by E. M. Leya
The house was lit up when he got home, the flicker of the TV showing through the window blinds. Having someone waiting for him touched something deep inside his soul, reminding him just how lonely he'd been just a couple of months before. He liked this new life. The life where Danny was in the house, waiting to welcome him home.
He pushed open the front door and nearly groaned at the smell of a roast or something like it. Danny's cooking was always amazing. Another blessing. Who didn't want a man who could cook like a gourmet chef? "Honey, I'm home," Marshall called as he shut the door.
"Hey." Danny walked into the entry hall and smiled, then noticed the flowers and paused.
"For you." Marshall offered him the roses.
"Thank you, they're beautiful." Danny took them, dipping his nose close as he inhaled deeply. "But why?" His gaze flicked up to meet Marshall's.
"Why not? Can't your boyfriend bring you flowers to show he cares?" Marshall stepped close, sliding one arm around Danny's waist to pull him near.
"I guess so." Danny grinned. "No one's ever given me flowers before."
"I hoped I'd be the first." Marshall dropped a soft kiss on Danny's mouth. "I like being your first."
Danny's breath hitched but Marshall couldn't tell if it was from pleasure or nervousness at his words. He blushed as he smiled. "I cooked dinner."
"I can smell." Marshall patted his stomach. "It smells amazing. Roast?"
"Yeah, it was something new I wanted to try." Danny led him to the kitchen. "Let me put these in a vase, then I'll serve you."
Marshall noticed the small kitchen table was set as if Danny had been waiting for him. The thought warmed his heart. He really could get used to this. "Can I help somehow?"
"No, it's all ready to set on the table. Just have a seat and I'll get it. What do you want to drink?"
"Do we have any more of that cranberry and soda mixture you made the other day?" It was another experimental concoction Danny had tried that ended up being Marshall's new favorite drink.
"I made more today." Danny grinned as he set the vase of flowers on the breakfast bar before he turned and pulled a roast from the oven.
"This looks amazing." He eyed the roast, his mouth watering at sight of the tender meat that was already sliced.
"I hope you like cauliflower." Danny set a bowl of it down beside the roast, a creamy cheese sauce leaked over it.
"You're spoiling me."
Danny grinned. "They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
Marshall reached out, catching Danny's hand in his before he could move away. He looked up, meeting his gaze. "You already have my heart, Danny."
Danny swallowed hard, his cheeks flushed.
"I mean it. I think I'm falling in love with you, if I haven't fallen already. You're all I think about. When I'm not with you, all I think about is getting back to you. I feel panic when I think that you might want to leave here, go out on your own. You've become such a part of my life now I don't want to let you go." He hadn't planned on getting so serious as soon as he got home, but the words just came out.
Danny's eyes widened. "You're serious?"
"About us? Very. I've never felt this way about someone. I know you might not be ready for anything too serious, might want to explore the world a bit before settling down with someone, but I can't stop how I feel. I've never thought about a future with anyone, but with you, it just feels right."
Danny dropped to his knees in front of Marshall. "I don't want anyone else. I'm not sure anyone else could understand me, accept me, or make me feel the way you do. I know I'm broken. I can't give all of myself to you, but I think I love you too. I've never loved anyone before so it's confusing. I feel like I'm holding you back from having more with someone else—"
"I have it all with you. I don't need someone else." Marshall cupped Danny's face. "I know we've hinted at things before. We've talked a little about dating and being together, but I want you to know how serious I am about us. In my mind, I see myself still coming home to you like this ten years from now."
Danny gasped.
"Too much?"
"I don't know." Danny stared at him. "It scares me, but then the thought of it not happening scares me too. What if I'm not enough? What if I can't give you what you need? Satisfy you the way another man could?"
"You mean sex?"
Danny nodded.
"I've told you, that doesn't matter. If it happens, it happens. I love holding you, kissing you. It's enough. Don't let sex be the reason you fear a relationship with me. It's the last thing on my mind." That wasn't really true, but there was no way he'd force it on Danny. He would go without if it meant keeping Danny here with him. He could take care of his own needs if things didn't happen between them.
"I don't mind doing some stuff, but sex…" Danny ducked his head.
"Babe, it's okay. I know. Sex is so much more than penetration. We can curl up in bed in our clothes and just make out. We can kiss, touch, caress. We don't have to do more. We do as much as you're comfortable with, even if that is all we ever do."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure." Marshall kissed Danny before pulling back. "Let's eat, then we can talk more. I didn't mean to have this conversation until later tonight when we were relaxing."
"I'm not sure I can relax. I'm nervous about tomorrow." Danny took a seat across from Marshall at the table.
"There is nothing to be worried about. This is what the team does. We don't go in without being sure we can pull it off. The team has planned and prepared for tomorrow for over a week now. We'll hang around here all day, then we'll head out to dinner and a movie later while the team prepares to go in. D promised to call me as soon as they are done to let us know if it was Larry."
"How long before the police find out?"
"Soon after the team leaves. They'll call after they are a safe distance away and send the police in to arrest Dale and Larry and rescue the kids. I'm guessing you won't hear from the police until the day after. You need to remember to look surprised when the detective contacts you. Don't let on that you already knew anything about it."
Danny nodded.
"If it turns out not to be Larry, we still have a chance of catching him at his mother's grave on her birthday, but my gut tells me it's him there with his cousin."
"Yeah, mine too." Danny stabbed a piece of meat but didn't lift it to his mouth. "How soon will a court hearing happen?"
"I don't know anything about that. I'm guessing a month or two at most. We could get lucky and he'll plead guilty and you won't have to testify." He really doubted that would happen but he could hope.
"I'll do whatever I have to so that he can't hurt anyone again," Danny said.
"So will I. And if he is there when the team goes in, he won't be able to hurt anyone again. At least not rape them. The team will take that ability from him."
"Is it bad that I wish I could be the one to cut it off him?"
Marshall smiled. "Not at all. I wish the same thing, though I doubt I could go through with it if I was there. I don't have the stomach for it."
"Yeah, it would probably make me sick too, but I'd still do it." Danny took a bite of his dinner, chewed it for a long minute, then looked up. "What made you buy me roses tonight?"
Marshall shrugged. "I was just happy to be coming home to you and thought I'd grab them for you on the way. It's nice to come home to someone here. I thought I enjoyed living alone but now that you're here, I don't think I'd ever want to go back to it. It's nice to have someone waiting for me. I love the fact you can come to work with me now too when you want. There are days I'm there so many hours, and knowing you're there will make it easier. I can walk out and get a hug or kiss from you and erase all the evil I've had to look at all day."
"You really want me there? I won't distract you?"
Marshall laughed. "Oh, you'll be a huge distraction, but that's okay. It's not like I wouldn't be thinking about you all of the time anyway and wishing I was
home. At least with you there sometimes I can sneak out and get a kiss. I don't expect you there all of the time, but it will be nice when you are."
"I was thinking I could cook for the team if they wouldn't mind."
"They'd love it." Marshall could already hear everyone raving about having meals cooked for them. "You really love cooking, don't you?"
Danny nodded. "I was looking at a couple of online courses. I'm not sure I'm ready to go to a school and deal with people yet, but I'd like to learn. Jessica's been helping me look at what's available."
"I think it's a great idea." Marshall meant it. He wanted Danny to find what made him happy and pursue it.
"But I also need to find a job. I'm just not sure what."
Marshall sat back, hoping he could say the right thing. He didn't want Danny rushing off to work and forcing himself to face the world if he wasn't ready, but he also understood Danny's need to support himself. "When you are ready to work, I'll support your decision, but I want you to know that things are okay how they are right now if you're not ready. I'll help you pay for school or whatever it is you need."
Danny sighed. "It's hard to think about putting myself out there, but I think I'm more scared of Larry finding me than anything. If you really have found him, then maybe I'll feel safer once he's arrested."
Marshall wished he could kill the man and assure Danny that this nightmare was over. "Whatever works for you. I just don't want you to feel rushed to go find a job. I make more than enough to support both of us, and if you're going to be cooking like this all of the time, you're more than earning your keep." He took the last bite of meat from his plate, savoring the flavor. "It's really good."
"Thanks." Danny blushed.
"So, what can we do tonight to keep you from worrying about tomorrow?" Marshall picked up their empty plates and took them to the sink.
When Danny didn't respond, Marshall looked back at him, finding Danny's cheeks red as he stared at the floor.
"What is it?" Marshall asked.
"I thought maybe we could…" Danny bit his lip.
It was easy to guess what Danny wanted. "You want to make out like teenagers until we both lose our minds?" His cock was aching at just the words. He'd missed Danny's touch. Holding each other at night was great, but he longed for more. Longed for things he had to let Danny initiate.
Danny nodded and grinned. "Is that okay?"
Marshall moved from the sink and took Danny's hand in his. He bent, kissing his palm. "It's more than okay. In fact, I think it's perfect. I love watching your reaction to my touch, to my kisses. Even more, I like the look on your face when you forget about everything but us." He drew Danny up from his chair. "Let me lock the doors and we can head to bed."
"This early?"
"I don't plan on sleeping right away." Marshall grinned. His body was already longing for the pleasure he knew they could bring each other. "Go get ready for bed and I'll meet you there."
"I need to put dinner away first." Danny broke away and started putting food away.
Food was the last thing on Marshall's mind, but he liked that Danny wasn't going to let the food sit out all night and go to waste. "How can I help."
"There's not much. I've got this. Go lock up and we'll meet in the bedroom."
Marshall rushed to lock up the house and turn off most of the lights. It was still early and there was a chance they might get back up, but if he had his way, they'd spend the rest of the evening in bed, slowly allowing Danny to learn to trust him when it came to the more intimate side of their relationship.
Danny was pulling his shirt over his head as Marshall walked into the room He glanced up and smiled. "It doesn't make sense that I'm nervous when we sleep beside each other almost every night, but somehow knowing we're going to do more changes things."
Marshall kicked off his shoes before moving across the room so he was standing beside Danny. "We aren't going to do anything you don't want to do, and if we only talk, that is okay too." He reached out, grasped Danny's hips, and pulled him close. "Don't worry about what will happen tonight. Just enjoy being together." He dipped his head so he could brush his lips over Danny's neck.
"I want stuff to happen." Danny arched his neck, giving Marshall more room.
"Me too." Marshall slid his hands to the button on Danny's jeans and slipped it open before slowly lowering the zipper. "First, we're going to get naked and climb into bed. Once there, we'll just see what happens." Since they always wore boxers or sweats to sleep in, being naked would change things up. Holding each other close meant skin against skin. Just the thought had him getting harder.
He tried to keep his arousal from getting too high too fast. The last thing he wanted was to scare Danny. He took a deep breath as he focused on lowering Danny's pants, letting them pool around his feet, then doing the same with his boxers. "You're so beautiful." He ran his hands down Danny's sides. "I just look at you and can't believe how lucky I am that you want to be with me."
Danny blushed and shook his head. "I'm broken."
"You're not broken. You're perfect." He bent and kissed Danny for a moment, then stepped back, pulling his own jeans and underwear off. His erection was impossible to hide, so hoping to take Danny's attention from it, he turned and folded the blankets back on the bed. "Let me hold you."
Danny glanced at Marshall's naked body, then nodded as he climbed into the bed. He scooted to the far side, then relaxed against the pillow. "Will you tell me about your day?"
Marshall slid in beside him, turning to face Danny as he carefully kept an inch of space between them. He rested his hand on Danny's stomach and shook his head. "No, talking about my day would ruin the mood. Tell me about yours." The last thing he wanted was to tell Danny about the videos he'd found or the faces of the children he'd tried to identify.
"There isn't much to tell. I cooked. I spent way too much time online looking at recipes. And I looked at a couple of online courses I might take. Other than that, I talked to Jessica for a bit, and took a nap."
"Sounds like a perfect day." He softly let his fingers travel over Danny's pale skin. "If you want, we can sign you up for one of those classes tomorrow before we go out. I can't tell you how much I love coming home to a hot meal. I spend way more time than I should at work wondering what you're making."
Danny laughed. "I like that I can do that for you. It helps me feel like I'm contributing to this relationship somehow. I don't feel like I'm using you."
"Don't ever feel that way. You're not using me at all." Marshall dipped his head and kissed Danny's chest softly, then flicked his tongue over one of his nipples. "Things are perfect the way they are right now. Don't feel like you have to rush to do anything." Danny's breathing became harder as Marshall moved to the other nipple. "What we're doing works for us right now."
"I like this." Danny arched his back off the bed slightly. "It feels good."
"I like it too." Marshall trailed his tongue to Danny's belly button and twirled it inside before raising back up and dropping a soft kiss to Danny's lips.
Danny's arms went around Marshall, holding him there as he kissed him back. It started off as a sweet, gentle kiss, then quickly intensified as Danny opened his mouth to him and let him inside.
Marshall took full advantage, delving his tongue in, meeting and teasing Danny's. They seldom kissed this way. Keeping most of the contact safe and tame, but tonight, since Danny had asked for more, Marshall gave in to his desires. Conscious of still having to hold back, he resisted the urge to roll on top of Danny, instead keeping space between them. He needed Danny to come to him. Wanted him to take the lead and show him what he wanted.
It didn't take long for Danny to do just that. After several minutes of kissing, he rolled to his side and brought their bodies together. Danny's hardness pressed hot against Marshall's thigh, and his own erection nestled almost between Danny's legs.
Not moving or thrusting against him was nearly impossible, but he fought the urge, reminding himself
he needed to go slow. Marshall slid his hands around Danny's body, bringing them tighter together as he nipped at his lower lip. "I like the way your body fits so perfectly against mine."
Danny pulled back just a bit and stared at Marshall. "Can I touch you?"
Marshall nodded. "You don't ever have to ask me. You can do anything you want to me. I love you against me. Love the feel of your hands on me." He slid his hand down Danny's side and over his hip. "Can I touch you too?"
Danny closed his eyes but nodded. "I'd like that." He slid his hand between them and wrapped it around Marshall's cock. He smiled at the gasp of pleasure that came from Marshall. "You're dripping."
"Your touch turns me on. Just kissing you is enough to make me hard most of the time." Marshall took Danny's thick cock into his hand and swept his thumb over the head. "You're wet too."
Danny blushed.
"Can I taste you?"
"You're sure?"
Marshall laughed. "Oh yeah, I'm sure. I love having you in my mouth." He watched Danny's reaction closely, hoping he wasn't rushing things. Even though they'd done this before, this time was different. It was their first time being like this since they'd admitted to having feelings for each other. He eased Danny to his back again, then kissed a trail down his body, stopping right before he got to his cock. He lifted his head, needing permission to continue.
"Please." Danny's voice was breathless as if he was already feeling the pleasure that would come.
That was all Marshall needed to hear. He licked up Danny's shaft, then took him into his mouth, his lips stretching wide as he slid down him. He closed his eyes at the taste of him, enjoying the pulse against his tongue as he worked his mouth over him, wanting to bring Danny pleasure and push back all the horrible memories of the past.
Danny groaned, lifting his hips as his fingers slid into Marshall's hair. "That feels so good."