Chapter 17 #2
“No. I mean, I don’t know.” Oliver shuddered as the photos of Lucien, Dominic, and Vera flashed through his mind. He straightened his back and shoulders. Lifted one foot from the stone and set it down again. “I’m going after him.”
“I’m coming, too.”
Before either of them could move, the leaves rustled then parted. Cody returned, wiping dirt and dust from his face. Blood welled in a scratch along his forearm.
“What happened?” Oliver moved closer. “Did you see…anything?”
“Nothing. Plants are growing too close together to be able to check for footprints. There’s a door there, but it’s covered in vines.” He lifted his arm. “Something back there’s got thorns.”
“We’ve got antiseptic in the truck,” Demetrius said as he inspected the scratch.
“So, nothing’s there?” Oliver asked.
Cody met his eye. “Nothing I could see. I can check around some more.”
“No, that’s all right.” He smiled, but it felt too tight and a bit lopsided. “It was nothing. Really. I’m overtired and jumping at shadows.”
“You’re sure?” Cody turned to the plants. “I’m happy to go back in there.”
“I’m sure.”
That deflated a bit of the tension in them all.
“Thank you, though, for being so protective,” Oliver said. “Both of you.” He blew out a breath and shook some of the tension from his hands. “But, good news. Dave’s booking this place.”
Demetrius grabbed him in a hug. “I’m so happy! It’s going to be a beautiful ceremony.”
“I’m glad, Ollie.” Cody squeezed his shoulder. “It’s a good place.” He smirked. “Despite the thorns.”
“And the possibility of bees?” Oliver couldn’t help saying.
“It’s a valid question! So many people are allergic.”
Robin rounded a corner. They wore a straw boater hat and a hoodie with an embroidered anime character on the left side. Their backpack hung from one shoulder. “Sorry I’m late. I had to meet up with a study group from my economics class.”
Cody made a face. “Tough class?”
“Brutal.” Robin took a step closer to Oliver. “Well? What do you think?”
Oliver hugged them. “We love it. Thank you for the suggestion.”
Robin snapped their fingers and clapped. “Yes! It’s going to be so fire.”
“I hope so, because you’re invited.”
“Really?”
“Of course. We’ve been through a lot in a very short time. I consider you a good friend.”
“Me, too. I mean, you’re a good friend, too.” Robin clapped their hands softly. “I’m really happy right now.”
“I have one suggestion,” Demetrius said.
“Uh oh…”
“Nothing bad, relax. How about we combine the bachelor parties into one get together? Each party has pretty much the same guest list.”
“Wow. That…” Oliver trailed off, unable to finish. The skin across the back of his neck went soft, and he found it bit easier to breathe. “That would be so great.”
Demetrius smiled at Robin. “You’re invited, of course.”
“For real? Sweet!”
“Wait a minute,” Cody said, studying Robin. “How old are you again?”
“Twenty.”
Cody pointed a finger at them. “No booze.”
“I don’t drink.” Robin shrugged. “I don’t like how it makes me feel.”
“Talk to me when you hit your mid-thirties.”
“The party’s at the Hollow Leg bar in Parson’s Hollow.” Demetrius turned to Oliver. “And I was thinking tomorrow night, if that works for you?”
“That was my party night anyway, wasn’t it?”
“Your party won the coin toss,” Cody grumbled. “So, now I have to call all the people I invited to my party and let them know it’s a different night.”
Oliver raised a hand. “One less to call.”
“I’ll help.” Demetrius rubbed a hand up and down Cody’s back.
“How long have you two been together?” Robin asked.
“As friends or lovers?” Oliver smirked.
Cody shot Oliver a dirty look before saying, “We’ve been best friends since kindergarten, but we didn’t start dating until our late twenties.”
“Damn. Talk about a slow burn friends to lovers,” Robin said.
Oliver snorted then winced when Demetrius elbowed him in the side.
“I was pretty much blind to what Demmy meant to me for a long time.” Cody’s voice softened, and he ran a gentle finger down Demetrius’s cheek. “I finally wised up.”
“That’s so sweet,” Robin said. “I can see how much you two love each other.”
Dave rounded the bend, his stride light and his smile broad. Oliver decided not to mention his scare just yet. He didn’t want to ruin Dave’s mood.
“This was a great idea,” Dave said with a pat on Robin’s shoulder. “We love it.”
“They’re coming to the wedding,” Oliver said.
“Oh, I thought that was a given.”
“And hopefully the bachelor party,” Demetrius added.
“Party?” Dave cocked his head. “Just one?”
“You should have been nicer to me,” Cody said, crossing his arms and turning away.
“Wait, what?” Dave looked at Demetrius.
“Ignore him. I suggested we just have one party tomorrow night,” Demetrius said. “Hollow Leg.”
“Okay. Wow, that’s actually a lot easier.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Oliver said.
Cody sighed dramatically. “Guess you’ll never know what I had planned.”
“Beers and darts at the Hollow Leg while trying to get me to do shots?” Dave suggested.
“Well, sure, but other stuff, too.”
“Like?” Demetrius crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.
“You know, a party tomorrow night sounds perfect.” Cody gave them all a tight smile. “Can we go now?”
“Probably should, I need to work on a couple of papers.” Oliver took Dave’s hand.
“I need to get something done as well,” Robin said. “I’m headed to the library.”
“Be careful. Get home before dark.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
After signing the agreement and paying the deposit, Oliver and Dave followed Cody and Demetrius back to Parson’s Hollow. They all went directly to Margie’s for dinner and to update her on the change of venue.
As they ate, Cody entertained them all with stories of recent jobs. A frog infestation in someone’s basement, with so much croaking, hopping, and slippery chaos, had them all in tears. Oliver’s limbs, his entire body, actually, felt loose and relaxed by the time they’d finished eating.
And there had been absolutely no talk of the mummy or murders or ancient fungal spores.
When they got back home, the moon was up and the crickets and frogs were singing her praises. Oliver followed Dave up the steps and inside their second-floor apartment. Once he’d shut and locked the door, Dave pulled him in close for a kiss.
“I’m really looking forward to being your husband.”
Oliver put his arms around Dave’s neck and pressed against him. The hard line of Dave’s erection was unmistakable, and Oliver raised his eyebrows. “I would say so if you’re already that amped up.”
They kissed, tongues slowly twining, heat building between them. Dave cupped the back of Oliver’s head, fingers strong and palm warm against his scalp. Oliver’s cock responded quickly, eager to be free of his briefs.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” Dave whispered.
Oliver smirked. “Race you.”
They both laughed as he chased Oliver to the bedroom and grabbed him around the waist. They tumbled onto the bed together, their laughter quieting and Dave’s breath warm against Oliver’s cheek.
Dave lay half on top of him, studying his face.
Oliver ran a hand through his hair and down along the soft whiskers of his beard.
“So handsome.”
Taking his hand, Dave moved it down to his tented shorts. “So horny.”
“Let’s do something about that.”
Oliver kissed him, his tongue sliding past Dave’s lips as he squeezed him through his shorts. With careful movements, Dave removed Oliver’s glasses and placed them on the nightstand. When he rolled back into place, he resumed kissing.
They slowly removed pieces of clothing, applying a kiss now and then to a newly revealed body part until they both were naked. Oliver slowly stroked Dave, earning moans and grunts of appreciation. With a final, deep kiss, Dave shifted on the bed into a sixty-nine position.
“I love a thick, hot sausage in the evening,” Oliver said.
He ran the flat of his tongue up the hot length. The taste of sweat and skin made his mouth water. At the top, he pursed his lips around the soft, slick head and eased down over him. Dave groaned around his own mouthful, stroking as he sucked.
Closing his eyes, Oliver shut off his brain and focused on the long, solid shaft against his tongue, and the taste of pre already making him want the thick and salty final reward.
He cupped Dave’s balls in one palm as he stroked in time with his sucking.
When he reached the tip, he briefly tightened his lips and fingers before descending once again.
Dave applied a similar technique to him, and the first waves of release started rolling in.
Oliver kept his lips clamped tight, moving faster, climbing nearer to climax himself.
They came within seconds of each other, Dave spilling over first. A torrent of thick cum filled Oliver’s mouth, divinely briny. He swallowed it all, then lifted his head to cry out as he finished down Dave’s throat.
With soft kisses and licks, they cleaned each other up, the taste of Dave lingering on his tongue. Dave turned again, slower this time, and Oliver snuggled up against him, their skin still tacky with sweat. A yawn snuck up on him, and Dave immediately echoed it.
Dave kissed the top of Oliver’s head. With a sigh, he slipped into sleep.