by Lynn Stark
Neville fell asleep to dream about the way Deacon made love to him and his mother’s peanut butter cookies.
Chapter Eleven
In no rush to open his eyes, Deacon lay there and took in the sounds and smells around him. He knew at once he wasn’t in his bed at home. As his mind cleared, memories began to filter back in. The jerk of alarm went through his body, and his eyes flew open, as he felt the intense need to get to Neville.
“Easy there, big fella,” a soft voice crooned close to his ear. Neville. Deacon frowned as he turned his head to see the focus of his fear standing there beside him. A smile spread slowly across Neville’s face. The multicolored bruises were something he’d never wanted to see. He was also missing a tooth. Rage began to rise up. The beeping on a machine began to increase. “Now, calm down, honey bunchy. I’m fine.” Neville’s small hand stroked his bicep, below the edge of the gown’s sleeve, in an attempt to soothe him. “There’s nothing a dentist and time can’t take care of now. The important thing is, how do you feel?”
“Hurt,” he said, the word croaked out. “Thirsty.”
“I have some ice chips here for you. We’ll work our way up to water. Can I raise you a little?” Deacon nodded. Seconds later he was sitting, and Neville was scooping ice chips into a spoon. The ice melted on his tongue and ran down his throat. “Your mom and dad just left. They’ll be back in about an hour. And so it’s not a surprise, all of your brothers and sisters are in Silver, even the ones that were out of the country. Your brother arrived from Hong Kong the day after you were shot, and the sister came in from Copenhagen two days ago.”
“How long?”
“Have you been out of it?” Deacon nodded.
“Five days. But it was probably for the best. You had a bullet zigzag through your torso. It took a while for the doctors to patch everything up. The bullet that hit your upper arm took a big chunk out. You’ll have a cool scar to show off to our kids and grandkids.”
Deacon choked on the ice in his mouth. He coughed and spluttered, wishing he hadn’t done so. His innards felt like they’d gone through a grinder. He supposed they had, in a way. “Kids? Grandkids?” he asked weakly. It was taking a while for his brain to get up to speed.
“Oh, didn’t I mention we’re getting married? And marriage means trying for kids. There’s no guarantee that we can get them, although I think we should look into a surrogate, because a couple of boys with your gorgeous gray eyes would be just perfect, or a girl with my spectacular looks.”
With his mind spinning, Deacon tried to absorb everything Neville was telling him. Marriage? Kids. Hell, yeah. A grin spread across his face. “Will you marry me, baby?” he asked, whispering. It was about all he could manage.
Neville pouted. “That was my line.” Deacon watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it, showing him a pair of matching rings. “I have the rings, and all you have to do is sign the license. Then we can make it official. I thought it would be nice, if we could do it while your entire family is here.”
There was no possible way he would ever crush the hope and love he saw in Neville’s face. “Of course I’ll marry you, baby. Just make the arrangements and tell me when and where.”
“Oh, that’s easy. We’re being married this evening in the chapel. The chaplain is on standby. All I have to do is call to tell him that you’re awake.” He wasn’t surprised when Neville crawled up onto the bed with him to cuddle close. “Seriously though, I thought I was going to lose you. I’ve never been so scared in my life. But now you’re getting better, and we can go back to our ordinary, boring lives.”
Neville’s nervous chattering was a little overwhelming, but Deacon didn’t care. It was a lot better than dying, ending their chances of enjoying the future together. “That sounds like a plan I can live with. You, me, and two or three kids.” Soft lips pressed gentle kisses to the side of his face. His eyes closed as pleasure, happiness, and relief washed over him. He had been so close to losing this. Turning his head, he opened his eyes to look at Neville. “How are you doing, baby? What happened? Who took you?”
“Doug.”
Deacon frowned. “Your unpleasant neighbor from the apartment building?”
“Yep, that would be him. It seems that he’s the half-brother of the Bellum brothers, the two drug dealers the sheriff’s department has been looking for. Doug sent them here. He’s the mastermind behind the glut of drugs in the area.”
Deacon’s incredulity shot through the roof as he listened to what Doug had told Neville, while he held him captive and abused him. The brothers had been in the area several years. They had been busted for different things, but for nothing that could put them away for years. He couldn’t believe that this Doug had been behind their activities. The man was clever. He’d give him that. If he hadn’t opened his mouth, it was doubtful his true purpose for being in Silver would have been known anytime soon.
“Have they caught him?”
“Yes. Two days ago. They found him in Seattle. I heard him tell his brothers to meet him there, after they killed you. Good old Doug isn’t going to be a happy camper, because he told me everything before he had me dumped in town. I’ll be testifying against them at their trials.”
It took effort, but Deacon managed to lift his uninjured arm. Understanding what he wanted, Neville leaned over him. Deacon touched his face, his fingertips caressing the bruised flesh. “I’m sorry you were hurt, baby.”
“I’m sorry you were hurt, too. We’ll get past this and find something positive to focus on.”
“Like a wedding and finding someone willing to carry our child?”
Neville chuckled. “Those things sound very positive.” Neville yawned and tucked his head in close to Deacon’s on the pillow. “I think we should take a nap now. I haven’t slept much.”
“But you are okay?” He wanted to hear it again. Deacon needed to be reassured. “You haven’t kept anything from me, have you?”
As he waited, he yawned.
“Yes, I’m fine. Nothing time won’t fix. The nurse will be in here in a half hour. I suggest we put the time to good use.”
“I don’t think you want them to catch us with my dick up your ass.” Neville giggled as he snuggled as close as he could without touching Deacon’s bandaged body. Man, did he hurt like hell all over. That was something he would keep to himself, however, until the nurse came in. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too.”
* * * *
After spending another five days in the hospital, Deacon was now home with his new husband. Although Neville had been teasing about getting married in the hospital’s chapel, Deacon had thought it was a pretty good idea. So together, and with the help of their families, they had made calls and hurried arrangements to be married before another day passed. It was a commitment they were willing to make to each other. They had both known from the beginning that there was something special about the other person. Deacon would always remember seeing Neville’s incredible green eyes peeking out from the folds of the blanket he was wrapped in, as he pointed toward Doug’s door with a shaky finger. Yeah, he had lost his heart then and there. Neville had told Deacon it was the way his ass filled out his jeans that had caught his attention. It was nice to know.
Because they had been in the hospital during Christmas, they had decided to go ahead and have a do-over. The old tree was donated for mulching, and a new tree was brought in and decorated. Deacon was stretched out on the couch while Neville wobbled around the tree, decorating it with the help of their parents. Deacon’s five brothers and sisters had jammed themselves in the small kitchen area, teaming up to make supper for everyone. After they had eaten, they exchanged gifts. Fortunately, Deacon had gotten a few gifts for Neville and the others before the shit had hit the fan. Neville had improvised, although his gifts proved to have involved the most heart.
The man’s artistic ability was amazing. Neville had painted three portraits from selfies they
had taken soon after they first met. He had done so after making Deacon swear that he wouldn’t peek at them. They were beautiful, incredible, and showed the intense love and happiness they had for each other. The first was one of them being typically goofy in front of a camera. The second, on the largest canvas, was of their profiles as they stared at each other, their noses close. The third was of them snuggled, Neville’s head on Deacon’s shoulder, as they looked into the camera. The trio of paintings was now hung above the fireplace and Deacon couldn’t get enough of looking at them.
Now, as Deacon rested in the comfortable armchair by one of the four front windows, he heard an uneven clomp. He looked up from the book he had been reading to see Neville walking toward him, a cowboy boot on the foot that didn’t have the cast, and gripping his cane as he headed in Deacon’s direction. His gaze went over his husband, noting the new jeans minus half of one leg, the tie-dyed long-sleeve shirt, and the Western hat on his head. Deacon had given Neville the hat and boots for Christmas, after Neville had told him that he needed them to fit in with all the other cowboys in town.
“Hi, baby, what’s up? Are you heading out somewhere?”
“Well, I was thinking we might go over to the Silver Spur to get a steak or chicken and listen to some music.”
Deacon put the book aside. “Hey, that’s a good idea. Your leg’s not hurting too much, is it?”
The man had been a trooper. Deacon knew Neville was sometimes in pain, but refused to take more than an over-the-counter painkiller for it. He knew many others might have succumbed to their need for something stronger to eliminate the pain, but Neville was taking every precaution to reduce the risk of returning to a drug habit.
Neville shook his head and grinned. “No, I’m good. As long as nothing on you, or in you, is hurting. If you don’t feel up to it, we can have something delivered.”
“No, it’s all good. I think I can manage a couple of pieces of chicken and fries. I think we both have earned getting out and having some fun.”
Neville’s face scrunched up. “Ya think?”
Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to the pouty mouth. “I do. Now, let’s go have some fun, and when we get back, we’ll have another kind of fun.”
His adorable husband did a fist pump. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
Shaking his head, Deacon leaned down to kiss Neville’s soft lips again before directing him toward the door. It had been so long since they had made love that Deacon was feeling very needy. Having physical contact with Neville took care of some of it. Touching Neville helped reassure him that they had both survived the attempts on their lives. However, holding hands, kissing, and some heavy petting was about all they had done. He planned on changing that status later that evening. One way or another, they were having sex.
There was a surprise when they arrived at the Silver Spur. Deacon had called ahead to have a table held for them. Standing to wait for a table wouldn’t be comfortable for either of them. Neville’s leg caused him some discomfort, and Deacon was still just plain tired. But as they walked into the saloon, cheers went up and he could feel his cheeks burning. Neville, however, sucked up the attention like a sponge, waving and throwing kisses as they made their way to a table near close to the stage.
“You little goofball,” Deacon teased as they sat down.
“What can I say? My peeps love me.”
“As long as I’m your main peep, I’m good with that. Now, let’s have some food.”
* * * *
By the time they left the Silver Spur, they were both drooping. With all the excitement of friends and family fussing over them, the music, and the food, Deacon was having second thoughts about engaging in a hot bout of wild sex with his new husband.
That thought completely left his mind when they were securely locked behind the apartment door and Neville propped himself up against the kitchen island and began to strip off his clothes. Deacon’s gaze moved appreciatively over every inch of smooth skin Neville revealed. The sight of lingering bruises made his mouth tighten. What he wouldn’t give for five minutes alone with Doug. His gut had told him the man was trouble. He just hadn’t guessed how much. It was an example that the vetting process of the applicants for the program wasn’t perfect. Doug had used it to do the opposite of what the program attempted to do with the people needing the help.
Deacon blinked and mentally shoved Doug away as he realized Neville was shaking his dick to get his attention. “Are you just going to stand there? You have too many clothes on,” Neville complained. Then he frowned and limped toward Deacon, his cast thumping loudly on the hardwood floor. “Stupid me. Your arm probably hurts. Here, let me help you. Sit down over there.”
“While I appreciate your eagerness, baby, why don’t we go to the bedroom? That way I can just fall over in bed.”
They headed in that direction, Neville turning off the lights as they went. “You know, if you’re too tired, I could probably top tonight.”
The amount of giggling behind him told Deacon that Neville wasn’t serious. They had discussed it. Deacon had told him that he would be willing, if Neville wanted to give it a try. Neville had told him that he was a firm bottom.
Turning to look at him, Deacon once again faced the fact that he had almost lost this beautiful, delightful man. As if he was thinking along the same lines, pain flashed across Neville’s face, and he hurried forward and into Deacon’s arms. He held him tight against his chest, ignoring the physical pain in his arm, and pressed his cheek against the top of Neville’s head, crushing the newly-dyed, bright neon green spikes of hair.
“Come on, baby. Help me get undressed. I want to bury my dick in your tight little ass.”
“Ah, how can I ignore such romantic words?” Neville teased as he was released.
He then began helping Deacon with his clothes. They were tossed away carelessly. Neville’s fingertips touched the puckered pink scars where the surgeons had opened him up. The sound of sniffles told Deacon he had to distract his man.
“Get on the bed, baby. I want to stretch you.”
Green eyes sparkled with mischief as Neville stretched up to wrap his slender arms around Deacon’s neck. “You always have the best ideas. But do you think we can manage to make love without injuring ourselves?”
Deacon nodded. “We’ll proceed with caution. Now get on the bed before I’m forced to spank your cute little ass.”
“Oh, your threats are positively terrifying!” he teased as he turned around and climbed onto the bed, the leg in the cast trailing after him. “Face up or down?”
“Up. I want to watch your face while I make love to you.” He helped Neville roll onto his back. Then he pushed the man’s slender leg up so it bent, then pushed it to the side. The sight of Neville spread out, his hairless balls and dick on display, was enough to take Deacon’s breath away and to send his blood rushing through his veins like wildfire.
Neville sighed. “You say the sexiest things. How did I ever get so lucky?”
“We both got lucky, baby. While I don’t want to talk about him at this moment, I believe we should think about sending our friend Doug a card, thanking him for bringing us together.” Neville covered his mouth with both hands to stifle his laughter. Bright green eyes were filled with mirth. Deacon winked as he braced himself with an arm on either side of Neville’s slender body. “What should I kiss first?”
Reaching between his legs, Neville cupped his balls and lifted them gently. “You can start here.”
Deacon found a comfortable position on the bed between Neville’s legs. Inhaling, he puckered up and let out a soft stream of breath over Neville’s balls. They tightened perceptively, the skin wrinkling. A smile curved his mouth before he lowered his head to suck a skin-covered orb into his mouth. He sucked and licked as Neville began moaning. His hips began to gyrate slightly. Deacon pushed his fingers between the mounds of his ass, teasing the tight pucker, pushing in slightly as Neville moved his ass downward. The teasing went on
as he released the balls with a slurp. Then he was kissing his way along the length of Neville’s dick. It was so hard the skin over the shaft was smooth and shiny. The head was purple, with pre-cum dripping from the slit, tempting Deacon.
The flat of his tongue swept over it. The salty, tangy flavors were unique to the man he loved. With his nose so close to the warm body, he breathed in the scent, knowing he would always remember the soft male musk. Neville’s fingers pushed through his hair, holding him close as he licked and sucked on the head, continuing to tease until the man was humping desperately in an attempt to get Deacon to take his swollen flesh into his mouth.
After giving it one last lick, he reached for the bottle of lube on the table. He flipped the cap open and poured some on the fingers of his other hand, all the while balancing on the elbow of his uninjured arm.
Closing the bottle, he dropped it on the bed before he went in search of Neville’s tight asshole. When he found it, Deacon pushed a slick finger through the ring of guarding muscles, playing until he felt Neville relax. As he did so he lowered his head and licked the sensitive groove between thigh and groin. It was something Neville particularly enjoyed having done to him.
Once Deacon began his exploration with his mouth, he discovered he didn’t want to stop. While adding another finger inside Neville’s dark channel, scissoring them to stretch the tight muscles, he moved up the slender body, kissing, licking, and nibbling as he went. He wasn’t surprised when the fingers in his hair began yanking, causing his scalp to sting. The discomfort was worth it. Giving his man this pleasure was one of the things he lived for.
Deacon was waiting for Neville’s response. He was in the process of sucking one of Neville’s pebbled nipples into his mouth when the body beneath his stiffened and bowed. The rock-hard shaft between them pulsed as Neville came, hot cum coating their torsos.
Levering himself up onto his knees, he reached for the lube again. After being tested while in the hospital, they had decided they would forgo wearing condoms. Deacon coated his cock and tossed the lube away. He winked at Neville before helping him roll onto his side. The man bent his slender leg, making access easier. Then he was moving in close behind and guiding the head of his cock to the twitching hole. A moan of pleasure escaped him as he sank into his husband’s body.
