Page 35 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

“That was pretty great,” Bobby muttered against Tommy’s lips.

“Glad ya stopped by tonight, then?”

Bobby snorted a laugh and kissed the side of Tommy’s neck. He trailed his fingers over Tommy’s throat, running a gentle line over Tommy’s Adam’s apple. Tommy could tell he was thinking of something, trying to decide if he should say it out loud or not. Tommy’s vote, when faced with a similar internal debate, was usually ‘not,’ unless absolutely necessary, but Bobby didn’t have that problem.

“I thought you didn’t like giving head.”

It wasn’t really a question, not an accusation either, just a statement, a puzzle Bobby was trying to solve.

And there it is. “I usually don’t,” Tommy answered honestly.

When Bobby pulled back and searched Tommy’s face in the dim shadows, looking like more questions were about to tumble out of his mouth, Tommy smiled and added, “Seems like you’re the exception to most of my rules.”

That one simple answer seemed to satisfy everything for Bobby. He grinned stupidly and leaned in close. Tommy thought he was going in for a kiss, but Bobby paused just before their lips brushed together and whispered, “I’m taking that like you mean it in a good way.”

He did kiss Tommy then.

“Maybe I do,” Tommy murmured against Bobby’s mouth. He was trying to tease, but it was the truth. A scary, unrealistic truth that would probably get one or both of them hurt in the long run, but being honest this one time wouldn’t do any more damage than anything else they’d already done.

Chapter Eight

“You workin’ tonight?” Colleen asked as she put a few groceries away. She had to stand on her toes to do it, but she wouldn’t let Tommy help. He had to laugh. She was more like him than either of them would like to admit.

He was on perishable duty, sorting out the canned goods from the things that needed to go into the freezer. “Nah,” he answered absentmindedly. “Figured you might need some backup tonight if the kids are gonna get to bed on time. I swapped with Shawna.”

The summer had gone by like everything else in Tommy’s life—in a stressful rush. He had finally forced himself to quit smoking, but he still reached for his pack with every new crisis.

Tommy could already feel the pinch from losing their summer work, despite knowing the paychecks would be the same for another week or two. He and Colleen had gone head-to-head about her working extra shifts at the bowling alley. In the end, she’d gone against his wishes and done it anyway. She worked and slept, and that was about it for the last two months. It made his heart ache, but later he realized she had been using it as a way to put some distance between her and Wyatt. Halfway through her frenzy of double shifts, he’d left for college, off to another state. Tommy could tell she was doing her damnedest not to miss him. He couldn’t think of anything to say that would make it better, make it easier for her, so he hadn’t said anything at all.

Colleen was about done with her half of the groceries, and Tommy was tucking a flat of eggs into the refrigerator. “Gonna suck, getting everyone up and ready. They’ve been staying up till dawn,” he said, scowling at the small puddle creeping out from under the refrigerator.

“We’ll manage.”

With a shrug, Tommy grabbed a dirty towel from the pile waiting for the washing machine and toed it under the dripping water. “Always do.”

“Bobby coming by tonight?”

Tommy couldn’t help but smirk. “Nah, he’s on patrol tonight, but we got a date for nap time in the morning.”

Colleen shot him a wicked grin. “He’s probably the only one around here looking forward to school starting again.”

“I’m not exactly crying over it either.” Tommy laughed along with her. “The extra money and extra work is nice, but getting Davey outta my hair for a few hours a day will be better.”

He felt bad as soon as he said it. Davey was a pretty good kid, especially given his circumstances. Yeah, he liked to take risks and raise a little hell, didn’t want to do his homework or his chores, but Tommy was fairly sure most thirteen-year-olds were the same. On the other hand, letting Davey’s teachers keep him out of juvie during the day was a much-needed relief. “You hear from Wyatt lately?” Tommy asked. He knew he shouldn’t bring it up, but he wanted her to talk if she was willing.

“He texted me a few times.” Colleen’s voice was as soft as smoke, ready to drift off into the air and disappear.

“You text him back?”

The guilty look in her eyes answered his question. “Been busy, ya know?”

Tommy took a step toward her, reaching his hand for her shoulder as he spoke. “Col, ya can’t just—”

“Tommy! Get in here!”

Collin’s voice cut across everything he was about to say. The kid sounded panicked and Tommy tore out of the kitchen with Colleen following close on his heels.

He found all the kids in the living room staring at the television. Max and Zoe were the only ones not paying it any attention. “What the hell’s the matter?”

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