Dead Man Living (6 page)

Although Brian was ready to jump Joe the second he gave the okay, he wasn’t ready to hop into bed with Beth. Unfortunately, Joe needed to stay with Beth until Brian could catch Billy. Which meant, Brian wouldn’t be alone with Joe until Billy was behind bars.

“Now that we’ve had our talk and our dessert, why don’t we get Beth out of here and over to my place.” Feeling anxious, Joe finished his ice cream in two bites and stood. He held his hand out and accepted Beth and Brian’s empty bowls as well. “You’re all packed, right?”

Beth nodded. “I’m only taking enough for two days.”

“Should be fine.” Joe glanced at Brian. He needed to know what was in his friend’s head. “Help me wash these up?”

“Sure.” Brian rose and followed Joe into the kitchen. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to take her to your place?”

Joe set the bowls in the sink before wrapping his arms around Brian’s waist. “It’s either my place or the shelter, and Beth would never agree to put the other women in danger.” He lowered his hands to rest on Brian’s ass, pulling him even closer. “I’ve got the alarm and the privacy fence.”

Brian returned the gesture, cupping and squeezing Joe’s ass. “And a really big bed.”

“I just need to make sure you know what you’re getting into. I know it’s complicated.” Joe prayed the answer was yes.

 “What I know is that I can’t get you into bed soon enough.” Taller by several inches, Brian buried his fingers in Joe’s long hair and pulled his head back.

Joe closed the distance between their lips. The kiss turned explosive in a matter of seconds and before he knew it, he had Brian pressed against the counter, grinding against him. “Need to be inside you,” he growled, breaking the kiss.

Brian nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you staying at the house with us?” Joe asked, taking a step back.

“Sounds good, but no. I can’t share a bed with you and Beth, at least not yet,” Brian explained.

“How many bedrooms do you have?” Beth asked, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder.

“Three,” Joe answered. “But one’s an excercise room.”

“Then there’s a spare room for me, and you and Brian can spend your first night together in yours,” she suggested.

Joe shook his head. He couldn’t imagine putting her in that position. “I can’t do that to you.”

“And I won’t let you put off what you’ve waited years to have because of me,” she answered. “Besides, I need to know how it feels to know you’re making love to Brian before I go any further with you and I.”

Joe stared at Beth’s aura. A pale grey colour surrounded her with bolder, darker swirls of red circling. Although he was still figuring out the colours and meanings behind them, he felt fairly certain she wasn’t angry. It was a good sign. He glanced at Brian. “What do you think?”

“I think it would be easier to protect Beth with two of us in the house.” Brian stuck his hands in his pockets, drawing attention to his big cock. “And if she decided to come in and watch, I’m good with that.”

Joe was shocked by Brian’s offer. “Really?”

Brian nodded, but said nothing more.

“Then let’s go.”

* * * *

Brian stepped outside the ground-floor apartment first, gun drawn, ready to shoot. He scanned the area three times before he nodded, giving the all-clear for Joe to hustle Beth to his truck.

“Keep your eyes open,” Joe said, sticking close to Beth as they closed the door behind them. He hit the key fob and unlocked the truck before stepping onto the sidewalk.

With Joe in front, Brian stuck close to Beth’s back. “Once you get to the truck, get the hell out of here, and I’ll follow as soon as I can.”

They were two feet from the passenger door when the glass in front of them blew out in an explosion of tiny shards. “Fuck!” Brian pushed Beth lower before turning around. “Get her outta here,” he yelled at Joe.

After years of working together, Joe knew better than to argue. He helped Beth inside and handed her the keys. “Drive,” he instructed, putting her as far from Billy as he could. “Brian, get in!”

“Just go.” Brian caught sight of a shadow, and raced towards it, gun at the ready. “Stop! Police!”

As he rounded the corner of the building, he heard the tires on Joe’s truck squeal as Beth sped away. Relief flooded him, but before he could examine his feeling too closely, Billy disappeared into a wooded area behind the apartments.
Shit!

The moment he ran into the woods, Brian came to an abrupt halt. Unable to see his hand in front of his face, it would be pointless to search for Billy within the timber depths. He hated to just give up, so he backed out and phoned the station.

After making arrangements for back-up, Brian called Joe. Before Joe had a chance to speak, Brian blurted, “Tell me you’re both okay.”

“We’re fine. We were worried about you. Did you get him?” Joe asked.

“No, last time I saw him he was running into the woods, but I’ve got back-up on the way to help me search ‘em.”

“Be careful.”

“Careful’s my middle name,” Brian replied.

“Stanton is your middle name,” Joe corrected, proving once again how much he knew about Brian.

“Don’t go spreading that around.” Brian grinned. “I’m glad you’re both okay.”

“We’re fine. We’ll be at my place in no time.”

“When I’m done here, I’ll stop by one of those pharmacies that are open twenty-four hours and pick up some supplies.” Brian heard sirens. “I need to go, but I’ll be over as soon as I comb every inch of these woods.”

Chapter Seven

Joe was asleep on the sofa when the phone woke him. He opened his eyes and put the cell to his ear. “Hey.”

“I’m out front. Is it too late?” Brian asked.

“Not at all. Beth was understandbly shaken by what happened. It took a while to calm her down, but she’s sleeping now.” Joe took a deep breath, remembering the fear he’d seen in her beautiful eyes. “I don’t ever want to see her like that again.” Joe got to his feet and turned off the security system before opening the door. “Please tell me you found him?”

“Sorry,” Brian said, stepping up onto the porch. He turned his phone off and dropped it in his pocket as he entered Joe’s house. “I tried, but evidently he’d been in those woods before. He was probably long gone before backup ever got there.”

Joe pulled an exhausted-looking Brian against him while he reset the alrm. “I know you did your best.” He gave Brian a quick kiss. “You hungry?”

Brian shook his head. “More tired than hungry.” He held up a plastic bag. “But I remembered to go by the store.”

It was almost three o’clock in the morning, and despite their desires, Joe doubted Brian could stay awake much longer. With his arm around Brian’s waist, he walked them through the living room, turning off the lamp on his way.

“Mind if I take a shower?” Brian asked.

“Not at all.” Joe decided to give Brian a few moments.“I’m gonna check on Beth, but I’ll be back.”

“You can join me,” Brian said, unbuttoning his shirt.

“Oh, I plan to.” Joe winked. He watched from the open doorway as Brian removed his shirt. “I like the way you look in my house.”

Brian spun around. “I thought you were going to check on Beth.”

“I am, but I thought I’d enjoy the scenery for a moment first.” Joe glanced at the closed door to his guestroom. “Or maybe I’ll check on her after we shower.”

Brian unzipped his khaki pants and let them drop to the floor. “Then you’d better catch up.”

By the time Joe had got his clothes off, Brian was already in the shower. “What, you couldn’t wait two minutes?” Joe asked, opening the seamless glass door. The bathroom renovation he’d tackled while off work was his pride and joy. The floor to ceiling slate tile in the double-sized shower gave it a sense of grandure.

“I wanted to get a quick scrub in before you joined me,” Brian said. He handed the bar of soap to Joe. “But since you’re here now…”

Joe rubbed the bar between his palms and worked up a good lather before placing the soap back on the built-in shelf. He turned Brian around and pressed himself against Brian’s back. “Have you washed this?” he asked, reached around to lather Brian’s chest.

“Yes, but don’t let that stop you.” Brian reached behind him and rested his palms on Joe’s ass.

Joe began to kiss the column of Brian’s neck. “I thought of the two of us when I built this shower,” he said between kisses. He soaped his way down Brian’s six-pack abdomen to the cropped hair of his groin. After a quick tease of Brian’s balls, Joe couldn’t resist wrapping his hand around Brian’s erection. “Shit, you have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of touching you like this.”

“Touch all you want.” Brian retreived the bar of soap and held it out. “Did I mention that my ass only got a light scrubbing earlier?”

Releasing Brian’s cock, Joe gathered more lather in his hands. “Guess we need to take care of that.” He took hold of Brian’s erection once again and began to stroke the long, heavy length with one hand while he exploring the crack of Brian’s ass with the other.

Brian moaned when Joe brushed a finger across his hole. “Yeah, right there.”

Joe wasn’t sure how much experience Brian had had with men, but he obviously liked the way Joe’s finger felt rimming his hole. “Are you ready for more?”

Brian rested his head back against Joe’s shoulder. “I want everything you’re willing to give.”

Joe pressed the tip of his finger against Brian’s puckered hole and slowly pushed inside. When Brian moaned, Joe pulled out before easing inside once again.

“Shit, it’s so much better,” Brian groaned.

“Better than what, babe?” On the next slide in, Joe added another finger.

“Better than the dildo I usually use when I think of you being inside me.”

The thought of Brian fucking himself with a dildo while thinking of him had Joe’s cock throbbing with need. “Did you bring those supplies in here?”

Brian cursed. “They’re on the bed.”

Joe withdrew his fingers and moved Brian under the spray. “Rinse off, babe.” He opened the door and grabbed two thick white terry towels off the shelf. As bad as he needed inside Brian, their drying would have to be done on the way to the bed.

Brian turned off the water and took one of the towels, swiping it across his skin as he led the way out of the room. Before he fell to the mattress, Brian palmed the back of Joe’s neck and pulled him in for a rough, sloppy kiss.

Unlike making love to Beth, Joe didn’t worry about being gentle with Brian. He tackled Brian to the mattress without breaking the kiss and reached blindly for the small plastic bag of lube and condoms.

When he came up empty, Joe was forced to break the kiss. “Where the hell is it?”

Brian moved his head from side to side. “Must’ve fallen off when you went all linebacker on me.”

Joe climbed off the mattress and searched the area until he came up with it. He handed the bottle of lube to Brian before withdrawing the mega box of condoms. “Ribbed?” He grinned down at Brian as he knelt on the bed. “Kinky motherfucker.”

“Hey, I told you, I’m used to silicone. If I’m gonna finally get fucked for real, I damn well want to feel it,” Brian explained. He spread his legs and planted his feet flat on the bed.

“Oh, you’ll feel it. That, I guarantee.” Joe ripped open the foil packet. Rolling the condom down his cock, he watched Brian lube his own hole. “You’re good at that.”

“Practice makes perfect,” Brian shot back.

After sheathing himself, Joe wasted no time moving into position. He wrapped his hands around Brian’s ankles and pushed his legs back. Staring down at Brian’s waiting hole, Joe felt like pinching himself to make sure it wasn’t a dream. He’d spent years waiting for the chance to drive his cock into Brian’s ass.

Joe directed the head of his cock to Brian’s hole. “I’ll ease in then pound the fuck out of you,” he promised.

“Sounds like a plan.” Brian hissed when Joe’s cock breached his outter ring of muscles. “Jesus.”

“Nope, just Joe.”

“Give me more, and I’ll call you anything you want,” Brian pleaded.

Joe eased in to the hilt, relishing each moan that escaped Brian’s lips. “That enough for you?”

Brian groaned. “Never enough.”

“I know how you feel.” Joe swivelled his hips in an effort to stretch Brian even more, before withdrawing his cock from the tight hold Brian’s body had on him. “Relax,” he whispered, surging in again.

Brian curled his hands into fists, gripping the sheet under him as Joe started a strong rhythm of in and out. Joe knew he’d never forget the expression on Brian’s handsome face. It was a combination of love and…something else. Deep red whisps consumed Brian’s aura as he continued to stare up at Joe. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” Joe said.

Brian released the sheet and threw his arm over his eyes. “Just keep going.”

Joe drove his cock in deep. “Talk to me.”

“Later, maybe, not now, I’m too close,” Brian replied.

Although he wanted Brian to open up to him, Joe decided to let it go for the moment. He changed positions, needing to feel Brian against him. Chest to chest, he nudged Brian’s arm away before kissing him.

When Brian moaned at the invasion of Joe’s tongue, Joe knew they were back on track. He started fucking Brian the way he’d always dreamed of without worrying about hurting him.

Brian’s short fingernails scraped against Joe’s back as they rocked the entire bedframe. He broke the kiss and cried out as warm cum shot between their bodies.

When Joe leaned back and stared down, Brian met his gaze. “I love you,” Brian mouthed without saying the words aloud.

Joe nodded as he continued to pump his cock in and out of Brian’s hole. Saying as little as possible was Brian’s way, and Joe accepted the gift he’d just been given. It only took minutes before he let out a loud grunt as his climax rocketed through him, filling the condom with cum.

Joe pressed his lips against Brian’s neck and kissed him. “The three of us have to work because, God help me, I can’t give you up.”

“I won’t give you up, no matter what it takes,” Brian mumbled.

Joe hoped Brian mean it, he was betting his heart on it.