Alex licked a path past Quinn’s navel. He swirled around the indentation, registering each hitch of the boy’s breath and every twitch of his body. The low-riding jeans were an impediment. He solved that problem with a flick of the snap and a strong pull of the waistband. He groaned in appreciation when he saw that the boy had gone commando. The slender cock sprang unimpeded. It already glistened with pre-cum.
He blew on the tip and watched the rod jerk in response. “I must have a taste of this irresistible treat. If you want me to stop, now would be the best time to voice your concerns.”
“Please.” Again, the ambiguous reply was punctuated with body language that made Quinn’s meaning clear. He flexed his narrow hips, brushing the cockhead against Alex’s mouth.
He didn’t need anything more. The cock fit perfectly into his mouth and he took it to the root with one long swallow. Quinn’s shout and shudder reassured him. He grinned around the hot, hard rod. Unlike a human, Alex had no gag reflex and he could hold his breath much longer, too. It took no effort to suck and lave Quinn’s dick while it remained lodged inside his throat.
With his eyes still open, he had no trouble seeing the effect he was having on the boy. Quinn scratched at the sofa and his head was thrown back. He trembled and cried, tossing as much as Alex’s hold would allow. He wouldn’t last long, but then why should he? Alex would bet anything that this was the first time the teenage boy was getting blown.
Because he wanted it to be extra good and because he wanted more for himself, he stuck one middle finger inside his mouth alongside the shaft. He kept it there only long enough to coat it with spit. Pulling it out, he then cupped Quinn’s ass and slid the moistened finger along the puckered ring of Quinn’s hole. Other than a moment of automatic resistance, the boy’s hole opened for him beautifully when he pressed the finger inside.
Alex drew his head back, dragging his tongue along the underside of the rod. He slipped the tip into the salty slit of the glans. Quinn stuttered out an oath before bucking his hips. Understanding the boy’s need, Alex took a deep breath and plunged his lips back to the base of Quinn’s dick. At the same time, he pushed his finger in as far as it would go. The bundle of nerves he sought was right where his fingertip stopped. He pressed against it while he swallowed in a strong wave all the way down the shaft.
That was all it took. But for Alex’s hold on him, Quinn would have likely have launched himself off the couch. The boy gave a strangled cry as cum shot into Alex’s mouth. He pulled back a little so that he could taste the exotic flavor of human seed. All the while, he continued his throat massage and matched the rhythm with his finger circling the boy’s prostate.
Toward the very end, Alex’s self-control snapped. His fangs descended a little bit and he scraped the taut skin of the still-hard dick. Sweet blood trickled over his tongue and he closed his eyes as he savored the taste. Quinn’s cock jerked once more in response to the pain and a small amount of additional cum pulsed out.
Alex breathed noisily while he got himself back under control. He pulled his finger from Quinn’s ass and his mouth off the boy’s cock. His heart raced and his lungs burned as if he’d run at top speed. His blood sang through his body, beating his own cock into a painfully erect state. He’d only thought he’d been aroused during this interlude with the human. Now, his dick strained within his pants as if it were trapped in some kind of eternal misery, desperate to come out. He’d never been so hard, not even when fully feeding from a willing partner. It hurt.
But he couldn’t allow himself any indulgence. Not coming would be his penance. He had to focus on covering his tracks by licking the tiny scrapes closed on Quinn’s dick. The last thing he wanted was for his lapse to mar the boy’s first sexual experience. The moment he opened his eyes to view what he’d done, he saw that there was almost no trace of the abrasions, his saliva having done a proper job. Relief morphed into pride when he realized that he needn’t have worried in any event.
Quinn had fallen fast asleep.
Chapter Six
Quinn woke with the kind of disorientation that reminded him of the one time he and a friend had stolen his father’s beer and gotten drunk off their asses. His head felt fuzzy and his gaze was unfocused. The cotton mouth that came from being dehydrated was there, too, making him swallow and lick his lips. His heart skipped a beat when, for a second, he didn’t recognize where he was. He relaxed the moment he realized he was lying on Alex’s couch.
Again.
This time naked.
Because after his boss had given him a blowjob—that he remembered with heated cheeks—he’d fallen asleep. Passed out, really. Oh, wow. He’d had sex for the first time. Not fucking, but something just as intimate, maybe even more so. The memory of it made his cock start to rise. He slapped it with his hand over the soft blanket covering him. Alex must have done that, a kindness to a kid too dopey to know that he shouldn’t stay over unless asked.
God. He was mortified. A quick glance around told him that he was alone. With the heavy drapes closed, he couldn’t tell what time it was. He’d left his phone back in his room and he’d pawned the watch that his grandfather had given him days ago. He needed to leave, that was for sure. If Alex had wanted him to stay, he’d have carried him into the bedroom, surely. The blowjob didn’t mean anything, just a one-night thing. Maybe even done out of pity, although Alex had seemed into their kissing, at least—except that Quinn had fallen asleep before reciprocating, so Alex could hardly be happy with him.
Throwing back the blanket, he forced his sluggish body to move. His first thing was to pull on his jeans, which lay on a hassock, then his T-shirt and flip-flops. He had a vague memory of Alex stripping the shirt off but neither of the other things. He inwardly shrugged. No good would come from dwelling on those kinds of details. The important thing was to get out and back to his room. After that, he could relive the better moments of his experience and figure out how he was going to be cool with his boss the next time they met.
His bladder would not wait, however. He dashed to the nearby half-bath. After that, he debated with himself about whether he should maybe leave a note to his host—and, say what? Thanks for the blowjob, sir. It was awesome! That seemed like a bush-league move. Just leaving also seemed wrong. As he pondered the pros and cons, he realized he was too thirsty to think straight. He eyed the gleaming stainless-steel fridge in the open kitchen and figured Alex wouldn’t mind if he looked for a bottle of cold water.
He padded over to the steps that led to the kitchen. Reaching for the handle to the fridge, he’d barely pulled before a larger hand slammed the door shut again. Quinn yelped in surprise and jumped back.
Alex grinned at him. The man really was ridiculously tall. “Sorry, dear boy. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Quinn stared at him wide-eyed. Where the hell did you come from? He ran a shaky hand through his disheveled hair. “Oh, I didn’t see you.”
Alex’s grin widened. “I’m a bit like a cat in that way—light on my feet and quick. I just didn’t want you to have to go foraging for yourself.” He pressed his shoulder against the fridge and pointed to his right. “I brought breakfast from Emil’s kitchen. His ice box and larder are much better stocked.”
“Oh?” Turning, Quinn saw a tray sitting on the dining counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. It was overflowing with covered dishes, carafes of water, juice and coffee, as well as napkins and utensils. The thing must have weighed a ton. Of course, Alex was strong. Quinn could testify to that himself based on how effortlessly the man had scooped him up.
That additional memory, plus the overabundance of breakfast, made him feel shy. He hunched his shoulders. “That’s very kind of you, and really, there’s no need. I understand I overstayed my welcome. I was actually only hoping for some cold water.” He couldn’t even look Alex in the eye as he said it.
Wrapping an arm around those very shoulders, Alex steered him over to the counter. “Not at all. I was delighted to h
ave you spend the night. I hope the couch was comfortable. I didn’t dare move you to the bedroom for fear of waking you.”
Quinn allowed the man to maneuver him onto one of the high chairs. He was hit with amazing smells that made his stomach growl. He knew he should say something about falling asleep and apologize, but his thoughts scattered in the wake of all the different foods Alex was revealing as he lifted each metal plate cover.
“I didn’t know what you might like, so I brought a little of everything. Technically, as it’s going on eleven, this is brunch, so indulging is warranted.”
“Thank you so much. I eat just about anything, but I can’t eat all this.” He looked at Alex, feeling even shyer. “Are you joining me?” He held his breath. The answer would tell him whether he was a nuisance that a well-bred man was trying to usher out of his home or a welcome guest.
Alex’s ready smile, laden with a certain predatory gleam, reassured him even before the man spoke. “I would like nothing better. However, as I grazed a bit while I was waiting for Emil to finish, the edge is off my hunger. You must take what you want and I’ll pick at the rest.”
“Okay, thanks.”
The need to eat overrode anything else, so he helped himself to eggs, bacon and a pancake to start with. There was butter and real maple syrup, as well as the other usual condiments. Alex had left nothing out. Soon Quinn’s plate was heaped with so much that he couldn’t wait another second to tuck in to it.
Alex handed him a glass of ice water. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” Quinn mumbled around his full mouth. He could feel Alex’s gaze on him.
The man reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Quinn’s ear. That briefest touch sent a shiver down his spine. “Would you like some coffee?”
Swallowing, he answered more politely this time. “Yes, please, but I can get it.”
“Nonsense.” Alex batted his hand away and filled the two mugs he’d brought on the tray. “How do you take it?”
“Just a little cream, please.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Alex doctor the coffee. The man was so graceful in everything he did and his fingers were elegant—unusually long and slender. The casual domesticity of sitting for a meal and being catered to kind of freaked him out. He didn’t know what to say or where to look, so he concentrated on his food and stuffing it into his mouth.
“Here you are. You must tell me if this meets your specifications so I can adjust it next time.”
Next time? The first gulp of coffee scalded Quinn’s mouth. He couldn’t hold back the wince.
Alex peered at him from over the rim of his own mug, which apparently he drank black. “Careful. You don’t want to damage that lovely tongue of yours.”
The implication of that statement wasn’t lost on Quinn. Washing away his bite of food with a more careful sip of his coffee, he turned toward his boss. He needed to learn to be braver, bolder, and that lesson started now.
“Does the state of my tongue really matter to you?” He licked his lips, and the way Alex’s gaze tracked the movement, he knew the man was still interested in him. “I guess what I mean is, was last night a one-time thing?”
Putting his mug down, Alex lounged against the counter and stared at Quinn. The man really was graceful, especially given his size. Cat-like, as he’d said himself. “You’re the only one who can answer that question, actually. And,” he added with narrowed eyes, “you must give me an honest answer. I promise you that your job is not depending on my liking it.”
Quinn furrowed his forehead and bit off a piece of bacon as he pondered that statement. “I don’t think I expected that it was.” He shrugged. “I’ve only been worried that I might have pissed you off.”
Now it was Alex’s turn to look perplexed. “In what way could you have possibly done that?”
“Well, besides staying overnight without an invitation, which I get you just said was fine,” he hurried to add, “I, um…” Once again, he felt embarrassed. “I didn’t exactly reciprocate after you gave me my first blowjob.” Unable to hold Alex’s gaze, he started in on his pancakes, stuffing a big, syrupy piece into his mouth.
Beside him, Alex took in a deep, noisy breath and let it out hard enough for the air to hit Quinn’s cheek. It felt surprisingly cool, although it made no impact on his blushing. “Did you want to?” The question was asked in a soft, rumbly voice laced with heat.
Quinn’s dick responded to the tone. Thank God, I have my jeans on. He put his fork on the plate and stared out into the living room. “Yes?”
Alex chuckled. “I’m afraid I’m going to need more of a commitment than that, dearest boy. I don’t want you to feel pressure because I’m your boss. Would you look at me, please, when you answer?”
Quinn forced himself to turn his head and gaze straight into Alex’s eyes. “Yes.”
* * * *
“I’m not sure what the point is in coming here again.”
Trey spared his partner a glance before continuing his scan of the alley. “Where else are we going to go? We’ve got nothing so far that indicates Crowell was specifically targeted by someone. There’s no money issue that we can see. The one ex-boyfriend we found insists they parted amicably and hasn’t seen him in over a year. There was nothing in his home to indicate he’d been into anything illegal. So, we’re left with the serial killer angle.
“I’m hoping that there’s something we missed.” Even as he said the words, he spied a lump behind the dumpster that hadn’t been there before. He approached it cautiously, giving it a wide berth before he confirmed that it was a street person, complete with an overflowing shopping cart.
“Excuse me, sir?”
The shaggy-haired form covered in khaki jerked before sitting up. A dirty and heartbreakingly young face scowled back at him. “I’m a woman!”
“I beg your pardon, ma’am.” He held out his badge. “May I ask you some questions?”
“You can’t arrest me.” The woman pointed to the farthest back door of the club. “That guy in there, the one who looks like he’s an MMA fighter? He gives me food when I knock. Not scraps, neither. Real nice stuff. I just had my lunch and I’m taking a little nap. They don’t mind, so why should you?”
Squatting, Trey tucked his badge back in his pocket and gave Karl a subtle sign to stay away. “I’m not here to hassle you, ma’am. I was hoping to ask you some questions. That’s all.”
The woman ran the back of her hand across the end of her nose. “About what? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I’m sure you haven’t. My questions concern something you might have seen the night before last.”
The woman stilled and she stared back at him with narrowed eyes. “Was there something to see?”
Trey strived for patience. If this homeless person was a regular in this alley, she might have witnessed something. “That’s what I need you to tell me. Do you come here at night or only during the day?”
She shifted, scooting to lean against the wall. “I come and I go. Those guys in there are open all the time and willing to help out a vet when she needs a bit of food.”
Trey tried smiling, although he figured it might appear more like a grimace. “You’re a veteran?”
“Yeah,” the woman sneered. “Women serve, too, you know—and in combat.”
He nodded. “I know that. I have a cousin who flies Apaches for the army.”
The woman’s spine straightened. “I was a marine. They called us ‘lionesses’.” She sniffed. “Now they just call me ‘crazy’. I’m not!”
“Of course not.” He kept his voice low and smooth, figuring this might prove to be the break they’d been searching for.
“Serving can change you, you know?” She looked off. “I saw things and did things. It’s hard coming back to civilian life.” She sniffed again. “I need my meds and sometimes I can’t get them.”
This was a story he was too familiar with. The VA was overloaded with veterans needing care,
underfunded and with too few locations. He did grimace this time. “I’m sorry. I know it can be tough but I do need your help. There was a murder here two nights ago and I’m hoping maybe you saw something.”
That suspicious expression crossed her face again. “I’m supposed to have seen something because there was something to see?”
Trey tried to parse what exactly he was being asked. The woman’s phrasing was odd. “I don’t want to put words in your mouth, ma’am. Whatever you can tell me would be really helpful, no matter how unusual you might think it is.”
“I’m not crazy.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Sometimes, when I’m off my meds, I think I see things, then find out I didn’t really.” She tapped her head. “It’s in here, and I get confused about that.”
She shifted some more. “I come here when I come here. There’s always food, even if it’s really late.” Her gaze moved back to him. “I might have been here two nights ago.” She licked her lips and once more her gaze skittered away. “I might have seen something—something weird.”
“Anything you can tell me would be helpful.”
“I’m not crazy,” she said again.
“No, ma’am.” He had a feeling she’d heard the opposite too often in her life.
Twisting her body, she pointed toward the roof. “He went that way.”
He tried to rein in his excitement. There was no sense getting ahead of himself, despite the fact that the woman’s story already sounded far-fetched, and by her own admission, she sometimes hallucinated. “Who did, ma’am?”
“Some guy in black. Big motherfucker, like a lot of the guys in there.” She jutted her chin toward the club wall.
Trey glanced at Karl, who stood out of view but was taking notes. He looked as interested as Trey felt. “Was it one of them?”
Blood Dance Page 10
