Dead Speak

by Pandora Pine

  “You’re doing a pretty good job of it now,” Ten whispered.

  “Is that you or my mother talking?”

  “Both.” Ten picked his head up from Ronan’s shoulder and grinned at him. “Your mom wants you to know how proud of you she is, Ronan.”

  “I was a no-good drunk. Just like my father. How could you possibly be proud of me?” He didn’t deserve his mother’s pride. He deserved her scorn. She’d spent her life cautioning him about turning out like his father and he’d gone and done it anyway.

  “You were never a no-good drunk, Ronan. You got up and went to work every day. You took care of your obligations. You paid your bills. Do I wish you’d hit Josh over the head with the bottle instead of drinking what was inside it? Yes!” Tennyson burst out laughing. “God, your mom is a firecracker.”

  Ronan shook his head. He felt lighter than he’d felt in years. “You have no idea.”

  “There’s one more thing your mom wants to say before she goes.”

  “Goes? As in goes forever?” Ronan didn’t want this to be the last chance he got to speak to his mother.

  “No, I think she has other plans.” Tennyson waggled his eyebrows.

  “Eww, TMI!” Ronan shook his head. He didn’t want to know what his mother was up to in heaven. “What’s the one more thing, Mom?”

  “You’re right where you’re supposed to be, Ronan. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Mom,” Ronan whispered back.

  “I will, Erin. I promise,” Tennyson said, before turning back to face Ronan.

  “You will, what?”

  “Keep you safe.” Tennyson pressed a kiss to the back of Ronan’s hand.

  “That’s a tall promise to make.”

  “Don’t I know it!” Tennyson agreed.

  Ronan wrapped his arm around Ten and pulled him close. “Thank you for that. I can’t thank you enough for letting me speak to my mother again. It’s been so long.”

  “She’s one hell of a lady who loves you so much, Ronan. If my own mother had only loved me half as much...” Tennyson trailed off.

  “Don’t you doubt for one second that she already loves you as much as she loves me, probably more since you haven’t caused her any grief yet.” Ronan laughed.

  “I’d like that.”

  “Me too.” Ronan meant it. He had no idea where this thing with him and Ten was heading, but knowing he had his mother’s blessing meant the world to him. “What do you think she meant that I was where I was supposed to be? Here with you?”

  “Maybe,” Ten agreed. “Or maybe she meant in general, working cold cases, hanging out with my friends, spending the night here with me.”

  “Oh, I’m definitely in the right place here with you, sweetheart.” Ronan sealed his sugary words with an equally sweet kiss.

  38

  Tennyson

  Tennyson kissed Ronan back with all the love in his heart. Those feelings had been building for a while now and it was useless to continue to deny them. He wasn’t about to confess them to Ronan, but in this moment, it was enough to admit them to himself. The time would come when Ronan would be ready to hear him say those words out loud.

  Ronan pulled back from Tennyson’s lips, gasping for breath. “My mother can’t see us now, can she?”

  Ten shook his head no, his own lips twisting into a sexy grin. “No. Spirits tend to leave the room during the living’s more private moments.”

  “This is gonna be a private moment, isn’t it?” Ronan whispered, his voice pitched low. His tongue licked out over his bottom lip as if he was looking forward to tasting something delicious.

  “It is if you would get moving taking your clothes off.” Tennyson laughed when Ronan laid down on the carpet and did a slow shimmy of his hips to work his borrowed sweatpants down his hips. They got caught for only a second on his erection, but a moment later, Ronan was gloriously naked.

  Ronan crossed his legs at his ankles before pillowing his head on his crossed arms. “Your turn, babe.”

  Tennyson bent forward to lick the gathering pre-come off the tip of Ronan’s cock. He couldn’t help grinning at the pained moan Ronan made in response. He would have loved to stay right where he was on the floor, lavishing Ronan’s erection with all the attention it deserved, but his clothes were a liability.

  He bounced to his feet intent on getting naked as quickly as possible. Ten had his shirt halfway up his stomach before he realized they had all night. “Show me how you touch yourself when I’m not around to do it for you.”

  Ronan swallowed hard. His throat made an audible click. He nodded and slipped his arms out from behind his head. His hands trailed slowly down his chest, tweaking his nipples, leaving the flesh pebbled in his wake. They slid down his six-pack abs, tangling briefly in the light dusting of hair before moving down his treasure trail. His right hand wrapped around his drooling cock, while the left went for his balls.

  “Oh, God,” Tennyson couldn’t help moaning. He’d wanted Ronan to keep himself occupied while he slowly stripped out of his own clothes, but now he was mesmerized; frozen by the confident movements of Ronan’s hands.

  “You gonna stand there watching me have all the fun or are you gonna get naked and join in?” Ronan dropped him a sexy wink.

  Ten shook his head, hoping to find a second or two of clarity so that he could remember how to work his zipper. He slipped his shirt off and couldn’t help mimicking Ronan’s nipple play. He’d never taken much time to explore that part of him before, always going straight for his own cock and balls, but pinching himself like Ronan had done, sent a jolt of pleasure right to his already throbbing dick.

  “Like that, did you?” Ronan half-whispered. “I’ll have to remember to play with your nipples more. Maybe suck them or bite them.”

  Chewing his bottom lip, Tennyson moaned out loud. He needed to get naked and down on the floor with Ronan now, or he was going to end up coming in his pants like a teenager. With shaking hands, he somehow managed to get his pants unzipped and off. Last to go were his socks.

  “Condoms and lube?” Ronan asked, just as Ten was about to join him on the floor.

  “I’m clean. If you are too, I don’t mind going without protection.” He was back to nibbling on his bottom lip again.

  Ronan nodded briefly and went back to stroking his cock.

  Tennyson couldn’t help grinning as he sprinted toward the bedroom. He knew Ronan wasn’t one to be sentimental, but the idea of giving themselves to each other with no barrier between them was as touching to him as it was to Ronan. The gruff detective hadn’t been able to hide the emotion in his eyes from Tennyson.

  Grabbing what he needed, Ten hurried back to the living room. He took a minute to admire the way Ronan looked spread out on his light blue throw rug, bathed in candlelight. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

  Ronan shook his head. “What I am is horny as fuck. Now get down here.”

  Ten rolled his eyes, but obeyed Ronan’s command. He knew it was second nature for the cop to bark out orders. He set the lube down near Ronan’s right hand and squatted over his prone body. “You’re so bossy.” Tennyson kissed him.

  “You love that about me,” Ronan returned easily, dropping his erection in exchange for cupping Tennyson face in his large hands.

  Instead of answering, Ten kissed him back. He was hoping to turn this encounter back to the gentler coupling it had been after he’d channeled Ronan’s mother.

  Telling Ronan about that had been a gamble. Ten had no idea if Ronan was ready to speak with his mother yet. After the emotion and drama this day had brought, it probably wasn’t the best time to introduce Erin, who Ten had been speaking to since the day he and Ronan met, but thankfully it had worked out in his favor.

  This day, more than any other, Ronan had needed to speak to his mother. There would be plenty of time to talk about that later, but right now, Ronan was laid out beneath him, like an all you can eat buffet; hot and ready to go.

  While Tennyson morphed the
tenor of their kiss from desperate and carnal to something a bit more slow and lazy, he settled his smaller frame on top of Ronan’s body, feeling the heat of his lover’s body sink into his own. His hands found Ronan’s and their fingers threaded together.

  Tennyson could feel the tension start to seep from Ronan’s body as they lay on the floor kissing each other. After a few minutes, he squeezed their joined hands, while his hips canted forward, nudging his cock against Ten’s stomach.

  “Trying to give me a clue, Detective?” Tennyson grinned down at him.

  “Not that I don’t love the feel of your lips pressed against mine, but now that they’re warmed up, I’d love it lot more if they were wrapped around my cock.” Ronan kissed him hard, before his lips curled into a self-satisfied smirk.

  Taking the hint, Tennyson worked his way down Ronan’s body, stopping to pay special attention to his sensitive nipples, grazing his teeth over the already pebbled flesh.

  “Fast learner,” Ronan sighed, losing his fingers in Tennyson’s mop of dark curls.

  Tennyson tried to go slowly and savor every inch of Ronan’s skin, but truth be told, all he wanted to do was get Ronan’s drooling dick into his mouth. It had been a long day for him too, and he just wanted to lose himself in Ronan’s body.

  When he reached his prize, Ten settled himself between Ronan’s legs, pushing them as far apart as they would go. He couldn’t decide what he wanted to taste first.

  “Uh, is there a problem down there?” Ronan asked with snark in his voice.

  “Not anymore.” Tennyson offered an evil grin and swiped his tongue over Ronan’s dark hole. Usually, it was polite to ask another man’s permission before licking his asshole, but in light of his lover’s recent sarcasm, Ten decided to forgo the usual protocol and just stick his tongue where the sun didn’t shine.

  “Oh, fuck!” Ronan gasped, his toes digging into the carpet. “Warn a guy, would you?”

  Ten snorted. “My bad.” He stabbed his tongue against the hard furl of muscle guarding Ronan’s entrance. “Want me to stop?”

  “Hell, no!” Ronan practically pleaded.

  Grinning, Tennyson went back to work, alternating between swirling his tongue around Ronan’s most sensitive flesh and stabbing at his entrance. He’d never done this with a lover before, only having seen it done online. Judging by Ronan’s moans and the way his fingers were digging into Tennyson’s scalp, his favorite internet porn stars had been excellent teachers.

  When his jaw and tongue were starting to ache from his maiden rim job, Ten moved on to Ronan’s balls, lavishing them with the same gold-star treatment. While he gently suckled each orb in turn, he slipped a finger inside Ronan’s passage.

  “Oh Jesus, Ten.” It was hard to tell if Ronan’s gravelly tone was a plea to keep going or to stop.

  “Is it too much?” He had a feeling this might be new ground for his more dominant lover, which was exciting as fuck. His own erection jerked with anticipation.

  “More.” Ronan’s whisper was barely audible, but Tennyson heard it all the same.

  He slipped a bit more of his finger inside Ronan’s hot channel, while at the same time capturing the head of his cock inside his mouth. The sound Ronan made was nearly Tennyson’s undoing. To Ten’s ears, it was pure ecstasy. If anyone deserved to feel that way right now, it was his lover.

  Finding the small bump that marked Ronan’s prostate, Tennyson concentrated on rubbing against it. He took more of Ronan’s cock into his mouth, using his tongue to lash against the hardened flesh. Ronan’s moans of disjointed consonants let him know he was doing everything right.

  Tennyson took a moment to open his eyes and look up at Ronan, who to his surprise, was staring right back at him. His pupils were blown wide, leaving only the thinnest ring of blue left in his eyes. His forehead was covered in sweat, which was dripping back into his hair, turning the dirty blond locks dark. Ronan’s mouth hung open as he moaned out his pleasure; the pleasure Ten was giving him. In short, Ronan was a masterpiece.

  “Ten, please,” Ronan managed to whisper, before his head fell back against the blue rug.

  Tennyson smiled around his mouthful. He wasn’t about to hurry up his efforts to make Ronan come, but knowing that Ronan needed it so badly ramped up his own desire even more. He took his lover’s cock even more deeply into his mouth, gagging in the process.

  Ronan bellowed out Tennyson’s name. His hands tightened against Ten’s scalp.

  Oh, so that was it... Ronan loved it when his cock gagged his lover. Tennyson didn’t overly mind giving that to Ronan. On every third bob of his head, he went down too far, gagging himself on Ronan’s dick. He even play-acted a bit, doing it a bit louder than necessary.

  The moans got louder and less coherent, while Ronan’s grip on Tennyson’s head started to loosen. Ten knew Ronan was getting closer and closer to his end. More than anything, he wanted to give Ronan his release and wanted to be rewarded with the mouthful he’d been working so hard for.

  Tennyson tapped a little harder on the tiny bump inside Ronan’s loosened hole and gagged himself on Ronan’s cock one last time.

  Ronan bellowed Tennyson’s name while his cock jerked in his lover’s mouth.

  Tennyson was rewarded with a salty mouthful of Ronan’s come. He grabbed his lover’s hip to steady him as Ronan started bucking as his orgasm overtook him. The last thing Tennyson wanted at this stage of the game was to get thrown off like a rodeo rider on a crazed bull.

  Wave after wave of sweet cream burst from Ronan’s dick and into Tennyson’s mouth. Remembering what he’d seen in the pornos, he’d let some of it dribble out of his mouth and down the side of his face. He had a feeling Ronan would get off on knowing Tennyson couldn’t handle his full load.

  For his part, Ronan kept moaning, though not as loudly as before. His eyes were locked on Tennyson and seemed to grow wider when Tennyson pulled off his cock and let a stream or two of his come blast him in the face.

  When the last weak pulse of come streamed from Ronan’s slit. Tennyson dropped his lover a sexy wink. He swiped a finger through a ribbon of the cooling release and sucked it off his finger.

  “Sweet Jesus, Ten,” Ronan said, his voice scratchy. “You trying to kill me?”

  “Is it working?” Tennyson asked, sounding cheeky.

  Ronan nodded, struggling to sit up. “Where the hell did a sweet boy from Kansas learn how to do that?”

  Tennyson snorted. “Where every other sweet, gay boy learns it. The internet.”

  Ronan started laughing along with him. “Give me half an hour and I’ll put that lube we didn’t need to good use.”

  Tennyson could have cared less about the unused lube at the moment. Right now, Ronan looked ten years younger than he had when they’d gotten back to his apartment. He didn’t care if they spent the rest of the night doing each other’s nails and watching reruns of Gossip Girl.

  All that mattered right now was that Ronan was here and he was safe. Tennyson counted that as a win. Sex could wait. But not for too long.

  39

  Ronan

  It turned out the wait was only seventeen minutes. Ronan had gotten Tennyson into bed and discovered his stash of sex toys in the bottom drawer of his nightstand. His resting cock had come back to life with a vengeance once he’d gotten Tennyson loosened up and started using his toys to get his lover ready for his cock.

  They’d gone two more rounds before Ronan was too tired and too sore to get it up again. They’d both fallen into exhausted sleep sometime around midnight. The problem Ronan always had when he was working a hot case was that his spinning mind never let him rest.

  He’d woken up around 4am and knew he was up for the day. Tennyson was still fast asleep in the same position they’d been in originally with his right cheek on Ronan’s heart and his left arm thrown around his lover’s hips.

  It had taken some slow maneuvering, but after ten minutes, Ronan had managed to work himself out of bed without waking Tennyson. His
lover deserved all the sleep he could get. He knew Ten wasn’t used to keeping these kinds of hours.

  Ronan wandered back into Ten’s living room and found the pair of sweatpants he’d worn last night. Once he had those on, he went into the kitchen where he found that Tennyson had the identical one-cup coffee machine that he owned. The only difference was that Tennyson’s was blue, while his own was black.

  Knowing Ten wouldn’t mind if he rifled through the cabinets, Ronan located the K-cups and sugar. Within minutes he was enjoying a cup of coffee and staring out over the darkened Salem, Massachusetts skyline.

  Having lived in Boston his whole life, being out in the ‘burbs for the night had been a bit unsettling for him. He never slept well in strange places at first, but being here last night with Ten entailed a lot of new things to get used to at once. New lover, new, softer bed, quiet city street beneath the bedroom window. Not that Ronan would rush in to wake Tennyson with the shocking news, but he’d liked it here. He’d liked spending the night with Ten in his peaceful space.

  Turning away from the window when the mug of coffee was empty, Ronan knew it was time to get back to work. He knew Tennyson had brought home the Officer Buddy roll call list and now was as good a time as any to go through it. Not that he was expecting any names to jump off the list at him screaming, “It was me! I’m a child rapist and killer!”

  Ronan set another cup of coffee to brew and grabbed the list out of Tennyson’s messenger bag. He couldn’t help but smile when it didn’t bother him to go into Ten’s bag. The lines between them seemed to blur more and more with each passing day and along with it, so did Ronan’s worry about getting into another relationship.

  He was starting to think Josh was just an asshole he’d had the bad fortune of hooking up with and the fault in their relationship imploding was all on Josh. Tennyson was helping him see that he had value not only as a professional partner, but as a lover too.

  Setting the coffee and the list of names on the breakfast counter, Ronan hauled himself into one of the two metal barstools that sat side by side. As soon as the cream and sugar were stirred into his coffee, Ronan immediately forgot the hot brew as he dug into the list of fellow officers.