Til Darkness Falls, page 27
Alrick tried not to fidget as the miles sped by. Some of it was due to his discomfort, but mostly it was nerves. He felt like a prospective groom who was about to be presented to his intended’s family. The thought made him smile, as did imagining how mortified and pissed off Brian would be if he knew what he was thinking.
The sun was long gone by the time they pulled up in front of a modest single-family home located in a quiet neighborhood just inside the city limits. Brian glanced at the glowing clock on the radio with satisfaction. Given the time of year, it wasn’t all that late, even though the moon was shining high in the sky.
“For some reason I thought we’d gone farther out of town, since it took longer for us to get there.”
“That’s because I don’t drive like a maniac.”
Brian stuck his tongue out at him only to have it chased back into his mouth. Several interesting minutes passed before Brian pushed Alrick back just far enough so he could breathe. “Come on. I’m sure Angie knows we’re out here. She’s probably figured out why we haven’t gotten out yet and is just being polite.”
“A woman after my own heart.”
Alrick grinned as Brian threw him a mock glare. He joined the other man outside of the car and looked over the split-level as they walked to the front door. What he could see of the small yard looked well-tended, and the white siding was completely free of smudges. They had parked on the street, and as they went up the driveway, he noticed a basketball hoop hanging over the garage door. A couple of bikes were leaning carelessly against the side of the house. Clearly, crime wasn’t a problem when mom was a cop. The home looked well-cared for and quite inviting.
Alrick swallowed, trying to force down the lump that had risen in his throat. He rubbed his moist palms against the legs of his jeans and told himself to grow up.
Brian’s prediction proved correct, for the front door opened before they reached it. The silhouetted figure was short and slightly stocky, as befitted a mother of two grown boys. As they got closer, the porch light revealed an attractive, smiling face. Her hair was light brown without a hint of gray to be found. Dark green eyes twinkled up at him, fairly shining with approval. He smiled back at her, hoping that he would be able to earn it.
“Hey, Angie,” Brian said, sending his partner an exasperated smirk. “Been waiting long?”
“Oh, you hush up.” Angela seemed to grow a bit taller for an instant, and Alrick realized that she had sucked in her stomach and straightened her back as she looked up at him. His smile grew, and he reached out to take her hand. “And you must be this Alrick I’ve been hearing so much about.”
“Fräulein, it’s a pleasure,” he murmured, pressing his lips against the soft skin covering the back of her small hand. Brian laughed when his take-no-prisoners, ex-Vice partner with nearly twenty years on the force turned as red as a beet.
“Oh, um, well—” Angela was completely flustered. She blinked up at Alrick as though in a trance for nearly a minute before the sound of Brian’s snickering brought her back to herself. She glared at him, using the opportunity to get her act together. “Why don’t you two come on in? We ordered four large pizzas, but with Sam and Jon in the house, if we don’t hurry, everything will be gone.”
Brian stepped back to allow Alrick to go ahead of him as Angela disappeared into the house. He pulled on the taller man’s arm to hold him back for a second. “You’re good, but you’d better watch out for her husband if you’re going to keep on with the flirting. He played defensive tackle in college.”
Alrick threw a smile over his shoulder. “I told you, I have eyes for no one but you.” He chuckled when Brian poked him in the lower back below the worst of his burn, the prodding finger quickly replaced by a gently urging hand.
After inviting them to drop their jackets onto the coat rack sitting just beside the door, Angela led them down a short hallway. The hardwood floor was polished to a high shine, and Alrick felt bad about walking on it with his shoes. Pictures lined the hallway, some in sepia and black and white, bespeaking their antiquity, and some in color showing varying combinations of Angela, a man, and two boys. When they entered into a room off of the hallway, Alrick found himself in a homey den looking at the faces he’d seen in the pictures. The two boys, around twelve and fifteen he guessed, were tall and handsome, their faces a pleasant mish-mash of the woman who had given birth to them and the huge man who was coming toward him with a meaty paw extended in greeting.
“Brian! Good to see you, son.”
“Todd, what’s up, man?” Brian braced himself from long practice to keep from stumbling at the enthusiastic pat the bear-like man landed on his back.
Angela’s husband had to be six-and-a-half feet tall if he was an inch, and all of it thick muscle that had only slightly run to fat. His eyes were a nondescript gray, but they radiated welcome, as did the broad grin he turned on the blond man. “And it’s Alrick, right?”
“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Alrick resisted the urge to wince as his hand was squeezed in a friendly vise.
“Whoa, your accent is sick! Where are you from?”
“Sam, don’t be rude.” Angela smacked her younger son on the back of his shaggy brown head.
Alrick laughed. “You have a good ear, Sam, though I guess it’s not hard to hear. I’m from Germany.”
“You mean like with the Nazis and stuff?”
“Sam!”
“Yes, that’s the place. But that was a long time ago. It is not like that anymore.”
“We’ve been learning about World War II in school. I had to do a report on it a few weeks ago. Wanna see it?”
And just like that, Alrick found himself accepted into Brian’s family. He didn’t doubt that was what these people were. The man who was usually so reserved in public and had taken so long to open up to him was relaxed and smiling as he had only recently seen him. It was clear that they loved Brian and that he loved them just as much in return. After learning what he had about how the other man grew up, Alrick was extremely grateful to them for showing Brian what a family should be.
“Sam, don’t monopolize the poor man. He’s Brian’s guest, not one of your friends from school.” Angela shook her head, her hands poised on her hips in classic disapproval. Sam hung his head, a disappointed expression darkening his young features. She went over to him and pressed a noisy kiss to his ear, smirking when he batted her away like a fly. The boy blushed violently from the unbearable embarrassment of it all. “Here, why don’t you help your father and brother arrange the pizzas on the table while your uncle and I get the plates.” By “uncle” she meant Brian, who threw Alrick an unapologetic, you-asked-for-it grin as he and Angela disappeared into the hallway.
Alrick stood back as the men opened up the pizza boxes, folding the tops under so that grease wouldn’t get on the table. The operation was completed with military efficiency, obviously the product of long practice. He took the opportunity to watch Angela and Todd’s oldest son. The boy was very handsome but seemed much more reserved than his younger brother. He hadn’t once met Alrick’s gaze, and Alrick had yet to hear a sound from him. For lack of anything else to do at the moment, Alrick decided to introduce himself.
“I didn’t catch your name.” He held out his hand politely. The boy blinked at it for a moment before raising his startlingly bright green eyes to meet the taller man’s eyes. A becoming flush of pink colored the teen’s cheeks, and Alrick smiled as he hazarded what was probably not too wild a guess. He squeezed lightly when the boy’s hand slid into his for a brief moment.
“Jonathan.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jonathan. Is that your basketball hoop out by the garage?”
The boy shook his head, he hands now safely tucked in the pockets of his raggedy jeans. His T-shirt-covered shoulders were narrow, but Alrick could see the potential for fast growth, particularly considering his father’s stature. His head, covered by a thick mop of light brown hair, was only a bit lower than his, and Alrick figured that the boy was already close to Brian’s height.
“No, it’s Sam’s. He’s on the team at his school.”
“So are you, Jon.”
Alrick glanced over at Sam, whose gray eyes were watching them with nosy interest, before looked back at the shy teen. The boy’s head had dropped even further, and what Alrick could see of his face had gone pinker. “What sport do you play?
“Soccer.”
“Oh, really? I’m sure you know that soccer is very popular overseas. Germans love it. I used to play soccer when I was a boy with the other kids in my neighborhood.”
All hints of bashfulness fell away from the teen at Alrick’s words. He looked up with a broad grin that made him look a lot like his mother. By the time Brian and Angela returned from the kitchen with plates, napkins, cups, and a couple of two-liter bottles of pop, Alrick was deep in conversation with the Lovell men about the finer points of Fussball.
“If I can dare to interrupt this moment of male bonding, can one of you give your poor mother a hand?” Sam and Jon leapt to answer her call. Alrick smiled and stood from the couch to take a plate and a napkin from Brian.
“Making new friends?” Brian asked while the others were busy with the final setup.
“Ja,” Alrick answered with a laugh. “I like your partner and her family very much.” He basked in the look of pleasure that crossed Brian’s face. Making the other man happy made him happy, and if there hadn’t been impressionable youngsters around he would have answered that lovely smile with a very inappropriate kiss. He settled for reaching for a thick slice of pepperoni pizza before sitting back on the couch. Brian flopped next to him and attacked the pie that was covered with every topping under the sun.
“Were you in the military?”
Alrick stared at Angela, the pizza slice midway to his mouth. “I’m sorry?”
“Oh, nothing really. Just something about the way you carry yourself reminds me of some of the guys I served with. I was in the reserves for about five years,” she explained when Alrick continued to look at her blankly. “The Army helped me pay for college.”
“Ah, I see.” Alrick rested the slice on his napkin to keep the toppings from falling to the carpet. “All young men in Germany are required to serve for a short while, but I left when my obligation was completed.”
“You never told me that.”
Alrick felt Brian’s gaze on his face. He bit into his pizza casually, trying to ignore the knot in his stomach. “It wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences, so I don’t often think about it.” The cheese-covered bread tasted like cardboard as he swallowed. “Service is only required for nine months. It was just a small thing.”
“Oh! Hey, mom. Mr. Peterson said he’s gonna flunk me in Algebra if I don’t do better on my next test. I told him I studied, but I just don’t get how to solve equations—”
Alrick blessed the self-centeredness of children as Sam yammered on. Horrified at the prospect of their son doing badly in a school subject, Angela and Todd were thoroughly distracted from Alrick’s awkward explanation. Jon grinned evilly at his brother, teasing even as he promised to tutor him if he wanted help. Alrick took it as a positive sign that they felt comfortable discussing such private family matters in front of him.
Brian leaned close to his ear, speaking softly so he wouldn’t be overheard. “I probably should have told you about Jon in case he acts weird around you. He’s—”
“Gay? Yes, I guessed.” Alrick eyed the speck of cheese that clung to Brian’s bottom lip with jealousy. “Is that why his mother seems so comfortable with our relationship? Because she wants to give her son a positive model to follow?”
Brian smiled as he looked over at the handsome teen. “Partially. But it’s mostly because she thinks of me as one of her kids, or maybe more like a younger brother. She just wants me to find Mr. Right.”
“And have you?” Alrick watched the other man carefully as a green-hazel gaze met his.
“Maybe.”
Alrick grinned as Brian took refuge in another piece of pizza. “I’m sorry that I didn’t mention that I had been in the service. It was a long time ago and didn’t seem important.”
Brian shrugged. “Don’t sweat it. They say a few secrets make for better sex, right?”
Alrick stared at him for a long moment until his brain was able to accept that such a provocative statement had come out of his bashful lover’s mouth.
“Mmmph!” Brian tried unsuccessfully to talk around a mouthful of pizza and Alrick’s tongue.
“Eww, gross!”
The cozy den filled with laughter as Sam voiced his opinion about such icky adult shenanigans.
THREE boxes of pizza and two dozen rounds of Pictionary later, Brian and Alrick said their goodnights to a chorus of loud “boo”s from Sam and lingering, disappointed glances from Jonathan. Todd waved as he washed down yet another slice with a swig of pop.
“Alrick, I hope you know that you’re welcome back at any time.” Angela smiled up at him as she walked them to the door.
“In other words, you had better be here for the next pizza night. Right, Angie?”
Angela tiptoed up to press a kiss to Brian’s cheek. “Such a smart boy,” she said indulgently, giving his face a gentle pat. Both men laughed. Alrick bent his head to return the gesture on Brian’s behalf. He just smiled when the flustered woman pressed her hand to her cheek. “Oh, you are a troublemaker, aren’t you? Go on then, get out of here.” Brian sent her a mock glare when she smacked Alrick on his ass. She just blinked at him innocently. “What? It was staring me in the face. What was I supposed to do?”
They were still laughing over Angela’s outrageousness when they pulled up in front of Brian’s apartment building. “I really do like your partner. I think she would get along well with my sister. They both seem to have no problem exercising absolute authority over the men in their lives and making them love every minute of it.”
Brian chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” He put his hand on the door handle but just sat there looking out of the window and chewing on his lower lip. His head was tilted up, and Alrick figured that he was looking toward his own window. He was about to ask if something was wrong when Brian spoke. “Do you want to come up?”
Did he even need to ask? Brian’s apartment remained the one place that Alrick had not yet been able to share with the other man, and he wanted to desperately. If he really was contemplating the insane things that were scrambling around in his brain, then he wanted to know everything about the man for whom he was willing to risk his freedom and possibly his very life.
“Yes, I would,” he answered simply.
Brian turned slightly, allowing Alrick to only catch a glimpse of his face in profile. “Then come on.”
BRIAN looked around his apartment as he closed the door behind them, trying to see it with fresh eyes. Not that it helped the view. It was small, dingy, and decidedly lacking in the elegant appointments of Alrick’s hotel room. In other words, it was perfect for a single man living on a cop’s salary.
“Brian, I’m not a bat.”
“I swear, what it is with you and lights?” Brian’s grumble was barely audible, yet somehow Alrick heard him. He made his way carefully to the lamp at the far side of his living room as Alrick chuckled. “Bats have good hearing, so you definitely qualify.”
“It’s just that I pay close attention to everything that you say.”
A second after the lamp came on, Brian found himself pulled backward into a warm embrace. Clearly the blond could see perfectly well in the dark if he’d navigated the disaster area that was Brian living room without mishap. Books and old magazine, a couple of sets of neglected dumbbells, and every other manner of odd and end were strewn about. Angela complained loudly every time she came over, threatening to break in and clean when he wasn’t around. He’d managed to hold her off thus far by telling her that everything was carefully organized in a manner known only to him, so she had better not touch a thing.
“I like your apartment. It’s cozy.”
“Bullshit. It’s a dump.”
Alrick spun him around. “But it’s your dump. Now, where’s your bedroom?” he asked in between kissing Brian senseless. Pointing generally in the right direction, Brian had to depend on his memory of the layout of his apartment as they made their way without coming up for air.
“Oomph.” Brian fell hard on the mattress. He barely had time to recover his breath from Alrick landing on top of him before his mouth was more intriguingly occupied with other things besides breathing. Hands tugged busily at his clothing, the offending pieces flying through the air, draping haphazardly on whatever surface was nearby. Blindly, he returned the favor, greedily seeking out the tactile enticement of the blond’s warm skin. He tried to push Alrick away for a moment, the attempt faltering as firm lips attacked his throat.
“Wait a sec.”
“And why would I want to do that?”
Brian shivered as the flat of a hot, wet tongue ran over the mark on his throat that Alrick had made earlier during their gymnastics in the boat. It was still sensitive, and he felt the lick all the way down to his toes. “’Cause I’d rather stop now and grab the lube than have to worry about it later.”
“Hmmm, good point.” Alrick rolled away and watched Brian scoot off of the bed and head toward his bathroom. Brian felt his gaze on his ass like a physical touch. “It’s too bad the other bottle got lost in the lake.”
“Dumped in the lake, you mean. And whose fault was that?” Brian returned holding a bottle of body oil. The bedside lamp had been turned on, and he glared at the man who was lying propped up on one hand, smiling at him.
“And you call me prepared?”
Brian tossed the bottle onto the bed, missing Alrick’s grinning face by inches. He flopped down after it and lowered his head to take the blond’s bottom lip between his teeth. “Don’t think I make a habit of bringing guys into my room. See these sheets? I haven’t changed ’em for a month. Anyway, Angie gave me the oil for my birthday as a gag.”
