my Finding, or something worse. That was Marston’s plan.”
“Would that be so awful? You do all right.” That sounded too wishy-washy. “You’re awesome, one of the good guys.”
“I guess.” Brian slumped against him more heavily.
They sat silently for a few minutes. Nick’s mind raced between anger at Marston and worry for Brian and frustration because he couldn’t remember one fucking minute of that conversation. Did Damon kill Marston? If so, who killed Veronica? Do I even want to know? If Marston really treated the Kerrs like experimental animals, Nick might’ve helped Damon shoot the fucker, but Veronica was just a bystander. Probably. Presumably. I wish I could remember.
He hugged Brian, ignoring the headache building painfully between his eyes. Now what? “Are you going to act like the kid’s dad? For real?”
The silence stretched out long enough he thought Brian wouldn’t answer, but eventually Brian said, “Probably not. Lori doesn’t want me to. She’s leaving the birth certificate blank.”
“Might be for the best.”
“Yeah.”
A dozen questions battled for headspace inside Nick. Do you want to be a dad? Do I? How’s she going to raise the kid? Will it end up dumped on us? What if it’s defective? He flinched when that cruel word rose to the surface. Shit, no. What did they call kids like that? Challenged? What if it’s a baby version of an actual Bry, a tiny innocent blond kid with a simple mind and scary talent? A flash of protectiveness went through him and he clutched for it, finding comfort in its familiar simplicity. “We’ll keep the kid safe. No one messes with that kid while we’re around.”
“Right. We’ll be the kid’s uncles, since Lor’s my sister. Or, you know, uncle and uncle’s friend.”
“Sh.” Nick tugged at Brian’s hair, turning him for a hard kiss. “Uncles. You and me together.”
“And Charlie. Thank goodness for him. Charlie’s such a good guy.” Brian’s tone warmed.
Nick tugged his hair a bit harder. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Maybe.” Brian laughed, relaxing against him. “I’m not sure. You might have to show me.”
Nick kissed him again, then bit lightly at his chin. “What proof do you need? I’m all about the chain of evidence.”
“You could do as I tell you. Prove you’re willing to bend for me.”
“Oh, I’ll bend.” Nick shoved his feet against the carpet, though, tipping Brian back on the bed and landing on top of him. “After I bend you first. Taking turns like a good guy.”
“And your turn is first? Eeep!” Brian yelped as Nick found his dick through the denim of his jeans and squeezed hard.
“Yeah. Me first. Got complaints about that?” He shifted over to have better access to Brian’s button and zipper. The color had returned to Brian’s face and the shine to his eyes, and Nick figured even with a headache, he could keep Brian from thinking about that ex-rat-bastard Marston for at least half an hour.
Brian grabbed Nick’s hair and tugged him close for a kiss. Then he pushed him back a few inches. “No complaints. Get to work.”
That kind of order Nick could definitely take, and improvise on. The dregs of anger and worry and some of the pain slipped away on a tide of heat, at the feel of Brian eager and willing under him.
Chapter 5
It only took three days to get the key to their new house, since it was standing empty. Brian was really done with the motel by then. On Saturday night, when he and Nick had distracted each other, the people next door had banged on the wall and yelled at them to shut up.
Brian still felt a sick lurch of embarrassment, realizing that his sex noises had been heard by strangers. Nick had laughed, and Luger had growled from the bathroom, but Brian had to jump up and pretend he was settling Luger down behind the closed bathroom door to get past his shakes, before he could go back to Nick and finish what they’d started. He’d managed to have sex on Sunday night, but sex with his body tense and his hand ready to cover Nick’s mouth if he got loud was a different, less-satisfying thing. A space of their own with no one nearby was going to be so much better.
Brian glanced around the small front room, which they’d given a quick sweep and mopping. The place was still beat-up and in need of a bunch of repairs, but it was theirs now. He missed their cozy Minnesota house a lot, but, in time, maybe