Paladin, page 29
“Mm,” he said. “I did. I told you you’re smarter than me. I lack your vision.”
After that, they fell silent, just enjoying the feel of each other, the taste of each other, the slick slide of their bodies moving together. But soon, Ever was restless, making frantic little noises against Arsen’s lips.
“Faster. Fuck. I’m already so close. I’ve been wanting you all day,” Ever said, burying his face against Arsen’s neck.
That was news to Arsen. If he’d known that he would have taken an extended lunch break. He braced Ever’s back against the wall, sliding a hand down to slip between his cheeks, rubbing a finger over his hole. Ever moaned long and low. “Yeah, that’s perfect. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
Even now, he only swore during sex. And it was still so hot.
Ever reached between them, taking both their cocks in his hand and stroking them with purpose. Fuck. He knew just how to touch him. He always knew just what Arsen needed. “I’m gonna come.”
“Do it,” Ever said breathlessly, eyes locked on his hand as it worked them both.
Arsen groaned, his release spilling over Ever’s fist. He continued to work them both until Arsen was wincing. Just when it got to be too much, Ever cried out, his cum mixing with Arsen’s as he shuddered.
After a moment, Arsen gently set Ever on his feet, then moved him to the front of the shower, quickly washing his hair and body. The water was barely lukewarm, which meant they had maybe three minutes before it was an ice bath. They finished just in time.
Arsen wrapped Ever in a towel and then himself. He sat Ever on the counter while he blow dried his hair, then let Ever dry his. This was their sacred routine. Every night, they showered then brushed their teeth and did their skin care. It was silly, but it was something they’d done every night since Ever had held his hair back for him to wash his face.
Dr. Jones said having a routine was important, and it seemed to keep Ever’s nightmares and panic attacks to a minimum. He only had therapy once a month now unless something triggered him, but he seemed past the worst of it.
Arsen still had the occasional nightmare about his father. He was almost positive they would never go away entirely, though some small part of him hoped perhaps his father’s inevitable death might take his bad dreams with him.
But probably not.
“Where do you want to go, besenok?” Arsen asked, already knowing the answer.
Ever fixed him with a look that told him they both knew the answer. “You know where I want to go,” Ever replied, pulling a sweater over his head.
Arsen laughed. “Again?”
Ever flounced onto the bed to put his socks on. “I love it there.”
“Oh, I know,” Arsen teased. “It has your two favorite things. Food and books.”
“Please? Please?” Ever said, clasping his hands together.
Arsen rolled his eyes. “Do I ever say no to you?”
Ever grinned. “Nope.”
Arsen checked the time once more before they headed out the door, keys in hand. They were right on time and Ever seemed none the wiser. Arsen fought the urge to gloat. Noah had said he’d figure it out immediately. But Arsen knew Ever never cared about his own needs.
Out on the street, they walked a short distance to where Arsen’s car was parked. Two girls leaned against the wall outside of a dive bar blaring hard rock loud enough to hear it behind the closed door.
“Hey, Arsen,” one girl cooed.
“No,” Ever said to the girl, leveling a hard stare at her until she looked away, rolling her eyes like she wasn’t terrified of him.
Arsen laughed. Ever was relentless. Even knowing Arsen had no interest in women didn’t stop him from terrorizing any girl who so much as looked his way.
“You’re such a monster,” Arsen teased as they reached the car.
His car. Arsen’s baby. His ‘69 dusk blue Chevy Impala. The car he’d dreamed about since the moment he laid eyes on it.
“How am I the monster? They’re the ones who try to hit on you when I’m standing right there. I just remind them you’re taken. I only use force when necessary.”
He opened Ever’s door, letting him slip inside before jogging around to the driver’s side. It had taken months to restore. Jericho had gifted it to him for his birthday. Well, what was left of it. It had been in terrible shape, barely more than the frame. But Jericho had also agreed to buy whatever parts Arsen had needed and had spent weekends helping him restore it.
He turned over the engine, smiling as it roared to life and purred. He patted the steering wheel.
“I swear you love this car more than me,” Ever said.
Arsen caught Ever’s gaze, his face lit by the street light above shining through the windshield. “I don’t love anything more than you,” Arsen said without hesitation, taking Ever’s hand and kissing it.
Ever melted, giving him a sappy look. “You can’t just say that stuff.”
“Sure, I can.”
They drove hand in hand in comfortable silence for the short drive to the restaurant, Ever’s leg bouncing faster the closer they got. He really did love the place. Noah had discovered it after he and Adam had been invited to the opening, and Ever had practically swooned the first time he’d taken him.
They rolled up to a brick building with black awning and wooden double doors.
The valet jogged up to them, opening Arsen’s door. “Hey, Arsen.”
They were there a lot.
Arsen tossed him the keys. “Hey, Jared.”
Jared winked at him and something unknotted in Arsen. Everything was still going to plan. He took Ever’s hand, opening the door to a warm room with soft amber lighting. Book Bar wasn’t just a bar but a restaurant and bookstore of sorts. The walls were dotted with nooks filled to the brim with books of all kinds. First editions, trade paperbacks, trashy dime store books from seventy years ago. Each booth or table sat in an alcove surrounded by books.
“Ever. Arsen.”
They turned to find the owner, Joe, rushing towards them. It was a family-owned business and they doted on Ever like he was actually a member of their family. Ever likely expected him to lead them to his favorite booth in the back, but, instead, he kept going through the restaurant to the atrium, a glass-encased room filled with books and greenery and dozens of tables.
For the first time, Ever looked confused. “Why are we out here?”
“Just for a change of pace?” Arsen hedged, toying with a menu they didn’t need.
Ever’s legs slotted with his under the table. “You’re being weird. Why are you being weird? You’re not gonna propose are you? If you propose to me and I’m wearing this ugly sweater in pictures, I will never forgive you.”
Arsen smiled. “I’m not proposing.” Yet. Arsen would propose there one day. Not now, because Ever had a plan. And they were still so young. But someday, after Ever graduated, he would bring him here and get down on one knee and finally make good on his promise to give him his last name.
Ever seemed temporarily appeased. “What are you thinking about?” Ever asked, taking his hand.
“You.”
“What about me?”
“Just wondering if you’re ever going to remember your own birthday?”
Ever stopped short. “What?”
Arsen laughed. “Today’s your birthday, remember? You picked it.”
Ever stopped short, then grabbed his cell phone, looking at the date. “Oh. Yeah, I guess it is.”
Before Arsen could say anything else, the doors burst open, their friends and family pouring in, shouting, “Happy birthday!”
Ever’s mouth fell open. “What’s this?”
Felix and Zane both kissed a cheek, Felix saying, “It’s your birthday party, gumdrop.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah, oh.” Zane laughed.
Ever watched, mouth slack, as the staff brought out tray after tray of food, setting it all up on banquet tables. Gifts were piled on a separate table.
“Hungry, besenok?” Arsen asked.
Ever nodded, still looking at their friends, who were laughing and chatting, waiting their turn to wish him a happy birthday. Everyone was there. All his friends—their friends—had come to show Ever he was loved.
Arsen felt a little guilty when he saw Ever’s overwhelmed expression. Still, he got up to make him a plate, watching as Ever finally stood and walked to where Levi and Nico stood off to the side. Arsen smiled. Of course, he went straight to them. They were his emotional support humans. Arsen didn’t know when they’d stopped being his friends and started being Ever’s friends, but he wasn’t mad about it.
They spent the next few hours eating and laughing. Joe had not only made Ever a huge cake but had also set up a candy buffet with all of his favorite treats. Ever opened gift after gift, his face a mixture of happiness and maybe a little confusion. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to this kind of attention, but it was his very first birthday.
As the night wore down, Ever found him, slipping his arms around him and putting his head on his chest. “Whatcha thinking?” he asked.
Arsen smiled, tightening his arms around him. “Just wondering how you’re enjoying your happily ever after, I guess.”
“You give me a million happily ever afters every day, including this one.”
Arsen’s chest tightened. “Yeah?”
“Yep,” Ever said. “But you’re my favorite one.”
the end
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Thank you so much for reading Paladin, Book 1 in Jericho’s Boys, my Necessary Evils spin-off series. I hope you loved reading this book as much as I loved writing it. Look for book two in the series, Rogue, as well as The Bone Collector, Book 1 in my other Necessary Evils spin-off series, The Watch.
If you’ve read my books before, you know I worked as a psych RN for many years and often refer to some of the horrors I saw there. Paladin was no exception but, this time, the mental health crisis wasn’t just Ever’s but my own. As Ever slogged his way through therapy, I was as well, doing my best to get through my own past trauma. Neither Ever nor I have quite gotten there yet, but we’re trying. Maybe that’s why it’s my longest romance to date at just under 90,000 words. While all my books are personal to me, this one might be the most personal, so I hope you enjoy it and maybe can relate just a little.
The situations depicted in Paladin are fictional, but anybody living in the US right now knows human trafficking is a real and growing problem in this country, so I will continue to talk about it.
As always, thank you so much for loving my boys and my books. I’m blown away by your support and super grateful you were willing to go along for this ride with me.
If you guys are really loving the books, please consider joining my Facebook reader group, Onley's Oubliette, and signing up for my newsletter on my website so you can stay up to date on freebies, release dates, teasers, and more. You can also always hit me up on my social media and find all my links here. You can find me literally everywhere so say hi. I love talking to readers.
Finally, if you did love this book, (or even if you didn't. Eek!) it would be amazing if you could take a minute to review it. Reviews are like gold for authors.
Thank you again for reading.
ONLEY JAMES lives in North Carolina with her daughter, her daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and a menagerie of animals, both good and evil. James splits her time between writing m/m romance and mainlining dangerous levels of caffeine and attempting to maintain her ever-slipping sanity.
When not at her desk, you can find her whining about how much writing she has to do while avoiding said writing by binge-watching unhealthy amounts of television and doom scrolling on social media. She loves true crime documentaries, anti-heroes, and writing kinky, snarky books about morally gray men who fall in love with other men.
Find her online at:
WWW.ONLEYJAMES.COM
Onley James, Paladin
