(Sequel to "Sugar is Sweet")

"Bodie...you awake, sunshine?" Ray's whisper was soft so as not to wake his partner if he were sleeping. They were on stakeout and it was Bodie's turn to rest.

"Yeah," Bodie tightened his grip on their interlaced fingers. "Can't sleep with you this close, can I?"

Ray laughed, delightedly. "Still? After a whole week?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't see you doin' much sleepin' either, sweetheart."

"True, but you're s'posed to be the cool one, aren't 'cha?" He stroked Bodie's wrist with his other hand, wishing there was more moonlight so he could see his partner's face.

"Never, where you're concerned." Bodie brought Ray's captive hand up to his mouth and licked the knuckles. It tasted as good as all the rest of him. "God, Ray, I can't get enough of you. I want you all the time."

"Yeah, me, too." He rested his head for a moment on Bodie's shoulder.

"Ridiculous, innit? I never had a bird affect me like this."

"Me neither." Bodie ran his fingers through Ray's curls. "Wanna kiss you," the words were barely audible, but Ray heard them and caught his breath sharply. "The things your mouth does to me...I get hard just thinkin' about 'em...Wait!"

Suddenly Ray was all business. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah, that's him all right." Bodie reached for his gun as he spoke.

"Call Cowley. I'm goin' round to the back. Five minutes." Doyle got out of the car and closed the door quietly.

Bodie lost sight of him almost immediately as he blended into the shadows. "3.7 to Alpha."

"Alpha here."

"He's here. 4.5 has gone in and I'm goin' now. 3.7 out." He left the car and moved up to the front of the house, hugging the shadows as Doyle had.

When it had been five minutes, he went in. The door was unlocked and he pushed it open quietly. He heard nothing in the front room so he went on through, meeting his partner in the hallway. Ray indicated with his head that they should try the stairs.

Bodie went up first. He had just rounded the curve of the stairs when he saw light glinting off a gun pointing down through the bannister. He brought his own weapon up and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. His heart stopped as he looked death in the face. Then there was a shot from behind him--a curse --and the other gun went flying.

He ran the rest of the way up the stairs and grabbed the gunman, locking the cuffs on and herding him down to where Doyle stood. Blue eyes met green as he passed his partner. "Thanks, sunshine," he said quietly.

The drive to headquarters, though quick, was accomplished in silence, as was the writing of their report. When they handed it in, Cowley simply looked at it and said, "Thursday, 9:00."

As they left the office, Bodie checked to see that there was no one in the corridor, and gave Doyle a quick hug.

"Thirty-one hours to ourselves, Goldilocks. We can stay in bed the whole time if we want to." He stopped when Ray didn't respond, and looked down at him. "Ray? What's wrong?"

"Let's go home, Bodie," Ray's voice was flat. He trudged out to the car and got in on the passenger side.

Bodie followed him. One look at his partner's set, white face told him talking was useless. He pulled up to Ray's flat and followed him inside. He closed the door behind him and set the locks, then turned to face his companion.

Ray was at the drinks table. He downed one drink and poured himself another. Bodie walked over and took it away from him. Setting it on the table, he gathered Ray into his arms and buried his face in his curls.

"All right, love, what is it? Tell me." He stroked the tense back, soothing him.

"You were dead, Bodie. If I hadn't been there, you'd be dead," Ray spoke in a monotone, his arms tightening convulsively around his lover's waist.

"Hey, I'm the one who's supposed to be in shock, not you. C'mere." Bodie moved to the couch and sat down, pulling Doyle with him, onto his lap. He tipped the beautiful face upwards, and punctuated his next words with kisses. "What's really the matter, love?"

Ray buried his face in Bodie's shoulder. "I almost lost you," came the muffled reply, "I couldn't stand to lose you. Not now."

"Shh, it's all right. I'm still here." He stroked Doyle's hair back from his face, soothingly.

"I know." Ray gave a little gulp, not quite crying. "But next time you might not be."

"Well, what do you want? We can't turn back the clock. I can't not love you. If one of us dies tomorrow, isn't it better to have what we have, even for a week, than never to have had it at all?"

"Yes, I guess so. I can't imagine not loving you. But, Bodie," he said softly, eyes holding his partner's, his own bright with unshed tears, "don't make me promise to go on without you. I don't think I could do it."

The larger man smiled down at his lover. "Neither could I, sunshine. Neither could I." He captured Ray's mouth for a long kiss. "Bedtime, love, you're asleep already." He set Doyle on his feet, stood up himself, and steered him into the bedroom. He undressed Ray swiftly and tucked him into bed, then undressed and climbed in beside him, taking the wiry body into his arms.

"Make love to me, Bodie. I want you." Ray nuzzled into Bodie's warm neck.

"You're half asleep, sweetheart," Bodie replied gently, kissing the drooping eyelids.

"I know, but I still want you. Please."

"All right, love. Whatever you like." He took his lover's mouth again. Sweeter than honey. Who needed sweets when they had Ray Doyle's kisses? The familiar fire burned in his veins. A week of making love at every available opportunity and still the feeling was as strong as the first time. "Love you, Ray. Love you so much." He said it between gasps for breath; his heart pounding so he couldn't hear if Ray answered.

He moved down and sucked a nipple. Doyle moaned and arched into his mouth. He nibbled gently at it as it hardened, then licked across and repeated his actions on the other side. Ray moaned again and held his head down tightly, hands slipping over the short, silky hair.

Bodie licked patterns in the soft body hair, working his way down to the navel where he lapped contentedly for several minutes. Ray wriggled and made little pleasured noises deep in his throat. Bodie reached down for Doyle's now fully- engorged cock. He stroked and kissed it, but when he would have taken it into his mouth, Ray stopped him.

"Not that way. I want you inside me. I want us to be one."

"Anything you want, sweetheart." Bodie reached for the cream in the nightstand, spreading it on himself and Ray. He spread his partner's legs, stroking the soft flesh of the inner thighs, and knelt between them, lifting them onto his shoulders. He lifted Doyle's hips onto his thighs, positioned himself at his center and pressed gently until he was fully sheathed in his partner. He waited for a long moment, accustoming himself to the feeling, which was just as intense as on their very first time. He felt he could have stayed that way forever, but Doyle called out to him.

"More, Bodie, I want more. Move inside me. I want to feel you." Strong hands gripped his arms.

Bodie leaned forward and kissed him, then sat back again on his knees. He started moving in and out, long, slow strokes. He reached for Doyle and stroked him in the same rhythm.

"Yes, Bodie. Oh, yes. That's what I want."

As the feelings became more intense, Bodie moved harder and faster until he was slamming into his partner with every thrust. Finally, everything came together in a starburst of feelings. The pulsing of his cock set Ray off, too, and he spurted his seed over Bodie's hand while riding a skyrocket through a blaze of Roman candles.

When the world was back with them again, Bodie forced himself off Ray. He gathered him into his arms and claimed the lips a last time that night, then kissed the eyes, now glued tight with exhaustion. "Good night, my love, sleep tight. Tomorrow's another day and it's all ours," Bodie's voice was soft and caressing.

"Night, Bodie. Love you." The whispered words were the last to be heard that night.

--THE END --