Thanks to Angel, Outraged Fanatic , Dolphinsiren77 and Ranma for the reviews!
.
Gibbs was already waiting for him in the corridor, wearing one of the resort's white bathrobes.
"This way," Tony instructed as they walked toward the elevator in the back of the building, which opened straight on the indoor pool.
This pool had been built to recreate a lake or a lagoon; it wasn't a classic rectangle, but it had a more irregular shape, with plenty of little 'bays' surrounded by vegetation, where people could sit and relax, before wading in the deeper water in the middle of the pool.
"Nice place," commented Gibbs as he looked around.
"Yeah, it is," Tony answered, pleased. He led the way toward his favourite among the 'bays'. "Here we go," he said when they reached their destination. "The water is tepid here, the perfect place to soak and get our muscles loose before diving in for a good swim."
Gibbs nodded and without losing time he removed his pool slippers and bathrobe, which was neatly folded on a nearby bench, waded in the water, moaning appreciatively.
"Like it?" Tony asked, as he devoured the older man's back and blue-clad ass with his eyes.
"Oh yeah," Gibbs answered, sitting down on one of the underwater steps and resting his back against the wall of the pool.
Tony watched as Jethro got completely comfortable, then took a deep breath and removed his bathrobe. He walked toward the edge of the water as keen, interested blue eyes scanned his form.
The younger man rejoiced upon seeing the way Gibbs was looking at him, because it most certainly wasn't the way one to looked at a friend...but still it wasn't the look Tony wished to see. It wasn't the look of a lover—of a potential life partner. It was full of lust, like most of the looks Tony had received in his life...but he was looking for affection. For love.
And then the roaming eyes stopped, there, straight over his left hip. They stopped and focused on his tattoo, and Tony saw them blaze and become even bluer as Jethro took in what the ink had painted on his skin: the Marine Corps emblem, followed by 'Semper Fi, my Gunny. I love you'.
Gibbs stood up and waded toward Tony, his eyes never leaving the tattoo. When he was close enough, he reached up with his hand and brushed his fingers along the tattoo, as if he wanted to check if it was in high relief or something like that.
Tony bit his lower lip as those strong yet delicate fingers touched his bare skin for the first time in so many years. It felt very good, and he struggled to prevent his body from reacting to it.
"When?" Gibbs asked, his voice low and rough, looking up at Tony.
"About nineteen years ago... You had just left for your secret mission. I...wanted to surprise you when you came back," he answered honestly, hating how young his voice sounded. He had no idea of what Gibbs was thinking, and he was suddenly struck by the thought of how childish getting a tattoo claiming to love a guy he barely knew and who paid him for sex could look to the older man.
Gibbs brushed the tattoo again as he said, "You weren't there when I came back. I went to the club, looking for you...but you weren't there."
Tony reached down and trapped Jethro's hand against his hip. "Cassie had told me things that made me realize there was no future for us...or, at least, not the future I was hoping for..."
"What did she tell you?"
"That you were a very distraught widower, not completely in your right mind, and that your actions, your coming with me, were uncharacteristic of you. She said that as soon as you recovered from your tragedy, you would find another woman to marry...So she told me to go away and start over in another place." Tony swallowed hard, and then looked straight at Gibbs' eyes. "Was she right, Jethro? Or was she wrong and I wasted nineteen years...would have wasted many more if fate didn't bring us together again? Tell me, please."
Gibbs nodded slowly, his voice rough. "She was right. Her advice was wise. I wasn't ready for another relationship back then. I came to you because you made me forget my desperation for a little while. I came to you when loneliness became too hard to bear—and those aren't the basis for a long-term relationship. Trust me; I've learned it in the hard way, even if it took me three divorces to finally get it in my head."
Tony nodded, the lump in his throat and his grip over Gibbs' hand getting tighter with each word the older man said. Perhaps that was the reason Jethro wasn't pursuing anything more than friendship with him. Because if the reasons that pushed Gibbs to look for his company now were the same of the past, well, really, there wasn't much hope for a deeper relationship between them.
"But that was the past," Jethro went on in the silence that followed, and Tony's heart started to run again.
"It was?" he wondered aloud.
"Yes...things are different now. I'm no longer looking for a brief reprieve when I'm with you. I like to spend time with you because of who you are. I like having you in my house, not because I'm lonely, but because you make it a better place when you're there. I-I have come to love you because you are you...and the past is just the past."
"And the future awaits us?" Tony asked, needing that final confirmation.
Jethro nodded and simply said, "Yes." He took a step back, freed his hand and reached out to Tony. "Come."
Tony took the offered hand and stepped into the water, feeling its warmth surround him as he tried to cope with he had just heard. Jethro loved him and wanted a future with him. It was much more than he had hoped for. He felt dizzy and swayed, but strong arms caught him and he was guided to sit on the underwater step, near Gibbs.
Jethro turned to look at him, a silent question in his eyes, and Tony nodded. An instant later Gibbs' lips were on his.
Hard and yet soft. Warm. Lush. Everything Tony knew those lips would be, and more. His mouth opened willingly under the older man's assault, moaning when he felt a hot tongue exploring him.
When the need to breath made them separate, they took a moment to look at each other with wonder and excitement, then Tony moved forward, capturing those lips again and giving back as much as he got.
The water buoyed them as Tony's hands roamed over Jethro's skin with an elated, wild abandon, touching, caressing, and relearning the body he had thought he would never touch again. Gibbs' fingers also explored, his touch sure, almost possessive, but gentle all the same. The younger man moaned when two strong hands pulled him against Jethro, so that the skin of their chests and legs now touched.
A faint noise from the direction of the entry made them remember where they were. Gibbs gently broke their kiss, and pressed his forehead against the younger man's chest as he struggled to control his breath. They were both panting and restlessly rubbing against each other, and Tony was sitting on Jethro's lap, the older man's cock hot and hard beneath his buttocks.
"We need to leave..." Gibbs said harshly after a moment. "Anyone could walk on us..."
"I don't care...I own this place...I can do anything I want..." Tony answered dizzy with want, twisting his hips to both stimulate his lover's erection and rub his own cock against the older man's belly.
Gibbs' fingers dug deep into his sides, stilling his movements as he grounded between clenched teeth, "Not here, DiNozzo."
The bruising hold on his hips and the use of his surname cleared Tony's mind from its red fog of lust. Sanity returned and he nodded, "You're right. Not here."
They sat together in the pool, not touching or looking, letting the water cool them down, and then, when they both felt more in control, they stepped out and put on their bathrobes.
"My room," Tony answered at unspoken question, "I have everything there..."
.
Yeah, I know, I'm an evil tease…Did you like their…wet…reunion? I hope so! Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!