“That’s exactly what it felt like,” Lee said unsteadily, “exactly like one full-body hug from Stefan. He was always so happy, just glowed with it almost all the time when I saw him. I could even hear it in his voice when I’d call.”

  “He sounds very special. Conner thinks so, too. Does that make Conner any less of an asshole in your opinion?”

  “Yes,” Darren answered before Lee could speak and possibly set Conner off again.

  “Even if Lee doesn’t think so now, he will.”

  Lee huffed, his warm breath wafting on the back of Darren’s neck. “You just don’t want me to make him mad again.”

  “Exactly. I preferred the warm comforting spirit to the cold ball freezing one, thank you very much.”

  “He grows on you.”

  Darren raised his eyebrows at Laine. “Whether you want him to or not?” AFTERMATH

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  “Yeah, although if I’d known it was Conner fucking with me when he first started I wouldn’t have been so mad about him doing it.” Laine shrugged. “Or maybe I’d have checked myself in at the state hospital.”

  * * * *

  Lee slid his hand up to Darren’s chest and pushed until Darren leant back on him.

  Looking at Severo, he asked, “Can Stefan talk to you?”

  “Ah, well, here’s the thing,” Severo said as he stood up and stretched his back. “Each spirit is different, pretty much like living people, so the way they communicate varies.

  Conner is the only one I can actually hear in complete sentences, and that wasn’t always true.

  When he first came to me he was as vague and difficult to understand as any other spirit I’d worked with.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Severo walked to the refrigerator and opened it, helping himself to a cold soda.

  “Anyone else want one? No? Okay.” He shut the fridge door then popped the tab on the drink and took a long, noisy drink. “Sorry. Anyway, what I mean is, spirits don’t vocalise like we do, hence the tales of moans and groans and such. It’s hard to explain, but there’s this buzzing in my head when one tries to get my attention.

  Usually I can understand bits and pieces, a word or two, maybe a sentence if I’m lucky—or they’re lucky. Either way, it’s like most spirits are incapable of getting more than a few words to me at a time. Stefan’s like that, very chaotic thoughts and images shoot from him to me. Conner’s been trying to help Stefan, so maybe he’ll help us communicate, too.” Lee hoped so. He’d even apologise to Conner if necessary—and feel like a complete idiot while he did so. Still, if it was what he had to do to find out if Stefan had fallen or been the victim of someone he trusted, Lee would drop to his knees and beg Conner’s forgiveness.

  Lee wavered, trying to put his thoughts into words.

  Severo came over to him and studied him for a moment before looking at Darren and giving him a thumbs-up that made Lee scowl and Darren snicker. Then Severo glanced at him and something in the man’s pale eyes made Lee’s stomach flutter. “Is there something specific you’re needing to know?”

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  75

  It might have been a common thing Severo asked of anyone whose deceased loved one Severo was communicating with, but Lee felt like the man had peered right into his mind. It was unsettling. He cleared his throat which had gone dry the instant Severo had settled his gaze on Lee’s. “I have questions about Stefan’s death. He was scared of heights, and like I told you, he was found in Mercer’s Ravine. I can’t figure out why he would have been anywhere near a ledge.”

  “And there was the new friend he made, the one even I didn’t know about,” Darren added.

  “Yeah, I’d really like to know who the guy was. That’s why I tried to find Darren for so long.” But it wasn’t why he was so very happy to have found him. Lee tipped his head down and looked at the man in his arms. “And I’m so lucky to have found you.” Darren smiled but glanced away. “But I wasn’t any help at all, I—” Lee kissed Darren, shutting off his protest. He had seen the guilt seeping into Darren’s expression, heard it in his voice. Even though he didn’t care for an audience, Lee brought his lips to Darren’s and kissed him until Darren went limp in his arms, a soft whimper slipping from his mouth into Lee’s.

  “We’re going to go, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “Thanks,” Lee murmured, too caught by the affection in Darren’s gaze to look away.

  “Lock the door, would you?”

  He didn’t wait to hear the reply, instead melding his mouth to Darren’s again and losing himself in the treasure in his arms.

  * * * *

  Darren was melting from the inside out, pleasure heating him slowly at first as Lee kissed him tenderly, then ratcheting up several degrees to scorching hot as the kiss turned fierce and Lee palmed Darren’s cock through his jeans.

  Lee sucked on Darren’s lower lip as his jeans were unfastened then Lee’s hand was on him, fisting Darren’s rod with strokes so perfect Darren’s eyes opened and crossed.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it, baby?” Lee asked as he ended the kiss. “You’re already so close, your dick is dripping. I bet your balls are already hard and tight. Let’s see.” Lee shoved his other hand in Darren’s jeans and hummed as he cupped Darren’s sac. “Yeah, nice and snug.” AFTERMATH

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  Lee did something that had Darren’s back bowing and his hands searching for something to hold onto. He settled for clutching at Lee’s thighs as Lee laughed. “Hm. You liked my nails scratching you.” He did it again, leaving a stinging trial over Darren’s balls that kicked his climax into gear.

  “Lee,” Darren managed to gasp as his vision went bright white and cum shot from his slit. Darren jerked and panted, his balls aching with each spurt. Once he slumped against Lee, sated and sluggish from coming so hard, he became aware of the hard dick jabbing at his backside.

  Trying to turn around enough to get to Lee’s zipper, Darren asked, “What can I do?”

  “Stand up and put your hands flat on the table.” Lee was already pushing Darren up.

  He hoped his legs would hold him. Darren stood and put his palms on the table then lowered his chest until he was laying half on the scarred wood. Spreading his legs was only logical, but canting his hips so his butt stuck up and his cheeks parted was something he did to stoke the lust he’d glimpsed in Lee’s eyes.

  “This what you want?” Darren shook his butt, glad Lee couldn’t see his flaming face with the way Darren had propped his forehead on his folded arms.

  Something wet and cold dribbled into his crack. Darren yelped and lifted his head, trying to see over his shoulder to what Lee was doing.

  “Your cum,” Lee rumbled. Darren dropped his head back onto his forearms as Lee rubbed the mess between Darren’s cheeks. “Now I’m gonna ride this pretty ass, rut right here,”—Lee rubbed a path down Darren’s crack—“until I cum all over your ass, your back—

  everywhere I can.”

  “Do it,” Darren urged. “I’m already getting hard again. See if you can make me come again.” Lee wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge.

  “You so fucking will.” Lee’s hot thick cock pressed into Darren’s crease. One of his hands found Darren’s erection while the other covered Darren’s crack, pinning Lee’s cock in the snug sheath he’d made. “You’re young, you can come again and again, can’t you?”

  “Yeah,” Darren grunted, his hips slamming against the table as Lee started humping him without restraint.

  “Better hang on, I’m just getting started.”

  Darren took it for the warning it was and rested his head on the table, gripping the edge of it tightly with his hands. “Go for it.”

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  Lee did, with more force than Darren had thought possible. His hips and the tops of his thighs even, not to mention his butt, would likely be bruised all over. A hard jerked to his cock had Darren panting. He pushed back using his arms to power the movement then snapped his hips forward, pumping into Lee’s hand.

  The tip of one of Lee’s fingers pressed deep into his slit and Darren saw stars. His orgasm boiled up from his balls as Lee prodded his slit again then Darren was coming, tumbling further into bliss with each gush of cum that jetted from his dick.

  “Yeah, fucking scream for me, baby!” Lee rammed his cock in Darren’s crease and moaned as Darren felt the first warm splatter hit his lower back.

  He savoured every sound Lee made as more cum coated his skin, purred when Lee finally stopped thrusting and started rubbing the cooling spunk over as much of Darren’s butt and back as he could.

  “You looked good like this, covered in my cum.”

  Darren shivered upon hearing Lee’s gravel-rough voice and thought his dick would be hard again in no time if Lee kept talking. And he couldn’t see how that would ever be a bad thing.

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  Chapter Ten

  It was less difficult than Lee had thought it would be to not only accept the fact that spirits were, however odd it sounded, real, but also to get used to one hanging around off and on. He did wish he could actually talk with Stefan. Lee talked to him, more so as each day passed and he got over feeling silly for talking to someone he couldn’t see or hear—

  unless Stefan knocked something over.

  He did that sometimes, nothing major, but the day he’d pulled at the back door and sent it slapping shut Darren had been ridiculously thrilled. Once he explained to Lee about the incident that had Darren cracking his chin on the floor Lee understood why his lover was so pleased to find it had been Stefan paying him a visit.

  However, the story drove home to Lee the fact that Darren was out here alone, or had been before Lee joined him. And he would be again, if Lee decided not to stay. Lee didn’t have anywhere he had to be, and since he’d sold his parents’ home in Jackson, he didn’t even have a place of his own. He really had spent almost two years trying to find Darren, driving around from one town or city to another, checking whatever leads he turned up—none of which had panned out except the last.

  After having spent so long looking for Darren, was it any wonder Lee didn’t want to leave him? Lee sat on the porch and watched Darren shake a finger at Red and scold the rooster. After the third time Red had tried to maul Lee, and succeeded to a small degree, Darren had banned Lee from going anywhere near the chicken coop.

  Darren turned and began walking towards the porch. Lee’s dick firmed up as he started thinking of the quickest way to get Darren out of his clothes. Tomorrow would be Darren’s first day back at work since Virginia disciplined him and Lee planned on making sure Darren felt him all day.

  Yes, he had plans for that amazingly tight ass, and since Darren said he needed to be up by four-thirty or so in the morning, Lee wanted to get started on fucking Darren right away.

  “I think it’s time for bed.” Lee stood and held his hand out to Darren.

  “Really, now, at…” Darren glanced at his watch. “Three in the afternoon. You sure you’re only thirty-two?”

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  Lee caught Darren by the wrist. “Bucket’s empty, right?” Darren frowned at him like Lee was dense. “Well, yeah, I gather the eggs in the—hey!” Lee slapped the bucket from Darren’s hand and hefted his lover up in a fireman’s carry before Darren could get another word out. He popped Darren’s ass just hard enough to sting.

  “That’s for the age crap.”

  “And this is for spanking me.” Darren’s nip to Lee’s ass wasn’t painful at all, but Lee yelped anyway then promptly landed another smack to Darren’s backside.

  “I can do this all day,” Lee warned when Darren bit him again, and much harder than the first time. “Maybe I’ll just bend you over the porch rail here, jerk your pants down and pink your ass up right. Sound like a plan?” Lee was only half teasing. He hadn’t ever done the whole spanking a lover thing, but those two swats he’d landed to Darren’s ass had turned them both on.

  And seeing Darren’s pale skin warming and blushing under Lee’s hand, feeling that firm flesh give under his palm—well, Lee suddenly understood the appeal of a little rough play. For that matter, he’d liked that zing of pain when Darren had bit him the second time.

  “So what’s it going to be, baby?”

  Darren’s answer wasn’t a word but a bite, and if Lee had thought the second one was hard he’d been wrong, it was nothing compared to this—and he liked that it hurt more, too.

  “Damn. Maybe I should strip and let you have at my ass.” Lee set Darren back on his feet and reached behind himself to rub the throbbing spot on his butt. “Or maybe I should make sure you didn’t take a chunk out of me.”

  Darren was grabbing at him instantly, spinning Lee away from him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think it’d hurt with your jeans and—” He fumbled with the button on Lee’s jeans. “Let me check and make sure I didn’t break the skin or something. God, Lee, I’m so sorry!”

  “I was teasing. I, uh, I kind of liked it.” There was no ‘kind of’ to it. Lee’s cock was hard enough to hammer a railroad spike.

  Darren didn’t sound relieved as he opened Lee’s jeans. “Uh huh. You just don’t want me to feel guilty for hurting you. Now let me—”

  Lee spotted the truck turning onto the road leading to the house at the same time he heard the engine. “Later. Company’s coming.”

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  “Let’s go inside and I’ll just check real quick.” Darren tugged the open flaps of Lee’s jeans. “Whoever’s coming can—oh. Laine and Severo.” Darren’s voice hitched slightly on the names but he started pulling on Lee’s zipper.

  “I’ve got it.” Lee patted Darren’s hands then gingerly nudged them out of the way before making himself presentable for company. His nerves had started jangling as soon as he’d realised who was coming down the road.

  Darren smoothed a hand down Lee’s back as he stepped beside Lee. “Do you think Severo will have any useful information?”

  Lee fingered the button he’d just slipped through the buttonhole on the waistband of his jeans, too fidgety to stand completely still. “I think he must, otherwise I would have expected him to call. Something important or…or bad, he’d want to tell us in person, right? I mean, I don’t really know him well but he seems like a decent guy.” Scary, even, with the whole spirit thing, but Lee knew that was his own fear talking. He had no reason to think of Severo like that.

  “You’re probably right,” Darren murmured as Laine steered the truck into the long driveway.

  “Come here.” Lee settled his arm around Darren’s shoulder, pleased when Darren in turn looped his arm around Lee’s waist. Darren was as nervous as Lee and he knew touching each other would soothe them both at least a little. Kind of like two people in love would draw comfort from each other. The thought startled him. He sneaked a glance at Darren when Laine stopped the truck a dozen feet from the house. Darren wasn’t watching their visitors, he was watching Lee with something so warm and sweet in his brown eyes Lee couldn’t even panic over the fact he might be halfway in love with the man. Darren smiled tenderly and Lee mentally cursed as he gave up. He looked fully at Darren and cupped his chin gently.

  “Nope, no halfway to it.” Lee shook his head once at the question he could see Darren’s lips forming. He wasn’t ready to explain that sentence to Darren, not yet. Instead Lee lowered his lips to Darren’s and kissed him.

  “Geez, have y’all been doing that since we left?” Lee blinked his eyes open and licked Darren’s lips one last time before giving up Darren’s mouth—for now. Craning his neck around so he could see Severo, Lee grinned despite a new wave of unease that welled in him. “Pretty much. I mean, look at the man.

  You’d do the same if you were me.”

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  “No, Sev would probably do something involving less clothes and more fucking,” Laine said, winking at his partner.

  Severo nodded. “Yup, what can I say? Although I would want a pair of handcuffs, you know. Just because.”

  Lee didn’t know and he sure wasn’t going to ask. He was going to divert the conversation, which seemed the smartest thing to do but his lover beat him to it.

  “Would y’all like to come inside and have a drink?” Darren asked.

  Laine and Severo both declined, Severo adding, “We can’t stay long, we’re supposed to be meeting up with a group of friends for dinner. Zeke can be a bit of a bear if we’re late. I just came to give you a message. I don’t know if it’ll mean anything to y’all or not. Could be a random thing Stefan was thinking about.”

  As if Severo had summoned him by saying his name, Stefan was there. Lee knew it was his brother’s spirit by the warm blanket of air surrounding him and Darren like he did each time Stefan came to them.

  “Hello, Stefan.” Severo greeted the spirit easily although he frowned when he said it.

  “It might be a good idea for you to go find Conner and let me and Laine talk to Lee and Darren alone.”

  Lee’s stomach plummeted as he wondered how bad whatever Severo had to tell him was. Severo’s frowned deepened as a piece of his hair was lifted and tugged then the warmth surrounding Lee and Darren vanished.

  “Brat.” Severo rubbed at his scalp and eyed Lee warily. “I mean that in a good way.