Chapter 22
Curiosity
Thorsen
Walking away from him that day was probably the hardest thing I ever did, but I had to do it, not for myself, but for him. I would have spread his ass cheeks and feasted on him as if he were my last meal on Earth, but he needed a moment, so I gave him one. In fact, I let the days pass in the foolish hope he would say something, but he never did. I was mostly on the phone with my guys in New Mesa, while Carter focused on a partial fingerprint that John Smith had lifted in Roxie’s apartment. It led to a seventy-year-old guy and Roxie’s regular, so it was another dead end.
In other words, I stayed out of his way, and he stayed out of mine. We saw each other at the station every day, but we barely talked to each other. In the evenings, I could feel his presence on the balcony above me, like an ominous shadow I couldn’t shake off. Why ominous? Because he was bound to break my heart, and I knew it.
Five days have passed since our latest encounter, when I got an interesting phone call.
“We linked our murder to a few others in the area. It’s a serial killer, Tye. We’re sure of it,” Bazooka said, making me want to hit something.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. I’m sending you the files. Three cities, five more victims. All sex workers.”
“Thanks, Levi,” I said with a sigh. “Stay in touch, yeah?”
“Will do.”
I went to the kitchenette to make myself some coffee when Carter walked in. My back was turned to him, but I could feel him with every fiber of my being. And since he was avoiding me these days, his arrival came as a surprise.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” I said. “Coffee, partner?”
“No.”
“Bazooka told me something interesting,” I said, turning to look at him while blowing on my coffee. “It’s about—”
“I kissed a man yesterday.”
I blinked, thinking that I heard him wrong. “Pardon?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, looking straight at me.
“I kissed a man yesterday. I paid him for the kiss, although he said he would do it for free.”
So, there was nothing wrong with my hearing. The rest of me was another matter because I felt as if I was about to implode.
“Why the fuck would you go around kissing other people?” I snapped, seeing red.
“I wanted to know if it’s different from you,” he replied nonchalantly, biting into an apple.
Oh. Oooh. Well, that made sense, but his words still made me want to demolish the kitchen.
I started to pace in front of him, ignoring the hot coffee spilling on my fingers when an alarming thought crossed my mind, and I froze on the spot.
“Wait… You didn’t do anything else with him, did you?”
Carter walked up to me and took the cup from my hand, then started to dry my fingers with a paper towel.
“Of course not,” he said with a smirk. “We just kissed. Once.”
Thank fuck.
“Hey, Carter!” Shelly bellowed. “Are you coming? My ?ldvalen won’t assemble itself, you know?”
What the fuck is ?ldvalen?
Carter tossed the paper towel into the trash bin and headed to the door as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on me.
“Wait!” I shouted, hurrying after him. “Where are you two going, Shel? Can I come, too?”
I caught up with them in the hall, panting. “What the fuck is ?ldvalen?”
“?ldvalen is a sofa from Ikea that I bought,” Shelly replied, giggling. “They’re delivering it today, and Carter offered to help. Where the hell is my purse?”
When she headed to her desk I pushed Carter against the wall.
“So?” I said through my teeth.
He blinked in confusion. “So what?”
“How was it? That fucking kiss?”
He chuckled. “Do you really want to do this right now?”
I smiled sweetly.
“Oh, there are a lot of things I want to do right now, but all of them would make your pretty face blush. Spit it out.”
He shrugged his shoulders, his face impassive. “It was all right.”
“What do you mean—?”
“Let’s go, Viking,” Shelly said, squeezing my biceps. “I could use your muscles.”
“Don’t do that!” Carter scolded her. “It’s unprofessional.”
He stepped between us as Shelly rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. We’re in the LD, which is the definition of unprofessional.”
Unlike the Ikea delivery service, which was prompt and efficient. They delivered the ?ldvalen in perfect condition, after which Carter and I assembled it. Two hours later, the massive, olive-green sofa graced Shelly’s living room.
“It looks awesome,” Shelly squealed, filling the glasses with tequila after a job well done. “Guys, I owe you one.”
“No problem, sweetheart,” I said, drinking up.
“No, I mean it,” she said, blushing and looking at Carter. “Food? Drink? Sexual services? Name your price.”
He chuckled and ruffled her hair when she slapped her forehead as if she’d just remembered something.
“Ciggies! Shit, I need to pop by the newsstand to get some ciggies. Don’t leave! Then we can have a few more shots and get back to the station before Chief Bibb notices we’re gone.”
After she ran out of the apartment, I pushed Carter against the wall, barely restraining myself from strangling him. “What did you mean by alright?”
He laughed. “I meant somewhere between poor and excellent.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Are you fucking with me?”
He slapped my hand away, looking smug.
“I’m not doing anything.”
I stifled the need to slam him into a wall and decided to converse with him instead.
“So, what’s next for you, Dominic? Are you going to kiss a bunch of people before you realize that my tongue in your mouth tasted as good as it did?”
His jungle greens flashed in anger, telling me he didn’t like that.
“There’s no next for me,” he said, pushing me further away from him.
“That’s actually true, but do you know why?” I said, smiling sweetly. “You finally got the taste of something that you like, only it has a dick, so now you’re kissing strangers in the hope it will go away.”
Ooh, he was mad now, but he tried to control it. He merely snickered, lowering his gaze to my lips.
“And why do you think your mouth tastes good to me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please.”
“No, say it.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Dominic. Maybe because you get a boner every time I breathe in your direction.”
His expression told me there was a fist coming my way.
“Take that back.”
I shrugged. “No problem, partner. I’ll do it as soon as you prove it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, prove your point, Saint Carter. Or tell me to fuck off.”
He smiled. “That’s easy. Fuck off.”
“Right on, brother,” I said, heading to the door when he grabbed me by the arm and pushed me backward. I landed in a chair behind me before he sat astride my lap and pressed his lips to mine. And that was the moment when I finally lost my goddamn mind, because no way he just kissed me. It had to be something else… Maybe that tequila Shelly gave us to drink. I let my tongue dart out, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, only to find his mouth open and his tongue ready to play.
“See?” Carter rasped, his voice trembling. “It means nothing.”
Nothing, my ass, I thought, grabbing him by the hips and yanking him toward me. When he landed on my erection, I hissed, almost blacking out from pleasure. Or pain. The two emotions merged because I wanted to fuck him so badly that my soul ached. Or he could fuck me. I didn’t give a flying fuck who would fuck who, only if fucking was involved. When I rubbed my aching shaft against his, he whimpered and ripped my shirt open. Yes, it really happened since I could hear the buttons popping out.
“Fuck, Tye,” he gasped, grinding his dick against mine, when I heard the chair beneath us creaking.
“It will break,” I said, grabbing him by the waist just before the chair gave out. I landed on my back, with him on top of me. It was sweet, but it hurt.
“Fuck,” he breathed, sounding alarmed. “Are you okay?”
I grinned, more to disguise my pain than anything else. “Shelly will kill us. We broke her chair.”
When Carter shifted in my lap, I groaned, gritting my teeth. It means nothing. He said it when he kissed me earlier, but with his throbbing dick under me, it sounded hilarious.
“It’s a big nothing you’ve got down there, Dom,” I said, breathing through my pain. “Are you sure you’re getting your point across?”
His cheeks turned red.
“Don’t make me shoot you, asshole. Shelly will be here any minute.”
Which brought me to another point.
“Listen to me, you big ape,” I said, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. “If you so much as think of kissing anyone else, I’ll… I’ll…?”
He grinned. “You’ll what… partner?”
I slammed my lips on his, only to hear the door opening.
We were both scrambling to our feet when Shelly came in, looking at the broken chair and then at us. When her eyes zeroed in on my torn shirt, she blinked in confusion.
“What the hell happened? Did you two get into another fight?”
“Of course not,” I replied, trying to button my shirt, which wasn’t easy with half the buttons missing. “And I’m sorry about the chair. It’s Carter’s fault.”
“Nothing happened, Shel,” Carter said, jabbing me in the ribs. “We were just fooling around. Right, Tye?”
I smirked. “Oh, absolutely. One big, fat nothing.”
So, that was one disaster averted. Another one awaited us when we arrived at the station.
“The gang’s all back,” Adam announced as soon as we walked in. “Is that a hickey, Carter?”
Much to my chagrin, Carter touched his neck instinctively. He didn’t have a hickey because I didn’t give him one… yet, but that fucker was messing with him again.
“Don’t be an asshole, Adam,” Shelly said with a sigh. “Not today. It’s a good day.”
Adam sneered. “What do you say, Trigger? Is today a good day?”
Carter headed toward him, gritting his teeth.
Uh-oh.
I stood in his way and put my hands on his waist, murmuring, “Not worth it.”
Then I turned toward Adam, suppressing the need to wipe that grin off his face with my fist. “Stop fucking with him, Markland. This is the last time I’m telling you.”
“What do you want?” Adam grumbled, looking offended. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Just back the fuck off!” I snapped.
Adam stood up, his eyes flashing with anger.
“Why? Who are you? His boyfriend?”
Carter pulled out his gun and pointed it at Adam, causing a collective gasp in the room.
“What the hell is your problem with me?” he bellowed as I tried to hold him back, which wasn’t easy.
“You’re breathing. And Raj isn’t,” Adam replied, his voice dripping with acid.
The pain flashing through Carter’s eyes was too much to bear.
“Ad-dam, stop,” Jordan Slade squeaked. “He will kill you.”
Adam looked at him as if he had gone mad. “What the fuck do you care, weirdo?”
“First,” I said through my teeth. “Raj’s death is not on him, and you know it, Adam. Second, who I fuck or don’t fuck is not your problem. Third, if—”
“What the hell is going on?”
Shit.
“Hey, losers!” Chief Bibb bellowed. “Get to work, you bunch of nobodies. What is this? A conference of assholes? Are you all on vacation? What the hell is going on?”
He looked at Shelly, who bowed her head in shame.
“You’re buying furniture, Costanza, huh? Buying chairs while I’m waiting for the two weeks’ time of paperwork you owe me?”
“?ldvalen,” Shelly squeaked.
“I don’t give a shit!” Chief Bibb shouted before looking at Adam. “And you? Busting everyone’s balls when you should be on that missing heroin case. What the hell is the matter with you? You’re the oldest one here. You should be setting an example, not pissing everybody off.”
Adam looked away, admitting defeat. Smart move.
“And the two of you,” Chief Bibb exclaimed, glaring at Carter and me until his gaze landed on my torn shirt. “I don’t even want to know what the two of you were doing.”
I smiled, turning on my charm. “I will tell you, Chief, and I have a very good explanation. As a matter of fact, we were—”
He raised his hand. “Spare me the bullshit, Thorsen. And find a new shirt. You’re going to New Mesa.”
“New Mesa? What for?”
“They had another murder. Make yourself useful and find out what’s going on.”
I turned to leave, and Carter followed me when Chief Bibb spoke.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going, Carter?” he said with a tired sigh. “Does anyone here listen to the word I say?”
I looked at him in confusion as Carter stopped in his tracks.
“You’re staying here. Thorsen is the only one going.”
“What?” I said, ignoring Adam’s sneer. “Why can’t Carter come too?”
“Because I said so.”
Once in the locker room, I let my rage show, kicking the trash bin not that it wronged me in any way.
“Fucking hell!” I shouted, yanking off my torn shirt. “He did it on purpose.”
Carter leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, staring at the floor.
“How long will you be gone?”
I slipped into a clean shirt and walked up to him, feeling frustrated beyond belief.
“Dunno. A few days, probably.”
When Carter started to button up my shirt, I couldn’t help but smile.
“I kinda envisioned this the other way around, you know? More like unbuttoning than vice versa.”
He smiled, and it made my heart ache.
“I wish you didn’t have to go,” he said in a low voice, leaving the top button of my shirt undone.
“Me too.”
With his hands resting on my chest, his jungle greens found me. Unguarded. Trusting. Filled with want.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned in, searching for his mouth with mine. Our lips were about to touch when I heard a loud crash in the distance, and we both flinched, pulling away.
“Never a break,” I muttered, grabbing my duffel bag. “I should go.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
We almost reached the front door when Carter paused in the hall across from the holding cells.
“Be careful, okay?” he said, sounding grim. “There’s a maniac on the loose. Grow eyes in the back of your head.”
I nodded. “Yeah. You, too.”
He reached for the hem of my shirt and tugged on it absentmindedly. “And also… Call me when you get there, yeah?”
“I will,” I said, pointing my finger at him in warning. “Don’t you dare go around kissing other people while I’m away.”
He chuckled. “I won’t if you refrain from fucking the president’s daughter, or whoever is next on your agenda.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, babe. There’s only one person I want to fuck, and he has nothing to do with Boggs.”
He lowered his gaze, red in the face.
I grinned. “Too much?”
“Just go. Asshole.”
I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head in frustration. I didn’t want to go.
Fuck.
Just go.
“See you later, partner,” I muttered, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Take care.”
He blushed, but he let me have that kiss.
“You too.”
Carter
A few facts.
First, yeah, I went to this club several days ago. I found a guy who seemed decent, open-minded, and STD-free. I offered him money for a kiss, and he accepted. And it was an okay kiss by any means. It didn’t rock my world, but it was fine. Then I thought about my kisses with Vicky and other women in my life, which were also fine, but none of them could compare to my kiss with Tye. An earthquake couldn’t compare to my kiss with Tye. So, there was that.
Then I kissed Tye again, and without a gun to my head. He pissed me off, and I wanted to prove a point, but all I proved was that I had the hots for him. I tried to find the reason for it. Rationalize it. Explain it. Why, in my thirty-ninth year of age, did I suddenly find a dude attractive? More than that. I craved him. His hands on me. My hands on him. Looking back at things, I probably deluded myself for a while about that, but I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.
I spent half the day in the park, observing the people passing by me. Men, mostly. Some were handsome, some weren't. Some I found reasonably attractive, others not. Still, my heart never missed a beat, unlike in the evening when I came out of the shower and saw a missed call from Tye.
I slid into a T-shirt and sat on the bed, chewing on my lip. It took me an embarrassing two seconds to call him back.
“Hey!” A low voice answered after the first ring.
“Hey,” I muttered. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just got back from the crime scene. It was a long fucking day.”
“Same perp?”
“The reports are not in yet, but we’re sure of it. Bazooka and the guys are checking the CCTV, but it will take us a few days to cover everything.”
In other words, he wouldn’t be back for a few days.
“Where are you staying?”
“At my old flat, and I have to tell you I didn’t miss that dump at all. I’m meeting Bazooka later tonight for a drink or a dozen. Getting drunk seems like a viable option.”
A few moments of silence ensued as I imagined him in a bar somewhere, drinking and laughing.
“So,” Tye said, clearing his throat. “Are you alone?”
“Of course I’m alone. Actually, I just listened to the news. Apparently, SPD has no clue what to do with all the serial killings going on. That psycho got a nickname, too. The Butcher of Smitsville.”
“How original.”
“Yup.”
“So you haven’t kissed anyone yet?”
I chuckled. “No. Speaking of, have you fucked anyone yet?”
“Not yet, but my luck might change when I come back home.”
“You never know,” I said, stifling a laugh. “Miracles happen every day.”
“I don’t need a miracle. I just need five minutes alone with this guy.”
I cocked my eyebrows. “Are you sure about that?”
“No, but I believe in the power of positive thinking. Also, who would be stupid enough to refuse this body?”
I burst into laughter because he was just hilarious.
“So,” Tye drawled. “When I return… How about we get together? You can come to my place, and I will cook something nice for us. I’ll even teach you a few more dance moves. What do you say?”
I bit my lip, unsure if I wanted to say it.
“You mean… like a date?”
He turned silent, but not for long.
“Yeah, like a date, you big ape!” he exclaimed, making me laugh. “I’ll even throw in a bonus for you. You can use me like a guinea pig or something.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know… So you don’t have to go around bars, kissing people. You can kiss me. Touch me. Use my body. Whatever.”
“You’re willing to make this sacrifice?” I mocked him.
“Well, someone has to do it,” he said, groaning. “Fuck.”
“What is it? You sound constipated.”
“If you must know, this conversation is giving me an erection, Dominic.”
I rubbed my forehead in frustration.
“Serves me right for asking.”
“Is this conversation giving you an erection, Dominic?” he said teasingly.
I looked down at the bulge tenting my sweats. “No.”
“You’re lying, Dominic.”
“Prove it, Tye.”
“I could FaceTime you,” he threatened. “See if that dick of yours is as big as I remember.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I won’t answer, perv.”
“Why? Got something to hide?”
“No, I just don’t want to look at your ugly face.”
“Who says you would be looking at my face?”
Despite my sanity telling me not to, I listened to my dick and asked him a question.
“What would I be looking at?”
“You would be looking at something I’m presently holding in my hand.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Then it’s a huge fucking bluff. You should see it. Do you want to see it?”
I palmed my erection, stifling a moan. I hoped it would make it go down, but no such luck. I just made it worse.
“We could play a little game, say,” Tye said, drawing a shaky breath. “How about… you say something naughty to me, and I’ll say something naughty to you? Then you say something dirty to me, and I’ll say something dirtier to you. How about that?”
“I’m not doing this with you, Tye,” I muttered, feeling warm in the face.
“Why?” he said hoarsely. “Don’t you want to get off?”
Fuck me.
On the other end of the line, I could hear the bed squeaking under his weight.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m in a pretty desperate state, Dom. Like, I’m—I’m hard all the fucking time. I don’t… I don’t know how much longer I can take this. Um… are you there?”
“Yeah,” I said, clearing my throat because I sounded funny. And I sounded funny because I just pulled my dick out of my sweats.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m rushing this. Feel free to tell me to fuck off. But I miss you. And I keep thinking about what we would be doing if I were there with you.” He drew a shaky breath. “Would… would we be fucking, Dom? Would we be in my bed, fucking?”
Fuck.
Fuck!
I moved my phone further away so he wouldn’t hear me spitting into my palm. When I fisted my dick, my toes curled.
“Say something,” he said, sounding breathless. “Carter, please, just tell me. Tell me if you’re jerking off. I won’t say another word if you don’t want me to, but if you’re doing what I think you’re doing, I want to know.”
On the other end of the line, I heard a bottle cap pop and a soft squirt.
“I have to lube myself,” Tye bit out. “Fuck, I’m… I’m in pain, Dom. My dick hurts. Ah, fucking hell.”
After a few moments of silence, a wet, slick, rhythmic sound reached me.
“F-fuck,” Tye whimpered, sounding breathless. “This feels so good with you being there… Dom? C-can you hear me? Can you hear what I’m doing, baby?”
Oh, I heard him, but I was too busy slapping my dick to stop myself from coming. When the pain reached my brain cells, I bit into my fisted hand.
“Are you c-close, Dom?” Tye stuttered. ”‘Cause I’m going to emb-barrass myself, baby…”
The doorbell stopped him from finishing his sentence, as my eyes snapped open in shock.
“Fuuuuuuuck!” Tye roared. “Not now, damn it!”
I let go of my aching dick and rolled over onto my stomach, shaking. On the other end of the line, I heard him stomping across the room, cursing like a sailor.
“Bazooka, if that’s you, I’m going to kill you. I swear to God!”
I could hear muffled sounds and hushed voices before Tye spoke, sounding frustrated.
“I… erm… I have to go. Asshole arrived early. I’m... I’m so sorry. You okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, burying my face in a pillow to smother a groan of anguish.
“Okay. I’ll... I’ll go have that drink, and then I’ll call you when I get back, okay? Will you answer?”
“Yeah,” I said, clearing my throat because I sounded like someone else. “I will.”
I could hear him opening a pack of gum.
“My hands are shaking,” he said, sounding winded. “Fuck… I’ll call you, okay? You just… don’t think too much. It usually ruins things. Shit, I’m rambling. Are you still there?”
“I’m here.”
He drew a shaky breath as if he was trying to compose himself. “Okay. Where’s my wallet?”
I could almost see him looking around, searching for it.
“There it is,” he muttered, chewing on his gum. “Do you swear you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Tye,” I said, feeling the opposite. “Have fun, okay?”
“Yeah. Talk to you later.” Then he added, for good measure. “Oh, by the way… if it’s bothering you who will be fucking whom, don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. I’m usually not flexible on the matter, but for you, I’m willing to make an exception.”
I laughed because… that guy was insane.