't been sleeping, and not in the good satisfied way." Ariadne said cautiously.

Arthur winced but he couldn't deny that he looked like crap. He had large black circles under his eyes from sleepless nights and his skin was unnaturally pale. He also hadn't been eating right. He wasn't a great cook or anything but before he had gone on vacation he'd at least been able to whip up a plate of spaghetti or fry up a hamburger. Now he couldn't cook worth shit, he'd been spoiled on Eames' cooking and every time he tried to cook for himself he'd thrown the food out because it didn't taste as good as what Eames had fed him. It was pathetic and hopeless but Arthur had been living off of takeout since then. It was clearly unhealthy and made him ill late in the night.

He'd forsake eating altogether if he thought he could get away with it. Instead he ate cheese sandwiches and hot-pockets. Not the most nutritious meal he could have, but it kept him awake and aware enough to get his work done and that was good enough for Arthur.

"It's nothing. I'm just adjusting back into work slave mode." Arthur waved away Ariadne's concern and glared at her when it looked like she might continue to try to pry.

She lifted her hands up in surrender and changed the subject, something that Arthur was grateful for until what she was talking about caught up with him.

"So have you seen this mysterious Mr. E yet? I heard that he arrived and has been upstairs with the Chairman and a few of the other high ends all morning."

Arthur scowled at the mention of the party crasher that invited himself onto Arthur's project. Oh, he knew that it wasn't the man's fault, not entirely. It was the Chairman's decision that brought the man aboard but Arthur couldn't help the feeling of resentment all the same.

"No I haven't and I can't say that I'm looking forward to that moment either." Arthur hissed.

"Oh Arthur, stop being such a stick-in-the-mud." Ariadne reprimand playfully.

"I'm not being a stick…look I'm just a tad annoyed that Cobb thinks that we need a fresh set of eyes on the-my-project. It's like he doesn't think I'm good enough to make this work." Arthur protested.

"Arthur, you know that's not what Cobb thinks, he has total faith in your work. Aren't you the one who came up with Totem? Aren't you the one who spent months of researching and dedicating all of your free time to this project? Cobb knows how much of a hard worker you are and no one believes that you don't know this baby inside and out." Ariadne explains patiently.

"Then why? Why bring in this E person?" Arthur knew he was whining but he didn't care, Arthur could afford to act childishly around Ariadne.

Ariadne sighed and sat on the edge of his desk, causing him to frown. She ignored this though as she talked.

"Cobb just wants to help, you know how he use to be a more hands on kind of guy but Saito made him stop? Well I can't say for sure, but maybe bringing in this mysterious friend of his is Cobb's way of trying to help and unload some of the work load. You still have control of where the project is going but with this Mr. E as your boss…stop scowling Arthur…now as I was saying, with E as your boss you will have the time to work on the project without having to deal with Nash or Miles. You work while Mr. E deals with the corporate rats."

"But what if he doesn't like me and doesn't listen? He could make changes or-" Arthur began to protest.

"Arthur! Geez for once in your life why don't you trust that maybe someone won't be a complete dickhead before you meet them." Ariadne snapped.

Arthur murmured an apology. Ariadne shook her head and hopped off his desk.

"It's fine. Now don't think you've gotten out of telling me about this hunk of man flesh you found yourself on vacation with. I want to hear every dirty little detail later, you hear? Sadly we don't have time for that. I was actually sent here to pick you up because Cobb wanted a staff meeting for the project. He wanted you to bring some of your work, so that we can go over it together with Mr. E."

Arthur shot up from his chair and reached for his jacket, putting it on hazardously before picking up his folders and charts that he would need for the meeting. He had already had it in an organized pile since he expected to be summoned today by Cobb. But what he hadn't expected was Ariadne making him rush.

"Damn it Ari! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Now we're going to be late." Arthur growled and stormed out of the office, Ariadne trailing behind him amused. She picked up one of the charts that fell from Arthur's armful. Arthur gave a nod of thanks before power walking down the hall towards the elevators.

"Chill Arty. Cobb isn't expecting us for another ten minutes at least." Ariadne said.

Arthur snorted but slowed down from a brisk pace into a slower walk.

"Oh and Ariadne? There is no way in hell I'm giving you details. Not when I know you'll get off on them." Arthur said sourly.

"Aww come on Arthur! I don't have a dick so I can only experience hot man on man sex with details of others knowledge." Ariadne whined.

"Not mine! I don't need the image in my head of you getting off on me having sex with some guy, or me having sex period." Arthur shuddered.

"Well yea, that's like, eww. That's like thinking of my brother during sex. No thanks! I would just take what you said in account and substitute you with some really hot guy I see on tv."

Arthur's chest warmed when Ariadne compared him to being her brother.

"…that's nice I guess, but you're still not getting details."

"Awwww! But Arthur!"

"No. Go watch some gay porn or something to get your fantasy material."

Ariadne pouted but she didn't try to change his mind which Arthur was grateful for.

They took the elevator up to the conference room. When they walked inside they found that they were the first to arrive. Arthur took his time setting up his presentation while Ariadne sat on one of the cushioned chairs and watched him.

"Are you sure you won't tell me about this guy you met? I can tell that something's bothering you and I don't think I'm wrong in assuming it has something to do with this fling you had." Ariadne said matter-of-factly.

Arthur choked and spent a few moments coughing, after that he glared at Ariadne who just stared at him patiently.

Arthur fidgeted and took his time reorganizing his papers but Ariadne continued to wait till Arthur broke.

"Alright here's the deal…I meet him on my first day there and agreed to take surfing lessons-" Arthur started but was stopped by a disbelieving snort from Ariadne.

"Surfing? You?" Ariadne asked doubtlessly. Arthur glared at her until she apologized for interrupting.

"Yes surfing lessons. Anyway I knew the moment I saw him that I wanted to have sex with him. I guess you can say it was lust at first sight." Arthur reddened a little as he admitted this to a smiling Ariadne.

"Anyway, I suck at surfing just so you know, but…with him I didn't care that I wasn't any good. We had a good time and…went back to his place that night. After that I hardly left his side the entire week and it wasn't just because the sex was fantastic. He was funny and smart and I enjoyed talking to him. He has a wicked sense of humor, kind of sarcastic but that's what I like about him…" Arthur continued to talk, not realizing that his voice had taken on an affectionate tone. "…he has these tattoos and I know that I once said that only an idiot would get himself inked but they are beautiful on him and he's smart, really smart and…"

"Arthur." Ariadne interrupted softly.

Arthur froze as he realized that he had lost track of time talking. He looked around the room and relaxed as he saw that it was still empty.

He turned back to Ariadne and stared with confusion at the look on her face. It was a strange mixture of sympathy and awe.

"You don't even realize it, do you Arthur?" Ariadne asked finally.

"Realize what?" Arthur asked.

"…You're in love with this man." Ariadne said kindly.

Arthur froze, then shook his head violently.

"No, you're wrong! I-I can't be in love with him. It was only a week and we don't even know each other that well." Arthur protested harshly.

"You may not know some of the unimportant things Arthur, but I bet you know quite a bit about him. What's his favorite color?"

"Blue." Arthur said automatically.

"What's his favorite food then?"

"He doesn't really have a favorite food but he's partial to fish dishes and he doesn't like cinnamon because he ate too many cinnamon rolls as a child and got really sick." Arthur paused as he took in all he said.

"See? You know him, you may not know a few things about him but you know him. Isn't that enough to love someone?"

Arthur was stunned with speechlessness.

Could he truly have been in love with Eames? If that was so…Arthur possibly ruined the only good thing in his life.

Arthur looked down at his hands which were placed on top of the table in front of him. He was shocked to see that they were trembling slightly. Then he realized that his whole body was shaking.

"I…even if that's true…I left him callously. I'm probably the last person he wants to see."

But even if that was true…Arthur now knew what he needed to do, he would take a plane out tomorrow…no today. He'd fly straight back to Arena Blanca and find Eames and beg for forgiveness and hopefully Eames would feel merciful, even after what Arthur had done.

Arthur was about to stand up and leave that very minute, not caring that he would be missing the meeting that would have furthered his career. Actually, he might even get fired but none of that mattered to Arthur at that moment.

The only person on his mind was Eames.

Just as he turned to Ariadne to tell her of his plan a noise sounded from the direction of the entrance.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that darling." A voice purred darkly.

Arthur felt his body flash hot and cold, he could feel his body turning around as if in slow motion. Once he was facing the doorway, Arthur could only stare in disbelief.

It can't be…!

But it was. It was Eames who stood in the doorway, staring at a shock stilled Arthur.

Only…it wasn't Eames, not really. Not the Eames that Arthur had gotten to know that week on the beach. This Eames was clean shaved and his hair was gelled, he was dressed in a three piece suit that was color coordinated. Not a stitch of paisley in sight. It surprised Arthur to find that the sight of Eames dressed like a normal business person didn't sit well with him. Eames was always wearing paisley and to see him dressed…well, like Arthur was weird.

"Hello Arthur."

Hearing Eames speak again seemed to break whatever was holding Arthur immobile.

"…Eames…" Arthur tried to say causally but his voice broke halfway through.

Before either of them could say anything else Chairman Cobb appeared behind Eames.

"Ah good, Arthur you're already here. I trust that you have everything you need to show Edward?"

"Sir?" Arthur asked confused.

"Oh, sorry, I should have introduced you two first. Edward this is Arthur Quinn, founder of the Totem Project I was telling you about. Arthur this is Edward Eames, a good friend of mine and a brilliant businessman. I know that he will be an asset to your project. I hope you too can get along." Cobb said, totally oblivious to the heavy atmosphere surrounding them. Ariadne was looking back and forth between Eames and Arthur, a look of dawning understanding on her face.

Before Arthur could say anything Eames beat him to the punch.

"Don't worry Dom, I'm sure that me and Mr. Quinn here will get along fine." Eames said coolly. He still hadn't looked away from Arthur and Arthur could feel those usually warm but now cold eyes on him.

Hearing Eames call him by his last name caused a twinge of pain in Arthur's heart. Arthur looked down for a moment before turning his attention to the Chairman.

"I'm sure that Mr. Eames and I will get along fine Mr. Cobb." Arthur said grimly, if not colder then Eames. Despite the rather unexpected occurrence Arthur could feel his poker face smooth its way onto his face. Now he just needed to make sure that no one met his eyes and he'd be fine.

"Great! Then why don't we all take a seat and Arthur can begin?" Cobb smiled humorlessly as he directed Eames to a seat. He gave Ariadne a nod of acknowledgement but otherwise ignored her.

Arthur didn't know how he got through the meeting, if asked later he wouldn't be able to recall a single thing he had said, but apparently it went alright. By the end of it, Arthur was shaking hands with an obviously happy Cobb and exchanging relieved smiles with Ariadne.

Eames had been silent through it all, he'd made noises, whether they were positive or negative Arthur couldn't tell, but he never once asked a question or asked Arthur to further explain himself. Arthur didn't know if it was because Eames was smart enough to understand everything Arthur had said or if he just wasn't interested enough to pay attention. Arthur had avoided looking in Eames' general direction the entire time but he was always hyper aware of Eames, who hadn't once taken his eyes off Arthur throughout the meeting.

After Cobb left, Arthur took his time packing up his work. He ignored Ariadne when she tried to talk to him and waved off her offer to help him pick up. She left the room uncertainly and Arthur had no doubt in his mind that he would be interrogated thoroughly later. Arthur figured that Eames had left with Cobb, so he took the time to think as he packed his papers slowly. Never once looking up from where his hands were shuffling papers.

Arthur couldn't believe it, Eames…Eames, who was a surf bum and had a bunch of tattoos and was British and funny and slightly callous and smart…was also highly rich, probably had at least two university degrees, and was apparently well connected in the corporate world.

Arthur was perplexed enough that he could feel the beginnings of a migraine establish itself in his head.

Once Arthur had everything packed away and picked up, he knew that he couldn't stall any longer. He straightened his back and walked out of the empty boardroom.

What he wasn't expecting when he walked out was to see Eames leaning against the opposite wall in front of the door, clearly waiting for him. Arthur paused in uncertainty. He didn't know what he should do, he'd never been this kind of situation before and wasn't afraid to admit that he was clearly out of his depth.

Eames saved him by taking the choice from him. He pushed himself from the wall and walked causally towards Arthur, his face completely expressionless.

"Here, why don't you give me some of that to carry?" Eames said in a neutral tone.

Clearly it was an excuse to follow Arthur back to his office but even though he knew that, Arthur wordlessly handed Eames a handful of papers to carry.

They both turned towards the elevator and silently got in, Arthur standing close to the back while Eames was near the control panel.

The door closed and the elevator began to descend. Arthur kept his gaze firmly in front of him, not letting his gaze wander to where it truly wanted to go. He didn't know what he could say to Eames at this time, so he stayed quiet.

Eames though didn't seem to have this problem and began chatting away.

"So…Arthur Quinn, right? You know you remind me of someone I meet a few weeks ago. A sweet young man who looked absolutely delicious in a pair of shorts, and he had these dimples that could send a priest to his knees. Anyway, he ended up not being the man I thought he was. Turned out to be a right coward." Eames talked nonchalantly.

Arthur hadn't believed that he could feel any worse then he'd been feeling lately, but the moment Eames started talking he felt such despair well up inside of him that he couldn't stop the flow of tears that fell down his face.

Eames just continued talking as if he couldn't see the tears on Arthur's face.

"…I mean, I can understand that he was scared about how he was feeling. I may not have shown it outwardly, but I was absolutely bloody terrified the entire time! I mean, here I am, a successful young man who was use to having causal flings with both beautiful men and women, and here comes this…this angel of a man. He completely changed my world and I was terrified! But neither of us talked about it and I can say that it was partly my fault at the time. I didn't want to believe that he would leave without telling me…but it wasn't like he could do anything else right? I mean, I never told him…" Eames trailed off as he turned red.

Arthur stared at Eames, he stared hard and when it was clear that Eames wouldn't…couldn't continue Arthur dropped his papers to the ground, not caring that they scattered over the ground and became disorganized.

A surreal feeling overcame Arthur as he stepped closer, stretching his arm towards Eames. He saw Eames tense, so Arthur didn't try to touch him. Instead he reached behind Eames and pushed the emergency button.

The elevator shuttered to a stop and the main power lights turned off, leaving only the dim emergency lights which cast a eerie glow over the both of them.

Arthur backed up a few paces after that. A hushed silence overtook them while they watched each other.

"What was it that you never told him?" Arthur finally whispered.

Eames gazed at Arthur calmly.

"That I loved him more than I thought I could love anyone. That I wanted to spend the rest of my life by his side and never let go of him." Eames spoke softly.

Arthur closed his eyes as a whole fresh wave of tears fell down his face.

"…I'm sure that if you told him this, that man would have found the courage to tell you his feelings as well." Arthur croaked out.

"What were his feelings Arthur?" Eames whispered gently.

Arthur choked and tried to wipe at the tears on his face, but they were coming down too fast to stop.

"His feelings…my feelings then and now…are that even though he has crooked teeth and a horrible dress sense and has a bad habit of leaving the toilet seat up—gods—I love him. I love you so much that I couldn't…I can't sleep and I feel horrible and…Eames…!" Arthur trailed off piteously in a whine.

"Oh darling." Eames cooed and stepped forward while opening his arms.

Arthur rushed him as fast as he could and fell into his arms, crying and hiccupping. Eames just held him tightly and made calming noises. Arthur could feel Eames' body shake and he knew that Eames' was crying too.

"I'm sorry. I'm sooo sorry." Arthur babbled into Eames chest.

"Shhhh, it'll be alright darling. Shhhh." Eames soothed.

"No, it's not. I left without…" Arthur's breath hitched, and he couldn't finish as his tears overcame him again.

"Darling, darling…please stop crying, I can't stand it. It'll be alright. I won't let you go again even if I have to chain you to my side indefinitely."

Arthur laughed weakly. "Is that suppose to be comforting Mr. Eames?"

"Wasn't it?" Eames asked serenely.

Damn the man, but it was comforting. The idea that Eames wouldn't let him go…wouldn't let Arthur run away again was the most comforting thought Arthur had ever had.

"You are in your own class of crazy." Arthur said quietly. The tears were finally beginning to stop.

"Does that mean that you don't enjoy my brand of craziness darling?" Eames teased.

"No, it means that you're so wonderful that no one else can even begin to compete against you." Arthur said tenderly, flexing his fingers that had been gripping the front of Eames' shirt.

Eames was silent for a moment and Arthur just enjoyed being held in Eames' arms. He felt more calm and peaceful then he had in weeks and the exhaustion that he had been feeling was finally taking its toll on his body.

Arthur's eyes closed and he felt himself start to drift off but before he could fully fall asleep Eames began to pull away. Arthur whimpered in protest and tightened his grip on Eames' shirt.

"Shhh, darling it's alright, I'm not going anywhere. I was just going to get this tin box started again so that we can take the rest of the day off. I'm staying at a hotel for the moment but if you'd rather we do this on your tuff, we can go to your place instead."

Arthur was just about to ask what "this" was but understood a moment later. Even though Eames seemed to have forgiven him they still needed to have a talk. He let Eames leave his grip and took that time to wipe his face viciously. He knew that his eyes were red and puffy and his nose and cheeks were an unflattering shade of scarlet.

Arthur pondered silently as the elevator restarted and began to move. He slowly bent down and began to gather up his fallen papers, not caring that they were jumbled up. He was going to drop them off in his office and deal with them later.

Eames came closer and bent down to help him as the elevator chimed to show that they had arrived at Arthur's floor. They left the small enclosed space and walked silently to Arthur's office where he dropped his paperwork off and picked up his brief case.

He didn't inform anyone that he was leaving but he was important enough in the company that he could get away with an excuse later.

He made a quick stop at the men's restroom before leaving the building in order to clean up his face. Eames waited patiently at the door, never turning his eyes away from Arthur for a second.

After that it was a quick drive to Arthur's apartment, after much internal debate Arthur figured that he would feel more…well, not safe but maybe more relaxed at his own place. Eames readily agreed with him.

They hadn't talked once since the elevator and Arthur didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing. He felt too much relief at seeing Eames again to really give it much thought, but it couldn't be too bad considering Eames hadn't gone more than two feet from him since then.

Arthur unlocked his front door and walked inside, Eames trailing silently behind him. Arthur led him to the living area, taking off his suit jacket and loosening his tie.

"Make yourself at home. I'm just going to change into something a little more comfortable." Arthur said before turning around to go to his bedroom.

He heard a shuffle behind him and chanced a look; Eames was taking off his own jacket and folding it across the lounge chair.

Arthur hurried away before Eames could look up and catch him staring.

Walking into his bedroom, Arthur didn't bother closing the door. He finished taking off his tie and placed it on his dresser, then unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and folded up the sleeves, baring his forearms.

Slipping off his shoes and socks he turned back around to head to the bathroom but stopped. Eames was standing in the doorway watching Arthur.

"…Eames, is there something you need?" Arthur asked cautiously.

Eames made a big show of thinking hard.

"Why yes sweetheart, I believe there is. You see, I've finally found that wayward man that I set my heart on and we haven't even had a welcome back kiss."

Arthur wanted to laugh but his throat was too dry.

"Well then…far be it for me to deny you and that wayward man a kiss." Arthur replied dryly.

Eames walked up to Arthur and stood in front of him, a crooked smile on his face.

Arthur reached up and wrapped his arms around Eames' neck, locking his hands into place. He could feel Eames' large, warm hands on his hips, searing their heat into Arthur's skin even through his shirt.

"Eames." Arthur whispered inaudibly before placing his lips onto Eames' warm chapped ones.

Eames kissed him back and all his feelings, Arthur's feelings were spoken into that kiss. All the love and heartache and regret and forgiveness, but most of all, the happiness that they felt at finally being back together.

Arthur couldn't possibly run away now, he had finally acknowledge the love he felt for this impossible man and it didn't matter that they hadn't known each other for very long, they would resolve that for years to come.

THE END