Page 157 of Beneath the Stain

Trav grabbed his cock with one hand and pillowed his face on the toilet seat, sprawled inelegantly like a rutting animal, begging to be fucked.

He closed his hand on his prick and it didn’t matter. Mackey picked up speed and Trav hit his cockhead just so, and those fireworks stopped, Trav’s breath stopped, everything in the goddamned worldstoppedas Mackey groaned, pumping frantically, shooting into Trav’s body. Trav’s body exploded, particles of light and air hurtling through the sterile white room to the clear sky outside.

Mackey collapsed across his back, panting against Trav’s skin, still sheathed in Trav’s ass.

Trav felt Mackey’s come leaking out and half laughed. “We’re going to need another shower.”

“No,” Mackey rasped. “I need to smell like you for a while.”

The thought made Trav shiver—such a visceral, animal thing for a man who liked to think he had it all on his laptop.

“Okay,” he whispered. He didn’t have any other words. Like it or not, he’d just sold his soul to Mackey James for the price of a shower curtain and a bottle of lube.

THEYDRIEDoff in awkward silence, made it to the bed, and Trav extended his arm for Mackey to pillow his head on Trav’s chest.

“God, I needed this last night,” Mackey muttered.

Trav tightened his arm and held him tight. “I was overwhelmed,” he confessed. “I—I can’t keep you guys safe from this place. I mean, over a year, and my job has been to protect my boys, you know?”

Mackey grunted, rubbing his cheek against the damp skin and silky hair of Trav’s chest. Almost absent-mindedly he licked Trav’s nipple, and Trav arched his hips.

“Stop that,” he ordered. “I’m sore.”

Mackey stopped obediently, but throughout the rest of their conversation, he rubbed Trav’s stomach, his ribs, his pecs, his neck. It was like he was feeding himself on Trav’s skin, and Trav couldn’t make him stop.

“You can’t protect us from this,” Mackey said after a moment of rolling his face on Trav’s chest. “But we got things—not just drugs, Trav, just… like Jefferson and Stevie. They ain’t been apart—hell, they probably go to the bathroom together. With Shelia there it’s even tighter. Kell laid down the law with Cheever—he got to be the man of the house. Blake, he ain’t said two words—he had his own small town. He knows to lie low and figure out the local customs if you don’t want to find yourself getting beat the fuck up.”

“And you?” Trav asked, letting a little of his worry out, a little of it rest on Mackey’s shoulders.

Mackey grinned at him, showing his canines. “Were we or were we not arrested for being in a bar fight?”

Trav blinked. “You aresoproud of yourself,” he said, horrified.

“Oh yeah.” Mackey nodded with complete satisfaction. “Thatwas probably the best moment I’ve had in this piece of shit town.”

Trav had to laugh. He was helpless to do anything else. “Thank you for making me a part of that,” he said, irony dripping from every syllable.

Mackey nestled into him again, his naked body stretched out and rubbing all over Trav’s. Trav was too sexed out to be horny, but itdidmake him sublimely happy to be touching Mackey again.

“My pleasure,” Mackey said, purring, with no irony at all.

They dozed for an hour and then got up, dressed from the contents of Mackey’s bag, and checked out.

“Where’s Heath?” Mackey asked as Debra pulled the rental car around for them.

“Left around six,” Trav said. “Never went to sleep—said he’d sleep on the plane.”

“I like a man who can party like a rock star,” Mackey said with a grin.

Trav rolled his eyes. “Since I live with them, I guess I’m not as impressed.”

Mackey laughed as they slid into the car. By the time they got back to his mother’s house, he was still chuckling. Trav didn’t think it was that funny, but then, he really didn’t always get Mackey’s sense of humor.

That was okay. Apparently he got Mackey.

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart

GRANTCALLEDthat evening and said he’d needed to rest the whole day, but he was glad they’d gotten out of jail. He thanked Trav personally, apparently because Trav had made sure he got out of there so he wouldn’t get hurt.