Past Hurts (Sizzling Miami Book 1)

by Jessie G

  “We’re just driving through, heading up the coast.”

  “Well, boo, that’s no fun.”

  Alaric didn’t know if ‘boo’ was a sound of disappointment or a term of endearment and hated that he was being forced to think about it.

  “Actually,” Davin cooed. “We’re having tremendous fun, just the two of us, fucking our way up the Gulf coast. So romantic—” cue dramatic sigh— “so, so fabulous.”

  While Davin wasn’t usually flamboyant, he could pull it off with amazing ease if he was having fun at someone else’s expense. And Alaric could only agree, he was having a fabulous time watching his detective amuse himself.

  “Oh, well, of course, with a hunk like Ric, I’d have a fabulous time!”

  How many times could one actually use the word hunk in a conversation?

  “So, wow, your back.” Michael dropped the overly friendly pretense, crossed his arms, and attempted to stare Davin down. “Like for good this time?”

  “Careful there, Michael,” he warned, losing patience. “You’re about to go from mildly amusing to seriously annoying.”

  “I… It’s just… You were so...” Cowering under Alaric’s warning glare, Michael switched tactics and offered up a somber smile. “I was so sorry to hear about your brother’s loss. It must have been devastating.”

  “I appreciate your condolences.”

  “Mom and Dad went to the funeral. They just adore your parents. I was in New York or you know I would have been there for you.” Michael looked between them again and Alaric could practically see him trying to figure out the timeline. Terence was buried two days ago. Davin said they were fucking their way up the Gulf coast. Neither of them looked like they were in mourning. That little gossip’s heart had to be dying to ask, but short of being outright disrespectful, what could he say? “But I promise I was there in spirit.”

  This is more than could be said for him. “Thank you.”

  “Well, it’s good to see you again, Davin.” Michael turned, tripped, righted himself, and managed a little wave as he dug his phone out of his front pocket. “And Ric, don’t be a stranger!”

  “Oh, look,” Davin mused as they both watched him go. “He didn’t even make it out the door before he started calling people.”

  “Being the hunk that I am, news of my ineligibility is going to spread like wildfire.”

  Wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, Davin gasped, “Hearts are breaking around the world as we speak.”

  “I fear you underestimate the power of my presence.”

  “Oh yes, that’s what I do.”

  Alaric managed to hold his glare for a second before they both gave into laughter. “Come on, let’s get our supplies and head home.”

  “Wait.” Davin walked back toward the register and started flipping through the postcards. Alaric knew he once kept an album of them from their travels and hoped this one would find a place among its pages. When Davin found one of a beautiful sunset, he held up it so they could both see. “This one?”

  “It’s perfect.” Alaric took it and passed it to the cashier as he pulled out his wallet. Such a simple thing really, but that was typical. Davin didn’t need to be showered with expensive gifts, only ones that meant something and Alaric loved to be the one to give them to him. “It’s absolutely perfect.”

  Rain started just after they arrived home, so Davin suggested a movie and made popcorn while Alaric set up a Godfather marathon in the living room. When he stretched out on the wide cushioned couch and patted the spot in front of him, Davin didn’t hesitate to stretch that long, muscled body beside him and tuck his head beneath Alaric’s chin. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend a rainy afternoon.

  Lulled by the coziness of it, he slipped one hand beneath Davin’s shirt and lazily traced circles on his stomach. When they’d first met, Davin was long and lean, now he was all definition.

  “What else do you do besides run?”

  “Hmm.” Davin reached for a handful of popcorn, popping some in his mouth before offering the rest. “P90X, Insanity, and weight training. If I have time, I hit up the local CrossFit gym by my apartment, but it’s rare.”

  “It looks good on you.”

  “You haven’t been slouching.”

  “No, though I haven’t tried CrossFit yet.”

  “Maybe we can go sometime.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Taking a piece of popcorn between his lips, he lapped the buttery crumbs from Davin’s fingers until he earned a throaty groan. “We’ll need to do something if we plan to lay here eating popcorn for the next week.”

  “Hmm, if you keep doing that, we’ll find other ways to exercise.”

  Though he started it, Alaric ordered, “Watch the movie and stop trying to distract me.”

  Humming happily, Davin snuggled back in his arms and Alaric tried to focus on the television. But his mind kept straying to the heated skin beneath his fingers and the way Davin leaned into his touch instead of shying away. He knew better than to think everything had been magically resolved or that Davin’s fear had suddenly disappeared. But…

  “That feels good.” The quiet words made him smile.

  But… Davin liked to be touched by him. That wasn’t his imagination.

  He agreed to take it slow because Davin was worried about his own reaction, and he had every right to be. Alaric was a dominant lover, and while they both enjoyed that kind of intimacy in the past, there was no way of knowing if Davin would still get the same pleasure from being dominated now. That was the crux of it. Not just touch or sex, but the dynamic they once craved.

  Though he kept his touch light and well above the waistline, Davin began rocking against him. Then he’d freeze, as if catching himself doing something he hadn’t meant to do. Through it all, Alaric’s fingers never stopped, and he would soon relax before his hips started rocking again.

  “Your mind is racing.”

  Davin glanced over one shoulder and asked, “That obvious?”

  “Hmm, want to tell me what’s running around up there?”

  Cheeks warm with embarrassment, he admitted, “Sex.”

  “Look at that pretty flush.” Alaric leaned down to place a gentle kiss at his temple. “Were you thinking about our first time again?”

  “One of them.”

  “Which one?” There had been a lot of firsts.

  “The night we moved into the apartment. We had Chinese food on the living room floor, surrounded by boxes, remember?”

  “I remember thinking we were never going to find places for everything.”

  “That too.” When Davin rocked his hips again, purposely pushing against the erection Alaric couldn’t hide, they both shivered. “You were sitting with your back against the couch, cradling me against your chest.”

  “Having you like that gave me plenty of access to touch you.” Much like he was doing know. But, while he loved these bursts of memories and how they encouraged Davin’s physical responses, he was also worried that Davin was rushing because he thought he had something to prove. Alaric just didn’t know who he was proving it to.

  “We were just relaxing, eating out of the containers, when you pushed them off to the side and told me to take my clothes off.”

  “Did I?”

  “There was something in the way you said it. You weren’t asking or seducing, you were telling me to get naked.” Davin shivered again and it was all Alaric could do not to issue the same command. “Suddenly, I couldn’t get out of my clothes fast enough.”

  “Detective, I hate to point this out, but you normally couldn’t get out of your clothes fast enough.”

  “It’s because you're such a hunk,” Davin teased, and seeing his cheeky smile eased some of Alaric’s concern. “You never ordered me to do it before.”

  “No, I hadn’t.”

  “Then you told me to get on my knees and not to rest on my heels. You rose up, still fully dressed, and pressed against my back with your knees on either side of me.
Then you wrapped one hand at my throat, eased me close until I was leaning my full weight against you, and held me in place. Once you had me in the position you wanted, you told me to spread my knees apart.”

  Shifting just enough, Alaric pillowed Davin’s head on his arm, waited until those eyes were on his, and wrapped one big hand around his throat. “Like a good little slut.”

  “Fuck. Yes. Please.” He swore and breathed and begged all in one drawn out sound, and Alaric wanted to hear it again. “You told me you were going to take your time and that if I came before you gave me permission, you were going to spank me. It was a threat and a promise, and I didn’t know if I wanted you to tease me or make me come or spank me.”

  “Luckily, the choice wasn’t yours.”

  “You were relentless. Pinching my nipples until I moaned, palming my balls, fingering my ass, stroking my cock… All the while you held me in place with that hand on my throat and when I’d get too close, you’d change tactics, stroking my stomach and legs while actively avoiding the places I begged you to touch.” Face flushed, gaze wide open and filled with so much want it stole his breath, Davin begged, “Will you touch me now?”

  Alaric knew he had to show some restraint, but he was powerless to resist that plea. Releasing Davin’s neck, he popped the button on his shorts, eased the zipper down, and pushed his hand inside. Instead of flinching, Davin breathed a sigh that could only be relief, and arched up for more. Still, as much as he wanted to see his hand around Davin’s cock, Alaric focused on his eyes. His detective stared back, showing him nothing but desire and trust.

  “You worked me until I was dripping every time you got near my cock.” Neither of them needed to look to know he was already at that point. “Then you swept your thumb across the head and captured a drop to bring to my lips.”

  “You didn’t hesitate to lap it up before sucking my thumb deep into your beautiful mouth. It took every ounce of control I had not to bury my cock down your throat.” And Alaric wasn’t sure how he was going to resist now.

  “I don’t know how you held out, but you didn’t stop teasing and stroking, pulling me back and bringing me to the edge, offering me a taste, then kissing me to share it. It felt like forever, and I wanted to come so bad, but I also never wanted you to stop.”

  “More like an hour.”

  “The longest fucking hour of my life.”

  “At least up till that point.” There had been longer edging sessions since then. Much longer and much more creative.

  “Then you put your index finger to my lips and told me to get it good and wet.” Davin’s hips were rocking steadily, pushing his cock through Alaric’s fist, then grinding his ass down against Alaric’s erection. All the while, his eyes stayed open and free of fear. “I lapped and sucked until you jerked back, and for a moment, your hand tightened on my throat.”

  “You lapped and sucked hoping I’d bury my cock down your throat.”

  “Maybe,” he demurred even though they both knew the truth. “Then you reached down between my legs and eased that finger into my ass. In and out slowly, teasing the spot that made me crazy. With your lips against my ear, you told me to come for you. I didn’t even know I could come that way, but I was so primed and ready, turned on by your hand at my throat and your voice in my ear and… God, Ric, please.”

  “Eyes on me, baby,” Alaric whispered when Davin’s drifted shut. “If you want to come, you need to let me see your eyes.” They snapped open so fast, he could only grin. “That’s it. You’re so beautiful like this, Detective, I’m tempted to drag it out. Tempted—” he teased when Davin whimpered— “but you earned this. Come for me, Davin. Let me see you.”

  When Davin arched in his arms, Alaric tightened his hold and pushed him back down, locking him in place as the orgasm ripped through him. It was the most glorious sight he’d ever seen and though he knew Davin wouldn’t be able to focus, he demanded, “Finish the story.”

  “I…” Whole body shaking, Davin sucked in a sharp breath and tried to speak several times before he finally managed to say, “When I came, it was all over my stomach. You eased me to the carpet and leaned over me. I didn’t realize until you rose up and kissed me that you were licking it up to share with me. When you finally eased back, you smiled and said—”

  Davin stopped and waited, watching him expectantly, and Alaric was so thrilled to be in the position to experience this again, he could only give him what he wanted. “You please me so much, baby. That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  It was a perfect moment that was made better when Davin whispered, “I’m not afraid.”

  “I know.” In his heart, he knew that would never really be an issue for them, but it was important for Davin to come to the realization on his own and be able to express it. “Thank you.”

  “For what? I haven’t reciprocated yet.” Davin frowned suddenly and asked, “You’re not going to let me, are you?”

  “Not yet.” With a shake of his head, Alaric looked around for something to clean them up with and frowned. “Stay here.”

  “Why?” Davin demanded as Alaric rolled off the couch and headed to the kitchen for a towel. “What are you waiting for?”

  Alaric didn’t answer as he cleaned them both up, then settled back into his position on the couch and pulled Davin in close. “I’ll know it when I hear it.”

  “Hear it?”

  Reaching over for a handful of popcorn, Alaric gave his attention back to the movie. “You're missing the best part.”

  Though Davin was facing away from him, Alaric knew his mind was racing again, but this time he left him to it.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Davin

  “You have some messages.”

  He was sitting on the kitchen counter watching dinner cook when Alaric brought his cell phone in, handing it over with a very telling scowl. Though he was the one who made Alaric charge the damn thing, Davin wasn’t ready for what he knew would be there. Sure enough, despite orders to take two weeks off, there were several messages from the precinct.

  He skipped down until he found one from his partner and hit redial. “Hey, it’s me.”

  “Monroe!” Sully’s booming voice had him jerking the phone away from his ear. “We were about to call out a BOLO on you. No one’s heard from you in a week.”

  “I’m out of town.” Wasn’t that the whole point of a vacation?

  “Good, good. You needed some down time.”

  “Uh huh.” If they thought he needed it so badly, then why were they bothering him? “So, what’s going on? You cleared yet?”

  “I am.” Unlike him, Sully loved the job and it was clear in those two words. “Caught a case before my butt hit the chair. That’s why I called.”

  “I’m out for another week, man.”

  “I know, I know. The Captain said not to call, but I need that brain of yours.” And because Sully and he had been partners for a long time, he assumed Davin would be available despite Captain’s orders, just like he always was. “You remember that pedophile we picked up a few years back? Conroy?”

  “Yeah, he liked little Latino girls. Always took a lock of their hair to remember them by.” Just saying it made his stomach roll and he was glad Alaric moved to the living room so he wouldn’t have to watch him while those words hung in the air.

  “Well, they sprung him about three months ago. Overcrowding or some such shit. Now I got a two vics in the hospital who both describe Conroy as their attacker.”

  “So, go pick him up.”

  “Yeah, tried, he’s in the wind. I was hoping you’d remember some of his old haunts.”

  It wouldn’t do any good to point out that all his notes would be in the case file or that Sully would be able to access them faster than he would remember. Being annoyed didn’t catch pedophiles. As he rattled off some possible locations, he could feel Alaric’s worry as if it were his own. If Alaric didn’t already hate that he was a cop, listening to this conversation woul
d push him there. “That’s all that comes to mind, man.”

  “That’s way more than we had to go on, Monroe. I’ll get some uniforms out there right away. Thanks, you’re a life saver.”

  “Yep.” Normally, he’d ring off with an offer to call if he was needed, but Davin didn’t want to invite that call. “Was there anything else?”

  “Nope, go back to vacationing and stop checking your phone.” It was funny advice from someone who called because he expected Davin to answer.

  “I’m turning it off now.”

  “Yeah.” Sully laughed. “As if I believed that.”

  As the line went dead, Davin looked toward the living room where Alaric was openly watching him. What had he said the other morning? I’ll support you if you decide to stick with it.

  Up until that point, Davin hadn’t given much thought to quitting. Not seriously. What was he if he wasn’t a cop? He sacrificed his life to the job, shed tears over the victims, worked himself into the ground, and if he never got the same satisfaction as Sully did, that was his cross to bear. Each case stole a piece of him, and it never felt like he was making a dent in the number of sex crimes. Instead, it was as if each one they caught made room for five more.

  “I’m not going to pretend seeing you like this doesn’t piss me off.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to.” He was actually surprised Alaric waited as long as he had. One thing Alaric wasn’t known for was keeping his opinions to himself, and normally, Davin loved his straightforward attitude. The problem was, he didn’t know how to respond.

  “Do you need to go back?”

  “No, my partner’s handling it.”

  “Then why call you?”

  “Because he knows I’ll answer. I always answer.” But not anymore today. Davin’s finger hovered over the power button. He told Sully he was turning the phone off and that’s exactly what he was going to do.

  Alaric watched him do it and didn’t look the least bit convinced. “What did you do before when the crash came on?”