Chapter Fourteen #2
Tony’s encouragement nearly bowled Seth over, but it probably wouldn’t take much at this point.
He felt as if someone had run him through the wringer over the past several hours, but he only had to look at Rueben to feel revived, even with so much still unresolved.
“Can you make sure someone boards up the door and the property is secure when you’re finished? ” Seth asked Johansen.
“Of course.”
He wanted to ask them to keep him updated but knew they wouldn’t risk the already tarnished integrity of the investigation.
He nodded goodbye to both men and stepped into the living room, where Rueben was giving his statement to a female deputy from a neighboring county.
The young officer met Seth’s gaze and nodded politely.
“I think that’s all the questions I have for now, Mr. Sanchez,” she said. “I might have more for you later as the investigation develops.”
“That’s okay, Deputy Bryerson,” Rueben said. “I’m happy to answer anything.”
They discussed arrangements for Rueben to sign the official statement once Bryerson typed it up, and then his man stepped into Seth’s open arms.
“Let’s get out of here.” Seth’s voice sounded thick and gravelly.
Rueben peered up at him. “Where are we going?”
“To my house,” Seth said. “Everything here is evidence, but it shouldn’t take them long to process and release the scene.” He looked around the cabin for the two people he wanted to thank most. “Where’s Cash and Nick?”
“One of the deputies sent them home,” Rueben said. “At least I got to hug them before they left.”
“I wanted to thank them for coming to your rescue, even if you didn’t need it.”
Rueben took Seth’s hand and tugged him toward the open front door. “I was so relieved to see them. Thank you.” A hard shiver racked Rue’s body, and Seth stopped on the porch to pull him into a tight hug.
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby.”
“You’re not responsible for any of this, and no reasonable person will believe otherwise.”
Seth had several arguments he could make, but did he really want to spend the first few minutes in his newfound freedom to share them?
Hell no. The drive to his home was short but fraught with heavy rains, and he only let go of Rueben’s hand when he parked his SUV in the attached garage and killed the engine.
Seth gathered Rueben into his arms as soon as they stepped into the house.
Their lips met, lingered, and then parted to make way for eager tongues.
So many things remained unresolved, but not this, not them.
Uncertainty could prowl outside his doors like a vicious beast, but the one thing—person—Seth was sure about was in his arms.
Rueben pulled back from the kiss and said, “Show me your house.”
Seth had kept the fishing cabin the same as his grandparents had left it, but his home was an oasis he’d built just for himself.
And he was eager as hell to show it to Rueben, and one room held more draw than the others.
He took Rueben’s hand and led him straight to the bedroom.
When Seth switched on the light, he lowered the dimmer to the lowest setting before going to work on Rueben’s clothes.
The urge to see him stretched out naked on the bed guided Seth’s hands to reveal each inch of precious skin.
He gathered Rueben against him once more, even though he remained fully dressed.
“You’re here, and you’re safe,” Seth said.
Rueben nuzzled his nose into the open V of Seth’s shirt and pressed warm lips there. “You’re here and safe too.” After another kiss, Rueben eased back and looked at him. “And overdressed.”
Seth chuckled and removed his gun belt and set it on the nightstand.
He would keep it close until Quinton Carson was located—dead or alive.
Rueben took over from there, kissing and touching as he bared Seth to his satisfaction.
Their lips met again as they maneuvered to the bed, and Seth positioned himself between Rueben’s thighs.
He could’ve lost the man he loved, and nothing celebrated life like joining their bodies together.
Seth aimed for tender as he worshiped Rueben’s body and worked him open with slick fingers, but the keeper wasn’t looking for gentle after his harrowing night.
Seth gave Rueben what he wanted, what he begged for, surging inside him until he was balls deep on the first thrust. Seth buried his head in the curve of Rueben’s shoulder and neck, then used every fiber of his being to love Rueben, not stopping until they lay in a tangled, sweaty mess of limbs in the center of his bed.
The ceiling fan cooled his heated flesh and drew goose bumps to the surface, but Seth made no move to untangle himself until Rueben shivered.
They cleaned up quickly, turned off the lights, and tucked themselves under the covers.
Seth lay on his back with Rueben pressed against his side, using Seth’s shoulder as a pillow.
“Tour guide and real estate agent are off the tables if you decide to look for a different career,” Rueben teased in the dark. “The only thing I’ve gotten to see in your house is the bedroom ceiling.”
For a moment, Seth thought that was a commentary on his chances of reelection until he computed the totality of the statement.
There’d be a lot of similar comments made in the coming days, weeks, and probably months, and they wouldn’t include “if you decide” in the phrasing.
Seth needed to develop thicker skin and fast…
but not with Rueben. He was done with any kind of barrier between them.
“You think I’m just going to whisk every site-seeker or client into the nearest bedroom? ”
Rueben laughed and placed a kiss on his chest. “I guess that was a silly thing to say. I think my brain is still addled from that incident with the guy at the cabin.”
“Why? Did he hit you with the skillet first?”
Reuben snorted, then laughed and kept on laughing until his voice went hoarse and the tears came. Seth cradled him safely against his body, whispering words of encouragement and love as Rueben cycled through his emotions.
“I think I know who that guy was,” Rueben finally said.
Seth stiffened. “Who? And how?”
Rueben told him about the incidents where Keegan thought he’d seen Brother Cain in town.
And that would likely mean Brother Abel was Odell.
“I should’ve said something sooner, but Keegan didn’t want me to make a fuss.
He said he’d had similar reactions to guys with the same builds or hair color.
I tried to follow the man after the town hall meeting, but he got away before I could snap a picture.
” Rueben sighed. “I went and disfigured his face, making identification harder unless his prints or DNA are in the system. I’m really sorry. ”
Seth tightened his arms around Rueben. “It’s not Keegan’s fault or yours. We’ll sort this out and move on. There’s so much living I want to do with you.” And loving.
That sweet sentiment followed him into sleep but couldn’t protect him from a montage of vivid dreams where his personal demons devoured everyone Seth loved and left him to face the aftermath alone.
He finally gave up trying to sleep around five thirty.
He scanned the internet for updates about Quinton Carson’s whereabouts as other civilians would do and forced himself to read the things written about him as his constituents would.
So far, the opinions ranged from ineptitude to criminal negligence regarding Mick’s questionable death and Quinton’s escape, but Rueben’s name had thus far stayed out of the press.
The reprieve wouldn’t last long, but they’d enjoy it while they could.
Seth had consumed nearly half a pot of coffee by the time Rueben staggered out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but Seth’s shirt.
His morning wood jutted out in front of him like a North Star to guide him.
Sleepy brown eyes scanned the room until they found Seth on the love seat in the great room at the back of the house.
Rueben smiled, rubbed his eyes, then circled slowly to take in his surroundings.
When their eyes met again, Rueben looked both impressed and possibly a little intimidated.
Seth’s house wasn’t as big or as fancy as Cash’s, but it used the same combination of wood, iron, and stone to elevate his mountainside home from meh to hell yeah.
Walls of windows on the rear of the house showed off million-dollar views, but the one in front of Seth was a value beyond estimation and certainly irreplaceable.
Rueben scratched behind his ear and worked his bottom lip between his teeth. “Do you have a side hustle I don’t know about? I don’t think civil servants get paid enough to afford a house like this.”
Seth slowly unfolded from the leather sofa and strolled across the room on bare feet. He cupped Rueben’s face, and curious brown eyes searched his gaze. “My mom is a Hart of the Hart’s Creek fame.”
“Ah, those Harts,” Rueben teased, though it was clear he didn’t know the history of the area or the significance of the name.
“My great-great-great…” Seth’s voice trailed off as he tried to count how many greats he needed to put in front of grandfather.
His blood was moving south and his brain struggled to recall the family history lesson.
Then he shook his head because it didn’t matter.
“Edgar Hart was a founding father of this area and a pioneer in too many industries to name. He was an inventor and a gambler from Virginia, who won a piece of Colorado property in a poker game. He struck gold in the creek running through his land and used the money to fund his love of tinkering. Edgar invented several processes that revolutionized coal mining. People thought he was weird, but they also revered him because he had the Midas touch. His ancestors still benefit from his genius through a trust he established. I received this parcel of land and a down payment to build a homestead.”