City Knight 04 - Knights Out (CMS) (MM) Read Online Free PDF Page A

this would be hard for Marcus. Something had happened, and he needed to get it out so they could deal with it. Together. “I’m proud of you, love. That couldn’t have been easy. Now, why don’t you tell me about it? Anything you found out we can manage.” It struck him suddenly—“Marc, he’s…he’s still alive, isn’t he?”
    Marcus’s arm slid tighter around him, as if to offer consolation . Ben had to smile in spite of his fears—it was so like Marcus to try to take care of him, even when he was in pain himself. “No, he’s not dead.” He sighed and rolled on his side, facing Ben in the dark. “You know, when we were little kids, Frankie followed me everywhere. I was his hero, and for a teenager, it was heady. Anything I did, he had to do too, and better. It was flattering as hell. Then things changed.”
    Ben leaned in to him and touched lips with him tenderly. He laid a hand gently against Marcus’s cheek and waited. Marcus rubbed slightly against him and sighed. “When I went off to college, I’d been dating my old high school sweetheart. Things were good, I was happy. Or, happy enough. Vanessa was comfortable, and she stayed home and worked instead of going to Georgia with me, so we only saw each other once in a while. One night I went to a party with my roommate, and there was drinking and pot, and then I was back in my dorm room making out with Craig. And really, really liking it.”
    Not sure what to say, afraid he’d break the mood, Ben had to giggle. “I think I saw this movie. Frat Cocksuckers #10, right?”
    Marcus reached over and slapped the back of his head, laughing. “Shut up. I know I’m a cliché, but they’re that for a reason. Anyway, asshole, it scared the bejesus out of me. We didn’t do anything but kiss and grope each other a little, and wake up with a headache the next day and freaked out. We made a pact to never talk about it again. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I had to talk about it with somebody, so when I went home the next weekend, I told Vanessa. She was so understanding about it, and thought it was a little hot and we ended up…well, you know.”
    “You do like your sex, as my poor ass can testify.”
    Marcus put a hand over Ben’s mouth. “Jesus, sometimes I don’t know what to do with you, kiss you or push you out of the fucking bed.” He jerked his hand away and yelped when Ben bit his fingers.
    Ben pushed him over on his back and crawled on top, splaying himself across Marcus’s chest. “Okay, big man, I’ll behave. Now, tell me. I promise, no more smart ass.”
    “You can’t control it, so don’t even try.” Marcus put a hand behind Ben’s head and pulled him down and into a kiss. Ben opened his mouth, hoping to deepen it into something more, but Marcus kept it light, gentle, in control. Surrendering, he pressed against Marcus’s lips then snuggled against his neck.
    “There was no way I could do anything more. I knew my family would never accept it. They expected me to marry Vanessa, have grandkids for them , and be a good little son. So, I caved. Vanessa and I talked, and I proposed to her. The parents were happy. It worked for a little while. I finished school, and then we got married. I asked Frankie to be my best man and the kid, I swear Benjamin, his feet never touched the ground. He was almost eighteen and such a handsome young man. Then it all went to hell.”
    Ben just lay there, planting small kisses along Marcus’s collarbone and occasionally running his hand down his side, but not talking. This was painful enough, he knew. He wouldn’t make it worse.
    He felt Marcus draw in a deep breath. “I joined the academy. My parents were against it, Vanessa was worried I’d get shot, but Frankie… Ben, he supported me. He was the only one, but he knew how much I wanted to…God, it sounds so silly, but I wanted to make a difference. And so did Frankie. That’s why he joined the Marines. Right after I went into the academy, he