Fraud Twice Felt (The Oddities, #2)

Fraud Twice Felt (The Oddities, #2)

Author: J.T. Hall

Three weeks after solving his old boyfriend’s murder, bounty hunter Derwin Bryant is trying to let go of the past and embrace his new life with Elliot Leed, a former rentboy and fellow Oddity. Elliot, meanwhile, is trying to adjust to working at Bob’s Bail Bonds and having a real relationship despite his strange power of Object Reading. Hanging over the couple is the fear that Roy Yoshiro, notorious gang lord, will make good on his threats to claim Elliot. If that happens, not even Derwin’s superhuman strength will be enough to protect the man he loves.

Their concerns are overshadowed when Derwin’s friend asks for help finding her missing son. It’s not long before the case takes Derwin and Elliot back to the crime-ridden underbelly of the city and straight into Yoshiro’s clutches. Two gangs are vying for power, and Derwin and Elliot get caught in the middle of their very public fight.

Derwin and Elliot must find a way to thwart both gangs’ plans and escape alive. This time, one misstep could spell disaster for all the inhabitants of Nis.

Part of the series: The Oddities
Price: $3.99

Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes:

explicit violence

Chapter One

A Wonderful Day

Elliot Leed liked filing criminal records.

He sat in the little office chair behind the desk at Bob’s Bail Bonds, sifting through manila folders, organizing them by court dates. In the corner of the room, Bob was speaking with Derwin Bryant, one of the bond agents hired to capture fugitives who failed the provisions of their bond. Elliot smiled, warmth flushing through his body as he watched the dusky-skinned, muscular bounty hunter speaking with broad gestures and a loud voice.

Derwin also happened to be his lover. An actual lover; not a client, not a john.

“So let me get this straight,” Derwin said, taking several folders from Bob. “You let Bernie the Hack post bond? Again? Bob . . . dude . . .” He shook his head, smiling sadly. “Why do you cover these rats? You know he’s going to skip bond.” He gave Elliot a wink.

Elliot grinned back. He couldn’t help but glance down at himself, wearing khakis and a buttoned shirt, of all things. He had a job. A real job, and not one where he had to follow a Madame’s orders and suck off jerks to pay for food.

Bob shrugged amiably. “I’ve known him for fifteen years, Derwin. Yes, he’s failed to appear before . . .” He rubbed his mouth, perhaps unconsciously. According to Derwin, he’d started his business years ago. An older guy, half-bald, with a friendly face and laugh lines around his eyes, Bob was a softie, but it was hard to get mad at him about it. After all, how many guys would be willing to hire a former rentboy to file paperwork in their office? Elliot couldn’t think of anyone.

Derwin was staring at him. “Three times.” He crossed his arms.

Bob chuckled, nodding. “But you have to admit that last time was a pretty good excuse! I mean, fleeing from a yokai is not something you do every day.” He winked. “Well not most people, I should say.”

Elliot smiled. Yeah, running from a yokai—a supernatural spirit, or demons as most people called them—might be a good excuse to most people. Except for Derwin, who hunted the otherworldly creatures. “What was his crime?”

Bob glanced over at him. “Burglary. The warehouses.” He glanced at the folder in Derwin’s hand. “You’re familiar with that part of town, right?” By his blank expression, it was obvious he was clueless he’d just stepped into a land mine.

Elliot flushed, looking down. “That part of town” was associated with his former life; he’d been living in a warehouse storeroom. In addition, he’d been kidnapped and tortured near those fucking warehouses.

“Yeah, I’m familiar with it,” Elliot muttered. He tried to keep his tone respectful. He’d only been on the job for a week and couldn’t afford to alienate a guy who’d been willing to hire him without past experience or identification.

Derwin came to his rescue, like he always did. “The warehouses are where Grady’s murderer kept Elliot, Bob. So anyways, you just have these little ones for me today? Shouldn’t take me long.” He glanced at the calendar on the wall near Elliot’s head, before turning back to Bob. “By the way, where’s Connie been? I haven’t seen her in days.”

Bob had winced at the reference to Cole Murphy, the guy who had murdered Derwin’s old boyfriend, but he recovered quickly, shrugging. “She says she’s been sick.”

Derwin frowned. “That’s not like her. How many times can you remember her calling out sick before? I hope she’s okay.” He looked at Elliot, and his dark-brown eyes softened.

While Elliot hadn’t had a chance to meet Connie yet, he’d heard all about her. She sounded loud, brazen, and funny, not unlike Derwin’s mother. It was because Connie had complained of having too much work that Elliot had this job at all. “What if we swing by her place later?”

“Good idea.” Faint lines of concentration showed on Derwin’s brow, as he went all businesslike again. Gods, Elliot couldn’t wait to get him home, to strip that tough heroic exterior off and ignite the fiery passion that smoldered beneath.

Elliot had to rein in his imagination, sobering as he watched Derwin checking his gear—bulletproof vest, utility belt with cuffs and pepper spray, his pair of blessed knives, and his gun. The weapons were more for demons than human fugitives. As far as Elliot was concerned, Derwin was a walking arsenal, and that was just fine. Anything to keep him safe. Elliot found himself clutching a folder, and forced himself to set it down. “Be careful.” He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the fact his boyfriend risked his neck every day for the job.

“Always.” Derwin grinned and strode over to kiss Elliot on the cheek. Then he headed out the door, the little bell jangling as he left.

Elliot opened the file cabinet, aware that he was blushing. Bob chuckled, but Elliot didn’t turn to see what kind of expression was on the guy’s face. I’m still not comfortable being out and proud and people not caring. As a rentboy, he’d been both attacked and sought after for his proclivities.

He avoided talking to his old Madame, Theresa, now. Every once in a while she sent one of her boys to check up on him, and that was enough. None of the boys had mentioned whether Roy Yoshiro, the city boss of the Tatsu gang and one of Elliot’s former clients, had asked for another booking. Most likely Theresa knew he’d say no.

“He’s a good guy. I’m glad to see him having fun with his job and not so grim like he was before he found Grady’s murderer. Rescuing you off the streets like a lost puppy, that helped him.” Elliot nodded silently, but Bob seemed to realize what he’d said and his tone faltered. “Y-you know. Because helping people is important to him.”

A really good guy to take on a sad stray like me. Was it their relationship that had brought Derwin’s happiness back, or the closure of solving Grady’s murder? “I only hope that he’s not reckless when he’s out there.”

Bob nodded “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. I used to worry about his mental state, but with you around now, he’s much better. You’re good for him. Grady always had a sunny attitude, and I see that same sort of quality in you.”

How good would Bob say Elliot was for Derwin if he knew the truth about why Elliot had left whoring? That one of the most notorious gang leaders in the city had claimed his ass and was going to kill anyone who said otherwise? But Elliot nodded again, and forced himself to sound cheerful. “Thanks. I plan to stick around.”

That much was the truth.

***

Derwin tossed the folders of arrest warrants and profile information into the passenger seat of his Ford Galaxie. He turned on the engine and revved the old car up, letting it purr. It was good to see that Elliot was settling into his new job. Maybe his shirts were too tight and a little too sexy for performing office duties, but he’d figured out the filing system quickly. And just knowing that he was safe was everything to Derwin.

And as a bonus, when Derwin took him home, he had Elliot all to himself.

He navigated the streets of Nis with ease, without a GPS doodad or map to tell him where to go. Hunting was in his blood. Possibly part of that was due to his Oddity, his special ability, and maybe some of it was genetics. His dad was a corrections officer, which didn’t really involve hunting, but was about keeping criminals in line.

His grandfather had been an Interrogator, using his Oddity that fed off pain to torture and make people talk for the government. That part Derwin liked to forget.

Several minutes later, he reached a construction site on the north end of town, where efforts were underway to expand the city wall and build new industrial buildings. Derwin spotted several city patrolmen in Jeeps and black SUVs, keeping an eye on things to make sure nothing demonic crossed over from the forests north, or from the ocean. The city was still relatively young, only a hundred years old, from the great settling of the West in the United Federation of America, led by crazy politicians back in Washington DC, but already it was outgrowing its fortifications. During the Industrial Age, cities had done away with defensive barriers. But something had happened in the middle of World War II that had opened the gates to another dimension, releasing spirits that seemed to fit the descriptions of monsters and beasts out of Japanese lore—the yokai. Who knew that their mythology had it right? Now the creatures spawned wherever there was open wilderness and every city needed to be its own fortress.

His first skip of the day, Ed Turtlebaum, was supposedly employed by Ace Construction on a project out here. Ed had been arrested for grand larceny from a previous employer, stealing materials from the jobsite. Surprising that he’d even been able to find another job. Still, he’d skipped his court hearing, and now he had a warrant for his arrest. Time to bring him in before Bob lost the bail bond.

Derwin parked the car in a dirt lot by some steel framework for a new building, checked his gear, and stepped out to search for a short, weaselly fat guy. He walked toward the construction site, and that was when he noticed the man standing on the ground floor holding an electrical kit. Beady eyes met his, and Ed’s jaw dropped, possibly at seeing the tactical gear.

Shit. Derwin ran as Ed dropped the kit and fled toward the back of the building.

“Ed Turtlebaum, you failed to make your court date! Now get back over here so we can figure out something!”

But Ed knew how bail bonds worked, probably knew his ass was toast, and that he’d be going to jail. He moved pretty fast for a tubby guy. However, Derwin could run faster than any normal human. Time to catch you. He sprinted toward the back of the building, past workers who stared at him openmouthed. Let them stare. Nobody ever dared to report a person in tactical gear, even if his speed was unnatural. They’d figure he was with the government, who controlled most of the Oddities.

When Derwin turned the corner of the building, he spotted Ed, but there was a problem. Apparently, the construction company had decided this was the perfect place to put all the port-a-potties.

Ed ran into one and slammed the door shut.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Derwin muttered as he approached the small blue box. Yes, he could tear the door off, tip it over, even drag it if he wanted to. But ugh. He really didn’t want to. “Ed! You can’t stay in there all day!” He pounded on the little door, fuming. This was supposed to be an easy skip!

“I can too! You watch! I can’t go back to jail, man. They’re gonna keep me for good this time!” Even muffled by the plastic walls, there was terror in Ed’s voice. Derwin rubbed at his temples.

“You were arrested for what, petty and grand larcenies? Those aren’t life sentences. You can’t run from things like this—you should have made your court date. Bob’s done well by you—you owe him some respect. And isn’t the collateral your mom’s house? Are you a rat or a man, Ed? Own up! You stole from your job! Do your time, and learn from it!” As Derwin spoke, he inspected the hinges, wondering if he could work them apart without ripping the whole door off. That way he wouldn’t make such a spectacle of himself and his Oddity.

He took care in setting his hands right, gripping the plastic encasing the metal hinges. This might get ugly, but it was better than waiting until Ed gave up. “I’m giving you to the count of three, Ed. Come out, and I’ll put in a good word with Bob. Stay in there, and I’m going to rip this door off.” And hopefully not get dirty in the process.

“Fuck off!”

That settled it. Focusing, Derwin gripped the plastic harder and harder, pulling on the well of something other that he kept inside, the something that fed on people’s pain.

The plastic began to crack, the hinge groaning. Derwin gritted his teeth, putting more effort into it. The entire door shuddered, bending.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ed sounded scared. Panicked, even.

Serves him right. Derwin smiled grimly as he switched to his other hand, to give the first one a break. “I told you. I’m ripping the door off.”

His left hand worked it the other way, and the cracks enlarged, little pieces of blue plastic chipping off. Ed’s voice rose another octave. “You’re crazy! I’m coming out! Stop, please!”

Grinning, Derwin took a step back. The door opened, and Ed stepped out, hands behind his head like a good captured fugitive. Derwin pulled the guy’s wrists down, cuffed him, and led him by the arm. “Now was that so hard? I’m blaming you for the damage, you know. You keep pulling this kind of shit, nobody’s going to hire you.”

He led Ed toward the car, satisfied. Only a couple hundred bucks for this one, but each job added up. He had to work extra cases lately to replace the ruined furniture in his condo. Damn that Cole for trying to blow the place up. And the insurance company for being extra slow as well.

It didn’t take long to take Ed to the local police station. The other two skips were easy; one Derwin surprised at a local bar, while the third was actually turned in by his mother, who boxed the guy’s ears and yelled at him in rapid Spanish. Derwin ended the day by picking up Elliot from Bob’s Bail Bonds, along with some take-out food, since neither of them really cooked. One of these days, he’d have to have his mom give him a few pointers.

“Are we stopping by Connie’s to check on her?” Elliot grabbed a french fry from the bag.

Derwin shrugged; all he wanted was to get home, get food in him, and pin Elliot to the mattress. “We can check in the morning if she calls in sick again. Connie’s always been a good employee. I’m sure she’ll let Bob know if something is wrong.”

His partner looked at him doubtfully, but said nothing. As Derwin pulled up to the condo, Elliot asked, “So your day went okay?”

Derwin laughed and leaned over to capture Elliot’s mouth in a brief kiss. “My day was great. And I have a feeling the evening’s going to be even better.”

Chapter Two

Charging Up

When Elliot flipped on the light in the hallway of their condo, Bickering the cat was there to greet the two of them. Colonel Bickering was a black and gray Persian with a smashed face and a temper; he yowled and swiped at Elliot, who was hurrying to fill the food bowl. But Elliot loved the little guy. Bickering had saved both their lives when he’d warned Elliot about the gas leak that Cole had started.

Bickering hadn’t changed with events; the condo had. After the explosion, Derwin and Elliot had both decided to remodel the place, from top to bottom.

It had taken Elliot two weeks to recover after the horrible events with Cole. For the first few nights he’d slept with the lights on, wrapped around Derwin like the man was his security blanket. Kind of humiliating for a nineteen-year-old, but Derwin hadn’t minded. And even now, when the dreams woke Elliot, Derwin was there to calm and soothe him.

Better than his parents or anyone else in his life had ever been.

Elliot still got bouts of anxiety now and then. According to Derwin’s dad, it was a post-trauma response and entirely normal. Still, it was frustrating. Even having police keep an eye on the condo didn’t ease his nerves; it only made him feel like a bug under a microscope. The last thing he needed was for the authorities to find out about his Oddity.

Thankfully they only did the occasional drive-by now.

Since life was settling down, Elliot hoped to put away a little money and actually get some kind of education. He’d have to start with a GED, seeing as he’d only taken a semester of high school before his parents had kicked him out. Maybe after that, he’d try a college class or two. Maybe. The streets had been scary, but the world of education was even scarier.

Sitting at the kitchen table Elliot rushed to finish the rest of his burger, then headed up to the bedroom, with Derwin close behind. The work on the living room was in progress—they’d recarpeted the floor and repainted the walls. They needed all new furniture since the old stuff had been ruined, and they were still deciding on what style fit them best as a couple. Elliot kept pushing for a reclining sofa. Derwin wanted something soft enough to burrow into.

Most of all, they both wanted pieces that didn’t remind them of the past. This was their home together now, after all. It had taken a lot of cleaning, but finally the smell of smoke was gone from the condo, along with many reminders of their rocky beginnings.

The bedroom was mostly as Elliot had first seen it, with a large four-poster bed and plenty of space for BDSM play. Derwin had a trunk at the foot of his bed where he kept his implements of torture—his toys. The computer desk where Grady had spent much of his time was gone, as was the chair where he’d been murdered. Elliot had insisted on that. Instead there was a vanity chest that held Elliot’s clothes and his makeup.

As soon as they reached the bedroom, Derwin shoved him up against the wall and pulled Elliot’s shirt up over his head. The jeans went next, along with Elliot’s shoes, then his gloves, and last his underwear. Elliot managed to get his lover’s shirt off before Derwin pinned his wrists above his head, using his own larger frame to immobilize Elliot. I love it when he does that. Elliot groaned, thrusting forward with his hips, grinding his erection against Derwin’s.

“Tell me your safeword.” There was a growl to Derwin’s voice that warned he was in the mood for intense play. Elliot had been waiting too long for that. His rib had finally healed to the point where it wasn’t a bitch to breathe, and he was tired of gentle handling.

“Sapphire.” The word was a mere whisper against Derwin’s ear. Derwin grunted, nodding.

“Did you have to use your powers today?” Elliot asked, but he already knew the answer. Derwin got a hungry look when he wasn’t fully charged up, when he needed to drink in pain for his Oddity. That appetite had drawn Elliot the first night they’d met, and it still drew him, like a fish to water.

“Shut up,” Derwin hissed, and emphasized the words by sinking his teeth into the place where neck and shoulder met, then sucking at the skin. Elliot moaned, his cock twitching, the pain and need spiking together. That’ll leave a mark. Just what I want.

“Please!” he cried, trying to struggle out of Derwin’s hold.

But he could struggle all he wanted, and there wasn’t a chance he’d break free. Elliot relished the burn in his wrists as Derwin’s grip tightened, along with the sharp scrape of Derwin’s teeth along his throat, finding another place to suck and bite.

“I want you.” Desperation made Elliot’s voice rough.

“You want me?” Derwin growled against his skin. He found yet another spot on the opposite side of Elliot’s neck, and bit hard enough that pain shot right into Elliot’s jaw. He hissed, wanting more contact.

“Hurt me,” Elliot begged. Derwin panted, probably making plans. “Yes,” Elliot added, to support whatever depraved thought was going through Derwin’s brain.

Abruptly, Derwin let him go and took a couple of steps back. “Face the wall.” His voice was gruff and low. “And bend over, legs spread. I’m using the bamboo on you.”

Elliot’s head swam as he complied. He’d been caned before, but not recently, and never by Derwin. It was actually pretty smart on Derwin’s part: the marks would be invisible under clothing, and it wouldn’t interfere with anything that was still healing. Plus, Derwin knew Elliot liked spanking. This was just a more brutal form of it.

As he waited for Derwin to get his toys, Elliot couldn’t help peeking over his shoulder. With the shirt off, Derwin’s tattoos were visible—the runes around his navel, the panther on one bulging biceps, and the scars from numerous demon attacks. Elliot particularly liked the claw marks over Derwin’s chest.

Derwin glanced up as he pulled out a paddle and a cane, his dark-brown eyes sharp and focused. “One of these days I’m going to tie you up. But not today. Keep your hands on the wall. And stop looking at me.” He smirked, softening the last line.

Elliot stuck out his tongue, then faced the wall. When he’d moved in, he’d made sure to wash all surfaces in the bedroom thoroughly, to erase any old memories it held.

The warm touch of Derwin’s hand on his ass startled him. He didn’t risk taking a peek—if he did, Derwin would make him pay somehow. Perhaps by not allowing him to come. As much of a masochist as Elliot was, he liked his orgasms.

“I don’t see a single mark on your posterior,” Derwin said, and his tone told Elliot he was grinning. The bastard. Derwin slapped one cheek, and Elliot yelped. “I’m going to have to fix that.”

Elliot smiled as well, wiggling his ass. “You’re going to make me feel it for a week, when I have to sit on that stiff office chair, aren’t you?” Yeah it was bad to give Derwin ideas, but Elliot really wanted this. It had been too long since they’d had a good play session.

Derwin surprised him by using the paddle first, with a good wallop.

“Fuck!” Pain radiated out from both ass cheeks with a burn that instantly set Elliot’s nerves tingling. Derwin was fast; he had to give him that.

“Later,” Derwin said, and spanked him again, just as firmly. This time Elliot was prepared, and it only produced a grunt. Apparently the paddle would be a warm-up before Derwin moved to the cane.

“Been wanting you to spank me over your lap,” Elliot said before the next blow. He was already starting to sink into the sensations, riding the peaks, enjoying the burn spreading through his ass. Would Derwin use nipple clamps on him again? Those had been painful.

“Been wanting to fuck you against a wall,” Derwin returned. The next blow was particularly forceful, pulling a yelp from Elliot. Derwin chuckled; the sound trickled down Elliot’s spine. “I love your noises. I’m going to make you fly today.”

That made Elliot shiver harder, and he moaned. He hadn’t flown since the first time Derwin had played with him, and maybe only a few times with others before that. The difference with Derwin, however, was that he felt safe. Derwin would never hurt him—set his ass on fire, sure. But not actually harm him like the men who’d paid him for the concession. Like Roy.

The spanks came now in a rhythm, allowing Elliot to mentally relax. His cock bobbed with each blow, and part of him wondered if Derwin would try to put a cock ring on him. He hoped not.

“I can’t wait to mark you with the cane.” Derwin’s voice was low and heated. Elliot groaned in agreement.

The blows stopped. It took Elliot several seconds for his brain to find its way back from the haze. What’s he up to? It was too long a pause for him to be simply changing instruments. “Derwin?” He couldn’t sense Derwin behind him anymore. A sound from the bedside table made him turn his head.

Derwin was grinning as he poured lube over a medium-sized anal plug. “I had an idea. You remember how I like pleasure mixed with the pain I absorb?” He returned, motioning for Elliot to face the wall again. “Relax for me, babe. I think this will make things interesting. Think you can stay in control?”

Elliot nodded, his eyes half-closed. The cool, smooth tip of the plug pressed against his entrance. He wouldn’t need prepping, not for this. “Yeah. If I change my mind . . .” he groaned as Derwin began pushing the plug home, the muscles stretching to accommodate it, “will let you know.” Oh gods, that felt good. Of course, he wanted Derwin’s cock up there, and soon. But for now, this was perfect.

“Fuck, you look so hot like that. Keep that in. Or I really won’t let you come.”

A whimper escaped Elliot, but he nodded, deep in the submissive role. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good boy.”

From there, Derwin didn’t give Elliot time to prepare. The first hit landed across the center of Elliot’s ass. He screamed as the fiery pain woke him up from the low haze where he’d been floating.

Derwin gave him no mercy, but delivered another crack of the cane, just below where the first one had struck. Elliot cried out and clenched his fists. “Fuck! Fucking bastard!”

“Love you too.” Derwin chuckled. “And ‘fuck’ is not a safeword.”

“No, it’s a request,” Elliot shot back, grinning, and then a new blow pulled a yelp from him. Damn, but his ass was going to be sore later.

“I’m going to keep laying stripes across your beautiful pale skin until you shut up,” Derwin laid yet another strike, this one lower than the others, right at the place where thighs became ass, which was perfect because the cane also struck the base of the plug. This time Elliot couldn’t curse, as the shock went through the most intimate parts of him. His sound was more of a howl, and then a frantic regrouping because he was in danger of coming without permission.

“Sir— Gods— I can’t . . .” Elliot knew he was babbling, knew that he was supposed to be shutting up, but he couldn’t help it. Nor did he want to shut up just yet. Derwin must have sensed that he’d reached the exquisite knifepoint of pain and pleasure, because he pressed up against Elliot from behind.

Elliot felt the brush of Derwin’s hard cock against his thighs, velvet smooth contrasting with the roughness of pubic hair grazing the welts on his ass. Sometime during the preparations, Derwin must have undressed. With a soft growl, Derwin wrapped an arm around Elliot, pinning him there as he bit into the back of his neck. Elliot whined, arching back.

“Are you telling me you need the ring?” Derwin whispered into Elliot’s ear, grinding against him in slow seduction.

“Yes,” Elliot said, not trusting himself to say more. He gnawed his lip as Derwin’s hand drifted down to fondle first a sensitive nipple, and then his cock. Fortunately, the teasing was brief, and then Derwin gave him a hard squeeze at the base of the shaft. Elliot shuddered, but relaxed as his need to come faded somewhat.

Derwin nibbled at Elliot’s ear for a moment, and then stepped back. “Five more, Elliot. And then I’m going to fuck you right here. No cock rings this time. I’m going to bury myself in you and rut until you scream my name.”

Elliot adjusted his stance, nodding. Then the next blow came. Half of him wanted to hold back his cries, while the other half wanted to please Derwin, so he ended up giving a strangled shout. His cock was heavy and aching, a counterpoint to the sting of his ass.

He tried to prepare himself for the next strike, but it came too soon. Another stripe across his upper thighs, and Elliot screamed, tears rolling down his cheeks. It wasn’t the pain, exactly, or sadness. It was a release of all the shit he’d been through recently. It was letting steam out of the pressure cooker of his psyche.

Three additional strikes followed, evenly spaced out, but Elliot was too gone to offer more than a soft cry to each. He hiccupped between sniffles, letting out something that was not quite a sob, but close. Once the final one was over, the pain blossoming down his backside, Derwin wrapped his arms around from behind. Elliot let go of the wall, clutching at those strong arms.

“I’ve got you,” Derwin murmured. “Do you need to lie down on the bed?”

Elliot realized he was putting almost all his weight on him. He let go with one hand to wipe at the tears. “No. I want what you said. Right here. Just like this.” He didn’t want to look at Derwin, but gods, he wanted to feel him penetrating deep inside.

Derwin’s grip relaxed a little. Elliot closed his eyes at the touch of Derwin’s lips at the back of his neck, kissing him softly. “Okay.”

There was no need to say more. Next came the loud tearing of a condom packet, and Elliot wished for the umpteenth time that it was six months from now and he’d been pronounced clean so they could dispense with them. Derwin drew the anal plug out carefully, letting it drop to the floor. Then the wide head of Derwin’s cock nudged at his anus.

He groaned. Derwin let go of him only long enough to line himself up; then with a thrust he was halfway inside. Elliot braced his hands on the wall again, pushing back against the burn, loving it.

“You’re tight in this position.” Derwin huffed against Elliot’s back, trembling slightly. Elliot heard the sputter of lube being squeezed from a bottle, and sighed as Derwin spread it around his hole and up and down both their cocks. A hard thrust later, and Derwin was fully inside. Yes, the stretch was greater like this, standing up. Elliot hissed, wishing he could fondle himself. He knew better, however.

“Fuck me, please,” Elliot whined instead, rocking back against Derwin.

Derwin groaned, pulling halfway out and then slamming home again. His fingers dug into Elliot’s hips, and Elliot suspected he’d be sporting bruises there as well tomorrow. It was just what he wanted.

Elliot turned his head enough so that he could see Derwin’s face, and maybe catch a glimpse of the glow in Derwin’s eyes that would show he was drinking this all in. He wasn’t disappointed. Derwin’s eyes met his, an amber glow to his dark-brown irises, and with such love and need, it rocked Elliot to the core.

Another hard thrust, one forceful enough to bang Elliot’s head against the wall. “Mine,” Derwin growled.

Elliot nodded, turning his face forward once more. “Yours,” he whispered. Then Derwin began fucking him in earnest. Elliot opened his mouth in a silent scream. The slap of Derwin’s pelvis against the welts on his ass, the brutal reaming of his hole—it was all perfect. Derwin’s cock felt like a hot poker, stoking the flame inside.

“Derwin . . .” Elliot rasped, bracing himself with one hand and reaching back with his other hand to claw at Derwin’s flank and thigh, desperate in his need. “Please, permission!” It was all he could get out between the heaving onslaughts.

“Almost,” Derwin said it like a promise, taking hold of Elliot’s cock. He didn’t let up on the pace at all, but stroked Elliot in time, until Elliot was near exploding. Everything turned white around the edges.

“Come,” Derwin said into Elliot’s ear. And he did.

The pleasure was so close to pain he wasn’t sure what to call it, but it gripped and enveloped him like a tempest. He thought he cried out; there was Derwin inside him, and he was being filled and emptying at the same time. Then his knees buckled, and Derwin supported him, holding him tight.

“Easy, babe,” Derwin said, slipping out of him. It was always this way: Derwin guiding him to the bed, then letting him sink into the plush mattress, being cleaned off by his lover’s skilled hands. Elliot floated, content.

He must have slipped away for a few moments, because the next thing he knew, they were both under the covers, both naked, and the cat was curled up at Elliot’s feet. He blinked, lifting his head from where it had been resting on Derwin’s shoulder. “Did I fall asleep?”

Derwin petted Elliot’s hair. “You were flying pretty high. I’m not sure if you fell asleep or passed out.” He chuckled. “Either way, you seemed fine with me moving you into the bed. How are you feeling?”

Elliot groaned and stretched. He ached pleasantly, and the sheets rubbed against the welts left by the caning. “Sore. Wonderful.” Of course Derwin could sense his pain. But it was nice that he asked.

Lowering his head, Derwin gave him a long, slow kiss. “Good. I didn’t want to push you too far. But gods, that was good.”

Elliot nodded, yawning. Yeah, it had been good. And he was sleepy. “We need to do that more often.”

A flicker of amber light glowed in Derwin’s eyes. “We will.”

Chapter Three

Home Sick

When they reached Bob’s Bail Bonds the following morning, they lear

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General Details

Word Count: 96,500

Page Count: 357

Cover By: L.C. Chase

Series: The Oddities

Ebook Details

ISBN: 978-1-62649-594-4

Release Date: 05/27/2017

Price: $3.99

Physical Editions

ISBN: 978-1-62649-595-1

Price: $18.99

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