Page 48 of Artifacts

“Thank you, Captain Miller,” he began. “I’m pleased to accept the position of LGBTQ liaison officer for the substation.” The enthusiastic applause startled him. This had been a rocky road, but he and Fuentes then he, Fuentes and Miller had hammered it out. “It’s the first, I hope, of similar liaison posts to serve culturally specific communities, including minorities and special needs communities.” He tried not to smile at Aldric in the audience, mouthing the words along with him. They’d practiced together.

“The last time I was publicly recognized and given an honor here in this room, I was called brave. I didn’t feel brave inside, then, though. I do now. I’ve learned a lot since then about what courage is. I won’t give a long speech”—he tried not to look at Fuentes, although Sean snorted in laughter—“but I want to tell anyone who needs to hear it not to be afraid to try, even if it makes you vulnerable, and thatthatis not the same as being weak. Being sensitive to needs, including your own, and needing to care and be cared for, is an honor and a privilege, not a failing or weakness. Thank you.”

Elliot and Jonas, on either side of Aldric, stood and applauded with him. Darrell knew the older men, looking a little bemused, were his twin brothers. They were sitting with Brianna, who’d become a friend, and Leah, who was putting her foot down about‘Ryan’s family ruling our lives’. Darrell had the feeling that under Leah’s influence, Ryan would make his own decision about whether to be in Darrell’s life or not. Best of all, Darrell had been in touch with his mother, wanting to rebuild their relationship, to get to know her away from his father’s view of things.

He left the platform and Aldric, handsome in a new suit, met him. “You look so good in your full uniform,” he said. “Well, more than good, but I can’t tell you here.”

“Can you tell me later tonight?” Aldric spent so much time at Darrell’s now that he’d practically moved in, and Darrell wanted to talk to him about co-signing the lease with him. Anytime they’d talked about it, Aldric had insisted he’d pay half the rent, but Darrell wanted him to use the salary he made at Intrinsic Value to pay for community college. That Aldric had the confidence to think about studying for his associate degree and was even thinking about one day taking a bachelors at one of the universities in town made Darrell so happy.

“Oh yes.” Aldric’s brown eyes shone bright. “Do you want me to come over?”

“More than that.” Darrell didn’t even think, just let the words fall. “I want you to fuck me.”

“What?” Aldric never had, because Darrell had always topped.Always.

“I said—”

“I heard. But”— Aldric waved a hand around the room—“you pick your moments! What,now?”

“Well, let’s get home first, okay?” Darrell suggested. He’d thought he’d feel nervous, and he did, a little, but the buzz of arousal had him feeling almost high.And so fucking horny.And shit, he had the rest of this goddamn event to get through, before he could even think about hightailing it home…

Chapter Twenty-One

It was Darrell’s habit to open doors for Aldric and usher Aldric ahead of him, but that evening, with Aldric’s cute ass wiggling in front of Darrell, he almost pushed Aldric into his apartment with his cock, which was straining in his jeans.

“Oh.” Aldric pressed back a little in that way of his that Darrell was never sure was deliberate or not. “You seem ready to go. Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Darrell turned Aldric round. “I know you love me fucking you, but—”

The image of Aldric writhing under him, those beautiful big brown eyes closed tight and his small white teeth biting down on his bottom lip when Darrell penetrated him, robbed Darrell of speech mid-sentence. It also had him weak at the knees. They’d discovered Aldric loved toys almost as much as he loved Darrell’s cock—“and it’d better never be more”, Darrell had told him gruffly at least twice. Aldric’s favorite dildos and vibrators varied from day to day, and Darrell laughed at the cute names Aldric gave them. The blue meanie had been supplanted by the purple monster as Aldric’s current fave.

“But I’m ready to get fucked in the ass. If that’s okay with you?” Darrell added, deliberately using the kind of language that got Aldric juiced.

They’d discussed it—sort of—as in, it would happen when Darrell was ready, and that maybe Aldric wasn’t a switch or a top. “If it’s not working for you, we stop. Simple as that,” Darrell assured Aldric, stripping his coat from him. Aldric’s slim chest in that eggplant-colored button-down, the shade chosen to bring out his deep brown eyes, had Darrell’s balls filling.

Aldric dropped his gaze and bent his head in that way he did when he wanted Darrell to come in close. Darrell obliged, and Aldric whispered, “‘To get to savor you, to spend as long as I want, as long as you need, getting you ready? Oh, Mama!’”

“Hey!” Darrell objected. “I never said ‘Oh, Mama.’ When have I ever said ‘Oh, Mama’? And if you reply, ‘You will tonight’, I’ll…” He couldn’t go on for laughing. Sex with Aldric was both earth-shattering and life-affirming.

“Don’t worry,” Aldric continued, and it took him adding, “‘You’re gonna love this. Be begging for more. Wondering how you got through life without a cock up your ass,’” for Darrell to catch on that the sly little bastard was still quoting his words back at him. “But why now?”

“What can I say?” Darrell shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”

“It’s not exactly theheartwe’re talking about, though, is it?” Aldric’s eyes gleamed.

“I’m giving you a head start of five.” Darrell raised an eyebrow. “Then that cheeky ass of yours is gettin’ spanked.”

Laughing and calling for mercy, Aldric raced to the bathroom. He was half-naked when Darrell got there, having peeled off some clothes on the way, and Darrell helped him with the rest, cupping his balls just to see how quickly he could make Aldric’s cock fill. Darrell started the water and motioned for Aldric to go first. Showering together was something they both liked, exchanging long, slow kisses and caresses under the hot water, wreathed in the steam that rose all around them, Darrell finding new spots to bite Aldric and make him squeal with the sound going straight to Darrell’s dick.

This evening, he bent his head to give a quick bite to Aldric’s nipple, then a lengthier suck of the distended flesh.

“I think I’d want rings,” Aldric murmured.

It took Darrell a nano-second to flick to an ongoing conversation of theirs about Aldric getting piercings. “And they’d look fuckin’ sexy. Wash me?” As much as he loved taking care of Aldric, today he wanted Aldric lathering up his hands and spreading foamy soap on him, because he had a surprise for him.

Aldric started by washing his hair, scratching his nails into Darrell’s crew-cut that he was letting grow a little longer, and making Darrell moan when he massaged his temples. He couldn’t stand still, couldn’t be passive, so grabbed himself a palmful of body wash to spread on Aldric’s neck and shoulders, catching the run-off to rub in small circles into Aldric’s fine underarm hair.

As always, every touch got them both harder and more eager for the other until they could no longer pretend they were doing anything but rubbing up against each other, their caresses becoming increasingly shorter and harder strokes, just as their kisses went from leisurely to desperate. Darrell slowed things down. He didn’t want them getting off like that, not tonight.

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