I stand in front of the mirror giving myself one last look over before we head for Seth's birthday party. Or rather I give Seth one last look over. He leans closer to the mirror and runs two fingers though the hair above his ear, moving some stray strands into place. He isn't really vain. He just wants to look his best for me. We are going to see his friends. I've met two of them already; Seth didn't want me to arrive at the party without knowing anyone.

His ring flashes in the bathroom lights. I've never worn a ring before and mine feels heavy on my finger. Every time I move my arm, I notice it and think of Seth. He is wearing black jeans that are snug but not tight and a black t-shirt under a dark red one. No turtleneck today although he has a hickey on his neck. I touch his purple earlobe and he leans into my hand. He is inordinately proud of the marks I leave on him. I'm not sure what that says about him or me or us, but I'm glad he likes them. I don't think I could stop myself.

When he turns to me, I lean down to take his lips. I love the way he smells, that scent that is all Seth plus a little me. I let my hands stray over his body and moan into his mouth. He pulls away gasping. "If we didn't have a party to go to…."

I give him my most inviting grin, but then step away. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"You do want to go?" He asks then looks up at me with his lower lip between his teeth.

"Yes," I touch his cheek. "I want to go and met your friends. But then I want to come back home and hold you the rest of the night."

His cheeks flush. He is adorable. I knew I had fallen for him back when I was dreaming of him every night in Greece. Lust for someone beyond the reach of my fingertips is something I've never experienced before. I might not be as comfortable here, but I have no regrets. Not even that I'm living with my mother, but this is only temporary. I'll follow Seth wherever school and jobs take him for as long as he'll have me.

I kiss him again slowly, gently. He looks up at me though his eyelashes and makes that noise in his throat that is barely a sound at all, but seems to beg, "I'm yours. Do with me what you will." I feel it in my very bones. He holds fistfuls my shirt, clinging to me like he can't bear the thought of me pulling away even an inch. But I do pull back to get a better look at his face. His eyes are dark and shiny, his lids only half open. His tongue peeks between his panting lips as if he can't wait for me to take his mouth again.

I deny him nothing. My tongue delves into his mouth and captures his tongue which I suck hard while I push up his shirts. His skin is soft and smooth beneath my hands and his muscles are hard. I no longer care that we have someplace to go. I need him now. I pull him so close that I know he isn't getting enough air, then I move my kisses down his chin and neck, getting harder at every one of his heavy pants for breath.

His shirts bunch up around his upper chest and I push one side up even further. I am on my knees and his nipples are just above my mouth. I hold his hips against me with one hand and pull his chest against my mouth with the other and capture his nipple. It is already hard. I lick it gently, suck on it deeply, then bite down just enough to make him gasp. I don't want to hurt him, but he knows that I could. I lick him again and make my way, with kisses, to his neglected nipple which I chew gently as his cock pulses against my chest.

Seth is beautiful and he is mine. I lick and suck down his chest, stopping at his belly button. It is a sadly neglected part. I push my tongue in then suck an edge into my mouth before pulling off. I suck my way around it. Seth moans as my tongue delves in and gasps as I pull off. My cheek and chin rub against his cock, just enough that he can barely stand, but not enough to come. His hands are balled around the shoulders of my shirt and he purrs in his throat.

He really shouldn't do that if he wants to make it to this party. I duck my head and trace the top of his jeans with my tongue, never going more than half inch inside. He moans and writhes. I know it isn't quite enough, but he's so beautiful helpless and turned on. I can't get enough of him. When he whimpers, I give in, tucking my fingers into his waist band to pull it down and taste more skin. The hollow inside his hipbone are nearly as sensitive as his cock. But I've tortured him enough. I unfasten his jeans and push down his boxers just enough to take the tip of his cock in my mouth. That's all he's getting, but that's all it takes. He comes hard in my mouth.

I lick him clean. He is still hard as he buttons his pants. How late are we? I can wait for my turn until we get back, because I know there will always be a next time, a later for us. I rest my head against his chest and say, "I'll be with you forever."

Suddenly I'm putty in his hands. He hauls me to my feet and leans me against the counter then runs his hands down my sides, his kisses deep and demanding. His hands push under my shirt and rub my skin like he can't get enough of me. I relax into his need. I've never had a lover like Seth. In all my past, never have I given myself so fully, without a single reservation. Never have I been so aggressive and possessive. With him I can be the protector or the protected, the master or the servant, the teacher or the student. We are a scale, when one side goes up, the other goes down, each balancing the other. I've never had anyone who complemented me so fully. He is what I've longed for, what I needed. Seth is what I want, he is who I want.

I moan his name over and over and they turn to gasps as he licks down my chest. He has the perfect name, one gasp long. But soon I can't even make that small noise; the intensity of his mouth and hands leave me breathless. I writhe to keep from coming in my clothes, but he solves that problem by unfastening my pants. They are considerably looser than his and fall open easily when he unzips them. He purrs as he pets me. Going sans shorts was the right decision.

Seth falls to his knees and licks my cock from hilt to tip before sucking it in. I bask in the essence of what it is to be loved by him. Not just his mouth on me and that finger that pushes against my hole as my vision blurs and my body warms in pleasure, but how overheated a single one of his glances can make me. Especially, when he comes home from school and I watch him through the window so I can see his smile appear as he notices me. I love his achy, satisfied expression when I've just come inside him, the kisses he wakes me with, the smell of our mingled sweat as he pulls me against him to sleep. I need his demanding touch, his gentle caress, and the hesitant strokes that screams, "Take me! I can't live without you."

His finger rubs my sweet spot. I hear his small sigh and feel him adjust his mouth as he readies to swallow. I reach for the white wave. The rush is sweet ecstasy. I pant heavily trying to catch my breath. When I can think again, my limbs feel like liquid. He licks his lips. "One for the road."

I close my eyes against his grin and keep them shut as he does up my pants. Otherwise we will be here all afternoon. I open them when he stands in front of me, his dark eyes flashing. I taste his kiss. My smell on him is stronger and despite my need to recover, I want him so badly I ache. I should have pulled him into bed before his shower this morning. Or maybe after, so he'd smell of our mingled sweat. Rings aren't enough. Hickies aren't enough; I want the all world to know he is mine.

He steps back and looks at himself in the mirror. I have definitely mussed him, but he doesn't do more than straighten his shirt and shake his hair into place. I do a slightly better job on myself, but if he wants everyone to know what we were doing, I'm not going to stop him. He pulls out his phone and opens it. "Yes, we are coming."

The girl one the other end says, "You did and that's why you're late."

Seth doesn't even blush. "Don't ask if you don't want to know."

I take his hand as we walk out to the car. My mother waves from her room as we leave. Zoe is spending the night at Jenn's. She is too young for this party and after Hannah heard about how upset she was—my family's grapevine could put spy networks to shame—Hannah talked her mother into giving Zoe a party. Zoe was so excited that several hours went by before she asked if Dani was coming. Dani's attention overwhelms Zoe. Dani is there, but won't be spending the night. I'm not sure who is happiest: Zoe, Hannah, or Jenn. Dani's easy to love, but you can have too much of a good thing.

Seth pulls up outside a red brick building. Teenagers are scattered across the steps. Two jump down race across the parking lot. One is Grant, a senior I met last Saturday. Beside him is a dark haired boy. "Hey," says Grant as we get out of the car. "We saved you a spot in the front."

The dark haired boy laughs. "See, I told you Seth wasn't going to use it. This way he can sneak off before the party ends." He holds out his hand to me. "Cole Thomas. You must be Steven, Seth's mysterious paramour."

I nod. I think I'm going to like this kid. Seth twines his hand in mine before we head for the building. Cole walks beside me giving me odd facts about the kids on the stairs. By the time I'm introduced I think I can remember who is who. Among the crowd is Heath, the slightly feminine boy in the button down shirt and the girl with the shaved head and massive amount of piercings is Carly. They are in their off again mode, or so Cole says. Carly looks me over as if judging my worthiness. I smile politely. Cole laughs. "It doesn't matter what you think, Carly. Steven here isn't backing down for anyone."

I smell a floral perfume before I see the person it's attached to. This kid is an inch or so shorter than I am and looks to be following all the gay clichés as if they were written in stone. This would be Jonathan. "Come inside. Everyone's waiting," he lisps. This is the way he talked on the phone. Can he turn his accent on and off or is it stuck that way? How terrifying.

Jonathan ignores me, but I can't let him think his presence irritates me. Being above such things will prove that I won. I hold out my hand. "Hello, I'm Steven Parker and you are?"

He looks at my hand as if it is a poisonous snake. "Jonathan Asner." He doesn't lisp his last name. I knew it had to be affected. But why? I keep my grin as I say, "You're the one that decorated my mother's bedroom, aren't you? I knew I heard the name before."

The look on his face is priceless, the wide-eyed bewilderment that turns to anguish as he glances at Seth and then back at me. I prove myself magnanimous by ignoring his phone call on Seth's birthday. I lean forward, take the hand he left hanging at his side, and give it a two handed shake, flashing my ring. He pulls his hand away too quickly to be polite. Cole snickers. Seth takes my left hand in his right and wraps his left around my bicep which shows off his ring. I smile down at my lover then back at Jonathan. "You must have taught Seth quite a bit. He decorated my daughter's room last month and she loves it."

Jonathan's face loses all color. "What? You… without me?"

"And of course he's doing our room now." My words have power over him; I shouldn't abuse it. I turn and meet Seth's eyes before I lift his hand to kiss his fingertips. He smiles, my cruelty hopefully forgotten. When I next look around Jonathan is gone. I twine my fingers though Seth's and ask as innocently as I can, "Who's next?"

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Complete character list at http://frogs-of-war livejournal com/16701 html (replace spaces with periods)

The next story in this series is Summer Snapshots, about Seth and Steven's Grand Tour of Europe, plus children.