Page 53 of Pretty Poison

“What else have you been up to?” Rocky asked. This was Asher’s chance to tell him he’d helped Cal.

His husband shrugged. “A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I was thinking about eating another cinnamon roll. I shouldn’t, though.”

“You should,” Rocky said. “Let me elevate the experience for you.” He warmed up two rolls, topped them with a scoop of ice cream, and drizzled caramel sauce over them.

“My teeth hurt just looking at this concoction,” Asher said, but he accepted the bowl when Rocky handed it to him.

They went back outside to enjoy the lovely evening, swapping stories about things that had happened since the last time they’d talked to one another. Asher was mostly curious about his work with the podcast, while Rocky kept his inquiries to Asher’s family and his new team. He didn’t want to hear Duggy Bear’s name mentioned one single time.

By the time the lightning bugs came out, Rocky was ready to turn in for the night.

“I’ve got an early morning too,” Asher said. “I have to be at the command center at four.”

“Gross,” Rocky said.

“Yep.”

Asher locked up the front while Rocky secured the rear, and they met in the middle, which was the hallway to the bedrooms.

“Goodnight, Ford,” Asher said when they reached Rocky’s bedroom door. “I hope you sleep better tonight.”

Rocky reached out and placed his hand on Asher’s forearm before his husband could disappear farther down the hall.

“What’s wrong?”

Rocky took a deep breath while digging deep for courage. The few hours he’d slept in Asher’s arms had been the deepest sleep he’d had since before the shooting. He craved the peaceful abyss as much as the body that had comforted him. “I have no right to ask this, but will you…” Rocky’s voice trailed off as his bravery waned.

Asher said nothing. He just nodded, then pushed open the bedroom door and followed Rocky inside.

Rocky woke up alone and on the wrong side of the bed when his alarm went off the next morning. He must’ve rolled over to Asher’s side when his husband left for work, or like the previous morning, Rocky had pinned Asher to the mattress at some point in the night. If that were the case, how had Rocky slept through him leaving?

Stretching like a cat, Rocky marveled at how good it felt to sleep without interruption for the first night in…he didn’t know how long. Asher’s scent was even stronger on his bedding now. Rolling onto his stomach, he buried his face in the pillow and breathed the fragrance in. Rocky let himself pretend it was a lazy Sunday where the only thing he and his husband cared about was making love and eating a ridiculously overpriced brunch someplace. He pictured warm sunbeams on naked skin. Asher would kiss a trail from the nape of his neck to the crack of his ass. He wouldn’t stop there either. Rocky squirmed as memories flooded his brain, and that’s when he became aware of his erection.

Flopping onto his back, Rocky shoved the sheet and his underwear down to his thighs. He wasn’t a narcissist who loved looking at his nude body, but erections had been a rare occurrence since the shooting. So, yeah, he was beyond happy to see his dick standing at attention and reporting for duty.

He traced his fingertips over his hard-on, noting the way his cock jerked beneath his touch. Heat pooled in Rocky’s core, spreading throughout his body and making his toes curl. The ceiling fan overhead stirred the air, making it feel like a caress against his skin. His flesh pebbled and his nipples hardened in response. One part of his brain spurred Rocky to hurry up and jerk himself off, but the other urged him to take his time and savor the feelings. There was no telling when this would happen again. So, instead of spitting in his hand and rubbing one out quickly, he took his time reacquainting himself with his body just as Asher would if given the choice.

Rocky ghosted his fingers over his skin, pretending they were his husband’s mouth until his entire body trembled. Only then did he retrieve the lube from his nightstand and slick the length of his cock. He massaged the sensitive spot under his crown until a bead of precum glistened at the slit. Closing his eyes, Rocky relaxed his head into the pillow and allowed his mind to wander to Asher. He pretended it was his husband’s hands fondling his sac and stroking his cock. Rocky spread his thighs and dipped his hand between them to tease his puckered entrance, wishing it was Asher’s wicked tongue taunting him.

Christ, this felt too damn good to slow down. He increased the tempo of his strokes and lifted his other hand up to pinch a nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. Pleasure arced through his body, and he lifted his hips off the bed to fuck his fist. The lube had dried out a little, but he was too far gone to stop and reach for more.

Rocky’s ass puckered, aching to be filled. His thoughts drifted to the last time he’d had sex with Asher. They’d gone to New Orleans to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary and to check out the blues-rock scene there. They’d spent most of their time in bed, alternating between hard fucking and tender lovemaking. Rocky had fallen asleep with Asher’s dick still inside him. Rather than pull free, Rocky had pushed his ass tighter against Asher’s pelvis, hoping to hold on to him even longer. It had been the sexiest thing ever, and he hadn’t felt that same level of contentment since.

He couldn’t remember one of the happiest weekends in their marriage without his mind veering to what happened after they got home. Asher had left for a task force mission as soon as they returned, then Julia…Fuck, don’t go there.Rocky worked his cock faster, willing the pleasure to triumph over the pain for once. The friction was almost painful, but he didn’t let up. Rocky’s balls drew up tight seconds before he came with a euphoric shout.

Rocky had never been so glad to see cum coating his stomach as he was then. He really needed to roll out of bed, take a shower, and get ready for work, but his body felt too heavy. Or maybe there was a disconnection between his brain and his limbs. Rolling over onto his stomach and burying his face in Asher’s pillow was the dumbest thing he could do, but it’s exactly what he did.

He woke sometime later when his cell phone rang. He lazily rolled across the bed until he could reach it. “Hello?”

“Um, hi,” Trudy said. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, Avery is here because you asked him to meet you at nine, but you’re not here.”

Rocky jackknifed into a sitting position. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I got caught up in something unexpected.”

“I just bet you did. Is the unexpected thing about six and a half feet tall with dark eyes, black hair, and a chin dimple to rival all action heroes?”