Tarot's Touch (7 page)

He felt the press of Alex’s blunt cock against his entrance. Alex wasn’t talking now. It wasn’t going to be a soft and gentle penetration. Conor rested his calves on Alex’s shoulders and tried to relax as much as possible.

“Fuck!” Conor’s scream as Alex slammed into him cracked his voice. It didn’t hurt too much. There was just a slight burn as Alex’s thick, hard length filled his channel completely.

Alex pushed Conor’s legs back even farther, lifting his hips off the bed, allowing even deeper access then he began to thrust into him without mercy. His hands gripped tighter, thumbs digging into Conor’s thighs. Every push was accompanied by a grunt of satisfaction from Alex and a gasp from Conor as their bodies met. Every bounce of his cock sent jolts of pleasure into the very core of Conor’s body. He pulled against his bonds, fighting his own helplessness against Alex’s onslaught. Tears streaked his face, wetting the blindfold. When Alex came, he lunged forward so hard that Conor couldn’t stop his scream. The sweet pain, the inescapable pleasure, had him grinding his arse down as hard as he could. Alex’s gentle touch as he swiveled the hinge on the cock toy was too much. As soon as the little metal ball slipped free, Conor’s hot seed forced its way to freedom.

Alex collapsed on top of him. “Holy fuck!”

Conor enjoyed the weight pressing him down. He managed an exhausted chuckle. “Very apt. That was almost a religious experience.”

“Only almost?” Alex complained. “I’m devastated.”

“You’re heavy.”

A hard kiss landed on Conor’s lips, and he responded willingly. Alex brushed stray strands of hair from his face then untied the blindfold but left the ties around Conor’s wrists. Next, he tackled the head ring around Conor’s now flaccid cock. He kissed his way up Conor’s body, licking both nipples as he passed.

“Untie me, Alex! Stop it!”

“No. You look just perfect as you are. I think I have a vibrating butt plug somewhere… What do you think?”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Conor scowled and pulled frantically against his restraints. “My arse has had quite enough attention for a while, thank you.”

Alex trailed one finger across Conor’s heaving chest. “If I let you go, promise you won’t hit me?”

“Hit you? I’m quite tempted to shoot you.”

“I think we’ve both done enough shooting for one evening, don’t you?”

Conor groaned at the appalling misuse of the English language and stopped struggling. Alex released him, albeit a little warily, and gave him a gentle kiss. “I love you so much.”

Conor propped himself up on one elbow and chewed on his lip. “I know. I love you too.”

Alex’s pale blue eyes gleamed. “Time for dinner. Then we still have work to do.”

“Spoilsport.” Conor hit him with a pillow.

Chapter Four

Alex and Conor drove to work together the following morning. Alex was behind the wheel, while in the passenger seat Conor stretched out his legs and leaned back with a tired sigh. It was six-thirty and they hadn’t gone to bed until after two, by which time they had both been awake for almost twenty-four hours. Alex watched from the corner of his eye as Conor fiddled with the gray metal band around his wrist.

“I have a bad feeling about this case. If the arson and murder are linked, that’s a huge escalation in a very short space of time.”

Alex grunted. “It could still be coincidence.” He yawned.

“It’s not likely though, is it?”

“No,” Alex admitted a little reluctantly. “We can’t rule it out but I wouldn’t place money on the two events not being connected.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I have a feeling this one is going to challenge the overtime budget.”

Conor sighed. “These cases just seem to roll into each other. We haven’t had any free time together for months. The work’s relentless.”

Alex looked across at him. “I’m neglecting you, aren’t I? I’m sorry.”

Conor rested a hand on Alex’s thigh. “Never. I’m not complaining, but it would be nice to get away for a few days.”

Alex couldn’t ignore the weight of Conor’s hand on his leg. His thigh muscle twitched.

“If you don’t move your hand, the likelihood of us making it to work without being involved in a major accident is very small. So unless your idea of quality time together is visiting me in the hospital…”

Conor chuckled but removed the offending hand, albeit after giving Alex’s thigh a gentle squeeze.

“Very kind.” Alex rocked his head from side to side until his neck gave a satisfying crack. “When this case is over, we can go down to Cornwall if you like. You haven’t seen your family for a while.” Alex knew that Rory and Maggie Penrissen weren’t Conor’s real family, but they were the closest he had and he thought of them as such. Alex really liked them both too, especially as it was all too evident how much they cared for Conor.

“That would be great.” Conor sounded really happy. “I’ll ring them tonight and let them know. Even if I can’t say exactly when it will be, Maggie will want to air the cottage and give it a good clean.”

“Crab sandwiches, sea air and you—the perfect combination.” Alex licked his lips at the thought. “It’ll be good to have something to look forward to.”

“It’s good to know that crab sandwiches come higher up the list than I do.”

Alex put on his best repentant expression, even though he didn’t feel that way at all. “Maggie’s crab sandwiches are sublime. You come very close, though.”

“You know you can’t pull off innocent, don’t you?” Conor fell about laughing, half-strangled by his seatbelt.

Alex gave him a pained look. “You are showing a remarkable lack of respect. There’s not enough discipline in your life—something I will have to rectify very soon.”

“Hey! I’m the one that’s just come off second best to a dead crustacean. Give me a break.”

“No. Punishing you is too much fun.”

Their arrival at the station saved Conor from any further reprimands. It felt good to hear him laugh and to remember that they had a life outside work. Alex resolved to make sure that the trip to Cornwall happened as soon as possible.

“Have a good day, love. I’ll be upstairs most of the day today. I have divisional budgets to sort out and a training roster to plan, on top of all the case work.”

“The pain of being a senior officer… You have my sympathy.” Conor grinned.

“You don’t sound very bloody sympathetic!”

“I’m just a lowly detective constable, sir. I can’t possibly comprehend the complexities of your job. I’m sure it’s very harrowing work.”

“Brat. Get out of here.”

Conor scuttled away, laughing. Alex would have liked to drag him somewhere quiet and give him a thorough spanking but that would have to wait.

* * * *

Sitting in his office later that morning, surrounded by an entire Himalayan mountain range of paperwork, Alex thought back to their conversation. He’d long ago realized that being with Conor was more important to him than any part of his job, and recent events just embedded the certainty even deeper. His interview with Toby Walsh the previous day had hit him harder than usual. Alex had delivered bad news many times before, but watching the man’s face crumple, the devastation that had hunched his shoulders and reddened his eyes had been horrible. They might not have been together that long but there was no doubting that Toby and Sam Teller had been deeply in love.

Recalling the scene yet again inevitably led Alex back to thinking about how he might feel if he ever lost Conor. It made him feel physically ill to even consider the possibility. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet. Inside was a small picture—a miniature version of one of the snaps he had taken of Conor while they’d been on holiday in Cornwall. Conor was shirtless, leaning back against a rock, glancing up shyly from beneath his lashes. Alex’s cock twitched.

“You are one lucky son of bitch, Alex Courtney.” He folded his wallet and slipped it back into his pocket. “Don’t ever forget it.”

He slid open his desk drawer and pulled out the small black velvet box that nestled in his pen tray. He pushed open the lid and looked at the contents—two matching rings of smoky platinum, both completely plain, narrow bands. Inside each were engraved the words
‘amare aeternam’
meaning ‘love eternal’. Circling them in the box was a bracelet made from the same metal and a tiny key, which fitted into the band’s intricate locking mechanism. Once closed, it appeared seamless, apart from the keyhole. Alex had noticed Conor playing with the bracelet around his wrist that morning and couldn’t wait to replace it with a more permanent symbol. Perhaps if they got to Cornwall soon for a break, he would find the perfect moment to pluck up some courage and ask the question that had been tormenting him for months. Alex wasn’t scared of much, but Conor rejecting his proposal of marriage was a terrifying prospect.

The phone rang.
Saved by the bell.
The real world was a great excuse for not thinking about difficult, emotional issues. It was Sergeant Higgs.

“Hey, boss, everybody’s here if you want to come and give us an update.”

“Sure. I’ll be leaving soon, so it’s perfect timing, I’ll be right down.”

He replaced the receiver then slipped the jewelry box back into his desk drawer. He picked up the envelope containing his plane tickets and flight details then grabbed his jacket. The piles of paperwork on his desk would still be there when he got back. It felt good to close the door on them. Alex locked his office door and headed down to see his team.

They were gathered in a loose circle, perching on desks or leaning against the walls. Alex waited for the chatter to die down before he spoke.

“The best lead we have so far is the animosity between our murder victim and his ex-wife. I spent a lot of time on the phone today with the Scottish police and I’ve managed to arrange an interview with Amanda Teller. I’m flying up to Scotland this afternoon and will be conducting the interview with one of the locals. Mrs. Teller is about to leave for a three week cruise, so it has to be today.” He looked around his staff. “The aim is to get a better picture of this woman’s relationship with her ex-husband. I want to know if Toby Walsh’s impression of her was accurate and whether she still holds any animosity toward either Toby or Sam. Apparently she took him to the cleaners during the divorce, but that might not have been enough.”

Higgs folded his arms across his chest. “You can’t beat face-to-face for getting the proper impression of someone and she’s the best lead we have.”

“Exactly. I’ll be back tomorrow. I’m sure you can manage without me for a few hours. Sarge, you’re in charge.”

That generated a lot of heckling, and Higgs put his head in his hands with a groan. “What have I done to deserve this, boss? Can’t I go to Scotland and you stay here with the kindergarten?”

Alex gave a short laugh. “Any of them misbehave, Sarge, and you have my blessing to use necessary force.” He turned toward the door. “Best be going or I won’t make my flight.”

The door shut and the team settled back to their work. Conor stared at the door.

“Go and say goodbye, idiot.” Sarge gave Conor a pained look. “My grandkids look less miserable than you when I make them eat sprouts.”

“Yes, Sarge!”

Conor shot out of the door after Alex, ignoring the suggestive comments from his colleagues. He caught up with him in the car park, slowing to a more dignified walk.

“Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?” Conor stuck his hands in his pockets and scuffed his foot on the tarmac.

“Kind of hard to do that properly in an office full of blokes, love. Sorry—I didn’t have a chance to tell you first. I only just got confirmation myself. I was going to ring you from the airport.”

“I understand. It’s not a problem. Don’t worry. I’ll miss you, though.”

Conor was desperate to give Alex a hug but the security camera on the wall behind them precluded any demonstration of affection.

“Me too. I’ll call you tonight. I’m going home to pack a few things but I’ll bring the car back here for you and take a cab to the airport. I’ll leave the hotel details in the kitchen.”

“Okay.”

“You’re upset.” Alex frowned.

“Not at all,” Conor reassured him. “But I wish I could have a goodbye kiss.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“I know,” Conor sulked.

“Not because of the camera… I’d happily kiss you in front of the entire station.”

“Why then?”

“Because one kiss wouldn’t be enough.”

“Oh.” Conor beamed.

“Yes, oh.”

Conor decided it might be time to change the subject. “I’m going to see Agnes’ card reader friend tonight, but I should be home by nine. Call me after that, okay?”

“Sure.” Alex looked like he was about to impart some wisdom about taking care but stopped himself.

Conor waited expectantly. He was a grown man and quite capable of taking care of himself, but he doubted that Alex would be able to resist. He raised an eyebrow at the hesitation and, true to form, Alex’s over-protection gene clicked into action.

“Be careful tonight. Make sure one of the team knows where you are going and what time you expect to be finished. Call in to confirm once you’re at home.”

Conor grinned. “You just couldn’t stop yourself, could you?”

Alex scowled. “Your track record for getting into trouble when I’m not around does not fill me with confidence.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll take precautions. You need to take care of yourself, though. I don’t want you going off with some big-bearded Scotsman in a kilt.”

“Stereotypical much?” The frown lines on Alex’s forehead smoothed as he climbed into the car. “I’ll bring you back a big, juicy haggis.”

Conor put on his best innocent expression. “I really hope that’s a metaphor.”

Before Alex could respond, he went back inside, stealing himself to face the gentle teasing of his colleagues. His relationship with the boss was a continual source of amusement for all of them.

He knew it was ridiculous, but Conor felt himself pining for Alex as soon as the door shut between them. It wasn’t as if they spent every minute of every day together, after all. In fact, with such a heavy case load, the opposite was true. Some days the only time they spent together was in bed. Conor smiled to himself at that thought. This felt different though—there was a hollow feeling inside him that he didn’t think would go away until Alex was home.