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  He’d figured since he was in San Antonio, he might as well see his brothers and sisters. Only Alma and Berto had been home when he’d called. Sev had got to stop in for a short visit with each of them before the case had gone ass up and he’d been inundated with spirits trying to either help or hinder him.

  Once he’d managed to pry enough information out of the spirit of one of the killers’ deceased victims, Sev had been physically and mentally exhausted. All he’d wanted was to return home to Laine, which was what he’d done.

  That had been over a year ago. None of his family had ever met Laine, and to be honest, Sev didn’t think Laine was too keen on meeting them. While he never said it, Sev knew Laine thought his siblings were jerks or worse for leaving the bulk of the responsibility for their relationships on Sev’s shoulders.

  Sometimes Sev agreed, but he reminded himself his brothers and sisters hadn’t, for a long period of time, known where Sev was going to be from one day to the next. That was why Sev was the one to instigate phone calls and such.

  The fact he’d been in the same place for over three years now and his siblings hadn’t bothered to alter their established pattern wasn’t good, but it wasn’t entirely their fault, either. Sev hadn’t asked them to visit more than a couple of times. He understood they had their own lives, their own families to take care of.

  And he understood, all the way down to his still bruised heart, that his brothers and sisters also had their parents to consider.

  Sev didn’t. With his clean hand, he touched the silver necklace he always wore. It was a gift his grandmother had given him years ago, when he’d been a terrified, emotionally damaged kid. An abandoned kid.

  Once his parents had him committed as a child, preferring to believe he was mentally ill instead of psychic, they’d disowned him. If it hadn’t been for his grandmother getting him out of that place, he’d probably still be there. Or he’d be dead.

  Being gay only compounded his parents’ dislike of him. Really, Sev was amazed any of his siblings talked to him, what with the vitriol he was sure they heard spewed about him. Not to mention his parents were wealthy now, his father having inherited all of Grandmother’s estate when she passed. As much as she loved Sev and despised what her son and daughter-in-law had done, she had still been very traditional.

  It wasn’t difficult for Sev to picture his father using money to control his family. In fact, it was likely. There wasn’t anything he could do about it, though. He wasn’t rich, and even if he was, he wouldn’t try to buy his family. Sev did miss them, though. Not his parents—what they’d done to him had cut too deep, but he would like to have something more with his siblings, if possible.

  He was almost afraid to hope for it, though. Sev sighed and moved over to the couch where he dropped down bonelessly into the plush cushions. The weird feeling he’d had off and on all day returned and he squirmed deeper into the couch, shifting some of the throw pillows around until he felt sufficiently comfortable.

  The pressing need to touch Laine, feel his thick cock spearing into him, had lessened somewhat to a slow simmer in Sev’s veins. They wouldn’t be having sex the instant Laine walked in the door, not now. That was definitely a bummer, but it didn’t seem right to jump the man then shatter that lovely afterglow by bringing up Alma’s phone call.

  Not that Laine would object to her and her family coming out, he wasn’t that sort of man. But he would be wary, and Sev couldn’t blame him. He was more than a little wary himself.

  Chapter Two

  All he could figure was, word of Loretta’s refusal to make coffee had spread like wildfire. By the time Laine pulled into the long driveway of the home he and Sev had bought together, he was damn near jittery from all the caffeine.

  There’d been half a dozen people who’d stopped in to drop off steaming cups of coffee, and Zeke and Brendon had brought two big thermoses of the stuff. Laine couldn’t see letting such an offering go to waste, and the consequences of that, besides feeling like he was hyped up on meth, was that he’d pissed more today than he possibly ever had in his life.

  Not that he was the only one. It’d got so ridiculous the he and Matt had started tagging each other, like some warped wrestling team, each time they passed one another coming and going from the restroom.

  The good part of all this caffeine-induced energy, however, was how he planned to burn it off—deep inside Sev’s tight little ass. The way he was feeling right now, he’d be able to go at least a couple of rounds before he crashed and slept like the dead.

  Except, some of them didn’t really ‘sleep’, did they? No, they hung around and in some cases, scared the shit out of the living.

  Laine tossed his hat in the passenger seat, knowing the Stetson was going to be in the way shortly, then he parked the truck and shut it off. He was unbuckled and out of the door a second or two later, anticipation ratcheting up the edginess brought on by the caffeine. He didn’t slow down to admire the pretty landscaped yard like he usually did. The yard was Sev’s domain—Laine had learned not to so much as pluck up a weed—or what he’d thought was a weed. It was sometimes hard to tell, and it sure wasn’t worth getting his ass chewed out.

  He took the three porch steps in a sprint and in one long stride he was at the door and sliding his key into the first lock. Before he had the key twisted around he heard the sounds of the deadbolts being unlocked. As soon as the last one tumbled open Laine was inside the house, his hands on that smooth, warm skin he’d fantasized about all day long.

  Sev grunted when his back hit the wall. Laine took advantage of his parted lips and whatever Sev was trying to say was lost under the crush of Laine’s mouth. Laine didn’t care about finesse—he only sought to lose himself in this one man.

  The first sweep of his tongue over Sev’s made them both moan, then Sev was holding onto his shoulders, grinding that sexy muscled body against Laine’s. Laine slid his hands down and cupped the firm swells of Sev’s ass, first holding him still so Laine could thrust and rub his groin against Sev until he was on the verge of coming. The way Sev was trembling and whimpering, Laine knew he wasn’t the only one fixing to go off.

  Releasing Sev’s sweet ass was hard, but necessary for what Laine wanted. He shoved his hands between them and started pulling at the button and zipper on Sev’s jeans. Sev gave an alarmed squeak, his pale eyes shooting wide open as he turned his head aside only enough to separate their mouths. He grabbed Laine’s wrists, pressing them against his erection even as he tried to hold them still.

  Laine wanted to growl, but Sev smiled so seductively he couldn’t find the breath to push the sound out with. Then Sev compounded his lust, the constriction in his chest.

  “Careful, no underwear.”

  “Fuck,” Laine drawled, turning the word into two syllables. He jerked his wrists free and tucked one hand into Sev’s jeans. It was a tight squeeze, what with the way Sev liked to wear his jeans so tight it made Laine’s nuts ache in sympathy. And the way Sev was squirming around wasn’t helping. Laine thought he’d lose his damn mind before he managed to cover most of Sev’s cock.

  Once that was done, Laine popped the button free and unzipped Sev’s pants. Sev whipped his shirt off while Laine pulled those tight jeans down Sev’s leanly muscled thighs. Sev finished taking his jeans off, wriggling his hips, making his fat cock bounce and Laine’s knees weak. Sometimes he had trouble believing Sev was all his, from the soft soles of his delicate feet to the top of his silky black hair.

  Laine took a few seconds to just ogle the man, drinking in the sight of all that smooth skin with its light smattering of hair. Sev even kept his bush trimmed down, unlike Laine’s own wiry nest of curls. Laine dragged his gaze up and noticed the erect copper nipples topping Sev’s heaving chest. Now, those he couldn’t resist.

  Dipping his head, he bit at one, foregoing a softer touch, knowing what Sev needed, what he needed. He clamped his teeth around the nub and pulled back, using his thumb and forefinger to do the same to the o
ther tit. Sev’s back bowed and he keened, his hands fisting in Laine’s hair and tugging until Laine’s scalp stung.

  Laine released Sev’s nipples then immediately latched on again. He trailed his other hand down Sev’s ass, his fingers buried deep in the man’s crack. As soon as he felt the first bit of slick moisture under his fingertips what little control he’d hung on to snapped. Laine knew good and well what that meant. His man was already lubed up and ready to go.

  Laine didn’t do more than open his pants and shove them and his boxers down enough to free his cock and balls. He gave Sev’s nipple one last suck and pinch then he was lifting and Sev was practically climbing him. Laine fisted the base of his cock and braced Sev’s lower back with his other arm as Sev wound his legs around Laine’s waist. His heart pounded in his chest as hard as he was going to be pounding in Sev’s ass.

  “Now, now, now, now!”

  At Sev’s shouted demand, Laine plunged into his lover’s hole. Sev howled and slammed down, using his arms around Laine’s neck and his strong legs around Laine’s waist for leverage. Bright white streaks exploded behind Laine’s eyelids as his dick was enveloped in gripping heat. A groan was torn from him as Sev’s channel rippled around his length, massaging it so tightly he couldn’t move.

  Sev’s answering groan caused his whole body to vibrate. Laine’s eyes rolled back as he ground deeper into Sev’s ass. “Move,” Sev panted, his fingers clenching, the tips digging bruisingly against Laine’s shoulders.

  Laine leaned forward, using his weight to pin Sev firmly to the wall, then he canted his hips and lifted Sev until only the tip of his cock was embedded in Sev’s hole. With the flared underside of the crown tugging against the inside of Sev’s rim, Laine could feel each pulsing of that ring of muscles around his dick. He snarled as he rammed back in, shoving Sev down hard enough to knock the breath from both of them.

  And Laine didn’t let up, driven by Sev’s whimpers and curses and the spiking arousal that swelled unbearably in him. He couldn’t think of anything but the exquisite pleasure of fucking Sev, the feel of the man’s body sucking him in, clenching and strangling his cock.

  Laine grunted and bit the sensitive skin under Sev’s ear. Sev bucked and writhed against him, spurring him on, his heels digging into Laine’s ass. He dragged his teeth down Sev’s neck, scraping and nipping as he went, then sucked hard on the join of shoulder and neck.

  Sev’s scream rattled Laine’s eardrums, sweet music that fired his blood. His dick swelled inside Sev as came, spurting cum between their stomachs. Sev’s ass tightened, encasing Laine’s shaft in the tightest, hottest vise.

  Laine couldn’t shout, couldn’t even moan as his climax slammed into him, sending jets of spunk pouring into Sev’s ass. He bit down unthinkingly, in the grips of an orgasm so intense his head swam. Sev’s voice was muffled by the roar of blood in Laine’s ears, the pounding of it in his temples and behind his eyes as he emptied himself into his lover.

  The last little shot of cum trickled from his dick then Laine’s legs must have turned to jelly because he was falling, sliding down, squashing Sev between himself and the wall until Laine’s knees hit the floor.

  Slowly, Laine became aware of the growing pain in his knees and the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. He cracked open his eyes and blinked until he could see Sev’s loopy grin.

  “That was so fuckin’ hot,” Sev said, the words slurred as if he’d just woke—or been fucked stupid, much like Laine felt.

  Laine grunted, the lethargy that replaced his energy quickly trying to pull him into sleep. He came to with a jerk of his head that made his teeth snap together. Pain flared in his jaws as he pried his eyes open. “Wha?” Surely Sev didn’t expect him to move.

  Sev looked at him, an earnest and slightly worried expression on his handsome face. “We need to talk. Alma called.”

  Well, that was like being dunked in a pool of ice water. He was going to need some more coffee.

  * * * *

  Sev was back to gnawing on his lip as he watched Laine from across the kitchen table. The man was not happy, not anywhere near the happy universe, for that matter, but he hadn’t said no. Sev didn’t expect Laine would, but Laine wouldn’t be eager to have Alma and her family visit. It wasn’t that Laine didn’t want Sev to have contact with his family—he just wouldn’t want Sev hurt by them again.

  Well, Sev wasn’t exactly eager to experience that, either. He planned to keep his sister at an emotionally safe distance, at least until he found out whether she was sincere or not.

  “They’re not staying here,” Laine said, then added, “Right?”

  Sev nearly snickered at the grudging tone carried in that one word. If Laine hadn’t just fucked him through the wall, Sev might have teased him, let him worry for a moment or two, but he was feeling way too sated despite his familial concerns.

  “She didn’t say, but I’ll make sure they know I’ve booked them a couple of rooms at the motel.” Sev scrunched his eyebrows together. Alma and her husband Roger had three kids. “Or one room. Whatever, I don’t know if they want their kids in a separate room or not.”

  Laine sat back in his chair, pushing against the table and groaning through a stretch. He canted his head and popped his neck, something that made Sev cringe every time Laine did it. “How old are the kids?”

  “Ah.” Sev tapped his chin as he tried to remember. “I think the oldest is about sixteen. Alma had Rogelio when she was twenty, so yeah, that’s about right. The youngest just started school, kindergarten, so he’s probably five. Adela is in the middle there, she’s eleven.”

  After seeming to consider it for a couple of minutes, Laine finally shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. Not like I know anything about kids. You better ask her when you call her back and find out when they’ll be coming to McKinton.”

  Sev stood up then darted around the table, unable to keep from chuckling. “I get the message loud and clear, Laine,” Sev said, nuzzling Laine’s cheek. “You don’t want them staying here. Neither do I. Then I wouldn’t be able to do this.” He cupped his lover’s package, grinning when Laine humped into his hand. Laine’s cock was hard as steel—the man was ready to go again.

  A few minutes later, when Laine had him bent over the table, his ass spread as Laine rimmed him to the point of insanity, Sev’s last rational thought was that he was one very, very lucky man.

  * * * *

  Something woke Laine in the middle of the night. He came to with a whole-body jerk that left him gasping for breath as he lurched into a sitting position. Sev grumbled beside him, patting at Laine’s thigh clumsily.

  “S’wrong?”

  “I don’t know,” Laine muttered, catching Sev’s hand in his. “Must have had one of those nightmares you don’t remember. I just woke up borderline panicking.”

  “Yeah?” Sev sounded more alert and he was scooting around so Laine reached over and turned on the lamp. The low-wattage bulb still seemed way too bright for his sleep-darkened vision, and bright spots danced before his eyes. Laine scrubbed one-handedly at his eyes, which didn’t do anything but make more dots appear, although at least they were different colors.

  “I’ve had a weird feeling all day,” Sev said from beside him. He leaned his dark head on Laine’s shoulder. Sev’s warm moist breath wafted over Laine’s chest, teasing at one nipple. “It always makes me feel off when Conner is too busy to give me crap.”

  Laine suspected that, like him, Sev worried Conner had gone on to wherever it was spirits went if they weren’t staying around after their bodies died. As odd as it may have seemed to anyone other than Sev, Conner was a part of their bent little family. It was his spirit that had brought Sev and Laine together, and really, they couldn’t imagine not having the playful spirit around.

  Frowning, Laine ran the prior day’s events through his mind. “You know, I’d have thought Conner get a kick out of showing up at the Sheriff’s Department and messing with Loretta. She’s just the sort of uptight person h
e’d enjoy tormenting. You know, hide her pens, restart her computer—goose her just to piss her off.” Laine could picture it all perfectly, right up to Conner grabbing Loretta’s ass. He shut that image down before it could fully form. “I wonder where he goes when he isn’t around?”

  “Wish I knew.” Sev sighed and burrowed closer to Laine. “Maybe he spends time with other spirits. For all we know, he has a boyfriend or something.”

  The idea made Laine’s stomach flutter and his chest ache. He hadn’t considered that particular possibility. He wasn’t sure he cared to. Stupid, he knew, considering how much he loved Sev. It was just his own ego acting up. Well, he’d stuff it back down to where it belonged. If Conner could find someone in the spirit world, why shouldn’t he? Laine couldn’t imagine being alone for eternity—the three-plus years after Conner’s death up until Sev had come into Laine’s life had been pure hell.

  “Maybe,” he allowed, surprised to find himself hoping Conner wasn’t always alone. He was also a little relieved that he wasn’t such a selfish asshole. Some of the tension from the sudden startling wakening drained from him and he nuzzled Sev’s hair, drawing in the spicy scent of the man. “I kept feeling a little…I don’t know, off maybe, too. All those little hairs on the back of my neck were having a field day, vibrating off and on. Couldn’t find a reason for it at first, then I blamed the coffee.”

  Sev snorted and nipped at his pec. “Well, if too much coffee is what made you fuck my brains out twice in one night, I will personally see to it you have a few pots of the stuff every damn day.”

  Laine laughed as he slid down and rolled Sev under him. “That was all you,” he informed his lover, feeling himself pulled into the welling need in Sev’s eyes. “I can prove it, even. No coffee in hours, and”—he thrust his hard cock against Sev’s warm thigh—“I’m thinking we can make it at least three times in less than six hours.”