Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
K ai closed the door on Conner’s apartment and rolled his suitcase into his bedroom, then strolled into the kitchen. It had been a mentally exhausting night, and he was already tired. He sighed.
“Drink a bourbon with me on the balcony?” Conner offered him a wide grin.
“Sure. That sounds perfect.” Kai watched him take out two low-ball glasses, then pick up the bourbon bottle from the back of the quartz kitchen counter and unscrew it. “It’s nice having someone else serve me drinks.”
Conner poured the bourbon in the glasses. “Yeah? Maybe you’ll have to teach me some of those tricks you do.” He handed a glass to Kai.
“Sure.” An image flashed though his mind of Conner throwing bottles. He smirked, then sipped the bourbon and puckered his lips. It burned down his throat. “Damn, I need this after today.”
“Yeah? Come on.” Conner cocked his head and walked toward the sliding glass doors.
Kai followed him out the doors and sat next to him on the couch. If he could believe what had happened tonight, then his father forgave him for everything. A feeling of contentment washed over him. He took in the view of the small lake and surrounding park down the street, the far-off jagged outline of the Superstition mountains in the moonlight. The fountain wasn’t running for the moment.
Conner tugged a blanket from the armrest and threw it over them both, then rested his arm over Kai’s shoulders. “Come close.”
As Kai curled a corner of his mouth, he shimmied into his side. It felt so nice being here with Conner. Without his help, he wouldn’t have been able to deal with this chindi-ghost thing and find some sort of closure with his father’s death. He glanced at him. A swell of intense emotion rose up inside him. His heart skipped a beat. Damn, if this is love, I’m falling hard.
A jingle rang out.
“Shit, my phone.” Conner shifted and tugged his phone out of the front pocket of his jeans. It read, Brent , across the top. “Hello?”
Kai watched him and sipped his bourbon. Hopefully, this chindi thing would end tonight.
“So, all you’re getting now is the girl’s voice?” Conner glanced at him. “Yeah. Sounds good. We’ll check that out this week.” He touched the button and hung up the phone.
“So?” Kai lifted his brows.
“So, no more male voices on either the spirit box or the recorders. All they get now is the girl’s voice talking about bones.” Conner drank his bourbon and looked out over the view, furrowing his brows.
“What does that mean, do you think?” Kai studied him. Maybe it wouldn’t end as easily as he’d hoped.
“Well, first we need to see if the activity in the kitchen stops. If it does, then I think maybe that was your father trying to get your attention. If not, then it’s the girl and maybe your father just came through because of the equipment or something.” Conner tightened his hold on him. “Maybe your father is always with you. You just never knew it before.”
Shizhé’é is always with me... It wasn’t a scary thought anymore. Instead, it was calming. Kai rubbed his chin. “Okay. But they’re doing the sage tonight, right? Wouldn’t that stop it?” If they couldn’t end it with the sage, then what?
“Yeah, they’re doing that now. But it doesn’t always work. I was thinking if the cameras pick up activity in the kitchen even after they sage the place, then we should start looking to see if there are some bones somewhere. Maybe in the wash. I mean, you said this all started after that storm that flooded everything, right?”
A shiver ran up Kai’s spine. “Yeah.” Come to think of it, it was also the first night he saw Conner again since high school. He narrowed his eyes at him. Coincidence? Maybe...” So, if there’s activity, we’ll start searching the wash for bones.”
“Yeah.” Conner sipped his bourbon, then drew a deep breath. “Kai?”
“Yeah.” He focused on him.
“Maybe you could start working some day-shifts.” Conner chewed his lower lip.
He scoffed. What was this all of a sudden? “I make better money working nights.”
Conner shifted to face him. “Yeah, but... I work days.” He wrinkled his brows. “And, um, then we could see more of each other during the week.” His gaze flicked to the blanket and a blush grew across his cheeks.
“Conner Mitchell, are you trying to say you’re not seeing enough of me?” Kai sniggered. He could have some fun with this. “We just started dating and I’m already staying at your house.” He let a wide grin spread over his mouth.
Conner thinned his lips and huffed. “Well, we need to have time to go look for bones, if there are any, and if you’re working nights and I’m working days, how are we going to do that?”
“We can go when I get off work. I only work until nine-thirty during the week.” He liked seeing the ever-confident Conner ruffled. “Or I can always go look with Bryce during the day.” He smirked.
“I don’t want you doing that with Bryce. What if you get scared?” Conner wrinkled his nose and peeked at him. “And it’s dark after you get off work.”
“Ever heard of flashlights?” Kai snickered. Oh, this is fun. “Damn, Conner, I had no idea you were so clingy.”
He gave Kai a sly grin and slapped his arm. “I’m not clingy. It just makes sense to try and get out in the wash when it’s daylight, and you’d get off at four if you worked days, right?”
“Well, I can’t do anything about this week’s schedule. It’s already set. Maybe next week I can work a day or two.” When was the last time he’d opened the restaurant? He couldn’t even remember when that was. Conner did have a point, and it would probably be better to go look before the sun set. If he found something creepy, he would much rather Conner was there than Bryce anyway. Goosebumps broke out over his skin. He wouldn’t touch anything they found.
Conner sipped the last of his bourbon down, then wiggled his brows at him. “Almost ready for bed?”
Kai’s breath caught and heat rushed his groin. Damn, just thinking about getting in bed with him had him going. “Almost.” He sipped his bourbon. How much had Conner done with other guys? Maybe he could put this question to rest. “Hey.”
“What?” Conner set his glass down on the table, then glanced at him.
“I want to ask you something.” What was the best way to ask something like this? Kai twisted his mouth. “I uh, was just wondering, you know, how much, I mean, have you ever, uh...”
Conner lifted his brows. “Just ask me.”
Kai gulped hard. “What have you done with guys, you know, sexually?” His heart pounded. Why was he so nervous asking this question ?
Conner frowned and stared at the table. “I’m not sure I want to talk about that.”
Kai shifted to see him better. Conner’s arm fell off his shoulders. “Why not?”
“I-I don’t know. It’s just not something I talk about.” Conner tensed his mouth.
“But, so, you have done things with other guys. Not just me.” Kai’s heart pinched. The thought of him doing anything with anyone else hurt. Guess now I’m jealous. Damn. He grit his teeth.
Conner slumped his shoulders with a sigh. “Can we just not talk about it?” He hung his head. “Why do you need to know that?” He fingered the blanket.
Kai straightened in his seat, then sank into the couch, biting the nail on his index finger. Why didn’t Conner want to talk about it? Did something happen to him that he doesn’t want to bring up? Wait, wasn’t he with Paige all this time? How could he have any experiences with guys if he was with Paige? Oh shit. The memory of the graduation party flashed through his mind. He widened his eyes. Maybe he wasn’t the only one Conner did that to. He was probably embarrassed about it. He looked him over. “I guess I don’t have to know details. I just wanted to know, so I know how much, um, experience you have.” That sounded stupid. He flinched.
“I have enough.” Conner scoffed. “How much experience do you have?” He dropped his mouth open and held up his palm to Kai. “Stop. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Sure.” Kai smirked and shook his head, gazing at him. “I think I got my answer anyway.”
“Really. Then let’s stop talking about it.” Conner stood from the couch, the blanket falling off them both to the cement floor. “Let’s go to bed.”
Knocking sounded on the door.
“Oh, must be Bryce.” Kai jogged to the door and opened it.
Bryce stepped inside and shut the door. “Hey. ”
“Hey. Sorry, but we’re headed to bed.” He pointed to the kitchen. “There’s more bourbon if you want some.”
Bryce sighed. “No, I’m exhausted. I just want to go to bed, too. See you in the morning.”
“Yep.”
Kai shimmied out of his boxer briefs, climbed into the crisp white sheets of Conner’s queen-sized bed, and waited for Conner to join him, lying on his back. Anticipation swelled his cock. What would tonight be like? Last night might have been the best night his sex life had ever seen. He brushed his hand over his erection, then pressed. A pulse of sensation shivered through him. He released a sharp gasp. Damn, Conner had him so fucking hot just waiting for him.
The lights shut off in the other room and Conner appeared in the doorway, bathed in the ambient light from the avenue streetlights coming in through the window blinds. He shut the door and came to the bed, then bit his lip, shimmied out of his long-sleeve t-shirt, dropped his jeans and boxer briefs to the floor, and stepped out of them. His cock stood firm over his stomach, the tip almost reaching his navel.
Kai’s shaft jerked at the sight. Looks like Conner is just as hot for this as I am. He watched him climb into bed and lie next to his side.
Conner placed hungry kisses on his shoulder, then lifted up on an elbow to gaze down on him. “Kai, I don’t want to rush this.” He licked his lips and ran a hand down Kai’s chest, to his stomach and hips, then skimmed over his solid cock. “I’m so close already I don’t think you should touch me for a little while.”
“What?” Kai widened his eyes. Did Conner have the stamina of a pre-teen? Fuck that. “No, way. How about if I just make you come twice? ”
Conner shuddered and moaned. “That works.” He rolled to his back and rocked his hips, his cock lifting off his stomach. He released another, softer moan and pre-cum dribbled out the tip to pool on his abdomen.
Damn. Kai’s gaze locked on Conner’s erection and he licked his lips. Lust surged over him. “Can you come like that?”
Conner gazed at him with hooded lids, then skimmed his teeth over his lower lip, nodding. “Yeah. All I have to do is think about it enough and I can make it happen.” He thrust his hips again and his cock surged up, dripped, then fell back onto his stomach. He writhed on the bed and groaned. “It’s only when I think about you though.” He rubbed his hand over Kai’s stomach and down to his cock, then placed lazy strokes over his shaft.
Shit, is he for real? He shut his eyes and gasped. Intense pleasure rippled up from his groin. “Fuck, I think you’ve got me going now, too.” His breath grew heavy. He came down over Conner and placed hot, wet kisses on his lips, dancing his tongue inside his mouth, writhing over him with the soft strokes of Conner’s hand over his cock.
Conner whimpered and thrust his hips in an urgent rhythm.
Kai grabbed Conner’s cock and pumped. He couldn’t help himself.
Conner cried out, his head arcing back, his body shuddering, cum spurting up over his stomach and chest.
A surge of sensation swept over Kai’s body. His peak teased him. Damn Conner’s soft touch . He wanted more, now. “G-go harder.”
Conner pumped his cock faster, then stopped. “I want to suck you off.”
“Really.” Good idea. Kai lifted a corner of his lips, then licked down Conner’s chest and stomach, lapping up the droplets of cum. When he reached his groin, he licked his semi-firm cock. “I think I’m going to get you hard again first.”
Conner freed a sharp gasp. “Yeah. ”
He worked Conner’s shaft with his mouth, licking up and down, sucking the head and swirling with his tongue. It swelled and hardened. He fondled Conner’s sac, letting saliva drip down to his fingers, then toyed with his entrance.
“Fuck, Kai.” Conner bit his lip and bucked his hips. “D-don’t go there yet.”
“Why?” He smirked. This might be the hottest thing he’d ever seen. “You going to come again already?”
Conner forced a quick glare at him. “Don’t make fun of me.”
Kai stopped and glanced up at Conner. He was right. That wasn’t nice. “I’m sorry.” He crept up to his face and gazed into his eyes. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
Conner’s eyes shimmered in the ambient light. He parted his plentiful lips.
Kai placed gentle kisses on Conner’s mouth, then cheek, and finally, he kissed the scar under his eye. “I love this scar.” And apparently the man it belongs to. He drew a deep breath, then brushed his index finger over it. He’d wanted to do this for as long as he could remember.
Conner took his hand. “It’s only for you. I’m not like this with anyone else. I don’t know what it is about you. I tried to tell you last night.”
Kai widened his eyes. So that was what he meant. Damn, this dream was getting better by the second. “Okay, so...”
“Maybe in time it’ll settle down. Maybe it’s just because these are my first times with you.” Conner flushed.
Kai smirked and kissed him on the lips. “Maybe I don’t want it to settle down. Maybe I think it’s hot.” He placed more intense kisses over his lips and skimmed his hand down his muscled chest to play with his nipple, kneading it, teasing it.
Conner arched his back and groaned. In a strained voice, he said, “Fuck, Kai.”
He licked down Conner’s cheek, then sucked on the nipple, while sneaking a hand down to stroke Conner’s shaft.
Conner bucked his hips, his lips parting with faint gasps .
Kai’s cock ached for something solid. He ground it against his hips, the friction pulsing pleasure through his groin. His breath quickened and sensitivity grew in his cock. Inside a breath, he said, “Oh, fuck...”
Conner rolled him to his side, then crawled in a circle, putting his cock at Kai’s head and his own head at Kai’s groin. “Suck me off, Kai.” He engulfed Kai’s cock with his wet mouth and pumped with a hand at the base.
Intense pleasure raced up Kai’s spine from his cock. “Oh, shit.” He licked up Conner’s shaft, then slid his mouth over it, diving down and sucking back up. He wrapped one hand around the base and fondled his sac with the other, then with slickened fingers, he teased his entrance.
Conner whimpered and thrust hard into his sucking mouth. He stopped his motions on Kai’s cock. “I’m going to come if you keep that up.”
Kai smiled over his shaft and slid a finger inside his entrance, then curled and pulled it back out while sucking on his weeping cock.
Conner cried out, spurting cum into Kai’s lapping mouth, panting against his thigh. Breathless, he said, “You are a fucker, you know that?”
“I know I want to fuck you , that’s for sure.” God, do I want to fuck him. In fact, he couldn’t think of anyone he’d wanted to fuck more in his whole—Wet heat engulfed his cock, sliding up and down, sucking the head. As his peak surged, he released a long moan. “Oh, shit!” He thrust into it. Delicious pulses of sensation ravaged his senses. He shut his eyes tight and gasped, curling his toes, clutching at Conner’s thigh.
Conner pumped Kai’s cock, swallowing it all down as if famished. As it ended, he wiped his mouth, then licked his shaft a few times more.
“Easy.” Kai chuckled and drew his hips away, then rolled to his back. “Damn, it tickles now.”
Conner grinned and swung himself around to lie beside him, over his arm, then set his hand on Kai’s cheek and placed passionate kisses on his lips, opening his mouth and penetrating him with his tongue. He rocked his hips against his thigh.
“Holy shit, are you getting hard again?” Kai released a soft breath, wrapping his arm around his muscular shoulders. How was he going to keep up with this guy?
Conner grinned and shook his head once. “I’m just playing.” He laid his head on Kai’s shoulder and nuzzled into his neck, pressing his semi-hard cock against Kai’s thigh. In a soft voice, he said, “But I probably could.” He brushed his hand over Kai’s shoulder and down his stomach. “I can’t get enough of you, I guess.”
This is too good to be true. Somebody should wake him up from this dream... or maybe not. “I can’t get enough of you either.” Were those words really coming out of his mouth? Heat rushed his face and he snuggled against Conner. He was so done for. God, I love him. Could Conner love him back? Or was this more of a sexual thing for him?
“I have to work tomorrow.” Conner pulled the covers over them both and placed lazy strokes up and down Kai’s arm.
“Yeah. I don’t.” Kai smiled and kissed his head.
Conner tilted his head up. “I have to be out of here early. My first appointment is at eight o’clock down by the hospital.”
“Okay. Guess I’ll go to the house with Bryce and start looking in the wash.” Kai looked up at the ceiling, a faint pattern of light filtering in from the sides of the blinds in the window.
“I wish you wouldn’t. I’d rather you waited for me.” Conner stopped his motions on his arm.
“Why?” Kai moved his head to peek at his face.
“If you find something that scares you, I want to be there with you. Not Bryce.” Conner pressed his lips together.
Kai snickered. “Jesus, okay. Guess I’ll just go for a run or something.” Was he really jealous of Bryce? Somehow, he liked the idea. It was cute. As long as he didn’t get too possessive .
“I better go to sleep. Goodnight, baby.” Conner kissed his cheek, then shut his eyes.
“Goodnight.” With a deep sigh, Kai went to sleep.
Kai opened his eyes to sunlight shining in through the sides of the blinds on Conner’s bedroom window. Damn, he didn’t remember Conner leaving. Must have been so tired he’d slept right through it. He threw off the sheet and comforter, then stepped into his jeans from yesterday. Did Bryce get up yet?
He strolled out of the bedroom and into the main room. No Bryce. Maybe he was as tired as Kai was after all the ghost hunting. As he scanned over the contents of the room, his gaze caught on a folded tented paper and a key resting on the white quartz bar counter that separated the kitchen from the main room. He walked to it and picked it up.
I made breakfast. There are plates for you and Bryce in the refrigerator. Just heat them up in the microwave.
Conner
His heart warmed and a faint grin crept over his lips. Conner was surprising, and not just in bed. He strode to the guest bedroom door, on the other side of the kitchen, and knocked. “Hey, you awake yet?”
A groan snaked through the door. In a raspy voice, Bryce said, “Yeah.”
“You want me to heat you up some breakfast?” He chuckled.
“Sure.”
Kai made his way to the refrigerator, took out two white plates covered in tinfoil, then removed the tinfoil and heated them up in the microwave. He smirked. Conner had made them fried eggs, bacon, and hash browns. He brought the warmed food along with silverware to the dark-wood, round dinette table.
Bryce ambled from the guest bedroom to the table and took a seat in a green, upholstered chair. “Wow. Who made breakfast?” He raked a hand through his bangs and let them fall across his forehead.
“Conner,” he said. “What some juice?” He smiled.
“Yes.” Bryce picked up his silverware and cut into an egg. “Can you make coffee, too?”
Kai shook his head and smirked. “Yes.” As he made his way into the kitchen, he noticed a silver coffee carafe sitting on the counter. “Perfect.” Conner had thought of everything. He found the coffee cups, poured the coffees, then brought out cream and orange juice from the refrigerator. After putting cream and sugar into the coffee cups, he poured the orange juice into glasses and brought everything to the table.
“Damn, Kai, I don’t know how you balance all those glasses in your hand.” Bryce snickered.
“Practice.” He’d never do well at the bar if all he could carry was two glasses at a time. He sat down and picked up his fork. “How is it?” He shoveled hash browns into his mouth.
“Damn good. Conner can cook. Breakfast, at least.” Bryce sipped his coffee. “So, how are things going with you two?” He studied Kai.
Kai nodded. “Good.” Maybe more than good. He ate a bite of bacon.
“So, is he gay or bisexual or what?” Bryce lifted a forkful of hash browns to his mouth.
Kai furrowed his brows. That was a good question and not one he’d gotten a straight answer to. “I don’t know.” He drank some juice.
Bryce spat across his coffee. “What? How can you not know? Aren’t you guys fucking? ”
He released a soft chuckle. “Jesus, that’s a bit personal, don’t you think?” He offered Bryce a mock glare.
“Come on, Kai. You’ve had a thing for Conner since... well, since you found out I wasn’t gay. How can you two be sleeping together and not be fucking?” He lifted his brows, and the hint of a grin quirked his lips.
Kai sipped his coffee. Should he talk to him? Bryce had a big mouth. He narrowed his eyes. But he was his best friend, and Conner was a little confusing. He focused on him. “Look, if I tell you what’s going on, you’ve got keep your mouth shut. You hear me?”
A wide smile grew over Bryce’s face and he leaned forward in his chair. “Sure. You can trust me, you know that.”
“I know I can trust you. It’s your little remarks you can’t keep in check.” Kai sighed. He glanced out the sliding glass doors at the mid-morning sun making long shadows from olive and palm trees on far-off grass in the park down the street. How much should I tell him? He looked back at to Bryce. “Just be careful. I think Conner isn’t all that open about his sexuality or something.” He thought back to last night’s questions. Why didn’t Conner want to answer him about his experiences with men?
Bryce widened his eyes. “This sounds good. Tell me.”
He pressed his lips together, then sipped his coffee, staring at the table. “I don’t know what he is. He doesn’t want to say.” He glanced at Bryce.
“Okay.” Bryce lifted his brows. “And?”
“And he’s obviously had sexual experiences with guys but doesn’t want to tell me anything about it.”
Bryce came back in his seat, rubbing his chin. “But he was with Paige until recently, right?”
“Remember his graduation party?” Kai raised his brows.
“Yeah...” Bryce dropped his mouth open. “Oh, shit. You think he’s into open relationships?”
“Open relationships?” Kai wrinkled his brows. God, I hope not. “What do you mean, exactly? ”
“Maybe he and Paige had an open relationship back then and he was trying you out first, to see if he wanted to get you into bed with him and Paige?” Bryce waggled his brows, sipping coffee, then ate some eggs.
Kai’s heart pinched. How could Bryce say something like that to him and then go on eating breakfast? He knows how I feel about Conner. “Bryce.”
“What?” He looked up at him with a forkful of egg at his mouth.
“You don’t really think that do you? I mean, he seems pretty monogamous to me.” Kai stared at his plate of food, his forearms resting on the table, a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.
Bryce shrugged and chewed the eggs, then looked him over. He stretched across the table and touched Kai’s forearm. “Maybe he wasn’t as into Paige as he is you. He seems to really like you.”
Kai drew his brows together. An open relationship was not something he would ever consider. “Yeah, I hope so.”
“Kai, it was just a suggestion. It doesn’t mean I’m right. I’m sure there’s some other reason why he did that and why he doesn’t want to tell you about certain things. Maybe it’s too soon for him.”
“Yeah.” Maybe it was too soon for Conner to talk about those things. He frowned. “What are you doing today?”
“I’m going to go and check out the wash and see if I can find anything weird in it.” Bryce drank some orange juice.
“Okay. I’m going for a run. Can you drop me off at my Blazer?” He ate some eggs.
“Sure.” Bryce chuckled, then slapped his arm. “Come on, I’m sure you two will work things out.”
“Yeah.”