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Clenching around Martin’s softening erection, Nick dug his heels into the mattress as come shot from his dick and onto his stomach, long, ropey strands of it. He tried to open his eyes but truthfully, it was too much effort.
“Did I break you?” Martin asked with concern. Not much, just a tinge.
With difficulty, Nick peeled one eye open. “Good. I’m good.”
“You’re not arguing. Maybe I should call 9-1-1.”
“Fuck off.”
“Ah, that’s much better.”
Holding onto the condom, Martin pulled out of Nick’s ass, causing him to flinch. “Didn’t hurt,” he assured Martin. “Just weird, ya know.”
Martin eyed him for a moment before getting up off the bed. “I’ll take care of this and be right back.” Seconds later, he returned with a warm cloth and gently wiped up Nick’s abs. For Nick’s part, he just lay there. He now knew exactly what a wet noodle felt like. If he tried to stand up, he suspected he’d just collapse onto the floor.
After returning the washrag to the bathroom, Martin slipped back into bed and pulled the covers over them both. Nick stayed on his back, his breathing slowing while he contemplated the ceiling.
Martin didn’t say anything.
Did Nick want him to talk? He didn’t know. Was he overthinking? Why was he thinking at all? He’d just had the best sex of his life. Again. Was it possible to have the best twice?
With an irritated huff, Nick rolled onto his side and faced the bedroom door. He was drifting off when Martin set his warm, solid palm against Nick’s back, almost as if he was keeping Nick from floating away.
It felt good. He was tempted to twitch it away but fell asleep before he could. His last conscious thought was,What the fuck have I done now? And do I care?
MARTIN
Fact:The heaviest rocks in the world are made up of dense, metallic minerals. Two of the heaviest, or densest, rocks areperidotiteorgabbro. Peridotite are the kind of rocks that naturally occurring diamonds are found in.
The circus arrived in town a few days after the discovery. Martin didn’t say circus, but he was thinking it. It was a smallish circus, comparatively. One instead of three rings. But it was, by definition, a damn circus. Dear had managed to keep the discovery quiet but obviously the news had gotten out. Martin suspected many folks in Cooper Springs would agree with him. He knew Nick did—all he’d had to do was glance over at him and note the disgusted expression on his face.
“What the actual fuck is that?” Nick grumbled, straightening to his full height and staring toward the police station. Their vantage from the rooftop gave them a bird’s eye view.
An older Subaru wagon, and an even older Land Rover, had pulled up and parked directly in front of the station. A tall, dark-haired man got out of the first car and waited on the sidewalk while another dark-haired man and an equally tall woman climbed out of the Land Rover. Together, the three of them headed inside.
“Nothing we have to worry about. Let’s just keep our noses out of police business,” Martin replied innocently. As if that would happen.
Nick turned back to him, his expression outraged. “No offense to Chief Dear,” he replied, his tone dripping with offense, “but he and Lani are the only two on the force with any brains. The folks that just arrived—they are the rest of the brains. I’m betting one of those people is Ethan Moore.”
Martin nodded. They both felt a great responsibility toward the skull that Nick had discovered. It had revealed itself to them.Ifthey hadn’t chosen to go for a hike that day, it possibly would have never been found. Animals could have made off with it. Someone less scrupulous than they might have taken it as a souvenir. So many possibilities. But he and Nick were the ones who had found it and it felt—momentous.
“I tend to agree, but we need to focus on the work at hand, grasshopper. Hand me that stack of shingles. We have a job to finish up.”
All the cabin roofs were just about done, which was excellent since the weather was only supposed to hold through the weekend. Then the rain would return. Luckily, they would be working inside the cabins after this: refinishing floors, repainting rooms, replacing windows, and more. A whole lot of things that started withre.
“Fine,” Nick muttered in a way that indicated no such thing. But he hefted the stack of shingles closer to where Martin was finishing up.
“It is fine. We can head over to the Donkey in a bit and catch up on what we’re missing out on.”
“That’s not the incentive you think it is.” Nick watched him, a distinctly lascivious glint in his eye. “You made us get out of bed this morning.”
“Mm-hmm,” he agreed, pushing up the sleeves of the thick t-shirt he wore. “I did. I don’t like to be rushed.” Nick had tried to start something, but Martin had put the brakes on, much to Nick’s obvious disgust. He hadn’t wanted to be buried in Nick’s ass and have the construction guys knocking at the door. “We’ll probably have to shower before we head over.”
Nick grumbled something that Martin thought was approval, although it was hard to tell with him sometimes. It was fine. He’d figure it out.
Picking up his roofing hammer again, Martin felt himself smiling. Who would have predictedthis? Out with his stodgy, boring life—where he’d basically been waiting to retire and sit around until he died—and in with the newrisk-taking Martin, the guy who’d left everything behind for a new life. The guy who’d offered a complete stranger a place to live and leveled it up to something a bit more. Something without a label, and that was just fine with him. He didn’t need a label to be happy.
He was very happy in this future. Except for the murder. Except for Lizzy. Except for the skull of unknown origin. And the SUV Nick had seen, he added to himself.
