Page 112 of Vespertine

“New song title:Cock & Ball Torture.Featuring lyrics by Ramona Darling.”

Her laugh was husky and fond. “I love you sober, Nicky.”

He scratched his eyebrow with his thumb, watching the sunshatter across the ripples in the pool. “Thanks. I like me sober too.”

Dizzy leapt out of a lavender bush to meet him in thefront garden. She rubbed against him and purred like he was her long-lost bestfriend.

“You’re adorable,” he whispered, balancing his small box ofwhoopie pies from Irena’s as he knelt down to scritch at her ears. “I wish I’dgotten to know you better, you sweet, fat, murderer.”

The front door opened like Jazz had been waiting for him. Hewore his black priestly shirt and pants and looked deliciously fuckable. ThankGod he’d taken off his collar because that was one fetish Nicky didn’t need.Jazz smiled serenely when he saw them coming.

“She left a dead vole for me to find on the back mat. I hadto get rid of it. I suppose she still thinks I’m starving, but I don’tunderstand why. I think it’s obvious I have enough meat on my bones. How can Iconvince her that you’re the one in need of a good meal?”

“Dizzy, I’d eat your voles, sweetheart. Jasper’s a meanieand throws them away.” He grinned up at him. “I’m surprised you didn’t passout.”

“I am too. There wasn’t any blood, which helped.”

Nicky stood up while Dizzy continued to wind between hislegs. “Hi,” he said shyly, offering up the box. “I brought whoopie pies. Ifigured you still liked them.”

“Well, those should help fatten me up. I do still love them.Oh, and Irena’s cinnamon rolls, and the fudge that she makes in wintertime too.It makes the bitter cold and driving snow seem momentarily worth it.”

Nicky’s throat was tight. Jasper’s eyes had grown dreamytalking about the goodies from the sweet shop, and he was going to miss thatexpression already. He’d never be able to look at a whoopie pie, or cinnamonroll, or fudge again without wishing Jazz was there to look blissed-out overit.

“Come here,” Jasper said, coming back to himself with atender glance at Nicky. He held out his hand. “Come inside.”

Chapter Twenty

JASPERTOOK THE BOX ANDleft it on the kitchen counter before suggesting theysit in the living room.

On the sofa, Nicky turned to face him. “Father Jazz, I dobelieve evil and chaos has been introduced into this house.” He pointed at anuntidy stack of books on the coffee table.

Jasper grinned. “I knocked them like that when I heard yourcar pull up. I thought it would make you feel more comfortable.”

Nicky couldn’t help himself. He grasped Jasper by the backof the neck and pulled him forward, kissing him with the rising wave ofaffection he couldn’t begin to hold back. Jasper didn’t push him away, insteadbringing his hands up to Nicky’s face to hold him steady.

Breathlessly, Nicky finally broke the kiss, his cock hardagainst the zipper of his jeans and his heart thundering madly. “I’m sorry. Ididn’t mean to do that.”

Jasper’s lips shone in the early evening light spilling infrom the west-facing windows. A bird called nearby, and the sound of their breathingfilled the small space between them. Jasper looked from Nicky’s mouth to hiseyes, and then leaned forward to kiss him again.

The couch was a surface that seemed impossible to resist,and Nicky went backwards as Jasper pushed him down and climbed on top of him.Then it was hands under clothes, shirts shoved aside, mouths against necks, andhearts hammering hard together as they made out like teenagers on Jasper’ssofa.

Yanking down on the collar of Jasper’s black shirt, Nickyexposed the dark, flat mole he’d always loved. He pressed a kiss to it and thensucked hard at Jazz’s collarbone, bringing up a red mark with sharpsatisfaction. That bruise was big enough to last a few days. It was a temporarymark, but it pleased him that it would be there even after he’d gone.

Jasper groaned and pushed their groins together until Nickygripped his ass in both hands and flipped them over. Their legs and armsknocked together, and Jasper’s head bumped the arm of the sofa.

“Mrrow,” Dizzy said, jumping from the floor to the cabinetthat held the stereo components, and then leaping over to the bookshelf anddoing a crazy, hopping monkey climb to the top, where she hid herself behind alarge, green vase.

Jasper panted beneath him and they both broke into laughter.“C’mere,” Jasper murmured, pulling Nicky back to his mouth. “You taste so good.”

“Better than whoopie pies?”

“The best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

They kissed until Jasper was writhing beneath him, and theywere both on the edge of coming in their pants like the teenagers they’d oncebeen. Then Nicky scooted down, opening Jasper’s slacks and pushing his legsapart, hunching between them and drawing out his cock.

“Ah, it’s been...oh, wow, Nicky,” Jasper whispered, lettinghis head fall back, mouth open, staring at the ceiling. “It’s been a long time.”

Nicky could feel the want, the need, and the sheer anxietypouring off him. “We don’t have to do anything else. We can hold each other.Or…we could tal—”