No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,86

whole thing proved to us both there are more important things in life than being mad at each other.”

Charlie laughed. “Man.” He shook his head. “The universe works in mysterious ways.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve been worried all this time about my weight. I was kicking myself last week for all my stress baking and the fact that I let myself eat those damn cookies and gain another pound or two. But you know what?” He touched his side. “The bullet went through right here. In and out. You know what it hit?”

“What?”

“Nothing but fat. The doctor told me being a little overweight might have saved my life tonight. And being shot sucked, but now you tell me it’s somehow brought peace between you and Gray?” He shook his head again. “The universe might have my back after all.”

“If anybody deserves some good karma, it’s you.”

Charlie pulled Jonas into his arms. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so scared in my life.”

Jonas had. He’d been more scared the day of his surgery than he had been with a gun in his face. Which wasn’t to say he hadn’t been scared at all. Only a fool wouldn’t have been. But with Jeremy, he’d at least felt like he had some measure of control. He could weigh his options. He could send a message.

He could count on Charlie and their friends for help.

“Listen,” Charlie said, smiling. “Being shot makes a man think. And since we’re here, and your surgery is over…”

Jonas tipped his head back to meet Charlie’s eyes. “Yes?”

“I have no intention of letting you divorce me.”

Jonas laughed. “As usual, we’re on exactly the same page.”

Epilogue

May

Charlie still woke first, more often than not, but these days, Jonas was rarely on the other side of the bed. Instead, he lay curled into a ball, huddled against Charlie’s back, as if seeking Charlie’s warmth in the night even though the room wasn’t cold this deep into spring.

They’d only been in the new house a week now, and after so many years in the old one, Charlie still wasn’t used to waking in an unfamiliar space. He hadn’t quite adjusted to the layout of the room or the way the morning light fell through the window. On the bright side, the bedroom was twice the size of his old one, allowing plenty of room to hang the sex swing in the corner. They’d already gotten a lot of use out of that.

Charlie smiled at the thought and rolled over to put his arms around Jonas, pulling him close. He disturbed Buttercup in the process, who gave him an annoyed yowl and jumped off the bed. Jonas stirred only enough to uncurl himself and snuggle closer, fitting himself against Charlie as if they were meant to be that way.

Charlie closed his eyes for his morning meditation and let the emotions come.

Gratitude.

That was it, most mornings. Gratitude that things had all worked out.

For a while, he simply lay there enjoying the morning and their closeness, but having Jonas’s naked body against his was too tempting to pass up. His hands began to wander, stroking and caressing until Jonas stirred again, stretching against him.

“‘Morning, Daddy.”

“Good morning.” Charlie grabbed one of Jonas’s wrists, guiding it to the cuffs attached to the headboard.

Jonas chuckled. “Oh, it really is going to be a good morning, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

Once Charlie had Jonas’s hands tied, he moved down. He spent a long time there, using his tongue on Jonas’s rim, his mouth on Jonas’s cock, his fingers on Jonas’s prostate. He reveled in Jonas’s moans and whimpers, hanging on each breath. He now knew exactly when Jonas was close, and when he was past the point of no return. Today, he didn’t tease him terribly long before letting him come. Afterward, he kissed Jonas’s stomach, slowly working his way up to Jonas’s chest and neck and finally his lips. He undid the cuffs.

“God, I love you,” he said, kissing Jonas again.

Jonas smiled and kissed him back, stroking him with one hand until Charlie’s morning could also be unequivocally described as “good.”

Not that it took much, after getting Jonas off first.

Two hours later, they still hadn’t made it out of bed. It was easy on weekends to spend half the day there—not necessarily having sex, but just talking and touching and laughing and making up for lost time. Once upon a time, Charlie’s weekend mornings had been a lonely time, but not anymore.

“I need to get