The Mercenary and the Mortician (The Silent Hollow #1)

31. Ryan Fairview

Alexa, play: Swim - Chase Atlantic

“ H ow did you know I love lilies?” I asked dumbly. My heart was suddenly pounding in my chest, and my hands were shaking.

Cal was eyeing me up and down, somewhat more cautiously than he ever had before.

“Your mom,” he explained, still staring at me. I swallowed.

“Oh, yeah. That makes sense…”

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. We stood in silence for an excruciating long, awkward minute.

I cleared my throat, ready to apologize, when he took a tentative step forward, stepping right over the lilies he had left on the step.

“Ryan, I’m sorry. I know you told me to leave today, and you said you didn’t want my help. I shouldn’t have barreled in like that without an invitation, especially while you were working. I’m just having a really hard time staying away from you.”

I ran a hand through my hair, shaking my head, the booze in my veins making me bolder than I ever would be normally.

“No, Cal. I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. You were just trying to help. I was having a terrible day, and I was super over-stimulated. I don’t know if you weren’t wearing your talisman, but—” I cut myself off, realizing my drunk ass almost told him I see dead people.

Fuck. He would think I was more crazy than he is!

Cal cocked his head to the side and took another step closer to me. Instinctively, I took a step back and immediately regretted it. I didn’t want to push him away… not right now. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice.

“How did you know that I didn’t have the talisman on me?” he asked softly.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I whispered, and he took another step forward. I stepped back again and found that I had nowhere else to go. My back was flush against the wall, and he was so close. My whole body was humming with an electric sort of warmth, and I didn’t think it was the alcohol.

He was staring at me so intently, and for once, there wasn’t a single trace of humor on his face. My gaze traced his jawline. He had a bit of dark stubble growing in, and I had a sudden, visceral image of me running my tongue over it.

It would probably feel so rough, like velcro… Why did I like the thought of that?

“Does it have something to do with the shadows that seem to follow you around?” he asked.

I frowned. “What shadows?”

For a second, he looked like he was going to say something, but then he stopped himself.

“Nevermind,” he breathed and reached forward carefully as if waiting for me to jerk away from him. I knew I should probably push him away, but I didn’t want to.

I let him cup the side of my neck, and I shivered as he brushed his thumb firmly over my jaw, right where I had imagined myself licking him.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Ryan,” he rumbled. “I’m sorry I’m so obsessed with you, but fuck. I can’t help it. You’re too damn beautiful.”

I swallowed and looked up at him.

“It feels weird having a dude call me beautiful,” I admitted, though honestly, it would be weird to me if anyone told me they thought I was beautiful. I was pale and freckled with bright red hair. I was never anyone’s first choice. It was something I had forced myself to make peace with over the years, though it did hurt me to think about sometimes when I looked in the mirror.

Despite the fact that I found it hard to believe Cal truly found me beautiful, I realized that I did think he was.

Greedily, I drank him in as he pressed closer, breathing in his intoxicating scent. He leaned in closer, and the tip of his nose brushed against the tip of mine. He hovered there for a moment, giving me room to pull away. He smelled like bergamot and oak. I inhaled, and a rush of excitement coursed through me as his breath danced across my lips.

“You ever been kissed by a man, Ryan?” he asked, and I shook my head slightly, feeling stiff as a board. He pressed up against me, and our chests bumped together. He stroked his thumb over that spot on my jaw again, and I made an involuntary whimper.

“You smell like alcohol,” Cal murmured, sliding his other hand up my bare arm to play with the sleeve of my shirt. His gentle fingers left a trail of gooseflesh in its wake.

“Theo got me drunk and told me I have the hots for you,” I admitted, closing my eyes and finding myself leaning into his touch.

A low, surprised chuckle escaped Cal’s lips. His mouth was so close to mine. I found myself turning my head to the side to line up our mouths.

“Is that so?” Cal asked. He touched his lips to mine so fucking softly I could barely even register that we had touched.

“Mhmm.” I breathed, and Cal’s hand tightened on the side of my face.

“Do you?”

“What?”

“Have the hots for me?” he asked, holding me firmly in place.

Did I have the hots for him? I wasn’t sure. I knew that I wanted him to kiss me. I knew that much.

“I-I don’t know,” I admitted, and he chuckled again. That deep masculine rumble rolled through his chest and made my dick swell in my sweats.

“Do you want to find out?” he asked, and I found myself nodding.

“Yes.”

“Good. Me too,” he growled, and before I could react, his lips crashed into mine.

His lip ring pressed into me, and he swiped his tongue across the seam of my mouth, begging me to open for him. I did, and suddenly, his hot tongue was stroking against mine.

I moaned in his mouth embarrassingly loud. I couldn’t fucking help it.

Our teeth clashed, and he possessively stroked my tongue before sucking it into his mouth. With each pulse, my dick grew harder.

He held my head in place with his right hand, but his left hand roamed freely. One moment, he was stroking my cheek; the next, his fingers were tugging on my hair hard enough that I groaned, and then, finally, he slid his hand down my chest.

“You taste just like I imagined you would, Ryan.” He groaned into my mouth. I bit down on his bottom lip and sucked on his lip ring, teasing it with my tongue.

His fingers closed around my nipple and pinched it through my T-shirt. I whined and arched, finding my own fingers in his thick, dark hair. I pulled him in closer and shoved my tongue back into his mouth, aggressively lashing against him.

“ Fuck,” I cursed as his hand slid lower. He went slowly, pausing periodically as if waiting to see if I would stop him. After a few excruciating minutes, I grew impatient and grabbed his hand, shoving it lower.

He broke the kiss and stared at me, his lips swollen and puffy from where I had bitten him. We were both panting and rock hard. I was desperate for him to touch me again.

“You want this,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“Touch me like you did before,” I rasped. He rested his forehead against mine, his chest heaving from the intensity of our kiss.

“You’re going to regret this tomorrow,” he said, and I hated the sadness I heard in his tone.

“I won’t,” I insisted. I leaned back into the wall and pushed his hand over my sweats so he could feel how hard I was for him. He cupped me firmly, rubbing me over my pants and making me groan with need. “Please, Cal,” I whimpered. How had I not realized how touch-starved I had been? How much I needed this?

Why had I pushed him away so much? All the reasons I had before seemed impossible for me to remember. His eyes were searching mine, and I could see the apprehension in them.

“You’re drunk. When you’re sober, you’re going to be upset with me for taking advantage of you,” he said, and I shook my head furiously.

“I won’t. I promise. Please, Cal. I want to…try.”

He stared at me for a moment, then his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“You know I can’t say no when you beg, ginger snap,” he rumbled, kissing me harshly again. This time he sucked my lip into his mouth, and I groaned at the intoxicating mix of pleasure and pain.

Without warning, Cal yanked my pants down to my ankles, and I gasped. He got to his knees in front of me, and I nearly fucking came just from the sight of my cock bobbing in the air so close to his face.

“I’m going to suck you until you come down my throat, Ryan Fairview,” he announced, wrapping his hand around my cock without any hesitation. I watched as he opened his mouth and licked the pre cum right off the tip before closing his lips around the head and sucking.

“Fuuuckkk,” I groaned, throwing my head back against the wall at the shock of his hot mouth wrapped around my dick. “Jesus fucking Christ, Cal. That feels…”

He popped my dick out of his mouth and stroked it a few times, examining it as if he wanted to commit it to memory.

“Such a gorgeous fucking cock. Curved... I didn’t get a good look last time.” With the hand that wasn’t stroking me, he fondled my balls and looked up at me again.

“Pay attention. I’m going to expect you to return the favor later,” he ordered, and I swallowed but nodded.

Fuck… I was going to have to suck his dick too? I guess that was only fair. Fuck me, I had no idea how to suck a dick! What if I was shit at it?

“Eyes on me, Ryan,” he ordered before slurping my entire cock down like it was nothing. My eyes rolled back into my head, and my knees buckled.

“Holy fucking?—”

Without meaning to, I curled my fingers in his soft mop of hair and pulled him closer to my hips. I could feel the walls of his tight throat as he swallowed my cock, and I was worried I would explode from that act alone.

A fucking MAN was sucking my dick, and it was the most erotic experience I had ever had in my life.

“Mmmphhh.” Cal moaned as he slowly bobbed his head. Up and down, up and down, he methodically built a fire that I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep under control for long.

“Callum, fuck . If you keep doing that, I’m going to?—”

He popped my dick out of his mouth and made eye contact before slapping the head of my cock firmly against his tongue.

“Jesus,” I moaned, and he chuckled, kissing the tip softly.

“You going to come for me, baby?” Lick.

“Fuck, Cal… stop teasing me.”

“Your balls are so fucking tight right now.” He pushed my cock up to expose them to him. I quivered in ecstasy as he pulled them gently into his mouth while jerking my now sloppy wet cock with his large, rough hand.

Fireworks were exploding across my mind, and I began to feel like I had tunnel vision. I bit my lip as I stared deep into Cal’s eyes while he sucked on my balls and stroked me until more cum started leaking from my tip. The second he felt it slide down my shaft, he licked up my entire cock again, cleaning it off.

“Fuuuuck,” I groaned, and he smirked up at me.

“That’s it, baby. Come down my throat. Let me taste you,” he purred before slurping me back up. He rammed my cock down his throat until he choked. The sound of him gagging on me was too much for me to handle.

My orgasm came out of nowhere.

“Fuck, Cal! I’m coming!” I gasped, though I was a few seconds too late. My cock was already throbbing, and his throat constricted around me as he expertly swallowed my release.

I slumped against the wall and held his head against me until my legs quivered, and I could barely stand anymore.

Once I was finished, he gently untangled my fingers from his hair and popped off me with a grin.

I stared down at him with heavy-lidded eyes, and he licked his lips before sliding up my body and catching my lips in his mouth.

I froze for a moment, unsure how I felt about kissing him after he had just swallowed a mouthful of my cum, but he wasn’t having any of it. He forced his tongue between my lips, and I moaned as his tongue thrashed against mine.

I could taste myself on him, but I found I didn’t hate it. It was a very specific flavor, kind of salty but mild. Plus, it was mixed with the peppermint on his breath, which my drunk ass decided was the best thing I had ever tasted in my fucking life.

He nibbled on my bottom lip, and I cupped the side of his face, pulling him in closer and mirroring what he had done for me. I reached down between us and palmed him over his jeans, wanting to make him feel just as good as he had made me feel.

He chuckled against me and snatched up my hand, slamming it against the wall by my head, breaking our kiss again.

“Nuh-uh,” he murmured, kissing the tip of my nose. My cheeks flushed red, and I suddenly felt rejected.

“I thought you said I was going to have to return the favor?” I growled. I realized my pants were still around my ankles, and Cal was fully clothed. I didn’t like it anymore. I felt exposed and vulnerable.

He grinned at me, kissing me gently on the lips and nipping my jawbone before nuzzling into my neck.

“You will. Just not tonight. I’m not small, Ryan. I don’t need you puking whatever it is you drank all over my dick.”

I flushed even deeper and pushed him away. “Fine,” I snapped, bending down and pulling up my pants.

He chuckled and scooped up the discarded bouquet of lilies and my phone, handing them both to me with an amused look on his face.

I considered turning down the flowers out of spite, my cheeks still burning from the harsh sting of rejection. However, he looked so fucking cute standing there with a bunch of my favorite flowers. My stomach flipped at the thought that he had bought them for me.

No one had ever bought me flowers before… Was it even normal for a man to want someone to buy him flowers?

I snatched them up and moved to storm back inside, but he grabbed my arm and spun me back around to face him.

“Why so grumpy all of a sudden, ginger snap?” Cal asked, his voice a deep, sexy, masculine rumble. I couldn’t keep myself from staring at his swollen mouth.

He had literally just had my cock in that mouth seconds ago…

Cal crowded into me the way I was quickly beginning to crave, and I scowled up at him.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just not feeling super wanted right now. I’ve never been with a guy before, and I put myself out there wanting to… you know, do that to you, and you just rejected me. So fuck me, I guess.”

Chuckling, he skimmed a thumb over my chin. He dropped another wet kiss on my mouth, and the paper from the bouquet crinkled between us.

“Of course I want you, ginger snap. I want you so fucking bad that it’s taking everything in me not to hold you down and fuck your virgin ass raw right here,” he growled into my ear, and my eyes widened in shock. My spent dick throbbed again in my sweatpants, and I gaped at him, my heart suddenly in my throat.

“But, you haven’t really liked me up until this point, and you’re drunk. Show me tomorrow that you still want me, and I’ll let you suck my cock as many times as you fucking want.”

I blinked at him, finding it difficult to form words. My cheeks were burning again, but this time for an entirely different reason.

“Sound good, baby?” he murmured, kissing me again softly. When he pulled away, I nodded wordlessly, and he grinned.

“Good. See you in the morning, Ryan. I’ll be here bright and early, making your cranky-ass breakfast.” He winked, and without saying another word, he disappeared into the night.

I was left alone on my porch, clutching my bouquet of lilies, wondering if the last twenty minutes had really happened or if it had all just been a crazy dream.

I glanced down at my newly tented pants and blushed again.

If it was a dream, it was the wettest fucking dream I had ever had in my life.

Goddamn.