by Maia Dylan
Marshall reached out a hand, slid a finger into the waist of his jeans, and pulled him so that Aaron stood between his legs. “That was always my plan, baby. It’s taken me a lot longer than I wanted, but I was always coming for you. I wanted enough money that we could go into hiding and never be seen again. I have that and more. But I wanted to be able to make it so you were safe. With Franklin still breathing, and getting more powerful by the day, we will forever be looking over our shoulder.”
Aaron took a slow deep breath, amazed at how different his life was now. This morning when he woke up, his only concern had been how he was going to save enough money to get a new car. One that he could be confident would get him where he needed to go. Now he was with the man he’d fallen in love with eleven years ago, racing towards an unknown future with his own personal nightmare nipping at their heels. The funny thing was, he would rather face an unknown future at this man’s side than return to what he had this morning.
Aaron stepped closer, reveling at the growl of pleasure that rumbled through Marshall’s chest as they stood pressed against each other. He then lifted his arms to place them over Marshall’s shoulders. “Then I guess we need to get to this place of yours and plan what we need to do to kill my father.”
Marshall’s mouth dropped open in shock and Aaron swooped in to take advantage of the move. He licked into Marshall’s mouth and kissed him with a growing passion he’d thought he’d never experience again. Marshall allowed him to control the kiss for a few moments before he took over, wrapping his arms around Aaron’s waist and pulling him even tighter against him. He sat up taller so that he had the advantage of height on his side as well, and Aaron subsided against him, giving Marshall complete control. Something that pleased him very much from the groan of approval he made.
Marshall pulled back, placing his forehead to Aaron’s while the two of them struggled to get their breathing under control once more. “Christ, Aaron, I forgot how much I love kissing you.” Aaron smiled, feeling exactly the same way.
Marshall took one long deep breath and grinned. “That sounds like one hell of a plan. The only thing you forgot to add was the whole sexual appreciation experiment we’re going to conduct.”
Aaron quirked a brow. “Really? Didn’t the fact that I almost went up in flames with just one kiss prove that hypothesis of yours, professor?”
Marshall’s grin widened. “Yeah, but think how fun it’s going to be to thoroughly test it.”
Chapter Five
Marshall lay on his bed, leaning up on one elbow as he stared down at the man he shared it with. He and Aaron had fallen into bed in the early hours of that morning, and they had both been content just to lie in each other’s arms and sleep rather than indulge in anything else. This morning was a different story, however, and his body screamed with need.
Aaron moaned, and Marshall knew he was close to waking. He was content just to watch as Aaron slowly opened his eyes. There was a moment’s confusion in his expression as he stared up at the large exposed wooden beams in the ceiling above the huge bed. Then he must have remembered exactly where he was and smiled. He grimaced when he moved a little more, though.
“Your leg bothering you?”
Aaron turned his head on the pillow to look over at Marshall. “Well, yeah, getting shot hurts! It might not have been an actual bullet wound, but the gash the damn thing left behind certainly hurt.” He wasn’t going to be living that down any time soon.
“You think of anything I can do to make that up to you?” Marshal couldn’t help but grin at the clear innuendo he heard in his own voice.
Aaron reached up to wrap a hand round Marshall’s nape and pull him closer. “We’re two intelligent men, I think we can come up with something.”
Marshall was still grinning as his lips met Aaron’s, but once the addictive flavor of the man burst across his tongue, all thoughts except those that revolved around pleasuring this man disappeared. He took control of the kiss, devouring Aaron’s mouth and his groan of approval with the first sweep of his tongue. He lost himself in the kiss, licking into Aaron’s mouth over and over, loving that Aaron chased his tongue with his own. He angled his head to take the kiss even deeper, and slid his right hand from where he’d placed it against Aaron’s throat down over his chest. He paused to flick a finger against Aaron’s nipple before continuing down the ridged muscles of his abs. As young adults they hadn’t quite grown into their bodies, but Aaron had most definitely filled in now.
Determined not to be distracted, he continued until he was able to slip beneath the waist band of Aaron’s boxers and grip his cock. They both groaned at this first touch. With a growl of need, he pulled away, reveling in how dark Aaron’s eyes had glazed slightly.
“Can you forgive me, baby?” Marshall surprised himself by asking.
“Wh-what?” he watched as Aaron blinked a few times, no doubt trying to clear the haze of desire from his mind.
“I need to know that you can forgive me and that you want this as badly as I do,” Marshall said urgently, his gaze locked to Aaron’s. “You haven’t had much of an option since I came crashing back into your life yesterday. If this is too much for you too soon, then I’ll stop.”
He’d have to head straight to a cold shower and takes things into his own hands so to speak, but for Aaron he would find the strength to do so. He’d talked a good game in the boat on the way out here. Talking about this as an experiment and only wanting to test a hypothesis, but this was a lot more than that. Marshall was under no illusion that his future lay beside him, and he had no desire to do anything that would derail that.
Aaron stared up at him for a moment then grinned. “I think you hold the evidence of just how much I want this in your hand, Marshall.” Aaron inhaled sharply when Marshall slid his hand from root to tip in a strong stroke. “It seems to me that you need the words as well, so listen well. You did what you had to do to save someone you love. Even though I don’t know if you really need to be forgiven, I forgive you. As for the other? I want you, Marshall, I want to feel the emotion and the pleasure that I haven’t had since the last time we were together.”
Marshall exhaled slowly, calling on all the willpower he possessed. “Then that is exactly what I am going to do.”
With more speed than style, Marshall wrangled both himself and Aaron out of their boxers, and moved them both so that they were in the middle of the bed. He used a range of pillows to prop Aaron’s shoulders up off the mattress.
“I want your eyes on me for this, baby,” Marshall had never heard his voice sound so breathless. “I’ve imagined and dreamed about the feel of your cock in my mouth and I can’t wait another minute longer.”
Marshall grabbed a tube of lubricant and a couple of condoms from the bedside table and then moved to sit between Aaron’s legs, grabbing another couple of pillows and shoved them under Aaron’s hips. For what he had planned, he needed full access to his lover. Lifting his gaze to Aaron’s, Marshall took his cock in both hands and began a rhythmic stroke, applying pressure with each slide of his hand from root to tip. When his right hand slid off the tip, the left would start at the base, and he continued the cycle as he watched the affect his actions had on Aaron.
“You have no idea how hot you look all laid out like you are,” Marshall said. “I don’t think there is a more arousing or beautiful sight in the world than what you make right now.” Aaron’s mouth dropped open as he began to pant, and Marshall added a slight twist with his hands. “The thing about making your lover feel good, is that you want to build and stoke that fire in a slow and methodical way.”
Aaron swallowed visibly, his gaze never wavering from Marshall’s. “I’m not sure I can survive slow build right now, Marshall.”
He grinned at the desperate tone in the other man’s voice, but continued his slow approach. He took his right hand out of the mix and began to slide his left up and down Aaron’s cock, still adding that little twist whenever he reached the top.
Reaching for the lube, he flicked the lid open and squeezed the tube until he felt some of the cold gel fill his palm. “But without the slow build, the end comes rushing at you, and you don’t get the opportunity to really appreciate it.”
“Marshall,” Aaron was sounding a little impatient now, “I can assure you I’m appreciating it. All of it!” He lifted his hips in an attempt to drive his cock through Marshall’s grip, but he simply moved with the man’s movements. “Fuck! Don’t play with me, Marshall, I want this too much.”
“Me too, lover,” he said as he moved his right hand to Aaron’s ass.
Aaron froze, his mouth opening to form a silent ‘o’ as Marshall began to move his fingers over his ass, making sure to coat him thoroughly with the lubricant.
As he continued to slide his left hand up and down Aaron’s cock that seemed impossibly hard now, Marshall slid his fingers into Aaron’s ass, massaging the lube into the ring of muscle at the entrance.
“Look at you,” Marshall breathed. “That has to be the hottest thing in the world. I can feel your ass squeezing around me.” He pushed another finger in, and turned his hand until he felt the swollen gland of Aaron’s prostate. He stroked it and smiled when Aaron all but jackknifed off the bed.
“Fuck!” Aaron cried out as Marshall began to tap a syncopated rhythm against the swollen gland. He took his cue from the way Aaron moved and the sounds he made. When he thought his lover was on the cusp of release, he removed his hand.
“No! Please!” Aaron pleaded his gaze locking with Marshall’s.
“Shh, it’s okay,” he whispered as he shuffled closer, getting into position. “I want to come with you. I want to be inside you. I want to fuck you.”
Marshall waited until Aaron nodded furiously then rushed to get to his knees, opening the packaging and pulling the condom over his painful erection. “Soon, when I can prove to you that I’m clean, I’m going to take you with nothing between us.”
Once the condom was in place, he squeezed more lube into his palm and applied it to his dick, hissing at the feel of the cool liquid against the heat of his skin despite the latex layer between them.
Breathing heavily, he placed his cock against Aaron’s entrance and slowly began to push forward. He employed short movements of his hips, gently urging his way into Aaron’s ass, giving him a few moments to get used to the intrusion and then pushing a little further. Marshall groaned and cursed as he worked his way inside. They both shuddered with pleasure when he bottomed out.
“You have all of me now, love,” Marshall whispered as he leaned forward, putting his hands on the mattress on either side of Aaron’s hips. With the pillows under Aaron like they were, Marshall was able to stay up on his knees. He pulled back, reveling in Aaron’s moan of loss, then pushed home.
“God, Marshall,” Aaron whimpered. “It’s only ever felt like this with you. This feels so fucking good, so right.”
Marshall growled as he began to move in steady strokes. “It feels right because it is right. This is what making love with a man meant to be yours for life feels like. Those other two men weren’t right for you, so the sex didn’t feel right. This feels big, because it fucking is big. You wanted to know what it would feel like to feel pleasure. Well, hold on baby, because I’m about to show you.”
Then Marshall began to move, flicking his hips forward with quick, hard thrusts, taking his lover exactly how he had dreamed all these years. With each movement Aaron cried out, and from the way he gripped the bed sheets and writhed on the mattress, the pleasure he brought was reaching fever pitch within him.
Marshall felt a familiar tingling at the base of his spine that told him his own release was rapidly bearing down on him. Not wanting to come without seeing Aaron shatter with his own orgasm, he gritted his teeth against the pleasure, increased his tempo and reached with one hand to grip Aaron’s cock.
“Fuck! Marshall!” the sound of his name on Aaron’s lips as he thrashed against the mattress mindlessly in pleasure almost had him coming too damn soon.
He slid his hand to the tip of Aaron’s dick, and squeezed. That was all it took. Aaron’s eyes snapped open, and he shouted his release to the room. Marshall had a moment to enjoy the sight of his lover coming hard for him, and seeing the pearly white ribbons of his release splash against the tanned skin of his own abdomen before his own orgasm crashed over him.
Roaring Aaron’s name to the room at large, Marshall gave himself over to his own release, shuddering and shaking as the pleasure that held him in its grip refused to let go until he had given his lover everything he had to give.
Including his heart.
Chapter Six
Aaron couldn’t keep the grin from his face as he watched Marshall in the kitchen. Not because the man didn’t know his way around it at all—it was the exact opposite, in fact. It had more to do with the fact that Marshall was completely oblivious to being observed and was currently shaking his booty to a Luke Bryan song while he cooked. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of jeans, and he was barefoot. What was it about a man who stood barefoot in jeans? It was a look he found particularly hot. And on Marshall it was even more so. When Marshall performed the perfect bump and grind turn, he caught sight of Aaron in the corner and stopped.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Aaron said as he ambled into the kitchen. “You’ve got some serious moves there, my man.”
Aaron had been moving in Marshall’s direction, so he caught the flicker of emotion that crossed his handsome face, but he struggled to put a name to it. “What?”
Marshall turned back to the oven. “I liked the way that sounded is all.”
Aaron stepped up behind him and pressed himself against his back, wrapping his arms around his chest. “I liked saying it.” He pressed a kiss to his shoulder blade.
Marshall reached out and turned off the burners, then turned in Aaron’s arms. The two of them shared a few lengthy open-mouthed kisses that had Aaron’s body thrumming with arousal.
“As delicious as you taste,” Marshall murmured against his lips making him smile, “I need real food.”
Aaron pulled back, leaving one last smacking kiss on Marshall’s lips. “Me, too. I want food and to explore this place a little more, then I guess we need to get to the planning portion of our day.”
The two of them sat down to omelets and freshly squeezed orange juice. The house was smaller than Aaron had expected, but it was beautifully appointed. Every room seemed to open up onto a deck that ran around the entire house. When you sat at the table like this, you could look out over the lake and see for miles. It had been difficult to tell what the house looked like in the dead of night, but now that the sun was up, Aaron could tell they were quite isolated at this end of the lake.
“How did you even find this place?” he asked as he reached for the coffee pot on the coaster in the center of the table.
Marshall said with a shrug, “I bought this parcel of land with the first few paychecks I got when I struck out on my own. Franklin never knew about it, and I have to admit, knowing that this place was mine, it became my haven. Even when I wasn’t physically here, I would imagine this place and feel calmer, more centered. I guess it helped me to reconcile what I did.”
Marshall looked away from Aaron when he talked about reconciling his actions and Aaron sighed, putting his coffee cup down. “These jobs you took when you struck out on your own as you call it, were they ones you chose specifically, or did you take anything that came along?”
Marshall frowned, still unable to meet his gaze. “What do you mean?”
“I mean did you take the jobs where the wealthy husband just wanted his wife of fifteen years taken care of because he could continue to fuck his secretary without having to part with half his fortune?” Aaron asked bluntly, and Marshall’s gaze lifted.
“Fuck no! When I had a choice, I made sure that what I was doing helped someone. I never took out a family, I never even took contracts against women … at least not the ones I
had the choice in taking.” Marshall’s expression turned bleak. “But there were women and families that were hurt by my actions for the sake of Franklin’s never-ending search for power and information he could use against others. It wasn’t all justified, Aaron.”
Aaron’s heart bled for Marshall, knowing how much that would have hurt. “But again, I argue, all that shit should be laid at the feet of the man who most deserves it, and that’s Franklin T. George. Not you.”
Marshall held his gaze, searching his face for something, and Aaron could do nothing but hold his gaze. “Damn,” Marshall whispered. “You really don’t hold me responsible at all, do you?”
Aaron shook his head. “No, I don’t. Because I know that you were doing it for me. If anything, I feel guilty that it was my flesh and blood that made you act that way, and that I was the threat the bastard used to control you.”
Marshall took a deep breath, staring out over the lake and Aaron waited patiently, knowing he just needed some time to gather his thoughts. “I didn’t exactly do everything that bastard wanted me to. There were people I let go, or helped to escape. The ones that were really innocent, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“See?” Aaron said with a grin. “You might not see yourself as a hero in this at all, but I bet if we were to ask the people you helped what they thought, you might be surprised.”
Marshall just smiled and the two of them let a comfortable silence fall over them. Aaron was starting to think about what the two of them might get up to for the rest of the day, and if he had his way, they would spend a large portion of the day back in bed. He was just about to suggest something along those lines when an electronic beeping noise sounded.
Marshall sighed and moved to the desk in the corner, pulling out a laptop and carrying it back to the table. “Someone just sent me a message on the Darknet.”
