All of the Voices

by Bailey Bradford

  The laptop’s screen flickered, then a blank document came up. Carlin was on the verge of hyperventilating as letters appeared on the document, then words, then a sentence and another, followed by a single letter and a period.

  Carlin shook so badly he could hardly focus to read, and he was embarrassingly close to pissing his pants. His cheek was caressed by something…other, and Carlin really wanted to scream, but a calm sensation settled over him.

  “W-what the f-fuck?” Was he possessed? What was happening? The screen flickered again and another sentence appeared above the first two, and this one was in a much larger font. Carlin read the sentence and wasn’t entirely reassured.

  NO YOU ARE NOT POSSESSED SO RELAX.

  “Yeah, because that’s going to happen when I can’t move my legs and someone or something is reading my mind!” And just like the scent in the house had dissipated instantly, so did the unnatural weight on Carlin’s legs and the forced sensation of calmness. Somehow, that made Carlin truly feel better—until he read the rest of the sentences, then he was just back to being freaked out, but on a milder level.

  Yes, Severo does speak to us, and he listens, too. Matt’s telling you the truth, and your Aunt Mary says she loves you, go shower, and use as many of the condoms as you can—okay that last bit’s from me. C.

  Carlin closed the laptop and pulled the broadband card out. He stood and carried it over to his bag where he packed it away. Then he turned and glared around the room, looking for any evidence of a ghost, spirit, whatever. Now that he wasn’t terrified, he was mad—even if he was also a little relieved.

  Pointing a finger at the center of the room—either there was a spirit in here or there wasn’t, and if he was pointing the wrong way, oh fucking well.

  “That wasn’t very nice, even if you were just trying to help. It’s creepy as hell and nearly scared the piss out of me, and how attractive is that? Stay out of my laptop, and go…somewhere else!”

  Carlin dropped his hand back to his side and headed to the bathroom. He yelped when something slapped his ass. Instead of spinning around and delivering another lecture, he did what any man would do. Carlin squealed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it. If any spirit dared to come through there, he’d…he’d…do something. Carlin waited, his heart still racing though not as bad.

  Once he felt reasonably sure he was alone, or at least not going to be harassed by Conner or Aunt Mary or God only knew who, Carlin started the shower. He’d get cleaned up, then, if Matt was still fixing dinner, Carlin was going to call Severo and he and the ghost psychic were going to have a nice chat.

  Chapter Eight

  Matt stopped chopping up onions and cocked his head to the side. He could have sworn he heard Carlin talking to someone in the bedroom. Shrugging when he didn’t hear anything else, Matt resumed his odious task—he hated chopping onions but loved to eat them—only to hear what sounded like a yelp coming from the bedroom. Setting the knife down, he rushed to the bedroom and opened the door just as he heard the shower come on. He walked over and tapped on the bathroom door, and that was definitely a yelp he heard then.

  “Carlin, are you okay?” Matt called out as he tried the door knob.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Carlin said. “You just startled me. All this talk about ghosts has got me kind of jumpy.”

  “You don’t say,” Matt mumbled under his breath before speaking louder so Carlin could hear him. “If you’re all right, I’ll get back to dinner.”

  “You do that. I’ll be out in a few minutes, then I’d like to call Severo if you think Laine wouldn’t mind.”

  “He’ll be fine with it. See you in a few.” Matt left the bedroom and went back into the kitchen. He walked over to the cutting board and a bolt of panic shot through him. The onion was chopped into perfect tiny bits, just like he preferred them to be.

  Matt grabbed the knife and turned to put his back to the counter as he looked around the room. Finding no one hidden behind any of the appliances, Matt checked the living room next.

  His skin prickled as a sensation like a weak electrical current rippled over him. Something brushed over his short hair, and Matt yelped and nearly dropped the knife. “Shit! Cut it out!”

  The odd sensation stopped and Matt glared around the room. Then he remembered Carlin’s yelp and wondered what had caused it, and why Carlin wanted to talk to Severo. Well. They were going to have a talk of their own first.

  Matt went back into the kitchen, glad his legs held up since they felt quivery. He looked around and saw nothing else had been messed with, then he proceeded to finish making dinner. By the time Carlin strolled into the kitchen, the enchiladas were baking in the oven and Matt was seated at the table with a cup of coffee in his hand.

  Carlin smiled nervously and Matt pointed at the chair across from him. Once Carlin was seated Matt passed him the full cup of coffee. Before Carlin could take a sip, Matt casually asked him, “Did anything happen in the bedroom you want to tell me about?”

  Carlin’s eyes widened and he set the coffee cup down.

  Matt took that for a yes and continued. “Maybe you had a visitor or two? I heard you yelp, pretty much like I did after I came back in here, found the onion I’d left on the cutting board chopped up, then had something decide it’d be funny to play with my hair. I didn’t catch a single hint of oatmeal raisin cookies, though, so I don’t know who or what it was that decided to pay me a visit. That’s what made me yelp. What was your adventure?”

  Carlin swallowed audibly then lifted the coffee cup back up and took a long sip. He set the cup back on the table then clasped his hands together beside the cup.

  “Well, you said I could look Severo up, so I did, then my laptop went wonky and the keys started moving like someone was tapping them, then—” Carlin took a breath and glared at some point past Matt’s shoulder. “Then a blank document opened up on its own, and presto, a message from, uh, I think it was from Conner, appeared.”

  Matt leaned back in his chair as he listened. He was familiar with Conner’s antics. His spirit hadn’t gone away once Laine was safe. No, Conner still hung around, teasing Laine and scaring the occasional person Conner seemed to dislike.

  “What did Conner say?”

  Carlin finally looked at him. “You believe me? About it happening, and about it being Conner?”

  “Sure.” Matt shrugged and tried to set Carlin at ease. “Conner can be a prankster. He still likes to play with Laine’s badge and knock his hat off. Laine pretends to be irritated, but I think he likes having Conner around, and Severo doesn’t mind. He says he and Conner would have been great friends in life, but they can still have some fun even though Conner’s deceased.”

  “He slapped me on the ass!” Carlin blurted out then promptly turned a cute shade of pink.

  Matt laughed before he could stop himself. “I’m not laughing at you,” he said, needing to reassure Carlin, “It’s just Conner does the same thing to Severo, and Laine snarls and Severo does this purring thing that only eggs on Conner and Laine both. Laine’s office ends up looking like a tornado is in there—papers swirling in circles like you can’t imagine. Then Laine ends up laughing and Conner stops, like that was his goal all along. It’s funny, once you get passed being terrified.”

  Carlin looked kind of terrified now.

  “I’ll, uh, just check on dinner. Laine and Severo are number one on my speed dial if you still want to talk to Severo.” Matt pushed his chair back and rose, keeping an eye on Carlin. It wasn’t until Matt opened the oven that Carlin finally spoke.

  “I think I’m still going to call Severo. Maybe he can tell Conner not to slap my ass or mess with my laptop. That shit is not funny.” He stood and left the kitchen just in time, because Matt couldn’t hold back a chuckle. It was kind of funny to him, but he was used to Conner’s antics.

  The enchiladas were done, the cheese and sauce bubbling hot. Matt set them on the pot holder then warmed up tortillas and some refrie
d beans he had in the freezer. Dinner was ready and on the table when Carlin walked back into the kitchen looking more than a little pissed.

  “Severo say something that made you mad?” Matt asked, prepared to come to Carlin’s defense.

  “No,” Carlin ground out as he crossed his arms over his chest. “He listened and was very sympathetic. He said he’d see what he could do. It was all very nice and chummy, then I got off the phone and someone decided to be a jackass—”

  Matt couldn’t help it, he laughed until he was able to rein it in. Carlin looked so disgruntled, and Conner, from what Matt knew of his spirit at least, would think it was great fun to poke at the man.

  “It’s not funny,” Carlin huffed, but his lips were curling up in a smile a devious gleam sparkled in his eyes. “I mean, Conner is getting his ghostly hands on my ass a lot more than you are.”

  That stopped Matt from laughing anymore. “That isn’t funny. Conner better cut it out or I’ll have to think about calling those guys on the Syfy channel.”

  Matt yelped as his ass was slapped, then a whirlwind gusted over him and disappeared.

  “Guess he didn’t like that threat.”

  They sat down to dinner and the conversation turned to Mrs. Hawkins. Matt told Carlin about the first time he went on a call to her house, and Carlin laughed until his eyes watered.

  “I really had no idea she was doing that, but it was nice of Laine not to tear into her or threaten to press charges against her for it.” Carlin swiped at his cheeks before taking another bite of enchiladas. He moaned as he pulled the bite of food off his fork. “These are the best enchiladas I’ve had in years.”

  “Better than the little hole in the wall place in New York?” Matt asked and immediately regretted it.

  Carlin’s smile slipped as he looked away. “Yeah, even better than that.”

  Carlin’s chest ached, not a physical pain, not really, it was more of a hollowed out feeling that he’d never felt before. He was very much afraid it was the beginnings of a broken heart, and if it got much worse, he was going to be a blubbering mess. Carlin ate another bite of enchiladas then pushed his plate away.

  There were so many things he was grieving for—Aunt Mary, his father, the coming loss of the man across from him—but Carlin didn’t want to spend his last night with Matt mourning any of those things. There’d be time enough for that once he left. Right now, he wanted to feel Matt’s arms around him, listen to the steady beat of the man’s heart as Carlin rested his head on Matt’s chest. And he wanted to make love, something he hadn’t really taken the time to do, not when he hadn’t met anyone as special as Matt Nixon.

  Matt looked across the table at him and the hollow feeling spread. He was going to lose this before they even had a real chance to explore the depth of their feelings.

  “Carlin, don’t,” Matt whispered as he stood and held out his hand. “Let me hold you for a while.”

  Carlin wanted to weep, to rail against the choices he was being forced to make, but more than that, he wanted what Matt offered. He rose and put his hand in Matt’s, then looked back at the table.

  “We should put the food up and do the dishes.”

  Matt tugged on his hand and started leading him to the bedroom. “I’ll handle it in a while. This is more important.”

  In the bedroom, Matt slowly stripped Carlin’s clothes off, kissing and stroking every bit of skin he uncovered. Carlin felt worshiped, adored by the one man he wanted most as Matt knelt before him and kissed his stomach, his hips, the tops of his thighs.

  Matt stood and kissed him gently, a lover’s kiss that bespoke an emotion neither of them would utter. Carlin put his arms around Matt’s neck and opened for him, kissing Matt back with a tenderness he’d never known he had in him.

  “Carlin,” Matt murmured against his lips, then nothing more as he kissed Carlin again. Carlin closed his eyes and committed the kiss to memory—the taste, the texture, the exact pressure of Matt’s lips on his.

  Eventually Matt stepped back and Carlin opened his eyes and helped him undress. Carlin stroked the thick chest hair, the taut nipples, the delineated abs and last, the long, jagged scar that was a sign of his lover’s strength.

  Together they walked to the bed and Carlin sighed as he was gently laid out on his back. Matt covered him from calves to chest, but kept his weight on his elbows. Carlin wouldn’t have cared if he’d borne the brunt of Matt’s weight. He wanted to sink into the man and never be free.

  “Carlin,” Matt said again, then kissed him, slowly at first, until the passion flared between them and neither could get enough. Matt licked and nibbled a trail down Carlin’s chin, and Carlin thought he might just melt into a puddle on the bed. He started to reach for Matt’s back, wanting to feel the shift and roll of muscles but remembered the injuries from Robbie Red.

  Carlin clutched at Matt’s biceps instead as Matt worked his way down to Carlin’s chest. Carlin’s nipples were sucked and laved, then bitten when the lighter touches were no longer enough. Carlin didn’t start babbling as he normally did, instead he let the moans and whimpers convey his pleasure.

  Matt rumbled his approval and licked a path down Carlin’s stomach. His naval was licked and sucked, a new and erotic experience that had Carlin bucking his hips. His cockhead bumped the underside of Matt’s chin, and Matt looked up at him with such a loving expression that Carlin couldn’t bear it. He let his lids drift shut and wished he were stronger.

  Warm, wet lips closed over the tip of his cock and Carlin cried out. His balls were cupped and rolled, then Matt engulfed Carlin’s shaft. Carlin tried to keep from thrusting, but the tight suction and the feel of his crown pressing into Matt’s throat demolished his restraint. He reached for Matt’s head, his shoulders, any part of the man he could touch and sobbed with relief when Matt let him thrust farther into his throat.

  Matt’s throat muscles squeezed around Carlin’s cock, and a roar filled Carlin’s head. He didn’t realize the sound he’d heard was his own shout until Matt swallowed again, then Carlin was coming in an embarrassingly short amount of time, his dick pumping bursts of spunk into Matt’s mouth. Matt laved and suckled Carlin’s shaft, keeping him hard as he squirmed and pleaded for Matt to fill him.

  Carlin grunted as Matt pulled off his cock with a lewd slurping sound. His legs were pushed up until his thighs pressed against his chest, then Carlin howled as Matt licked a line down from the base of his dick to his hole.

  “Matt, please, oh God, honey, please,” Carlin pleaded as pleasure flooded him from his ass to his brain. His cheeks were spread wide then Matt’s tongue rasped over his opening again and again until Carlin could do nothing more than beg. Only then did Matt spear his tongue into Carlin’s hole, and Carlin roared again as his balls drew tight to his body.

  Matt tongued him until Carlin was on the brink of coming again, then he sat up and Carlin opened his eyes as he whimpered in protest.

  “Now,” Matt said, and Carlin nodded. Carlin reached for one of the condoms he’d set on the nightstand while Matt picked up the jar of petroleum jelly. Neither of them had a problem with the thick stuff, and soon Carlin had the condom opened and was rolling it down Matt’s cock.

  Carlin lay back down as Matt gently nudged his chest. He gripped the backs of Carlin’s thighs and pulled his legs up until his knees were almost beside his ears, offering himself to his lover completely.

  “Look at you,” Matt murmured, then sank two fingers into his hole. Carlin moaned and tightened his grip on his legs, needing something to hold onto as Matt expertly demolished him, tearing down all the walls Carlin had built to shield his heart.

  He felt Matt begin to press another finger into him. “No more,” Carlin rasped. “Just you. I need you.”

  “You have me,” was all Matt said, but it was everything to Carlin, and when Matt covered him, sliding his thick cock into Carlin’s body, Carlin knew he’d never be able to give himself to another man, not like he was giving himself to Matt. Matt o
wned him, though Carlin would never—could never—tell him so.

  Matt pushed at Carlin’s legs and Carlin released them, instead winding them around his lover’s waist. He surged up to kiss Matt hungrily, biting the thin lips until Matt pressed him down into the mattress and plundered his mouth. Carlin cupped the back of Matt’s head as he met Matt thrust for thrust, driving Matt’s cock as deeply into him as possible. Carlin felt a desperate need to drive Matt wild, to ignite his passion to the point Matt couldn’t be careful. Carlin wanted marks, bites and bruises, mementos to take with him when he left.

  “Harder.” Carlin grunted as he said it because Matt had started pummeling Carlin’s ass as soon as he started to speak. Carlin tugged at Matt’s head, setting his lips against Carlin’s. “Mark me, please, please.”

  Matt moaned and fucked him harder, biting and sucking on Carlin’s neck, his shoulder. Carlin turned his head to the side to give his lover more skin to torment, and Matt set upon the revealed flesh with an eagerness reflected in each battering slam of his hips against Carlin’s ass.

  Carlin’s erection was treated to the fierce friction caused by Matt’s furry belly rubbing against it. The combination of teeth sinking into his skin, Matt pounding his ass relentlessly, and that thick, crinkly hair covering rock-hard muscles was too much. Carlin howled as he came, the first burst painful in its intensity, spewing cum between his and Matt’s stomachs.

  Matt thrust erratically, short jabs as Carlin clenched his butt and more semen shot from his dick.

  “Oh, God, Carlin, oh,” Matt rasped, then tossed his head back, his mouth dropping open on a shout as he ground against Carlin’s ass. Carlin came until he thought his balls were dried out, each hot jet Matt released in him Carlin matched until the two of them could hardly do more than tremble and try to carefully dislodge Matt’s cock without losing the condom.