Marshall's Park, The Complete Series . 01-2014 Page 27

  Aiden stood in the doorway, his face ashen, skin cracked, blood dripping from his eyes and the lips pulled back, revealing blood-stained teeth. His white T-shirt had been torn and was stained red, and his eyes bloodshot and sunken in his skull.

  Chris stood up, not wanting to make any sudden movements, but at the same time wanting to run like hell. Heart pounding, fear enfolded him like a cocoon, his gaze never leaving the hideous parody of Aiden in the doorway. “Patti,” he mumbled, “we have to go—now.”

  Chris spun on his heel at the sound of Patti’s blood-curdling scream and he clapped a hand to his mouth as he watched something wearing Finn’s clothes bite down on the soft flesh of Patti’s throat and rip it out. Blood spurted from the wound and zombie Finn spat the wad of skin and tissue in his mouth onto the floor at Chris’ feet. His addled mind could hardly comprehend what was happening, frozen, unable to move, knowing he couldn’t save her. Then Finn advanced toward him and he felt Aiden’s growl vibrate against his back. This is it. Finn grabbed his arm and he felt Aiden’s teeth scratching at the skin of his neck.

  Chris tried to struggle. It was no use. He couldn’t break free. They were too strong. There was nothing he could do. He was going to die. “Go on, fuckin’ do it!” he yelled. “I hope you choke on me, you bastards!” Chris squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He’d be damned if he was going to watch the fuckers eat him. He braced himself and waited for the inevitable.

  And waited….

  And waited….

  Then he heard a snigger… followed by a snort. Then a chuckle… followed by a giggle. Chris opened one eye and his mouth dropped open on its hinge. Finn’s shoulders were shaking, his lips pressed together and tears rolling down his cheeks. Chris stared at him in stunned amazement. Zombies didn’t laugh… or cry. What the fu—? It only took a nanosecond for realization to dawn. No, zombies didn’t laugh so hard they cried—but lyin’, cheatin’ sons ‘a bitches did!

  Chris exploded.

  EPILOGUE

  “You fuckin’ bastards! You saggy-assed, cock-sucking bastards! You could’ve killed me!”

  Finn wrapped his arms around his waist. His ribs ached, his stomach hurt, and he’d nearly bitten through his cheek a dozen times to stop himself from laughing out loud. He glanced up at Aiden, who looked fantastic. Marion had done a stellar job with the make-up. Especially considering she’d had to turn Aiden and him into full zombies while Chris had been at the drug store. Mr. Woodberry had been so excited to take part that Finn had been hard-pressed to remember the man was nearly eighty. Apparently a few acting classes when he was in college had given him a flair for the dramatic.

  He ducked as Chris took a swing at him. “Hey!” Finn grabbed Chris’ hands and pulled him up against his body, holding him close, preventing him from doing any damage. “Calm down!”

  “Calm down? Calm down?” Chris spluttered. “When I’m finished with you, you’ll wish you were un-fucking-dead!”

  “I’m sorry, okay,” Finn yelled. “But you went too far, man. You needed a taste of your own medicine. Alfie nearly lost his job because of you. He’s got five kids under ten. Did you ever think of that when you were playing your little jokes?”

  “I could’ve had a heart attack, you asshole! Did you ever think of that?”

  “Don’t be such a drama queen,” Finn said sarcastically. He held onto Chris until his friend stopped struggling and all the fight seemed to go out of him. “Are you calm?”

  “Yes,” Chris mumbled.

  “If I let you go are you gonna behave?” Finn knew Chris and right now wouldn’t trust him as far as he could throw him.

  “Yes.” The word was hissed through gritted teeth.

  “Alright then.” Finn dropped his arms and let out a sigh of relief as Chris sank onto one of the kitchen chairs and glared at the three of them. Aiden took one of the other chairs and Finn perched on the edge of the last one. The silence stretched around them until Finn grinned widely and said in a sing-song voice, “Gotcha.”

  Chris’ lips twitched, then he smiled, then he chuckled, then he laughed until he was clutching his sides. “Yeah, I guess you did.”

  “So… no more pranks?” Finn said mock-sternly.

  Chris’ eyes widened and he shook his head. “No more pranks? Are you serious, dude? I’ve only got twelve months to think of something epic enough to top this!”

  I

  Finn’s fingers curled over the headboard, his knees high around Aiden’s flanks, half-lying, half-sitting against the pillows as Aiden thrust into him, deep and slow. He loved the feel of Aiden inside him. Loved the way that, with a simple roll of his hips, Aiden could take him to the edge, then pull him back, over and over until he was a wanton mess of aching need. They’d become so blissfully in tune with each other that Aiden seemed to anticipate exactly what Finn wanted before Finn even knew he wanted it. It was as though he was never more alive than when Aiden was inside him.

  “Look at me,” Aiden said softly, his voice washing over Finn like a velvet caress. “I want to see your eyes when you cum.”

  Finn opened his eyes and gazed into Aiden’s, the merest rim of green and gold visible around his lust-blown pupils, sweat-dampened bangs sticking to his forehead. “You are so fuckin’ beautiful,” Finn said, his heart pounding in his chest. His breath caught in his throat as Aiden’s fingers dug into his hips and pulled him further down the bed. The movement changed the angle of Aiden’s thrust and the head of his cock brushed across Finn’s prostate. “Aiden!” Finn would admonish Aiden for the smug smile later, but right now he was too busy trying to remember how to breathe as waves of pleasure pulsed through him. He was flying apart, his body taking over, thrusting involuntarily onto Aiden’s cock.

  “You like that?” Aiden questioned, leaning in to latch his lips to the pulse beating erratically in Finn’s throat.

  “Yes! Right there. Oh God, right there!” Finn began to pant, huffing out more air than he was taking in. “Don’t stop.” He was running on sensory overload, every nerve-ending in his body zeroing in on the delicious slip and slide of Aiden inside him, filling his channel. His orgasm began to curl in the pit of his stomach, his cock so hard the need for release bordering on painful and he groaned Aiden’s name.

  “I’m right here, baby,” Aiden soothed, then closed his fingers around Finn’s cock and jacked him firmly.

  Finn grunted and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth in a desperate bid not to cry out and wake the whole house. The synchronicity of their movements blew his mind. Even their breathing was in unison, their bodies moving as one. God, how he loved this man. Could barely remember what life was like without Aiden in it. Didn’t want to. His eyelids fluttered and closed at the intensity of the feelings Aiden’s body and fingers sent through him.

  “No!” Aiden’s voice was gruff with need. Finn’s eyes flew open at the urgency in Aiden’s tone. “Look at me… want to see.”

  Finn couldn’t hold on any longer, sensations spiraling out of control, his will no longer his own, base instinct taking over. “Gonna cum,” he rasped, his fingers tightened on the headboard, the need to ground himself overpowering in case he shattered into a million pieces.

  “Do it.” Aiden’s thrusts became harder, his strokes on Finn’s cock faster as he worked the sensitive head. “I’m right there, baby.”

  Finn let go of the headboard and gripped the sheets as his orgasm pulsed through him, sending hot reams of white over Aiden’s fingers and his own stomach. Half a dozen more thrusts and Aiden followed him over the edge, hips stuttering, all control lost as he filled the condom, buried balls deep in Finn’s ass. The warmth of Aiden’s seed inside him produced a final valiant spurt from Finn’s cock and then he collapsed onto the mattress, Aiden on top of him.

  Finn was vaguely aware of Aiden leaving him and he would have made some attempt to beg him not to go—if he hadn’t just shot any nuance of motor skills out of his dick. He did manage to smile in appreciation when Aiden wiped a warm wash cloth ov
er his skin, but still hadn’t regained the power of speech. He tried to straighten his legs with the intention of turning over and curling around Aiden who had climbed back into bed beside him, but his thighs were shaking too much.

  “Are you okay?” Aiden asked, resting his head on his hand and grinning down at him.

  “Mmm,” Finn mumbled, attempting the movement again. “I may have to get back to you on that. I think you broke me.” Aiden chuckled softly and slowly eased Finn’s shaking legs down onto the bed. “Jesus.” Finn hissed the word through gritted teeth and shook his head. “That… was… intense.”

  “Pfft.” Aiden made a non-descript sound and settled against the pillows. “You think that was intense? Baby,” he patted Finn’s thigh, “that weren’t nothin’.”

  “Nothin’?” Finn echoed. “In that case we’d better start having a doctor on standby, ‘cause you’re gonna kill me.”

  “Mmm, maybe,” Aiden mumbled, snuggling into Finn’s side and hooking his thigh over Finn’s legs. “But what a way to go.”

  Finn pressed a tender kiss to Aiden’s forehead and smiled against his soft skin. “Well, when you put it like that…” He trailed off, smothering a yawn with the back of his hand. The moonlight fell through the slatted blinds and cast shadows across Aiden’s face. Finn pulled him closer. “Are you sure you’re ready for tomorrow?”

  Aiden nodded, his hair brushing Finn’s cheek. “I’ve planned it down to the last nanosecond. I’ve allowed for every possible catastrophe, including, fire, flood and freak snow storm. I’ve even got the camping stove at the ready in case the oven explodes. Not even Martha Stewart is more prepared than I am.”

  Finn grinned in the dark. Not only was tomorrow their first Thanksgiving together, but they were hosting the festivities. His parents and AJ were arriving in the morning, with Ben driving down from college. Meredith had arrived this afternoon to spend the holiday with her brother for the first time in years. Their parents hadn’t been happy about the situation, but Meredith had apparently indicated that, if they didn’t like it, she wouldn’t just be staying for Thanksgiving, she would be moving to LA permanently. Watching Aiden and Meredith curled up on opposite ends of the sofa, laughing like the little kids they’d once been while Meredith braided Kaylee’s hair earlier, had filled Finn with a joy so acute his heart ached in his chest. To see Aiden so happy, so content—there were no words to describe how that made him feel.

  Of course, Aiden had insisted if they were doing it, they were ‘doing it right’. Turkey, pumpkin pie, homemade cranberry sauce, the whole nine yards. Which was another reason to be glad for an extra pair of hands in the kitchen. Finn was also hoping Meredith would be able to keep Aiden from having a nervous breakdown while he was at the park. The park would be open until noon, as it was every year for the annual Monty Thanksgiving show and, considering it was Thanksgiving, the turn out never failed to surprise them. Finn and Chris alternated each year with Matt and Greg and tomorrow Chris and he were up. He was comforting himself with the knowledge that it was only for part of the morning and Aiden wasn’t planning on having dinner until three, so he could still get home and help him out.

  “And you’re sure you’ve got everything you need?” Finn queried, already knowing he was going to get an elbow in the ribs for even daring to utter the words. He sniggered and rubbed his cheek against Aiden’s hair. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I have total faith in you. It’s going to be awesome.”

  “I hope so,” Aiden replied hesitantly. “And, in case I forget tomorrow, I just wanted to say thank you.”

  “For what?” Finn gazed into Aiden’s upturned face.

  “I’ve so many things to be thankful for this year,” Aiden began. “Meeting you, becoming a part of your family, becoming our own family, finding Meredith again. All of it is because of you. You’ve given me everything I didn’t even know I wanted, Finn Thomas. God, you are everything, and I love you more every day.”

  Finn blinked at the sting of tears, his voice thick with emotion as he said in mock-frustration, “See, you do this all the time. You say things that are impossible for me to top. How the hell am I supposed to follow that shit?” Shouldn’t the creative one who dressed up as a giant meerkat for a living be the one who came up with the mushy stuff? Who knew straight-laced investment bankers could be so romantic? Finn smiled and snuggled in closer. “I love you, too.”

  II

  Aiden was having the most wonderful dream. Finn nestled between his thighs, his knees hooked over Finn’s shoulders as his lover sucked him down to the root. God, Finn had a wicked tongue. A tongue that he was putting to good use as he alternately lapped and stabbed at the slit as he held the head of Aiden’s cock in the dark, moist heat of his mouth.

  Waves of pleasure washed over him, stealing his breath, turning his blood to molten fire as his body begged for release. Aiden reached down to tangle his fingers in Finn’s thick, wavy hair. The dream was so vivid the silky strands felt real—too real. Aiden’s eyes flew open and he gazed down his body to where Finn bobbed up and down mercilessly on his cock, mouth stretched around his girth.

  “Jesus!” Aiden hissed. “What the hell? Finn? Oh, my God.” He wanted to say a whole lot more, but all he could manage were whimpers and impassioned pleas to cum, hanging onto a handful of Finn’s hair for dear life as his senses surrendered to the assault upon them. His orgasm exploded from him with barely any warning and he gasped as Finn swallowed every drop as if it were nectar.

  Finn released Aiden’s cock and crawled up the length of his body, his smile smug and satisfied. “Mornin’, darlin’. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  Aiden grunted in response, not able to trust himself to speak quite yet—well, nothing intelligible anyway. He felt completely boneless, as though he’d melted into the mattress, all tension having left him with his orgasm. He sighed heavily, one thought skittering across his mind, I really do have the best boyfriend in the world. Aiden slicked his tongue out across his lips and turned his head to smile lazily at said boyfriend, who now lay beside him. “Remind me to put that on my list of things to be thankful for.”

  “Maybe we should keep this one just between us,” Finn said, tipping Aiden a wink. “I’m not sure my mother will consider morning blow-jobs to be the most appropriate item on your list of things to be thankful for. Especially when we’re discussing them around the table later.”

  Aiden thought for a few moments and then nodded. “Good point.” He leaned in and kissed Finn soundly. “Anyway, what did I do to deserve such a wake-up call?”

  “Well,” Finn said, shuffling closer. “At first it was because I wanted you to start the day relaxed and mellow. But when I saw the huge woody you were sporting, I must confess my reasons became a little less altruistic.”

  Aiden chuckled softly. “Get over here so I can return the favor.”

  “I would love to, but I’ve got to be at the park in forty-five minutes,” Finn said with a rueful shake of his head. “Although I will take you up on it later. If it’s an open offer, of course.”

  “Isn’t it always?” Aiden pushed himself up onto his elbows and watched Finn wander around the room, gathering his clothes from various drawers as he did so. “What time will you be home?”

  Finn pulled his park T-shirt on and a pair of long denim shorts. “Show finishes at eleven forty-five, so by the time everyone’s cleared out and I’ve got changed, hopefully I won’t be any later than one.”

  “Dinner is at three. By one I’m gonna need you to stop me climbing the walls.”

  Finn crawled across the bed toward him, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll think of something to help you relax.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Aiden replied. He grinned back at Finn and tilted his head for a goodbye kiss, unashamedly watching the sway of Finn’s hips as he left the room. Aiden flopped down onto the pillows and stared up at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. He’d done a fair bit of preparation last night. All the vegetables had
been peeled, diced and were sitting in saucepans on the stove, waiting for a flame to be lit beneath them. Once the turkey had gone into the oven, he could turn his attention to the table before his in-laws began arriving.

  Aiden threw back the covers and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He grimaced at the few spots of dried semen on his lower belly Finn had missed and stood up. A shower had just made it to the top of his to-do list. In the bathroom he turned on the shower and then dealt with the scream of his bladder while the water heated up. He couldn’t help he groan that fell from his lips as he stepped under the spray. The warmth of the cascade over his muscles was wonderful and, as much as he’d like to stay beneath the droplets all day, he would only be delaying the inevitable.

  He grabbed the shampoo and lathered up his hair, mentally admonishing himself for being such an idiot. Today was going to be perfect. He had planned every minute. Nothing was going to go wrong—nothing could go wrong. Patti and Meredith had been given their specific duties last night and he was confident they had them down pat. Even if they had muttered something about sergeant majors and military operations. Finn would be home at one and that would also take some of the pressure off, because he could make sure everyone was entertained and that their glasses remained topped-up before dinner.

  Hell, even Kaylee had a job to do. Aiden smiled to himself as he recalled the glee in her eyes as he’d indicated the importance of said job, and how she was the only one he trusted to do it. She’d nodded solemnly as he put her in charge of pressing the napkins, rolling them and slotting them into napkin rings. Of course, if he didn’t tell her he’d already pressed them within an inch of their lives and that her toy ironing set wouldn’t actually make any difference to the red squares… would that be such a bad thing? Her joy at being given a grown-up job and included on such a special day was more than enough to warrant a little white lie or two.