Chapter 29

The sun faded into the west tonight, the same as it had done since the beginning of creation. Darkness wrapped the world in her loving embrace as the stars above glittered like diamonds in a sea of forever. The breeze was losing the touch of summer and became laced with promises of the coming winter. Those out and about still needed to bundle up a little warmer.

Spirits were on the move. In the lake, revenge was at work, but there was another spirit moving. One far gentler, one everyone must harken to, brought upon the night air as it blew past the branches in trees and wound its way through the town streets, scattering leaves in its wake. It was a natural spirit which could be tender and all-consuming at the same time.

Although it nipped that the ears and the nose, it warmed the deepest recesses of the heart. And tonight, Hayden and Tommy were keeping the chill away successfully. Terri had retired early feigning a headache, and Amanda said she needed to send some emails before heading to sleep herself; they both excused themselves after dinner, leaving the two men alone.

Hayden snuck out of the house once more to sit on the patio and smoke a cigarette and drink another glass of wine. Tommy watched him as he did the dishes, the hand towel thrown over his shoulder. As he put the last dish into the drainer, he grabbed his own glass and walked outside to join him.

As he sat in the chair behind Hayden, he positioned himself so he could put Hayden’s legs on top of his own. “Those things will kill ya, ya know,” he chided gently.

Hayden snorted. “So will being a lawyer.”

Tommy laughed and sat back in his chair. He was tired and sore and plain worn out. They had worked hard and completed a lot in a short amount of time. He was grateful for the help from Hayden’s friends and silently decided not to collect the paycheck for his services. He had plenty of money; he just wanted to be close to Hayden.

As they sat in the quiet of their own thoughts, Tommy thought about his new fascination with a man. For years, he had served among the ranks of some of the bravest people—bravest men—he had ever met. He had always felt a kinship to them, a friendship and a bond that he could never explain to someone unless they had been in the same places he had been. Trust, respect, and honor were watchwords with them, and in a way, he loved them all as brethren. There were the consummate jokes about sex, trash-talking the way guys do when they get together, but when it came down to work, they were one hundred percent business.

Tommy had always put his lack of relationships down to something that related to his time away and to his time doing things that would normally cause someone to piss their pants. But now, something different had started to take root and grow in his mind. Just like everything he came across in life, he sought to understand just exactly what it was. And he knew who he wanted to teach him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Hayden asked, noticing his usual quietness. Tommy brooded like no one else he had ever met. While quiet, there were always thoughts going on behind his eyes, and Hayden found himself curious about those things. He was curious about a lot of things concerning Tommy. He was interested in who the man was and who he had been. He reached out his hand and wrapped it in Tommy’s.

“Just thinking about life, really. The way it twists and turns and drops you off in the middle of nowhere wondering how the hell you got there,” Tommy said, running his thumb across Hayden’s knuckles.

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…now you don’t know where the fuck you are?”

Tommy roared with laughter at Hayden’s version of the Frost poem. Hayden chuckled along with him until he settled back down.

“Do you need a pilot?” Hayden asked, teasing him.

“No. I pilot my own ship well enough,” Tommy said, and that disappointed Hayden a little. “I’ve been the captain for a very long time, Hayden. I’ve been all over, done all sorts of things, and been on many adventures. No, I don’t need a pilot. But I wouldn’t mind having a navigator.” His voice was low and his gaze locked with Hayden’s.

There it was again, the depth of emotion deep inside his eyes. It was amazing, but Hayden could feel him. Like a rushing waterfall, he could feel the intensity of him; he was like a force of nature. For the life of him, Hayden, who had always been sensible and safe, wanted to throw back his arms and let Tommy take him wherever he may lead them.

He moved his legs off Tommy’s and stood, holding his hand out to him. Tommy looked up and took it, standing with him. His hands, capable of hurting, hands that had delivered grief, now held Hayden’s gently. They walked into the house, and Tommy locked the door behind them. As Hayden led them upstairs, his heart beat hard and fast, his nerves on edge, and with every step he took, he questioned the expediency. But that is the nature of running with the wind; when it blows, you must set your sails, and right now all he wanted to do was fly.

They reached the bedroom, and before Hayden could close the door, Tommy grabbed him and pulled him close. Hayden kicked the door shut with his foot and let himself be taken over. Tommy crushed his mouth with his own, tasting Hayden. Their mouths fought and battled as their hands roamed. Hayden reached for the bottom of Tommy’s shirt and lifted; Tommy cooperated by raising his arms in the air. He was greeted by the sight of his lover’s chest which was solid, well-muscled, and covered with fur. His pecks were firm, solid masses of muscle and his stomach was flat. He noticed the scar Tommy had shown him and reached a cool hand out to touch it. Tommy’s stomach flexed as his fingers grazed the area.

Tommy reached for his hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the knuckles once before he wrapped Hayden’s arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He covered Hayden’s mouth with his own again, and Hayden, passion overwhelming him, ran his hands up Tommy’s abdomen to his chest, feeling the hardness of him as his hands roamed his shoulders and down his smooth back.

Hayden’s mouth hurt from the intensity of the kiss and from the stubble on Tommy’s face, and he backed off for a second to breathe, turning his back, leaving Tommy standing there alone, breathless. He reached down for his own shirt and pulled up and immediately felt Tommy behind him, could feel his chest on his back. Tommy’s big hands ran up from the waistband of his jeans, over his smooth chest. His body ached for it, ached for the large man to touch him, to lay his hands on him and explore, and he backed up, pushing his butt into his lover’s groin causing him to mutter in pleasure.

Tommy turned Hayden’s head to the side, his back still to him and kissed him again, their tongues dancing around each other as Hayden turned to face him.

He reached out, clasped the waistband of Tommy’s pants, and undid the button and lowered the zipper. As he kissed Tommy, he reached inside his underwear and clasped the steel hardness of him, squeezing gently.

Tommy leaned his head back and growled low and deep, panting hard. His arms went to his sides, and Hayden watched him enjoy the pleasure he was giving him. Like everything else about the man, the length and girth of his manliness was large and solid in his hands.

Hayden withdrew his hand but instead of torturing the man further, he stepped back and kicked off his shoes, opened his own jeans and slid his pants down and off.

Tommy watched with growing fascination. What he saw before him was beautiful. Hayden was lithe, but he was solid. His body was toned and muscled and bare of hair except for his treasure trail, which disappeared into the waistband of his blue underwear. That’s a funny color for underwear, Tommy thought to himself. He just wore plain boxer briefs, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t speak anyway; all he felt was a pulsing in his head and in his cock.

Tommy imitated what Hayden had done and slid his clothes off, discarding them in a pile on the floor. Hayden had walked to his bed and climbed in, watching Tommy undress. Instead of stopping at his underwear, Tommy stripped completely naked; and Hayden was wowed with this sight.

“What’s wrong,” Tommy asked, feeling a little self-conscious.

Hayden shook his head and looked up at him. “You’re perfect. Come here.”

Tommy did so, and Hayden motioned for him to join him on the bed. Tommy climbed in and waded into his lover’s arms. They kissed again, slowly, their hands exploring each other’s naked bodies, and Tommy rolled Hayden on top of him. He reached for the waistband of his peculiarly blue-colored underwear and pulled them down, freeing his ass and cock. Hayden groaned when Tommy’s solid hands reached down and grabbed the cheeks of his ass and squeezed. In return, Hayden grabbed his lover’s cock and began to stroke him.

Tommy groaned and kissed him again, deeply. The feeling of Hayden’s hands on him made his mind go crazy and he rolled over on top of Hayden, kissing down his neck, his chest, his tummy and then, finally, staring at the thickness of Hayden’s cock, kissed the head and opened his mouth, taking him in. Hayden arched his back and cried out, running his hands over Tommy’s buzzed head.

Tommy’s hands roamed up his lover’s body as he pleasured him from below. Hayden’s mind was reeling from the sensations. It had been over a year since anyone had laid a hand on him, and he shook from the pleasure. Tommy let go of him and started kissing back up his body. He reached his mouth again, and Hayden tasted himself on Tommy’s lips. He returned the favor, much more slowly than his inexperienced lover, and turned on the heat. He stopped at Tommy’s nipples and lashed them with his tongue, teasing and nibbling at the hard buds causing Tommy’s eyes to shutter. Finally, he kissed his way down, feeling him flex his stomach, and kissed the wounded place. As he achingly lowered himself, Tommy cried out as Hayden took him in his mouth. The taste of him was more than just warm flesh. It was male flesh, solid, hard, hungry, and as Hayden pleasured him, Tommy had to grab a pillow and groan into it for fear of waking up the house.

He stopped and climbed back up, stretching himself alongside his lover. Tommy removed the pillow, and the look in his eyes made Hayden laugh.

“Good?” Hayden asked, panting and breathing hard.

“God, yes,” Tommy said as he exhaled. Hayden watched his eyes as he moved in for a kiss, teasing him with his tongue, and reached down and started to stroke him again. Tommy reached for Hayden at the same. As they kissed, they brought each other to the heights of passion, and as Tommy came, he groaned loud and deep and pulled Hayden closer for a kiss.

Tommy soon followed, shaking and crying out from the sheer force of the orgasm, and sank into delirium. Both were gasping from the intensity of everything, sweating, and shaking. Hayden looked over at Tommy.

“You okay?” he asked, concerned about this being his first time with a guy.

“Sweet Jesus, Hayden. I swear I can’t catch my breath.” Tommy grinned at him. “But I’d rather die like this than live and not do that again,” he said, laughing.

“Hmmm, well don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon, ya hear?”

Tommy, realizing what he had just said, went to apologize, but Hayden put up a hand. “I know you were teasing.” He snuggled in closer.

Tommy wrapped his arm around Hayden, and together, they lay, exhausted but satisfied in the glow of lovemaking. Tommy held him close as they sank into sleep. Tommy fell over the edge first, snoring happily with his other arm over his eyes.

Hayden snickered, thinking, just like a man.

He lay there, feeling Tommy’s heartbeat, and prayed silently that this time he wouldn’t be left to walk the world alone.

* * * * * * * *

Across town, people reached out for each other. Michelle led Paul into his room and slowly made love to him. In amazement, Paul felt feelings stir inside of him for the woman that lay under him as they brought each other to the heights of pleasure. Michelle held onto him tightly, biting down on her lower lip as he moved within her, and when he was spent and lay at her side, she cried silently. He held her close as she shed her tears—tears for the loss of her husband, for the beauty of the moment, and for the ache inside of her that had just been filled.

In another room still, Audrey and Daniel rekindled the flame that they once knew. The reached inside themselves to the embers of their relationship that had been battered severely with the divorce, and found the flames grew higher and higher. They slept together that night. Daniel, the emotional one out of the two, had missed his wife and best friend. Audrey was the one to comfort him as he broke down and admitted his love for her.

Sitting alone, untouched, unloved was Rose Demeter. With the aid of the spirits of jealousy and rage, she witnessed the passion of the three inside her mind. She shook with embarrassment and disgust. The moaning and the sounds of bodies coming together made her sick to her stomach and furiously lonely. Even the queers had found love when she could not.

As she sat there, her eyes wandered over her house in desperation. She felt claustrophobic and needed to get out of the house. Her eyes fell upon her car keys, and she jumped up and grabbed them. She nearly ran out of her front door, and as she stalked to her car she knew where she was headed.

As she made her way through the familiar streets, she cried. She hated them all. Hated everything about this place, hated that she had become a miserable wretch and hated the passion the others had for each other. As the roads led out of town, she turned the wheel right and kept going, heading straight for Lake Veronica.

She could feel her on the edges of her mind, scratching, trying to get inside. “Come to me,” she seemed to say. Rose guided her Cadillac expertly even though her eyes were clouded with tears and her head pounded relentlessly. She passed the house where Hayden and his faggot lover were silently sleeping and drove on to the area where, unknown to her, they had found Jessica’s body. Pulling onto the gravel, she passed the yellow tape and put it in park. Everything was well lit; the moon had risen a while ago. Rose climbed out and stumbled forward.

“I’m here!” she cried out as she tripped and nearly fell. She approached the edge of the lake. “Veronica! I’m here!” she screamed.

Only the quietness answered. Her shoulders shook as she fell to her knees in the gravel. Thoughts of suicide wove their way in and out of her mind as she reached down, clutching the small pebbles, and sobbed. Her head felt as if it was going to burst anyway. A blood vessel was going to end it all for her, and Rose welcomed it.

“There is no need to be so distraught, Rose. I’m right here,” came the voice. Her voice. She stopped crying at once when she heard it, coming from behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Trembling, she looked behind her to see a black dress that reached the ground. Just like in the dream. She shakily got to her feet, wiping at the wetness of her eyes, and smiled. Ready to kiss the feet of the woman who came to her, she suddenly realized her mistake.

The raven hair was the same, the pale skin was the same, but the eyes… Her eyes were not dark. They were green. Glowing green, and the evil that radiated from them was terrifying.

“What’s the matter, Rose? Don’t like what you see?” she asked, stepping forward.

Rose took an automatic step back, her hand covering her mouth, shaking her head.

“Well, that’s too bad. Because, you see, I knew you would come. I knew you would be here. You’re a hateful old bitch who’s just twisted enough to let me play around inside that noggin of yours. You’ll do just fine for what I need you for. The cancer in your brain is spreading fast, but by the time it eats away at your nervous system, I’ll be long gone.” Veronica took another step forward.

“NO! No! Leave me alone! Oh, God!” Rose backed away farther still.

“God has nothing to do with this. You people are all the same. Wait to turn on the pressure and you want to run to your God. Well, He isn’t listening to you right now, Rose. It’s just you…me…and them.” She pointed behind her.

Rose turned her head slowly, fear trembling through her whole body, and saw Jessica, Elizabeth, and Chad standing naked in ankle-deep water. Their bloated bodies were adorned with moss and dripping with water, and their eyes were lifeless white masses inside of their heads.

She let out a scream of horror as they surged forward, grabbing at her. Elizabeth grabbed her right arm and Chad grabbed her left. Jessica grabbed her hair and jerked it backwards. Veronica slowly walked forward, smiling hatefully.

“Now, hold still. This may hurt a little. It’s going to hurt quite a bit. Your body is mine now.” The green glow of her eyes intensified and blinded Rose.

Suddenly she felt something invade her body. Twisting inside of her, burning her from the inside out, and she tried to scream but nothing came out. The emerald light was the last thing she saw before her consciousness was kicked far into the back of her mind and the invading force took hold.

As her body slumped to the ground, the three who had been holding her let go and walked back into the water. The Rose-thing raised her head, eyes shining with green light; she dismissed the creatures with her mind and watched as they melted down into the water.

Inhaling oxygen deep into her borrowed lungs, she felt Rose struggling in the back of her mind to break herself from the bonds. She couldn’t; she had seduced another one. But this body wouldn’t last long, and it had work to do. This town had to pay, and she was the one to make it happen. She walked steadily to the awaiting car and got inside. With memories available to her from Rose’s mind, she turned the vehicle on and expertly drove back to her house.

She thought about those who were trying to stop her. The little group of people who cloistered around, reading her diaries and her father’s journals, were in way over their heads. She hated them—how dare they stop her from having her revenge? She would make them pay as well as this whole town. She would see that every man, woman, and child wept in fear before she consumed them and dragged them underneath the waters. She would see this town drowned.

* * *

From inside the treeline, watching closely, the man in black stepped out.

It is above now, he thought to himself.

He looked beyond the lake to the sleeping town. He had work to do himself and hoped that he could stop his daughter from her rampage. Her bringing herself into human form also allowed him to enter the physical world. It felt strange walking and feeling his feet hit the ground, but he didn’t let that distract him. As he made his way past tree after tree, he silently prayed for help to put an end to the horror that he helped create. He picked up his pace and moved as fast as he could.

* * * * * * * *

David Michaels sat in his chair, dozing, when the seismograph started moving. The scratching noises and the slight tremor under his body woke him, and he sat up straight on the chair and leaned over. Robert, Jake, and Tara had decided to crash on the floor in sleeping bags, and he leaned over and shook Robert awake. The movement had subsided by then, but there it was. Robert ran upstairs to fetch Paul from his slumber.

They returned quickly, Paul tying a robe around his waist as he padded barefoot and sleepy over to the machine. Jake sat up immediately and looked around the room, his eyes wide and fully alert.

“It’s all right, Jake. It was just a tremor. You’re fine,” Tara said, reaching over to hug his shoulders. Her soothing voice calmed him, and he nodded.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if anything else happens in the morning,” Paul said. Michelle had come downstairs, having slipped her clothes back on.

“I felt this one,” David said. “That’s what woke me up.”

“Yeah, the readout shows that it’s intensifying.”

“Everything all right?” Michelle asked.

“Yeah, just another tremor.” Paul reached for her lovely hand.

“What time is it?” Tara asked.

“Three a.m. It’s the witching hour.” Paul’s words caused a shiver up Tara’s spine.

They all sat in silence for what felt like hours, waiting. Paul and Michelle took to the couch opposite David’s chair. The anxiety in the room was high as everyone waited for some sort of disturbance. But the minutes ticked by, and they thought they were going to be disappointed.

They were wrong.

It started off quietly; Tara was the first to hear it, but she didn’t pay it any mind. There was a dripping sound coming in from the kitchen, and as it fell, it hit a pot left in the sink with a metallic ping. As time grew on, it turned from a drip to an all-out gush as if someone had turned the faucet on. Now everyone heard it.

Paul went to the kitchen followed by Jake and Tara. As he entered the dark room, he didn’t see anything at first. He reached for the switch on the wall and flipped it on, bathing the room in yellow light, and nearly jumped through the roof. There she was, the woman he had seen pulled from the lake, dressed the same—in a pair of panties and her t-shirt. Jake groaned and leaned back. Tara pulled him out of the way and put him behind her.

Yet the woman didn’t advance on them. She stood there, dripping wet, her vacant eyes unseeing.

“What do you want?” Tara asked.

The woman opened her mouth, and a flood of lake water escaped, running down the front of her and puddling on the floor. She raised her right arm and pointed to where Jake huddled behind them.

“You can’t have him,” Paul said.

Her hand was still up, and she still pointed, but the horrible face that was agape now grinned at him and tilted her head as if considering his words.

In an unearthly voice, it spoke. “I want the boy. Give him to me.”

“No,” Paul replied. “He doesn’t belong to you.”

The “thing” gave him a disgusted look and then let out a shriek so loud they had to cover their ears. It was a cry of pain and horror as, before their very eyes, it melted into the floor slowly, leaving nothing but a puddle of water where it had been standing.

“Jesus Christ, what was that thing?” David cried, rushing into the kitchen. He’d moved from the living room along with Robert when he’d heard Paul start talking to someone.

“That is what we are facing. Or at least a part of it,” Paul said.

Everyone else who had been asleep in the house came bounding down the stairs shortly after. Daniel and Audrey were the first, followed by the Hatches. Everyone gathered in the living room as Paul went over the story.

“That’s what attacked Jake,” Audrey said, holding her son close, her husband standing on the other side of him.

Jake nodded. “That was Jessica.” Michelle confirmed that it looked like her enough.

“All right,” David beckoned them, “everyone back in the living room where we can keep an eye on one another. We didn’t have a camera in here, so, we missed filming it.”

“But I do have voice recorders all over the house. We may have picked the voice up,” Robert said. He ran back to the closest one, which he had placed in the hallway and played it back.

“I got it! I got it!” he shouted excitedly. They all gathered back in the living room as he replayed it for them. Everyone looked terrified at the conversation they had heard, but it was David who spoke up first.

“Wait…I heard something else. Replay it.” Robert played it again. “There it is, listen to the pauses between conversations. Robert, can you hook this up to your laptop and slow it down in those intervals?”

“Sure. It’ll take me a few minutes to upload it and tweak it a little, but yeah. I heard something too.” Robert fished his laptop out of his bag, grabbed a USB cord and plugged it into the computer and his recorder. He threw his headphones on, so as not to be distracted by the conversation, and listened to the whole thing, slowing down the bits that David had indicated.

“Oh my god. You have to listen to this.”

He removed the headphone jack from the laptop and pressed play.

Paul could hear his voice and then the reply, but in between was the sound of other voices, a chorus of them.

“Help us. Please. Help us,” they cried. They sounded like they were terrified and in pain.

“Oh my god. That’s Jessica’s voice and…Chad. I can hear Chad as well,” Jake said, leaning his ear closer.

They all sat in stunned silence as Robert played it over and over, and the voices pleaded for help.

* * * * * * * *

Hayden had rolled over in his sleep and stretched out an arm only to find air and an empty bed. He sat up, looking around, and found Tommy standing naked at the window. He didn’t say anything at first, just admired his physique in the moonlight. All in all, he had great buns and a wide muscular back. His legs were like tree trunks, thick and sturdy. His back was wide and muscular, a perfect V-shape. Hayden leaned back on the headboard just watching him. He was so serious most of the time, funny enough when it suited him, but that could change at a moment’s notice. He didn’t seem complicated, not overburdened with a complex existence. He seemed like a simple man, leading a simple life on the outside. But Hayden knew there was more to him than just that. He hadn’t always been a simple handy man. He was an ex-army ranger, for God’s sake. Who knew what he had seen and been through?

Tommy turned his head slightly in Hayden’s direction. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“How did you know I was up?” Hayden asked.

“I heard the bed shift.” Tommy turned his head back to stare out.

Hayden worried that he felt guilty or unsure of what they had just done. He bit his lower lip and prepared himself for a long night and an awkward parting. He really liked Tommy, really wanted to get to know him, but maybe this wasn’t the right time. All of this seemed to happen so fast.

“Look, if what happened tonight was too much for you, I understand, I mean…we can forget if… I just don’t want you to be upset and…I mean, I really like you…a lot…and you just seem so pensive and… Fuck me!” Hayden put his head in his hands. His face was burning. He couldn’t remember the last time he stammered so damn much.

Tommy turned around and folded his arms, leaning back on the window frame and the wall. He cocked his head to the side and watched as Hayden stumbled on the words he was trying to get out. “Hush. Enough,” he said, walking forward. He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling the sheet over him as he did.

“I like you, Hayden and I’m not going anywhere. Settle down. I was just woken by something. It’s all right.” He pushed some disheveled hair out of Hayden’s face.

Hayden relaxed and leaned forward, pushing Tommy backwards onto the bed. He buried his face in his chest, and Tommy chuckled.

“As a matter of fact, I like you a lot. I hope that’s okay with you.”

Hayden turned his head and laid it down, listening to Tommy’s heart beating steady and strong beneath his ribcage. He ran his hands up his belly and back down, stopping at the scar.

“This just seems to have gone pretty fast.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, earlier in the week, I hired you to paint my house. Now you’re in my bed. I feel like this is some horrible harlequin romance novel for gay people.” Hayden snickered.

“No, I don’t think so.” Tommy laughed. “I don’t know, Hayden. Fuck, I’ve been everywhere. I’ve done some crazy shit but…this doesn’t feel crazy. For once in my life, I’m not smoking my last cigarette thinking, ‘Well, today may be the day.’ Ya know? All this ghost bullshit is new, I’ll grant you that, but…what the hell? I feel drawn to you.”

“Ha! You did smoke.”

“Of course I smoked. Who wants to hang out with a bad ass when he doesn’t have a Marlboro dangling from his lips?” Tommy said with a smile on his face.

“I smoke Marlboros. Does that make me a bad ass?”

Tommy rolled over on his side so he could look Hayden in the face. It was meant to be a joke, but the look in Tommy’s eyes was serious.

“Hayden, you’ve been through the shit this past couple of years. With the death of your husband, uprooting your life, and moving to a town you have never been before? Yes, I would say that puts you into the ‘bad ass’ category in my book. You’re strong, you know that? I admire you for it.”

His words touched and surprised Hayden. His face flushed, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to blink them back, found he couldn’t, and buried his face in the crook of Tommy’s arm.

“Hey, I wasn’t trying to do that, you know,” Tommy murmured.

“Oh, fuck. I know,” Hayden said, wiping his eyes. “Sorry. Yeah, it’s been killer, this past year. I just feel like I’m coming out of the haze, and to be honest, the lights scared me. Then out of nowhere, here you are, and I’m afraid that it’s all going to have been a dream. I had forgotten how to live.”

Tommy felt his heart stir. “Well, you’re not the only one ‘coming out,’ so I’ll make you a deal. How about we walk out of our respective shells together and see where it ends up. We can lean on each other; learn from each other, and hell, who knows what may happen from then on? A day at a time—what do you say?”

Hayden nodded his head. Tommy leaned in and kissed him. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to catch us before we know it.”

With that, they settled back into bed. Throwing the comforter over them, Hayden felt Tommy spoon up against him, the heat of his body warming them both. Tommy wrapped his large arms around Hayden’s chest and pulled him closer. Hayden melted into the man and before long drifted away into a peaceful sleep, alone.

Tommy stayed awake watching over him the rest of the night, listening for something else—anything else that sounded out of place. He had spoken brave words about taking their time, moving slow, and he hated lying to Hayden, but he had other plans. His eyes watched the darkness for movement and dared anything physical or otherwise to fuck with what he claimed as his.