Page 144 of Slew Foot
How to balance living in the moment and being okay with whatever his future looked like, and fighting to be there for his team, for his career, forRafe.
He wrapped a slick hand around Rafe’s cock as they lay side by side, kissing, and thought,I have to keep fighting. I have to.
Rafe’s dick was thick and hot in his hand and the sounds he made were so beautiful, the panting, desperate little whimpers with every stroke and the soft, eager cries when he teased at Rafe’s slit with his thumb.
“I love you,” he whispered as he finally brought Rafe to the edge, circling his fingers around Rafe’s cock and balls and choking off any chance of him coming.
Rafe let out a desperate little whine. “Mickey …”
“Be good for me,” he whispered, even as he could feel the ringing begin and the room start to spin.
Mickey froze, knowing he’d probably pushed it too far. Rafe wasso close, Mickey could keep going, consequences be damned … but he also knew he was going to regret it if he did.
He sighed, releasing his hold on Rafe’s cock. He shuddered, a full body ripple that told Mickey he’d been right on the edge.Damn it.
“I don’t feel so great,” Mickey admitted, hating he had to say the words even though he knew they were the right ones. The smart ones.
Rafe reached up, taking his face in his hands while he spoke clearly, moving his mouth in a way that made it easy for Mickey to read.
“That’s okay. Let me take care of you.”
“Okay,” Mickey agreed, and it was maybe the hardest thing he’d ever done in his whole damn life.
But he rolled onto his back and let Rafe get a warm cloth to clean them both, then tuck him into bed.
“Thanks for telling me,” Rafe said, looming over him for a moment so Mickey could read his lips.
The ringing was so loud now. So overwhelming. It blocked out almost everything else.
“I love you,” Mickey said desperately, because right now, that was the only thing giving him hope.
Whatever happened, love was what he was holding on to.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
The following day, Dr. Pope gestured for him to step into his office. “Mickey, I’d like you to meet my colleague. Dr. Gus Browning. He’s a pediatric ear, nose, and throat doctor.”
Mickey frowned, but he reached out and shook his hand anyway.
“You’re probably confused why he’s here,” Dr. Pope said.
“Uhh, yes,” Mickey admitted. “I mean, pediatrics is for kids, right?”
“It is,” Dr. Browning said with a laugh.
“Gus and I were college roommates,” Dr. Pope said with a smile. “He was visiting Boston for a conference this week and we met up for dinner last night. We were talking about frustrating cases—obliquely, of course, with no identifying details—and yours came up, Mickey.”
“Okay,” he said slowly.
Dr. Pope had texted him this morning asking if he had permission to share his details with a colleague who might beable to help, and Mickey had been happy to let him. The ear, nose, and throat specialist part made sense, but he still couldn’t figure out what apediatricianhad to do with anything.
“I’ve been puzzling this over for weeks. Something about your concussion hasn’t been sitting right with me. It can be a very tricky injury. The symptoms vary and it isn’t always easily diagnosable with imaging. But my gut was telling me maybe there was another underlying cause of your symptoms.”
“Sure,” Mickey said because what else was he supposed to say? He kinda wished Dr. Pope would get to the fucking point but, well, he couldn’t exactly say that aloud without being rude.
Maybe Dr. Pope could tell he was short on patience though because he said, “The reason I brought Gus by is because he was talking about an unusual virus he dealt with in Connecticut this winter. It had a striking similarity to the one that went through the team around the same time. And, unlike most viruses, this one hit older teens and young adults hardest rather than the very young and very old in the population, which is more typical.”
Mickey frowned again.
