Fingers brushed against the thin cotton khaki material as they eased the brass button through the buttonhole. Experienced in their task, these were deft, sure movements, nothing tentative or uncertain. These hands had undressed a man—this man—before. Fingers paused on their path to the next button to pick the worst of the offending debris of a day in the field from the material.
More buttons opened to reveal a white cotton undershirt, backs of fingers brushing against the thin layer of material that separated skin from skin. An audible sigh drifted between the two men, ruffling the dark hair of the man whose head was bowed in supplication.
The last button was slipped free and the man ordered, “Arms out.”
Obeying without question, hands, which had previously been stuffed casually in pockets, were pulled free. They hung by the officer’s sides, fingers curled just sufficiently to graze against his garish tartan trousers. Palms smoothed over the material of the undershirt, flat strokes that eased the material of the jacket off over broad shoulders. Hands were gone long enough for the batman to move around behind his officer before they returned to peel the jacket down his arms.
The slow, lingering movements of disrobing became purposeful and more hurried now that there was no contact. The willowy dark-haired man strode to the wooden valet, moulding the material over the body-shaped dummy. He reached for the brush, which was laid out with other cleaning materials on the top of a large trunk and, with definite, precise movements, started to swipe it over the dusty material.
If he was aware of the way the officer swivelled on the balls of his feet to follow his path across the large tent, which acted as barrack room for the officer and his batman, then he gave no indication. He certainly seemed unperturbed by the intensity of the pale-blue gaze that watched his every movement from under a mess of auburn eyebrows. Eyebrows, which coupled with the reddish-brown moustache, gave a true indication to hair colour which the slicked cropped cut couldn’t.
“When this war is over,” the officer began, his American accent a shocking contrast to the British style of the uniform he wore. A shock to the voyeur at least, the batman didn’t so much as blink, continuing the soothing whisper of bristle over fabric without even raising his head. In a tone commanding, but fond, the officer continued, “You will stay with me, won’t you?”
“If you feel you have need of my services, sir,” his batman answered deferentially, barely pausing in his work.
The sigh was scarcely audible, but it drifted off into a name. “Owen.”
It was admonishment and question all rolled into one and it had the desired effect. The batman, Owen, glanced up from his task, fingers rubbing reverently over the two stars on the jacket’s epaulette. A small smile quirked at his lips, making his eyes dance and lighting up his pale features. Features all the more pronounced by the dark hair that framed his face.
“With respect, who else would put up with you, sir?” The honorific was uttered in a tone so soft that it almost appeared to be an endearment.
“We had cake in the officer’s mess today. Clifden got a parcel from home. How it made it here in one piece, I’ll never know.”
“An extremely clever and sneaky Battalion Quartermaster, I suspect,” Owen said, throwing the comment over his shoulder as he gave the jacket one last swipe with his brush.
The Lieutenant snorted in amusement and then nodded toward a battered trunk. “I smuggled out a piece for you. It’s gingerbread, your favourite. I put it in with your stuff.”
“You shouldn’t have.” Owen’s softly spoken words were an admonishment, but the smile on the younger man’s face said he was more than happy with his gift.
“Why not?” the officer muttered, his voice gruff and belligerent. “I was an ass to you earlier.”
“I know you didn’t mean it how it came out. You speak before you think.” Owen shrugged. “I know you, sir, better than anyone.”
“I don’t know why you put up with me.”
Owen turned and placed the brush on top of the larger of the two trunks. “Yes, you do.”
“Doesn’t make it right.” The officer shook his head. “Anyway, you need feeding up. You’re too skinny.”
The Lieutenant dropped into a rickety canvas chair with more force than the furniture was possibly designed for, and the sigh that escaped his lips was almost certainly intended to be heard. It filled the canvas room with anticipation and something heavier than the sum of its parts, something a watcher could have no hope of understanding.
The batman’s smile grew melancholy and he made his way back toward his officer, dropping to his knees on the thick colourful rugs, indigenous in nature, which appeared to be layered to keep out the worst of the dust and the sand. Reaching for the right boot first, Owen swiftly unfastened it, tugging it free. He paused, his hand cradling the ankle with the officer’s socked foot resting on his thighs. When Owen looked up, his gaze was serious, eyes shimmering pools of green and gray, and he focused all his attention on the man in front of him.
“If we make it home, then I’m yours for as long as you want me,” he paused for barely a heartbeat, “Tristan.”
“Always.”
“It may be difficult to word on a contract of employment,” Owen said with a laugh in his voice, the emotion accentuating a previously barely registered Scots brogue, “but always seems satisfactory to me.”
The laughter caught in his throat, turning into a dry cough that left him breathless.
“I wish you would see the medic about that cough.” Tristan didn’t bother to conceal the concern in his voice and he leant forward, hand reaching out…
* * * * *
Something caused Ewan to wake with a start, and he brushed a hand over his cheek at the ghost of a touch. He’d been dreaming, he was sure of it, but the dream was quickly scurrying away from him as was their habit to do. His throat was dry and scratchy, almost rough, and he felt strangely unsettled, as though his subconscious had been exploring events which he couldn’t quite remember.
Throwing back his quilt, he rolled from the bed and padded into the bathroom, fingers idly scratching against the material of his boxers. He’d take a piss in a minute. Right now, the urge for a drink was overwhelming. Opening the cold tap, he cupped his hand beneath the running water, allowing it to flow, cool and clear, over the edge of his palm. Bring his face down to meet the gushing water, Ewan slurped the liquid noisily and vigorously into his mouth, drinking his fill greedily.
Sated, he splashed the water onto his face, remnants of the dream returning as his head cleared. Lifting his gaze to the mirror, he watched as a droplet of water collected on his eyelashes before dripping down to join the swirling water in the sink. The distraction focused his gaze on the reflection of his irises, hazel eyes suddenly breaking down into slivers of green and gray.
The shock of recollection hit him, and with a gasp, he recoiled from his own reflection. He blinked, once, twice. Long, drawn-out pulls of eyelid over eyeball, and when he finally dared to look again, his eyes were the green that predominantly made up his irises, together with the more familiar flecks of blues and browns. More importantly, they were most definitely his and not some random soldier’s from a random dream.
Maybe a history book wasn’t such a good choice of bedtime reading after all.
Mari's Review:
***ARC provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review.***
This was a really interesting read. I love how the author blended the past with the present in such an intriguing way.
Trey is about to get married to the daughter/campaign manager for a politician with high aspirations. He is passive aggressive as all hell and counts little things in which he annoys his fiancée as small victories.
Ewan is a renowned genealogist, hired by Trey's fiancée to check if there are any skeletons in Trey's family's history. The first impression between the two of them is not the best, but even when that's the case, Ewan starts having dreams of the two of them together in a past life, doing things that he can confirm with research.
After reaching an understanding, and realizing that helping Ewan is more appealing than having to deal with his fiancée, Trey and Ewan start spending more time together and Ewan's dreams turn more frequent and as he delves into Trey's family history, he notices how it intermingles with his and his feelings start to merge with those of his past selves.
As the story progresses we meet Tristan and Owen, Christian and Eugene and Tristao (Drystan) and Tyrone, along with Trey's grandfather who becomes instrumental in the story.
I have to admit that Trey got on my nerves at times, and I adored Ewan, and really, at times I wasn't sure how it would all play out, I was pretty satisfied with how it all worked. I would've liked to read more of Trey and Ewan, but it was lovely seeing it all come full circle in the end. Very recommendable read!
Rating: 4.5 Stars.
