Behind the Tears (Behind the Lives) (44 page)

“Get out!” Sledge hollered. “I’m naked.”

“You sure are,” she said smiling, which resulted in both him and Naf yelling at her.

Sledge pulled on his underwear, then grabbed his jeans from the closet, jumping into them as quickly as he could. As Stella and Naf argued, he threw on a shirt, hoodie and his leather jacket, stuffed his wallet into a pocket, then snatched up his keys and pushed past the two short-arses.

At the front door, he stuffed his feet into his boots and snatched up his helmet, while the other two followed, telling him to stop. Like hell, he was out of here.

He pulled on his helmet, then opened the front door, hot-tailing it to his bike. He jumped on it and took off, praying that Corey wasn’t going to rip him a new hole.

***

Corey was sitting up in bed with his broken leg down when Sledge got to the hospital, the look on his
mate’s
boyfriend’s face not happy. Sledge prayed that Naf hadn’t rung through.

The frown left Corey’s face as soon as he saw Sledge. “God, I missed you.”

Sledge grabbed the curtains and pulled them across.

The smile left Corey’s face. “Is everything alright? Your bro—”

“Ash is doin’ okay.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Sumpthin’ happened, and I had no idea, I really didn’t, and it wuz before you and I decided to become you-know-what’s, so you can’t be angry with me, plus I wuz drunk—”

“Slow down, man. What did you do?”

Sledge pulled a face. “Stella’s pregnant.”

“WHAT?!”

Sledge held up his hands. “It wuz from that one-night-stand, so you can’t be angry with me, and I didn’t go near her, she came to me. I didn’t cheat, I didn’t—”

Like Naf, Corey’s face and neck turned red. “You can’t believe that bitch; she’s lying to get you.”

“She’s definitely pregnant, she looks awful.”

“I don’t mean ’bout her being pregnant, I mean ’bout the baby being yours.”

“She’s eight weeks, so it could be mine.”

“I don’t care, cos you’re
mine
, NOT hers.”

“I didn’t say I wuz hers,” Sledge said, feeling relieved Corey was still claiming him.

“When did she tell you? Where were you?”

“Calm down, I wuz at home.” Sledge went on to tell Corey about everything that had happened.

“She kissed you?!” Corey shouted.

“I didn’t return it, and she grabbed my towel, and it wuz Naf’s fault for not answering the door.”

Corey gritted his teeth, looking like he was going to pop a few blood vessels. The swelling had gone down on his face, although the bruising had yellowed, with more probably under the beanie. “You’re not allowed to see her,” Corey said.

“Hey, wait a mo, I’m not seeing her, she came to me.”

“Then tell her to fuck off, cos she’s just tryna get you back.”

“She never had me in the first place; I stayed away from her like you asked.”

“You should never have slept with her.”

“I wuz drunk.”

“Not the following morning.”

“I woke up with her riding me, what the fuck wuz I s’posed to do?”

“Push her off.”

“But it felt good.”

“I don’t wanna hear that!”

“C’mon, don’t be mad at me, we’ve already been over this a shitload of times.”

“But she’s disgusting.”

“No, she’s not, she’s cute,” Sledge said, realising his mistake too late.

“You think she’s
cute
?”

“Yeah, but you’re way cuter—like a million times more,” Sledge babbled, trying to remove his foot from his throat. “You two aren’t even in the same ballpark—”

“But you’d still do her if she dropped her cum stained g-string.”

“I wouldn’t cheat on you, so there’s no needa be jealous.”

“Don’t gimme that, you got pissed off when Tyler fucked me.”

“Don’t bring him into this,” Sledge snapped, not wanting to think about the prick touching Corey.

Corey crossed his arms over his chest. “And you said I wuzn’t allowed to see him too, so you’re just as jealous as I am.”

“Cos I love you, babe.”

Corey’s angry expression softened, although he still looked unsure. “I love you too, which is why you can’t go near Stella.”

“Then promise you won’t see Tyler again.”

“But he’s my friend, and Stella’s just a skank.”

“No, you can’t lay demands then do what you like, and if the baby’s mine, I will wanna see it.”

“It might not be yours.”

“But if it is, I hafta take part in its life.” He held up a hand. “Just lemme finish before you blow your nuts off. I will not go near Stella unless it’s to do with my child... Shit, did I just say that:
my child?
”

“You don’t even like kids.”

“Yeah, but I can’t ignore it if it’s mine. I know what it’s like to be ignored by my father, and it feels like shit,” Sledge said, wishing he had a closer relationship with his dad, because he really wanted to talk to someone about the news. His father was still in Dargaville with Ash and Dante. He didn’t begrudge his old man being up there, just wished the bastard would acknowledge him more. He frowned. Maybe, since him and Ash weren’t at loggerheads anymore, he could ask his bro advice about kids instead. Yeah, and Ash had said he wanted to talk to him when he returned to Auckland, so that could be a good time.

“You can see the kid, but not Stella,” Corey said.

“She’ll be with the kid, so I won’t be able to avoid her.”

“If she touches you, you tell me, and I’ll deal with her.”

“Even that skinny chick could take you on and win,” Sledge said, laughing.

“She could not!”

Sledge stopped laughing, and grinned. “I’ve never had two chicks fight over me before.”

Corey punched his arm. “I’m not a chick.”

“You punch like one.”

“You’re a cunt.”

“No, you said you wanted to be
my cunt
,” Sledge said, still grinning.

“Ha, ha, very funny.
Not
.”

“Oh, c’mon, babe, lighten up.”

Corey huffed, and poked his lip out more. Sledge touched it softly, the split having healed up. A cheeky look flittered across Corey’s face, then he opened his mouth and sucked Sledge’s finger in. Sledge watched in fascination as it went in and out, while Corey’s tongue... He whipped his finger away when his cock started stirring.

“I’ll suck your dick way better than Stella could ever do—or any chick at that. I know what feels good.” Corey bit his bottom lip and looked down at Sledge’s crotch. “I’ll do it for you now, I’ll even swallow.”

Sledge felt his cheeks go up in flame, along with his dick. “We can’t here.”

“The curtains are closed.”

“No.”

“Then wank me off.”

“For fuck’s sake, is that all you can say?”

“I’m serious this time.”

“Like you weren’t the last time?”

“Oh, go on. Just put your hand under the covers, no one will know.”

“Wank yourself off.”

“That’s boring.”

“No, it’s not. I love wanking off.”

“Then prove it and do it for me, it’ll just be like wanking yourself—”

“Just with a way smaller dick,” Sledge sniggered.

Corey punched him. “It’s not small!”

“Says the clit to the cock.”

“Arsehole.”

“Well, you deserved it, cos I did tell ya I wouldn’t touch your dick.”

“Just try it or I won’t stop bugging you.”

“No.”

“But you’ve made me hard,” Corey whined.

“That’s not my fault.”

Corey snatched Sledge’s hand and put it on his crotch “
Please.
You gave me blue-balls the last time,” he said, digging his nails in when Sledge tried to pull back.

“Ow! Stoppit, you’re hurting me.”

Corey let go.

Sledge rubbed the indent marks. “You needa cut your nails.”

‘Sorry.” Corey took Sledge’s hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing it. Sledge watched, this time not fighting him, the guy’s lips so much prettier than Stella’s. What was wrong with him? He had no problem fucking Stella—someone he didn’t love, yet he gave Corey nothing—even though the cutie turned him on big time. And wanking Corey wasn’t exactly sex,
well
, it was sexual, but if he put his hand under the cover he wouldn’t see himself doing it, plus Corey did have an adorable little dick... And he’d let Corey wank next to him when they watched pornos... Oh shit, he was going to do it, wasn’t he?

He breathed in, then pulled his hand out of Corey’s grip and slipped it under the bedcovers and Corey’s hospital gown, making his mate gasp.

“
Oh God, yes,
Sledge.”

“Shoosh,” Sledge said, feeling himself harden more, Corey’s reaction a definite turn-on. “Don’t say a word or I’ll stop.”

Clamping a hand over his mouth, Corey watched Sledge through hooded eyes, then he started moving his pelvis in rhythm with Sledge’s hand, making Sledge bite back a moan himself. Fuck, he wanted to flip Corey over and take him right there. The thought shocked Sledge out of his sexual haze, making him aware he was holding someone else’s dick. His grip slackened, then tightened again when Corey’s eyes took on a pleading look. Sledge started wanking him faster, just wanting to finish, then before he knew what was happening, Corey came, moaning into his hand.

After a few seconds, Corey removed his hand from his mouth and looked down at his covered cock, which Sledge was still holding, feeling more than a little stunned. He’d just wanked off a guy. Well, he couldn’t wank off a girl... but a
guy
! He glanced down at his own cock, which was trying to escape his jeans.

Corey’s gaze shifted to it and he licked his lips, making Sledge’s cock twitch. “Get a wheelchair and take me to the toilet, I needa clean up.”

Sledge pulled his hand out, getting some of Corey’s cum on him. Freaked out, he wiped it on the bed, then hastily left Corey’s room, totally disbelieving what he’d just done and afraid someone would see his hard-on. He quickly returned with the wheelchair, wishing his bastard of a dick would deflate, but all it did was try harder to get at Corey, who kept looking at it, encouraging the bastard.

He helped Corey into the wheelchair, grabbed a blanket to cover the cum stain, then wheeled him out, following instructions on where the shower was. Sledge pushed Corey into the room, then locked the door behind them. The shower had a removable nozzle-head and a seat, and luckily, some fresh hospital gowns on a shelf.

Corey removed the blanket then his gown, catching Sledge’s full attention. Bruising ran up and down his body, upsetting Sledge. He bobbed down and brushed them lightly. “Do they hurt bad?”

“Not as much now.”

“I should’ve been there for you.”

“You’re here now.”

Sledge frowned. Then leaned over and kissed the biggest one on Corey’s ribcage, wanting to take his
mate’s
lover’s pain away. Corey placed his hand on Sledge’s head, and stroked his hair, the simple gesture almost undoing Sledge. He raised his head and latched onto Corey’s lips, no longer freaked out, the need to taste his lover too strong. Corey kissed him back, his tongue slipping inside, then his hand reached down and unzipped Sledge’s pants.

Sledge pulled back. “What’re you doin’?” he said out of breath.

“I wanna return what you did for me, but with my mouth.”

“You don’t hafta.”

“But I wanna.”

Sledge’s gaze moved back to Corey’s full lips. Yeah, he wanted Corey to do it too. “How do you want me?”

A large smile formed across Corey’s face. “Stand up.”

Sledge got to his feet, feeling awkward until Corey pulled his cock out, then... Sledge tilted his head back and groaned. Fuck, he loved the dude.

37

Ash

Friday

Ash got out of Dante’s car and looked at the house he no longer wanted to live in. Even worse, he considered it
tapu
now—a forbidden place because of Len’s death. Although he didn’t believe in God, he was superstitious, especially when it involved the dead. Christ, why did he even think he could spend another night in here, the place now creeping him out, regardless of the happier memories associated with it. But he had to deal with it, and get on with things, sorting out the mess called his life.

Dante locked the car, appearing more relaxed than normal. The car ride back had been a strange one, mainly due to giving Beth a lift home. But it hadn’t been too bad, and he’d even talked to her without biting her head off. Maybe it was because he no longer cared about what she’d done to him—Chaz’s abuse making it feel insignificant. Or maybe it was because he hadn’t expected to survive, and everything that followed was more like a dream than real.