Maddy nodded. “I won’t say anything. I promise.”
Angel hugged him again and kissed his head. “I have to go to work now. But maybe tomorrow morning I’ll talk to Wade.” He drew back. “I would tonight, but they’re always drunk at night. So I’ll wait till he’s sober.”
“When do you think you’ll be home?” Maddy asked with a measure of anxiety.
“I don’t know.” Angel said and combed the boy’s hair back from his face. “I usually work till after midnight. But I’ll come straight home. I always do.”
Maddy nodded silently, eyes worried.
“Hey.” Angel murmured. “You’re gonna be okay. Just…stay away from them as much as possible. With them, sometimes it’s out of sight, out of mind. When they start drinking, they’re easily distracted. So if they don’t see you, they will probably just leave you alone.”
Licking his lips slowly, Maddy whispered, “I hope Byrd don’t come over.”
Angel gazed at him, his stomach knotting. “Has Byrd ever…tried anything with you when I wasn’t here?”
Maddy shook his head. “But sometimes…” He raised his fearful eyes to Angel. “He looks at me like…he wants to.”
Chapter Eight
Heavenly Reprieve
“Thanks.” Max leaned against kitchen door frame, eyes down. “You’re a good guy, Dane.”
“So are you.” Dane gripped his shoulder. He could almost feel the man’s pain resonating out of him and into his palm. “You know…I’m a pretty good listener…if you ever want to talk about it.”
Max nodded slowly, then shrugged. “Thanks, but…it won’t change anything to talk about it.”
“Sometimes it helps to anyway.” Dane murmured. “It can be a hell of a burden keeping something all to yourself. I think we were created with that innate need to confide in one another.”
Raising his eyes, Max looked at him. “You speak as if from personal experience.”
His lips tight, Dane nodded. “Maybe so.”
“And are you ready to talk about it?” Max asked quietly.
Pressure pushed out from the center of Dane’s chest as he thought about it for only a moment. “No,” he whispered. “I guess I’m not.”
Max smiled and gripped the side of his neck lightly then leaned close and kissed him. Their arms wrapped around each other and Max chuckled low against his shoulder then kissed his neck. “I guess maybe we’re both just a couple of basket cases.”
Dane hugged him tight. “I guess so.”
Silence settled over them as they held on to each other in quiet desperation. Max shifted and rubbed his lips up the side of Dane’s neck to his ear, causing a pleasant shiver to race down through his body. “Maybe talking isn’t what we need right now.” He said softly, then drew back slowly, meeting Dane’s heated gaze. The man rubbed his hands down Dane’s chest and stomach and let his fingers play around the snap of his pants. “I think…I might need something more.”
“Me too.” Dane whispered thickly. Max kissed him then took his hand and walked him down the carpeted hallway to his bedroom. When they stepped into the room, Max hesitated, just staring at the bed.
“Max?” Dane spoke low, soft. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head slowly. “Not really.” There was a sudden rasp to his voice, and when he looked at Dane, his eyes were damp. “It’s just that… not very long ago…” He glanced at the bed again and shook his head once more. “It doesn’t matter.”
Everything in the man’s demeanor said it did matter, but Dane didn’t push for details. Max shoved his hands under his shirt and peeled it up off his head then kissed his chest, hands caressing his hard torso. Dane’s breath shuddered in his throat and they went about undressing one another then slid between the sheets, wrapped up in each other. In no rush, but rather taking their time kissing and caressing, touching and exploring, they took turns pleasuring one another with hands and mouth.
“Oh my god.” Max shuddered when Dane scooted down between his thighs and began to kiss and lick his stiff member. He held Dane’s head tensely, lifting up to him, his body begging for more. “Yes…”
Taking him slowly into his mouth, Dane sucked gently on his firm cock head, using his tongue to tease and massage the ultra-sensitive groove on the underside of the crown. Max jerked and gripped his head tighter.
“Fuck!” he gasped sharply.
Dane moaned and took him deeper, sucking, stroking, working him until the man was writhing on the bed, his cries echoing off the bedroom walls, fists clutching Dane’s hair fiercely as his hips lifted and dropped repeatedly, thrusting into his mouth, breath puffing and panting hard.