Page 27 of Pretty Poison

“It isn’t?”

“Nope,” Asher replied smugly. “You’re projecting.”

“Am not,” Rocky said, reaching for the tin.

Asher cut to the right, deftly evading Rocky’s hands. “Are too.”

Rocky lunged for Asher, but the big man was surprisingly graceful. He darted away again, leaving Rocky empty-handed and fuming. “Give me the fucking cinnamon rolls.”

Asher’s laughter echoed in the dark. The deep rumble sounded strained as if the man were teetering on the edge of madness. It was a warning for Rocky to proceed cautiously, but it only made him want to push his husband even harder. “You’re transferring your anger to something you’re willing to vocalize,” Asher said.

“Yeah, Dr. Dunleavy? What is it I really want?”

Asher stopped dodging Rocky, and that’s when he realized his husband had maneuvered him up against the deck rail.Damn him.“If you aren’t willing to be truthful with yourself, then you won’t be honest with me.”

Asher lifted a forkful of ooey-gooey cinnamon roll to Rocky’s lips. He wanted to resist the peace offering, but the tantalizing aroma was Rocky’s undoing. It was totally the pastry and not the man’s words or the heat rolling off Asher’s body that made Rocky part his lips.

The cinnamony decadence exploded on his tongue, making Rocky sway.

“Was that so hard?” Asher asked.

Rocky ignored him and swallowed before opening his mouth for another bite. Asher’s laughter was much lighter as he obliged him. The two men kept their eyes locked on one another as they shared the dessert in alternating bites. It was deliciously intimate and dangerous. By the time Rocky swallowed the last forkful of a second roll, he had nearly forgotten his resolve.

Asher set the pan on top of the deck rail and reached for him. Rocky froze because his brain couldn’t choose between his fight-or-flight instincts. Then it was too late because Asher rested his hand on Rocky’s jaw and tilted his chin upward. His husband slowly lowered his head, giving Rocky many chances to jerk away or say no. Before Asher’s mouth reached his, his husband swiped his thumb over Rocky’s lips. “You had a little something on the corner of your mouth. It reminded me of other things and made it hard for me to concentrate.”

Asher pulled his thumb away and revealed the icing he’d swiped from Rocky’s mouth. He should’ve been embarrassed he hadn’t even felt it, but that was the last thing on his mind. Rocky wanted Asher to push the digit between his lips and demand he lick it clean. How many times had his husband done just that when a blow job had gotten extra messy?

“You wanna do the honors, or shall I?” Asher asked.

The urge to suck Asher’s thumb into his mouth was so strong it nearly scared Rocky. If he acted on his impulse, there’d be no going to separate rooms. They both knew it. Asher was leaving the decision up to Rocky. He took a breath and gave a slight shake of his head. If Asher was disappointed, he didn’t show it.

“More for me,” his husband said, then lifted his thumb to his own mouth. Asher licked the icing in the most indecent way possible from base to tip, leaving no doubt about what he wanted to do to, and with, Rocky.

His mouth watered, but Rocky didn’t take the bait. A moment on his knees would undo a year’s worth of carefully distancing himself from Asher.

“There’s no need to sleep in a recliner or chaise lounge just to avoid me.”

“It wasn’t intentional. I’d decided to read for a bit before bed and fell asleep.”

“Come to bed now,” Asher said.

It sounded more like an invitation than a command. Rocky quirked his brow.

“Go to bed is what I meant,” Asher said, rebounding quickly.

Refusing his request was on the tip of Rocky’s tongue, but he stopped himself. Asher would see through his stalling tactics and subterfuge.

“Let me grab my book.” Rocky sidestepped around Asher and retrieved the ancient paperback.

When they stepped inside the kitchen, Asher recovered the foil pan and placed the fork in the sink. He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk. Rocky took advantage of Asher’s distraction to ogle the way the red shorts clung to his husband’s muscular ass. It was a thing of beauty, and Rocky nearly sighed out loud.

Asher poured them each a small glass of milk, which they drank before heading down the hallway.

“I hope you sleep well,” Rocky said, pausing outside his bedroom door.

“Sweet dreams, Ford,” Asher replied.

Not likely.Rocky nodded and opened the door to his room as Asher continued past him. Fuck, it felt so wrong. His heavy heart thudded miserably as he made his way to his bed. Rocky set the book on his nightstand, then stripped down to his underwear before climbing between the sheets.