18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
William
Spying my boyfriend from across the crowd gave my heart a jolt of feel-good sparks every time I glanced in his direction. The feeling was magnified every time he looked up at the same time and met my eye. I was such a goner for him, and the idea was thrilling beyond measure. My boyfriend . All mine. Finally, things were looking up.
I laughed under my breath as I watched Grayson climb into his arms and caught the startled look on EJ’s face. Seeing him hold my godson did squirrely things to my chest. Yeah, it was way too fucking soon to be entertaining the thoughts that weaseled into my brain. Still, it didn't escape my notice that he looked damn good holding a kid to his chest, and despite my logical mind screaming for me to shut the hell up, I couldn't deny the primal, chest-beating monkey part of my brain that really liked the idea of him holding our kid one day.
That part of my gray matter was also triggered by the appearance of a certain smarmy man sidling toward my boyfriend with a smug smile on his face as the group became distracted by baby Grayson’s antics. I was too far away to hear what was going on, but I wasn't so far out that I would miss Brixton’s approach. I immediately excused myself from the group of kids admiring the police car and strode through the throngs of people, hellbent on running interference.
“Well, well, Elijah. You sure know how to make an entrance. Wasting public resources on police escorts, swearing babies, and enough non-recyclable decor to kill an entire pod of dolphins—”
“Hayden, sup?” I interrupted and held my hand out with a grin. “Been a hot minute.”
“O-oh, Sheriff Doherty…” Brixton’s smile faltered for a beat before returning to his trademark smirk. “How're you been?”
“Great. Surprised to see you here.” I put extra oomph in my grip as I shook his hand harder than necessary. “Did your missionary thing not work out?”
“I felt… uh, there was a higher calling. I felt drawn to serve here… um.” His nose crinkled as he made a show of shaking out his hand and wiping it on his trousers.
“By higher calling, you mean your ole man? How's he doing, anyway?” I drew up close beside EJ and slung an arm over his shoulder to tug him into my space. The way he fit into my side so perfectly sent more squirrely feelings zipping through my chest. It was the first overt display of our relationship and I happened to be flaunting it in front of the entire town and then some. Talk about grand gestures. I surely took the cake with this move.
“N-no,” Brixton bumbled with a scowl. “I felt a higher calling to serve the community. On my own.” He stopped short of folding his arms across his chest and stomping his foot, but it was clear I hit a nerve—one point for me.
“Very noble of you.” I flashed him a grin and a wink. “All for the betterment of the community, right?”
EJ stifled a snicker beside me as he slipped his arm around my waist. “Exactly that, babe.”
Brixton's scowl deepened. “You two will never grow up. This is all some game to you.”
“Sort of like how I was some game for you?” Ashley butted into the conversation, one hand on her hip and the other wagging an accusatory index finger at Brixton's twisted expression. “Go back to your booth and your daddy’s friends. You made it clear you aren't one of our friends, and I think you've outstayed your welcome.”
“Oop!” Lionel let out a peel of tinkling laughter before skipping over to shove a massive rainbow-colored lollipop into Brixton’s grip. “Sucks to suck. Have a sucker!”
Before anyone had a chance to add insult to all the injury, a crackle broke through the air. I nearly lost my composure entirely as good ole Benji hoisted a bullhorn and bellowed into the mouthpiece.
“Bye-bye, Brixton!”
“Shit, who gave him the batteries back?” Cam hurried through the group and tried to wrestle the item from Benji’s hand. A hot dog went flying and landed on Brixton's shoe. A second flew through the air and plopped with a squelching sound on the pavement. Grayson began animatedly clapping his hands while chanting, “Shit, shit, shit!”
At that point, there was no hope for keeping my cool. Hysterical laughter erupted from my chest and was picked up by everyone in the vicinity. Well, everyone except Brixton. He could only muster affronted scoffing sounds as his face turned fire engine red. Without another word, he spun on the heel of his mustard-splattered oxfords and stormed away. It was the single most hilarious show of my life, and I couldn't stop laughing, even as tears began streaming down my face.
“Well, shit—take mushrooms,” Josh censored himself at the last second. “That was pure gold.”
“Man, it really was.” I exhaled with a lingering chuckle while wiping the tears from my eyes. “That guy was always such a tool.”
A ripple of agreement cycled through our mixed group of friends as we all settled back into the event at hand. I had to return to the cruiser and give tours for the little kids still crowded around it, but from my vantage point, my gaze kept shifting back toward EJ. He was all smiles and good cheer, his eyes darting toward me every time he sensed me looking. Taking the burden of uncertainty off my shoulders when it came to him and I did wonders for my morale. Sure, my life was still in chaotic shambles, but for once, I could see a tiny flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.
I stayed on duty longer than usual to help with the event. I hadn’t initially planned to work it, so there were a couple of other officers from the Sheriff’s Department present to keep the crowds in check and the streets safe. I genuinely enjoyed the night and was glad I’d ultimately decided to attend. Especially since I got the pleasure of witnessing my man in action as he worked his charms on the townsfolk. As the evening wore on and the crowds began to dwindle, I made the decision to shoot my shot and take advantage of our second, third, whatever-number chance at a lasting relationship. Hopefully, it would stick this time.
“Hey, sexy,” I murmured, sidling into his space as he packaged the remaining brochures and treats. His booth was decimated, and he appeared just as frazzled and disheveled in comparison.
“Hey to you too, handsome.” He hesitated for a fraction of a second before leaning over the table and pressing one of the tender, chaste kisses I was becoming obsessed with to my lips. “Are you headed back to Town Hall to finish your shift?”
“Indeed. I was wondering if you were free afterward?”
A smile so radiant it was nearly blinding crossed his face, bringing a slight wrinkle to the corner of his eyes. “I am. Got plans?”
“Now I do,” I replied with a wink, rapping my knuckles against the table. “Meet you back here in thirty?”
“I think I like the sound of these plans.” He tapped my chest with a finger. “Do not leave me hanging again.”
I crossed my chest as I backpedaled with a grin. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
All in, I made it back in twenty. I suspect my excitement had a lot to do with how fast I managed to handle everything I needed to do to close out my tour and head out for the night. I pulled my truck into the school driveway just as EJ slammed the trunk closed on his little car. Once I had the driver’s side window open, he sauntered over and smiled up at me.
“My place or yours, Will?”
“Uh, yours. Please?” A frisson of nervousness ran through me with his question. No one needed to know I still struggled with being in the empty house by myself. I was a grown ass man, but the specter of everything I had gone through was too large for me to tackle just yet.
“Perfect. I've got a bottle of wine that needs drinking. I’ll follow you this time.” He climbed up the side of the truck and leaned in for a kiss I was all too happy to give him.
It was late enough that I didn't feel comfortable pushing the posted speed limit. Between the autumn season and the darkness, animals were prone to crossing the road in unexpected places and the last thing I wanted to deal with was a traffic incident. As it was, I compulsively checked the mirrors to make sure he was still behind me every thirty seconds. I probably needed to speak with a professional about my renewed anxiety over driving and car accidents, but that was a problem for future Will. Tonight, my focus was solely on reconnecting with my EJ in what I hoped would be a blissfully uninterrupted evening and a relaxing, peaceful morning after.
It took a bit of finagling to get both vehicles parked in the narrow drive, but finally, we were climbing his tiny porch steps as we exchanged eager smiles and sidelong glances filled with simmering potential. The air around us buzzed with anticipation and my hands itched to make contact. As soon as the door swung open, we fell into the entranceway and immediately got swept up in one another.
By unspoken agreement, garments were tugged and pulled and shed along the small hallway as we grappled and groped at each other, our lips locked in an impassioned reconnection that was all tongues and muffled moans. I couldn't keep my hands to myself, but there was no pattern or rhythm to my floundering. All I wanted was to touch him everywhere all at once. By the time we made it to the end of the hall, we were both in a state of chaotic semi-undress and breathless with need.
“Shower with me,” EJ mumbled, pulling from my lips to trail sloppy, heated kisses from my jaw to the collar of my unbuttoned shirt. “I need you.”
“Mmnn,” I replied with a hum, shifting my palms under his shirt to explore the velvety sweep of his heated skin. “You have no clue how bad I need you.”
With a breath of a laugh, EJ pushed my shirt over my shoulders and grabbed fistfuls of my undershirt to tug me with him like a pliant dog on a leash. Frankly, I'd follow him anywhere, but knowing the destination was him and I naked together in his shower made me all the more willing to comply.
His bathroom was by no means the largest I'd seen, but I wasn't mad about it at all. How could I be when it meant we were pressed together under the hot water once he had the tap adjusted and we’d lost what little clothing we had left. Rivulets ran over his skin as the steam began to fill the room and I became possessed by an intense desire to lick each and every droplet from his body.
“Damn it, Will,” EJ moaned, arching his body to slide himself against my own oversensitive and overheated skin. “Careful or we won't even make it to the bedroom.”
“I don't see the problem with that,” I murmured to the curve of his neck before gently encouraging him to turn around. “Lube?”
With another stifled groan, he scrambled with the shower caddy and nearly fumbled a bottle before pressing it into my waiting hand. “You're too sexy for your own good.”
I laughed, pressing dozens of kisses to his neck and shoulders as I lifted a hand to push the shower head to the side. It would do neither of us any favors to mix water and lube and still hope to enjoy the act.
“Condom?” My lips trailed over his neck as I whispered the word.
“I'm good if you're good. I trust you.” EJ arched his spine and ground his ass against my lap. The movement sent an electric shock through my system and brought a soft groan to my lips as the slick hot friction of his wet skin slid over my throbbing dick.
“Gonna make you mine,” I murmured right before nipping the lobe of his ear. The clouds of steam and the heady scent of our bodies turned into an intoxicant that incinerated the filter between my brain and my mouth. “All mine. Always.”
“Fuck, Will.” EJ’s words came out rough-edged and breathy. “Please?”
In answer to his plea, I opened the bottle and drizzled a long line of lube down the crack of his ass before shifting my hand into place to catch the liquid. We were both trembling as I worked a finger into the cincture of his hole, swiftly adding a second as I worked the lube into his body. The hiss of the water combined with our panting breaths and soft moans, filling the room with sinful sounds that echoed off the tiles and mingled with the steam.
Two fingers became three as EJ rocked back to fuck himself on my hand. It was carnal and beautiful and overwhelmed me with burning desire. I needed him so desperately, my movements became erratic and rushed. He was right there with me, writhing and begging softly under his breath.
“Please, please. Will, I need you inside me.”
With a whispered swear, I reopened the bottle and trickled more lube over my length before closing it and tossing it aside, all the while still driving my fingers into EJ’s ass to brush over his prostate and make him whimper. In a swift movement driven by the intensity of my need, I pulled my fingers free from his hole and grabbed hold of my cock, spreading the lube as I notched the head of it against his ass.
“Yesss,” he hissed, arching his back even deeper. “Now, Will. Now.”
My muffled groan escaped my throat as I eased into him, reveling in the perfect way his ass stretched around my girth and the delectable sounds that fell from his lips as I pressed in, deeper and deeper until my hips pressed firm against his ass cheeks. I damn near passed out from the sheer bliss of it as I stilled to give his body time to adjust.
My palms coasted up his sides, following the lean line of his arms until I could capture his hands and stretch them over his head. The sinuous sweep of his body stretched out and pinned to the wall of the shower by my hands on his and my cock buried in his ass was one of the most erotic visions I'd ever experienced. My dick pulsed against the tight muscles of his ass from the view as I swore again at the sight.
“Perfect. Your body was made to be mine,” I mumbled, staring in wonder as I swiveled my hips and tried to press even deeper into him.
“Fuck me. Move. Please. I can't take it anymore.” EJ’s pleas sent a shudder through my core and had the smoldering heat blossoming low in my pelvis. I withdrew and eased back in, slow and steady and profound, marveling at the tense and flex of his back muscles as he rocked back to meet my advance. Breathtaking was the only word to describe him.
Insidiously, our pace increased in time with our heart rates until the slap of my hips against his ass was audible over the sound of the water sheeting down the wall. My every impulse was to smother him, consume him, hold him tighter and tighter until we were fused as one. The need was a primal and all-consuming one as I pumped my cock into him with ever increasing ferocity.
His cries grew louder and more plaintive as he jerked back to meet every thrust. I could tell he was getting close from the erratic pants and full-body shivering as his muscles gradually tensed from head to toe. I let go of one of his hands, dragging my palm down his arm and over his chest before raking my nails along his stomach. He whimpered and jerked, the shudders growing in intensity as I wrapped a hand around his cock. I was so damn close to coming myself, I could barely find a rhythm to get him off, but he was already done the second I grabbed hold—three inarticulate strokes was all it took before his body spasmed and his ass clenched around my cock so tightly I faltered in my thrusting.
“Will! Oh God!” EJ’s body continued to tremble as his orgasm racked through him and hot cum coated my hand. His knees nearly buckled before I managed to enfold him in my arms and resume my desperate chase toward my own climax. With a clenched jaw and rapid pistoning of my hips, I climbed higher and higher until euphoria hit and my vision went white. The blood rushed in my ears to the point I couldn't hear as my cock pulsed and throbbed and unloaded deep in the unyielding tightness of EJ’s ass, still clenching and releasing with the aftershocks that had him whimpering and clawing at the shower tiles.
We stayed like that, rendered boneless and breathless by the exertion, until the spray of the water bouncing off the wall turned cool. Laughing, we rinsed in record time before fleeing the icy shower to race into the adjoining bedroom. Before I knew it, we were diving under the covers and wrapped in blankets and limbs. The natural progression from there was languid kissing and aimless touches until the late hour and overwhelming day caught up with us.
“You’ll stay?” EJ’s sleepy mumble warmed the skin of my chest where his head lay.
“Every damn day if you'll have me.”
He wriggled closer and tossed a leg over my thigh. “Good. Mine. Stay.”
“Mm, gladly, love.” I brushed a kiss over his still damp hair and smiled. I really liked every single one of the words he murmured in his half-asleep state. Nothing sounded better than staying. Nothing could beat being his. All in all, despite all my losses, I'd won the best prize of them all. It just took me a solid decade to get there.