Page 66 of The Butterfly Killer

Their pants harmonized as they worked together to reach a high that could only come about between two people. Marcus clutched at Roman’s chest and then at the man’s neck. He palmed his throat as he tilted his head down, still thinking of Roman’s mouth, his tongue, and his teeth on his skin. Their eyes never broke contact even though Marcus was embarrassed to be watched as he was coming undone.

There was no denying it. He was wrecked. His mind was aflutter and there was no logic to be found. There was no game and there was manipulation as he chased after a high he’d only gotten from one-night stands that seemed even lackluster to the simple act of grinding.

He shoved all those thoughts away as he rolled his hips one last time and stuttered to a stop. His thighs clenched the hardest they ever had as he threw his head back. He squeezed his eyes closed as he moaned and fell into the black abyss of pleasure.

Roman growled loudly as he bucked his hips hard into Marcus’s. As Marcus relished in his climax, Roman pulled him down, smothering his face into Roman’s neck and scent. His mouth opened and he sucked on the sweat covered flesh. His hips twitched again, seeking pleasure that had turned painful but still made him ache for more.

Roman moaned as Marcus sucked on his neck. With one hand on Marcus’s head, keeping him pressed to his neck, his other grabbed Marcus’s ass and pressed him harder to him. He came, grunting as his hips kept grinding.

Marcus shuddered. He felt everything all at once. An overload of sensations washed over him. His mind was overridden with it all, but as much as it was overwhelming, he wanted it to continue. All these sensations combined culminated into his mind going blank. It was the first time in a long time that his mind shut off. He was swimming in black space.

He didn’t know how much he longed for peace until he had it.

He slumped on top of Roman. He didn’t care if he was crushing the man or if he should be running right about now. He didn’t even care when Roman wrapped his arms around him. Roman’s touch was what he needed while he floated in this feeling. He’d forgotten how nice it was to cuddle.

Their breaths settled to something normal. Marcus could hear Roman’s heartbeat. It had been racing when they’d first finished. Now it was a steady rhythm lulling Marcus to sleep.

He was just about to when Roman shifted.

Marcus started to get up, thinking this was where their “bonding” ended, but Roman held him.

“Stay.”

The words could have been taken as an order, but it was gently said, which made Marcus believe it was more akin to a request.

He met Roman’s eyes. He didn’t know what he wanted to see. He was more so curious. He was starting to realize that everything Roman did was more so a curiosity to him than anything else. It was like being around a cat. Their behavior was fun to watch and you were expected to be ignored. No bit of training could work on them.

It couldn’t have been more than a couple minutes that they looked at each other, but to Marcus it felt like a lifetime.

He closed his eyes when it became too much. His heart started to speed up and after coming so hard—harder than he had in his whole life—he needed some rest.

He blocked everything out except this simple moment. The rise and fall of Roman’s chest, his big warm hands holding Marcus, and the feel of his body against Marcus’s. It took him time to fall asleep, but he was glad. He wanted to bask in this moment before it disappeared like smoke.

Because when it all cleared, Marcus would have to come to terms with what he’d done.

The reckoning came faster than Marcus had hoped.

He was wide-awake when he woke. There was no delay in his memory. He knew exactly what had happened and the potential mistake he’d made crystal clear even before he opened his eyes.

Still, even though his stomach tightened with guilt, he was disappointed to not find himself still in Roman’s arms or even curled in the recliner.

Roman had moved him to the bed. He wasn’t with him.

Roman’s silhouette moved from behind the curtain, illuminated by the lamp he used, the only light in the otherwise dark cabin.

Marcus felt only a little upset that he’d been abandoned for some hobby. He shook his head at how absurd he was being. They weren’t a couple. They weren’t even a one-night stand.

Clearly, he was getting too close to the persona he’d put on last night.

Was it last night? Or was it just a couple hours later?

He tried to come up with a clear timeline as he studied Roman from the other side of the curtain. A moment passed as he was sucked in his thoughts. The warmth of the bed didn’t feel right. It was foreign not because it wasn’t his actual bed but because he was remembering how it had felt to lay against Roman.

He ignored that feeling as he pulled the covers away. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at the small bed. He vaguely remembered waking for a brief moment. He thought Roman might have been laying with him in the bed. He couldn’t be sure. He didn’t know if it would be more concerning if he’d imagined it or if it had actually happened.

He shook his head once more, trying to jostle those thoughts out of his head, but they were stuck like leeches.

The coldness of the room prickled his skin. He lowered his feet to the floor and hissed as it felt like he was stepping onto ice.

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