The Final Rule (7 page)

“It’s getting to all of us.”

“If we stay at George’s, his wife is going to want to feed us.” Ellis tugged at his bottom lip.

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“You have no idea how much she’ll want us to eat. Right now, I don’t think I can.”

“All you’ve had today were scrambled eggs.”

“The only reason I haven’t lost those is because they’re already digested.” Ellis turned on the heat. “I think my fingers have frostbite.”

“Then I’ll just have to kiss them and make them better.”

It wasn’t far to Pea Ridge, but with night rolling in it turned into a trip halfway around the world.

Jon parked in front of the house beside two other cars.

“What do you think Russell meant when he said it couldn’t see me?” The front porch light highlighted the worry in Ellis’s eyes.

“I don’t know.”

“He said until a week ago, it couldn’t see me. Why would he say that? Why a week?”

“I don’t know the answer to that either.”

Ellis pulled the folded picture out of his pocket and held it. “Rudy died about a week ago.” He petted the piece of paper. “Do you think that’s what he meant?”

Jon’s chest tightened. He didn’t know how to answer Ellis, because anything he said would have the potential to hurt him.

They got out.

At the steps leading up to the porch, Jon wrapped Ellis in his arms. “I love you.” He combed his fingers through Ellis’s hair.

“I know.” Ellis pressed closer. “Just promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“Promise me that I won’t lose you. Swear to me we’re going to get through this.”

“I promise.”

The front door opened. “You boys coming inside?” The woman was barely five feet, but she carried herself like a giant. “You start kissing out here, your lips are going to freeze together and before I pry you apart, I’m gonna take lots of pictures to memorialize the moment.”

Ellis smiled. “Jon, this is Mrs. Marsh.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Marsh.”

“Eleanor.” She waved them up. “C’mon, I’ve got the table set and George is taking the roast out of the oven as we speak.”

Jon laughed. “You sound like you were expecting us.”

“‘Course I was. I told George if he didn’t bring you home with him tonight he was going to sleep in the barn with the horses.”

Sitting around a table, keeping company with friends let Jon convince himself the terrible events over the past weeks were a part of someone else’s life.

Jon’s appetite returned and after the first bite of roast he couldn’t get enough. Even Ellis cleaned his plate.

Three slices of cheesecake later, Jon held up a hand. “No more, please.”

“You sure?” Eleanor said.

“Yes.” Jon’s stomach cramped. “Definitely. I eat any more and you’ll send me into a food coma.”

“I think I’m already halfway there.” Ellis slumped in his seat.

“Then I guess I should put you two boys to bed.” Eleanor nudged George. “Will you take care of the dishes?”

“You know I will.”

They exchanged a kiss. Eleanor stood. “This way.”

“I’m not sure I can make it up the steps.” Jon pushed himself away from the table.

“Lucky for you two, the guest room is on the main floor.” She led them to the hallway. “Straight down and on the right. I’ll run and get you some bedclothes.”

Ellis leaned against Jon. He said, “Think you can make it another thirty feet?”

“Thirty, yes. Thirty one and you might be pushing it.”

“C’mon.” Jon gave Ellis a half hug.

The guest room was decorated in country conservative consisting of wood furniture and pleasant farm life paintings on the wall that matched the patchwork quilt spread over the end of the bed. A large claw foot tub dominated the adjoining bathroom.

Nice and neat with everything in its place; it was exactly what Jon needed in all this chaos.

Jon sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his shoes. Eleanor reappeared in the doorway with a bundle in her arms. She handed it to Ellis. “Help yourself to anything in the house.”

“Do you mind if I wash some clothes?”

“Anything in the house means, anything in the house.” She smiled. “Now you two rest up and sleep as late as you want.”

“What time is breakfast?”

She patted Ellis on the cheek. “Don’t worry about breakfast, dear. I’ll fix you a plate and put it in the oven.”

“Thank you.”

She left.

Ellis shut the door.

“What did she bring?”

“Towels.” Ellis put them down on the chair by the door.

“What else?”

“Something to sleep in. Here.” He walked over. “Put this on so we can take our clothes to the washing room.”

Jon unfolded the material. The oversized shirt had ruffled sleeves and a floral pattern. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Be glad I didn’t give you the pink one with the flowers.” Ellis held up the other one.

“You can’t be serious.” Jon tried to hand it back. “I’m not wearing a dress.”

“They’re night gowns.”

“If we had sticks we could build tents.”

Ellis unfolded the one he held. “They must be her sister’s.”

“She must be the defense for an entire football team.”

Ellis snorted. “Probably.”

“Still not wearing it.” Jon wadded it up.

“C’mon, Jon. You’ll hurt Eleanor’s feelings. She probably went to a lot of trouble picking these out.”

Jon arched an eyebrow.

“You know, to bring out the color in your eyes, or whatever.”

“I’m not wearing it, Ellis.” Jon left the nightgown on the bed.

“But you’ll look so pretty.”

“I’d rather go naked.” Jon took off his clothes.

“And how are you going to take your clothes to the laundry?” Laughter glittered in Ellis’s eyes even though his face remained serious.

Jon glared. “You could take them for me.”

“Nope. I’ll take mine and you can take yours.” Ellis got undressed.

“Don’t do this.”

“It’s just a piece of material.”

“It has ruffles. I am not wearing ruffles. I am not touching anything with ruffles.”

“This coming from the man who bought a box of tampons.” Ellis laughed.

That day in the car with Rudy flicked through Jon’s mind. When he met Ellis’s gaze, he knew he was thinking of the same moment. Was it always going to be like this? Would the world stop whenever a memory about Rudy surfaced? It might become less painful over time, but it would never go away.

Jon put on the nightgown. Then he took the bundle of clothes from Ellis’s hands and added them to his.

“I can carry my own.” There was the slightest waver to his voice.

“No need in both of us being humiliated.” He nodded at the bathroom. “Run the tub and I’ll wash your back after I drop these off.”

“I think it’s the hall on the right, then the door at the end.” Ellis went into the bathroom.

“Just a piece of material.” Jon pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s all. Doesn’t mean anything.” The edge of the nightgown barely reached the middle of his thigh. As long as he didn’t lift his arms he wouldn’t flash anyone.

The hallway was clear so he made a beeline for the laundry room. If he was quick enough he could get out of this with his ego intact.

Jon opened the door.

Eleanor stood in front of the washer with a basket of clothes tucked against her hip.

“There you are, I was just about to turn the wash on.”

Jon’s face burned.

She took the laundry from his hands and gave him a once over. “Don’t you look as cute as a button?”

Jon clenched his eyes shut for a moment.

“Don’t worry, dear, I promise not to tell your friends.”

“Thanks for…” He tossed a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to—” Run before I die of embarrassment.

“Not so fast.”

Jon stepped back in the laundry room.

She nodded at the door. “Close that. I’d like to talk to you.” When he didn’t, she planted her fist on her skinny hip and said, “I’m not going to accost you. I just want privacy.”

Jon pushed the door shut.

“George told me about your discussion at the restaurant.” She went back to sorting the laundry.

“I’m sorry about—”

Eleanor shot him a look. “I’m not going to chastise you. In fact, I want to apologize for George. He’s not very open minded about things. I think the idea of science not being able to explain something scares him.” She shrugged. “I told him he should listen. Hard head.”

“You believe me?”

“I don’t know what to believe. I only know I’m not going to write you off as a fruitcake.”

“Is that what George thinks?”

She loaded the washer. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

Jon slumped.

“Didn’t you hear me?” She slapped his arm. “It doesn’t matter what George thinks or anyone thinks. If you believe there might be something to…” She waved a hand. “Anyhow.” Eleanor tossed the last shirt into the washing machine and closed the lid. “When my father was a little boy, his father would take him twice a month to get his hair cut at the barber shop. I think it was more of a social thing. You know, boys hanging out with boys. Kind of like a girl’s night out.” She smiled, but didn’t look up. “He said that the owner of the shop had this parlor trick he would do. He’d put something out on the floor and make it levitate.”

“You mean he’d make things float?”

Eleanor huffed. “Do you know of any other kind of levitate?”

Jon started to scrub the back of his neck but the hem of the nightshirt inched up.

“People would come from all around to watch him do it. When he had skeptics like you, like George, he’d levitate them just to prove he was authentic. Those folks were always too scared to come back.” She turned the dials on the washing machine, then folded her hands. “One day, my father went to the shop, like he’d done for years, to get his haircut. And like always, he asked Mr. Opus, that was the name of the shop owner, to do his trick, but that day he refused. My father asked him why.” Fear glittered in her eyes. “Opus told my father he’d figured out where that power had come from. He vowed he’d never touch it again.” She walked up and put a hand on Jon’s arm. “My father had no sense of humor or time for games. If he said that’s what happened, then that’s what happened.” She gave him a pat. “Now run back to your room and get some rest.”

Jon followed her out. “I appreciate you not…well, not thinking I’d made all this up.”

“Like I said, the world’s full of things we’ll never understand. That means nothing is impossible, only improbable.” She started to turn and stopped. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Do try to keep the noise down. I’m a light sleeper.”

As soon as Jon got back to the room, he pulled off the nightgown. He should have just gone naked. It would have been half as embarrassing. Now he felt the need to do something manly like watch football or change a tire. The sad pile of blue fabric seemed to mock him from the floor. Jon kicked it under the bed.

Water splashed in the bathroom. Jon peered through the gap in the door. Ellis sat shoulder deep in the massive tub surrounded by ribbons of steam.

There was more than one way to repair his ego.

“You want some company?” The humid air engulfed Jon.

Ellis sat up. “Sure.”

Jon tested the water. “You bathing or making soup?”

“It’s not that hot.”

“By not that hot, do you mean it’s a few degrees from boiling an egg?”

“Quit whining and get in.”

The water swallowed Jon’s feet one at a time. He was okay until he sat. Then his balls threatened to go on strike. “Well, there’s one thing for sure.” He stretched out his legs.

“What’s that?”

“With my nuts cooked, you won’t ever have to worry about getting pregnant.”

Ellis knocked a handful of water into Jon’s face. He held up an arm to fend off the following attacks.

“I give up.” He grabbed the washcloth hanging off the side and waved it. “Mercy.”

Ellis stopped.

Jon put his arm down and was promptly slapped in the face by a tsunami. He scraped the water out of his eyes. “Hey, I thought we were at peace.”

Ellis straddled Jon’s lap. “You called me a girl.”

“It was a joke.”

Ellis put Jon’s hand between his legs. “Does that feel like anything remotely feminine?”

Jon grinned hard enough to make his cheeks hurt. “Nope.” And having Ellis this close made his cock ache.

Ellis glared. “I always knew you were part horse.”

“Why? Because I’m well hung?”

“No, because you’re a jackass.”

Jon put an arm around Ellis when he tried to scoot back. “I think I like you here.”

“Really?”

He fondled Ellis’s balls and watched the war with his arousal flicker through his expression. Jon sucked on one of Ellis’s nipples until it was swollen. His cock hardened against Jon’s arm. “Yes. Really.”

“I can’t believe you called me a girl.”

“I promise. I do not think there’s anything feminine about you.” Jon gave his attention to Ellis’s cock. “Not at all.” He pinched Ellis’s other nipple between his teeth. Ellis hissed. “I think you like that.”

Jon gripped both of their cocks. Ellis dropped his head back and rocked his hips with every pump of Jon’s fist.

“So, do you?” Jon kissed Ellis’s chest.

“Yes.”

“And what do you love most about it?” Jon slid his hand on Ellis’s back, lower. “Is it the way I kiss you? The way I suck up marks on your skin? Or maybe it’s my tongue?” He licked a line across Ellis’s shoulder. “Or is it my mouth on your cock?” Jon traced the cleft of Ellis’s ass. He reached Ellis’s opening and rubbed it with his finger. “Or is this what you like?” Ellis whimpered. With his broken voice it was barely a sound. He pushed one then two fingers inside Ellis. He shuddered. “Tell me, baby. Tell me what you love most and I’ll give it to you for however long you want.”

Ellis opened his eyes. Raw desire burned in his gaze. He brushed a light kiss against Jon’s lips and said, “You.”

Him.

What had Jon done to deserve this much love from another human being? It didn’t seem possible that his body could hold so much joy and contentment. It also didn’t seem possible that Ellis could give so much and have anything left.