by David Horne
“Have you ever shot someone?” They were huddled together in the back of the car while Lucas crept along the highway behind the slow-motive traffic. Night fell over the city, and they still had miles to go before getting back to Fredericksburg.
“I’ve drawn my weapon once in the line of duty. But fortunately, I haven’t had to use it.”
“But you’re ready if the time came.”
“More than you’d know.”
Connor leaned back against the seat and sighed. Alex felt the man’s hand touch his thigh. The stirring in his chest wasn’t from the pressure of the military-issue vest. It was from the sensation of love he had for Connor.
Chapter Seventeen
That night after they returned to the house, Connor pulled off Alex’s jacket. They skipped the light meal Alma had prepared for them and made their way upstairs. Jeanette saw them come home and said nothing. She cleared the dishes and put the uneaten food in containers.
Once in the master bedroom, Connor closed the door and pressed Alex against it. He kissed him hard and pulled up his shirt. Alex lifted his arms so that Connor could peel off his shirt. Once off, Connor pressed his hands over the black vest Alex wore. Fingers found the hook and loop catches at the ribs and pulled to release the straps. He removed the vest and dropped it to the floor.
Alex unbuttoned Connor’s shirt, but it wasn’t fast enough. Connor pulled at the shirt tails and lifted the shirt over his shoulders.
“Careful,” Alex whispered when Connor winced with the stretch. He pulled off the vest under the shirt and dropped it on the growing pile. Down to pants for the both of them, Connor tugged at Alex’s button at his waist. He slipped off the shoes as they kissed. Connor started backward, pulled at the pants as he went, drawing Alex with him.
Alex’s finger grazed the front of Connor’s jeans to feel the thick cock that lay vertical along the crotch. Hard and constricted, Alex wanted to feel Connor’s cock in his bare hands instead of through denim pants.
They shed each other’s remaining clothes. Free of material between them, Connor pulled on Alex’s broad shoulders as he lay down across the bed. Alex’s cock poked against Connor’s groin, and he felt the man tense against him. Locked mouth to mouth, Connor moaned. Alex’s fingers traced along his chest and down his front until he gently wrapped his fist around Connor’s erect penis. His mouth broke free from Connor’s lips and traced the path of his fingers. Alex bent lower, feelings Connor’s hands on his bare shoulders as he breathed in Connor’s sweet scent.
Alex felt the tip of Connor’s cock against his lips. He teased the end with his tongue, probing the soft head, tasting him, prolonging the sensation until Connor’s hips moved and Alex opened his lips to take the man’s cock into his mouth. The supple flesh over the pulsing thickness made Alex sigh. He loved feeling the man in his mouth. He slowly pumped Connor’s cock while sucking at the head. A dollop of precum coaxed from him tasted like heavenly nectar.
Connor moaned again. He pulled some, turning, so Alex had to release the cock from his mouth. Connor leaned over to reach into the bedside stand. From the drawer, he pulled a bottle of personal lubricant. Alex sat back and waited, looking down on Connor as he opened the cap and squeezed a liberal amount of lubricant under his smooth balls. Alex’s fingers worked the warm, slick area until he slipped a finger into Connor.
The man shuddered and sighed. He pulled on Alex. Strong hands gripped his ass while Connor’s hips ground against him. Alex kissed him.
“I want you inside me,” Connor said. His hot breath washed Alex’s face. Connor lifted his hips as Alex gripped his stiff cock. Watching Connor’s hazel eyes, Alex gently guided his cock into Connor. Hot electricity pulsated between them. Alex used the lubricant on his hand to caress Connor’s cock while he was slowing, rhythmically pumped his cock inside him.
Connor’s cock flexed in Alex’s grip. He looked down and milked copious amounts of precum from him. Connor’s hips matched Alex’s rhythm. Thighs to thighs, the slap of bare flesh coated with lubricant were a delightful sound that filled the bedroom. Connor’s encouraging panting filled Alex’s ears.
Looked down on the good-looking man, never thinking he’d find love again, Alex felt for the first time in years the overwhelming warmth that washed over his heart.
It’d been so long since he’d made love with anyone. He wasn’t able to make it last. The first orgasmic wave struck Alex, and he squeezed Connor’s cock in recognition. It was enough to make Connor’s body contract. Alex watched as cum erupted from the head of the perfect cock, spraying over his hand and Connor’s stomach. Simultaneously, Alex ejaculated, filling Connor as they rode out their orgasms together.
***
Showered and spent, Alex and Connor lay together in each other’s arms into the night. While Connor snored lightly, cheek against Alex’s bare chest, Alex didn’t think he was asleep until the noise woke him.
The chirp of the security alarm made them jump with a start. Sleepy confusion made Alex unfocused for a moment before he climbed out of bed. Wearing only boxer-briefs, armed with the pistol, he went to the bedroom door.
“Get in the bathroom. Close the door. Use the toilet lid for a weapon. Don’t open the door until I say so.” Alex didn’t wait to see if Connor followed his directions before he popped open the door and scanned the upstairs hallway quickly.
It was too dark to see clearly, but the space looked open and free of lurking bodies. He went out. Gun braced in a way that made the barrel of the gun follow Alex’s eye line.
He scanned the stairwell and made his way downstairs. The audible security alarms screamed in his ears. Loader than fire alarms, they were meant to frighten away intruders. But Alex checked the corners along his path to the rear door. He felt the draft from the open door before he made his way into the kitchen. Jeanette’s bedroom door was closed, and he hoped it was locked. There was no light shining from under the door. If she had any common sense, she was waiting in the dark for the police to arrive.
Alex went room to room, clearing each one before he went to the back door. There was a black smudge on the white door body. He checked each side of the back porch before he went out. Cold air washed over him. Rain pattered the lawn, and he looked out at the black of the trees beyond the parameter of the backyard.
Outside, he heard the distant cry of the deputy cruisers as they raced to the closed community. He strained to hear running feet. Hoping for a panicked man to clomp in deep puddles or crash through the brambles in the nearby woods, Alex heard neither. Either the intruder ran off immediately following kicking the door in, or he hadn’t intended to do anything more than reminded Connor that someone had plans to do him in.
***
“So, we’ve got good tread marks from the impression left on the door.” Captain McBride wasn’t on duty that night. She wore civilian clothes, and her hair was unkempt under the Sheriff’s county ball cap on her head.
Connor sat in a chair at the dining room table. Dressed in sweatpants and t-shirt, he was barefoot and frightened. Jeanette sat next to him, a terrycloth robe wrapped around him like a cocoon. Alex had time to put on the clothes he’d worn earlier before the deputies swarmed the house in four cruisers. He paced around the dining room feeling helpless. It was uncomfortable because the team of officers around them didn’t see Alex as part of their group. He was isolated and watching the flashlights dancing around in the backyard. When he went to the porch it made Alex think the captain and her deputies saw him as an inconvenience, a liability.
“I’ve got a couple of deputies checking the woods behind the house. We didn’t see any tracks around the property. But the rain helped wash away anything usable.” There was something in her tone that suggested she wasn’t just tired. She had some genuine concerns about Connor’s safety now. “Maybe you need to get out of here for a while.”
“For how long?” Connor asked. “How long is this supposed to last?” He stood up and paced the area. “Am I supposed to stop everything
and move away? I don’t understand what’s going on and what makes you think if I did just up and take a vacation, this guy might be waiting for me when I get back.”
Captain McBride didn’t like people shouting at her. Alex saw the stern expression on her face, but she said nothing to change Connor’s rant. When he finished and scratched his scalp in frustration, she looked at Alex. “Maybe you can hire more bodyguards.”
“Alex is all I need.” Connor looked from the blank faces of the deputies occupying his dining room to the captain. “Are you done here?”
“I guess so.” She ushered the deputies along the corridor. Jeanette escorted them to the front door. “Think it over.” She gave Alex a look that suggested he’d taken on more than he could handle.
Chapter Eighteen
He’d lost an edge. Alex knew since he left the secret service, something changed in his ability to look for apparent dangers. He witnessed the attempt on Connor’s life like any other bystander. The hooded man approached Connor after the restaurant and swiped at him, fortunately, instead of stabbing him directly. Alex lay back and focused on the mental images in his head. The busy street, the group of people huddled on the sidewalk outside, waiting for their rides, and Alex standing close to the car, waiting and watching for Connor as the man finished some business. Then it all changed. And now he was home, supposedly there to protect Connor. Instead, he was another victim and still didn’t have the focus he needed to see the trouble through to the end.
“Can I join you,” Connor asked but had already pulled off the robe; he was naked beneath it. It was after ten in the morning, and while Alex wasn’t able to sleep after the event the night before, Connor managed to slumber again while Alex’s strong arms were around him.
The Jacuzzi water was incredibly hot. It took Connor extra time to climb in, cupping his genitals for protection before he finally settled on the molded plastic seat beside Alex.
“How long have you been up?” he asked.
Alex had watched him disrobe and climb in, admiring Connor’s form and proximity. Connor leaned over and kissed Alex’s lips. He reciprocated but didn’t add any effort. Connor squinted at him.
“You’re not really here are you?”
Alex shifted and settled more, so his shoulders dipped below the surface of the bubbling water. “I’m here. I’m sorry.”
Connor sat back, turning in the Jacuzzi to face him. His feet rubbed Alex’s ankles. “You’re beating yourself up about this business last night.”
“I feel responsible.”
“You think that since you’ve come here as a bodyguard, you’ve not only failed in your responsibilities, but you ended up in bed with the one guy you were hired to protect.”
It was impossible for Alex to suppress a smile. “That pretty much sums it all up.”
“So, you probably waited for me to fall asleep and came down here to work out and by the temperature of the hot tub, and the redness of your skin, you’re punishing yourself for not doing your job.”
The smile on Alex’s lips cracked into a grin. “That, again, is mostly true.”
“What part did I miss?”
“The fact that after the cops left, I went for a run around the neighborhood.”
“Okay,” Connor said. “I guess I get that too.” Alex felt his foot travel over his leg under the churning surface. “But would it matter to you if I said that I still feel safe with you here?”
“It would matter more if I did my job and…,” but he stopped talking because Alex realized if he said more it would sound ungrateful or taken wrong.
“You’re worried that since you and I are together, you’re emotionally compromised and can’t do your job effectively.”
“I don’t feel like I’m contributing at all and just living in your house rent free and—”
“And, and, and, you can go on forever picking out things you think you should be doing and overlook what’s happened.”
Alex was quiet. Connor moved forward. The Jacuzzi was deep in the center. Freshwater bubbled over his shoulders as he knelt on the base of the hot tub. His hands found Alex’s hands resting on the molded plastic, and he held them, looking up into Alex’s eyes.
“Whatever happened, whatever happens, I feel like this,” and he squeezed Alex’s hands in his grip, “is something that you can’t overlook or think isn’t important.”
The intercom buzzer for the athletic room buzzed, and Jeanette’s craggily voice echoed through space. “There is a woman here demanding to see you Connor, and your guest.” Her referencing Alex as a guest made him feel insignificant. It was a one-way intercom system until the wall microphone was keyed open. Connor smiled at Alex. “She’s refusing to leave without speaking to both of you.”
“I like your friend,” Connor said.
Dressed in casual wear, Connor and Alex met Marjorie while she wandered around the stately hallway and foyer. Jeanette allowed her into the house but managed to contain Marjorie from wandering further than the front entrance.
“You two look like you’re ready for the day.” She scanned the face of her smartphone. “There was some business here last night I see.” She flashed the phone toward the two of them. Alex sat on the bottom steps, and Connor leaned against the banister. “Report from the Sheriff’s office said they responded to a home invasion in Fawn Lake last night. Of course, as soon as I read it, I knew it was here.”
“Everything’s okay.”
“Well, I can see that now. But it’d be nice if my best friend let me know he’s fine and that he’s still alive and ready to celebrate another birthday.”
“I’m fine.” Alex stopped there hoping Connor didn’t pick up Marjorie’s quick scolding and added unnecessary information.
“So, you have time tonight to let your friends take you out to dinner.”
Alex stood up. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Connor had a smile that suggested he’d learned something in Marjorie’s veiled comments.
“After all this, I think it’s best you maybe rethink how you do things.” Alex turned to Jeanette who stood in the hallway leading to the kitchen. Arms crossed over her chest, she had a stern look and hadn’t said anything since they met Marjorie. “What do you think, Jeanette?”
She gave him a look before turning around. Alex made a face that reflected the faux pas. They heard the door close to her private room.
“I think keeping things random is helping.” Connor looked at Marjorie. “Can you meet us in DC tonight? I have a scheduled meeting at the office, and we can take Alex somewhere he’d like to go. I know if I pressed him about it, he’d make some lame excuse about staying at home, eating pizza, or something.”
“He would, and for the record, that is a favorite thing of his, but I know a place he enjoys going when he’s not a sourpuss.”
Chapter Nineteen
The DC office wasn’t the usual place Connor went for the business meetings. But since he wanted to push the solar agenda, it was a rental space that allowed his business to look chic and gave potential investors a place to go and something to talk about while they visited the capital.
Connor had catered lunch, and they’d arrived thirty minutes before the meeting. Alex remained outside the conference room. He got to know the other assistants who accompanied high-profile people but didn’t join them inside the boardroom. He wore the protective body armor under the business suit and Connor mentioned how stifling the vest was but agreed to wear it.
The business meeting lasted three hours, and after it was over, the members filed from the conference room. They were jubilant and shaking hands. Alex waited quietly, scanning the crowds. No one was allowed into the building after the meeting started. He was adamant about that rule.
Lucas drove them to DC, and his direct connection through Alex’s phone made sure the car waited for them in a fire zone before Alex escorted Connor out of the building. Scanning the crowds, he didn’t just look the
part of a bodyguard; he intended to make a more prominent presence than Connor.
They left the board meeting, and Alex continued to scan the faces along the sidewalk. No one paid any attention to the sedan as it rolled by. He’d had a conversation with Lucas about what to expect about someone tailing them. After the discussion, Lucas habitually watched for vehicles that changed lanes when he did. He made extra turns to see if any followed him. But nothing happened. One thing Alex suspected, they were dealing with an amateur.
***
Marjorie met Alex and Connor at the designated place in Washington. It was a hole-in-the-wall pub that looked unimpressive and dim on the outside. But upon entering the pub, a place Marjorie and Alex found and fell in love with years ago, to Alex it felt as if he’d come home. Alex had Lucas join them because he wanted to make sure the gentleman was satisfied and safe while they enjoyed the event. While he suspected Marjorie had organized something for his birthday, Alex was surprised to see familiar faces cheering him when they entered the pub. She’d thrown him a surprise party. She’d rented the pub for the night, and after the guest of honor arrived, the doors were locked to the public. Karaoke and friends weren’t something he’d expected, but Alex did his best to enjoy the night, confident that at least they had a couple of hours to relax.
He was sober and alert. Connor and Marjorie enjoyed themselves, drinking expensive shots of alcohol and singing duets on the small stage. Lucas, designated driver, kept Alex informed that he was having a good time even not drinking.
But Alex had a view of Connor that he hadn’t seen before. Here was a man who probably had enough finances to purchase the tavern, maybe even the whole block where the pub resided. Marjorie had invited Alex’s friends. There were a few coworkers from the security firm. He noticed all the people working at the bank the day he’d circumvented the robbery had shown up. He smiled and shook hands, posed for pictures. But Connor was respectful and not reserved in a manner that Alex expected of him. Connor shook hands, and he posed for photos. He embraced Alex’s friends. And yet, the night blurred, everyone tipped out of focus because the only person in the room Alex saw, the only one who mattered, was standing beside him the whole night. His hands would touch Alex’s shoulder or elbow. He was relaxed and enjoyed the recounted stories of Alex’s heroism. Each person at the bank that day had a different version of the same event. People tended to embellish. It was Connor who leaned over and whispered in Alex’s ear.
