Hammer frowned. “I’m not being funny.”
“Not right now, but you can be. Like when you said, ‘I’m well aware I’m attractive’, back at the dinner. And all with that stern expression. I still think about it, because it cracks me up so much.” Dex grinned despite his eyes still being bloodshot from crying.
“But I am attractive. Why is that funny?” Hammer asked but smiled at the first sight of Dex’s grin.
Dex got to his toes and kissed the scar above Hammer’s lips. “Because you were so analytical about it. I instantly imagined you having an out of body experience where your soul looks at your body, and you nod to yourself thoughtfully, ‘Yeah, I’m hot’,” he said in an imitation of Hammer’s voice.
Hammer gave Dex a little swat with the flat of his palm before tugging him toward the hotel. “Next time you’re this upset, you come to me instead of running, understood? Or I’ll be givingyouan out of body experience.”
Dex snorted. “I don’t know if that’s a threat or a promise.”
Hammer smirked. Maybe it was both.
Chapter 22 – Hammer
Thehotelhadchangedowners since Hammer had last been in town, and now instead of the outdated decor that was considered neutral thirty years back, everything from the carpets covered with Persian-style prints to reproductions of rococo paintings in frames covered with gold paint screamedexcess.
But the customers seemed to like it, since there was just one room left for the night, and the gaudy decor was likely why the short stay cost as much as it did. Not that Hammer cared at this point. This was what his savings were for.
He rested his forehead against their door and exhaled, relieved to push down the handle and enter the space that was theirs for the night. He didn’t expect Dex all but pushing him inside.
“It’s the honeymoon suite,” Dex chuckled, gluing himself to Hammer, cold hands and all. “So you do care.” His fingers were icicles when they dove under Hammer’s T-shirt, and he kissed Hammer’s jaw with a big grin.
Hammer grunted, letting his head fall back as the door locked behind them. He’d need to secure it, to make sure no one forced entry while they slept, but that could wait. It was only now that the fatigue of the journey, the disastrous family reunion, and needing to take care of Dex’s emotional needs were catching up to him, and the cold touch was not helping him relax.
“You want to freeze my nips off?” he asked, opening his eyes to take in the elaborate white furniture with gold-painted trim. The interior, while not small, was not nearly grand enough for the pseudo-finery of the bedroom set it was equipped with. The flowery wallpaper matched the carpet,andthe drapes, and artificial flowers that should have been dusted long ago overflowed from twin vases. Above the grand bed, there was even a painting of a naked woman resting in tangled sheets, surely meant to evoke a romantic atmosphere for the newlyweds.
She had nice tits, Hammer would give her that, but the quality of the artwork itself left a lot to be desired.
Dex laughed and dove under Hammer’s T-shirt, putting his warm mouth over the nipple. “This better?” he teased while wrapping his arms around Hammer’s waist. “If we didn’t need to gut Ryker, I would have stayed here for a week with you, just leaving for meals—No, we could order food to bed. Wait. Do they do takeout here?” And to confuse Hammer further after the disjointed barrage of questions, he licked Hammer’s nipple.
Which felt damn weird. Nobody had ever taken any interest in them, and while the touch wasn’t unpleasant, Hammer couldn’t get his head around his feelings. So he put his arms around Dex, who was a not-so-discreet presence under his T-shirt, and steered them to the opulent bed. “I— well, we can’t stay anyway, but maybe we could order something, if you’re still hungry.”
It struck him that this was the first time he and Dex were alone and not in a hurry since Frank and Co. had taken them from the town close to Cora’s place. And the first time since he’d told Dex that he wanted this to be a relationship. He should have decided how he felt about all those changes by now, but in the rush of needing to deal with the club and the matter of Ryker, there hadn’t been much time left for thinking about petty things likefeelings.
And while he knew being around Dex, touching him, andhavinghim made him happy, he was still confused about what that meant for his future.
The plastic chandelier swaying right above his head, since it was too big for a room that size, didn’t make focusing any easier.
“Just one meal I want right now.” Dex purred under Hammer’s top, and when Hammer sat down, Dex went to his knees between his legs. “Though I would eat afterward, since that spaghetti at your parents’ was barely enough. It’s like they eat child portions.” His eager fingers were unbuckling Hammer’s belt already.
“Yeah, they always ate those laughably small meals five times a day. And if I said I was hungry, I’d get five almonds,” Hammer mumbled, but when Dex touched his zipper it was time to stop him. Things were going too fast, and Hammer needed time to step back and think. “I’m tired.”
Dex pulled out from under Hammer’s T-shirt with disappointment painted all over his flushed cheeks. “Oh. You sure? I don’t need much work, I’m happy to just… enjoy the goods.”
This again. Was Hammer to just lie down and let it happen? It wasn’t like he’d never relaxed during a blowjob, but he was feeling particularly overwhelmed tonight. “I just think… my mind is all over the place.”
Dex sat back on his heels and settled on stroking Hammer’s thighs. “Is it because of your parents? Or are you just trying to come up with creative ways of disposing of Ryker?”
Relief loosened the tense muscles in Hammer’s nape, and he offered Dex a smile before tentatively placing his hand on Dex’s. Because it wasn’t as if he wanted to retreat from whateverthiswas. He was just… unsure where it would go next. “Both. But my parents have been out of the picture for so long that really it’s more about Ryker. I kind of want to take my time with that dirty bastard,” Hammer growled, remembering how that piece of shit had thrown him under the bus, using his natural charm against Hammer.
Dex got off the floor and sat next to him on the bed, putting one leg over Hammer’s. He seemed so relaxed now, even though he’d been crying his eyes out so recently. Dex always went from zero to a hundred in seconds, while Hammer was like the old car that took ages to start but once that happened, he maintained a steady pace.
“What do you want to do?” Dex asked, and all of the attention glistening in his brown eyes settled on Hammer.
Oh, the anticipation in his gaze wasgood. And talking about killing was always easier than discussing human relationships. Dex wouldn’t freak out when Hammer let his gory fantasies out of their cage.
“I want him to be afraid, to know I can make him suffer for hours, whether I actually end up doing that or not,” Hammer whispered as dark satisfaction simmered in his throat like a song that would need to be voiced eventually. He did not enjoy torture for its own sake, but few things satisfied him more than getting a reaction from a man who knew Hammer was the angel of death coming for him.