by Hank Edwards
"Pretty much like you did," Mark replied. "No dreams at all, and I didn't wake up once."
"I feel hungover," Pearce said and looked at him through squinty eyes. "Did you get me drunk last night?"
"I was about to ask you the same question."
"What time is it, anyway?"
Mark shifted around to see the clock. "It says it's four forty-three."
"In the morning?"
"I can't tell," Mark replied. "There's a dot next to it, but I don't know if that means AM or PM. All these fucking alarm clocks are different."
"Why isn't Washington regulating alarm clocks?" Pearce grumbled and rolled away from him to grope for his phone. "Jesus, it's almost five PM."
"What time did we go to bed?" Mark asked.
"Last Tuesday, it feels like," Pearce replied, and rolled over to face him again. "You hungry?"
"Pretty much starved."
"Want to eat in the hotel restaurant? I've got a full day's per diem to use up."
"You say the most romantic things," Mark said. "And you've got a deal. But first I want to check on Calvin."
"No rush. I should check in with Jake and Bata anyway."
Mark started to roll away, but Pearce grabbed his arm and turned him back so they were looking at each other. "Before all that, though, how are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay."
"Really?"
"Really and truly. There's no anxiety and no tightness in my chest."
"Yeah?" Pearce raised his eyebrows. "You think it's gone for good?"
"Probably not," Mark replied. "But I'll take it one day at a time. It's all we can do, right?"
"Right," Pearce said, and leaned in to kiss him. "We need to get up before I keep you in bed the rest of the evening."
"Hold that thought until after dinner," Mark suggested, and, with another kiss, got out of bed.
They each got dressed and made phone calls. Mark talked to Calvin who was still in the hospital and would be for another day or two, but he was feeling much better. He claimed that his being kidnapped and shot in the shoulder had really upped his butch factor in the community.
At the end of the call, Calvin's voice took on a serious tone, and he said, "Seriously, Mark, I have to thank you for what you did."
Mark forced back tears and had to wait a moment before he could reply. "I would do it all over again, no matter what."
"I know it was probably the most difficult thing you've done. You risked your life for me, and I'll never be able to thank you enough."
"I don't regret it at all," Mark replied. "And it was because of me that your life was at risk in the first place, so I'm sorry for that. I never thought you'd be dragged into all of this."
"All this time, you were telling me how scared you were of Morgan, and I never really truly got it." Calvin was quiet a moment. "I feel like I owe you an apology for not taking it as seriously as I should have."
"No apologies required," Mark said. "I'm glad we're all safe."
"I love you, Mark Beecher. You're quite easily the best friend I've ever had."
"I bet you say that to all the guys who save you from a murdering sociopath," Mark said, and they both laughed. "Seriously, though, I love you, too. And we'll always be best friends."
"When will you head back to DC?" Calvin asked.
"I'll wait until Pearce can go back," Mark replied. "We'll drive my car back together."
"So I'll get to see you before you leave?"
"Definitely."
They said their good-byes, and Mark ended the call just as Pearce finished talking with Agent Bata.
"How's Calvin?" Pearce asked.
"He's doing better. Says his butch factor has gone up after all of this."
"I'm glad he's seeing the importance of it all."
"Truly. What did Bata and Jake have to say?"
"Bata told me to rest the remainder of today but that I needed to file a report tomorrow. And Jake told me I was a fucking asshole for leaving him in that disgusting bathroom so long."
"I might have to agree with him on that one." Mark hesitated, then asked, "How are you doing? Morgan's gone for good now. Does that seem weird to you at all?"
Pearce thought a moment before responding. "I'm not used to thinking of him in the past tense yet. For the last year, he's been a constant presence in the back of my mind during all other cases. And before that, I heard his voice whenever I fucked something up. I think it'll be easier for me to get my mind around the fact that it's over once I write up the report with Jake. We'll probably meet with the families, brief Bata, pack everything away into a case file box, and turn it in. Until then it feels like Jake and I still need to work the leads and track them down."
"I'm sure it will get easier," Mark said.
"You sound like me talking to you after we got back from Barbados."
"Yeah, I do, don't I?"
"Come on, let's get some food."
The hotel restaurant was situated on the opposite side of the lobby from the diner where they'd eaten breakfast. It was an upscale place, but the hostess didn't seem at all fazed by their jeans, long-sleeved pullovers, and sneakers as she led them to a table. Mark ordered filet mignon seasoned with olive oil and sea salt, while Pearce opted for a ribeye. They each got a draft beer and ate in comfortable silence. When they'd finished, Pearce paid and they left the restaurant in a haze of good food. Pearce asked the front desk for a double set of fresh towels to be delivered, and they headed back up to the room.
"How much longer do you think we'll be here?" Mark asked as he stepped inside.
"Tired of Detroit already?" Pearce smirked as he closed the door.
"No, just missing our apartment."
Pearce pulled him close for a kiss. "I like that you said 'our apartment' so easily."
Mark smiled. "Me, too."
A knock on the door took Pearce away from him, and a sudden rush of panic almost made Mark shout for him not to answer. But it was merely a member of the housekeeping staff with the towels Pearce had requested. Mark let out his breath and sat on the foot of the bed to kick off his shoes. His hands shook slightly, and he felt a bit lightheaded. He knew these moments of panic would diminish over time. He just needed to work his way through them when they happened.
Pearce left the Do Not Disturb sign on the outside handle and put the towels in the bathroom. He sat next to Mark and put an arm around his shoulders.
"Now, where were we?" Pearce asked.
"Um, I think you were about to kiss me again," Mark said.
The kiss was soft but quickly turned urgent. They stripped off each other's clothes and stretched out across the bed in a sixty-nine position. Mark savored the warm, salty taste of Pearce's cock and tang of his pre-cum. He fondled the soft, full balls and then slid lower to take both in his mouth as he stroked Pearce's dick.
"I need to eat your ass," Pearce said around a moan. "Tell me it's clean."
In lieu of a response, Mark rolled onto his back and lifted his legs so far his toes touched the mattress behind his head.
Pearce bounced up onto his knees with a happy, "Fuck yeah!" He spread Mark's ass cheeks apart and planted his mouth over his anus. Mark looked up at his own cock now pointed down at his face and stroked himself as Pearce licked, sucked, and drilled his tongue into his ass.
"Such a hot fucking ass," Pearce said when he finally lifted his face. He slid a finger into Mark, the spit providing easy passage.
Mark groaned and closed his eyes. "God, that feels good."
Pearce alternated between pushing a finger and his tongue into Mark a little longer before he abruptly got up and grabbed the lube.
"You okay in that position?" Pearce asked.
"Yeah," Mark replied.
"Good, because it's fucking hot seeing you with your ass up in the air like that," Pearce said. "I just want to drive my cock down into you."
"Oh, yeah. Do it."
Pearce stood on the bed and positioned himself above Mark. With slow movem
ents, he eased his long, hard length into him. He bounced softly on the bed, building up speed until he drove into him hard and fast.
"Fuck, that's hot," Pearce said through a growl.
"You've got me close," Mark said. "I'm gonna lose it soon."
Pearce braced himself with a hand on Mark's ass. "I'm almost there."
The force and angle of Pearce's penetration quickly pushed Mark over the edge. He stroked himself to a gushing climax that splattered across his own face and neck. Moments later, Pearce gave his familiar grunt and pushed hard into him. Mark could almost feel the pulse as Pearce came inside him.
When he'd finished, Pearce pulled out of him and helped Mark lower his legs. He grinned when he saw the cum all over his face and swiped some up with his fingers to lick it off.
"You made a mess of yourself," Pearce said.
"You nearly split me in half."
"Come on, let's get a shower."
They cleaned up together and stretched out in bed to watch TV. Each of them dozed off and on throughout the evening before finally falling asleep during the eleven o'clock news. Mark woke up in the early morning hours to find a black-and-white movie playing. He fumbled the remote from the nightstand to turn off the TV before slipping back to sleep for the rest of the night.
42
Pearce put the top on the last of the file cartons and wiped his hands on his jeans. He looked around the small conference room where they'd been working all this time. It had taken a week and a half for him and Jake to wrap up the details and file all the proper reports. Now, the room appeared barren, with the victim photos and case details all packed away. Pearce knew it would only be a matter of time before another horrific case required some team to take over the room and post their own victim stats, but for now, it was good to see it this way.
"That the last of it?" Jake asked from where he sat at the small round table in the corner. He stared at a laptop as he transferred all of the digital case files to the archive server.
"That's it," Pearce replied. "How's that going?"
Jake clicked the trackpad a few times before sitting back and letting out a breath. "Done."
"Well, looks like we're all set here, then," Pearce said.
Jake fixed him with a long look. "Seems to be."
Pearce ran his gaze around the room again before bringing it back to Jake. He really hated saying good-bye to people. If he was honest, he would miss Jake, but he was more than ready to be back in Washington, DC. He looked forward to returning to his own work cubicle with Izzie warning him about the trouble he was going to get in with Assistant Director Harris for his latest antics.
"I know you suspected me for a while there," Jake said.
Pearce was surprised. He tried to act casual about it but knew he hadn't pulled it off as he said, "What? No I didn't."
"Yeah, you did. And you told Mark about it, and he suspected me, too."
"Where'd you get that idea?"
Jake gave him a sour look. "You're kidding, right? You're not that good about disguising your emotions."
Pearce said, "What do you mean?" as he flipped him off, and they both laughed.
"How'd you know about Shades?" Pearce asked. "I never heard how you figured out where to go."
"The lab pieced together details from the background of the picture of Calvin," Jake replied. "There was some discoloration on the wall behind Calvin where neon letters used to spell out the bar's name. If you'd kept your phone on you might have gotten my messages about it."
"All right, all right." Pearce shook his head before asking, "I wonder which one of them sent the picture?"
"I'm thinking Manny," Jake replied. "He seemed to be missing more and more of the little details as the murders progressed."
Pearce nodded. He wondered, however, if Morgan might have planted the suggestion in Manny's head. It might have been his way of inciting the inevitable showdown between them all.
Either way, it was over and done with, case closed. Now it was time to move on.
He walked up to Jake and extended his hand. "I apologize if I made you feel like I suspected you."
Jake stood and shook Pearce's hand. "You're not pushing this all off on me, you bastard. You did suspect me, and you won't admit it."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree," Pearce said.
"No, you'll have to go back to DC and the Bureau Mother Ship knowing that I know you were wrong when you suspected I was working with Morgan." Jake smirked and released his hand. “Look, I’m sorry about all of those comments I made about you starting a relationship with Mark. It seemed like a really unusual move for someone like you, but now that I’ve seen the two of you together, I understand it better.”
Pearce didn’t really know what to say to that, so he simply nodded.
Jake cleared his throat and fidgeted in place a bit, then asked, "When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"Driving back with Mark, right?"
"Yep. Traded in my plane ticket yesterday."
"Going to stop and see the sites on the way?"
Pearce frowned. "Are there any?"
Jake thought a moment, then shrugged. "I doubt it."
They laughed together, and Pearce lifted his hand in a wave before heading down the hall to Agent Bata's office.
He knocked and Bata called out, "Come in."
Bata was typing and squinting at the monitor in front of him.
"Be careful your face doesn't freeze that way," Pearce said.
"Ah, Agent Pearce." Bata finished typing his thought and got up from behind his desk. "I must begrudgingly admit that I will miss seeing you here in our Detroit office."
Pearce cocked his head and narrowed his eyes as he shook Bata's hand. "Thanks? I think."
"Have a safe drive back to Washington, DC, and please give Mark my best."
"I will." Pearce turned for the door, then stopped and faced Bata again. "Agent Bata…" He faltered, unsure of how to put into words what he felt. Gratitude for the chance to put an end to his link to Robert Morgan once and for all. Anguish that it cost the lives of so many innocents. It all twisted and writhed inside of him like living things trying to find a way out, and he didn't know how to put all of it into appropriate words.
Bata sensed his hesitation and saved him from a bumbling explanation. "Agent Pearce, I summoned you here to help us solve a particularly distressing and, for the Bureau, embarrassing case. Embarrassing because the perpetrator was one of our own. You effectively put an end to Robert Morgan's bloody exploits. If you achieved some sense of closure or peace in the process, so much the better. There is no need for you to try to find a way to thank me. I was selfishly bringing in the one person with whom Robert Morgan wanted to play out his game."
"Well, all right then." Pearce gave him a nod. "If you get to DC anytime, let me know."
"You would definitely be on my list of people to touch base with should the opportunity arise. Good luck, Agent Pearce."
Pearce shook Bata's hand a final time before leaving his office. He waved to a few of the other agents who had helped them out along the way as he headed for the elevator. He'd already turned in the rental, so he'd driven Mark's car to the office. He rode the elevator down to the garage, found Mark's car, and pulled out of the parking garage. Early afternoon traffic was light as he made his way back to the hotel. He was getting to know his way around Detroit by now. He was going to miss parts of it.
Mark was sitting on the bed with the TV on and his cell phone in hand when Pearce let himself into the room.
"Hi there," Mark said. "How'd it go?"
"Files are all packed up and ready for storage," Pearce replied and leaned down to kiss him. "What do you want to do on our last night in town?"
"Calvin's back at the Bone Yard tonight for his regular Friday gig," Mark said. "I'd like to stop in for a bit to see him and say good-bye."
"That'll work." Pearce grabbed the remote and clicked off the TV before leaning over hi
m. "We've got a few hours before that. Any thoughts on how we can spend that time?"
Mark smiled up at him. "A few."
Pearce kissed him. "Care to tell me about them?"
"I'd rather demonstrate."
Another kiss, this time they lingered longer. Pearce lay on top of Mark and kissed him several times before breaking the embrace to pull back and look down at him.
Mark frowned. "What is it?"
"I love you," Pearce said, and it felt as if all the times he'd said those words before in his life had meant nothing to the emotions he felt at that precise moment.
Mark must have heard the difference because tears welled up in his eyes. "I love you, too, Aaron. As a matter of fact, I'm in love with you."
Pearce kissed him. "I'm in love with you, too. How'd this happen?"
"Just lucky, I guess."
"We're going to be okay once we get back home, right?" Pearce asked between kisses.
Mark smiled. "I think we are. It's all blue skies and sunshine from here on out."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"I look forward to it."
Pearce closed his eyes and kissed Mark again, never wanting to stop.
THE END
About the Author
Hank Edwards is a curious mix of practical realist and feral dreamer. He is a fan of absurd comedy, cases in point, the sizzling and hilarious Charlie Heggensford Fluffers, Inc. Series, and Plus Ones, his rom-com, as well as mystery and suspense such as his Up to Trouble series. His love of chills and thrills prompted him to create the Venom Valley series as well as his humorous and spooky Critter Catchers series. No matter what genre he is dabbling in, however, Hank tries to keep things steamy and heartfelt. He was born and still lives in a northwest suburb of the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan, where he shares a home with his partner of over 20 years and their two cats, who hope you buy lots of his books so they can upgrade their kitty condo.
Stay in touch with Hank:
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www.hankedwardsbooks.com
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