I stay here for a second, cock throbbing inside him, unwilling to move. “Maybe they’ll go away.”
Andrew juts his ass back a little more, deliberately grinding onto me, and the heat of it drags a deep groan from my throat. “Fuck… Ireallydon’t wanna move right now,” I mutter, voice strained.
The knocking comes again… three sharp raps that sound impatient. My annoyance spikes.
I grab the base of my cock and pull out reluctantly, the sudden loss of his tight heat making me hiss through my teeth. Goddamn, this better be good. I lean down and press a quick, possessive kiss to the curve of his ass, right where my teeth had left marks earlier.
“Be right back,” I rasp.
Andrew nods, still face-down in the pillow, voice muffled but soft. “Okay.”
ChapterNine
Andrew
I huff out a frustrated breath, annoyance prickling hot under my skin as I lie here alone in the tangled sheets. My dick has gone half-soft from the sudden neglect, the ache between my legs now more irritating than anything else. Slade has been gone for a long ten minutes already. What the hell is taking so long?
I push myself up slowly, wincing at the delicious soreness in my ass… the kind of deep, used-up ache that had felt so good only moments ago but now feels abruptly ruined.
I was so happy when Slade climbed into my bed. I didn’t let it show; I didn’t want to seem obvious or clingy, but he initiated it. He came to me. A small, secret smile tugs at my lips as I remember the way he said he was proud of me, the way he told me he wasn’t letting me move out. That part still feels warm and impossible in my chest.
I tug my boxers back on, then grab the robe from the back of my desk chair and wrap it around myself, tying the belt with quick, irritated fingers. I pocket my phone and pad barefoot out of the room, down the hallway, andslowly down the stairs, the wooden steps cool beneath my feet.
Halfway down, I freeze. That voice… high and shaky, familiar in a way that twists something painful in my gut… drifts up from the open front door. I haven’t heard it in five years. My heart kicks hard against my ribs. No… that can’t be.
I force myself the rest of the way down and stop at the bottom step. Slade’s standing there in the doorway, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, one hand still gripping the front door handle like he’s forgotten how to let go. The woman on the porch has dishevelled blonde-yellow hair with thick, dark brown roots showing through, and she keeps sniffing, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand in quick, restless motions. She was never big, but anyone could see she’s lost a dangerous amount of weight.
My voice comes out in a croak of unsure disbelief. “Mom?”
She turns toward me, and my eyes go wide in shock. This is not the woman I remember singing me lullabies and tucking me into bed when I was little. Her eyes are dark and sunken, her jaw sharp and skeletal, the skin pulled tight across her cheekbones like it doesn’t belong to her anymore. Jesus Christ… if ghouls existed, she’d be a close fit.
She hurries over, pushing past Slade. Her bony hands rise to cup my face as she says, voice cracking, “My baby… is that you?”
Shesniffs again mid-sentence, the smell of something sharp, chemical, and unfamiliar rolling off her. Her fingers feel like dry twigs against my skin. My heart is racing so hard it hurts. What the hell is happening right now? Is this a nightmare?
She slides her arm around my shoulder and gestures vaguely at Slade, still sniffing and rubbing her nose. “I just… well, I need money, so I thought I’d ask my husband. I didn’t think you’d still be here, Drew.”
Suddenly I’m being yanked backward, Slade’s arm hooking around me and pulling me away from her in one sharp motion. He’s snapped out of his daze, eyes dark and furious. “Don’t you fucking touch him, Lorna. You’ve done enough damage.” He steps in front of me, his bigger frame blocking her from view.
My hands come up to rest discreetly on his shoulder blades, fingers pressing into the warm muscle there. I lean in and whisper, voice shaking, “Slade… what’s wrong with her?”
He points at her and says tightly, “Just wait there.”
She nods and gives a weak little gesture like where else is she gonna go.
Slade turns fully toward me, his broad back hiding me completely. He cups my face in both hands, his expression pale and strained. “Fuck… I know this can’t be easy for you, but listen… I need you to ring Paul, okay?”
I nod, swallowing hard. “The cop?”
Slade almost manages a grin, small and tired. “Usually, it’d be me speaking to him aboutyou.”
I try to smile back, but it feels shaky and wrong on my face.
“Basically… she’s high as fuck,” he says quietly. “Or coming down from whatever it is. I don’t know. Just call him.”
I nod again. “Alright. I’ll tell him to come.”
Slade rests his forehead against mine for a brief second, his breath warm on my skin. “Don’t let this get to you too much, okay?”
