Page 137 of Shadows in Bloom

My wet dick slips from Cruz’s mouth and he crawls up my body, then slaps my hand away before grabbing my chin and forcing my mouth into an ‘O’ with his fierce grip. His straining muscles ripple beneath my fingers as he spits the cum into my mouth and slams his hand over my lips. My eyes widen. What the hell? His gaze is so primal that a shiver skitters down my back.

“Don’t ever question me again, Marshall,” he drawls, hovering over me. “Don’t question the lengths I’ll go to for you.” He lets go of me and crushes his lips to mine.

His tongue invades my mouth, and my release smears our chins as he pins me to the floor by my throat and proceeds to suck on my tongue and lick my cum. I kiss him back with equal fervor, clawing at his back and tight ass inside those jeans. I’ll regret it later when reality crashes back down like a stack of cards, but for now, I’m lost in him.

I’ve known Cruz since he was a kid. I watched him grow up. He would never be capable of something so horrific, right? His father raised him to be a good kid.

When his hips rock against mine, chipping away at my self-control like waves against a cliff, a voice whispers otherwise in my head.

He did it.

He butchered her.

Another wave slams against my shore, and that soft whisper washes back out to sea while I float, helplessly lost in his kiss and wandering hands.

Cruz is everywhere I turn, tracking me with his dark eyes. A week has passed since he blew me in the empty auditorium. I’ve tried to avoid him since, but he makes it impossible when he enters my bedroom at night, cloaked in sin and shadows. He wakes me up with his big palm over my mouth, his cock grinding against my own until my eyes roll back and muffled groans disturb our heaving breaths. The first few nights after my colleague’s murder, I woke up with my wrists tied to the bedpost. I couldn’t have fought him if I wanted to.

“Another round, please.” Karl slams some cash down on the counter. His smile is too wide when he jostles my shoulder. “You look terrible. Not sleeping well?”

Guilt eats me up from the inside. I feel terrible for fucking my best friend’s son.

Another beer is placed in front of me, and I stare at the fizzy bubbles while Karl downs his. This thing between Cruz and I can’t continue. I need to end it.

But how? I have zero self-control when he’s nearby, and one heated look is all it takes to burn my resolve to ashes. I’m done for. My feelings are a mystery to me. Common sense flies out the window whenever he puts his hands and lips on me, and a part of me wonders if it’s only this heady because it’s forbidden. I’ve not had a lot of excitement in my life.

Cruz is an enigma—a forbidden temptation. He is…dangerous.

I peer sideways at Karl, noting their similarities. They have the same enticing dimple, visible when Karl smirks or laughs.

Disturbed, I look away and rub my eyes vigorously. This is so messed up. I’m a middle-aged man, for fuck’s sake. I shouldn’t involve myself with twenty-year-olds.

“Cruz met someone,” Karl says as he places the beer glass back down, and I grow cold.

“He met someone?”

Karl nods, an indulgent smile spreading across his lips. “He sneaks out at night.” Shrugging his shoulders, he continues. “Thinks his mom and I don’t notice, but we’re not blind.”

My throat jumps around a lump, and I take a large sip of beer to steady my nerves, which does nothing to calm me but buys me time. The glass trembles in my grip as I place it back down.

“He’s more engaged.”

“Yeah?” I attempt a shaky smile.

“He smiles more.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” he says and sips his beer.

Jiggling my knee, I try to tame the guilt festering inside me, but it twists my guts. I scoot off the chair and toss my thumb over my shoulder. “I need to take a piss.”

I don’t.

What I need is fresh air.

Escaping through a fire door, I fish a packet of cigarettes and matchsticks from my pocket. Lighting one up, my fingers tremble as I toss the burning stick to the ground. It’s been years since I quit smoking, but I’m on edge these days and need something to tame these runaway emotions.

Smoke pours from my lips, and my muscles soon relax. Fuck, I need this moment alone to gather my thoughts. Karl makes it hard to think when he looks so much like his son. Leaning back against the brick wall, I stare up at the starlit sky. There’s not a cloud in sight.

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