Attachment Strings (17 page)

I didn’t feel cornered or panicked either, merely confused. Not wanting to dwell on my feelings—which I had done more of in the last few days than I could stand—I consciously relaxed my muscles and enjoyed being in the here and now.

W
E
ATE
in a civilized manner. I tried my very best not to stare at the disaster Sean created on his plate, and given the appreciative gaze from Alex, I must have succeeded fairly well. While Alex prepared Sean for bed, which Sean made very clear was way too early, I walked around, making sure the door and windows were locked.

I expected Alex to carry Sean to his bedroom and then come back to me. I sighed inwardly when he came to me with his arms full of Sean. Why couldn’t he once do what I expected him to do?

“What’s up?”

“What… what about tomorrow?”

Dumbfounded, I asked, “What do you mean?”

“It’s the twelfth tomorrow. Should I, um, send Sean to school tomorrow?”

Sean’s head jerked up from his resting place on Alex’s shoulder and he stared at his brother wide-eyed. Seconds later he twittered, loud and urgently, until Alex hushed him by covering Sean’s mouth with two fingers.

“Shh, easy there, baby. I know you want to go to school, but I….” He faltered and looked at me beseechingly. I would have helped him out if I’d had the tiniest clue of what to say. When I didn’t come to his rescue, Alex just repeated, “Should I?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know, I really don’t know. Would it be difficult for you to take tomorrow off?”

“Well, they won’t be happy about me taking a day off; although if I claim Sean’s not feeling well or something it shouldn’t be a problem. I can’t do this for an infinite amount of time, though. We’re dependent on my income and they already met me halfway when they allowed me to work reduced hours,” Alex thought aloud.

“How about you tuck Sean into bed and I give Parker a call. Maybe he has some news.”

Alex nodded but hesitated. He cradled the back of Sean’s head in his palm, kissed him swiftly on a cheek, and asked me, “Will someone stay with us again?”

“Yes. I’ll ask Parker if he knows who it’s going to be.”

Alex nodded again, took a deep breath, and finally walked toward Sean’s bedroom. Sean chirped but I couldn’t understand Alex’s response, just noted his voice was soothing and calm. I wondered what he’d told Sean so far. Given his anger yesterday in the kitchen, I doubted that he’d told him the truth.

I dialed Parker’s number and he picked up on the third ring. “Trenkins.”

“Woods,” I replied. “Anything new?”

“Hey. No, nothing, although Williams put enough pressure on forensics that we’ll get results some time tomorrow. Even the mayor can’t claim this letter is more important than identifying the victims of a horrendous bus crash.”

I rolled my eyes. The best course of action was to prevent Parker from launching into a tirade about the many faults of the mayor. At least I could understand his simmering animosity better now.

“All right, all right, chill. Do you know who’s going to look after Alex and the kid tomorrow? I told Alex to keep Sean at home because of the ultimatum.”

“How about you check in with Williams in the morning? Don’t you want to stay with them?” Parker asked.

“Let’s not go there, okay? I’ll give you a call in the morning. Don’t overdo it tonight.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just going to relax in front of the TV.”

“What? No boinking the boyfriend?”

“Geez, Jeff, you’re so rude,” Parker laughed. I heard a car door slam shut, followed by his footfalls on a sidewalk. “And for your information, I’m not going to be doing the boinking, David is d—”

“David is going to cut this sort of conversation short,” another voice, in a way lower timbre, interrupted Parker. I almost choked on my laughter.

“Haha, very funny, Jeff. For that I want details of your… nightly activities first thing in the morning,” Parker drawled.

A door closed, probably the front door of David’s home, and I heard a startled yelp from Parker. The sudden silence that followed caused me to shift uncomfortably from foot to foot. I strained my ears and eventually asked tentatively, “Parker? Are you okay?”

Parker sounded subdued but not frightened when he said, “Yeah, I’m okay. After further consideration I don’t want to hear about your nightly activities tomorrow.”

Baffled, I stopped my pacing in the living room. “
You
don’t want to hear about it or David doesn’t want you to?”

“Uh-huh,” Parker replied in an evasive tactic.

I chuckled wholeheartedly. “Wow, I’m impressed. I want you to introduce me to him.”

“No way, he’s mine. You got your boy toy and—”

Clothes rustled in the background, and a moment later I heard the clear demand from David for Parker to watch his mouth and wash his hands. Parker grumbled something, which obviously gained him a kiss, then he said, “We’d better cut this short or I’ll get myself into trouble.”

“You don’t sound as if you’d mind getting into trouble.”

“It’s all good.”

“Parker?” I hesitated briefly but decided that I really liked my partner and had the right to be concerned about him. “Are you
really
okay? He’s not, you know, forcing you into something you don’t want to do?”

“Jeff!” Parker exclaimed with a laugh. “I’m not some damsel in distress and I’m absolutely capable of defending myself.”

“I know that,” I replied, irritated. “You just sound off.”

The noise of running water reached my ears as Parker told me, “Thanks for worrying about me. I appreciate that, I really do, but everything is fine. David is good for me like Alex is for you.”

“How about I tell you about my activities the day after tomorrow? Would that get you into trouble?”

Parker laughed again. “That would work.”

“All right, see you tomorrow.”

Parker ended the call on a chuckle and I shook my head. After flipping my phone shut I gazed out of the window, searching for the mysterious visitor from yesterday. I didn’t find him or anything else that made me believe we were under observation.

Alex sidled up next to me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and without conscious thought I lifted my arm to pull him into a close hug. Dropping a kiss on his forehead, I said, “Forensics should have results on the letter by tomorrow.”

“Why is it taking so long? On TV it barely takes a few minutes.”

“Welcome to reality.”

Alex snorted and moved until he stood in front of me. His hands roamed from my waist up to my chest. He slipped them under my sweater and undershirt, mapping the muscles of my abdomen before he tilted his head to offer me his mouth for a kiss. Not hesitating, I plunged right into the kiss and pulled him closer to me. When we broke apart his eyes were like bottomless pits, sucking me right into them. Emotions swelled up inside me, leaving me speechless and lost.

He traced my pectorals lightly with his fingertips, a trail of goose bumps following them. Even as a light shiver surged through my body, I couldn’t break my gaze which was riveted on him. All I wanted was to bury myself deep inside him, take him and claim him. A groan escaped my mouth when he admitted, “I’m not a big fan of reality. I’m a dreamer, and right now my dream is that you’re going to push me against the wall and fuck me senseless. Isn’t that what you wanted to do earlier tonight?”

A
S
I
pulled him flush against my body, I let out another groan. “I like your dream.”

Alex chuckled, then mouthed along my collarbone. His hands were trapped under my shirt and he wiggled them impatiently. “My dream didn’t include being restrained.”

Giving him a little bit of space to squirm free, I watched him lick his lips in anticipation. He wound his arms around me, holding my gaze for a split second before burying his face in my neck. Putting all my strength into my arms, I enveloped him in a crushing hug. Alex gave a breathless laugh. “God, you’re really, really strong.”

“You like that,” I stated.

“I do. More than I should, probably.” Alex’s voice drifted off into a whisper.

“Nothing wrong with liking it,” I said gruffly.

“I know. It’s just… I’m surprised how much of a turn-on your muscles and strength are.”

I pitched into a deep, gravely, almost growly sort of voice. “Want me to show you just how strong I am?”

Alex’s giggle caught me off guard. I nudged his head with mine and nipped at his earlobe. He hissed and lifted his head up. “Please show me, oh dear beefcake.”

I burst into laughter, which Alex stopped effectively by claiming my mouth. Not bothering to reply to his earlier comment, I squeezed his buttocks firmly. I lifted him off his feet and tapped his thigh with one hand. He got my message immediately. He slung his long legs around my waist and crossed them on my back. I put both hands under his butt, feeling him quiver in excited anticipation.

“You sure that Sean is asleep? Because there’s no way I’ll stop this time.”

“You’re so resentful. No, I’m sure he’s asleep. Now come on and fuck me.”

Blood rushed south with breathtaking speed. My cock strained heavily against my jeans and gave an interested jerk when I shifted Alex’s body. I walked us over to a free wall in the living room, where I uncrossed Alex’s legs. The bewildered and slightly hurt look he cast at me evoked another chuckle. “Don’t you worry. I’ll keep my promise. It’s just going to be easier without all these clothes.”

Alex blushed before a lopsided smile appeared on his face. “You’re right. Want me to help you out of your clothes? That,” he pointed at the bulge in my jeans, “definitely looks as if you could use my help.”

“Nope, keep your hands to yourself.”

Alex raised his eyebrows questioningly, “Mind telling me why you don’t want me to help you?”

He’d be on his knees to help me out of my jeans and, as much as it was an appealing image, it would end this session on the spot. He didn’t need to know how deeply he affected me, so I settled on a shrugged, “I like being in charge.”

“I noticed.”

“You don’t seem to have a problem with that when it’s sex-related.”

Alex’s eyes vanished behind a curtain of hair as he looked at his hands, busily unbuttoning his jeans. I didn’t comment and we both stepped out of our jeans and underwear. My cock gave a twitch at the sight in front of me. Alex’s cock jutted out from his nest of pubic hair, a single drop of precome dangling from the tip.

Lifting his arms above his head to get rid of his remaining clothes, he stopped dead in his tracks when I harshly demanded, “Leave it on.”

His head popped back out of his shirt, giving his hair a very ruffled look. This, combined with the blinking of his eyes and the slightly wary expression on his face, caused me to step forward swiftly. Pulling him against me and resting my hands possessively on his butt, I explained more gently, “Leave the shirt on. It’s kinda hot.”

Alex chuckled and shook his head, but the tension left his body immediately. “You’re one weird guy, you know that?”

I kneaded his butt when I replied, “Because I like to see you half-naked? Or because I’m going to fuck you senseless?”

I felt his ass muscles clench underneath my hands and heard him inhale sharply. He gasped when I brought our pelvises close together, his erection sliding against mine. Stroking his buttocks one more time, I laid my hands firmly under the curve of them and lifted.

He shuddered as he gave up control and simply clung to my body. After lifting him again, I shifted his weight and pinned him against the wall. His head thudded backwards and his fingers dug into my shoulders convulsively.

“Oh God,” he breathed, “oh God. I swear, I’m usually not one for jocks but fuck it all, you feel amazing.”

I laughed out loud and he cracked a smile at me. “I don’t want to destroy the mood and all that, but I’m usually not one for young and cute, so I guess you could say we’re both making an exception to the rule.”

Not giving him time to answer me, I slipped a spit-slicked thumb between the crease of his ass cheeks and nudged his opening. Alex clenched before he consciously relaxed his muscles and allowed my thumb into his body. I fucked him with that digit for a while, listening to the appreciative sighs and increasingly louder moans he emitted. He pushed down harder and harder on my thumb, urging me to stroke him faster while my tongue delved in and out of his mouth, devouring him.

“I want you.”

“You got me,” I said quietly.

We both stopped our frantic movements; I wasn’t sure about the deeper meaning of my reply to him or whether there
was
a deeper meaning in it.

Alex cleared his throat and averted his eyes for a moment before looking at me again. “Are you finally going to fuck me?”

“What do you think I’m doing right now?”

“Oh, that’s all nice and so on, but I really want your thick cock in my ass, pounding into me, marking me, making me scream and—”

“Okay! Okay, I get the picture!” I ground out. Precome oozed out of my cock in a long thread and my balls felt heavy and tight already. “Hold on tight for a second.”