He turned his head enough to nudge his cheek against mine. “I would if I could make it stop. The fact that I have no control over it is upsetting.”
“That makes sense.” I cupped his face and sucked on his bottom lip. “Do you want me to help you to the bathroom?”
He bared his teeth but nodded, and we rushed as quickly as he was able along the hall—which wasn’t very fast. In the bathroom I held on to his waist while he pissed, which was odd and not something I’d ever done for someone, and I kissed along his tiger tattoo while I waited for him to finish.
“My muscles seem to be loosening up,” he said, leaning back against me as he shook, then slipped his dick back in his boxers.
I caressed his tattoo. “You’re so fierce. I can’t get over how beautiful this artwork is on you.”
Ari smirked at me. “I wish you would’ve been here yesterday, Master. You would’ve liked me fighting. It was so fun to beat their asses.”
Rage powered through my stomach and I hugged him. “Maybe I’ll find them and cut their heads off for jumping you that way.”
He nearly purred in my arms while nuzzling his face against my neck. “I would like that.”
“When’s your birthday? Maybe I’ll make it a present.”
He laughed. “November.”
“Plenty of time, then.”
“Why did you blow me this morning?” He glanced over his shoulder at me, and for once I felt older than him because there was something close to innocence in his gaze, as if he truly didn’t understand why I would like to touch him.
I ran my hand down his belly to caress his bulge, and it didn’t take long for him to plump up against my palm. He put his hand over mine as his cock firmed. “Because I wanted to.”
“Do you think it’s because you love me?” he mumbled.
I massaged his cock until he was stiff against my hand, then slid my palm up to cup his belly again. “I don’t know anything about love, but I want to cut out Derek Uhlig’s heart and feed it to him for touching you. Does that count?”
“Does to me.” He chuckled.
“Then, I love you.”
He snorted, and I took him over to the sink. He brushed me off to do what he needed to do for the day, but before I could leave the room, he snagged my hand. “I love you, too.”
I squeezed his fingers. “Are you sure you can get ready alone?”
His lips thinned. “I can do this, but will you....” He furrowed his brow and stared at me out of the corner of his eye. “Will you help me with my pants and stuff?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded, and I left him to get ready.
After fifteen minutes in the bathroom, he smelled good because he’d clearly washed off in the sink and had taken the time to shave and use deodorant. He shuffled stiffly from the bathroom to the bedroom, and it was a slow process to get him dressed, but we managed.
There was no time for breakfast before we drove to the clinic, and we were already five minutes late by the time we arrived. I got a lot of leeway because I was a cop, but I didn’t like to give people a reason to think about me more than necessary—consider me. The last thing I needed was for someone from my life to have something useful to tell an investigator about my habits if anyone ever came around to ask.
Ari needed my help to get out of the truck, and I didn’t mind wrapping him up in my arms and setting him down on the ground. We held hands as we went inside the single-story gray building, which always reminded me of a prison, and despite not wanting to give anyone anything to remember or gossip about, I didn’t let go of him as we went up to the window in the bland beige waiting room to sign him in. The receptionist slid aside the glass. She was an older lady with gray hair smoothed down in a neat haircut, curious brown eyes, and a wide smile.
“Hi, can you fill out this paperwork? And I need your insurance card, Aramis.” She beamed at him. “It is Aramis, right, dear? I love that name.”
“Yeah. Sorry, I don’t have one.” He shrugged.
Her face fell and she glanced at me.
“I’m paying.” I pulled out my wallet for emphasis.
She nodded. “We have a different pay scale for people without insurance. Is he your domestic partner? We see a couple of other cops, Officer Rogers, and I know the insurance the city uses will let you add a same-sex partner, even if you’re not married. You do have to live together, though. Do you live together?”
