Page 79 of Caged
Danny gasped.
"Too much?"
"I don't know." Danny stared at him. "It scares me, but then the thought of it not happening scares me too. What if I'm not enough? What if I can't give you what you need? Satisfy you the way another man could?"
"You mean sex?"
Danny nodded.
"I've told you, that doesn't matter. If it happens, it happens. I love holding you, kissing you. It's enough. Don't let sex be the reason you fear a relationship with me. It's the last thing on my mind." That wasn't really true, but there was no way he'd force it on Danny. He would go without if it meant keeping Danny here with him. He could take care of his own needs if things didn't happen between them.
"I don't mind doing some stuff, but sex…" Danny ducked his head.
"Babe, it's okay. I know. Sex is so much more than penetration. We can curl up in bed in our clothes and just make out. We can kiss, touch, caress. We don't have to do more. We do as much as you're comfortable with, even if that is all we ever do."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure." Marshall kissed Danny before pulling back. "Let's eat, then we can talk more. I didn't mean to have this conversation until later tonight when we were relaxing."
"I'm not sure I can relax. I'm nervous about tomorrow." Danny took a seat across from Marshall at the table.
"There is nothing to be worried about. This is what the team does. We don't go in without being sure we can pull it off. The team has planned and prepared for tomorrow for over a week now. We'll hang around here all day, then we'll head out to dinner and a movie later while the team prepares to go in. D promised to call me as soon as they are done to let us know if it was Larry."
"How long before the police find out?"
"Soon after the team leaves. They'll call after they are a safe distance away and send the police in to arrest Dale and Larry and rescue the kids. I'm guessing you won't hear from the police until the day after. You need to remember to look surprised when the detective contacts you. Don't let on that you already knew anything about it."
Danny nodded.
"If it turns out not to be Larry, we still have a chance of catching him at his mother's grave on her birthday, but my gut tells me it's him there with his cousin."
"Yeah, mine too." Danny stabbed a piece of meat but didn't lift it to his mouth. "How soon will a court hearing happen?"
"I don't know anything about that. I'm guessing a month or two at most. We could get lucky and he'll plead guilty and you won't have to testify." He really doubted that would happen but he could hope.
"I'll do whatever I have to so that he can't hurt anyone again," Danny said.
"So will I. And if he is there when the team goes in, he won't be able to hurt anyone again. At least not rape them. The team will take that ability from him."
"Is it bad that I wish I could be the one to cut it off him?"
Marshall smiled. "Not at all. I wish the same thing, though I doubt I could go through with it if I was there. I don't have the stomach for it."
"Yeah, it would probably make me sick too, but I'd still do it." Danny took a bite of his dinner, chewed it for a long minute, then looked up. "What made you buy me roses tonight?"
Marshall shrugged. "I was just happy to be coming home to you and thought I'd grab them for you on the way. It's nice to come home to someone here. I thought I enjoyed living alone but now that you're here, I don't think I'd ever want to go back to it. It's nice to have someone waiting for me. I love the fact you can come to work with me now too when you want. There are days I'm there so many hours, and knowing you're there will make it easier. I can walk out and get a hug or kiss from you and erase all the evil I've had to look at all day."
"You really want me there? I won't distract you?"
Marshall laughed. "Oh, you'll be a huge distraction, but that's okay. It's not like I wouldn't be thinking about you all of the time anyway and wishing I was home. At least with you there sometimes I can sneak out and get a kiss. I don't expect you there all of the time, but it will be nice when you are."
"I was thinking I could cook for the team if they wouldn't mind."
"They'd love it." Marshall could already hear everyone raving about having meals cooked for them. "You really love cooking, don't you?"
Danny nodded. "I was looking at a couple of online courses. I'm not sure I'm ready to go to a school and deal with people yet, but I'd like to learn. Jessica's been helping me look at what's available."
"I think it's a great idea." Marshall meant it. He wanted Danny to find what made him happy and pursue it.
