Chapter 9

"Ned Barker is dead, murdered," Nick stated baldly.

"Ned Barker?" Forrest repeated his friend's words, wondering if he'd heard right. His voice rose in shock, but Nick made a shushing sound at him as if there was someone close by who might hear them. "What the hell?"

This was not what he'd expected after Nick called and asked if he could come by because there was something Forrest needed to know sooner rather than later. Since Forrest had been doing nothing but staring at paperwork, he'd agreed.

After learning that the mansion had burned the night before, he'd expected it to be something like a mummified body had been discovered in the basement. That wouldn't have surprised him. Ned Barker being murdered did.

"I didn't want you to hear it from some rando. I know you guys were close."

His arms crossed over his chest, Nick nodded and shook his head at the same time, as if he also couldn't believe what he was saying, and his lips were pressed into a grim line. They were in Forrest's living room, Forrest sitting on the red velvet couch that was his favorite piece of furniture and Nick standing next to a wing chair covered in a flowery upholstery.

"Should you be telling me this?" Forrest asked. "Aren't there rules about police investigations?"

Nick had only recently inherited the office manager job at Cooper Spring PD. There were lots of things he likely shouldn't have been talking about to regular citizens, including active murder investigations. Unfortunately, neither Nick nor Forrest were very good rule-followers. Breaking rules was like falling off a log, easy and sometimes fun.

"Would you sit the fuck down so you're not looming?"

He could not process with Nick being all twitchy.

Nick conceded by perching on the arm of the chair. "I can't stay long. I'm not telling you anything that isn't already confirmed. Besides, you know as well as I do that the entire town already has a pretty good idea what happened. And what people don't know for sure, they're speculating about. You, my friend, are late to the party. Since he was found near the high school, the whole county probably knows already. Those kids have some kind of underground information highway. You should check out what's on the Facebook page." Nick shook his head in disgust.

The last thing Forrest was going to do was check various social media sites. He didn't even have a personal account, just a page for the farm. And that was only because Lani insisted he needed one if he planned on ever turning a profit.

"Do the police know anything yet?"

Forrest still couldn't wrap his head around the news that Ned Barker was dead. As in, not alive any longer. Barker had been a part of Cooper Springs' two-man postal team for years. Although Ned was more fun-loving and less responsible than Oliver Cox, his former brother-in-law and the nominal head of the town post office, Ned was—had been—dedicated to his job. He was a weird but friendly guy who loved to hike—often with Rufus and Oliver—on his days off.

Like the other two men, Ned had been a good friend of his grandfather's. He'd been around the house a lot when Forrest and Lani were growing up, a fixture of Forrest's childhood. The four men would sit around the patio at night drinking whisky and swapping tall tales about, well, pretty much everything. Ned was the one who would take a break to show the two young kids the joys of card games and playing catch. When Forrest had been deemed old enough to join them on the patio, he'd lorded it over Lani for months.

Fuck.

Another thought occurred to him. The Cooper Springs PD was stretched to the limit as it was—how was Chief Dear going to investigate this too? Lani was still recovering from being shot (so was Forrest, frankly) and the new officers were still in training.

"Yeah. Believe it or not, Nero Vik was the one who discovered him," Nick informed him. "Other than that, there's not much to know for certain. He was found off Yew street," Nick added. "Chief might be calling in some favors. Apparently, the murder of federal employees is a big deal. But who knows if they'll respond."

"For sure, murder?" Forrest asked. What the fuck? Ned was really gone?

"Old Ned didn't break his own neck and crawl into the bushes by himself. His mailbag had been tossed into the blackberry bushes too. I think we're lucky it was Vik who found him and not some high-school kid cutting through to town."

Nero Vik. Again. Popping up like fairy circles after a good rain. Vik was everywhere, making it very difficult to ignore him the way Forrest wanted to. The want that flared when he saw him in the pub or walking down the sidewalks of Cooper Springs. Or sat next to him at the pub.

"That guy," Forrest said with a half-hearted sneer.

Many, many times, Lani had told him he needed to pull his head out of his ass, that he needed to trust that most people weren't creeps or grifters. The vote was still out on Vik though.

"He seemed pretty shaken up about it when I talked to him at the station," Nick said.

Ned Barker dead—murdered. Discovered by fucking Nero Vik. What were the odds of that anyway? And what was Vik doing in that part of town? It was a good country mile from the resort.

"Is Vik a suspect?" Forrest demanded. "He discovered the body, after all." He had to do something to distract himself from the well of sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. Ned, along with Rufus and Oliver, had been there for Forrest after his grandfather died. They'd helped him navigate the funeral, sort out the will, and find his balance again in the months afterward.

"Nah." Nick shook his head, almost apologetically, which Forrest appreciated. "He was seen getting coffee at the Gull and Sandpiper. Tilly Sanders and Vik both reported seeing Ned driving by before Tilly finished making his coffee. Then Liam saw Vik drive past his house too; he even stopped and checked out the yard art. It would've been a tight timeline. Too tight."

"Huh, but still a possibility," Forrest said, secretly wishing it really was that simple. Mostly, he wished Ned wasn't dead. "Who would want Ned dead? He was harmless. And for crying out loud, who's going to deliver the mail? Ollie can't take that on, not with his back issues. Oh god, Ollie's going to be devastated by this. Ned told me he was out of town on vacation with his grandkids. And," he added, "what was Vik doing over that way?"

"No idea why Vik was over there. That's probably something Chief or your sister know. As for the mail, do you have a pen pal you're sending letters to? Don't worry too much. Chief says there will be a temporary delivery person to help Ollie out, so you'll get your damn love letters." Nick made googly eyes at Forrest. Forrest resisted resorting to violence.

"Fuck you."

"Aw, I love you too, Forrest."

Forrest rolled his eyes.

"I need to go," Nick announced, standing from the chair. "Stuff to do and Martin wants to head to Aberdeen later tonight. But I thought you'd want to know. I know you and Ned were friends."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Sucks, for sure. I'll catch you later."

With that, Nick was gone and Forrest's house was quiet and empty again. For a few minutes, Forrest stayed on the couch and stared out the front window. It was just starting to get dark and the outdoor light hadn't flicked on yet, but there wasn't anything to see outside anyway.

What he needed was to see the scene of the crime.

* * *

Forrest toldhimself that he was just going to talk to his sister, make sure she was doing okay with the news. Lani had been close to Ned as well. He got behind the wheel of the Ford and headed to Lani's house first. He could have tried calling and saved himself a trip to town, but he figured that Lani might still be holding down the fort at the station—or pushing her luck by insisting on helping with the new investigation. Nick had come by around early afternoon, and it was now barely evening, so it was a possibility. However, he decided to drive past her place first and see if she was home.

All the lights were off in her little bungalow, so Forrest didn't bother stopping. Like some kind of rubbernecking ghoul, he headed toward where Nick said Ned had been discovered. He figured it wouldn't be hard to find.

Crime scene tape hung haphazardly between a tree and a bush, marking the spot. No police car was around to guard it, but a jumble of cheap bouquets and stuffed animals already marked where Ned's life had ended. As Nick had said, the spot was very close to the cut-through to and from the high school.

What had Nero Vik been doing out here?

Nick claimed Vik was in the clear, but Forrest wasn't going to be quite so quick to accept his innocence. Surely, he could be the murderer. The question, Forrest supposed, would be why? What motivation might Nero Vik have to kill Ned Barker, someone he'd probably never known?

Maybe he had met him? Vik had been living at the resort for a month or so now, Forrest thought, and Ned delivered to most of the town.

For now, he would tentatively accept that Chief Dear was right, and someone else had offed the grizzled mail carrier. But he wasn't letting his guard down around Vik, no matter how hot and bothered he made Forrest feel.

It had to have been someone strong, Forrest thought as he took in the murder scene. He'd been in his late sixties, but Ned had been healthy, strong, and in good shape. Maybe it had been someone he was familiar with. Weren't most victims murdered by someone they knew? Of course, that would make most of the residents of Cooper Springs suspect; Ned Barker had always been friendly to everyone.

As he sat in his truck and mulled things over, a cop car pulled up behind him, its headlights illuminating the interior of the truck's cab. Without having to check, Forrest knew the officer was his sister. As she got out and limped to the driver's side of the Ford, Forrest rolled down his window. Lani had only recently been cleared to drive, and Forrest knew she wasn't following doctor's orders to take it easy.

Hands on her hips, Lani asked, "What the hell are you doing out here, Forrest? You're as bad as everyone else in this town. I'm disgusted with every last one of you."

"Busted. I was curious, I guess."

"Well, take your curiosity elsewhere. I've had enough of everyone."

Forrest would never say anything out loud, but Lani looked tired. When were the new hires going to be deemed fully ready?

"What happened, Lani?"

"You know I can't tell you much."

"What can you tell me?" He wasn't admitting what Nick had already told him.

With a put-upon sigh, Lani crossed her arms over her chest and leaned one hip against the door of the truck.

"We don't know, Forrest. He was discovered around noon. He had a head wound and his neck was broken. The coroner who came out said he probably died quickly, at least. It appears he was killed in the street and dragged into the bushes in an attempt to hide him, but there were no witnesses. At least, no one who has come forward to tell us anything. People were at work or wherever they go during the day." She waved a hand. "I imagine some were over snooping around the fire scene instead of at home. That's about all I can tell you—and it's about all we know. Hopefully, something will come back from the autopsy or from what was collected around the scene. And don't get huffy with Officer Cavanaugh, he did the best he could until the Chief and I arrived."

Forrest wasn't sure if he was glad or not that he'd been right about Lani not taking it easy.

"It's hard to believe he's gone," Forrest said instead of scolding his sister.

Meeting his gaze, Lani released a soft sigh. "I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I guess I kind of thought Ned would always be around. Our world has always had those old coots in it, hasn't it? I'm going to miss him."

Straightening up away from his truck, Lani banged the door with the flat of her hand. "Now, get your ass out of here and go home. Seeing you out in the wild is disturbing. And leave Vik alone. I know you, Forrest, and as far as we're concerned, he had nothing to do with Ned's death."

Forrest watched his sister slowly walk back to her cruiser before turning his vehicle around and heading back home. The rain that had been threatening all day began to pour down. Huge, fat drops that seemed to defy physics plummeted from the sky, spattering against his windshield.

* * *

Forrest hadn't plannedon stopping in town before he got home, especially not anywhere Nero Vik might have been—he was too worked up At least that was what he told himself. But when he ended up at the stop sign across the highway from the resort, a hundred feet or so in front of Nick's penis glade, he noticed the lights in Cabin Five were blazing.

Sleep with the enemy.

The thump of his windshield wipers echoed the beat of his heart. Thump. Want. Thump. Want.

Rufus had literally dared him, so it's not like Forrest had to take responsibility.

He could just drive over and knock on the door. Take the bull by the fucking horns. See if Vik could tell him anything about what had happened. Make Vik tell him. See if Vik smelled as good up close as he did from a few feet away.

Forrest veered into the lot, but just as he did so, Vik came outside and headed to his car. Where was that fucker going? Forrest gestured for him to wait, but the asshole got into his car and the white reverse lights flashed on.

Oh, hell to the no.

Forrest jerked his truck to a stop behind the Explorer so he was blocking Vik in. Who drove boring black cars like that anyway? People with no imagination, that's who. People like Nero Vik, who stuck their noses where they didn't belong. Who had wild hair and smelled good. People who had Forrest all twisted up even though they hadn't exchanged much more than a few words over the last weeks.

Now what are you going to do, a little voice wanted to know.

His cock twitched, definitely on board for fucking. And that pissed him off even more. Why did it have to be this guy to start everything running again? Forrest sucked a lungful of oxygen in through his nose. It did nothing to calm him down.

Groaning, he slammed his palm against the hard plastic of the truck's steering wheel. Why was his brain like this?

Lani would tell him it was oppositional behavior disorder. Damn that psychology minor of hers. She insisted Forrest always did the opposite of whatever was the smartest choice. But he'd agreed to stay away, right? No, the jury was out; he didn't remember saying yes.

His body sure didn't want to ignore Vik. His body wanted to know what made Nero Vik tick. His body's pull toward Vik was irritating as hell, like an itch in the middle of his back that he couldn't quite reach.

"I'm a fucking mess."

He could smile and say it was a mistake, pretend that he needed to talk to Nick. Or Martin. Except their car wasn't around. They'd probably headed for Aberdeen as soon as Nick's shift was over. And Forrest was a terrible liar.

The only person he was good at lying to was himself.

And right now he was failing even at that. He wanted Nero Vik, and he was fairly sure Vik wanted him too. At least, Rufus and Magnus seemed to think he could trust that. Gritting his teeth, Forrest backed the truck into a spot across from the Explorer and got out.

"What the actual fuck are you up to?" Vik demanded as he got back out of his car.

They stared at each other across the gravel lot for what felt like eons. Forrest tried to still his racing thoughts, but it was difficult with Vik staring him down. He couldn't tell if Vik was pissed off or turned on, and his cock did not care.

This was good, he told himself. They'd talk. Forrest would calm down and prove to himself that he wasn't just a raging ball of hormones. He'd find out what Vik had seen, if anything, and they'd go their merry ways.

Right.

Ignoring the voice of snark, Forrest made his way through the pouring rain, skipping past the puddles that dotted the parking lot.

"We need to talk."

Was his voice rough? Fuck.

Nero stared at him for a moment, one eyebrow raised. "About what? And why would I want to talk to you now or ever? You've done nothing but talk shit and ignore my messages for days. I've given you plenty of chances to talk with me."

The rain increased in intensity as if Mother Nature had also been listening to Forrest's bullshit and agreed with Vik. They were both getting soaked; Forrest felt the chill of the damp seeping through his jeans and Chuck Taylors.

He had talked shit about Vik. In his defense, it was his knee-jerk reaction to anyone new to town. Which may not have been a defense after all. But, fucking fuck, he probably owed him an apology.

Not probably. He did. Dammit.

"Can we do this inside?"

"Why?" Vik was scowling at him now and fuck, it was hot. "Why should I invite you inside? Maybe I have somewhere to be? I truly don't understand why I should bother rearranging my evening for you. Talk about fucking presumptuous. It's been a shit day for me already, so why would I want to spend time with someone who only wants to rip me a new asshole?"

Because he was a selfish tool, it hadn't even occurred to Forrest that Vik would be upset from finding a murder victim. He was an idiot, and an insensitive one at that.

"Please?" The word popped out in spite of himself. Fuck. Lani would never let him hear the end of it if she found out.

Vik seemed shocked into silence by his plea, staring at him a few seconds before coming to a conclusion.

"Sure, I guess we can talk." Vik started back toward Cabin Five and Forrest followed behind.

"Don't sound so excited."

"Should I be? Should I bow down to your assholery?"

"Look, I'm sorry for acting like an asshole. I'm actually not one."

Vik cocked his head and raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"You are so an asshole. You just fucking blocked me in."

"Fine," Forrest huffed. "I am often an asshole, but not always. I have good points that offset the asshole part."

Rolling his eyes, Vik let out an exasperated sigh to rival Lani's best, opened his front door, and said, "Just… I'm cold. Get inside already."

Inside, Forrest was at a loss for words. The place was smaller than he remembered, or maybe he was older, larger. The last time he'd been in one of the resort cabins was years ago with Xavier, and, like usual, they'd been up to no good. Also, he didn't want to talk. Not with words anyway.

This is a Very Bad Idea. He cock throbbed, proving that at least one part of his body thought this was a Great Idea.

"Can I take your coat?" Vik asked with a politeness that Forrest was certain he didn't feel.

Forrest didn't deserve politeness, and he wasn't sure where his coat would go in the cramped room anyway. Vik pointed to three hooks fixed on the back of the door. Silently, Forrest shrugged out of his waterproof duster, hung it up, and turned to face his de facto host.

Vik's dark eyes still revealed nothing. "Want something to drink? No beer, just whisky. I also don't have anything to eat. I was planning on going out."

Forrest noted that behind Vik was a micro-size kitchen and on the counter sat a bottle of Angel's Envy.

"Whisky's good. Thanks."

"You can sit on the bed or stand, whichever you want."

Vik left Forrest where he was and moved into the kitchen. Forrest ogled his ass for a brief second before reminding himself not to be a creep. Opening up a cupboard, Vik lifted out two small glasses and set them on the counter, then proceeded to fill them halfway with the golden liquid.

The single small table was holding up a laptop and several stacks of spiral-bound notebooks. It looked cramped and Forrest's back gave a sympathetic twinge.

"Here," Vik said, holding out one of the tumblers.

Their fingertips brushed against each other when Forrest accepted his drink and sparks of pure lightning-fed lust shot up his arm. Forrest glanced at Vik again and was rewarded by the flare of heat in Vik's gaze.

This bad idea was getting worse by the second. Or better if his dick had anything to say about it.

And yet here he was anyway. Alone with Nero Vik. Rufus's words from earlier played in his head. Was he too chicken to start something? Yes.

But also no. Vik was safe; he wouldn't be sticking around, so Forrest wouldn't have to deal with any stupid emotional ties and expectations. Forrest sipped the whisky, savoring the taste of it on his tongue and its heat as it flowed down his throat.

"For godsakes, sit down. You can take the bed. I promise I don't bite."

What if I want you to bite?

"I shouldn't have come," Forrest managed to say over the twitching of his cock. "But Ned Barker was a friend of mine."

"Oh." Remorse and pity filled Vik's gaze. "I'm sorry for your loss. Finding him—that's not something I would wish on anyone."

"And yet you talk about brutal murders all the time."

"Well, yeah, but usually long after the fact." Vik pressed his lips together. "Look, if you're not sitting, I am. After the day I've had, I deserve some whisky." He proceeded to sit down, leaving plenty of space on the bed for Forrest. "See, I am a nice guy." He patted the covers.

With a sense of inevitability, Forrest lowered himself down next to Vik. The quivery feeling of anticipation he'd always gotten when accepting a dare ran up his spine. He took another sip of the drink, then awkwardly held the glass in his lap with both hands wrapped around it.

Smooth, Forrest, smooth.

"This place is really small."

Vik acted like he hadn't just pointed out the obvious.

"It is. But at least my stuff is safe from the elements. Although I think someone broke in last night. I don't suppose it was you?"

Forrest decided not to take offense. "Nope, I was at home. You're not sure you shut your door?"

""I locked it, but the knob is old, so maybe I didn't pull it shut tight enough and the wind blew it open? Not sure. But I suppose the fact that someone rummaged through my things means there really was a break-in. I was just kind of hoping otherwise. And, no, I didn't report it."

"You should. It could've been kids, but I haven't heard Lani complaining about anything like that recently."

"I suppose. It just seems silly since nothing was taken."

They fell into silence. He didn't know what Vik was thinking about, but Forrest was imagining Vik spread out underneath him. Or over him. Forrest wasn't terribly picky. His stupid cock enjoyed those images.

"Was your stuff not safe before?" he asked, trying to stop himself from just jumping Vik now.

Vik waggled his head, and Forrest was distracted with wondering what those curls would feel like against his skin. "I was living out of my car for a bit after I arrived here. Poor planning on my part, really. I tend to make spur-of-the-moment decisions."

"Where'd you drive from?" Forrest asked, instead of just how spur of the moment? His cock did not like the question Forrest ended up choosing.

"Indiana. Left the ex-boyfriend and haven't looked back."

Forrest's damn cock twitched again. Ex-boyfriend meant that Vik might be open to some commitment-free sex. He tossed back the rest of his whisky like it was water. He could work with this.

"Another?" Vik's eyes glittered.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks."

His reluctant host finished his drink, rose to his feet, and sauntered into the kitchen. Forrest couldn't take his eyes off Vik's butt, the worn denim leaving little to his imagination. The only thing better would be his naked ass.

Glancing up, Forrest caught Vik looking over his shoulder at him. Busted.

"Here you go," he said, handing Forrest his second drink and sitting back down. "Nothing like good whisky on a dark and rainy night." His voice sounded a bit raspy, and irritatingly sexy.

Forrest nodded, wondering what the hell he thought he was doing. Vik was The Enemy. The one who could destroy him. Except he didn't look or feel like the enemy at the moment. And somehow, it was Vik controlling the narrative now. How had that happened?

Reaching up, Vik set his whisky on the kitchen counter—that's how small the cabin was. Then he proceeded to take Forrest's glass from his suddenly weak fingers and set it next to his.

Forrest felt like he was dreaming, having an out-of-body experience. He was normally the one in charge, the one pushing everything to the next level. Right now, he felt a bit lightheaded and slightly discombobulated, and he wasn't sure what to do with that.

He'd been the one to come to Vik's door though, hadn't he? He had no one to blame but himself.

"Is this all right?" Vik asked. His voice was rough.

Forrest nodded and managed to force out an equally rough, "Yeah."

Vik curved a hand around the back of Forrest's neck and pulled him close, close enough that Forrest could smell the drink on his breath in the seconds before their lips met.

Without letting himself think too hard about what they were doing—what did they think they were doing?—Forrest parted his lips to better taste Vik, who closed the gap between them so there was no space between their bodies. The heat of Nero Vik made Forrest dizzy. It made him want.

His groan was matched by Vik's, who brought both hands around to cup Forrest's face without breaking the kiss. Forrest didn't know what to do with his own hands. Of their own accord, they tucked under the hem of Vik's t-shirt and, as they used to say, his fingers did the walking. Or was it talking?

"Shit, those are cold. And that tickles."

"Fuck, sorry." He started to pull away.

"No, put them back. They'll warm up," Vik whispered against his lips.

There was no chance in hell Forrest was stopping now. He ran his hands across Vik's abdomen and up his ribs. His fingers brushed against Nero's taut nipples, frustrating Forrest because he wanted more skin.

"Shirts off," Vik murmured.

God, yes. Good idea.

Pulling back and reaching over his head, Forrest grabbed his own shirt and tugged it off his body, then threw it toward the small table. Vik did the same, revealing the chest Forrest had just been caressing. Forrest took a millisecond to admire what he saw before placing his hands on Vik's shoulders and pushing him back onto the bed.

The mattress was small, just a double, but they somewhat managed to fit.

"Spread your legs," Forrest whispered. As it was, one of them was going to fall off.

Vik obeyed and Forrest settled himself on top of him. They both wore jeans that were damp from arguing in the rain, but that didn't stop their erections from brushing against each other. Pulses of need shot through Forrest, making him moan.

"Not enough," Vik said. "Naked. All the way naked."

Forrest didn't argue. He craved skin on skin too much to put up a fight. They struggled to divest themselves of soggy jeans and boxers but were finally naked moments later.

Vik lay back and Forrest covered him with his body again. Closing his eyes, he found Vik's lips with his. The lips parted and Forrest delved inside. The taste of drink still lingered. Forrest pushed his tongue as far inside Vik's mouth as he could, swirling across his palate, feeling the pattern of his gums, enjoying the lingering flavor of the whisky. They sparred briefly, tongues fighting for dominance.

Arching his back and thrusting into Forrest, Vik captured Forrest's tongue and began sucking on it. Forrest's body seized and he had to hold his breath, forcing himself not to immediately release all over Vik.

Vik pulled back. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Forrest managed. "It's just, it's been a while."

"Well, then, let's not make you wait any longer." Vik grinned.

Spreading his legs even further apart, he slid a hand between their hips. Forrest lifted up slightly to make whatever the man planned happen a little easier.

"I don't have any condoms and haven't had a well check since the ex. Didn't expect to find someone like you in Cooper Springs," he told Forrest as he wrapped his fingers around Forrest's aching cock. "I think we can make do though."

Forrest wanted to protest that they both needed to come. But he didn't want Vik to stop what he was doing; he'd take care of Vik after.

"Raise your ass and fuck into my fist."

A burst of precome forced itself out his tip.

"Ah, you like that idea. Come on."

Locking eyes with Vik, Forrest lifted his hips into the air. For the first time in a very long while, he wanted to bottom. He wanted to feel Vik's cock in his ass, burrowing inside of him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Your cock. My ass."

Vik's eyes widened. "Fuck, that sounds good."

With that, Vik began to stoke Forrest with a furious intensity that had his already tight ball sac rock hard and ready to blow.

"Jesus."

"No, just little old Nero Vik."

Forrest didn't have time to respond or the wherewithal to even roll his eyes. Vik did one last fancy move—down, back up, a twist at the top—and Forrest couldn't hold back any longer. With a shout, he came, long ropes of come pulsing from his very core and landing on Vik's chest and stomach. Vik kept his hand moving but slowed until he was simply caressing Forrest's softening cock. At last, Forrest sat back on his haunches and gently moved Vik's hand away.

"My turn. You look good wearing nothing but my come."

Vik smiled, shifting on the bed so his thick cock bounced. "That's what all the boys say."

Forrest wanted to be irritated by his comment, but he was too blissed out by endorphins and a happy cock. Instead, he shot Vik a glance with one raised brow, scooted backward, and sucked Vik's cock down his throat.

"Oh my god!" Vik shouted, arching upward. "Warn a guy."

Smiling, spit dribbling from his lips, Forrest did not stop. He kept sucking, taking Vik in as far as he could—no gag reflex made it easy. Vik writhed underneath him, begging for release. Maybe just begging, Forrest couldn't be sure.

"Cooper," Vik said in warning. "Gonna come."

Forrest ignored him and instead sucking harder. Seconds later, he was rewarded with a flood of come across his tongue and down his throat. He swallowed, of course.

Letting Vik's spent cock slip from his lips, Forrest rolled to the wall side of the bed.

"That was…"

"Great?" Forrest prompted.

"Great," Nero repeated with a laugh. "Unexpected and yeah, great."

A fierce gust of wind blew up. The windows rattled and the door vibrated in its frame. Raindrops smacked against the panes, leaving streaks behind as the water ran downward like tears.

Forrest caught Vik's eye. "We still need to talk."

Nero stilled.

"About what happened today. About Ned Barker."