Page 56 of Pretty Poison
“You too,” Rocky said.
The encounter with the young lady boosted his mood but wasn’t enough to dampen his ire after he bit into the burger and encountered a pickle after he’d specifically ordered it without the slimy green things. At the next red light, Rocky removed the top bun to remove the rest of the pickles. Instead of one or two like you’d expect to see, there were six or seven. Their juices would’ve soaked into the bun, meaning there’d be no escaping the nasty dill flavor.
He glanced at his receipt and saw the wordsextra pickles. No wonder the little asshole who’d taken his order had refused to look in Rocky’s direction. He’d said “no pickles” when he repeated Rocky’s order but entered extra pickles into the computer. That’s what Rocky got for not paying attention to the menu or the ordering screen. Sadistic little fucker. Rocky knew that pimply-faced pickle punk would be featured on a future podcast episode about sociopaths.
Rocky flung the pickles into the bottom of the bag and forced himself to eat the rest of the burger during his drive home. He parked his car and was halfway to the front door when he realized Asher hadn’t returned his key to him last night, nor had Rocky grabbed the spare from the menu drawer.Junk drawer. Damn it. He jogged back to his car and opened the glovebox, expecting to find a set of bump keys there. Then he realized he’d left them in the messenger bag, which was inside the home he was locked out of.
Rocky cycled through his options. He could try to pry a window open and crawl through it or use a credit card to try to jiggle the lock loose. He was weighing the pros and cons of each when his cell rang.
“Rocky Jacobs,” he said without looking at the caller ID.
“Where’s my twenty bucks?” Queen Bea said. “Did you forget?”
“Oh, hi, Nana. No, I haven’t forgotten.” He had, but who could blame him with so much going on? “I’m sorry I haven’t dropped by yet. Things are crazy at work with Peter out on paternity leave.”
“Okay, but I need the money for my bingo tournament tonight.”
“I thought you said it was for poker on Friday,” Rocky said.
“Now he pays attention,” Queen Bea groused. “Just bring my money to me. Okay, kid?”
“Or what? You’ll send your debt collectors after me?” Rocky teased.
Queen Bea snorted. “You don’t want to find out.”
“I hear you loud and clear,” Rocky said. “I’ll be by soon. Love you, Nana,” he said, then hung up before she could bust his chops even more. His phone rang almost immediately after, and Rocky figured his nana was going to give him hell about his phone etiquette. “I’ll be there tomorrow with your money. Give a guy a break, okay? I locked myself out of the house like a dumbass.”
“Oops,” Asher said. “My bad.”
Rocky had been expecting to hear his nana’s voice, so Asher’s voice caught him off guard. “Oh, hey. I thought you were Queen Bea calling back.”
Asher laughed. “She’s still hustling you for money, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s a hoot.” Then Asher asked Dandridge if he would swing by Rocky’s house.
“That’s not necessary,” Rocky said quickly. “I have a backup plan.”
“Shut up, Ford,” Asher said before hanging up.
A few minutes later, the big black beast of an SUV rolled to a stop in front of Rocky’s house. Asher climbed out of the front passenger door and strolled toward him. With the dark tinted windows, it was impossible to know how many federal agents were inside the vehicle. With his luck, probably all of them. Why wouldn’t the entire Savannah branch of the USMS be on hand to witness yet another humiliating chapter in his life?
“How many deputy marshals are witnessing my embarrassment?” Rocky asked when Asher reached him.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Ford. I’m the one who fucked up,” Asher said as he slid the key inside the lock. He rotated his wrist, then opened the door for Rocky. “After you.”
“You don’t have to come in too,” Rocky said.
“Oh, I think I do,” Asher replied, guiding Rocky inside like an errant toddler before closing the door behind them. “This might be a big mistake, but I’m doing it anyway.” It was the only warning Rocky got before Asher tugged him into his arms and captured Rocky’s mouth in a searing kiss.
Rocky gasped in surprise, and Asher slid his tongue between Rocky’s parted lips. He grabbed on to Asher’s broad shoulders to shove him away, or so he told himself, but really, he just used that big, beautiful body as an anchor to keep from falling at his husband’s feet.
Asher tightened his grip on Rocky’s hips at the same time he angled his head and deepened the kiss, rubbing and rolling their tongues together. Rocky released Asher’s shoulders to slide his hands up into his husband’s hair, the silky strands sliding through Rocky’s fingers until he made double fists and yanked. Asher just grunted and upped his seductive attack, walking Rocky backward until he was flush against the door. This was the kiss he’d silently begged for the previous day.
Rocky pressed harder against Asher’s chest, trying to get closer even though the only thing separating their bodies was their clothes. A quick remedy for sure. Rocky relaxed one hand from Asher’s hair to reach between their bodies. He’d intended to unbuckle Asher’s belt, but his husband suddenly jerked away and put a few steps between them.
Rocky kept his back pressed against the door and marveled that he was still standing upright. The two men stared at each other, chests heaving as they sucked precious air into their lungs. Uncertain of what to say, but knowing something was required, Rocky cleared his throat and said, “You’re forgiven.”