Arlo #6
“And here I thought you were going to say that it was about the family. At least you’re finally honest enough to remove the mask and admit it’s never been about the family, just you.”
“As far as the western element of this family is concerned, I am the family,” she said coolly.
“I smelled gas, or something similar,” he said without taking her bait. “Some sort of accelerant was used, I could smell it under the god awful smell of smoke.”
“Did you?” she asked, and although I was still reeling, even I couldn’t miss the absence of doubt in her voice. “I would have known that at some point, I’m sure, but knowing it early is...good.”
It was my turn to look surprised, but Ward shot me a rueful smirk of understanding. “I figured you would find that interesting. I certainly did, though I’ll admit the smell of my entire home being burned was far more important to me, but I didn’t miss it.”
“And this Arlo...can he be trusted to confirm you were with him all night?”
“He was with me, remember? He spoke to the officer and not only confirmed it, but also offered up his brother, who is living with him, to confirm it.”
“Well, do try not to break this one’s heart too thoroughly before the investigation is over,” she warned. “The last thing we need is for him to decide in bitterness that it’s worth it to spite you.”
“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that.”
“Your assurances do little to assure me.”
“And your worries do little to make me worry.”
She sucked in a breath and sighed. “Well, you seem to have things well in hand, or do you need something from me? You are free to return to the house.”
“I think I can arrange my own accommodations,” he said, wrinkling his nose.
“Don’t try to shack up with this Arlo for now, because I know the thought occurred to you.”
“It did and was readily dismissed. I have several reasons, most of which won’t matter to you, but ultimately, I don’t intend to draw excess attention to our relationship...whatever state that’s in at the moment.”
“Your care for others is noted,” she said dryly. “Now, I will need you to show up in a couple of weeks. Things are quite busy, but it would be good for you to come and sit down with your father and me for dinner again. Do you think you can manage that?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said, though you would have to be deaf to miss how little he looked forward to the idea.
“You do that,” she said, and there was a pause long enough that I wondered if I’d missed the sound of the call ending. “And...I’m glad you weren’t at home when it happened. Try not to draw more attention to yourself.”
Then the beep came, and Ward snorted, tucking his phone away. “I think that was the closest she’s ever come to a maternal comment, can you believe it?”
“A broken clock is right twice a day, and a cold-hearted bitch is bound to find some warmth for her son at least once a year,” Will intoned from up front, making Ward laugh.
“Are you alright?” Ward asked me softly, and I glanced toward Will and then shrugged. “A simple answer will suffice; we’ll talk more later.”
“I’m okay, for the most part,” I admitted apologetically. “And...thank you.”
“For?”
“You know.”
“Shutting my mother up?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you’re welcome. It’s not often I get the chance to shut her down so roughly, and it was rather nice actually.”
“She didn’t doubt you when you told her about the gas.”
“You caught that, did you?” he said with a humorless smile.
“Yes, sometimes she actually listens to me and believes me. If I put in the effort, I could sit down and codify which parts of my judgment she’s willing to trust and which she casts in doubt.
I’ve never tried, though, and I see no reason to,” he said with a frown.
I watched him fight to make sense of his mother, something I suspected he’d done before.
He had probably even told himself repeatedly that there was no point in trying to make sense of her, that her motivations would always be foreign to him, even when he grasped pieces here and there.
I could point out that he was like her but also wildly different.
And that he would never understand her because, unlike her, he held onto his heart rather than locking it away in ice and stone.
Instead, I just stared at him, sitting in my shirt and jeans that were slightly too tight.
He didn’t look the part of a playboy today.
In fact, he looked like a man who played football in high school and hadn’t gone to seed in the intervening years.
His hair wasn’t nicely put together, his clothes were plain, and he lacked any glamor or glitz. He was just...him.
“I see you eyeballing me,” he said, his frown disappearing, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Warmth pooled in my gut as I watched the smirk that threatened to undo me.
It would probably be a bad idea to mention I was incredibly fond of his little smirks.
I wasn’t delusional enough not to realize that he was a cocky man who was more than aware of his looks and money, and what effect they had on other people.
And yet that didn’t stop me being attracted to him for an instant.
“I was thinking,” I began as I glanced at the front seat. Oh, this was a terrible idea, but the idea had formed in my head, and I couldn’t put the cream back into the udder.
“I would caution against doing something so reckless,” he said with a snort. “But you tend to have some interesting ideas. So what did you have in mind?”
I scooted closer, our hips bumping as I leaned against his shoulder, and earned a surprised look. “I was thinking I’m glad you weren’t in that fire. And that you don’t give yourself enough credit for your good heart.”
Will grunted from up front. “And here I thought it was going to get interesting, not sentimental.”
“Then put in your ear buds and let the man speak,” Ward told him in a growl.
“You know that’s illegal, right?”
“So is buying drugs from your boss, but you do it anyway. Put them in and quit ruining the moment.”
“Fine, fine,” Will grumbled, fumbling with a case when he came to a light and jammed the buds into his ears. “When you figure out what we’re supposed to be doing, just give me a holler...or a tap. Whatever.”
“Nosy ass,” Ward grumbled and stopped when my hand slid over his thigh and onto his groin. “And here I thought you were being sentimental.”
“I was, and I meant what I said. About being grateful, thankful, and the credit you don’t give yourself.”
“Mm, those things seem slightly different while you’re...feeling me.”
“Well, yes, I suppose they do. Should I stop?”
“God no, I want to see where this is heading.”
“Let me guess...it’s interesting.”
“Absolutely.”
Snorting, I undid the button to his jeans and carefully brought down the zipper.
I knew better than to look at the front of the SUV; that kind of movement would probably set off Will’s alarm, and he would grow curious.
I, too, was curious to see if I could get away without being spotted.
I’d never done something like that when someone else was so close and could easily spot what was going on, but. ..that was the effect Ward had on me.
Carefully reaching into his underwear, I got hold of his cock and fished it out before it grew completely hard.
It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one who got hard at a moment’s notice whenever there was sexual contact between us.
It was only one of a few times, so it was probably normal to get excited that quickly, but. ..still, it was nice.
The windows were tinted against outside peeking, but they let in enough light for me to see clearly.
We really were about the same size, though perhaps I was a little thicker, but I could only make that judgment because I’d had my hand around my own dick enough times to know the difference.
He was also prone to leaking quicker and more copiously than me.
And there was no way I was going to complain about that.
His eyelids fluttered when I ran my thumb over the leaking head and groaned softly.
For a moment, I almost forgot Will was occupied with whatever music or podcast he had in his ear and looked forward.
Ward grabbed my chin, turning me to face him and drawing me close.
When our lips touched, I felt his cock twitch in my hand, and I let out a small breath of excitement.
Our tongues slid over one another as I stroked him, listening to the way his breathing was smooth save for the occasional hitch when I found some spot on his dick.
I let go of him long enough to cup his balls and stroke them gently, running my fingers up the shaft and around the head as I gave him a few playful strokes.
From what I could tell, he enjoyed a firm grip and slower strokes, especially if the underside of his cock was teased by a stray thumb.
“I’m a little surprised,” he said in a low voice as I continued to stroke him.
“Why?” I asked, hearing the excitement in my voice.
“Because I didn’t expect you to do something like this with a potential witness. Not without involving him.”
“Maybe in the future, but right now? I want it to be you and me.”
“You say the most wonderful things.”
“I am so glad you approve of my mouth.”
“Oh ho, yes. In more than one way.”
“Oh?”
His eyes followed me, going wide as I brought my face down into his lap.
He slid forward so the side of my face could rest against his stomach as I continued to stroke him, finally bringing my mouth forward so I could run my tongue from the base to the tip before going back down again.
He seemed to enjoy the teasing as much as he enjoyed trying to get off as hard and fast as possible.
He was either a lover of all things sex or he had really general tastes.