crouch, reaching for a gun he no longer carried. Parker stared down at the broken glass, red wine spattered like blood across the floor. It took a moment for Ivan to convince himself there was no danger, no reason for his pulse to shoot through the roof.
Parker bent over and grabbed at one of the larger shards. Ivan was wrong, there was a bit of danger. “Stop.”
Parker froze, hand outstretched.
“Let me clean that up.” Ivan took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
“I can do it.”
Ivan let himself smile. “I think it’s best if I only have to give you first aid once a month, don’t you?”
The puzzled frown on Parker’s face was quickly replaced by an embarrassed flush. For a second, Ivan thought he’d gone too far with the gentle teasing, but Parker started to laugh.
“Okay, you’re right.” Parker stood, and made to step away, and Ivan shook his head. Ivan grabbed him around the waist and carried him out of the kitchen to save his bare feet.
Chapter 5
T HIRTY minutes later, the kitchen was clean, Ivan was stuffed with a halfway decent soup and a full-way decent wine while a mindless but entertaining action movie played on Parker’s enormous television. If there was a chance he could get laid, this was his idea of a perfect night.
A twinge in his neck reminded him that everything wasn’t quite perfect. He rubbed at his neck, twisting his head around to try and alleviate some of the discomfort.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just a bit of stress, or maybe I slept on it wrong.” Which wouldn’t be entirely untrue. Everything about his recent sleeping habits was wrong.
“Um… I could massage it for you.”
His nostrils flared. That had to be a come on. Lust pulsed lazily in his groin, but an enormous roadblock stood in the way. He might not like Neil, but that didn’t excuse cheating on someone. He didn’t want to do that to Neil. Not after his own experience. The conflicts of his morals, the requirements of his job, and his overwhelming desire for Parker became tangled in his mind.
Following an appropriate course of action became harder each minute. What Ivan Bekker wanted to do didn’t matter; what would Ivan Baker do in this situation?
If Ivan Baker wasn’t so straight, and that’s why he got divorced… he might allow Parker to give him a massage.
“Yeah, sure, that would be okay.” Good. He didn’t sound too eager to feel Parker’s fingers on him.
Parker smiled like Ivan had somehow granted his most fervent wish. “Want to sit here in front of me? We can move the table.”
Sit on the floor? Well, his muscles weren’t that stiff, and if he sat on the floor he could easily convince himself it was completely innocent.
He settled between Parker’s knees, the heat of Parker’s body warming the air around him. The second Parker’s fingers touched him, Ivan lost track of the movie’s plot. With effort, he held back a moan as those strong fingers dug into the knots threatening to turn his neck into stone.
Minutes passed, and Parker didn’t seem to tire. As the majority of the tight spots eased, his dull headache receded. How long had it been since he’d been this relaxed? Parker’s touch morphed into gentle stroking interspersed with firm pressure. Another groan threatened to escape as new sexual tension built. He hung his head lower, giving Parker more access to his back. Ivan’s most fervent wish right now was to pull off his shirt and let Parker touch the bare skin of his back, but he didn’t fucking dare. There were so many reasons not to swing around and push Parker back on the couch under him, but the only one he could focus on right now was that Parker had a boyfriend. Whatever tenderness Ivan imagined was nothing more than Parker being a considerate roommate. Also highly unexpected from a drug dealer, but he wasn’t supposed to know that. Ivan Baker didn’t know that, and pretending he knew nothing eased his mind.
“Um, hey,” Parker
Parker bent over and grabbed at one of the larger shards. Ivan was wrong, there was a bit of danger. “Stop.”
Parker froze, hand outstretched.
“Let me clean that up.” Ivan took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
“I can do it.”
Ivan let himself smile. “I think it’s best if I only have to give you first aid once a month, don’t you?”
The puzzled frown on Parker’s face was quickly replaced by an embarrassed flush. For a second, Ivan thought he’d gone too far with the gentle teasing, but Parker started to laugh.
“Okay, you’re right.” Parker stood, and made to step away, and Ivan shook his head. Ivan grabbed him around the waist and carried him out of the kitchen to save his bare feet.
Chapter 5
T HIRTY minutes later, the kitchen was clean, Ivan was stuffed with a halfway decent soup and a full-way decent wine while a mindless but entertaining action movie played on Parker’s enormous television. If there was a chance he could get laid, this was his idea of a perfect night.
A twinge in his neck reminded him that everything wasn’t quite perfect. He rubbed at his neck, twisting his head around to try and alleviate some of the discomfort.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just a bit of stress, or maybe I slept on it wrong.” Which wouldn’t be entirely untrue. Everything about his recent sleeping habits was wrong.
“Um… I could massage it for you.”
His nostrils flared. That had to be a come on. Lust pulsed lazily in his groin, but an enormous roadblock stood in the way. He might not like Neil, but that didn’t excuse cheating on someone. He didn’t want to do that to Neil. Not after his own experience. The conflicts of his morals, the requirements of his job, and his overwhelming desire for Parker became tangled in his mind.
Following an appropriate course of action became harder each minute. What Ivan Bekker wanted to do didn’t matter; what would Ivan Baker do in this situation?
If Ivan Baker wasn’t so straight, and that’s why he got divorced… he might allow Parker to give him a massage.
“Yeah, sure, that would be okay.” Good. He didn’t sound too eager to feel Parker’s fingers on him.
Parker smiled like Ivan had somehow granted his most fervent wish. “Want to sit here in front of me? We can move the table.”
Sit on the floor? Well, his muscles weren’t that stiff, and if he sat on the floor he could easily convince himself it was completely innocent.
He settled between Parker’s knees, the heat of Parker’s body warming the air around him. The second Parker’s fingers touched him, Ivan lost track of the movie’s plot. With effort, he held back a moan as those strong fingers dug into the knots threatening to turn his neck into stone.
Minutes passed, and Parker didn’t seem to tire. As the majority of the tight spots eased, his dull headache receded. How long had it been since he’d been this relaxed? Parker’s touch morphed into gentle stroking interspersed with firm pressure. Another groan threatened to escape as new sexual tension built. He hung his head lower, giving Parker more access to his back. Ivan’s most fervent wish right now was to pull off his shirt and let Parker touch the bare skin of his back, but he didn’t fucking dare. There were so many reasons not to swing around and push Parker back on the couch under him, but the only one he could focus on right now was that Parker had a boyfriend. Whatever tenderness Ivan imagined was nothing more than Parker being a considerate roommate. Also highly unexpected from a drug dealer, but he wasn’t supposed to know that. Ivan Baker didn’t know that, and pretending he knew nothing eased his mind.
“Um, hey,” Parker
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