Page 9 of Lover
Laughing, Rory agreed with him. “Yes, they are a motley crew, but a family nonetheless. Will you hold this for a second?” Rory handed Shannon his mug, reaching for another piece of wood to toss into the chiminea. “Thanks. So, where did you say you were from?”
I didn’t, Shannon thought, seconds away from bolting when Blair slid the patio door open, giving him an out. “Guys, get your asses in here—it’s almost midnight!”
Rory stood, offering his hand and pulling Shannon to his feet, Rory’s hand going to the middle of his back, guiding him into the townhouse. Christ almighty, the protective nature of the man beside him was both welcome and terrifying, and the warring emotions were making Shannon dizzy. Rory stopped, turning to face him, a genuine smile on his face. He could hear Ryan Seacrest in the background as the countdown to midnight rang out in the crowded living room. Nestled in a corner by the front door, Rory leaned in and Shannon closed his eyes, expecting a quick press of lips and nothing more.
The kiss was slow and gentle until Rory slid his tongue into Shannon’s mouth, tilting his head to the side so he could deepen the kiss. Everything and everyone disappeared, his sole focus on the man that was kissing him reverently.Holy fuck! So, this is what a kiss is supposed to be, how it’s supposed to feel.The perfect gentleman, Rory didn’t press his body to Shannon’s or push him up against the wall, which was what Shannon’s inner diva wanted right then.
When Rory pulled back, Shannon slowly blinked his eyes open, gasping when he saw the look of want and need in Rory’s dancing green eyes. “Wow, Shannon Dupree, I could have missed you,” the man whispered, turning his legs to jelly.
Before he could muster up a response, Taylor came over and clapped him on the back, hard, pulling Shannon into a bone-crushing hug and hollering, “Happy New Year, Tink!”
Dazed and confused, Shannon let Rory take his hand and lead him into the kitchen where they accepted the glasses of champagne Frank was passing out. “Everyone, listen.” Frank held his glass high, looking over at the faces of all their friends, smiling. “This past year has been daunting and trying, but it’s also been wonderful, and Taylor and I are so happy that all of you are here to celebrate with us tonight, in our new home.”
Taylor walked around to where Frank was standing, wrapping an arm around him and leaning in for a kiss. The two of them were the picture of happiness, strength, and love. He envied them. God, how he wanted what they had. A strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling Shannon close and he chuckled, shaking his head and smiling at Rory. “Happy New Year, guys.” Frank tipped his glass, and they all toasted.
When he left an hour later, Rory walked Shannon out to his car, leaving him glassy-eyed and tingling from another kiss. They exchanged numbers and made tentative plans for dinner the following week. He went to bed that night knowing that if he and Rory continued to date and grew closer, eventually he’d have to be honest with him about his past. Shannon prayed for guidance and hoped the sexy FBI agent would stick around when, and if, he opened up about the skeleton in his closet.
Chapter Seven
Rory Spring 2016
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“Goddammit, Davis. Wouldyou make up your mind whether or not you want to work on the Langford case or the Columbia River Killer case? Your jumping back and forth is giving me whiplash.” Rory growled. The man was a brilliant investigator, and his ties to the military came in handy, but sometimes he would steer between the two cases—no, more like zigzag, and it drove Rory insane.
“Fuck off, Landers.” Rand flipped him off, standing and shoving his chair back. “I’m going to find Cummings—it’s his turn to buy lunch.” He stalked out of the office. Rory caught himself starring at Davis’s ass and clenched his fists. The man was infuriating, and he had no right to be so fucking sexy. His attraction to the detective pissed him off; the man was a bear, barking orders and bossing people around. Well, that shit didn’t work on Rory, and he told him so. But there were times when he’d find Rand engrossed in something, running his hand over his short, buzzed hair, chewing on his bottom lip, and fuck it all if that wasn’t endearing as hell.
Officially, the Langford case was solved. Taylor’s biological father had killed his mother and the man Taylor thought was his father, Emily and Sean Langford. He’d then spent a decade in prison in Texas before being released and coming after Taylor. But there was something about the case that continued to bother Rory as well as Rand Davis, both of them certain there was so much more they were missing. So they kept tracking people down and following up on leads whenever they weren’t working on other things. Like the serial killer in Washington that they’d dubbed the Columbia River Killer. That was in Davis’s neck of the woods, he had connections at the Naval base as well as the Pentagon, so he was a welcome member of their team. Recently he’d met Rand’s sister, Claire Davis, who was bright, bubbly, and friendly—nothing like her asinine big brother. Rand was furious when Rory asked Claire if Rand was adopted. “Hey, I thought it was hilarious.” Claire giggled when Rand stormed out of the office.
Jesus, thinking about the Washington case put him in a right foul mood. They were up to fifteen young men as possible victims in the case, nine that they’d definitively linked together. And Gonzales was convinced that the drowning victim circled back to the Columbia River Killer as well—but they would need more solid proof to add him to the list. All of the bodies that had been identified by witness, DNA, or medical records were between fourteen and sixteen when they went missing and none were older than nineteen when they were found. Though one fucking person eluded them: Judge Dickhead’s grandson. They had no sightings, no witnesses, and no body to account for Harold Tullor Junior.
The ornery detective had actually been instrumental in linking several of the victims to the Columbia River Killer, and Rory couldn’t be happier that Rand was assisting on the case. He was easy to talk to and able to pull details from witnesses with reassuring smiles and boatloads of charm. However, his mood swings and childlike outbursts like the one just a few minutes earlier, while rare, irritated Rory to no end. The man could be smiling and relaxed one minute then furious and lashing out at everyone within shouting distance the next.
If he were honest with himself, what truly frustrated Rory was the fact that he was insanely attracted to the detective.Damn it all to hell!His phone vibrated and Rory snatched it, pressing the Talk button with more force than necessary. “Landers,” he barked.
“Oh my, someone is having a bad day.” Shannon chuckled.
Relaxing, Rory leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Yeah, you could say that. But it just got a whole lot better.” He and Shannon had been dating since New Year’s and were growing closer with each passing day. Rory was his date for the graduation party Taylor and the Stones threw for Shannon the night after the ceremony in Austin. It was a breath of fresh air to get away from the job and the cases that were wearing him thin and spend time with Shannon and Taylor and the rest of their family. Even Frank had softened where Rory was concerned.
“We still on for dinner tonight?”
“Of course. I’ve been thinking about eating you for dinner—sorry, I meant eating dinner with you—all day.” Rory could see the blush creeping up Shannon’s cheeks in his mind. It was one of the things he loved about his boyfriend, the way he blushed when Rory complimented him. The first time they had sex, he’d gotten to see that flush from head to toe, and it was very invigorating to know he turned Shannon on that much. Just thinking about Shannon, naked and writhing underneath him, made his dick hard, and he wiggled around in the chair to adjust his now tight pants.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Agent Landers, you naughty, naughty boy. My last class should be over by six, so how does seven sound?” Shannon was pushing all of his buttons; calling him Agent Landers always made Rory’s dick hard.
A little more adjusting was needed. “Seven is perfect, babe. Need me to bring anything?” Rory asked.
“Nope, just yourself. I’ll see you then.” Shannon made kissing noises and said good-bye before hanging up. Setting his phone on the desk, he stood, pulling at the crotch of his pants while picturing his parents having sex in an attempt to alleviate the pressure in his cock.
“Wow, that’s an impressive package you got there, Agent Landers. And here I thought you didn’t care much for me,” Rand-fucking-Davis said from the doorway, causing Rory to jump and gasp in surprise.
“For fuck’s sake, Davis, make some noise when you walk into a room, why don’t ya!” he shouted, quickly sitting down and scooting up under his desk. “Put a fucking bell around your neck,” Rory muttered, glaring at Rand when he laughed. There was something behind the look Rand gave him, or maybe it was simply thewayhe was looking at Rory that gave him pause.Is he—is that...attraction? No. Hell no, not Davis. Get a hold of yourself, Rory!
Davis stood leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, staring at Rory for a few intense moments. He seemed to be in a daze, his eyes distant and clouded.What the actual fuck?Rory thought but didn’t dare say out loud. And then Rand pushed off the door and went back down the hall. Rory watched until he disappeared from sight, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.
***
When he arrived atthe studio and climbed the stairs up to Shannon’s apartment, using the key he’d recently been given to open the door, he could hear Shan whistling from the kitchen. Rory slid his coat off and hung it on the coatrack. Shannon was just pulling the lasagna from the oven, steam wafting around him and making him look like an angel walking through a cloud. He inhaled the delicious aroma, coming up behind Shannon and wrapping his arms around his waist, kissing the back of Shannon’s neck. He turned in Rory’s arms, tugging the oven mitts off so he could grab two fists full of Rory’s shirt and drag him in for a sloppy, wet, openmouthed kiss. With each passing second, their kiss became more heated and within minutes, Shannon’s pants were around his ankles, he’d dropped to his knees, and was swallowing Shannon’s dick.
