Broken Road Café 1 - The Broken Road Café (12 page)

Suddenly furious, Dan pushed Nick’s chest, sending him back on the bed onto his back. Straddling him, he leaned down into his face, careful of his sore shoulder. “Fuck you. What do you suggest then?”
“Let us handle it. There’s more than just me working this case, Dan. It’s inter-state, so the Feds are involved. And they won’t appreciate you butting in.” He shook his head before Dan could tear into him again. “It could go wrong, babe, and those kids may not even be with him. Think with your head. I get you have a big heart, okay? But let us do our jobs. And Dan?”
Dan blinked, but had to agree. Damn it, he just couldn’t bear to think about innocent kids being hurt. “Yeah?”
Nick’s voice went soft and intimate. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” His gaze was open and vulnerable, and Dan thought he looked like he was expecting to be hit or snarked at.
Fuck, but that was sexy.
Something must have shown on his face, in his eyes, because before he knew it, he was gently flipped onto his back and Nick was above him and…holy hell, he was being kissed. Dan stiffened, not sure if he wanted this or not. The man was closeted, and nothing could ever go further between them because Dan couldn’t—
wouldn’t—
be a dirty little secret. But…God, he wanted Nick. He couldn’t deny it, and damn him to hell, he didn’t know what to do.
Nick ended the kiss, and drew back. His gaze was questioning, and he must have read the hesitation, felt the tension in Dan’s body, because he sighed. “Dan, I know I’m not the man you need. Hell, I may never be the man you deserve. But can you maybe try with me? Give me some time to get used to this? I’ve never been with someone I wanted for more than one night. But, I don’t know, maybe I’m old enough now, but I…I’m tired of being alone. Can we see where this might go?”
Some of the tension left his body, but Dan had to be honest. “I hear a lot of maybes and mights there, Nick, but…yeah. I think I can be a little more patient.” He smiled up at Nick, a little bit of mischief on his face. “I think maybe I might like to try.”
The grin on Nick’s face took his breath away, and when Nick lowered his head and brushed his lips across Dan’s, he felt a bolt of desire rush through his body. Then those lips were back on Dan’s, and he closed his eyes and let his own mouth open. With a growl, Nick was on him, his tongue exploring and wrestling with Dan’s.
He was so lost in the sensations of Nick, he hardly felt the hands unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it loose from his pants, and then those hands were on his chest. Dan responded, yanking at the tee shirt covering all that beautiful flesh, and breaking the kiss, he tugged it over Nick’s head. Dan raised up, allowing Nick to slide the shirt gently off his shoulders and down his arms. He felt the hard bulge in Nick’s shorts bump against his and moaned as Nick took his mouth again.
The kiss seemed to go on forever, and Dan felt lightheaded as Nick’s hairy chest rubbed against his smooth one. Nick’s hands were all over him, pulling him closer, and his nipples tightened as the rough hair on Nick’s chest scraped across them. Nick sat up and straddled Dan’s hips, looking down and smiling. “You look so good, Dan. I’ve wanted you since I saw you in that Mustang, all pissed off at me for giving you a ticket.” He reached down to unbuckle Dan’s pants, popping the button and unzipping them.
Nick’s breath caught when he saw the expanse of flesh there. Dan had to laugh. “Hey.” Glancing up, Nick’s gaze burned into Dan. “Eyes up here. Unless you see something down there that…interests you more.”
“Fuck,” Nick breathed, “you were commando all day in there? Sitting next to me with nothing but those pants between us?” He closed his eyes and Dan watched him swallow heavily. “Dan, don’t tease me here, man. I want you. Can I…do you…are you a top or a bottom?”
Dan reached down and grabbed Nick’s hips, pumping up and gasping as his bulge rubbed against the crease of Nick’s ass. “I like it both ways. And since I owe you one after last time, maybe you’d like to fuck me?”
Falling forward with a groan, Nick’s mouth crashed against Dan’s so hard Dan tasted the bitter tang of blood. He felt rough hands shove his pants down past his hips and down his legs, and was left gasping when Nick rose to his knees, twisted and pulled Dan’s slacks off, followed by his socks. Dan watched, his eyes wide, as Nick shoved his shorts and briefs to the floor, catching his socks and tossing them across the room. Reaching over to the nightstand, Nick rustled around then brought out a bottle of lube and a box of condoms.
Then he focused his attention back on Dan. “Holy fuck,” he whispered.
“What?” Dan suddenly felt self-conscious. He’d been shot, his shoulder looked like hell, and he knew he’d lost some of his muscle tone since the clusterfuck that was his life the past few weeks. Maybe he was ugly now, his body unattractive.
Nick’s gaze caught his, and Dan’s heart skipped a beat at the heat he saw there. The pupils of his eyes were wide with arousal, and Dan saw lust and hunger and want. “You. You’re beautiful.” Dan couldn’t help but shiver under the weight of the stare, and then, when it caressed his body, he almost went up in flames.
Gently, Nick laid himself on top of Dan, licking across Dan’s lips until they opened and he moaned. He kissed him gently, working his way from Dan’s mouth to his neck. He stopped at Dan’s earlobe, nipping it lightly then sucking on it to take the sting away. Dan’s skin broke out in chills as Nick licked stripes down his throat to his collarbone, stopping to suck up a mark, then moving lower. When he reached his chest, Nick’s tongue circled his nipple, teasing the flesh around it before sucking it into his mouth and taking the tip between his teeth, biting then sucking again. Dan yelled, grabbing Nick’s head and holding it tightly.
Dan’s cock slid along Nick’s abdomen and chest as he moved lower, and he felt the wetness he left as he leaked pre-come onto Nick’s body. He’d never wanted to be touched so much in his life. And that wicked mouth of Nick’s worked its way lower, taking bits of skin between his teeth and biting then licking, sucking up marks and drifting ever-so closely to his groin. When Nick’s mouth finally reached his shaft, and his breath ghosted at the base, Dan’s hands gripped the sheets and he started to beg. “Please.” Dan gulped in air, and he tried to shift his hips so he could touch Nick’s mouth, get some friction.
Two large hands held him down, and Dan tilted his head just in time to see Nick smile up at him, then open his mouth and take him in. His eyes never left Dan’s as he slid down, every inch disappearing into that hot cavern. Dan wanted to pump his hips, move somehow, but Nick held him in place. The whine that escaped him was a surprise; he never lost control. When every inch was in, and he felt Nick swallow around him, Dan wondered if he’d ever breathe again. And when Nick saw his face and chuckled around his cock, his eyes rolled back in his head.
Fire began to build in Dan’s gut, and it spread to his spine, then to his balls. He grabbed at Nick’s head, trying to warn him he was close, but Nick bore down harder and Dan’s breath caught, then he began to shoot. Embarrassed to have come so quickly, but not able to stop, Dan closed his eyes and rode the wave of his orgasm, finally pushing Nick off as his cock became sensitive.
Floating, Dan felt Nick gently nudge his legs apart, and gentle kisses were pressed up and down his thighs. He heard the pop of a lid, then a thick finger nudged against his opening. He smiled, spreading his legs wider as Nick began moving the digit in and out, and before he knew it, a second finger was in him, spreading lube and searching for, then hitting, that tender bunch of nerves. Gasping, he felt Nick press harder, rubbing and stroking in and out against it. When the third finger entered him, he didn’t know, but he pressed down against them and groaned. They withdrew, and he heard the crinkle of a foil wrapper, a rip, then the blunt head of Nick’s cock pressing into him.
Oh
. He’d missed this. He relaxed, allowing Nick to press his legs to his chest, always careful, it seemed, of his shoulder. Dan smiled, and Nick slid in further, slowly, until Dan felt full, so full, and Nick’s heavy balls pressed against his ass. “How’s that, baby?” Nick’s voice rasped.
“So good. It’s been so long. Move.” Dan knew he sounded needy and bossy, but he wanted this so badly. “Look at me,” Nick demanded, laughing.
Dan opened his eyes and looked up at Nick. His smile was contagious, and just as he met Nick’s eyes, Nick drew his cock out, then slammed it back in. Dan’s laugh was cut off as pleasure washed over him, overwhelming him and changing it to a moan. His cock hardened again, and he reached for it, needing something to center himself, but Nick slapped his hand away. “I’ll take care of you. Just lay there and enjoy, Slick.”
He groaned, but grabbed two handfuls of the sheets. Dan’s eyes started to close again, but Nick leaned forward and kissed him, then whispered, “Dan, look at me.”
Dan obeyed, and Nick moved again. Slowly he pulled out, then thrust. The intimacy was almost too much as he watched the pleasure wash across Nick’s face. He knew it was mirrored in his own, and he lost himself in Nick, in the sensations. Before he knew it, they both were gasping, covered in sweat, and Nick was pounding into him, sliding against his prostate. Dan was close, and still Nick wouldn’t touch him. “Please,” he begged, “Nick, I need to come. Touch me, please.”
Sliding a hand between them, Nick grabbed Dan’s shaft and stroked, then bent forward and captured his mouth in a hard kiss. That touch took Dan over the edge, and he shot, covering the space between them with ropes of come. Nick stilled, and Dan could tell the moment he found his own release. He thrust a couple of more times, then collapsed on top of Dan still careful not to put pressure on his shoulder. After a moment, he rolled to the side, and both men lay there, sucking in air.
Nick reached between then and laced his fingers with Dan. “Thank you,” he said gently.
Surprised, Dan turned his head and looked at Nick. “For what?”
“Giving me a chance.”
Dan rubbed his thumb over Nick’s, smiling. “Baby steps.”
“Baby steps.” *
Dan must have dozed off, because the annoying sound of a cell phone ringing brought him back to consciousness. He nudged Nick, who grunted and rolled over. “Answer the damned phone.”
A sleepy voice spoke a moment later. “Chief Oliver.” He suddenly sat up, his voice louder and angry. “What? How in the hell did that happen? No, I’ll be down there as soon as I can.” He disconnected the call, and Dan watched as Nick grabbed his head between both hands and sat, his shoulders slumped.
Not sure what to do, Dan reached a tentative hand out and rested it on Nick’s neck. “What’s wrong?”
For long moments Nick didn’t move or say a word. Just when Dan was going to ask again, he spoke. “That was Fredericks. They just found Carlos Delgado hanging in his cell. They couldn’t resuscitate him.”
Dan’s hand froze on Nick’s neck. What the hell? How was that possible? The man wasn’t suicidal at all when he talked to him earlier. That meant…
“Yeah. Exactly.”
Dan started at Nick’s voice. Hell, he hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud. “Nick, someone must have overheard us talking and word got back that I met with Delgado. There’s no way in hell that man would kill himself, especially not after what he said to me.”
Nick finally raised his head and turned tired eyes to Dan. “There’s at least one person on Randolph and May’s payroll. And we’re no closer now to finding out who it is than we were before.”
“Not true. We know who was in that hallway with us.”
Nick shook his head. “No. The whole department knew he asked to see you, or at least by the end of the day they did. Any of them could have made a call, and just the fact you met with him could have thrown them into a panic. But I’ll tell you one thing…” He leaned over and rested his head in Dan’s lap. “I’ll find whoever it is. I won’t let them hurt anyone else. Fuck Delgado—I’m sure he had more blood on his hands than we can imagine, but the people in this town, kids…you. Not again.”
Dan stroked Nick’s hair, and wondered exactly what was going on. With Delgado out of the picture, would he be left alone? Would ‘they’ go after Nick again? Or him? Where did Greg Simkins fit into it all? And Abe…and why hadn’t he told Nick about what Delgado said about Abe?
It would be a long night.

His shoulder mostly healed and out of the sling, Dan stood in front of his closet, looking at the choices of what to wear. Most of his clothes, including all of his suits, were in storage boxes waiting to be moved into the new house when the sale went through and all the closings were finished. Thank goodness the café was his. But what in the hell was he supposed to wear now?

Grabbing a blue polo shirt and a pair of khakis, Dan decided that he’d go casual. Ten years of wearing progressively more expensive suits to impress the partners in the firm left him with the desire to let his neck breathe. He gently pulled the shirt over his sore shoulder and finished getting ready. He’d put it off long enough, so he grabbed his keys and wallet, checked for his phone, and left the motel room.

The parking lot was almost empty when he got to the café. The breakfast rush was finished, and Dan had planned to meet with all the staff and make it an official “The Broken Road Café” first day at work. Standing outside, Dan was a little overwhelmed with emotion when he saw the new signage and paint job, with “Dan O’Leary, Proprietor” in small lettering on the door. He opened the door and stepped inside, letting the bells jangle and…

Where in the
hell
was everyone? All the staff were gone—the cashier, the customers. Not a soul in sight. Walking behind the counter, he peeked around the corner and was jolted backward when a group, led by Jake and Amy, jumped out and yelled
Surprise!
“What’s all this?” Dan was in shock to see people he’d met, staff, and of course Mayor Patsy. The only person he didn’t see was Nick, but that didn’t really surprise him.
“It’s a café-warming, honey,” Patsy giggled. “We thought it would be fun to all get together and have a little bit of a party. You know, make it formal that the Broken Road is yours now.”
Person after person came to give him a hug, slap him on the back, or just say hi. After the first five or six, he began to notice a strange tightening in his throat. He hadn’t felt that since…he earned his law degree and sat at the graduation, thinking about how much he missed his parents and how proud they would’ve been to see him in the top of his class.
This was beginning to feel right. Like he was home. And more and more of the people stopping to welcome him to Blue Ridge were folks he’d met maybe once or twice, yet they’d taken the time to come and say something to him.
Yeah, this is the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
As he turned to thank a tall female he saw out of the corner of his eye, Dan realized he knew her.
“Charity!”
She smiled and stood looking at him, then rolled her eyes and opened her arms, motioning him to come in for a hug with both hands. Smiling like a fool, Dan stepped in and grabbed her, pulling her in close. God, but he’d missed her. “What are you doing here?”
Breaking the hug, she stepped back and gave him a once-over. “Did you honestly think I’d let you have a grand opening re-launch or whatever-the-hell this is and not have your favorite female of all time here? Silly boy.”
“Darlin’, I think you may be mistaken,” Patsy said from somewhere beside Dan. “I happen to know I’m the Queen Bee to his little worker drone self. Now, who exactly are you, sweetie?”
Dan had to hide a smile as he watched Charity narrow her eyes and give Patsy a glare. Then she smiled, something feline and predatory, and stuck her hand out. “Charity Love. Dan’s old…make that
former
secretary at his old law firm. Indispensable right hand woman, actually. And you are?”
“Patsy Verline. Mayor of Blue Ridge, owner of Verline Realty, and proprietor of the Dew Drop Inn. Former girl Friday, huh? I may have a job up here for you if you can answer phones and don’t mind cleaning the odd room here and there. You can start on third shift, and there’s a strict dress code. But,” she said, smiling at Charity’s Donna Karan suit and Ferragamo pumps, “it looks like you might have to talk to our manager. We try to discourage…hooker wear.”
Jumping in between the two women, Dan herded Charity toward the back of the kitchen before something bad happened. His back to the entryway, he smiled. “Love you long time.”
After a long moment that included a lot of nail tapping, Charity appeared to make a decision. “As long as you remember who can make you or break you. You’re forgiven. This time.” He noticed her gaze focus slightly behind him, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand. Before he could turn, Charity reached out and grabbed his arm. “I’m going to leave you two alone for a minute. Play nicely.” Letting him go and patting his shoulder, she moved past him.
Standing ramrod straight, Dan wasn’t sure what to expect. Knowing Charity, it could be bad. Very bad. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned and there, standing not three feet behind him, was Gary.
A rush of emotions ran through Dan’s body. Shock, anger, and, unexpectedly, a bit of wistfulness.
“Hi.” Gary bounced a little on the balls of his feet, his hands shoved in his pockets.
“Gary. What are you doing here?” Dan flinched at his own words, wishing he could take them back or soften them.
His face falling and his shoulders slumping, Gary looked down. “I wanted to be here to help you celebrate. Charity talked to that guy—what’s his name, Nick?—that you know here, and we thought maybe…but I can see you don’t want me here. It’s okay,” he said, starting to turn to leave, “tell Charity I’ll be outside in the car.”
Dan reached out instinctively and grabbed Gary’s arm. “Don’t go.” He pulled him back and into a hug, surprising them both. At first they were stiff, their bodies reflecting their emotions. Then, something in both men broke and the hug became almost desperate. “I don’t want you to go.” Dan’s voice was almost a whisper.
Gary clung to Dan for a few long minutes, his body shaking with emotion before letting him go. Wiping his eyes, Gary choked out a laugh. “Jeez, can’t we do anything anymore without being big old ‘mos?”
“But you are, Blanche, you are.” Dan had to draw the back of his hand across his eyes to hide the tears.
They both laughed, and things felt…normal. Dan wasn’t over his anger and sense of betrayal, but the hurt was mellowing into something he could handle. Their gazes caught, and Dan could see the loss and sorrow there. But what surprised him was the dark rings under his eyes and, now that he actually took the time to look at his friend, the weight he’d lost.
“Kerry left me.”
He couldn’t help but pull Gary back into a hug, this one supportive and real. “I really am sorry. I can’t say I blame him, because you know I love you, but you also fucked up big time, and…goddammit, Gary, why did you have to go and fuck up?” Never letting Gary go, he held on to him even while Gary fought to escape.
“Don’t make me do this here, Dan. It’s your day—these people are proud of you, it looks like.” Gary gently pushed his way out of the hug. “I know you aren’t ready yet. But I had to come and see you and make sure it’s real. You’re really moving here, aren’t you?”
Turning and looking back at the crowd in the kitchen, Dan had to admit that this was home now. The crazy-assed people in the town had become more than acquaintances; they were friends and well on the way to becoming his new family. The question was, did he want Gary as part of his new life or not?
“Yeah. This is where I belong now, Gary. Believe it or not, this place makes me feel more like I belong than…I don’t know. I fit here.”
Nodding, Gary turned to leave. “I get it. Have a good life, Dan.”
Dan reached out and stopped Gary, turning him around. “There’s room for you in my life, too. Just…let me get used to it. With everything that’s been going on, I realized one thing. I don’t have so many friends I can afford to throw one away. Even one who…well, I can’t forgive something if I keep bringing it up, can I?”
Searching Dan’s gaze, Gary must have found what he was looking for. He pulled Dan into one last hug and then was gone into the crowd. Dan stood there for a moment, unsure quite how to feel when a voice in his ear startled him. “Another one of your exes?”
Ah, so he
did
make it to the party after all. “Jealous much, Chief? Better be careful—someone might see you whispering in my ear and draw a completely accurate but oh-so-dangerous conclusion.” Dan turned and met a perturbed Nick.
“How about we leave the snark at the door and just pretend to like each other? And you never answered my question.”
Rolling his eyes, Dan slapped Nick on the shoulder. “That’s Gary, my best friend of over twenty years. Not an ex. Well, close to being an ex-friend, but he…well, I told you the story about him and Abe.” Nick’s eyes widened, and he nodded. “Well, Kerry left him. And goddamn it, I can’t help but want to forgive him and put all this behind me. He’s like a brother to me, and I can’t stand to see him so…beaten.”
Nick’s gaze softened. “You know, to be such a big-city legal whiz, you really can be a nice guy. When you close on the house Friday, why don’t you ask him to help you move in?”
Stopping to ponder about it, Dan couldn’t think of a good reason why not, if he really wanted to bury the hatchet. Well, maybe since he wanted to bury it in Abe’s rotten heart, but that would kind of make it a moot point.
Baby steps, baby steps
.