Page 40 of Coven of Corpses

A half dozen slow breaths later, the space between each growing longer, until everything had simply stopped. And she was gone. The room had seemed to hold its breath with him. The early morning stillness became heavier, more final. He remembered feeling her absence immediately, a tangible void where her presence had been, as if a massive stone in the foundation of his very being had cracked and shifted, throwing the rest of his world off balance.

It was still hard for him to believe sometimes. In quiet moments, he'd catch himself thinking of something to tell her or a part of her care he needed to follow up on. Then reality would crash back with stunning force, leaving him breathless with loss. He supposed when his family finally all left town, and he and Demmy got back into whatever kind of routine their lives would take going forward, it would start to feel real. The free time he would have that used to be spent at Parson's Pines would be a gaping wound he would struggle to fill at first. And now that he wouldn’t have to worry about her condition and try to figure out the best level of care she could afford, the quiet in his thoughts would be deafening.

Before he realized it, Cody had passed the Welcome to Parson’s Hollow sign. The Hollow Leg bar came up on his left, gravel lot filled with a mix of pickups and older model cars. A couple of men were heading toward the door, the neon beer signs in the blacked out windows casting them into silhouettes. One was about half a foot taller than the other, and the similarity between he and Demmy stirred something within him. An ache for the way things used to be. A stubborn hope they would both be around to share their lives together, whatever that looked like, for many more years. The need to see Demmy again, even if it meant being smothered by family members.

A couple of miles later, he turned into their surprisingly empty driveway. Demmy had parked his truck up behind the house, leaving Cody plenty of room. But Grant’s big SUV wasn’t there. He parked high enough up in the driveway to allow room for Grant to park behind him, then he got out and walked between their vehicles, trailing his hand along the bed of Demmy’s truck. Trevor wasn’t in his shelter at the side of the garage. He was most likely off pillaging or foraging or whatever a raccoon did at night in a small town, so Cody let himself in through the side door.

The light over the stove was on, giving him enough light to see as he unlaced his work boots and kicked them off on the stairway landing. He set them aside then climbed the two steps into the narrow kitchen, the linoleum cool under his sock-covered feet.

“Demmy?”

“Back here.” Cody relaxed a bit at the sound of his voice, normal and calm.

Cody walked through the house, noting the lack of suitcases and backpacks, the fold out bed hidden beneath the couch cushions even though it was after ten-thirty at night. He stopped and leaned in the door to their bedroom, needing a moment to understand what he was seeing.

Demmy lay stretched out on the bed. The muted light from the small lamp on top of the chest of drawers touched the hairs scattered across his bare chest, making them gleam like gold. A sheet covered him from the waist down, but Cody could see he had an erection. Despite the long day, his own cock stirred with sudden interest.

“What’s all this?” Cody asked, afraid to step into the room in case this was a dream and he might wake himself up.

“Grant and Mac took the kids to stay with Roman and Madison at their Airbnb,” Demmy said. “Mac suggested it, and Grant made it happen. I think he even called your brother by his actual name instead of Romes.”

“Really?” Cody approached the bed, then stopped and made a face. “You changed the sheets, right?”

Demmy scowled. “Of course I changed the sheets. Gross.”

“Double gross. I had to ask.”

“Did you though?”

Cody leaned down and kissed the hard pink nub of his exposed nipple. “Yeah, you know I did.” He kissed Demmy’s mouth next, lingering. Demmy’s lips were soft and warm. “Think you can wait long enough for me to get a quick shower?”

Demmy sighed dramatically and turned away. “I’ll try.” He looked back with an embarrassed smile. “I’ve been lying here for a while. I texted Jugs earlier and asked him to let me know when you’d left work.”

“I wondered why he was asking me so many questions.” Cody kissed the long length of Demmy’s cock through the sheet. “You keep thinking those good thoughts.”

He’d never showered so fast in his life.

After drying off, he dropped the towel on the floor and walked back to their bedroom, naked and hard. Demmy had pulled the sheet down and now lay stroking himself, eyes locked on Cody’s dick as he moved toward the bed.

"I've been thinking about you all day," Cody confessed, stretching out beside him. Demmy’s face was flushed, his eyes dark with desire, and Cody felt a surge of possessive pride at the sight. "About having you all to myself again."

"Show me," Demmy challenged, a glint in his eye.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Cody began to work his way down his body. He took his time, paying special attention to the spots he knew drove Demmy crazy—the hollow of his throat, the sensitive skin just below his collarbone, the ridge of his hip bones.

By the time Cody reached Demmy's cock, they were both breathing hard, anticipation building between them like an electric current. Cody looked up the length of Demmy's body, maintaining eye contact as he took him into his mouth.

"Fuck," Demmy gasped, his back arching off the bed. His hand came to rest on the back of Cody's head, not pushing, just anchoring himself.

Cody took his time, using every trick he'd learned over the years to tease and please Demmy. He used that knowledge mercilessly, bringing him close to the brink before backing off.

"Jesus, Cody," Demmy moaned, his thighs trembling. "You're killing me here."

Cody pulled off with a wet pop and grinned. "Patience, babe."

"Screw patience," Demmy said, pulling at Cody's shoulders. "Get up here. I want to taste you, too."

Cody had been hoping to hear that. He crawled up the bed and they rearranged themselves, Cody straddling Demmy's chest, facing his feet. The position gave him perfect access to Demmy's cock while putting his own within reach of Demmy's mouth.