Two for Joy

by Louise Collins

  “You love me?”

  “Do you think I’d get punched in the face by a boxer for anyone?”

  Chad laughed.

  “Do you think I would’ve allowed someone to stab me with a pencil—”

  “Wait, someone stabbed you?”

  “Or climb through panels in a hospital ceiling, or crawl through ditches, or scale walls, or tie up ex-fiancés, or get sliced with a scalpel. You think I’d do that for anyone?”

  “I hope not.” Chad laughed.

  “These…” Romeo said, touching the numbers on Chad’s chest. “These won’t ever take away how I feel about you. What I’d do for you, and I really would do anything to keep you alive.”

  Romeo hooked his fingers over the top of Chad’s pants and yanked him closer. “That okay with you?”

  “Would it make a difference if I wasn’t okay with it?”

  “No difference whatsoever. Now … I’m hungry.”

  “I’ve got coffee, vending machine snacks

  “You know full well I didn’t mean that kind of hungry.”

  Chad’s lips lifted into a lopsided smile. “What kinda hungry are you referring to?”

  Romeo smiled, and cupped Chad’s cheek. When Chad opened his mouth, looking as if he was about to speak, Romeo swallowed his mumbles, and slid their tongues together.

  Romeo moaned at the sensation, and his stomach fluttered while he got reacquainted with the taste of Chad. Sweet, making his mouth water. He kissed deeper, until the stubble around his lips pressed into Chad, till it was uncomfortable for both of them. It added a sharpness to the slick softness of the kiss, and Chad stood up on his tiptoes, pressing back, encouraging the beard rash that was bound to decorate his skin.

  Romeo maneuvered Chad around, before easing him away, pushing him back on the bed, until Chad understood, wiggling up and waiting for him. He placed his arms over his chest, hiding as many of his scars from view as he could.

  Romeo shook his head. “Arms at your sides.”

  Chad hesitated, then gave in to Romeo’s glare. He moved his arms, exposing the red etchings to his chest. Neatly cut numbers, stark on Chad’s skin.

  He leaned over, unhooked Chad’s pants, then pulled them down his legs. Next were his socks, then lastly his boxers, until Chad was completely naked, fixated on Romeo, wondering what he’d do next.

  He gave Chad a reassuring smile, then joined him on the bed. Romeo kissed down Chad’s body, then up again. He didn’t shy away from the scars, and marks, he lavished them with attention, claiming back what belonged to him. Chad didn’t belong to Marc Wilson, wasn’t part of either of their killer countdowns. He was Chad, broken, corrupted, but beautiful, irresistible, and Romeo’s, not the monster’s in his head.

  Every soft sound Chad made flooded Romeo’s head with desire. He mapped Chad’s body with his mouth and hands, curled over him like a possessive beast, soothing his wounds. The skin on Chad’s knees was rough on his tongue, and the patch behind his ear was the softest. The taste of his mouth was sweet, but the musky taste of his cock had Romeo rocking forward and back in frustration. The toothpaste had been heavenly, but the taste of Chad was sinful. He teased with his tongue and lips until Chad grabbed fistfuls of his hair and groaned to the ceiling.

  “Enough.”

  “Enough?”

  Chad didn’t open his eyes, but turned his head, talking to the corner of the room. “Over there, my rucksack. Lube’s in the front pocket.”

  Romeo returned moments later, rubbing lube into the blue head of his cock. He groaned, enjoying it a little too much, then reached for Chad. He pushed his fingers in, spread them, twirled them, until Chad couldn’t take it anymore, until he was calling out so loud, he was in danger of drawing attention to their room.

  Chad yanked urgently at his arm, Romeo let him have it, then frowned when Chad pressed his hand to his throat, an indication he wanted it squeezed.

  Romeo’s pulse skyrocketed, Chad was teasing the monstrous side of him, daring it to come out. He didn’t know if Chad had some kind of sadistic death wish, or whether he had faith in Romeo’s warped idea of love. Either way, it was dangerous, but exciting, and Romeo’s already hard cock, got impossibly harder until it bordered painful.

  Romeo did as Chad wished, cutting off his air until his face reddened, and air rasped in and out of his mouth. He could feel Chad’s pulse hammering against the palm of his hand as he slid into his body.

  Chad opened his eyes, his face relaxed, and he surrendered himself.

  Romeo stared into Chad’s eyes, fixated on the glimmer of something different, something darker that had appeared there after he’d killed Marc. He’d put a chip in Chad’s goodness, but it didn’t lessen him, it added to his value, added to his uniqueness.

  He released his hold on Chad’s throat, watched in fascination as Chad’s flushed cheeks faded back to normal, and he took a few quick breaths before leveling out.

  His eyebrows twitched in disappointment, but before he could voice it, Romeo tightened his grip on Chad’s throat again. He pushed his cock deep into Chad’s body brushing against his prostate.

  Chad’s eyes rolled up, a shiver travelled down his body from the top to the bottom, and color tinted his cheeks. He’d always enjoyed toying with Chad’s mind, but toying with his body felt almost hypnotic.

  Romeo teased Chad’s air supply, making him wait longer each time before giving him a dose of oxygen. Chad’s eyes got more and more lost, the shivers were near constant, and the wetness between them convinced Romeo Chad had already come, at least once.

  He was super focused, super attentive, and lost himself in Chad. He could taste his breath as a sweetness when he panted for air. He could smell his arousal, the sweat in his hair. Hear the rasps, convinced Chad was in fact saying his name when Romeo allowed him to breathe.

  He was in tune with Chad, making sure he didn’t go too far, didn’t lose control. He tested Chad enough that they were both benefiting from his hand wrapped around Chad’s throat.

  The danger element heightening everything, Chad offering himself up like a sacrifice, knowing Romeo could kill him. Then there was Romeo, clinging on, knowing if he went too far, he’d break the promise he’d made his mother, rob himself of the one emotion he’d been desperate to feel, the only one that made him feel slightly human.

  Their pleasure was suspended on a tightrope, a wrong move would end in tragedy, but the risk took them both higher, to impossible heights that made it worth it. Romeo gasped Chad’s name, and Chad wheezed his while inhaling.

  When he felt he was close, ready to succumb, Romeo grabbed Chad’s throat harder for a few seconds, before releasing him all together. The shot of sudden oxygen pushed Chad over the edge. Romeo dropped his chest down on Chad’s catching the come that gushed out. Chad tensed, squeezing Romeo until he couldn’t breathe, until he was the one rasping with awed eyes while his release painted Chad’s insides. He came longer and harder than he ever had before, feeling every twitch, pulse, and squeeze of Chad around him.

  Romeo pressed his forehead to Chad’s. “I could kill you one day.”

  “I know.”

  “But I’ll do everything in my power not to.”

  Chad gave him a small smile. “I know that, too.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  “You need to relax.”

  “Like it’s that easy.”

  Chad glared at Romeo. It was supposed to be menacing, but all Romeo saw were his panicked eyes, and the puffiness beneath. He’d never experienced nervousness, and it had been a sight to see Chad slowly unravel as the days went by, but it passed being interesting, when something tugged in Romeo chest. He wanted to make Chad feel better, soothe his fears.

  “Take a deep breath.”

  “If I take anymore deep breaths I’ll pass out.”

  Romeo pushed off from the wall, strode over to Chad, and took over from him arranging his tie. Chad had done it up several times, but kept huffing, and redoing it,
not happy even though it couldn’t have been more perfect.

  “You’ll be fine.”

  “I’m going for my psych test. I’ve got to convince three people, one of them my new boss, I’m not crazy.”

  “You’re not.”

  “I’m harboring a serial killer. One that most people think is dead. That’s not normal, not right…”

  Romeo tugged Chad’s tie as he stared into his tired eyes. “Fuck normal, fuck right.”

  “I want to catch killers, lock them up, but I’m living with one. I’m in love with one. That’s got to be the definition of insane.”

  Romeo fixed Chad’s tie into position, but as soon as he let go, Chad went to redo it. Romeo gripped onto his hands, stopping him. He pulsed his fingers around Chad’s, and after a few deep breaths, he pulsed his back.

  “No one in this world is a hundred percent sane.”

  “They’ll see straight through me—”

  “To the wall behind?”

  “It’s not funny. This is important. I need this job. I need to catch killers to make up for…”

  “For what?”

  Chad looked up at him. “This. Me and you. You killed people. Innocent people.”

  “Not all of them were.”

  Chad sighed tiredly. “Four were innocent. Marc…”

  “Crossed a line, and I had to correct it.”

  “I’ve fallen for you, want a life with you, but what you did is not something I can just ignore, or forget about. I wish I could.”

  “I know.”

  Romeo saw the confliction in Chad, sometimes he’d give him odd looks, distanced himself, but he always came back, pressing tightly to Romeo. It was fascinating watching Chad yo-yo, between wrong and right, between what he wanted, and knew he shouldn’t have. Romeo knew he’d always win in Chad’s internal struggle, the same way Chad always won against the monster inside him.

  “I can find killers, make sure they’re held accountable, punished. As Chad, I’m a lost cause, but as a detective I can still be a good person, I can right all the wrongs of Chad. But what if they see past the detective, and see…”

  “See what?”

  “Whatever I’ve turned into.”

  “They won’t.”

  “I could ruin this. I could ruin us.”

  Chad gestured to the house, their house in the middle of nowhere, bought with the Canster Times’s compensation money. It was another farmhouse, but modern, surrounded by acres of land, with plenty of outbuildings for Romeo to hide in if he needed to. They had a long driveway, and sensors alerted Romeo to anyone driving their way, giving him plenty of time to make himself scarce. The last six months had been anything but easy, but they had found a place, and were determined to make a go of their unorthodox relationship.

  “You’re not gonna ruin it.”

  “They’ll know I’m messed up, they’ll come here, find you.”

  “Stop.” Romeo said firmly. “You’re good at your job. The DI has vouched for you.”

  “Out of guilt.”

  “Either way, that’ll go in your favor. All you gotta do is go in there, and not blurt out I’m cooking dinner for you back at home.”

  Chad was too nervous to laugh, but Romeo did. He pressed his forehead to Chad’s. “Tough crowd, okay, but I like a challenge.”

  “It’s not gonna work...”

  “What do you call a guy with a rubber toe?”

  “Urgh, Romeo…”

  “Close, Roberto.”

  Chad laughed, then groaned. “You’re such an asshole.”

  “Thank you. I treasure your compliments.”

  “If I fuck this up…”

  “You won’t.” Romeo looked over to the clock on the wall. “But I doubt they’d appreciate you being late.”

  “Shit.” Chad said, checking his phone. “I better go.”

  “Knock ‘em dead.”

  Chad gave him a hard look, and Romeo saw it, the swirl of darkness in his eyes. It had appeared there after Marc, but Romeo didn’t know exactly what it was or what it meant. Before he could question it, Chad leaned forward, pressing his lips to Romeo’s. The chip, the blip, whatever it was in his big brown eyes could wait for another day.

  Romeo opened his mouth, inviting Chad’s tongue inside, but Chad made a disapproving sound and backed off. “None of that, or I really will be late.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  Chad took his keys and wallet off the side, then left through the front door. Romeo watched from the kitchen as he got in the car, then drove away down the dirt track.

  The new farmhouse was a million times better than a prison cell, not only did he have Chad, but he could cook, go outside, watch TV, listen to the radio, do the crossword, shower for as long as he wished, go to the toilet in a separate room to the one he slept in. He could touch Chad, kiss him breathless, and wrap around his body at night.

  It was better in every conceivable way, but when Romeo looked down at his hands, they throbbed with his old need. The monster hadn’t gone away, he was still lurking in the depths of Romeo’s mind, unsatisfied, and craving more.

  It was only Chad that kept it at bay. He couldn’t lose Chad. Couldn’t break the promise he’d made to his mother, but with Chad about to start his new job, he’d have less time to distract Romeo.

  The monster had a taste, but hadn’t quenched its thirst.

  He blinked out of his thoughts and looked up just in time to see a bird fly past the window. Romeo followed it, and watched as it landed in the mud, joining two more pecking for worms, shredding their thin pink bodies with their beaks.

  They chattered, enjoying the slaughter.

  As he watched, he wondered whether the magpies were a good omen or whether they predicted doom.

  Romeo sighed.

  “Three for a girl.”

  The End

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  BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER

  THE FRESHMAN

  Louise Collins

  Copyright © 2018

  Sample Chapter

  Alfie thought about hurling insults, he thought about punching Ryan in the face, but in the end, he rolled his eyes and stomped his heel to the floor. The angry clomp didn’t stop the snort of amusement from the man strolling away.

  For the past few months, Alfie had been subjected to hundreds of colorful new names. Being called a dipshit arse-wipe by the prisoners was preferable over what the staff called him. Rookie, newbie, fish, tender meat—they were a few of his new names from his colleagues.

  “It’s Alfie.” He hissed, then turned and leaned against the metal gate.

  Alfie, that was all his mother gave him. His name that sounded too soft for the world, a weak name he was determined to strengthen. He was the youngest prison officer to work at Larkwood in decades, but so far, he’d only be assigned to the brain numbing nightshift. Every time a post opened up on days, Ryan, his superior officer, always denied him. He said it was because he was too inexperienced, but he couldn’t get any experience until they shoved him on days, even working the visitor’s corridor would’ve been a step up.

  Ryan didn’t like Alfie’s age, and he didn’t like that he was from the care-system. He never said it, but Alfie strongly believed Ryan thought he was a plant in the prison by one of the cons.

  “Have a good night, Rook.”

  Alfie didn’t turn at the taunt. He breathed deep and exhaled to an internal count of ten.

  The day shift had just handed over to the night staff. The graveyard shift where the very walls looked like they were shifting in the darkness. He stood inside G-wing, behind him was the lobby, and on the opposite side was another gate the led to H-wing. The lobby acted as a space to ferry prisoners
through whatever gate they needed to go. Whether that was to the hospital, the visiting area, the church, or the classrooms. Alfie imagined it was bustling with activity during the day, but at night it was an echoing chasm.

  Staring straight ahead without blinking, the darkness bled into Alfie’s peripheral, until only black splodges remained, forming faces, sinister ones that put the prisoners to shame. The prisoners had been locked up since seven. All of them accounted for in the droning roll call. It was surprisingly quiet, and the only sound came from behind him.

  The office where the night staff munched on doughnuts and drank coffee after coffee. Where the lack of activity turned them to zombies, and the tug of weighted eyelid was too much. People never grassed on those officers that fell asleep, but it did irritate Alfie that it was always the same one. Henry, wrinkled and frail, had wisps of white hair hanging from the back of his creased neck. They might’ve been attached, but Alfie suspected they had been trapped in his folds of wrinkles or had been stuck there with glue.

  Henry believed himself to be a crafty bastard. He lounged in a worn chair facing one of the camera feeds from the bottom floor.

  Dark green sunglasses covered his eyes. He claimed they helped with his apparent glaucoma, but everyone knew it was to hide, so he could nap. Once Alfie walked right up to him, clicked his fingers, rudely gestured, then finally picked up a stack of heavy books and dropped them from a height.

  Henry had jolted forward so violently the glasses had flung from his face, and he threatened to clip Alfie around the ear for trying to kill him.

  Six of them worked the night shift, three officers assigned to each wing. The two others with Henry were Ben and Dan. Identical twins with identical mullets, and after two months Alfie still couldn’t tell them apart. They had identical smoking habits too, and often left the lobby to satisfy them. Henry and the twins were assigned to H-wing, while Alfie was assigned to G, alongside Marie and Glen.