Previous part of Beyond The Pain.

***

Horatio woke up and turned to look at a sleeping Speed; he smiled when
he heard him snore. What is it that Speed kept saying, 'I don't
snore'. Yeah right.

Moving closer to Speed, Horatio moved his hand over the exposed back.
"Speed, it's time to wake up."

A groan was the only response from his lover, "Just a few more minutes."

He bent over him and moved his tongue over Speed's neck, "I want to
enjoy this day to his fullest, so get up."

Speed yawned and turned his face towards Horatio, "You know, you're
way too cheerful this early in the morning."

It always amazed Horatio how Speed knew the time without checking his
watch. When he'd asked him about it, Speed had shrugged his shoulders,
'I guess it's something you learn when you born blind.' He called it
his inner clock.

"Okay, I'm going to take a shower first so you can stay in bed for a
few more minutes," Horatio smiled, getting out of bed. Horatio knew
Speed couldn't resist taking a shower with him.

"You're evil," Speed mumbled, getting out of bed and following him
into the bathroom.

Turning on the water, Horatio waited a few minutes before he stepped
under the water, dragging Speed with him. He took the soap bar and
gently rubbed it over the young man's chest. Speed closed his eyes, a
moan escaping his lips.

"We're going to end up in bed again if you keep this up," Speed said.

"Would that be so bad?" Horatio asked, a hint of deviance in his voice.

"No," Speed growled, "But it's been a while since we went to the park,
and you've seen how excited Butch has been these past few days. He
knows."

"That's true," Horatio answered, stopping what he was doing.

"Hey, don't stop," Speed pouted.

Horatio snickered and cupped Speed's scruffy cheek, kissing him,
"We're going to the park," he commented when he broke off the kiss.

Speed sighed, "Okay, let's get ready, but this isn't over," he promised.

They were lying on a blanket, and Horatio was feeding Speed fresh
strawberries covered with whipped cream, "Next one coming," he warned
him.

Speed poked out his tongue, waiting for Horatio to give it to him.
Horatio stopped midway and snickered, "Hey, that's not fair teasing
the blind guy," he pouted, knowing exactly what he was doing.

At that moment, Butch decided that it was time to give him some TLC,
he jumped in between them, licking Speed in his face, "Butch, stop
that."

Horatio laughed, "I think someone feels a little neglected," he said sitting up.

"Yeah, I guess so." Scratching Butch's belly, Speed sighed in contentment.

"It's his day, too," Horatio joined in, smiling as he saw how happy Butch was.
Suddenly, Horatio's eyes went wide; he stopped breathing for a moment.

"H are you okay?" Speed felt the sudden change in Horatio. Something was wrong.

"Speed," Horatio hissed, pain evident in his voice, trying to stay
upright, "Don't panic but call an ambulance."

"What happened?" Speed heard the pain in Horatio's voice, and knew
something was seriously wrong.

"I've been shot," he managed to say, before he went limp and fell
back, losing consciousness.

"H!" Speed yelled. "H talk to me, please." Butch whined while Speed
grabbed his phone and called 911, "I need an ambulance," he took a
deep breath, this was not the time to panic. He told dispatch where
they were and he clicked his phone shut, he let his hands roam over
the blanket till he found Horatio's arm, "Babe, please say something."

He took his phone again and called Alexx, "Alexx," he said as soon as
she answered.

She had heard the panic in his voice, 'Speed baby, what's wrong?'

"H has been shot; I called 911 and they'll be here in five minutes.
I'm scared Alexx, I don't know what to do."

'Speed, you're at the park right?' Horatio had told Alexx what they
had planned to do this weekend.

"Yeah," he laid a hand on Horatio's chest, needed to feel him breathe.

"Speed," Horatio moaned.

"H? Alexx, he woke up."

'Speed hold tight, I live near the park. I'll be there as soon as possible.'

"Okay, please hurry." He closed his phone and focused on Horatio,
"You're still with me?"

"I'm here," he stated between clenched teeth.

"Where are you shot?"

"My shoulder, it's a through and through," Horatio explained. He took
a napkin, put it on the wound and took Speed's hand," You've got to
put pressure on it," he said when he put his hand on the napkin.

"I don't want to hurt you more," Speed said.

"We've got to stop the bleeding as best as we can, and I can't do it myself."

"Okay, Alexx is going to be here soon," Speed told him, putting
pressure on the wound. He felt Horatio slightly shifting under his
hand and knew that he was hurting him. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, keep putting pressure on it."

"I'm sorry," Speed whispered.

"For what?" Horatio bit his lip when a wave of pain hit him.

"For not being able to do more for you."

"Babe, you're doing fine," Horatio ensured him.

Speed lifted his head, "What is that?"

Horatio tried to listen but didn't hear anything," You hear something?"

"It sounds like a…" he stopped short when he felt the wind picking up.
"Is that a helicopter?"

Horatio looked up and saw a helicopter approach, "Yeah, it is."

"Speed, H!" Alexx ran up to them, bowing her head against the wind as
the helicopter landed on an isolated section of the park.

"Alexx!" Speed yelled.

She crouched down and touched Speed's hand, "You can let go now, baby.
I called in Air Rescue."

He did and sat down, panic starting to set in," He's going to be okay?"

Alexx looked over her shoulder, and saw the paramedic's approach,
"He's going to be fine." She watched the paramedics loaded Horatio
onto the stretcher. She pointed at Speed, "Is it okay if he goes with
him? "

One of the paramedics shook his head, "Sorry, no passengers."

Horatio removed the mask they had put on his mouth, "He's coming with
me and so is she."

"Sir, we can't do that," the man stated.

"Yes, you can or I'll call your supervisor," Horatio said, not leaving
any room for argument. The man nodded.

Alexx took Speed's hand, "You're coming with me," she saw that his
whole body was shaking. "Shh, he's going to be okay."

"I didn't know what to do. I felt so helpless for the first time in my
life," he said, crying.

"Oh, baby," Alexx took him in her arms and just held him. "You called
911, helped H stop the bleeding, you kept it together. Let me tell you
this, anyone else would have panicked right away. You're entitled to
cry now," she whispered and rubbed his back.

Speed raised his head and smiled, "I did."

"Yeah, you did, now let's get to the hospital."

***

Alexx and Speed where sitting in the waiting area of the hospital,
waiting for news on Horatio's condition. She was holding the younger
man's hand and felt him tremble all over. "He's going to be fine," she
said, trying to calm him down.

"I can't lose him," he whispered.

"You won't. He's a strong man." Alexx reassured Speed.

Speed hung his head and sighed. "I know but I'm scared."

"That's understandable." Alexx stroked his scruffy cheek.

His head snapped up, "Oh my god, Butch."

Alexx patted his head, "When we were getting on the chopper I saw one
of the rescuers take him, he'll be okay."

"And he's already with a friend," Calleigh said as she walked in.

"Hi, sweetie." Alexx greeted her.

"Any news?" she asked, sitting down on the other side of Speed. "Don't
you worry about Butch, he's in good hands."

"Thank you." Speed smiled at her. "No news so far. They're still operating."

"Horatio is a strong man, he will be fine." Calleigh promised him.

"Where are Eric and Ryan?" Alexx asked.

"Eric had to take care of some stuff," she answered hesitantly.
Calleigh'd had an argument with Eric when he'd told her that he
couldn't be around Speed; he'd hinted that he would visit Horatio
later. "And Ryan will be here as soon as he can. He's still stuck in
court."

Speed smirked. "He doesn't want to be around the blind guy?"

"Speed, that isn't the case." Alexx tried to ease things down.

"I maybe blind but I'm not stupid. I can feel his rejection," he explained.

"Is anyone here on behalf of Lieutenant Caine?" A doctor walked in.

They all stood. "Yes, we are," Alexx explained. "How is he?"

"He's going to be fine. The bullet didn't hit any vital organs. It was
a good thing you where there, Mr. Speedle." The doctor addressed
Speed.

"Can we see him?" Speed asked.

"We gave him something for the pain, so he'll be out of it. But of
course you can see him. He's being moved to a private room right now.
I will have a nurse bring you to his room as soon as he is
comfortable."

"Thank you, doctor." Alexx smiled at him.

"Any time," he answered.

Speed was sitting in a chair next to Horatio's bed, holding his hand.
Calleigh and Alexx had left a half hour ago after making sure Horatio
was okay. Calleigh had promised to pick Butch up and take him home
with her.

Hearing a moan from the bed, Speed stood immediately. "Hey, there."

"Speed?" Horatio looked at him through sleep-filled eyes.

"How are you doing?" Speed put his hand on the redhead's cheek.

"I've had better days." Horatio leaned into the touch.

"Never scare me like that again." Speed tried to suppress the tears
that were threatening to fall.

"Oh, babe, I'm so sorry." Ignoring the pain that ran through his body,
Horatio reached up with his good arm and wiped away the few tears that
had fallen. "Come here."

Speed sat back down, and laid his head on Horatio's chest. "I've never
been so scared in my whole life."

Horatio moved his hand through Speed's unruly hair. "I'm still here."
He smiled when he heard a soft snore coming from his lover. "I guess
the day is catching up with you," he whispered.

A soft knock jerked him out of his thoughts. "Horatio?" Eric's head
appeared in the doorway.

"Eric, come in," he whispered.

He saw that Speed was still there, fast asleep. "Nah, I come back later."

"Why? You're here now, and I'm pretty sure not even a bomb could wake
him up right now." Horatio smiled.

The young Cuban hesitated for a moment before he walked up to
Horatio." How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot," Horatio stated.

"That's not funny," Speed grumbled.

"You should be sleeping," Horatio scolded him lightly.

Speed lifted his head. "This is not really comfortable, even if it's
your chest," he smirked. "Hey, Eric," he greeted the young man,
turning his face towards him.

Eric looked at him. "Uhm, hi," he greeted back. "I'm out of here, H.
I'll catch you later, okay?"

"What is your problem?" Speed asked.

"I don't have a problem," Eric retorted.

"Yeah, you do… with me. Why? Is it because I'm blind?" Speed asked, puzzled.

"I'm… it has nothing… no, that's not." Eric's voice trailed off.

Speed snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I don't know how to act around you, okay?" There, he'd said it.

"What?" Speed asked, really surprised with Eric's statement.

At that moment, Ryan knocked and walked in. "Hey, guys, H. How are
you?" He walked up to them, feeling the tension in the air. "Is
everything okay?" Ryan looked at Horatio, concern shining in his eyes.

"Everything is okay, Mr. Wolfe," Horatio told him.

Speed snorted and Eric made a hasty exit. "Later guys," Eric said,
walking out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Ryan asked.

"Your friend thinks I'm some kind of a freak," Speed answered, getting
a little agitated.

"Speed, that's not true." Horatio tried to calm him down.

"You heard him, H. At least, I thought everyone on your team wouldn't
treat me like an invalid. I guess I was wrong. Ryan, would you please
take me home?" Speed turned his face towards the young man.

"Yeah, sure," he answered.

Speed turned his face towards Horatio and smiled. "This is not your
fault." He bent over, and kissed him hard and passionate.

Horatio cupped his cheek. "I'll have a word with him later, I promise.
Now, go home and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Speed nodded and smiled. "I'll bring Butch."

"Only if he knows how to behave himself," Horatio stated.

"You hurt me." He said, grabbing his heart, "Butch always knows how to behave."

Witnessing the love and bantering between his boss and Speed, Ryan
realised that Horatio was trying to ease Speed's mind. Ryan sighed.
Speed was a really, great guy. Why did Eric have so much trouble
accepting him? "You ready to go, Speed?"

Speed gave Horatio one last kiss. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Now, get going." Horatio teased him.

After the two men had left the room, Horatio lied back on the pillows
and sighed, letting sleep take over.

***

Eric exited his car, and walked up the path towards the house. Damn,
what the hell was he doing here? He should have said no... But no one
really ever said no to Horatio – least of all Eric. When Horatio had
had called him last night and invited him over to talk, Eric had
reluctantly agreed. Now, here he was, nervous as hell and without a
clue as to what to say to his boss.

Ringing the doorbell, Eric prayed that Horatio wasn't at home, but he
knew better. The man had just gotten discharged from the hospital
yesterday. He heard someone on the other side of the door, and a
minute later, it opened.

"Eric, come in," Horatio greeted him.

"H, how are you feeling?"

"Better, thanks for asking." He stepped aside to let him enter.

Eric scanned the place, wondering if Speed was around. "I asked him to
give us some privacy. He's in the park with Butch." The young Cuban
started to blush. Busted…

"Sit down. Do you want something to drink?" Horatio asked.

"No, thank you, I'm fine." Eric sat down, jiggling his right leg up
and down nervously.

Sitting right next to Eric, Horatio looked at him. "Eric, what is going on?"

Wow, straight to the point and so H. Eric stammered. "I'm… I can't…"
Damn, it's not like Eric could tell the other man the truth. Hell, no.

"Why are you so uncomfortable around Tim? Is it because he's blind?"

Eric fumbled. "I…no, it's not that…it's…" He searched for something to
say, anything.

"Well, you're giving the expression that you are." Horatio sighed. "He
wants to be friends with all of you, can't you at least try? That's
all I'm asking."

Eric looked down. "I'm not sure…it's not that easy." Shit, if he would
have told H it was because of Speed's blindness, this conversation
would be over now.

"If you get to know him, you'll see that he's a wonderful man. I never
thought I would find someone like him." Horatio sounded wistful.

Eric looked at his boss, and saw love shining in his eyes at the
mention of the scruffy-looking, young man. "You really love him?"
Yeah, duh, that's obvious, you moron.

"Yes, I do, with all my heart," he stated. Then it dawned on him.
"It's because he's gay, isn't it?"

Eric shook his head, eyes wide. "No, no. That's not it," he denied
quickly, and that's when Horatio knew.

See the look in his boss' eyes, Eric wanted to keep denying it. "No…I
have…you're wrong…" He couldn't even form a simple sentence. Nice
going, you idiot.

"I know you may have a problem with this since you're Catholic, but
try to become friends with him. It would mean a lot to me."

"Yeah.. I'll try.." This conversation had Eric tied in knots. Horatio
was right, he was uncomfortable, but not for the reasons Horatio
thought. Damn, this was harder than he thought it would be. He was
afraid to look Horatio in the eye.

Shaking his head, Horatio stared at Eric, knowing when the other man
was lying. "You have something against gay men, Eric?" Horatio asked
harshly, trying to get an honest reaction from his CSI.

Sighing, Eric looked down. He didn't want to tell Horatio the truth,
but he couldn't let the other man think he was anti-gay or something.
"How did you know you where, I mean…you know," he whispered, horrified
and embarrassed.

Shocked, Horatio couldn't believe what he was hearing. No, not Eric,
he was such a ladies man. "Eric.. are you.. interested in men?"

The young man shook his head. "No, don't say that! I'm not gay!" he
said, disgusted about where this conversation was going. He stood up
abruptly. "I really have to go now."

Horatio knew better, but he let it go for now. "Okay, but this
conversation is not over yet, understood?" Horatio stood and walked
Eric to the door.

"I guess I'll see you at work." Eric hedged, still not able to look at
his boss in the eye.

"As always," Horatio answered, opening the door and watching him walk
towards his car. Feeling sorry for Eric, Horatio couldn't understand
how anyone would deny something so basic to their nature.. especially
considering how much love Eric had to give.

Speed walked in, releasing Butch from his harness. The dog went
straight to Horatio.

"Hey, Butch, had a nice walk?" Horatio petted the dog.

Speed sat down next to his lover. "So, how did the talk go?"

Horatio leaned in and kissed Speed hard, demanding.

The young man shook his head. "Oh, no, spill."

"It has nothing to do with the fact that you're blind." Horatio said softly.

"So then why does he have a problem with me?" Speed asked, confused.

"Because you're gay."

"Uhm what? Oh, fuck." Speed cursed. "Great a homophobe."

"I don't think he is," Horatio mused.

Speed frowned. "Okay, you lost me."

"I think he's gay, but is denying it to everyone – especially himself."

"Why?"

"Because he's Catholic and Cuban."

"That's plain stupid," Speed smirked.

"No. It's more like in his mind, and the Hispanic community, gay men
aren't 'manly' enough."

"So, why doesn't he have a problem with you?" Speed asked.

"Well, first, I'm his boss; second, I'm the Lieutenant of the crime
lab, so in his eyes, that makes me a 'man'". Smiling at his lover,
Horatio continued. "I also think he sees me as the dominant in our
relationship."

Speed snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Speed. Do me a favour, and don't be so hard on him. We should make
him see that there is nothing wrong with expressing himself, with
letting the world see who he really is. Who knows, anything can
happen."

Speed smiled wickedly, "Mmhmm anything can happen." Taking Horatio's
hand, he stood and dragged the older man to his feet. "I am going to
show you who's the dominant in our relationship."

***

Eric watched Horatio for the next couple days, their conversation
playing over and over again in his mind. Horatio was wrong. He was not
gay, he wasn't. Sighing, he rolled his eyes. Yeah, right.. keep
telling yourself that, then maybe you'll believe it.

Working in the lab, Eric couldn't stop watching Horatio, who was
sitting in his office doing some paperwork. He sighed. Speed was one
lucky guy.

At that moment, Horatio looked up and straight into Eric's eyes. The
young man quickly looked down and blushed. Damn, what if he saw me,
Eric thought in a panic.

Keeping his head down, Eric turned around and rushed off to the trace
lab, almost bumping into Ryan. "Wow, look out."

"Sorry," Eric apologised, and blushed a little more.

"You okay?" Ryan asked. "You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine," Eric bit back, totally embarrassed.

Ryan held up his hands in surrender. "Easy, don't shoot."

Eric snorted and walked off without another word.

Watching the other CSI leave, Ryan sighed. That man really had a chip
on his shoulder.

Horatio had watched the whole scene unfold from his office and smiled.
Eric was a little tense and Horatio thought he knew why. Their
conversation had definitely triggered something inside the young
Cuban. He only hoped the younger man would act on it. He could make
someone a very happy man, if he'd only let himself.

During the next few days, Horatio observed how Eric watched him when
the young man thought he wasn't looking. When he'd told Speed about
it, his lover had only smiled mischievously. "Maybe he wants you to be
his first. You never know."

Horatio had snickered and responded, "I can be a very patient man.
He'll come to me when he's ready."

Towards the end of the week, Horatio saw Eric approach his office. He
could see by the way he walked that Eric was nervous but determined.
Horatio had to give the young man credit for the courage it took to
proceed, for not backing down. Even before Eric had entered his
office, Horatio took out his cell and sent a text message; Speed would
love an opportunity to tease the young Cuban.

He smiled when Eric finally walked into his office. "Hello, Eric, what
can I do for you?" he said silkily.

"I'm… I want to…can I ask you…" Eric stuttered. He had this whole
speech worked out, and now, he didn't know what to say.

"What do you want to ask me?" Horatio stood and walked around the
desk, moving closer to Eric.

"I wanted to ask you…if you would.. uhh." Eric felt the heat creeping
up his cheeks.

"Eric, is everything okay?" Horatio moved closer, a mischievous look
in his eye. He was delighted with this turn of events. Maybe Speed was
right, and Eric really did want him.

Eric took a deep breath, 'it's now or never' he thought. "I couldn't
stop thinking about our conversation. And you where right."

"About what?" Horatio knew exactly what Eric meant but he wanted to
hear it from him.

"Uhm…me being…you know," When Horatio just kept looking at him without
saying a word, he sighed. "Oh, fuck. Me being gay, there I said it."

"Now, was that so hard?" Horatio moved into Eric's personal space,
lightly rubbing the other man's cock through his pants.

Panting, Eric pressed into Horatio's hand. "I'm… what are you… oh,
shit.. don't stop."

Horatio dropped his hand and walked over to the door, closing it. He
smiled when he heard Eric moan. Horatio quickly closed the blinds and
moved back to Eric.

Moving his hand down the young man's chest, he bent forward and took
an earlobe between his teeth. "So, were you going to beg for it?" he
asked in a whisper.

"Please," Eric pleaded.

"Please what?" Horatio slowly started to unbutton Eric's shirt. "What
do you want? Me inside of you?"

Eric moaned. "Yes, please."

"And I would be your first, right?"

Eric pulled back a little, looking at his boss in the eyes. "Yes. Is
that…I mean…if you don't…"

Horatio brushed his thumb over Eric's bottom lip. "It would be my
pleasure." He took Eric's shirt off and moved his hands up and down
his bare chest. Eric arched into the touch and moaned breathlessly.

"You like that, don't you?" Horatio asked in a husky voice.

Eric nodded. "Yeah… oh yeah." He was so engrossed in Horatio's touch
that he didn't hear the office door open, and then lock.

"Close your eyes," Horatio whispered.

As Eric obeyed, he felt Horatio move away from him. He heard a strange
noise and was about to open his eyes when he felt a hand on his back.
"Do you trust me?" Horatio asked.

"I do," Eric said.

"Okay, then trust me now," Horatio responded.

Eric felt someone moving in front of him, and he knew instantly that
it wasn't Horatio. He opened his eyes and saw Speed standing there, a
big grin on his face. "What the fuck?" Eric said, shocked.

"I'm fine. How are you?" Speed smirked, grabbing Eric's cock. "Mmhmm..
ready and willing."

"Speed," Horatio said, "we'll take this nice and slow."

"Okay," Speed nodded his head. Cupping Eric's face in one hand, he
moved his tongue over Eric's bottom lip. "How slow?" he asked in a
devious voice.

"Speed," Horatio warned his lover.

"How did…you know I…was here?" Eric squeaked.

Speed grinned. "That's for me to know…"

"Shh.. just relax." Horatio moved his hands over Eric's strong, tanned back.

Speed let his very sensitive fingers explore Eric's face. "You're
beautiful," he said softly.

A shiver ran down Eric's spine; he had never felt like this before.
"Oh god, please don't stop," he moaned.

Speed reached down to unbuckled and unzipped Eric's pants. Once he'd
lowered the pants and shorts, he grabbed Eric's half-hard and leaking
cock. He moved his hands back up over Eric's muscled chest, over his
shoulders and cupped the back of his head pulling him down towards
him. "Kiss me." Speed said softly.

Eric stared into cloudy eyes; eyes that didn't see nor reveal
anything. But Eric felt as if Speed could see straight into his soul.
He bent forward and gently kissed him.

"Harder," Speed sighed.

"Speed, give him time." Horatio snickered, amused by his boyfriend impatience.

Speed growled and started to kiss Eric back, pushing his tongue
against his teeth demanding entrance.

Horatio smiled when he heard Eric moan into the kiss, he crouched down
and moved his hands over the young man's buttocks. He bent forward and
moved his tongue over the crack between his cheeks and over his tight
hole.

Eric gasped for air, a shivering running down his spine. He moaned
when he felt Horatio's tongue push against his tight entrance.

As Horatio stood up, he moved his tongue up over Eric's back. He
kissed the exposed neck, feeling the young Cuban relax.

"Are you ready for us?" Speed whispered in his ear, moving his tongue
over his cheek. All Eric could do was nod.

Horatio moved his tongue over the back of Eric's neck and the rim of
his ear. "Don't make a sound," he told Eric.

The other man nodded distractedly.

"Lube?" Horatio asked Speed.

"In my jacket," Speed responded, crouching down in front of Eric,
moving his tongue over his hipbones.

Horatio took the lube and put some on his fingers. When he slid the
first finger inside of Eric, he felt the muscles tightening around it.
"Relax, it will hurt less."

Eric gasped as he felt Horatio's finger moving in and out, stretching
him. "Oh, fuck…that's…shit," he choked out.

Speed smiled and moved his tongue over the leaking head, licking up
the pre-cum, "Mmmm," he hummed, "you taste good."

When he felt Speed move his mouth over his cock, Eric had to bite his
lip to stop himself from crying out. "Oh man…"

"Don't push forward, you don't want to choke him. Let Speed do the
work, just enjoy," Horatio told him softly. He inserted a second
finger into Eric's opening, stretching him further.

Eric panted hard. "This is…oh god…I never knew…"

Speed slowly moved up and down, licking and tasting the throbbing cock.

"Don't stop…please," Eric whimpered, running his hands through Speed's
silky hair.

Horatio pulled his fingers out, satisfied that the young man was
stretched enough he slide a condom over his hard, throbbing cock and
rubbed some lube on it.

"Okay, you have to relax. This will hurt for a minute," he warned the
young man. "Spread your legs."

Eyes closed, Eric did as he was told, and felt Horatio's cock against
his tight hole. He hissed as he felt the hard member sliding into him.
Holding his breath for a second, he desperately tried to relax his
muscles.

"We'll take it slow." Horatio promised and started to slide in and out.

Speed continued to move up and down, picking up the pace, feeling that
Eric was on the edge. "I'm… can't…oh fuck…I need to…"

"Come for him," Horatio demanded, gripping his hips. "Let him taste
you, but don't make a sound."

As a moan escaped his lips, Eric came inside Speed's mouth. "Oh,
fuck..." was all he could manage to say.

Speed released the now spent-member and smiled. He stood and moved his
hands over Eric's face, kissing him hard and bruising. "You liked
that?"

Still trying to catch his breath, Eric could only nod and gripped the
other man's shoulders.

Speed moved his tongue over Eric's lips. "You want H to go faster?" he
whispered.

"Yes, please…" Eric chocked out.

"Please what?" Speed retorted.

"Please…faster."

Horatio smiled and started to move faster and harder, hitting his
prostate every time he pushed forward.

Speed kissed the young man again to prevent him from making any sound.
"You want him to come for you?"

Eric nodded. "Yes…I want…please," he'd never felt like this before,
heat searing through his body, licking on every muscle and nerve
inside of him.

Horatio pushed in and out even harder and felt himself coming close to
the edge. Without making a sound, he shot his load inside of the young
Cuban. He fell forward against the strong back, breathing heavily.

Eric was barely holding himself up. "Oh god…that was…I've never…"

"Yeah, we know," Speed grinned.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Horatio, everything okay in there?"
Ryan's voice could be heard from the other side of Horatio's door.

Horatio pulled out of Eric slowly, making sure the younger man was
okay. Satisfied, he threw away the condom, tucked himself in and
walked up to the door. Opening it slightly, he smiled. "Mr. Wolfe.
Everything is okay."

"Alright, I heard a strange noise and became worried," Ryan said, frowning.

"Nothing to worry about. I'll see you later." Horatio closed the door
in the CSI's face. When he turned around, Eric was again fully dressed
and Speed standing there with a big grin on his face.

Blushing, Eric nodded towards the door. "Now there is a guy I want to
fuck into the mattress," he simply said.

***

Eric stood in front of the club, not quite sure what he was doing
here. 'I must be crazy,' he thought. Taking a deep breath, he walked
towards the entrance.

"Good evening, sir." The bouncer nodded at him and opened the door.

Eric walked inside and looked around, it was amazing. He had no idea
that it would be this… hot. He just stood there for a moment, taking
in the atmosphere and ambiance.

He watched people walking by and his eyes went wide. Several were
wearing leather pants, silk shirts, tight jeans; there were even guys
who didn't wear shirts at all.

"Mmhhmm, you look good enough to eat," he heard a voice behind him. He
turned around to find a young man looking him over, his eyes full of
lust.

"I'm…I just came…" Eric stammered.

"Oh, shy. I like them shy," the man smiled at him, moving closer.

Eric backed off. "Not interested," he said, turning around and walking
towards the bar.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.

"A beer, please."

The bartender returned with his beer, smiling. "First time?"

"It's that obvious?"

The man nodded, "Don't worry, we were all rookies one time."

Eric smiled at him and turned, letting his eyes roam through the club.
Couples were dancing, oblivious to what was going on around them.

He sighed, wondering if he'd ever be this lucky.

His mind wandered back to what had happened in Horatio's office. It
was obvious he had a lot to learn. He had never expected for Speed to
be there, too. Afterwards, he'd seen the love between Speed and his
boss; those two really loved each other.

His eyes wandered further and spotted a door guarded by two bouncers.
"What's over there?" he asked the bartender.

The man grinned. "Behind that door are private rooms, couples can
retired there to just relax or…" Eric held up his hands, he didn't
need to hear the details. "You can check it out if you want, too."

"I'm…you just said that's for couples, I'm…uhm alone."

"That's okay, you're allowed to watch if you want, too."

Eric looked shocked. "You're saying I can…" he couldn't believe his ears.

"Yeah, you can." The bartender grinned.

The young Cuban sat stunned for a moment before he took a long sip
from his beer and stood. He walked towards the door and without a word
one of the bouncers opened it. "Room five is free. Enjoy yourself,
sir."

Eric just nodded, swallowing nervously he entered a long hallway with
several doors on either side. Slowly, he opened one of them on the
right. "Uhm…sorry."
Blushing, he apologised when he saw that the room was occupied. At the
next door, Eric opened it and saw that it was empty. He closed the
door behind him and walked over to the one way mirror, watching a
scene unfold in front of him. "Oh…that's not…" Wincing, Eric saw as
one guy was hitting the other one with a whip. That just looked..
painful. Shaking his head, he back walked out.

Trying a third door, he walked in when he noticed that it was room
five and empty as the bouncer had promised. As he approached the one
way mirror, he stopped all of the sudden. Standing there, his mouth
dropping open, Eric gasped in surprise.

"Oh, fuck," he cursed softly. Eyes wide, Eric saw Horatio laying on
the bed and Speed straddling his hips. The younger man bent over and
took Horatio's mouth in a heated and searing kiss. He moaned when he
felt himself getting hard, watching the scene being played out in
front of him.

Eyes glued to the two men on the other side of the window, Eric
watched Tim move his hands up and down Horatio's naked chest until he
reached down and grabbed the red-head's hard cock. He stroked it,
moving his hands slowly up and down.

Eric swallowed hard getting all hot and bothered. Leaning against the
wall, Eric opened his zipper and freed his hard and throbbing cock,
rubbing it, hard and fast. He felt himself quickly getting to the
edge. With a few firm strokes and a scream, he came all over his
hands. His head snapped up quickly, looking around to see if anyone
had heard him.

His hand still stroking himself lightly, Eric stayed against the wall,
watching as Horatio arched his head back and came all over Speed's
hands and stomach.
Speed bent over and whispered something in Horatio's ear, the older man nodded.

Eric couldn't take his eyes off them when he saw Speed prepare
Horatio. Then Speed was inside of Horatio, pushing in and pulling out
slowly. Eric started to pant, getting hard again. "Oh…shit. This
is…I'm…" he stuttered, rubbing his hard and leaking cock.

He noticed when Speed began to move harder and faster, burying himself
deep inside of Horatio with every thrust. He could see by the way
Speed held himself that he was close to the edge. Eric saw Speed
thrust into Horatio a final time, and knew that the other man was
coming inside of his boss.

Eric spilled his seed again over his hands and had to brace his weight
against the wall, his legs barely keeping him up. "Oh, man, that was
fucking hot," he muttered.
Standing straight, Eric looked down at his wet, glistening hands.
Shit. He didn't want to wipe his hands on his clothes. Reaching
gingerly into his back pocket, Eric pulled out the small, white
handkerchief he carried around with him. Cleaning up as best he could,
Eric stuffed the used, white cloth into his back pocket. Not perfect,
but much better.

Eric tucked himself in and zipped up. Feeling steadier, he glanced at
the couple one last time before he moved towards the door and exited.

"You need a wet towel sir?" one of the bouncers asked.

Eric looked at him in surprise but accepted the wet towel and cleaned
his hands thoroughly. He walked back towards the bar and ordered
another beer.

"You had fun?" the bartender asked.

Eric blushed and looked down, smiling. "Uhm…I'm…yeah."

"So, maybe next time, you bring your boyfriend with you." The man
smiled at him with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yeah, maybe," Eric snorted.

Speed and Horatio walked out of the backrooms and entered the club.
"He's still here?" Speed asked Horatio.

"Yeah," Horatio answered.

"You think he liked our little performance?" Speed asked with a wicked grin.

Horatio watched Eric for a moment and smiled, "Mmhmm, I'm pretty sure he did."

***

Horatio walked into the house and found Speed in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Hi, babe," he said, getting close to Speed and taking his mouth in a
heated kiss.

"Hi, yourself," Speed responded when they broke off the kiss. "How is
Eric?" he asked with a wicked grin.
"I don't know." Horatio sighed. "I think he's afraid to approach Ryan."

Speed cocked his head and smiled. "Mmhmm, maybe we've got to push him
a little bit."

"Speed, what are you up to?" Horatio asked suspiciously.

"How about inviting them both over for dinner?" At that moment Butch
barked, "Ah, see? Even Butch thinks it's a good idea."

"Butch always thinks your ideas are good, especially when it involves
him and food." Horatio snorted.

Speed laughed. "So, are you going to ask them or should I?"

Horatio almost groaned. When Speed had an idea in his head, he would
never let it go. "Okay, I'll ask them tomorrow," he said resignedly.

"Great." Cheerfully, Speed turned around and continued making dinner.

Horatio made a face at Butch behind Speed's back. "I saw that," Speed
said, grinning.

The redhead smiled. Speed knew him so well. "I'm going to take a
shower and change into something more comfortable."

"Okay, dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."

The next morning, Horatio walked into the lab and spotted Ryan in the
trace lab. He walked over and entered. "Good morning, Mr. Wolfe."

"Morning, H," Ryan replied with a smile. "How's Speed?"

"He's great. Thanks for asking."

"He's a great guy," Ryan responded.

Horatio paused for a second. "Ryan?"

Ryan turned around to face him. "Yeah, H?"

"Speed and I want to invite you over for dinner this Saturday,"
Horatio tried to sound matter-of-fact.

"I'd love to, thanks." Ryan sounded pleased with the invitation.

Horatio took a deep breath, and thought, "one down, one more to go".
"Okay, how about eight o'clock?"

"Yeah, sure," Ryan replied.

"Okay. Have you seen Eric?"

"He was in fingerprints last time I saw him." Ryan glanced curiously at Horatio.

"Thanks, catch you later." Horatio walked out of the lab and went in
search of the young Cuban. He only hoped this plan of Speed's wouldn't
backfire.

He found Eric in fingerprints, just like Ryan had said. "Good morning, Eric."

"Morning, H. I'm running the prints we found inside the truck, but no
hits so far."

Horatio nodded. "Any luck with the ones we found inside the house?"

"Yeah, they all belong to the victims," Eric responded.

"So that's a dead end." Horatio frowned. "It's like the killer
vanished into thin air. No prints, no DNA, nothing," Horatio muttered.

"No one is that good, H. We'll find him."

"I know we will. Eric." Horatio paused briefly. "Eric, Speed and I
wanted to invite you over for dinner this Saturday. Can you make it?"

Eric looked up. "Uhm, okay."

Horatio smiled. "Good. How about eight o'clock?"

Eric nodded. "I'll be there." The young man wondered why they'd
invited him but he didn't have the guts to ask his boss.

"Okay, I'll see you later." Horatio walked out of the room and went
straight to his office. He pulled out his cell and hit speed dial.
"Speed."

"They're coming?" Speed asked.

Horatio knew his lover well enough to sense that Speed was up to
something. "Speed, what are you planning?"

"Nothing," Speed said, trying for an innocent tone.

Horatio rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Speed snickered. "What are you doing right now, H?"

"I'm in my office talking to you."

"Smart ass," Speed responded.

Horatio heard what sounded like Speed was licking his fingers and a
moan escaped his lips.

"Are you okay?" Speed asked.

Horatio cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Touch yourself," Speed commanded.

"I'm in my office," Horatio protested.

The young man snorted. "That didn't stop you the other day, remember?"

Horatio felt himself getting hard as he remembered that day. He
quickly walked over to his desk and sat down. "Like I could forget."

Speed laughed. "I guess you'll need to… release yourself."

"You're bad," Horatio retorted. He unzipped his pants and released his
hard and throbbing cock, a groan escaping his lips when he started to
stroke himself hard and fast.

Hearing Horatio moaning and panting, Speed got hard himself. "Oh,
fuck," he hissed.

"I can't wait…have to…" Horatio panted, unable to hold it any longer.
With a breathless growl, he came all over his hand.

He heard Speed moaning through the phone and knew that his lover was
right on the edge. "Come for me," he demanded.

"This…isn't…isn't…oh shit." Speed whimpered.

Horatio grinned. "What?" he asked with an innocent voice.

"You're…evil," Speed panted. With a hoarse scream, he came.

"I know," Horatio simply stated. "I'll talk to you later." He clicked
his phone shut without waiting for a response. "Payback is a bitch."

***

Ryan was the first to arrive. Whistling in appreciation, he walked up
to the door and rang the doorbell. "Nice place." When a dog barked, he
smiled. 'That must be Butch,' he thought.

The door opened and a big brown dog jumped him, licking his face.
"Butch down," Horatio ordered him.

"It's okay, H," Ryan laughed, "I like dogs."

Butch calmed down and Horatio smiled at the young man. "Come in, Mr.
Wolfe." Horatio stepped aside and let Ryan enter.

"I brought a bottle of wine. I hope that's okay?"

"Thank you, Mr. Wolfe." Horatio looked at the label. "You have a good taste."

"Thanks." Ryan blushed at the compliment.

"Ryan, welcome." Speed walked out of the kitchen. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thanks for the invitation." Ryan replied with a smile on his face.

"I'm glad you could make it," Speed said. Horatio noticed the wicked
smile on his lover's face and shook his head.

"Something wrong?" Ryan asked.

Before Horatio could answer, the doorbell rang again. Horatio opened
the door and smiled. "Eric, welcome." He stepped aside to let the
young man enter.

Ryan and Eric looked at each other in surprise. "Hey, Eric," Ryan greeted him.

"Ryan," Eric nodded, looking down so no one see the blush that was
creeping up his face.

"Have a seat," Horatio pointed towards the living room.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes," Speed announced.

"Do you guys want something to drink?" Horatio asked.

"Have you got beer?" Ryan asked politely.

"Sure." Horatio looked at Eric. "Eric?"

The young Cuban looked up. "Uhm, what?"

Horatio smiled at him, "Something to drink?"

"Oh, yeah. A beer please."

"Okay," Horatio said and headed for the kitchen.

"How's it going?" Speed asked with a devious smile.

"Eric is a little nervous," Horatio informed him.

Speed smiled. "Nervous is good."

Horatio sighed. "Speed, I hope you know what you're doing."

"We're just having dinner with friends. What can possibly be wrong with that?"

"Yeah, right." Horatio walked up to his lover and wrapped his arms
around his waist. "You're so bad."

Speed leaned against the redhead's chest, sighing. "I know."

"You really think you can bring those two together?" Horatio asked
him, moving his tongue over Speed's earlobe.

"Oh, yeah," Speed moaned "Eric has beating himself up for days now -
your words, not mine. You're the one who told me that Ryan was
stealing glances at Eric when he thought no one was looking."

"I know," Horatio sighed. "And every time they walk into each other at
the lab, Eric starts to blush and stutter."

"Do you think Ryan knows what we're planning tonight?" Speed asked curious.

"I have no idea," Horatio answered.

"Hey, where are our drinks," Eric called out from the living room.

"Go, entertain our guests," he kissed Horatio. "Dinner will be ready soon."

Horatio walked back into the living room with two bottles of beer.
"Here you go." He saw that Ryan was sitting on the couch while Eric
had chosen the arm chair across from the couch.

Every time Ryan looked in Eric's direction, the young Cuban would
blush and look away, trying to hide the lust and love flashing in his
eyes.

Horatio shook his head. 'Why do you keep torturing yourself Eric,' he thought.

"Dinner is ready," Speed called from the kitchen.

The three men stood and headed for the dining room.

Speed smiled, "Eric, why don't you sit here, next to Ryan," he suggested.

Horatio headed for the kitchen to help Speed bring out the food. He
came back with two plates and set them in front of Ryan and Eric.

Speed followed with the other two plates, setting them down without
any difficulty.

Speed sat down next to Horatio. "Bon Appetite. I hope you like it."

Ryan took a bite. "Hmm, Speed, this is great."

"Thanks, glad you like it." He turned his head in the other man's
direction. "Eric, is everything okay? You're so quiet."

"I'm…uhm…I'm…this is good," he stuttered, having a hard time thinking
straight with Ryan sitting so close to him.

Speed smiled at Horatio, while moving his hand up and down the
redhead's inner thigh. "What's wrong, Eric.. you sound... all
flustered.. any particular reason why?"

"Speed," Horatio hissed, biting his lip. The young man was rubbing his
cock with his fingers.

"Oh, fuck," Eric moaned.

Ryan looked at Eric. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," he moaned with embarrassment, "and you two don't make
it any easier," he glared at Horatio and Speed.

"This was all Speed, he planned this," Horatio defended himself.

"What is going on?" Ryan demanded, feeling completely left out of the
conversation.

Eric turned to look at Ryan. "They know.. uhh..," Eric blushed even
harder, but he was determined to get this out and done with. He
couldn't keep tip-toeing around Ryan at work anymore. It was better to
be rejected once and for all so he could get on with his life.
"iminlovewithyou," he said in a rush.

"What?" Ryan asked, having only heard a low, fast mumble.

Rubbing his neck nervously, Eric repeated his declaration. "I'm in
love with you. That's why they did," he waved his hand at the dinner
table, "this."

"You're what?" Ryan couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But you're straight."

"No, he isn't," Speed chimed in cheerfully.

Eric took a deep breath. "It was very hard for me to admit that I'm
gay." He sighed. "You've got to understand, I'm Catholic and my
parents still expect me to come home with a respectful girl and give
them grandchildren." He touched Ryan's hand gently. "It's taken me all
this time to finally admit that I'm in love with you."

"I…I don't know…I'm…," Ryan managed to say.

Closing his eyes, Eric leaned back in the chair. "This was a bust."

Ryan shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I like you, too," he said
quickly. "But this is a lot to take in suddenly. I need some time."

Eric looked down at his hands. "Yeah sure," he mumbled. "Excuse me."
He stood up and looked at Speed and Horatio. "Thanks for dinner." He
turned and headed for the front door.

When the door closed behind Eric, Speed sighed. "Sorry, Ryan. I
thought this would work out."

"It's okay. I like him, I really do but I need some time. Usually you
go on a few dates before you pledge your undying love to someone,"
Ryan grinning despite his words. "I don't want to be rude, but I
really want to leave and think about all of this."

"No, of course, we understand," Horatio reassured him.

Ryan stood. "Thanks for inviting me, guys.

Horatio walked him to the door. "We'll do this again," he promised.

"See you tomorrow, H."

"As always," Horatio promised, closing the door behind him.

Speed shook his head. "We've going to have a lot of work getting those
two in bed together."

Horatio looked at his lover in shocked disbelief. "Are you kidding?"

"Nope, I'm not," Speed answered, dead serious.

He walked over to Horatio. "You know.. all this talking has made me
hungry, and I'm not talking about food," Speed said, kissing Horatio
slow and passionately. Breaking it off, he trailed his tongue over
Horatio's cheek and took his earlobe between his teeth. Moving his
mouth to his ear he whispered something and the redhead got hard..
really hard.

Speed smiled when he heard his lover moan. "Let's move this to the
bedroom," Horatio suggested while dragging his lover behind him.

Once in the bedroom, Horatio turned to Speed. "So now make good on
your promise," he demanded.

Speed pushed him onto the bed. "You're wish is my command."

THE END.

***