Page 21

21

Monday evening

For the first time in days, Charlie wanted to go home to Tom. So, naturally, he had to stay at the police station writing his reports and returning phone calls. Mags and Eddy needed to know what they had learned about Jeff Burton, aka Britton, as well as updates on Dylan and Alex Unwin. Adding Mal Kent’s thoughts about Patsy took thought and care, especially as Patsy herself kept appearing in all the wrong places. But eventually, Charlie had read everything that he needed to and completed all the outstanding reports. He let himself out of the police station, locked up and strolled home, to find Tom had laid the table outside in the garden.

“Take a seat,” Tom said and disappeared into the house, returning with plates of smoked salmon with lemon, and a huge bowl of salad. He disappeared again, this time bringing a bottle of something fizzy and two champagne glasses. “Home grown strawberries, ice cream and cake to follow,” he said, and popped the cork from the bottle.

Charlie sighed with pleasure. “This is wonderful,” he said, and it was.

The house was too hot, and even with a well-insulated roof, it got hotter as they fell upstairs and into their bedroom. The only bed covering was a top sheet, still twisted from the morning. Charlie picked it up and threw it onto the floor. Ignoring the heat, Charlie pulled Tom towards himself, wrapping his arms around his husband, feeling the prick of tears behind his eyelids. He felt Tom’s arms come round him in return and they stood there together hugging as hard as they could. Charlie felt his emotions flow into Tom and drew strength in return. The world settled back onto its axis.

Charlie took a step backwards and unfastened his shirt buttons until he could slip the shirt over his head where it joined the sheet on the floor. Then his trousers went and his briefs and socks.

“Are you just going to stand there?” he asked Tom.

“No,” Tom said, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Charlie stepped forwards, and felt Tom’s hands on his arse, big hands, hard and strong, and then, Tom’s tongue on the tip of his half-hard cock. He swayed a little as all his blood headed in that direction. Without conscious thought, he grabbed Tom’s hair and thrust. Tom opened his mouth and … it was so, so good, and if it continued, he wasn’t going to last.

“Stop,” Charlie said.

Tom pulled away, but not without running his tongue around the tip of Charlie’s erection and making him shiver.

“My turn,” Charlie said, “Get naked.”

Tom smiled and ran his hands down the back of Charlie’s thighs, before sucking Charlie into his mouth again. Charlie felt the gentlest scrape of Tom’s teeth, and felt his orgasm begin to build.

“Stop,” he said again, realising that he was still gripping Tom’s hair.

“No,” Tom said. “I want you to come.” His voice was deep, with the authority of a man determined to get his own way. Charlie wanted to object, but Tom gave him no choice; wrapping his lips tightly around Charlie’s dick, his tongue pulling him deeper into the hot wetness, until it was too late, and Charlie had no choice but to let the pressure build and then release in glorious waves of bliss. Tom swallowed, and then lay back, dragging Charlie on top of him and kissing him roughly, so that Charlie tasted himself and Tom mixed together, until he was lightheaded and helpless.

“Now I’m going to fuck you,” Tom said. “If that’s OK.”

Charlie had enough strength to mutter, “Yes, please,” before Tom rolled him gently onto the bed and stood up to remove his own clothes. He had missed this so much that he felt the tears again. Not tears of unhappiness, simply an overflow of love.

It wasn’t fucking, though, it was making love. Slowly, slowly, with lots of kissing and words of love, until Charlie lost track of time. He wrapped his legs round Tom’s hips, and his arms around his broad shoulders, until he couldn’t tell where he ended, and Tom began. Tom’s beard was soft against Charlie’s face, and their skin was slick where it came together. It seemed for a long time, that there was no urgency, no rush to a conclusion, and then suddenly there was. Charlie felt the change in himself as much as in Tom, and they came together, crying out their pleasure. Tom rolled them onto their sides, still wrapped around each other, and Charlie saw that his husband’s eyes were shiny.

“I’ve missed you, so much,” Tom said. “I don’t care how late you finish or how early you have to leave, but please come home. I need you.”

Charlie snuggled himself even closer to Tom. “I need you too,” he said.