Ascension by Bailey Bradford (desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

Conner didn’t want to look, but he had to.

Sure enough, a stream of clear liquid was pouring out. “I mean, it isn’t yellow, and like I said, I don’t have to do it. I don’t think it’s even wet, not like I’m gonna stick my fingers out and check. Now, when I jerk off, that leaves my hands sticky and wet.”

“Thanks for sharing,” Conner choked out.

“You really didn’t know?” Stefan asked, sounding surprised. “How—well, maybe sex just isn’t a big deal to old guys like you. I didn’t think it was so great when I was alive, but I knew it could be. Someday I’ll find someone young and hot here in our world, and we’ll fall in love and fuck all the time.”

“God, spare me from romantic goofballs.” Conner shook his head. “You think we can fall in love?”

“Why can’t we? We still have feelings.”

Conner didn’t have an answer for that. He glanced up at the sky, and something tugged at him. Fear settled cold in his bones—or where they’d be if he had any—and he started to panic. He wasn’t sure what was happening but he didn’t want to go, not up into that vast blue space, and it felt like something was trying to get him to sail up and up—

“Conner? What’s going on?”

Stefan’s worried voice popped Conner back to the here and now and the spot where he stood. Conner gave Stefan a mock-glare and caught him around the neck. “I’m not ancient, just old enough not to be led around by my dick,” he said as he gave Stefan a noogie, rubbing his knuckles back and forth over Stefan’s short hair.

“Geezer!” Stefan whooped as he jabbed at Conner’s ribs. Conner had to let go before he ended up a giggling pile of goo. His ribs were very ticklish.

“You seriously didn’t know about…” Stefan made a rude gesture of self-pleasure.

Conner shrugged and hoped his face wasn’t red. It sure felt like it was. “I hadn’t really been in the mood.” For years and years and years. Being sexually traumatized will do that to you. Conner had never told Stefan how he’d died, and Stefan had never asked.

Stefan’s eyes rounded and his mouth pursed into an ‘o’ before he asked, “How can you ever not be in the mood?”

Conner slipped, giving away more than he meant to then. “Sometimes things happen that make sex unappealing.” He turned and shot up, skimming a few feet above the ground at so quick a pace that everything was a blur. He was too afraid to go higher, that tug from moments before still fresh in his mind.

“Where are we going?” Stefan asked.

Conner should have known he couldn’t outrun the kid. He could pop off and leave Stefan, but that just seemed mean. Conner slowed down, surprised when to see that they’d gone right past the town limits.

“Well, I was thinking. Where could a guy go to get laid?”

Stefan looked down, then turned those big and all-too-innocent eyes on him. “Um. I guess since we’re both gay—”

“No.” Conner felt bad when Stefan cringed. “Look, I didn’t mean it bad. It’s just, you’re like a little brother to me. I freaked out over you whipping your dick out to…to take a fake piss!”

“It wasn’t fake,” Stefan grumbled. “Felt as good as when I used to do it before.”

Before. I fucking hate that word. “Okay, but that’s beside the point. I still think of you like the brother I never had, Stef. I can’t mess around with you.”

Stefan studied him closely then nodded. “I guess so. As long as it ain’t cuz you think I’m ugly or got a little dick or anything like that.”

Conner almost snorted. “That wasn’t a little dick, buddy. Trust me when I tell you that, and yeah, it’s just the familiarity. I refuse to admit to you being anything other than cute.”

Stefan wrinkled his nose at that but grinned. “I’ll take it. So what’s the plan, man?”

Conner told him, and Stefan was all but bouncing in the air. “Oh, I want to go! Please? Pleasepleasepleaseplease? It’s not like anyone can hurt me now, and maybe I’ll find someone!”

“And maybe it’ll be a dud of an idea,” Conner said, trying to temper Stefan’s excitement. He didn’t want Stefan to be let down. “Seriously, I’m talking about checking out gay bars in the DFW area on the far-out hope that other dead gay men will be doing the same. You do realize that it’ll probably be for nothing?”

Stefan’s grin didn’t dim one bit. “It’ll still be fun, and if nothing else, we can ogle the hot guys, right?”

“Right,” Conner said on a sigh. Even if he did find someone willing, he wouldn’t be able to hook up with Stefan hanging around him. He didn’t want to examine why he was kind of relieved at that, and he really didn’t want to wonder if he’d have been able to get an erection thinking of anyone other than Ro. He winked at Stefan. “Looks like you got yourself a wingman.”

Chapter Five

Ro knew he was spiraling out of control. He hadn’t expected his mother to pass so quickly, or for her to completely abandon them in death. He was angry that she hadn’t lingered like Conner, and he was angry at Conner, too, for leaving him. Ro hadn’t felt the spirit’s presence since that day in his bedroom. That hurt more than it should have.

His dad was lost in his own grief, and Ro’s siblings had their own way of dealing with the loss, which was apparently to get the fuck out of McKinton again as fast as possible. Sev was a mess, but he had Laine, and Ro just felt lost and lonelier than ever.

The first night the truck driver had come into Virginia’s Café and had told Ro he was going to fuck him until he couldn’t walk, Ro had been kind of offended. He wasn’t a cheap whore, but