Page 25 of Memories of the Dark

“Okay, let’s hear what you have to say, although I’m sure it’s just a waste of time. If I’m right, this is the last time you bother me with your stupid ideas.” In spite of harboring the same contemptuous attitude from earlier, Cortez was visibly interested in what the other man had to say.

“Did you know Seamus MacAtee has another younger brother, one he loves above anything and everything? Neither did I, until the other one, the fucker’s right hand, Flint, told me. He’s the one who set me free from his psychotic older brother’s claws, asking me to help him get rid of junior. His plan allows me to remove the obstacle represented by my late husband’s bastard child.”

“All is good for you, but I don’t see how this helps me to get control of the city’s drug market. Kidnapping his younger brother will drive MacAtee even crazier than he already is, and the maniac will set the city on fire in his rage.” Cortez frowned, waiting to hear Greenwood’s reply.

“You’re right, only that the target of his rage will be his own brother Flint. Apparently, our mutual friend Seamus stepped into the light and wants to pay for his sins by going to jail. His most trusted right hand wants us to take over the job once the big bad boss is inside with no control over what happens here, but the smart boys you and me are will move faster, exposing him.”

“Seems like a very good plan, indeed. However, you didn’t mention anything about the location where the youngest brother and your dead husband’s son are.” Cortez frowned again, doubt sneaking in his voice.

“I always save the best for last, like a dessert, if you want. Both of them are at The Base, under Ardan-fucking-MacNamara’s protection.”

“You should have said so from the start. I’m your man.”

CHAPTER 21

“What are you thinking about, my Ardan, what troubles your mind? This heart of yours beats like a caged bird wanting to set itself free, and the shine in your beautiful eyes is dimmed. Talk to me, please.” Alasdair lightly touched his husband’s chest, then started to pepper butterfly kisses all over it.

“I can’t keep anything hidden from you, my Spitfire; I learned this a long time ago.” A weak, somewhat sad and tired smile played on Ardan’s tempting lips as he spoke in a whispered voice. “I met Seamus MacAtee today, and I can’t stop thinking about something he said.”

“Mister Bloom told me about the meeting, and he was very moved by the guy’s strength and determination of putting an end to the drug dealing. However, unlike other times, he didn’t go so much into details and avoided my questions. What happened there?” Alasdair propped his head in one hand, looking straight into Ardan’s eyes.

“At some point, we started to talk about what made him ask my father for Fergus’s hand in marriage instead of coming to me. At first, all he said was that he did it at Spyros’s request. However, a few minutes later, when I told him my brother survived Greenwood’s attack, Seamus said he will pray for us to be strong when things come out, then stared blankly ahead for a good while.” Ardan fell silent, the scene fresh in his memory.

“That’s... strange. But if he was talking about your father, I wouldn’t be surprised if the man had a big closet full of skeletons. I know you still have filial affection for him, in spite of everything said and done, but I can’t forgive him.” Alasdair’s voice, although soft, had an edge of steel in it when he said the last part.

“You know, Seamus’s words made me think about a lot of little things I didn’t pay attention to before, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I never knew my father. There are a lot of questions I didn’t find the answer to and probably never will. But enough of that, let’s talk about more pleasant things.” Ardan’s eyes became a little brighter as he pulled his red-haired husband into a tight hug.

“Your wish is my command, husband of mine. Before that, there is one more thing I would like to know. How did Seamus react when you told him Fergus was alive and has the love of two younger men?” Alasdair’s eyes were shining in the dark like two emeralds, filled with undisguised curiosity.

“This guy is something.” Ardan’s face brightened as he remembered the scene. “He was relieved, happy, rejoiced at the news. Then in the most natural of voices, Seamus told me that, once he was released from jail, intends to woo Nico and marry him.” A half-amused, half-melancholic smile graced the man’s face. “He was bold and daring but sweet and old-fashioned at the same time.”

“I hope you didn’t agree to that foolish request! By all gods, dead, alive and unborn, the man is almost forty years old, and Nico, at seventeen, is still a child. With all due respect for what MacAtee did, almost by himself, I don’t think that...”

A brush of Ardan’s lips over his own cut Alasdair short. “What you or I think on the matter is totally irrelevant, my beautiful Spitfire. It is up to my nephew to decide on who he will spend his life with. Besides, Seamus is only thirty-two, which makes the age difference between them to be of only fifteen years. Anyway, why should we worry over things that may not happen?”

“Yes, you’re right, my wise, beautiful, loving husband. Enjoying each other’s company, engaged in all sort of pleasant activities, is a much better idea.” Alasdair flashed one of his cute grins, starting to kiss around one of Ardan’s nipples.

The older man let out a quiet moan, arching his back with feline grace and pressing his skin against the redhead’s velvety, sinful lips. With a mischievous look in his eyes, Alasdair started to lick his nipple, then took it in his mouth, rolling the pink bud with the tip of his tongue and lightly tugging at it with his teeth.

Pearls of sweat broke on Ardan’s skin as he writhed helpless, completely in the redhead’s power, and they soon turned into rivulets running down his chest and torso. Casting him a thirsty look, Alasdair abandoned the nipple, starting to lick his husband’s hot, sweaty skin, each touch of his tongue driving Ardan crazy with lust, making him arch from the bed again and again, begging for more of everything.

Lost in his own pleasure, Alasdair easily forgot that the man he was subjecting to that sweet, irresistible torture was stronger than him, so he gasped in surprise when, in the blink of an eye, Ardan slid from under him, taking control of the situation. Turquoise eyes shining with an incandescent light, the older man pinned the redhead’s hands above his head, starting to gently kiss him on the lips.

Over the years, Alasdair had come to know his husband very well, so he sensed that night was for kissing, touching, exploring and worshipping, and other beautiful ways Ardan expressed the depth of the love he had for him. Smiling seductively, the redhead left the other man in charge, getting ready to become an instrument that made beautiful music under the player’s magic hands.

Ardan planted a chaste, delicate kiss on his beloved Spitfire’s cheek, then descended to his jawline and neck, the petal-like touch of his lips sending shocks of pleasure down the redhead’s spine. Smiling against his husband’s flawless skin, the man stopped above the collarbone, sucking on it.

Already lost in ecstasy, Alasdair let out a deep, guttural, but somewhat pleading moan, tilting his head at the side, giving Ardan a better access. After teasing the redhead some more, his husband stopped and went for the most coveted treat, Alasdair’s mouth, which he devoured hungrily, taking it in a hot, soul-searing, passionate kiss.

The redhead responded with the same fierceness, raking his fingers through Ardan’s dirty-blond, long strands, pouring his soul into the kiss. Eyes closed, heart beating erratically, the two men let themselves consumed by the kiss, their souls intertwined. The long, almost desperate kiss was the perfect expression of the love the two men had for each other: gentle and passionate, hot and sweet at the same time.

Breaking the kiss, Ardan and Alasdair stared into each other’s eyes, the turquoises and emeralds shining with a light coming straight from the two men’s souls. Time stopped, the entire universe shrunk down to the dimension of their bedroom, the love they had for each other becoming the only thing that mattered.

Ardan rolled back, freeing his husband from the sweet captivity. With his long, slim fingers, he traced the contour of Alasdair’s face, smiling at the redhead. After a while, the younger man’s long, silky lashes started to flutter, a telltale sign that he was ready to step into the land of dreams. Ardan wrapped him in a tight, warm embrace, his heart filled with peace and contentment. Right time, right place, right man, he smiled, drifting asleep.

****

“We’re so proud of you!” Xavier kissed Fergus on the corner of his mouth, running his fingers through the older man’s dark-blond strands. “You are an extraordinary man, so strong and brilliant, who has come a long way in such a short time.”

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