What Remains

by Bailey Bradford

  Teeth gritted, Laine shoved his whole body back. Sev’s garbled shout was drowned out by Laine’s louder one. Pleasure-pain flashed hot through his rectum as Sev’s cock sank in to the hilt. Laine gasped, his throat raw and aching, competing with his ass for which hurt worse. As the ache ebbed, giving way to the exquisite sensation of fullness in his channel, Laine moaned and pressed back harder.

  “Fuuuck!” Sev dropped over him, gripping Laine’s shoulder in one hand and planting the other above one of Laine’s arm. “Christ, it’s like having my dick wrapped in the smoothest, tightest satiny heat!”

  Laine thought all those adjectives were just fucking great, but… “Move!”

  Sev huffed a breathy laugh and bit the back of his neck. “Whatever you want, baby.” He pushed back up but kept his hand on Laine’s shoulder. His other went to Laine’s hip, then Sev began fucking him hard and deep just like Laine needed him to do.

  “Yes,” Sev hissed as his balls slapped against Laine’s. “You feel so fucking good!”

  Sev’s words only added fuel to the flames of arousal burning through Laine’s core. He pushed back into each forceful thrust, reveling in the sensation of Sev’s thick cock filling him. Laine rocked forward then slammed back, chasing the climax tingling in his balls.

  “Mmm, God, Laine,” Sev moaned. He moved, did something Laine couldn’t see, not with his eyes squinched shut. The next inward stroke brought the tip of Sev’s cock over Laine’s gland. Laine’s moan was torn from him, searing a path from his gut to his lips as nerve endings shot to life in his ass. The tingling in his balls spread to his dick, and up over his hole and ass, settling at the base of his spine.

  Sev kept his cock angled just so, each thrust milking Laine’s gland, setting his mind spinning as the tingling sensation crawled up his spine. The repeated brushing of his prostate made the fucking one long climax. Near-constant ecstasy was riding him, a low, sweet hum that was escalating to a full-scale chorus.

  Laine jerked one arm from under his head and reached for his dick. He didn’t start off gentle, not when his skin kept pricking with the promise of release. As Sev fucked him with all the force of a wild thing in rut, Laine jerked his cock, matching the rough thrusts that plowed his ass.

  Sev’s hips snapped faster, harder. His moans and curses mixed with Laine’s in the air. Laine inhaled and let the scents of sex and sweat fill him. Sev’s rhythm stuttered, became more of a frantic attempt to bury his dick all the way to Laine’s chest. Laine flicked his thumb over his glans then slammed his hips back hard as he delved the tip of his nail into his slit.

  A white-hot ball of ecstasy burst inside him as his balls drew tight. Sev’s shout was cut short as he rammed in one last time. The first jet of cum spewing into his ass sent Laine into orbit. He couldn’t do more than keen as spunk poured from his dick. Each pulsing release from Sev’s shaft was followed by an answering one from Laine’s. Sev whimpered when one last weak spurt trickled into Laine. He ground against Laine’s butt, the sharp blades of his hips likely bruising Laine’s flesh.

  Laine didn’t give a damn. He wanted Sev’s marks, inside and out. A warm, tickly trail of cum leaked from his hole as Sev carefully pulled his softening cock free. Laine shifted, intending to swipe at the stuff but remembered his hand was covered in it as well. He wiped it on the blanket then started to reach for his inner thigh before he started squirming—it felt like a spider or some other creepy crawly making a path through his leg hair.

  “Nuh uh,” Sev scolded in a rough voice. “I’ll get it.”

  Laine pulled his hand back, then Sev threw his already sex-fried brain into a state of total confusion.

  “Mmm,” Sev hummed against his skin. He lapped up the trickling cum, then licked the trail it had left.

  Laine didn’t know whether to be horrified or horny when Sev’s tongue slicked over his asshole. “Sev?” If his voice quivered, well, who could blame him? He didn’t know what to make of this at all.

  “It’s all right,” Sev said before driving a startled grunt from Laine by shoving his tongue inside Laine’s opening. All Laine could think was, Oh my god, that’s…so nasty it’s fucking making me hard again! And he decided he must have liked it more than not, what with the way he was pushing his butt up in a silent plea for more.

  A lewd, and likely exaggerated, slurp from behind him had Laine opening his eyes and trying to crane his head around to see what Sev was doing. He finally gave up and flopped onto his side, his chest heaving as he looked at a very self-satisfied Sev.

  Sev swiped a hand over his mouth but the smirk he’d been wearing stayed in place. “Always wanted to try that, but considering I don’t top, or didn’t until recently…” He shrugged, his cheeks darkening.

  Laine furrowed his brow as a question prodded at him. “Is that… Do you want me to do that? Because I don’t know if I can.” It kind of made him feel queasy even if his dick did seem to like the idea.

  “No, I don’t ever want you to do something that you don’t want.” But Sev averted his gaze. “It didn’t, um, I didn’t gross you out or anything, did I?”

  As tempting as it was to lie, Laine wouldn’t, not to Sev. “Once my mind slammed back down to Earth, kind of, but…” Laine swallowed his embarrassment and pushed aside his prudish side which, luckily, didn’t come out very often. “I liked it. Just didn’t expect it, you know?”

  Sev looked at him, studied Laine for a second or two, then beamed at Laine. “So, you wanna kiss me?” He puckered his lips and made smacking noises.

  Laine wrinkled his nose. “Sure—right after you brush your teeth and gargle.”

  Sev’s laughter chased off the last of the worry in his pale eyes. It also made Laine’s chest swell with the strength of his love for Sev.

  It didn’t, however, make him any more amiable to a kiss just then. That would wait until Sev’s bathroom jaunt was over, then he’d go about showing Sev just how much his sexy little ass was loved.

  Chapter Five

  The weather had done another one-eighty by morning. The grass and truck windows were edged in glistening white frost, adding a layer of beauty to McKinton Sev had seldom seen. Not that he thought the town was horrifically ugly or anything. It was just a quaint little town, full of more good people than bad. But the summers were brutally hot, and they seared their miserably hellacious temperatures and droughts into Sev’s brain so that he was always startled to find winter approaching.

  Sev watched people walking past the big window of Virginia’s Café. He swallowed his last sip of coffee and waved away the waitress when she would have approached with an offer to refill his cup. A glance at his phone showed it to be almost noon. Probably time for him to head back to the Sheriff’s Department, since that’s where he’d told Alma to meet them. He’d wanted his sister to meet Laine right off the bat, so he could judge her reaction to their relationship. Sure she knew about it, said she was okay with Sev being gay, but he couldn’t forget that not once when he called her had she ever asked to speak to his lover.

  Laine hadn’t exactly asked to talk to her, either, but that was different. Sev was the one putting forth the effort at building a relationship with his family. It was him who called, so in his opinion the least Alma and the rest of his siblings could do was ask to be introduced to Laine, even if it was over the phone.

  But they hadn’t. When he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure any of them had ever asked after Laine’s wellbeing. Sev usually just started talking about Laine and their life together early on in the call, unwilling, he admitted, to give them a chance to enquire about his lover because he was afraid they wouldn’t.

  That’s just a little messed up. He needed to stop that. It would hurt if what remained of his family didn’t truly accept him, and Laine, but it would be best to know. Self-deception was a dangerous thing, and Sev didn’t have any intention of letting it continue. With that decision made, he scooted out of the booth and dug a couple of bucks out of his pocket. After leaving them on the t
able he headed to the register to pay his bill and pick up cups of coffee for Laine and Matt.

  Hopefully Matt would be back when Sev returned. He had yet to have the opportunity to talk to his friend about Mrs. Hawkins’ spirit. Matt had taken the day off to pick Carlin up from the airport—which was why Laine couldn’t take the day off—but he’d promised Laine he’d stop by on the way home. Sev didn’t imagine Matt or Carlin would be eager to talk for long, what with Carlin having been gone for over two weeks for some trial up in New York. Carlin was a civil rights attorney, and a good one, judging by the number of cases he had even though he lived in McKinton.

  “Got your coffee all ready to go,” Virginia said as she met him at the register.

  Sev grinned at the woman, he couldn’t help it. If nothing else, her bright green metallic eyeshadow made him happy, though he couldn’t begin to fathom why. “Thanks,” Sev said as he pulled out his wallet. “I bet you’re making the mortgage on this place in coffee sales to the Sheriff’s Department since Doreen’s been on vacation.”

  Virginia snickered as she set the drink tray on the counter. “Don’t have a mortgage on the place, but yeah, I’ve been running through several more pots of coffee a day. I don’t know what Doreen was thinking, having Loretta fill in for her.”

  Sev snorted as he looked at Virginia through his lashes. “You don’t?”

  “You do?” Virginia’s drawn on eyebrows rocketed up near her hairline.

  “Sure.” At least, he was pretty certain he did, what with Doreen being somewhat devious even if she did love them. “Just think how glad everyone’s going to be when she gets back. I bet Laine even tries to get her a raise.”

  Virginia cackled as she plucked Sev’s ticket off an upside down nail sticking up from a small piece of two-by-four. “I bet you’re right. Doreen’s a smart woman, she just made sure she’s going to be treated like a queen for a long time.”

  “As if she’d tolerate being treated any differently.” Sev sniffed, then laughed and ruined his attempt at sounding haughty. “Doreen is all that and a box of chocolates, too, though. Everyone at the Sheriff’s Department would be lost without her, kinda like they are now.” It didn’t hurt to exaggerate a little, not when he knew Virginia would be passing along every bit of this to Doreen just as soon as Doreen got back from vacation.

  Besides, while the deputies and Laine weren’t exactly lost, they sure as hell weren’t happy with Loretta being there. Sev didn’t blame him. The woman looked at him like he was something she’d scraped out from under her long fake nails.

  Sev finished settling his bill then picked up the cardboard drink holder and told Virginia goodbye. The tinkling of the bells that hung on the doorknob was drowned out by a gust of icy wind. Sev scrambled to keep from dropping the coffee as his fingers began to go numb from the cold wind. He’d just managed to get the thing braced against his chest and walked a whole two steps when a car horn blared behind him.

  “Shit! Shit!” Sev shouted as his heart tried its damnedest to leap up his throat. Even though he was on the sidewalk, this was just about the same place where Laine had told him Zeke had been run over. It was a good thing he had a strong bladder. “Shit!”

  As much as he wanted to shake his burning hand, he’d kept from dropping the coffee and he didn’t want to now after having scorched some skin trying to save the drinks. Instead he carefully turned halfway around, a reprimand on his tongue. It died when he saw his sister’s smiling face through the passenger window of a silver minivan.

  The window lowered and Sev stared into a pair of eyes as light as his own. Alma’s smile flipped to a frown as she looked at him. The wind gusted over him, cold seeping in intensely here and there. Sev glanced down and saw he’d splashed coffee on his jeans.

  “Oh!”

  He looked back up at Alma’s exclamation. “Hey, sis.” Sev nodded at Roger in the driver’s seat. “Roger.” His nephews and niece weren’t in the van. “Where’s the kids?” Sev had been looking forward to seeing them at least as much as he had his sister. Probably even more. He loved kids.

  Alma opened the van door and stepped out. She planted one hand on a hip and pointed a finger from her other hand at him. “Severo, you think we want to scare the poor man to death? You told me he’s a quiet man, that he didn’t have anyone for years. And, Roger pointed out, Mr. Stenley probably doesn’t think much of us. We haven’t been the best family, I’ll take the blame for most of it, but that’s all changing now.” Alma took the cardboard holder from him. “Now, get in the van and get out of this cold weather, and tell me and Roger what we can do to not screw up meeting your man.”

  This wasn’t anything like the greeting he’d been expecting, and for the first time since telling Alma it would be fine to visit, Sev thought this whole thing might turn out okay. There was still the matter of the spirits, though. They had to find out where their friendly spirits had gone and bring them back.

  Right now, however, he needed to get in the van. Sev got in, trying to avoid a scattering of pillows and toys. He eyeballed the nearest seat, trying to figure out what kind of stain that was. It looked…wet. And gross.

  “Ah, you might not want to sit there.”

  Sev craned his neck and saw Roger watching him in the rear view mirror. “Do I want to know?”

  Roger’s eyes crinkled as he said, “No, probably not. I did try to scrub it out real quick but…”

  “But it wouldn’t be there in the first place if Adela had taken that Dramamine like she told us she did.” Alma huffed and got in the van. “That girl. She doesn’t want to do it, she just won’t, and damn the consequences. We are going to have so much trouble with her in a few more years.”

  It sounded that way to Sev, though he hoped Alma and Roger were exaggerating. Otherwise, Adela was in for a rough life until she learned she couldn’t just do what she wanted. If she learned that. Some people never did.

  Sev sat in the seat behind Roger. He buckled up and leaned over to poke his brother-in-law’s shoulder. The guy had always seemed the good natured sort to Sev. “Really, a minivan? Did the person who sold you this take your balls as a down payment?”

  “Severo!” Alma scolded then snickered with Roger. “I’ll have you know Roger is still intact!”

  “Barely,” Roger retorted as he drove toward the Sheriff’s Department. “I did have to give up my man card for it.”

  “Man card.” Alma huffed and shook her head. “It’s just a vehicle, for heaven’s sake!”

  Sev grinned as Roger and Alma bickered playfully back and forth. Roger seemed like a perfect match for Alma, both in personality and in looks. Alma was about an inch shorter than Sev, a little stocky, though he’d never say so. He wasn’t stupid. She looked like an older, feminine version of him, really.

  Roger was an attractive man, his black hair streaked with white and large down-turned brown eyes that made you want to pet his head and tell him everything would be okay. From what Sev knew of him, he had an easy going personality. He’d be one of the guys everyone liked. Sev wondered if his parents liked Roger.

  “Anywhere in particular I should park?”

  “As long as you don’t take one of the numbered slots, you’re good,” Sev told Roger. “And if y’all are done picking at each other, the only advice I have for y’all in regards to meeting Laine is just be yourselves, be honest. The man can spot deception from a mile away.” Sev thought of one more thing as he was getting out of the van. “And don’t call him Mr. Stenley. It drives me nuts. Don’t know why, but it does. So Laine’ll do, since we’re all family.” He looked at Alma and Roger when he said that last bit, wanting to gauge their reactions.

  Roger nodded but Alma frowned at him when she handed over the drink holder. “But he might prefer us to call him Mr. Stenley. Maybe he’d rather keep some distance between us.”

  Sev thought Laine might. Not the whole Mr. Stenley crap, but keep some distance? Probably. This would be kind of a shock to Laine’s system, if it all worked o
ut. Laine was an only child, so to suddenly find himself with a herd of in-laws who treated him like a brother—Sev hoped his family would do that—as well as with several nieces and nephews might just scare the beejeezus out of the man.

  But Sev still wasn’t having any of the Mr. stuff. “Call him Sheriff, then. Lots of people do, but he’s generally reserved and using his name will draw him out whether he realizes it or not. You know, establish a bond to build on and all that.” Sev didn’t know that for sure. It wasn’t like he’d ever gone to college and got a psych degree, but it sounded good. “I doubt he’s going to be calling y’all Mr. and Mrs. Martinez.”

  Turning around, he hissed as a gust of stinging wind kicked up. Sev paused for a moment, feeling a bit hinky, as if something was off. When he couldn’t figure out what, he put it down to his imagination then shrugged and led the way toward the Sheriff’s Department.

  * * * *

  Laine sat at Doreen’s desk, grateful as hell Loretta had decided to leave for lunch today instead of eating in the break room. Lord knew he needed a break from her. The woman had been plumb surly all morning and Laine was about fed up with it. He didn’t know what bug had crawled up her butt and died, but she could either extricate it—along with her snarky attitude—or she could just stay gone. Surely he could get someone else to work the desk, even if all they did was answer the phone and greet people. Maybe Rich, if Laine begged him enough.

  Or perhaps he wouldn’t have to beg, what with Miriam and her coven being down for a visit. Rich might appreciate a valid excuse to escape for eight hours.

  Laine drummed his fingers on the desk. It was too quiet, had been, in the way he was thinking, for days. Who knew he’d miss Conner’s pranks so much? Laine snorted. What he wouldn’t give now to have his hat knocked off by that ghostly hand, or for the papers on Loretta’s desk to fly up in the air in a whirlwind of Conner’s making.