Ascension by Bailey Bradford (desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

from his lips with a pop then Conner was on his knees, jerking himself off as he panted unevenly.

“Gonna come on you, Ro,” he gasped, hand speeding up on his length. “Can I?”

“Please.” Ro was oddly touched that Conner had asked before spraying his spunk all over Ro’s belly and chest. Conner watched, wide-eyed, as each burst of cum splattered on Ro’s skin. Ro ran his fingers through one splotch of it and proceeded to lick them clean as Conner moaned and licked his lips.

Ro would certainly never think of this alley the same way again. He’d avoided it, and had intended to keep doing so because he had been ashamed of what he’d done here. Now, he didn’t feel guilty anymore. Maybe he’d been wrong to let JD be as rough as he had, but he refused to castigate himself over it anymore. That was in his past, and it wouldn’t rule him any longer.

“Thank you,” he told Conner as soon as he could speak. “I do love you.”

Conner scooped him up, rubbing against Ro’s sticky chest. “I love you too, Ro. I have for a long time. I don’t even remember when, exactly, because it’s been in here so long.” Conner leaned back and started to reach between them. “Eh.” The spunk vanished and Conner grinned. “So much easier to clean up than when I had to actually breathe to survive.”

Ro laughed, delighted to have the man he’d dreamed of for so long in his arms.

* * * *

They checked in on Sev and Laine, and, though Ro hated to, he told them about the confrontation with Adela and Martin. Laine was not happy about Roger begging off the autopsy, but he said they weren’t necessarily required. Ro didn’t know if they were or not, but he was actually glad his family had been spared the details.

“Still, I want a chat with this JD fella,” Laine growled, glaring at the door like he was just about to head out to find JD.

“Why?” Ro asked. “He didn’t do anything I didn’t let him.”

Laine glared in his direction then. “Yeah, and I’d tell you to stop fucking strangers in alleys but now you and Conner are—” He made a wavering gesture with his hand.

Ro wished Laine could see him roll his eyes. “Oh my God, seriously? Why is it you and Adela can’t say ‘you and Conner are having sex’?” Ro leaned over until his lips would have been touching Laine’s ear if he’d had an actual body. “He loves me, and I love him.”

“Jesus!” Laine hollered, swatting at Ro. “Don’t do that! I swear Conner’s a bad influence.”

Sev was laughing so hard he was wheezing, and he soon had tears streaming down his cheeks. Ro obviously wasn’t going to get anything sensible out of him.

“Did you even hear what I said?” he snapped at Laine.

“Yeah, yeah, y’all love each other,” Laine said nonchalantly.

Ro was getting pissed off then, but Laine finally smiled, and not the little one he usually gave, but a big, happy one. “That’s great, guys. I’m happy for you both. Makes me feel better about what’ll happen after we pass away, too.”

Sev stopped laughing then and swiped at his cheeks. Laine stood up and gathered Sev in his arms. “No matter who goes first, or if we die together, we won’t ever leave each other.”

“No, we won’t,” Sev agreed, and Ro hoped and prayed that they were right. Conner looked away from them and put a hand on his chest.

Ro had seen him do that before, become contemplative and push at his chest, as if feeling for something or holding something back. He popped them both out of the house and back into the meadow where they’d first made love. There in the sunlight, he saw fear etched in Conner’s features.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, icy tendrils of dread tracing his insides.

Conner looked up again, squinting at the clear blue sky. “Before you died, I was just thinking about things. I saw your mama’s soul when she passed. She went right up into that great big blue. She was so bright, Ro. Crystal clear, pure, and she moved so fast. She was just gone, and that terrified me. Something tugged at me here, maybe because I’d been restless, questioning things, I don’t know. But it felt like an invisible cord was pulled, and it was tied to my soul and strung up all the way to the ends of the sky. It was like a suctioning in my chest, and I didn’t want to go. I don’t want to leave this existence.” He looked down at Ro. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“I won’t let you,” Ro promised, “not without me, not ever. If you go, I go, and that’s all there is to it. Whatever happens next after this afterlife, it will happen to us both.”

Conner glanced at the sky again then sighed and hugged Ro, resting his chin on the top of Ro’s head. “I’m holding you to that promise.”

“You do that, Conner. I’ll keep it.” He wouldn’t let anything separate them. Death had brought them together, and not even a new life would tear them apart.

“Now come on, let’s go see what we can hide from Sev to give him something to yell at us about. I’m pretty sure he and Laine are busy bumping uglies.” Ro waggled his eyebrows at Conner. “No popping in. First one there gets a blow job!”

“Like that makes either of us a loser?” Conner laughed, and the race was on.

Chapter Fourteen

Conner heard the scream even though he and Ro were miles away. Ro heard it too, his eyes just huge in his head as Adela’s panicked voice rent the air.

“Dad,” Ro said at the same time it clicked in Conner’s head. Adela hadn’t left McKinton when Martin did. She’d stayed to take care of Roger.

“Come on.” Conner knew Ro was in a stupor, held in place by absolute terror. He took Ro’s hand and