Domenico snorted. “God knows his true child from some wannabe, who mindlessly listens to what their pastor says.”
Seth groaned and put his hand over his face, but the woman wouldn’t let go of the ridiculous argument.
“I haven’t seen you at church!”
“That’s because it’s not a church. It’s a gym hall with stained glass windows.”
The boy pulled out of her grip. “Fuck this bullshit!” He put a dollar note on the counter and took his bag of Milky Ways, leaving the condoms behind.
Seth peeked out from behind his fingers. “See what you’ve done? Now he’s gonna go off and have unsafe sex.”
“It’s for the better for him to not fornicate at all,” the woman said. “Even those satanists from the woods know that much!”
Domenico frowned, but he had no idea what she was talking about. Did she mean some swamp people? “And it would be better for you to have sex for once and stop bitching, you jealous cunt,” growled Domenico, taking the two packs of condoms and putting them on his pile of chocolate. “Didn’t God tell you to multiply? Take that advice seriously. We’re running out of people. It’s pretty tragic.” Domenico smiled to himself. Were he straight, he’d multiply with the best women. The world was missing out on his genes.
The woman huffed and pushed out of the line. “I’ve had enough of this lack of respect! Henry will hear of this.” She pointed her finger at the cashier who looked flustered by the whole exchange.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered as she begun quickly scanning the items for the next person.
“And who’s that important Henry person? The postman?” asked Domenico, pushing his hands down his pockets, even as he looked sideways at Seth. Did he notice the condoms?
If he did, he didn’t mention it, and as they bagged their shopping, he made a point of ignoring all the chocolates and only dealing with the things he’d gotten off the shelves. As if not wanting to have Domenico see how upset he was, he spoke to the cashier.
“Who did this lady call satanist again?”
The cashier shook her head, seemingly happy about the change of subject. “There is this pagan cult living in a former military base an hour away from here. But they don’t ever mingle with anyone else and stay on their own land, so most of us don’t really care about their beliefs. Live and let live, right?”
Seth gave her a stiff smile and continued with the topic.
Domenico shook his head and, for the first time during their time together, paid for his stuff separately. It seemed that the wall between him and Seth was steadily thickening, as if an invisible hand made sure to layer plaster over all the cracks Dom managed to make. He’d hoped he made a big indent in the morning, but it looked like that one was sealed now as well.
Seth walked out first, heading for the car with his bag. They passed the boy who’d caused the fuss. He sat on the sidewalk eating the bite-sized Milky Ways, hunched over in demonstration of his unhappiness.
Domenico stopped next to him and dropped the two packs of condoms into his lap. “Share?”
The boy looked up with a smile stained by chocolate. “Hey, thanks!” He held out the pack of sweets and put the condoms into his pocket.
Domenico took one bar and winked. “Don’t get a girl pregnant.”
The boy chuckled. “Not gonna happen.”
“Dom! Come on!” Seth yelled from the car.
Domenico looked at him and sighed before slowly making his way to the ugly old pickup they had bought after a few days in hiding following Vincente’s death. He still wanted Seth to answer his question, but the moment had passed, and he didn’t want to repeat himself.
The way to the bar passed in silence even louder than the radio playing annoying pop songs. Dom had no idea how they were to spend two hours having dinner in this atmosphere. He didn’t really want to. Any and all romantic gestures seemed fake. He’d much rather be alone. Or drink himself to sleep in a real church.
Chuck’s Bar & Grill wasn’t impressive, but the food was better than fucking tuna sandwiches. And judging by Seth’s choice of drink, he was planning to get smashed. He’d gone to the bar and, frustrated by the bartender’s inability to make a proper Bloody Mary, he improvised and made himself a whole pitcher of the drink with a generous amount of vodka. He’d spent a good twenty minutes chatting to the bartender about drinks and even left the guy a recipe, as Domenico sat alone at the table. On his birthday.
“Do you know what you want to have?” Seth asked once he got back, not even looking from behind the menu. It was the most bullshit kind of small talk Dom could think of. It fit the grim, old bar with lots of nutshells on the floor.
“You. With an apple between the teeth,” said Domenico, glancing at him from across the table.
That got Seth’s attention. He raised his eyes with his lips parted and downed his glass of Bloody Mary before speaking. “What is that supposed to imply?”
Domenico shrugged. “What do you think?” Slowly, he looked up at his lover, playing with the neck of his Coke bottle. He was tired of all this. It was almost as if all his life choices decided to backfire on him.
“I don’t know. Maybe that you just compared me to a pig.” Seth refilled his glass.
Domenico frowned. “No. I said I want to stuff you. And eat you.”
Seth buried his nose in the menu again. “That your thing now? Cannibalism?”
“And guns,” said Dom, looking straight into Seth’s eyes over the open menu he didn’t care much about.
“What do you mean by guns?” Seth held his gaze with that defiant expression. It felt as though they were butting heads without even touching. Dom would fuck that attitude out of him in a minute if he got the chance.
He leaned back in the chair. If Seth could bullshit him all the time, two could play this game. “I used to do that a lot before we met. I’d have the guy suck on my loaded gun. With the safety off. I came so fast every time.”
The way Seth’s pursed lips parted told Dom he was eating it up. “Y-you for real?” Seth asked and had more of his drink. As gullible as always. Dom kind of missed that.
A sense of warmth spread through his chest, and he almost wanted to grab Seth’s hand under the table. “Yeah. It’s fucking hot.”
Seth took his elbows off the table and backed into his chair with his eyes widened. Sure, it was mean to tease him like that, but it felt great to have all of his attention for once.
“And… um… is that something you want to do?”
Domenico bit his lip. “What if I do?” he asked, leaning forward and touching the edge of the table very gently, the same way he sometimes teased Seth’s skin with the briefest sensations.
“I-I mean… They say, always try something once, right?” Seth laughed nervously, shying away from Dom’s gaze. “And… maybe it’d be better if it was with the safety on?”
Domenico stopped himself from frowning. Seth obviously did not want to be put in that position. Why would he go with it? “No. It must be with the safety off. Deep down your throat.”
“Maybe just for your birthday?” Seth whispered, slouching over his glass.
Domenico stared at him, unsure what to say. He didn’t know what he hated more—the lack of any sexual gestures coming from Seth, the way he walked out on Dom after an amazing blow job, or the fact that he was clearly ready to go against his instincts and put up with as crazy a demand as this.
“Can I wear lingerie while you suck it?”
Seth blinked and looked up at him. “You bastard! You think this is fucking funny?” He slammed his fist on the table so hard the cutlery rattled, and other customers looked their way. “I can’t believe this shit!” He got up and headed for the back door of the bar, tense like a bull on steroids.
Domenico got to his feet right away and stormed after him. “We’ll be right back,” he told the waitress before rushing outside into the backyard of the bar. He had to squint to shield his eyes from the setting sun, but Seth’s huge frame was
hard to miss.
“Joke for a joke.”
“How was that a joke, you asshole? Gun sucking? Seriously?” His face was red and he barely breathed leaning against the huge metal barrels stacked there.
Domenico walked up to him and grabbed his arm. “I thought you’d tell me to fuck off. You do it all the time anyway. And you agree to something this fucking stupid? What’s wrong with you? One stray move, and I could’ve killed you if we went through with it!!”
Seth put his fingers into his beard. “I don’t know! I panicked!”
“What do you mean you panicked? What the fuck? It’s like I don’t know you anymore!”
Seth’s lips trembled. “What if this was some deal breaker? I didn’t know what to say! I wanted to compromise.”
“Deal breaker?” Domenico drew in a sharp breath and yanked harder at Seth’s arm. His heart was beating so fast it was making him lightheaded. “I don’t need God-fucking-knows what. I just want you with me. I don’t fucking know what’s going on with you!”
“Nothing’s going on. I’m working through stuff. I’m fine. It’s not my fault my body’s messed up.”
“Yeah? It’s my birthday. Let’s go to the fucking doctor,” hissed Domenico. “My idea of fun. Ha. Ha.”
Seth frowned and rubbed his forehead. “I’m sorry. I wanted it to be nice tonight.”
“Did you? All you ever talk to me about is alligators.”
“You said you’ll go hunt them with me…” Seth slowly reached out to Dom and put his finger in the belt loop of Dom’s jeans.
Anger evaporated out of Domenico almost instantly. He looked up at Seth’s hunched shoulders, the curve of his mouth, his dark eyes, and he found himself unable to look away. “I just want you to be with me. It’s like you’re there, without being there.”
Seth stepped closer, and Dom exhaled when Seth’s arms slid around his neck. “I’ll try to be a better boyfriend. I promise.”
Domenico held him tight, hoping no one would see them here. But even if he’d never trade this brief moment of simple relief for peace. They’d move if there was no other way, but now he wanted to feel Seth’s arms all around him. He loved how big and tall Seth was, and his body, even though it had softened since the ordeal with Vincente, was just as pleasant and warm as it had always been. If only Seth would let him, he’d gladly fall asleep with his head on Seth’s pec, soaking up his masculine scent.
Dom used to only go for the tight-bodied, chiseled types, but softness looked just as good on Seth. Even the beard was fine, always freshly washed and soft. “I love you,” he whispered, stroking the broad back.
“I love you, too.” Seth kissed the side of Dom’s head. “I will never stop. It’s just complicated sometimes. Let’s go finish your birthday meal, huh?”
Domenico smiled and stroked his thumb down Seth’s face. His heart thumped in agreement, light and warm. There was no trace of lies in Seth’s voice, and Dom believed his every word.
They made their way back to the bar and ordered a ton of food, including two desserts for Dom, who couldn’t decide between a banana cream pie and a chocolate malt. After the tension dropped, all of a sudden there was plenty to talk about, and two cocktails later, Seth even started nudging Domenico’s leg under the table. It was almost as if someone had reprogrammed him to act like his old self again. Hours flew by like crazy, and Domenico didn’t even mind the waitress butting in to ask who they were. He chose to go with the moment and told her all about Dana being the sister they only met recently, and seeing Seth’s eyes flicker with amusement only spurred him on to continue with his tale. In Domenico’s version of the world, Seth was a veteran of a bloody war in a post-soviet state, with a made-up name based on a word he spotted in the menu. Domenico was a professional chocolate and coffee taster and only left the stress of his job to help out his big brother come back to health.
When the waitress heard that, she brought him a third dessert, their version of a tiramisu. Seth tried it and couldn’t stop laughing at how bad he thought it was, though it wasn’t actually bad. The problem was that it didn’t taste much like tiramisu. Seth must have had five or six glasses of different alcohols, and despite his speech getting slightly slurred, Dom liked to see him so completely relaxed and smiley for once.
“Look to the bar,” Seth whispered, leaning closer over the table. “But discreetly.”
Domenico squinted at him, leaning back with grace. “I’m always discreet,” he said, before slowly tipping his head to look where Seth indicated.
The boy they had met at Walmart was there, and he was being refused service yet again, this time over alcohol. Domenico’s mother let him drink some table wine as far back as he could remember, and he thought it was a responsible way to go about it, but it looked like the kid wouldn’t be getting anything here tonight.
“Not his lucky day, huh?” asked Dom. “I got him rubbers, but I will not be buying him stuff he doesn’t need.”
Seth sniggered. “I bet he’s not gonna get a chance to use those rubbers any time soon.”
Unfortunately, Seth wasn’t as discreet as Dom, and the boy looked back at them with a smile. He caught Dom’s gaze, and Dom’s gaydar started ringing, but he got a confirmation of his suspicions seconds later. He could hardly believe the audacity of the kid when the boy conspicuously pointed at Seth, himself, and Dom. He then made a suggestive gesture, pushing his tongue against the inside of his cheek, and raised his thick dark eyebrows in question.
Domenico looked at Seth, with laughter bubbling up in his chest. “He wants to suck you off.”
Seth turned around, completely losing any pretense of discretion. “What?” He snorted. “He’s like half my size. Cocky little dick.”
“Yeah, he’s scrawny. Not my type either. And I’d rather focus on your cock and ass in bed tonight,” whispered Domenico.
The way Seth bit back a grin had a pulse of electricity go down Dom’s chest. “You seem eager…” Seth nudged his foot under the table.
Breath caught in Domenico’s throat. That was it. The invitation to sex. He could almost hear the angel choirs in the background. “Are you?”
Seth looked away and finished his drink with a silly smile plastered over his face. “Yeah, I miss you,” he whispered and put his hand over half of his face.
Domenico bit back a moan and quickly fumbled with his wallet. The boy from the bar must have lost hope and strolled all the way to the exit, but that wasn’t Domenico’s concern. He had something much better than a scrawny teenager who couldn’t even buy a beer.
“Miss you too. Like hell. I just wanna push you into the mattress.”
Seth’s eyes glazed over, and he stretched as he got up. “Oh, so you have a plan…”
Domenico dumped some bills on the table and got up. “I always have a plan. It usually involves getting you naked.”
Seth stumbled slightly on his way out, and Dom quickly put an arm under his. He couldn’t help a smile, as it reminded him of that time when he took Seth home drunk in Berlin. Seth had been so pliant, so ready to fuck. It had gotten dark since they’d entered the bar, and yet it felt like less than an hour ago. This birthday would end on a high note.
“I thought a made man should have more on his mind,” Seth whispered into Dom’s ear as they descended the few wooden stairs outside and walked into the improvised parking lot. There were some young men hanging out at the back of a pickup, so Dom didn’t do the one thing he wanted—grab Seth’s ass—and chose to save it for later.
“I’m not that anymore. You completely infested my brain.”
Seth laughed. “I must have, because you forgot to eat your third dessert…”
Domenico scowled. “Fuck.”
“Come on, Dom…” Seth opened the door and managed to get in after three attempts. “You had cake today, ice cream…”
“I still wanted that damn malt shake!” grumbled Domenico, getting into the driver’s seat. It should really have been him to drink on such occasion, but
now, when he looked into Seth’s shining, happy eyes, he didn’t feel one bit sorry about being the designated driver.
“You’ll get a better dessert…” Seth leaned closer and put his arm over Dom’s shoulders as he planted a kiss on Dom’s jaw.
Domenico drew in a sharp breath and quickly started the engine. If this was to work, he needed to go fast, before the alcohol evaporated out of Seth’s head, or before he got too sober to accept Dana in the other room. Then again, they could always have Dana spend the night elsewhere.
He rapidly drove out of the parking lot and started toward their house, which was almost half an hour drive away, in a different town. “What do I get?”
Seth looked around and grabbed a half-eaten pack of Oreos. “These?” He laughed and nipped at Dom’s cheek, only reminding him just how desperately horny he’d been.
“Yeah, give me some of that,” whispered Dom, driving into the dark with just the headlights to guide him.
Seth gave him two at once, and Dom was more than happy to eat them. “But Dom, you didn’t put your seat belt on.” Seth sighed and leaned more of his weight on Dom when trying to reach the other side of the seat.
Domenico shuddered, grasping the steering wheel harder as the scent of man and booze penetrated his nostrils. When Seth leaned even lower, Domenico couldn’t suppress a laugh, even though the situation also made his blood flow quicker. “To someone outside, this would look like you’re sucking me off.”
“You bastard. I’m just worried about your safety,” Seth snorted and leaned down, pushing his face against Dom’s crotch.
Domenico let out a groan and raised his hips, already getting hard, already eager to push his cock into each willing hole, to kiss a trail down Seth’s back, to eat his ass, to spread him open and ram in while he wailed in pleasure. He couldn’t bear the thought of having to wait for half an hour.
And then the best thing happened. Seth unzipped Dom’s pants. He hadn’t given Dom a blow job in months because of the wound in his cheek. Could it have healed enough? Finally?
“Ohh, fuck... what if I crash?” whispered Domenico, but his hand slid into Seth’s hair and kept him close, as if it were an entity with its own mind.
Guns n' Boys: Swamp Blood (Book 3) (gay dark mafia erotic romance) Page 4
