Chapter Thirty- Six #2
little speech. “They owe him, and they know it. It took about six
phone calls to get all these guys here tonight. It was easy.
I just told them Father Mark needed a favor and they asked me when
and where. That was all.” He looked at Mark now, obviously wanting
him to understand how simple it had been. Then he stepped closer to
the house and lowered his voice. “And now they know what’s going
on. Out of respect for Father Mark, they’re not going to beat the
shit out of you tonight. They’re not going to burn your house down
and smash up your car and cut off your fucking fingers. Not
tonight. But you need to understand…Father Mark is under their
protection. Anything else happens to him? Anything?” Lucas shook
his head sadly. “That’d be it.”
He held the moment for just the right amount
of time before stepping back and shrugging casually. “So, not
exactly a social call. Just letting you know how things stand.
Letting you know it’s not a game, not anymore.”
Mikey looked at the men on his lawn and then
stepped forward a little. The other men on the porch watched him in
trepidation as he stared at Lucas and hissed, “And what about you?
These hard men protecting you too?”
Lucas snorted and took another step forward.
“I don’t need anyone to protect me from a pussy like you, Mikey.
You want to go? We can go right now, if you want.” Another step
forward and Mark could see the same icy expression that Lucas had
worn through the trial. The expression that said Lucas didn’t care
about anything and had absolutely nothing to lose. There was a
frozen moment and then Mikey shifted his weight just enough to
disengage. He was backing down without running away, and apparently
it was enough to satisfy Lucas. “We used to be friends, Mikey. I’d
rather not see you get fucked up. But this needs to be over. You
understand?”
Mikey looked rebellious. “I want these
fuckers off my lawn, Lucas. This is bullshit!”
Lucas shook his head like Mikey was a
misbehaving toddler. When he spoke again, his voice was dangerously
quiet. “You understand. You’ve been warned. That’s all I can do for
you. It’s up to you, now.” He let his gaze widen to include the
other men on the porch. “Your call.”
He stepped backward without looking away, and
again Mark saw the slight nod from the friend on the porch, the one
who’d come to the house. He looked almost pleased with the
situation and the acknowledgement seemed admiring, as if he was
tipping an imaginary hat in Lucas’s direction. It should have been
comforting to know that Lucas had an ally, but instead Mark’s gut
twisted unpleasantly. He didn’t like this man, didn’t like the
history he and Lucas shared and the bond they apparently still
felt.
It wasn’t jealousy, he told himself as the
men eased back off the lawn like a receding tide. He wasn’t quite
sure what it was, but surely not jealousy. He made his way down to
the sidewalk and shook a few hands, exchanged a few words, but most
of the men seemed content to have come, played their part, and then
leave without fanfare. Lucas stood at the side of it all,
watching.
A siren sounded from somewhere not far away
and the pace of departure got a little quicker. Lucas jerked his
head back the way they’d come. “I need to get out of here,” he
said. He checked his watch. “And I need to get home. I think this
has taken care of things, but I’ll walk you home to be sure, if
that’s okay.”
Mark started walking, trying to sort it all
out in his mind. He felt the same adrenaline rush as he had the
night before and he was beginning to understand how the sensation
could become addictive. It made it hard to think clearly, but maybe
that was part of the appeal. They were down the block and around
the corner before he asked, “What about you? You’ll be okay? It
sounded like that guy…Mikey? It sounded like he might come after
you instead of me.”
Lucas shrugged. “Probably not. He just had to
save face.”
“‘Probably’ isn’t good enough,” Mark
protested. “We need to be sure.”
Lucas turned to look at him and almost
stopped walking, then shook his head and started again. “There’s no
such thing as sure,” he said, and he sounded surprised that he had
to explain something so obvious. “Maybe in your world. But in mine?
Probably is pretty damn good.” He grinned suddenly. “That was cool,
right? I mean, it was good that I brought you? I wasn’t going to
but you seemed kind of…kind of down about shit at work. Like maybe
you were wondering if it was all worthwhile, or something?” He
paused as if suddenly doubting the accuracy of his perceptions,
then shrugged. “Maybe not. But it seemed like something that’d be
cool to see. All those guys willing to stand up for you. Guys who
are grateful for what you did for them.” He seemed to have talked
himself back into his usual state of self-doubt, and his expression
was more tentative as he said, “I hope it’s okay. I guess maybe
you’d have been safer at home…”
They were taking a shortcut through a wide
alley behind a convenience store, a wood fence on one side, the
concrete of the store on the other, and a dumpster between them and
the street. Mark didn’t let himself think, just acted before he
could start doubting his instincts. He moved fast enough to catch
Lucas by surprise and pushed him backward, following as they
stumbled a few steps and then thudded against the concrete wall. “I
don’t want to be safe,” Mark said, his voice quiet but intense. He
meant it, just like he meant the kiss that followed the words.
It wasn’t rough like it had been the night
before, but it also wasn’t one-sided. Lucas snaked his head forward
as soon as he saw Mark coming and their lips met with even
pressure. Mark grasped Lucas’s head with both hands while Lucas
tugged at the bottom of Mark’s shirt, impatiently finding his way
inside, his fingers strong and demanding against the skin of Mark’s
back. Mark was only too happy to comply with the order Lucas gave,
letting himself lean forward then shuffling his feet in so they
could line up even more of their bodies.
“Fuck,” Lucas gasped and Mark took advantage
of the momentary break from the kiss to take his own quick breath
of air and then to bring his lips down over Lucas’s stubble-covered
chin, along the sharp line of his jaw and then down to the softer
skin of his neck. Lucas let his head flop back to give Mark better
access, and it was a move of surprising vulnerability that made
something stir protectively in Mark’s chest. He could be trusted
with this, but no one else could. No one but him should be allowed
to see Lucas so open, and certainly no one else should be allowed
to touch him or to discover the little hollows along his
collarbone, the spot that made him twitch and squirm a hair’s
breadth away before pressing back even harder for more.
Mark wasn’t consciously aware that he had
bared his teeth until he’d used them to nip at Lucas’s shoulder. He
didn’t know why he’d bitten until he felt Lucas’s body slump a
little, relaxing and submitting to a demand Mark hadn’t even
understood he was making. And he didn’t know why it was so
intoxicating to be in control like this—to have the strong, almost
fierce man in front of him give in to Mark without a struggle. He
didn’t understand any of it, but he loved it all. And he wanted
more.
So did Lucas, apparently. He was exploring
more of Mark’s body now, his hands roaming over Mark’s chest, his
stomach. Then he reached behind to cup Mark’s ass and pull him in
even closer.
Mark moaned as their cocks ground together,
both of them hard and straining against the fabric between them. It
was too perfect and for a wonderful, horrible moment he thought he
might embarrass himself by coming right then and there. Instead, he
pulled himself away, only a few inches, just far enough to regain a
tiny bit of control. Lucas stared at him, eyes as wide and dark as
they’d been the night before. This time, Mark had a moment to
appreciate a few other details. The flush on Lucas’s golden skin,
the plump swelling of his spit-wet lips, the way his chest moved as
his breath came quick and shallow…
Then his eyes flashed a little wider and he
looked as if he was waking up from a dream. He frowned dazedly,
then said, “Mark, what the fuck are you doing? You can’t do
this.”
Mark stared at him. “What?”
Lucas took a deep breath as if gathering his
resolve then shoved Mark away, hard enough to make it clear that he
was serious. “You’re a priest, for fuck’s sake. A…a pillar of the
community. You can’t be fucking around behind the corner store like
a kid, like a…” He looked down at himself as if trying to put a
label on his own brand of depravity. Finally he shook his head.
“You’re better than this.” And with that, he was off, walking
quickly, almost angrily toward the far end of the alley.
Mark stared after him. There was truth in
what Lucas had said. He was a priest, and was supposed to be an
example of righteous living. He was supposed to be conservative and
thoughtful and beyond reproach. Fucking around behind the corner
store? Not priestly behavior, and he knew it. But somehow it still
didn’t feel wrong.
He broke into a jog to catch up with Lucas.
His cock was still hard and didn’t really appreciate the jostling
but he tried to ignore that. Lucas was waiting at the mouth of the
alley, staring out at the street as if daring anyone to wonder what
he’d been up to. Luckily the road was quiet and the few pedestrians
didn’t seem interested in the men coming out of the alley.
Lucas started walking as soon as Mark was
beside him, his stride long and fast. He’d obviously waited for
Mark to ensure his safety, not enjoy his company. Mark had to spend
most of his energy just trying to keep up and they didn’t slow down
until they reached the steps to Mark’s building.
“I can come in with you, if you want,” Lucas
said neutrally. “To make sure there’s no one inside. I think
tonight should have taken care of it, but there’s no
guarantees.”
Mark had almost forgotten the reason they’d
been out that night. “I think I’ll be fine,” he said. He was
tempted to ask Lucas to come inside for another reason, but the
walk had cooled him off a little and he knew it wasn’t a good idea.
He needed to think, needed to get some level of control back, and
neither of those seemed like a probable outcome of spending more
time with Lucas Cain.
“Okay,” Lucas said, and he stepped back a
little. “Okay,” he said again. “Look after yourself. Be
careful.”
Mark got the feeling Lucas was talking about
a lot more than just avoiding a beating. “I’ll try,” he said
quietly. There was nothing else to say, and nothing else to do but
watch as Lucas walked away from him down the sidewalk and
disappeared into the falling night.